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12/5/2022: Twitter Dump
PLUS: Swifties Sue Ticketmaster; Madonna’s Moonman; and Yeezy Come, Yeezy Go
Today is Monday, December 5, 2022.
It is the 339th day of the year.
26 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter the week of December 26-30.
TRENDING
Saturday was Make A Gift Day.
#USAvNED was trending Saturday morning as the two soccer teams faced off in the World Cup. More on the game in Sports.
Twitter reacted to Keke Palmer’s big announcement she made on “SNL” Saturday night. More in Baby News.
Kenan was trending after Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunited as their characters from their old Nickelodeon show, “Kenan & Kel,” on “SNL.” Twitter users digitally applauded the skit, with several noting how it brought them back to their childhood.
Sunday was Santa’s List Day.
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HIT LIST
SAM BANKMAN-FRIED tells the Wall Street Journal he has no explanation for the billions of dollars in customer funds that are missing and that he can’t rule out there was nothing improper – but claims total ignorance of anything nefarious that may have happened.
WORTH NOTING: He could be lying. He could be totally incompetent. Or he could be both.
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After a few weeks of media pants wetting about the demise of Twitter after ELON MUSK gutted its staff, many signals point to a thriving, reformed company.
Musk tweeted over the weekend that Apple would be back to advertising its full budget after briefly scaling back. Reuters reports that Amazon will also restart an annual $100 million ad spend.
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Amid growing freedom protests in Iran, the government has suggested it might ease the national law that requires women to wear a hijab in public.
The country has seen growing pushback to authoritarian policies in recent weeks, after a woman was killed in police custody in September after being reprimanded for not wearing her hijab correctly.
MEANWHILE: Unrelated freedom protests in China have spurred the Communist Party there to lighten pandemic restrictions.
New rules call for more targeted lockdowns, not the broad, sweeping rules that have governed most of the country for nearly three years.
Businesses and operations in major cities will resume operations, too, and in some cases not require proof of a negative test to use public transportation or go shopping.
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A North Carolina woman gave birth and won the lottery on the same day about a month ago.
28-year-old Brenda Hernandez won a partial $100,000 prize from the November 9 Powerball drawing, using a combination of numbers from her other sons’ birthdays on the ticket. Just hours before the drawing, her daughter was born.
“I feel like she brought me my luck,” she said in a press release about the winnings.
Hernandez finally got to pick up the lump sum check last Wednesday – $65,015 after taxes.
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Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced Sunday that roughly 2,500 seal carcasses had washed up on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
An initial investigation suggests the seals all died of natural causes and not from poaching or fishing.
WORTH NOTING: That doesn’t explain how or why they all died at once and washed up in the same place.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow added 34 points (0.1%) to close at 34,429 on Friday. The S&P lost 4 points (0.12%) to close at 4,071 while the Nasdaq lost 20 points (0.18%) to close at 11,461.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate slipped below $80 again on Friday, trading at $79.98. Brent Crude fell to $85.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.41 on Sunday.
₿ Bitcoin is back up over $17,000 as of Sunday evening, adding nearly $200 in value on the day.
🛩 There were 3,190 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and 88 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. Ticket to Paradise: $849k (down from 9)
9. Bones And All: $1.2 million (down from 8)
8. The Fabelmans: $1.3 million (down from 7)
7. Black Adam: $1.6 million (down from 6)
6. I Heard the Bells: $1.8 million (new)
5. Devotion: $2.8 million (down from 4)
4. The Menu: $3.5 million (up from 5)
3. Strange World: $4.9 million (down from 2)
2. Violent Night: $13.3 million (new)
1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: $17.6 million (stayed at 1)
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DEATHS
CLIFF EMMICH has died.
The actor, known for his roles on “Little House on the Prairie” and “Payday,” passed away Saturday after dealing with an undisclosed health battle.
He was 85.
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BOB MCGRATH, one of the original human stars on “Sesame Street,” has died.
According to his family, he passed away Sunday at home with his loved ones present. No further details were shared.
He was 90.
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AL STROBEL, the actor famous for his work in the “Twin Peaks” franchise, has died.
He passed away Saturday, according to one of the producers he previously worked with. No other details were shared.
He was 83.
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BABY NEWS
KEKE PALMER, 29, is expecting her first child with boyfriend, football player DARIUS JACKSON, also 29.
The actress made the big reveal during her opening monologue on “SNL” over the weekend.
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SICK BAY
NICK CANNON has been hospitalized with pneumonia.
The “Masked Singer” host posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed, wearing a face mask, gown and hat.
He captioned the pic, “It’s just pneumonia, nothing I can’t handle. Okay, so I guess I’m not Superman.”
Cannon is currently on his “Cannon Wild ‘N Out” tour.
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THE SWAMP
Independent journalist MATT TAIBBI released a trove of emails on Friday from Twitter staff and executives as they managed the New York Post’s initial reporting about HUNTER BIDEN’s laptop in late October 2020, just days before the presidential election.
Taibbi reveals an expedited request among unnamed Twitter staff to take down tweets that included naked photos of Hunter Biden.
