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Russell Brand sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison for rape and sexual assault
After weeks of ineffective quarterback play, the Minnesota Vikings are bringing back an old friend.The 6-2 team traded for Kirk Cousins ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, sending back a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in the deal. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero first reported the trade details.It’s a reunion for the 38-year-old Cousins, who was the Vikings’ starting quarterback from 2018 to 2023. Over those six seasons, Cousins went 50-37-1 as a starter with 23,265 passing yards, 171 passing touchdowns, 55 interceptions and three Pro Bowl nods.Since leaving Minnesota, Cousins spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (2024-25) and later joined the Raiders (2026). He’s started all nine games for Las Vegas in 2026, accumulating 2,340 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.The trade will elevate quarterback Fernando Mendoza into the starting lineup for Las Vegas. After getting picked first overall in April’s draft, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner served as Cousins’ backup to open the season.The Vikings, after starting 6-0, have lost two straight while their offense continues to struggle. Minnesota has the second-worst offense and the second-best defense in terms of yardage through Week 9.Offseason acquisition Kyler Murray hasn’t found his early-career form, and a hamstring strain suffered in Week 8 kept him out of Minnesota’s Monday Night Football loss to the Buffalo Bills. He also missed a game earlier this season due to a concussion.With Murray out, veteran backup Carson Wentz took over for his second start of the season. Those two games yielded 15 total points and no touchdowns by the offense, with Wentz completing 19 of 45 passes for 224 yards and two interceptions.This trade follows years of quarterback moves that have not worked out for the franchise. After Cousins left as a free agent in 2023, the team brought in Sam Darnold and drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round. Darnold led the team to a 14-3 record, then left for the Seattle Seahawks and immediately won a Super Bowl. McCarthy was ineffective in 2025, and he was traded to the New York Giants earlier this season despite Murray and Wentz’s struggles. McCarthy has since won his first two starts and his team leads the NFC East.The move for Cousins shows a belief in Brian Flores’ defense, which has been dominant for much of the season. Minnesota is allowing a league-best 14.5 points per game and is tied for the most sacks (29).The Vikings will hit the road in Week 10 for a rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers. After that, they’ll go to Mexico City for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.Mendoza, meanwhile, will make his first career start on Sunday at home against the Seahawks.
Oil price relief as Trump declares US war on Iran 'ending fairly soon' | First Thing
Speaking in the White House, the president said the US remained 'locked and loaded' but escalation was not needed. Plus, how Grand Theft Auto became a cultural colossusDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. Oil prices have dropped after Donald Trump unilaterally declared that the US war on Iran was "effectively over". During a White House press conference, Trump said Israel and Gulf allies in the region were well protected from Iran and that an escalation was not needed.He said, however, that the US remained "locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason", adding: "We're seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it's going to be ending fairly soon." Brent crude has dropped below $90, its lowest level since August.What is the latest development with Pete Hegseth? A Republican lawmaker has moved to force a vote to impeach the US defense secretary. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers.What has happened at a US airbase in England? The US military has reportedly evacuated aircraft from a second airbase in ⁠Britain after a threat from Iran. Two US refuelling tankers that were using the RAF Mildenhall military base diverted to Germany on Monday morning, while several other tankers at the base ⁠were moved to Germany and other locations later in the day. Continue reading...
