Wednesday, December 13th, 2023

Politics

➤ The Supreme Court agreed to expedite a decision on a petition to take up the question of presidential immunity. The justices gave Donald Trump’s lawyers until next Wednesday to respond to the petition. (More)

CNN announced plans for a GOP debate in Iowa on Jan. 10, but Nikki Haley hasn’t agreed to participate, and Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy are unlikely to meet CNN’s poll number qualifications. (More)

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will endorse Nikki Haley in his state’s GOP primary. Sununu has said he was looking for an alternative to Donald Trump. (More)

➤ Police arrested a New Hampshire man who threatened to kill presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The man responded to a campaign text invitation by saying he would “blow” Ramaswamy’s “brains out.” (More)

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The Flyover

Christmas is Here for Golfers

If you could gift-wrap five extra yards of driving distance, would you give it to the golfer in your life for Christmas?

Great news: you can!

FlightPath is the world’s most advanced golf tee, and it will instantly add distance to your drives.

With our directional diamond design, we’ve eliminated almost all friction between the ball and tee, ensuring you get a smoother, more consistent flight path every time.

FlightPath is tournament-legal with a revolutionary design that helps you effortlessly hit longer, straighter drives. Plus, they are nearly unbreakable.

Want to see how it works? Check out this video demonstration.

Grab a pack for Christmas while you still can!

Sports

➤ Monday Night Football showcased two games simultaneously, and both ended with last-minute upsets. The Titans rallied in the 4th quarter for a 28-27 win over the Dolphins, and the Giants beat the Packers 24-22. (See Videos)

Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s $700 million man, will reportedly defer 97% of his annual salary to allow his new employer, the L.A. Dodgers, to buy more players. His deferred $680 million would be paid between 2034 and 2043. (More)

A Colorado basketball tournament for 4th graders was interrupted by a sprawling fistfight among the adult referees, who were suspended and removed from the premises. (See Video)

Finance

Trend LineMarket Report   12/12/23

NASDAQ
Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
14,533.40
+0.70%
SPX
S&P 500
4,643.70
+0.46%
DJI
Dow Jones Industrial Average
36,577.94
+0.48%
BTC
Bitcoin
$41,253.0
0.08%
ORCL
Oracle Corporation
$100.81
12.44%

➤ Big Stock Move: Oracle stock dropped 12% Tuesday after the company missed quarterly revenue targets in three operating segments. (More)

Ford will cut planned production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning in half, from 3,200 vehicles a week to 1,600, citing a need to match production to reduced customer demand. (More)

➤ Hasbro announced plans to lay off 900 more employees in the face of weak toy sales. That brings the total number of layoffs at the company to 1,900, about 30% of its workforce. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

Smacking your drive is the funnest part of golf; who wouldn’t want to hit it a little further?

This Christmas, stuff someone’s stocking with something they’ll really like: the world’s most advanced golf tees.

FlightPath tees are made from high-performance, impact-resistant poly carbon, are designed to last hundreds of rounds, and are virtually unbreakable. Not only do they save you money, but they remove the hassle of buying new tees before every round.

See for yourself here.

Science & Technology

A federal judge upheld Texas’ ban on using TikTok by state employees, including university faculty, rejecting a First Amendment argument in favor of data protection and privacy concerns. (More)

➤ Researchers have developed a virtual reality headset for lab mice to test their response to virtual threats. They say getting the animals to work with a mouse-sized headset isn’t easy. (See Video)

A group of scientists is lobbying for more representation of worms, fungi, and microorganisms in phone emojis. Scientists say vertebrates are over-represented, and adding new emojis would help raise awareness of biodiversity. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

Fix broken items in seconds. 50x more powerful than glue, Bondic® is the patented liquid plastic welder that hardens in seconds when exposed to UV light. (Watch it work)

The Rotator
Wisdom Wednesday

TV producer Normal Lear died last week at 101, and he had one piece of advice for living a long, fulfilling life. It has to do with the moment between what’s over and what’s next. (See Advice)

A recent study showed a link between creative activities and positive emotional health. By a large margin, the No. 1 activity was listening to music. (See List)

There’s wisdom in noticing the marvelous in the natural world. Enjoy this video of starlings swooping in breathtaking murmuration across the Italian sky. (See Video)

Et Cetera

Thai airport officials busted a tourist who attempted to smuggle two otters and a prairie dog out of the country by stuffing them down his underwear. (See Video)

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton sent out an unusual black-and-white family Christmas card this year with absolutely no royal trappings, like a regular family at “JC Penney,” as one fan noted. (See Card)

Another year-end roundup of best photos is out, this one collecting the best entertainment industry photos of 2023. (See Photos)

Poll Position

Do you send a family holiday card or letter?

  1. Yes
  2. No
 

Tuesday’s Results:

Star Wars or Star Trek?

  1. Star Wars: 52%
  2. Star Trek: 48%

Quote BoxDaily Quote

Quote

“Hello. My name is Ashley, and I’m an artificial intelligence volunteer for Shamaine Daniels’ run for Congress.” 

Opening greeting for calls made by “Ashley,” a software-generated “political volunteer.”

TriviaToday’s Trivia

Which two countries share the longest international land border?

Show me the answer

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