WORTH NOTING: At the time, national security officials threw the entirety of the laptop’s contents into question, saying that it was all fabricated by Russia. But the Biden campaign knew the laptop was authentic if they were scrambling to have leaked photos from it taken offline.
Internal chats reveal the staff acknowledged that banning the story on the grounds that it contained hacked material was a flimsy excuse. Twitter’s then head of “Trust and Safety” YOEL ROTH even noted, “I’m struggling to understand the policy basis for marking this” – meaning the link to the New York Post story, which Twitter suspended users for sharing – “as unsafe.”
But that didn’t deter Roth from jumping through hoops to limit the spread of the story. In another very underreported but damning revelation, Roth said in a group chat, “Given the SEVERE risks here and lessons of 2016, we’re erring on the side of including a warning and preventing this content from being amplified.”
IN OTHER WORDS: Twitter executives couldn’t run the risk of Trump getting elected again.
Both Taibbi and ELON MUSK have suggested there’s more to come. Musk said Saturday he also gave the same files to independent journalist BARI WEISS.
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Former President DONALD TRUMP is doing little to win the support of exhausted swing voters and depleted past supporters eager to see he’s learned some lessons from the past.
Taking to Truth Social to comment on the Twitter file dump, Trump declared, “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
WORTH NOTING: While the Twitter files lend credibility to Trump’s accusations of a “RIGGED!!!” election, there is no legal or Constitutional mechanism for a re-vote, or for him to be “installed” as the Commander-in-Chief.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $354 million jackpot or a $189.6 million cash payout.
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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing.Tonight’s drawing will be for a $89 million jackpot or a $47.1 million cash payout. No word on a price for the piece.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Swifties are suing Ticketmaster over the chaos surrounding presale tickets for TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour.”
The fans want Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, to pay up for allowing the November 15th presale event to get so out of hand, specifically calling out the bots and scalpers that were allowed in.
As previously reported, millions of fans had to wait hours in a digital queue in hopes of getting tickets -- many of whom never did.
Taylor also called out the site, saying the company had promised her team they could handle the anticipated high volume of fans.
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BRITNEY SPEARS shocked her fans over the weekend when she marked her 41st birthday with a message to her estranged sister JAMIE LYNN.
“It’s my b-day but you’re my heart so I’m thinking about you…” she captioned a photo of her little sister.
This is a huge about-face after Brit called Jamie “scum” earlier this year.
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In a new interview with “Extra,” HILARIA BALDWIN says that she and husband ALEC BALDWIN are “not OK” after the fatal shooting of cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS on the set of “Rust.”
“It was and is a tragedy that nobody could ever have imagined,” she shared.
In September, Alec posted on Instagram that he “may never be the same” following the incident.
For those unfamiliar, Hutchins died after a gun Alec was holding on set went off. He denies pulling the trigger. It is unclear whether he will face any criminal charges. Alec and the production company recently settled a suit with Hutchins’ widow.
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AEROSMITH canceled their Vegas concert on Friday after STEVEN TYLER got sick.
The rock band was set to perform at the Dolby Live at Park MGM as part of their “Deuces Are Wild” residency, but Tyler reportedly got sick about two hours before they were to take the stage.
It is unknown what is ailing Tyler.
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GUNS N’ ROSES are ending a longstanding tradition of tossing a microphone into the crowd at the end of their shows.
Frontman AXL ROSE penned a lengthy statement on Twitter about the decision, after a fan at a concert in Australia was injured when he tossed his mic.
“Having tossed the mic at the end of r show for over 30 years we always felt it was a known part of the very end of r performance that fans wanted and were aware of to have an opportunity to catch the mic,” he wrote.
Fans flocked to the comment section to share their fond memories of the tradition from concerts past.
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MADONNA’s Moonman is hitting the auction block.
The MTV Video Music Award, which she won for her 1986 song “Papa Don’t Preach,” is now in the hands of RR Auctions, with an estimated ticket price of $60,000.
ALSO UP FOR GRABS: The military uniform worn by TOM HANKS in the 1994 flick “Forrest Gump.”
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TOBY KEITH says he is thinking about “getting back into fighting shape” as he battles stomach cancer.
The country singer, who revealed his diagnosis in June, called the illness “pretty debilitating” but says he hopes to do “something good in the future,” which includes getting back on stage.
Keith canceled several performances over the summer as he underwent treatment, but has done a few public appearances, including one performance last month at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Lexington, Kentucky. He performed his hit “I Love This Bar” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”
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DOLLY PARTON wants to create a whole “Dolly Center” in Nashville.
The country legend told The Tennessean that she is also planning to have a museum in Music City within the next couple of years.
While she already has a museum at her theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Parton said she wants to create another one, along with other businesses in Nashville.
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CASTING CALL
Fox News and LARA TRUMP are parting ways in light of her father-in-law, DONALD TRUMP, launching his presidential campaign.
The decision isn’t personal, the network has previously ended employment with those who launch presidential campaigns or are connected to them.
Lara joined the network as a paid contributor in March 2021.
