12/1/2023: From the Earth to the Moon 🚀
PLUS: Expensive Cities; Studying Swift; and The Firm Weighs Payback
Today is Friday, December 1, 2023.
It is the 335th day of the year.
30 days remain.
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TOP SHELF IS COMING
You still have two full weeks to pledge your subscription before we activate our Top Shelf paid tier on December 18.
REMEMBER: We intend to keep the daily email free – but here’s some of what paid subscribers will have access to:
A Year in Review over the Christmas break when we take a brief step back from the daily newsletter.
Beginning in January, a Saturday email focusing on campaigns and elections heading into next Election Day.
Original reporting and features on many of the topics you enjoy in the daily email.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
A surge of American companies no longer care about college degrees and North Korea rattles its saber. Details in HIT LIST.
BRITNEY SPEARS says her 2007 meltdown lasted longer than anyone truly knows. Find out more on that in SHOWBIZ.
Another “Hangover” star says he would be up for adding to the franchise. Find out who in CASTING CALL.
Did the Kardashian’s scam their way to the top? More in KARDASH.
THE FIRM is debating how to handle PIERS MORGAN revealing the “royal racist” names. Find out more ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The first American mission to put a lander on the Moon in five centuries is scheduled to touchdown on the lunar surface on January 25.
Private space company ASTROBOTIC will tentatively launch on Christmas Eve. While it will only take a few days to reach lunar orbit, the mission will wait until the landing area has better light conditions.
NASA is underwriting part of the mission and is sending some experiments on board Astrobotic’s lander. [via France24]
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ELON MUSK’s long-awaited vision for an electric utility vehicle hit the market on Thursday, with the official rollout of TESLA’s Cybertruck.
There’s already a years-long waitlist for the oddly-designed, boxy truck, which starts around $61,000.
A premium model called Cyberbeast still won’t be ready to ship until 2025, however, and is expected to cost north of $100,000. [via CNN]
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Singapore has been named the most expensive place to live in the world – in a tie with Zurich.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living report factors in the cost of everyday items as well as housing and transportation expenses.
LAST YEAR: Singapore and New York City shared the top spot, but there’s been some shuffling since. Now, NYC and Geneva are tied in third-place. Hong Kong rounds out the top five. [via Bloomberg]
WORTH REMEMBERING: In October, Singapore’s government announced a driver's license would cost more than $75,000 – just for the right to drive.
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A majority of American companies already have nixed college degree requirements for new hires to certain roles this year.
The same Intelligent.com survey also shows that 45% of employers have plans to do so, or will continue to do so, next year.
An astounding 62% of software companies and 61% of finance companies are those getting rid of the college degree requirement. [via Intelligent.com]
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Days after North Korean state media said its spy satellite has captured images of key American locations, top Party apparatchik KIM YO JONG says her country has no interest in reopening diplomatic dialogue with the United States.
She’s also a top adviser to dictator KIM JONG JUNIOR.
“The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations, and therefore, (North Korea) will never sit face to face with the U.S. for that purpose,” she said in a statement. [via NBC News]
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DEATHS
Musician SHANE MACGOWAN has died.
He passed away Thursday morning, according to a statement from his family. No word on a cause of death, though he had suffered numerous health issues recently.
MacGowan was the frontman for the Irish punk-folk band THE POGUES.
He was 65.
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College football player REED RYAN has died.
According to the University of Minnesota Duluth, he passed away unexpectedly Tuesday morning. According to his obituary he suffered cardiac arrest while working out with his teammates.
He was only 22.
WORTH ASKING: When does the investigation into young, seemingly healthy athletes collapsing while working out begin?
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BABY NEWS
Actress UZO ADUBA has welcomed her first child, a daughter, with husband ROBERT SWEETING.
Aduba announced the news on Instagram, telling her followers that Adaiba Lee Nonyem had arrived.
No word on a birth date.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 520 points (1.47%) to close at 35,950 on Thursday – a highwater mark for the year. The S&P added 17 points (0.38%) to close at 4,567 and the NASDAQ slid 32 points (0.23%) to close at 14,226.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.24 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly flat on the day, trading around $37,700.