Trump has handpicked his Hegseth replacement
Forget the press secretary "joke." As Donald Trump seeks to survive the catastrophic fallout of the 2026 midterms, he doesn't need a new spokesperson. He needs a new gladiator at the Pentagon.The internet has had a field day with Trump's Truth Social post offering Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White the White House press secretary job — with plenty of speculation that the president confused him with Dana W. White, the former Pentagon spokesperson.Trump has since said he was only kidding. But look at what he actually wrote. He called White a "violent Fighter and Warrior." He wanted UFC champions as "assistants" to "defend us against the Lunatic Left." Um, OK.First, as many readers know, I was a press secretary on Capitol Hill for years, and the last thing one should be is a violent fighter. But in the upcoming Trump 2.5, that might be the number-one requirement for working in the White House.The biggest harbinger of this was Trump's choosing the deranged and combative Stephen Miller as chief of staff, who will carry on the venom of MAGA politics even though a majority of Americans voted against it. With that in mind, it is easy to see how his embattled, impeachment-dodging defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, could be replaced by the equally mano-a-mano UFC CEO.I don't think this is some wild hallucination on my part. It's the logical final evolution of an administration obsessed with turning the Department of Defense into a high-testosterone cage match. Didn't we get a sample of that this past summer with a literal one on the White House lawn?And White is Trump's excuse for putting a corporate CEO in charge of the Pentagon. He's a cheapened-down CEO version of Charles Erwin, Robert McNamara or the egomaniac Donald Rumsfeld, who were corporate titans prior to their tenures at Defense.Hegseth's lack of experience running anything legitimate was perhaps his biggest downfall. Well, let's be honest, it's hard to rank all the things Hegseth was deficient in.But one of the things he was proficient in was bellicose bombast, bullying and bravado. He has almost destroyed the lustrous history of exceptional leadership in the military. He brought to the Pentagon a relentless push away from a modern, structured military bureaucracy and toward an overly aggressive, lethal, hypermasculine "warrior class" mindset that was the antithesis of keeping peace.That is exactly how a UFC brawl is promoted, and how Trump has promoted White. He all but drew the connection himself when he praised White in those terms as a potential press secretary last week.By floating White's name, Trump isn't looking for someone to fight with the press. He's looking to double down on the "high-T" muscle-bound MAGA ethos that has tried to impose itself on the U.S. military. Hegseth was the perfect fit for MAGA theology. White would be its heir apparent.Right now, the media is largely blind to this connection. Reporters are busy with internet jokes about the name confusion with the former Pentagon spokesperson while missing the bigger story. White is more than a potential spokesperson. He represents Trump's next iteration of fighting.The political reality is that Hegseth's reign is coming to an end. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing back, including Republican Thomas Massie, who today went to the House floor to introduce impeachment articles against Hegseth.And incoming Democrats, most notably Hakeem Jeffries, who has taken the unusual step — for him — of openly supporting impeachment, saying it's a "hard yes." The current defense secretary is in Trump's target zone of people to blame for the massive GOP midterm wipeout, when most voters voiced their strong disapproval of the Iran war.Hegseth is a goner, for sure.That's why White looks so ripe. He offers a massive, seemingly untouchable shield of media noise and aggressive swagger. He also offers a continuation of the "warrior ethos," "high T," and no "beardos, weirdos or trannies."That is the locker-room language of the new Pentagon under Hegseth, and no one knows locker rooms better than White.Then there's the calendar. Trump has a small window to make this possibility a reality. The current GOP Senate majority has a rapidly closing window before the newly elected Democratic Congress takes over in January. If Trump wants to jam a norm-shattering, hyper-loyalist combatant and shameless promoter into one of the most powerful positions in the world, it would require a lightning-fast confirmation during this exact lame-duck session.Would Republican senators go along? Some would surely balk. But Trump has never needed unanimity. He needs 51 votes, including one from JD Vance. So, will enough Republicans look away one last time rather than pick a fight with him?Bizarre and totally unhinged as it may be, the move would perfectly fulfill Trump's primary post-midterm goal: violently seizing the news day back from victorious Democrats. Forget the impeachment votes, the investigations and the voters who just delivered a rebuke. Suddenly, the story would be whether the head of the UFC can run the Pentagon.So go ahead and chuckle at White and Trump's press secretary "joke." When Trump reaches for a "violent Fighter and Warrior" with the word "Secretary" on his lips, don't assume he had the White House briefing room in mind.
Russia-Ukraine talks 'very productive,' says US's Rubio – as it happened
US-led talks in Abu Dhabi break up after four hours but are expected to resume tomorrow as Zelenskyy says humanitarian issues were discussedUS officials seek 'final end' to Russia-Ukraine war as talks beginThe EU has said it stands ready "to come with a swift and united response" after France blamed Iran for a spate of cyber-attacks on supermarket freezers and chillers that caused millions of euros of damage.Speaking to journalists on Monday, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said "Europe-wide sanctions" would be imposed against those responsible as he announced France believed that Iran's Revolutionary Guards were "responsible for this attack".We acknowledge that France has attributed these (cyber-attacks) to Iran. Pending discussions with member states, we as (the) European Union, we stand ready to come with a swift and united response.We as the EU, we have consistently called on all states to refrain from malicious behaviour in the cyberspace. And we will continue to address such malicious behavior, making use of all the tools that we have also under the EU cyber diplomacy toolbox, including sanctions. Continue reading...
Republicans elect Ohio congressman Jim Jordan as House minority leader – US politics live
Hardline conservative Jordan beat Steve Scalise by a vote of 106-73Republicans elect Jim Jordan as House minority leader after party's midterm defeatsSign up for the US Breaking News emailDuring his press conference, Hegseth was resolute that the articles of impeachment are baseless, and that all attacks were carried out legally."As for the articles themselves, Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen, everyone was a lawful operation ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress and executed by American warriors who did their jobs," he said. "We destroyed terror regimes' capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs. These are not high crimes. This is the job, and it's the job well done." Continue reading...
