Saturday, December 23rd, 2023

Welcome to the weekend! On this day in 1823, The Night Before Christmas was published, then known as A Visit From St. Nicholas. It was first released as an anonymous poem in a New York newspaper called the Troy Sentinel, and Clement Clarke Moore claimed authorship in 1844. (See the original text)

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Supreme Court Won’t Rush Trump Ruling

The Supreme Court has declined to rule on President Trump’s potential immunity before a Washington D.C. appeals court finishes its own ruling on the case.

Special Counsel Jack Smith made a bold legal move by asking the Supreme Court to decide whether Trump can be prosecuted for potential crimes committed while president, essentially leap-frogging the appellate court.

Now that his request has been denied, it’s unlikely that the case will be heard and resolved before the court’s usual summer break.

Confidence in Medical System Plummets

Americans’ confidence in the medical system is at its lowest in a decade, though consumers still give nurses top approval ratings, according to a Gallup poll.

Doctors rank behind nurses, with only 69% of Americans giving them good/excellent marks. Nurses scored 82%. Hospitals themselves were at 58% approval, with 11% saying they provided poor service.

At the bottom of the survey were healthcare service companies. More people said drug companies, health insurers, and nursing homes gave poor service, with nursing homes at the absolute bottom: 25% said they were good, and 37% said they were poor.

Massive Wave Hits Cruise Ship

A cruise ship bound for England nearly capsized after a giant ‘rogue wave’ smashed into the ship.

The wave knocked out windows on the bridge, and the surge of water compromised the navigation and radar systems.

An onboard camera recorded the moment when the huge wave rose out of the stormy sea and covered the bridge, and American passenger Elizabeth Lawrence said she feared for her life:

“There were about 20 minutes yesterday where I thought the ship might capsize… It really hit home when they started handing out orange survival suits to everyone.”

No one was seriously hurt, and the ship is being towed to Germany.

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➤ A new poll showed Donald Trump ahead of President Biden by 6 points among registered voters under 30. In 2020, Biden beat Trump among young voters by 24 points. (More)

➤ Senator Rand Paul has released his annual “Festivus Report,” in which he rails against wasteful government spending. This year’s list includes $38 million in Covid stimulus checks for dead people, $12 million for meth studies on monkeys, and an NIH grant to study Russian cats walking on treadmills. (More)

➤ Senator John Fetterman says he no longer considers himself a “progressive,” splitting with the far left over his support for Israel and border control. He says he’s not interested in their “bizarre” purity tests. (More)

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➤ The NFL has games scheduled for today (Bengals vs. Steelers at 4:30 ET), Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Sunday’s game between the Cowboys and Dolphins is one of the weekend’s most intriguing matchups: both teams are 10-4, and oddsmakers predict a one-point Miami win. (Week 16 Breakdown)

➤ LSU’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels will skip LSU’s bowl game against Wisconsin on Jan. 1, saying “All great things must come to an end.” Daniels will enter the 2024 NFL draft. (More)

➤ Top college athletes are switching colleges on a daily basis through the new NCAA transfer portal. To see who’s joining your team — or leaving it — you can check live updates on this site. (See Updates)

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Here are this week’s most-clicked stories. Enjoy!

➤ #1: A list of the safest small towns in America topped the click charts this week. Monroe Township, NJ, won the prize. (See the Whole List)

➤ #2: Who wouldn’t want to see a video of an ultra-rare quadruple rainbow? (Watch It)

➤ #3: State populations are shifting in America, and this graphic shows which states are rising or falling. (See It)

➤ A 2,300 year-old mosaic has been discovered at Palatine Hill in Rome. It’s made of seashells and coral, and it depicts a naval victory—likely by the owner of the home it was found in. (See It)

➤ Researchers have developed a new version of humanoid robot that can mimic human activities, including tossing a ball, eating popcorn, and playing air guitar, just like a college student. (See Video)

➤ The Powerball jackpot for tonight’s drawing has reached an estimated $620 million. Wednesday’s drawing had no grand prize winner, though two people each won $1 million by matching five numbers. (More)

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Meme

Which actor was the best movie Santa?

Friday’s Results:

The Christmas tree: Real or artificial?

Artificial: 60.7%
Real: 26.9%
Neither: 12.5%

Daily Quote

“I got a lot of problems with you people (in Congress)! And soon you’re gonna hear about it.“

—Rand Paul, beginning his annual Festivus airing of grievances