🛩 There were more than 2,135 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 65 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $355 million jackpot or a $164 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $400 million jackpot or a $185.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Dove Cameron, “Alchemical: Vol. 1”
Dowsing, “No One Said This Would Be Easy”
Gabby's World, “Gabby Sword”
Jonathan Rado, “For Who the Bell Tolls For”
LiL Lotus, “nosebleeder”
Perto, “bozo”
Peter Gabriel, “i/o”
Pink, “TRUSTFALL (Tour Deluxe Edition)”
Siiickbrain, “My Masochistic Mind”
Sadie Jean, “Simple Like 17”
Sam Fischer, “I Love You, Please Don't Hate Me”
Sigala, “Every Cloud”
The Corrs, “Best of The Corrs”
Thy Slaughter, “Soft Rock”
Wincent Weiss, “Wincents Weisse Weihnachten”
Wiz Khalifa, “Decisions”
Zara Larsson, “Honor The Light”
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BRITNEY SPEARS says there is more to her story than even her biggest fans know.
She alluded to as much in a since deleted Instagram post featuring a scene from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” under which she wrote that “Britney nerds [...] were 100 percent right” about their suspicions that there was more going on behind the scenes.
“Can you imagine a 2007 that lasted for three years…” she continued, referring to the year she was photographed shaving her head and using an umbrella as a battering ram. The following year she was placed under her 13 year conservatorship.
Spears concluded the post saying that she doesn’t want to speak about it now because it is “beyond comprehension.”
Sounds like some material for book #2. [via Instagram]
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A new Harvard course will cover all things TAYLOR SWIFT -- including her relationship with TRAVIS KELCE.
Professor Stephanie Burt opened up about the class, titled “Taylor Swift and Her World,” to TMZ, explaining that she created the course, not just because she is Swiftie, but because the singer is so worthy of study. [via TMZ]
SPEAKING OF TRAVIS: He revealed his pet name for Swift on his “New Heights” podcast, referring to her as “Tay” when talking to his brother and co-host JASON KELCE. [via Page Six]
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No, BEYONCE did not bleach her skin to make it look lighter.
Some social media trolls were quick to point out that Bey’s skin looked a few shades lighter in photos from last weekend’s “Renaissance” movie premiere -- especially when paired with her bleach blonde hair.
While her mom TINA KNOWLES spoke out against the haters, Bey chose to take the high road and instead post some new pics -- still with the blonde hair -- showing off her beautiful, brown skin tone.
A fan commented on the post, writing “One thing about my girl she never responds to the haters directly but it’s ALWAYS going to be a way she clears without saying a WORD!” [via TMZ]
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Country singer KELSEA BALLERINI revealed this week that she and boyfriend, actor CHASE STOKES got some matching ink.
“We have matching tattoos so we can’t break up,” she joked on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
As for what it is, Ballerini said the tattoos are a representation of them both being Virgos. [via Teen Vogue]
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MICHAEL JACKSON’s music video for “Beat It” has joined YouTube’s Billion Views Club.
It is his third music video to join the club, following “Billie Jean” and “They Don’t Care About Us.”
ALSO: A new documentary commemorating 40 years of MJ’s hit “Thriller” will debut on Showtime and Paramount+ tomorrow. [via Billboard]
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BRONNY JAMES, the son of Lakers star LEBRON JAMES, has been cleared by medical officials to return to the basketball court, just four months after suffering cardiac arrest.
A rep for the James family said Thursday that the 19-year-old will undergo one more evaluation with USC staffers before resuming practice next week.
Remember, Bronny collapsed during a workout on campus in July. It was later determined that he had a congenital heart defect, which caused the cardiac arrest. [via ESPN]
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Things appear to still be on-again for KIM ZOLCIAK and KROY BIERMANN.
In a since expired Instagram story, Kim sang along to JELLYROLL’s song “Save Me,” while riding with Kroy.
Remember, the two filed for divorce from each other earlier this year before dropping it in July. Then Kroy filed a second time in August. [via People]
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CASTING CALL
ED HELMS is also on board with a fourth “Hangover” film.
Just days after co-star BRADLEY COOPER said he would jump at the chance to add another film to the franchise, Helms said he would “do anything with those guys,” referring to Cooper, and fellow wolfpack member ZACH GALIFIANAKIS.
It seems the only hang up is director TODD PHILIPS said he is not interested in making a fourth film. [via People]
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TIM BURTON announced that filming has wrapped on “Beetlejuice 2.”
