Microsoft to layoff 10K employees; high Ukrainian official dies in air crash; Biden & House GOP refuse to budge on debt ceiling; Trump trounces DeSantis in poll; Chauvin appeals; New Zealand PM quits
DOJ refuses to seek death penalty in massacre of 23 in 2019 in El Paso; China economy slows; Netflix hiring a Flight Attendant for $385K a year; new Mandalorian trailer; the NHL's LBGTQ controversy
Good Thursday morning! Issue with a good mix of crazy (El Chapo wants the Mexican President to get him out of Super Max and Leslie Jones on the MLK Penis statue) and news. Oh and Trump is barking in a big way.
My take: If you are looking for a story that is meaningful go no farther than #1. Microsoft will be laying off 10,000 employees. This comes on the heels of 18,000 being let go at Amazon and 8,000 at Salesforce. Remember that both Twitter and Facebook have announced huge layoffs too. I find it amazing that politicians do not speak more about this. Occasionally you will hear them chatter about inflation including pocketbook issues. This on the other hand gets the silent treatment. Let’s face it, most elections come down to jobs, jobs, and jobs. Unemployment numbers move the needle at the voting box. So what is the explanation as to why this doesn’t resonate with both politicians and the chattering class on cable news media? Simple. Democrats will not speak about it as they do not want the criticism while they control the Senate and the White House. Republicans on the other hand have a deep distaste for High Tech and they will shed few tears as the top companies suffer. Most High Tech companies donate to Democrats. Most importantly we need to ask if this is a precursor to other layoffs and bankruptcies. Well today Party Time said they may be filing a Chapter. We all know how Bed Bath and Beyond is doing and that is not good. My take is that the job bleeding is not just tech and you will see a great deal more in the Banking sector, Retail, and Manufacturing. All this will lead up to the serious beginning of campaigning a year from now and before.
Now to your “1 to…”
You can’t make this up: George Santos took $3,000 from dying dog’s GoFundMe, veterans say.
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Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees: Microsoft said it’s letting go of 10,000 employees as the software maker braces for slower revenue growth.
The maker of Windows and Office is also taking a $1.2 billion charge tied to lease consolidation and other activities. In October Microsoft called for the slowest quarterly growth since 2016.
Breaking: US preps another major Ukraine aid package but Kyiv pleads for tanks.
Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills 14, including Ukrainian interior minister: A helicopter crash near a kindergarten in the Kyiv region has killed at least 14 people, including the leadership team of Ukraine’s interior ministry who were traveling on the aircraft, according to officials. A further 25 people, including 11 children, were injured following the incident in the city of Brovary Wednesday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES). The emergency service has revised down the number of people killed in the crash on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital – the previous death toll was 18.
US, Ukraine military chiefs meet for first time near Polish border: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley for the first time met with his Ukrainian counterpart in person on Tuesday, traveling to an undisclosed site in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the Pentagon confirmed. Milley, a general in the U.S. Army, met for a few hours with Ukraine’s chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, after taking a car from a Polish base to the unnamed location, journalists traveling with the top military official first reported.
Biden, House GOP refuse to budge as key debt ceiling deadline looms: While Treasury can employ extraordinary measures to keep making payments for the next few months, it's a bad sign for how messy the standoff will grow.
Harris to mark 50th anniversary of Roe ruling Sunday with speech in Florida: Vice President Harris will deliver remarks in Florida on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, aiming to put the spotlight back on abortion rights following last summer’s ruling that struck down the precedent set by Roe. Harris will travel to Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, to highlight the administration’s efforts to protect reproductive rights and abortion access.
Derek Chauvin appeals conviction in George Floyd murder, arguing trial wasn't fair: Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years following May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Trump trounces DeSantis in potential GOP primary match-up, new poll finds: Former President Trump holds at 17-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a hypothetical GOP primary match-up, according to a new poll. A Morning Consult poll released Wednesday showed Trump with 48 percent support among potential Republican primary voters, followed by DeSantis with 31 percent. Trump’s front-runner position differs from some polls since the November midterm elections, which have shown DeSantis closing the gap with Trump or taking a lead in some cases.
Donald Trump prepares for his return to Facebook and Twitter: Trump's presidential campaign formally petitioned Facebook's parent company Tuesday to unblock his account, according to a letter reviewed by NBC News.
