Special counsel Jack Smith said he is dropping his election subversion case against President-elect Donald Trump, seeking the case’s dismissal in a court filing. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) reacts.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Beg Ryan Seacrest to Change His ‘Forced’ Bonus Round MoveSome quotations from Jimmy Carter . We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Natasha Cloud (Image Via Instagram) Phoenix Mercury alum Natasha Cloud is a no-nonsense woman. Her unapologetic and unfiltered approach to talking about any social or political issue has always drawn media attention. The WNBA star spoke about one of the most significant personalities on the planet Elon Musk . The 32-year-old athlete took a aim at other billionaires after a legal bill was passed to avoid the impending government shutdown . WNBA Star Natasha Cloud Blasts Elon Musk And Other Billionaires For A Valid Reason Right to expression is one of the most significant rights any constitution can provide to its citizens and generally, it is this particular feature that differentiates between a Democracy and a dictatorship. Recently, Natasha Cloud, one of the most renowned faces in the WNBA reacted to a bill that was aimed at transforming the RFK Stadium located in Washington D.C. to a venue that could host a list of events. Reportedly, the Trump and Musk-led group even threatened to throw out the lawmakers who would be showing no support to them. Cloud took to X, previously known as Twitter a platform owned by Elon Musk to express her frustration with the flawed government. She posted- "So when y'all gone tell Elon to go back to Africa?" Natasha Cloud even mentioned- "I'm so glad ALL these billionaires have no idea how the 3 branches of government work.... or how a bill gets passed into law. Shoutout to the 38 Republicans who shot the bill down in the house while being threatened & blackmailed." While Natasha Cloud made these statements, a few X users even spoke about the real face of the current government. They even pointed out that Natasha Cloud had no idea how corrupt the current government is. Natasha Phoenix On Life, And Her Beauty Regime During an interview with the reputed media outlet Refinery 29 in July, Natasha Cloud spoke about the different aspects of her life. The 32-year-old athlete believes that women have the immense capacity to look both beautiful and fierce at the same time. She said- “ I think women possess the power to do both: to be beautiful and to also be fierce at the same time. Go watch us do everything.” While talking about her beauty regime, Cloud revealed that she has always followed a very basic routine with respect to her skin care. She said- “I have my routine for my face in the morning. I have my face wash, I have my little exfoliating stuff [before] finishing up with some serum and some moisturizer, some eye cream. I know y'all know that feeling when you wash your face after a long day, and it's like, ‘Oh, I'm back to me.’” She further mentioned- “I'm just big on concealer. Obviously we're going to be in front of cameras so I just want whatever blemishes I have concealed up.” Natasha Cloud has a motto that reads look good, play good, and feel good. The Phoenix Mercury star is not only known for her on-court skill but also for her unfiltered approach during her appearance on podcasts and interviews. Also Read : Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s wife, shares festive display of Santa's elves sporting cloth-made Kobes
Wheel of Fortune’s most prized tradition is the bonus round, where each episode’s winner is faced with one last puzzle and a mere 10 seconds to come away with an even bigger bundle of cash (or not). But fans want a word with host Ryan Seacrest about how he’s presenting the prizes after giving a puzzling amount of build-up to a player’s $40,000 win. On Friday, November 22’s episode, Brittany Brock, a kindergarten teacher from Chicago, Illinois, was the player to proceed to the coveted bonus round. By then she had won $17,300 in cash, a trip to Kauai, and selected “Living Thing” as her category. With the savvy additional letters of “DPBI” the two-word puzzle read as, “‘_ _ DDL_’ ‘P_PP_'”. Near-instantly, she correctly solved it as “Cuddly Puppy.” The broadcast cut to Seacrest and an excited Brock, and it was time to reveal how much she won from the prize wedge she picked. Seacrest opened the gold prize card and glanced at the figure. “And...” he told her with a surprised grin (below). After a few seconds he added, “Ready?” Broke clasped her hands over her mouth in anticipation as Seacrest then revealed she won an extra $40,000, the least one can win in the bonus round. “$40,000!” he exclaimed. This brought her to a grand total of $57,381 and she was overjoyed nonetheless, embraced her husband. On Social media, many fans celebrated the big win while left wondering why Seacrest presented the prize with such a prolonged rollout that it seemed like a bigger value and as if the confetti was about to overflow onto the Sony Pictures Studios parking lot. “Ryan acting like it’s $75,000 or $100,000 with the slow way he shows the amount,” one fan wrote when the game show shared the clip to YouTube. Over on the WoF Reddit, a fan dedicated a discussion thread to the moment titling it, “Bonus Reveal... lolz.” They continued, “I like Seacrest, but gotta admit, I’m not a fan of the dramatic 40K reveals lol.” “Agreed...” a second user wrote, arguing that a contestant in the future could be “disappointed” it’s not