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THE WEEKND revealed on Sunday that he contributed a new song to the “Avatar: The Way of Water” soundtrack.
He shared a 12-second teaser of the song, which features a choral melody with battle drums.
The 32-year-old captioned the post with the film’s release date, “12.16.22.”
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A London tattoo shop is offering to remove KANYE WEST-inspired tattoos for free.
NAAMA Studios posted the offer on Instagram last month, offering to remove tattoos dedicated to or in honor of the rapper at no cost.
The studio later posted a video showing a former fan getting a portrait of Ye removed from their arm. They captioned the clip, “Yeezy come, Yeezy go…”
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY dressed as Spider-Man for a video that was played during Scotty’s Little Soldiers’ annual Christmas party.
In the clip he told the children that they do not need to feel guilty about enjoying the holidays. “I’m here to assure you that our parents always want us to have fun, so don’t feel guilty.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a British charity supporting children whose parents have died while serving in the armed forces. The theme for their annual bash was “Heroes and Villains,” hence Harry’s outfit.
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SPORTS
The US men’s soccer team lost to the Netherlands 3-1 on Saturday at the World Cup.
The loss sent the team packing.
It was the first time since 2002 that the team failed to reach its first quarterfinals.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Soil Day
Walt Disney Day
Bathtub Party Day
International Ninja Day
Sacher-Torte Day
National Repeal Day
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ON THIS DATE
1492 – Christopher Columbus reaches the coast of Hispaniola.
The culmination of his first adventure across the Atlantic made him the first recorded European to set foot in the Caribbean.
The natives received him and his men well, at least at first.
Later, inhabitants of the present-day Dominican Republic attacked the crew with arrows. He managed to kidnap a handful of the attackers, though, and brought them back to Europe.
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1717 - English pirate Edward Teach (aka Edward Thatch) ransacks the merchant sloop “Margaret” off the coast of Crab Island, near Anguilla. He takes Captain Henry Bostock, and his crew, prisoner while his crew empties the ship.
He holds them for either hours before releasing them all, unharmed. After, Bostock returned to his base of operations on Saint Christopher Island, where he reported the encounter to Governor Walter Hamilton.
In the retelling, Bostock describes Teach as a “tall spare man with a very black beard which he wore very long.” It is the first recorded account of the pirate’s appearance and the source of the infamous moniker: Blackbeard.
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1872 – A small British boat discovers an American vessel at full sail near the Azores islands.
The American boat was called the Mary Celeste. It was completely stocked and in tip-top condition -- but no one was on board.
The British crew boarded the Mary Celeste to find water in the hold and the lifeboat missing.
The captain, his family, and the 8 passengers were never found.
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1933 – Prohibition ends.
With ratification of the 21st amendment, the sale and transportation of alcohol was again legal in the United States.
For the previous 14 years, gangsters like Al Capone thrived on the bootlegging business.
Several states would remain dry for a couple decades. Mississippi would stay dry until 1966.
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1945 – Five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappear while flying over the Bermuda Triangle.
None of the pilots or their crews were ever found. A Mariner flying boat was put into the air to search for the missing planes -- it too disappeared, and is suspected to have exploded in mid-air.
A Navy investigation concluded that the planes ran out of fuel and the pilots ditched in the ocean.
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1969 – The prototype of the Internet grows, with the expansion of the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency computer network. ARPANET for short.
The project linked what were called network nodes in Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.
At first the computers only shared test messages to ensure that information could be shared between networks. From there, it expanded exponentially as more research connected to this network of networks.
The same principles and technology now power the Internet.
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2001 – “Ocean’s Eleven” premieres in Westwood, California.
The flick, directed by Steven Soderbergh, stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
The film grossed $450 million on its opening weekend, worldwide.
Two sequels would follow, making up the “Ocean’s Trilogy.”
A spin-off—“Ocean’s 8”—with an all-female lead cast would be released in 2018.
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2018 - National day of mourning for former US President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington.
Bush passed away on November 30th from vascular Parkinson’s disease at his home in Houston, Texas.
He was 94.
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BIRTHDAYS
Saint West - son of Kim & Ye - 7
Ava Kolker - “Scary Movie 5” & “Girl Meets World” - 16
Diego Velazquez - actor, “The Thundermans” - 21
Conan Gray - pop singer - 24
Maddie Poppe - pop singer - 25
Anthony Martial - soccer player - 27
Christian Yelich - baseball player - 31
Frankie Muniz - actor, “Malcolm in the Middle” - 37
Lauren London - actress, “The Game” - 38
Keri Hilson - R&B singer - 40
Kali Rocha - actress, “Meet the Parents” & “Grey’s Anatomy” - 51
Michel’le Toussaint - R&B singer - 52
Catherine Tate - actress, “Doctor Who” - 53
Lisa Marie - actress, “Mars Attack” - 54
Margaret Cho - comedian - 54
Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards - English ski jumper - 59
Born On This Date
Little Richard - rock singer - 1932 (d. 2020)
Walt Disney - entrepreneur, Disney - 1901 (d. 1966)
Martin Van Buren - 8th POTUS - 1782 (d. 1862)
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