Trump defends empty Classified folders found at Mar-A-Lago as ‘Cool Keepsake’: Former President Donald Trump offered a new explanation Wednesday for why the Justice Department found dozens of empty folders for classified documents at his Mar-A-Lago home in August, claiming he kept them as souvenirs, as the ex-president tries to downplay the extent of the sensitive White House records discovered at his Florida estate—and as a similar investigation is launched into President Joe Biden.
Trump prepares to open next phase of 2024 campaign in South Carolina: The former president will hold a more "intimate" event than his typical rallies in the key state later this month.
Trump criticizes evangelical leaders for not backing his 2024 presidential bid: Just days before Donald Trump hosts his first 2024 event in South Carolina, a state whose evangelical population has long played a critical role in its presidential primary, the former president is lashing out at religious conservatives who have declined to endorse his third presidential campaign. Trump’s comments to conservative journalist David Brody in a podcast interview Monday, in which he decried the “disloyalty” of evangelical leaders who have withheld public support for his campaign, were the latest in a series of bewildering remarks he’s made about one of the most critical voting blocs in a Republican primary.
Michael Cohen meets with NY prosecutors looking into Trump Org. and Stormy Daniels payments: Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to ex-President Donald Trump, met Tuesday with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the clearest sign that prosecutors are zeroing in on the Trump Organization’s involvement in hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
As he arrived at the building Cohen said he was complying with a request to meet with prosecutors. “Called. Asked to come in. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes permanent ban on Covid mandates in Florida: The Republican governor, who is mulling whether to challenge former President Donald Trump in 2024, showed last month that he is positioning himself to the right of Trump on the issue of Covid vaccines.
Gaetz introduces 'Abolish the ATF Act' after ruling against stabilizing braces: Gaetz says ATF on 'snipe hunt' to 'convert otherwise law-abiding people into felons'.
U.S. Supreme Court declines to block New York gun restrictions: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a challenge by a group of firearms dealers in New York to numerous Democratic-backed measures adopted by the state last year regulating gun purchases that the businesses said hurt their businesses. The justices denied a request by the dealers to block the laws, some of which imposed gun safety requirements on retailers, while their appeal of a lower court's decision in favor of New York proceeds.
Justice Department declines to seek death penalty for 2019 El Paso Walmart shooter: The Justice Department has declined to seek the death penalty against the man who allegedly shot and killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019.
There's no more room': Eric Adams pressures Biden to address migrant crisis as New York costs soar: Adams said the White House must meet the "immediate needs" of cities dealing with asylum seekers.
Brian Walshe beat wife Ana Walshe to death, searched ‘can you be charged with murder without' body: Prosecutor: Brian Walshe was arrested on Jan. 8 and charged with misleading an investigation after his wife, Ana Walshe, vanished in Cohasset. Brian Walshe accused of killing and dismembering his wife Ana Walshe, prosecutors say.
El Chapo begs Mexico President AMLO to pull him out of ‘cruel’ US prison: Convicted drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is whining about the “cruel and unfair” conditions at his high-security US prison — and is begging authorities in Mexico to move him to friendlier confines in his native land.
The notorious narco-trafficker, who was extradited to the US in 2017 and is locked up at a super-max federal prison in Colorado, is pleading with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to pull some strings and get him back home, Mexico News Daily reported.
Prostitutes charge Davos attendees $2,500 a night as sex work demand booms: Scores of sex workers have swarmed to the Swiss ski resort town of Davos to offer their services to the rich and powerful this week — with some said to be charging up to $2,500 a night. Every year, the World Economic Forum hosts a five-day gathering featuring CEOs, dignitaries, captains of industry, and media figures to discuss important global issues.
Jacinda Ardern resigns as prime minister of New Zealand: Labour leader will stand down no later than 7 February, saying she ‘no longer had enough in the tank’ to do the job.
Israel’s Supreme Court orders removal of a Netanyahu Minister: The court ruled that Aryeh Deri, a close ally of the prime minister who was convicted of tax fraud, should be removed from his posts, setting up a clash between the government and the judiciary.
Ex-Mexico security chief’s trial poised to lift lid on US and Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’: Genaro García Luna, accused of accepting millions in bribes from cartels, in trial that could implicate officials on both sides of border.
China’s economy slows sharply with GDP growth among worst on record: The economy grew 3% in 2022, exceeding some forecasts, but still well below China’s official target for the year.
Iran man who decapitated teen wife and paraded her head in public gets 8-year prison sentence: An Iranian man has been jailed for more than eight years after decapitating his wife and displaying her head in public in a case that shocked the country, the judiciary said Wednesday. Mona Heidari, 17, was killed in February 2022 by her husband and brother-in-law in Ahvaz, the capital of the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Video that emerged later of her smiling husband parading her decapitated head in the street sparked an outpouring of grief and outrage in the Islamic republic. Sajjad Heidarnava was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for murder and eight months for assault, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told reporters.