more. “The Mrs. and I commented on that last night. He presents it like it’s something more than the minimum prize amount! One of these days, the contestant is going to react disappointedly.” A third wrote, “He also contorts his body awkwardly and bounces around to just flip the card open. Then says ‘it was this much’ as if he can’t say the amount. Kind of weird. But the lack of higher amounts lately is noticed. I’m glad it’s been all cash so far. A lot of the cars prior were 30k, which is nice, but they were lowest prize.” Chuck Woolery Dies: Former ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Love Connection’ Host Was 83 “I agree, feels like he’s forcing it,” wrote a fourth. A fifth was even more critical, “I’m sorry I know a lot of people are going to get mad at me but I just don’t like him. There’s something about him, that I just don’t enjoy watching him in anything at all.” Meanwhile , Seacrest, of course, had huge shoes to fill replacing the legendary Pat Sajak alongside the iconic Vanna White after four decades for Season 42. His debut month was the strongest ratings month for WoF in the past three years, and viewers were already treated to a viral moment (via a round of sausage) . That said, there have been some other questionable moments according to fans. In September, Seacrest suffered what fans dubbed his “first blooper” , involving a prolonged reaction to rewarding a bonus round. Fans also called out the host for ruling against another player before the timer was up. There have also been a few on-screen “glitches,” and a minor spelling error in a Thanksgiving puzzle . Many fans also blamed a lack of experience on Seacrest’s mishandling of a contestant’s $1million wedge, which she instantly forfeited. Wheel of Fortune , Weeknights, Check your local listings More Headlines: ‘Outlander’: Richard Rankin Teases ‘Shock After Shock’ for Roger & Buck’s Season 7 Adventure ‘Countdown’: Jensen Ackles Shares Look at Filming New Prime Video Show (PHOTOS) Courtney B. Vance Is ‘Percy Jackson’s New Zeus: See His Tribute to Lance Reddick ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Beg Ryan Seacrest to Change His ‘Forced’ Bonus Round Move ‘The Boys’ Season 5 Begins Filming & Everything Else We Know About the Final Chapter
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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Beg Ryan Seacrest to Change His ‘Forced’ Bonus Round Move
FOXBORO — Walking back remarks is one thing. Getting obliterated by the Los Angeles Chargers at home, and having fans chant “Fire Mayo” is another. The long-held belief has been that Mayo, who was hired to replace Bill Belichick, would be retained even after a rocky rookie season at the helm. Given Mayo was put in a bad spot his first year, inheriting one of the worst rosters in the NFL, and needed help filling out his staff given his lack of coaching contacts, it’s been both assumed and reported he would return for 2025. He would be afforded another chance, and more time — with added help — to right the ship. After what transpired during Saturday’s 40-7 Week 17 loss to the Chargers, however, the Krafts need to think long and hard about running it back with Mayo. He was reportedly safe barring what the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport described as “some type of calamity.” Or as Rapoport put it the previous week: “If things go off the rails.” Well, that box just got checked off. Inside Gillette Stadium, the product on the field could be lumped into the calamitous category. Off the rails is another way of putting it. It was an embarrassing display. Instead of building off last week’s performance against Buffalo, the Patriots reversed course. With one game still to play, they hit rock bottom. Along with the “Fire Mayo” chants, the fans booed the team off the field. “Look. you hear those things,” Mayo said. “But at the same time, they pay to sit in those seats and we’ve got to play better. If we play better, we don’t have to hear that stuff.” There’s also been an expectation for him to coach better. It hasn’t happened. Perhaps the thinking is that Mayo won’t seem so overmatched next year with better players and better coaches around him. Can ownership count on that happening? Can the Krafts even count on fans paying good money to watch a Mayo-led Patriots team again? Those are the questions they have to be weighing. Robert and Jonathan Kraft surely heard the chants from their luxury box above the field. Granted, a team’s chief decision-makers shouldn’t make moves based on the frustrations of fans. This cuts deeper than that. Mayo has flunked both the eye test and the ear test. How can he announce he’s starting Antonio Gibson against the Chargers and benching fumble-prone Rhamondre Stevenson, and claim to be sending a message, then start Stevenson? And why would a coach continue to play Drake Maye, who returned after sustaining a head injury, with the game out of hand? Those are just the latest of many curious moves the first-year head coach has made throughout the season. Beyond that, save for the emergence of Maye, the product on the field has shown no signs of progress or improvement. Last week’s effort against the Bills was rendered moot. It’s now more plausible that the Bills took their foot off the gas pedal until it was time to win the game. The Chargers, meanwhile, just kept the foot on the gas throughout, and the Patriots did little to stop them. They just rolled over. “The Chargers probably wanted it more,” wide receiver Demario Douglas said. “I feel