For the sequel, MICHEAL KEATON returns as the titular character, opposite WINONA RYDER and CATHERINE O’HARA. Joining them are JENNA ORTEGA, WILLEM DAFOE, MONICA BELLUCCI and JUSTIN THEROUX.
It is scheduled to hit theaters September 2024. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN says her famous family “scammed the system” to become one of the most famous families in the world.
She made the revelation on the finale episode of “The Kardashians,” during a dinner celebrating SCOTT DISICK’s 40th birthday.
After Scott admits that he thought their original show -- “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” -- was “going nowhere,” Kim says she and her sisters “totally scammed the system” to get where they are today. [via Page Six]
WORTH ASKING: Do you agree?
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In the aftermath of PIERS MORGAN’s on-air broadcast of the “royal racist” names found only in the Dutch translation of journalist OMID SCOBIE’s “Endgame” book, a palace insider tells The Telegraph, “We are considering all options.”
Britain’s laws do not include the same speech protections that Americans enjoy. PRINCE HARRY once even called the First Amendment “bonkers.”
This fear of a lawsuit deterred Scobie from including such identities in his final manuscript – which he says never included anyone by name and has no idea how they would have made their way into the Dutch translation. [via The Telegraph]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Christmas Lights Day
National Eat a Red Apple Day
National Bartender Day
Day Without Art Day
Faux Fur Friday
Wear a Dress Day
National Cookie Cutter Day
World AIDS Day
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ON THIS DATE
1824 - By the power of the 12th amendment, the House of Representatives decides its first presidential election.
Neither John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, nor Henry Clay received a majority of the Electoral Votes cast -- in which case Congress voted for the next commander-in-chief. While Jackson walked away initially with the most electoral votes, Congress eventually voted in John Quincy Adams.
In the next election, Jackson beat Adams outright.
It was the first and only time Congress selected the president.
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1913 - Henry Ford's first moving assembly line starts rolling, making mass production of a single automobile possible. His popularized innovation cut the production time of a car from 12 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Though the Model T had been a hot commodity in 1908, it was still too expensive for a typical buyer. This new manufacturing process significantly reduced the costs of production and increased supply -- thereby cutting the cost to the consumer.
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1959 - Twelve nations agree to the Antarctica Treaty, by which the countries pledge not to deploy weapons or test weapons in Antarctica.
The US and Soviet Union both signed amidst the Cold War.
It went into effect in June 1961.
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1990 - British and French drilling teams coming from opposite directions meet beneath the English Channel.
The Channel Tunnel would become known as the Chunnel. A treaty signed between the two nations in 1986 outlined the agreement to begin the project.
It took another four years of digging to complete the 95-mile trek.
The 31-mile shuttle train trip takes 20 minutes.
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2001 - The last Trans World Airlines flight lands in St. Louis, Missouri.
It was a ceremonial puddle jump, with CEO Captain William Compton flying the plane from Kansas City to St Louis.
TWA then merged with American Airlines.
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2017 - President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI.
In his plea agreement, Flynn admitted to lying to FBI agents about two discussions he had with a Russian ambassador to the US in December of the previous year.
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2019 - The earliest traceable patient, a 55-year-old man, develops symptoms of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.
It would be weeks before Chinese authorities officially acknowledged the infection.
Months later, a study published in the journal Science would claim that the actual patient-zero was a female seafood vendor who worked at an animal market in Wuhan.
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BIRTHDAYS
Robert Irwin - reality star & son of the late Steve Irwin- 20
Javier Baez - baseball player - 31
Chanel Iman - model - 33
Tyler Joseph - rock singer, Twenty One Pilots - 35
Zoe Kravitz - actress, “Divergent” & “The Batman” - 35
DeSean Jackson - football player - 37
Janelle Monae - soul singer - 38
Charles Michael Davis - actor, “The Originals” & “Grey’s Anatomy” - 39
Sarah Silverman - comedian - 53
Bette Midler - pop singer - 78
Rick Scott - politician - 71
Lee Trevino - golfer - 84
Woody Allen - director - 88
Born On This Date
Treat Williams - actor, “Everwood” - 1951 (d. 2023)
Richard Pryor - comedian - 1940 (d. 2005)
Mary Martin - actress, “Peter Pan” - 1913 (d. 1990)
Madame Tussaud - French founder of the wax museum - 1761 (d. 1850)
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