Centenarian nun thought to be the world's oldest person dies at 118: The French nun, Sister Andre, had Covid last year.
A new Ffuorescent dye could put brain tumors under the spotlight: Talk about a bright idea: Thanks to chemists at Rice University and Stanford University, lighting up the brain is no longer just a figure of speech. Rice’s Han Xiao, Stanford’s Zhen Cheng and collaborators have developed a new tool for noninvasive brain imaging that can help illuminate hard-to-access structures and processes. Their small-molecule dye, or fluorophore, is the first of its kind that can cross the blood-brain barrier. What’s more, it allowed the researchers to differentiate between healthy brain tissue and a glioblastoma tumor in mice.
United results top estimates as demand remains resilient despite high fares: United Airlines' fourth-quarter profit topped Wall Street estimates thanks to strong demand and high fares. United expects to expand flying 20% in the first quarter from a year ago.
Netflix hiring flight attendant for its private jet — and it pays $385,000.
Here is your chance to work as a citizen 'Walrus Detective': The detectives will help conservationists protect the animals in coming years.
America’s largest party supply store files for bankruptcy: Party City filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday, weighed down by competition and years of financial losses. The largest party goods and Halloween specialty retail chain in the United States said in a regulatory filing that it reached an agreement with debtholders to cut its $1.7 billion debt load. The company said it secured $150 million in financing that will allow it keep its stores open and operations running. As of October, the Company had 761 total Party City (PRTY) stores and 149 temporary Halloween City stores. In 2021, Party City (PRTY) had more than 16,000 full- and part-time employees.
Stores say shoplifting is a national crisis: The numbers don’t back it up.
Editor’s Picks: best robots of CES 2023.
Madonna unveils 2023 world tour dates with wild celeb-filled 'Truth or Dare' video: Madonna will "Take a Bow" with a new tour through North America and Europe starting this summer that will be a "Celebration" of the pop icon’s hits, which include 38 songs in the Billboard Hot 100. The artist, 64, announced the tour Tuesday with a star-studded video that nodded to her 1991 film "Truth or Dare" with a roundtable featuring Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob The Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, Eric Andre and Amy Schumer as the group plays a NSFW version of truth or dare.
Dog Gone with Rob Lowe just jumped to No. 1 on Netflix — stream it or skip it?Netflix’s latest No. 1 movie also stars man’s best friend.
Leslie Jones talks MLK Jr. ‘penis’ statue in Boston on ‘Daily Show’ debut: ‘I can’t unsee it.
Iger’s $27.5 Billion Hulu question: To buy or not to buy is Disney’s first Hamletesque question under its new/old C.E.O. Then there’s the matter of how much it can really pay and how the service should be integrated. Activist investor Nelson Peltz is watching—and so is the entire industry.
‘SEAL Team’ nabs Season 7 pickup at Paramount+: The former CBS drama has run exclusively on the streamer since fall 2021.
Golden State Warriors return to White House as NBA champs after avoiding Trump: The Golden State Warriors returned to the White House as national champions on Tuesday -- their first trip back since Barack Obama's presidency, despite winning two championships while former President Donald Trump was in office. The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics during the 2022 NBA finals, claiming their fourth championship in the last eight seasons. "I know the team we're honoring today understands what it takes to work together. Let me just say that the Golden State Warriors are always welcome in this White House," President Joe Biden said Tuesday in the East Room while welcoming the team and referencing their past conflicts with Trump.
After mysterious comments at end of season press conference, what’s next for Tom Brady?
Flyers’ Ivan Provorov skips warmups over refusal to wear Pride Night jersey: Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did not participate in warmups before the team’s home game against the Ducks on Tuesday night because he refused to wear a Pride Night jersey and use sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape.
Provorov, who said he is Russian Orthodox, cited his religious beliefs as why he chose not to partake in the warm-ups. “I respect everybody. I respect everybody’s choices,” Provorov told reporters after the game, declining to get into any further detail. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.” The Flyers released a statement on the matter but did not mention Provorov by name. “The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the local LGBTQ+ community,” the statement said. “Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.
Tool can help customers get canceled flight refunds: The tool is offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Trouble Sleeping? Your iPhone has a White Noise feature you probably didn’t know about.
Have a great Thursday!