Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Warnock Beats Walker In GA Run-Off



Democrat Raphael Warnock won re-election to the U.S. Senate in a hard-fought Georgia runoff on Tuesday, strengthening his party's razor-thin majority as he fought off a challenge by Republican former football star Herschel Walker. Warnock's projected victory was narrow. With 99% of the estimated vote counted, he led Walker by 50.8% to 49.2%, according to Edison Research. The result cements Georgia as a battleground state certain to play a prominent role in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats have now won three Senate races in the past two years in the former Republican stronghold, and Democratic President Joe Biden carried the state in 2020.

➤MUSK FIRES TOP TWITTER ATTORNEY: Elon Musk has fired Twitter’s general counsel James Baker for his alleged role in the suppression of The Post’s Hunter Biden laptop expose. “In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,” Musk wrote on Twitter Tuesday. Musk added that he questioned Baker before his firing about the events surrounding the laptop suppression scandal and that his explanation was “unconvincing.” Baker was previously general counsel for the FBI under former Director James Comey and was a key figure in the Bureau’s investigation into false claims of collusion between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. 

Baker’s exit from the social media giant comes after independent journalist Matt Taibbi revealed internal documents showing Baker and other top Twitter execs deliberating over what to do about The Post’s October 2020 story on Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop and his alleged influence peddling schemes. 

➤IN BLOW TO TRUMP, CORPORATE GUILTY OF TAX SCHEME:  A New York jury found two Trump Organization corporate entities guilty of an off-the-books compensation scheme that paid some executives in car leases, apartments and cash. They could face more than $1.6 million in fines. The former president, who is running again in 2024, wasn’t charged in the case, but prosecutors said that Trump sanctioned the tax-free benefits and personally signed some private-school tuition checks. During closing arguments, a defense attorney said that Trump relied on an outside accountant who never told him the perks were illegal.

➤SECURITY CONCERNS DELAY TIKTOK DEAL: The Chinese-owned video-sharing app’s access to consumer data and its potential use for influence operations are sticking points, according to people familiar with the situation. The negotiations are trying to reduce the Chinese government's influence on the U.S. operation without completely severing TikTok’s Beijing ties. Republicans want to ban the app altogether. TikTok doesn’t collect search and browsing history outside the app and collects such information within the app for correct functionality, like returning relevant search results, a company spokeswoman said.

➤POLICE RESPONDED TO SEN. TED CRUZ'S HOUSTON HOME DUE TO 'SELF-INFLICTED CUTTING' CALL: The Houston Police Department said they received reports just before 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday of a 14-year-old with self-inflicted stab wounds on their arms in the neighborhood River Oaks, where Sen. Ted Cruz resides. Authorities said the unidentified teen was taken to the hospital but could not say whether the 911 call involved a member of Cruz's family. Cruz's reps released to media outlets sasying "This is a family matter" and "they are thankfully their daughter is okay... The family requests the media respect their daughter's privacy at this time."

➤SUSPECT IN CLUB Q MASS SHOOTING CHARGED WITH 305 COUNTS: The suspect accused of entering a Colorado gay nightclub clad in body armor and opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle, killing five people and wounding 17 others, was charged by prosecutors Tuesday with 305 criminal counts including hate crimes and murder. The counts against Anderson Lee Aldrich include 48 hate crime charges, one for each person known to have been in the club at the time of the shooting.


➤'I WISH I COULD TAKE IT BACK': RETIREE EXPLAINS WHY HE SHOT, KILLED 81-YEAR-OLD STUART NEIGHBORS:  911 operators got a call from the wife of a man who shot and killed his downstairs neighbors after one of the neighbors yelled at his wife for leaving the community laundry room door open. The 75-year-old killed the couple downstairs in front of another neighbor and the mailman before walking himself upstairs to inform his wife of what he had done. When detectives arrived the murderous man was in shock sitting back in a chair and told authorities, “I lost my temper.” The man was taken into custody and deputies reported he had a concealed carry permit and regularly carried his gun on his body for protection.