like my two years I’ve been losing, and I feel like it’s time to make a change. ... I’m just tired of losing for real.” Defensive end Keion White also talked about needing change, although he didn’t specify where that change needed to be made. “We’re losing, so obviously, we gotta change something,” White said following the team’s sixth straight loss. “If you keep doing the same thing, you keep losing.” For the most part, the players have openly supported Mayo. Following the blowout loss, several even chastised fans for the “Fire Mayo’” chants. “With all respect to Patriot Nation, they’re a little spoiled. We don’t appreciate the boos. We don’t appreciate the outburst (against Mayo),” Patriots captain Deatrich Wise said. “If you’re a fan, be a fan with us through thick and thin.” Defensive lineman Davon Godchaux was another who found the chants out-of-line. “A lot of people can’t take (a rebuild). I know we don’t tank around here. We still want to win football games. But the ‘Fire Mayo’ chants is just ridiculous,” Godchaux said. “The guy (is in) his first year, his first season. It’s not going to be golden. We didn’t expect to go win a Super Bowl this year. I get it, nobody wants to get beat 40-7, but the ‘Fire Mayo’ chants is just ridiculous.” Will the Krafts feel the same way? Will they ignore the pleas of the crowd? That’s the million-dollar question. Mayo has made a habit of stepping in too many minefields. He’s been transparent to a fault, and comes across as if he doesn’t know what he’s doing having to constantly retract comments. His in-game decision making has also been suspect. Then there’s the product on the field. His defense — where his expertise lies — has been a disaster. Last week’s effort against the Bills notwithstanding, the unit was supposed to be the rock. It was supposed to be the team’s strong suit. That hasn’t been the case. With a 40-3 win, the Chargers scored their season high. They weren’t alone. Houston and Miami also hit their highest point totals against the Patriots. Asked what gives him confidence that his defensive coaching staff is suited to be at the helm next season, Mayo didn’t flinch. “Look, I have nothing but confidence in the coaching staff, and we’ll get better,” Mayo said. “That’s part of what we have to do.” But that’s been a broken record response pretty much all season after inconsistent play. Saturday’s debacle merely hit the breaking point. With one game to play, the ball’s in the Krafts’ court. They have to decide whether or not Mayo survives the latest fiasco.
United Nations has called on Taliban authorities to protect journalists and media workers as well as ensure that media outlets can operate freely, without restrictions or censorship, in Afghanistan. In a joint report titled Media Freedom in Afghanistan, released on Tuesday, the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office documented the increasing challenges faced by journalists, media workers, and outlets under the Taliban rule between August 2021 and September 2024. “Journalists and media workers in Afghanistan work under unclear rules on what they can and cannot report, running the risk of intimidation and arbitrary detention for perceived criticism, said Roza Otunbayeza, head of UNAMA. “For any country, a free press is not a choice, but a necessity. What we’re witnessing in Afghanistan is the systematic dismantling of this necessity”. The report titled Media Freedom in Afghanistan outlined 256 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention, combined with 130 cases of torture and ill-treatment. An additional 75 documented cases of threats and intimidation have created a climate of fear. In response, the Afghan foreign ministry denied having arrested that number of journalists, saying that those detained had committed a crime. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk emphasized the broader implications of these restrictions. “Journalists and media workers are not just observers – they are essential to ensuring transparency and accountability, fostering informed debate, he said, adding that they are crucial in helping communities access vital information about humanitarian and protection issues that directly affect their lives. The report’s findings reveal that female media professionals face severe restrictions. Those who continue to work face discriminatory regulations affecting everything from dress codes to which stories they can cover. During the daily media briefing at UN Headquarters, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Aziz Haq highlighted this gender dimension: “Women journalists and media workers face particular discriminatory measures that limit their ability to do their work”. Ms. Otunbayeza also urged the de facto authorities to “fully recognize the importance of women working in the media sector”. The report also warns of the broader consequences of diminishing international support for Afghanistan’s media sector. “Technical and financial support for the media sector in Afghanistan, and thereby standing behind the importance of freedom of expression and public debate is instrumental for growth of the country,” Ms. Otunbayeza concluded. Looking forward, the UN is calling on the Taliban authorities to honour Afghanistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression without discrimination. The report emphasizes that free press is essential not just for transparency and accountability but for the country’s social and economic development.Major poll puts Ireland’s lead parties near neck-and-neck