➤MICROSOFT PLEDGES TO PUT 'CALL OF DUTY' ON NINTENDO SWITCH IF ACTIVISION DEAL IS APPROVED: Microsoft has officially entered into a "10-year commitment" to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared the news on Twitter alongside confirming Microsoft will continue to offer Call of Duty titles on Steam after the deal has closed as well.  The last time a mainline Call of Duty title was on a Nintendo Console was 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts, which made its way to the Wii U.

➤RISING THEFT AT WALMART COULD LEAD TO PRICE JUMPS AND STORE CLOSURES: Walmart stores across the U.S. are grappling with an uptick in shoplifting that could lead to higher prices and closed stores if the problem persists, Walmart CEO said Tuesday.  Walmart isn’t the only big-box retailer dealing with an uptick in theft. Last month, Target Chief Financial Officer Michael Fiddelke said shoplifting has jumped about 50% year over and year, leading to more than $400 million in losses in this fiscal year alone.

 
💻RISE OF THE BOTS: SCARY AI CHATGPT COULD ELIMINATE GOOGLE WITHIN 2 YEARS: A tech company has developed a state-of-the-art AI chatbot so sophisticated that it could render search engines, not to mention countless jobs, obsolete. Unveiled last week by the OpenAI company, ChatGPT has already amassed more than 1 million users worldwide with its advanced functions, which range from instantaneously composing complex essays and computer code to drafting marketing pitches and interior decorating schemes.  In fact, ChatGPT’s capabilities have sparked fears that Google might not have an online search monopoly for much longer.

➤SCIENTISTS FINALLY KNOW WHY PEOPLE GET MORE COLDS AND FLU IN WINTER: As the winter chill rolls in, many of us are reminded that cold and flu season is upon us. A new study discovered that immune responses within the nose become more dormant when cold weather takes over. Researchers found that when the temperature drops by even 9 degrees Fahrenheit, half of the virus and bacteria-killing cells that live inside our nostrils die. The science also found that the warmer we keep our noses, the more cells fighting off bacteria and viruses survive—so covering your nose with cozy scarves or masking up can protect you from getting a cold.



🏈TENNESSEE TITANS FIRE GM JON ROBINSON AFTER SEVEN SEASONS: The Titans announced Tuesday that general manager Jon Robinson has been relieved of his duties, the team announced Tuesday morning. Ryan Cowden, the Titans' VP of player personnel, will take over as interim GM.  The move comes two days after Tennessee suffered an embarrassing 35-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in which former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason, scored two touchdowns.

🏈LOS ANGELES RAMS CLAIM BAKER MAYFIELD OFF WAIVERS: The Los Angeles Rams claimed quarterback Baker Mayfield off waivers on Tuesday after Mayfield was waived by the Carolina Panthers on Monday. The Rams were the only team to place a waiver claim on Mayfield and will also inherit the remaining $1.35 million on Mayfield's contract.

⚾1B JOSH BELL, GUARDIANS AGREE ON TWO-YEAR DEAL: First baseman Josh Bell is in agreement on a two-year, $33 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians, Bell has an opt-out clause after the first season. Bell has played in 93% of games while with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres over the last six years, batting .262/.350/.462 with 127 home runs and 449 RBIs.

⚾CHICAGO CUBS, CODY BELLINGER REACH 1-YEAR $17.5M DEAL: Outfielder Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a one-year, $17.5 million contract. In 504 plate appearances in 2022, Bellinger struck out 150 times while batting .210 and slugging .389. He had 19 home runs and 68 RBI as well.

🥊HALL OF FAME BOXING REFEREE MILLS LANE PASSES AWAY AT 85: Hall of Fame boxing referee, Mills Lane died Tuesday morning at his home in Reno, Nevada, he was 85. Lane, known for his prefight catchphrase "Let's get it on," suffered a stroke in March 2002 that partially paralyzed him and left him virtually unable to speak.  Mills Lane officiated the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield "Bite Fight" as well as more than 100 other championship bouts and was also well known for his portrayal in MTV's iconic "Celebrity Deathmatch" show.

🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Cleveland Cavs 116 Los Angeles Lakers 102
  • Detroit Pistons 116 Miami Heat 96
  • Dallas Mavericks 116 Denver Nuggets 115

⚽WORLD CUP: Morocco 0 vs Spain 0 (Morocco advance 3-0), Portugal 6 Switzerland 1



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