Netanyahu's daily calls to Trump over Iran war spark pushback within White House: Report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been urging President Donald Trump daily to resume military action against Iran. This comes as several Arab and Muslim leaders have advised Trump to pursue diplomatic avenues rather than escalate the conflict. Amid these discussions, Trump has indicated that further military intervention is not currently necessary. Iran has threatened to retaliate against any fresh US attacks, raising regional concerns.
Nvidia and Jensen Huang sued in US over affair with alleged Chinese spy
California lawsuit comes as Donald Trump says FBI is investigating tech CEO's links with Alice HuangBusiness live – latest updatesNvidia's board needs to do some succession planning – sharpishNvidia and its chief executive, Jensen Huang, have been accused of misleading shareholders in a lawsuit over the Chinese spying scandal engulfing the $4.3tn (£3.2tn) company.The legal action came as Donald Trump said the FBI was investigating Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Continue reading...
Hegseth says impeachment effort against him is a 'stunt,' defends Iran war handling
After a blue tidal wave swept them from power, House and Senate Republicans will try to pick up the pieces Tuesday and select their leadership teams for the new Congress.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has already heeded his party's call for new blood, announcing he will forgo a bid for minority leader and step down from leadership. But other GOP leaders in both chambers are fighting to hang on to power in the wake of last week's historic midterm drubbing.The House: Scalise vs. JordanIn the House, Johnson's decision has triggered a two-person race for minority leader. Johnson's trusted top lieutenant and fellow Louisiana Republican, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, is fending off a challenge from Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, the founding chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.Both are allies of President Donald Trump and ran unsuccessfully for speaker in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. The elections will be held behind closed doors and by secret ballot. Candidates will make their pitches to the conference beginning at 9 a.m. ET, with a vote in the afternoon.Scalise made the pitch to colleagues that he can unify factions of House Republicans against the "socialists" coming to Washington, while Jordan, a former Oversight Committee chairman, argued that he's best positioned to combat Democratic investigations of the Trump administration and its allies, telling colleagues he's "battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook."Either will need a majority of the conference to vote for him to secure the job.Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is seeking the whip job, the party's top vote counter and the No. 2 post in the minority. But he faces an insurgent challenge from August Pfluger of Texas, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives on Capitol Hill.And House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan is trying to beat back challenges from two colleagues: Erin Houchin of Indiana, who holds a lower-level leadership post, and Greg Steube of Florida, who berated the current leadership team for choosing "accommodation over conviction.""We're ready to move on. We need a pivot," a House GOP lawmaker who is backing Jordan over Scalise told NBC News on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about the rival candidates. "Everything is on the table" after the Democratic landslide, the lawmaker said.The Senate: Thune faces grumblingSenate Republicans also are poised to hold a closed-door vote Tuesday to pick their leaders. Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is running for minority leader, and so far nobody has announced plans to oppose him.But a small group of Senate Republicans has sought to delay the elections, saying the party needs more time to process the election results."A week ago, we had the worst election result in decades. We need a discussion about what went wrong, how we fix it, what we stand for, and how our agenda must focus on the concerns of the American people," Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., said in a statement. "As I've shared with Leader Thune, I don't believe we should move to leadership elections until we have digested and debated the lessons of the midterms and how to move forward," he said. "We need leadership in place fast, but Tuesday is too soon."Five other Senate Republicans, led by Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, sent a letter to Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas asking for "a robust discussion and evaluation of how those running for leadership intend to lead" before the elections are held Tuesday morning.As in the House, senators' votes are cast by secret ballot, and candidates require a simple majority of the conference to win.Apart from Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming and Cotton are expected to win their races to stay on as the second-ranked and third-ranked Republicans in the next Congress.Jeffries and Schumer favorites to lead DemsAfter last week's Democratic rout, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both New York Democrats, are favorites to be the next House speaker and Senate majority leader.But they, too, face grumbling from rank-and-file members. No one has emerged to challenge either for the top jobs, though Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., opened the door Monday to potentially running for majority leader amid a push from the grassroots to find an alternative to Schumer.A person familiar with Van Hollen's thinking told NBC News on Monday: "The senator has received an outpouring of calls on running for majority leader and is now in active listening mode. The door is not shut."Democrats at the Senate's new-member orientation Monday said the question of their leadership team hasn't come up in private conversations."Most of us are just trying to figure out where our office is and how to find the bathroom," said Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan, D-Minn. "It's really exciting to be here and to meet a lot of my colleagues who've been campaigning. I know how hard we've been working. And to be here together — it's really exciting."As for Van Hollen's potentially running for majority leader, Flanagan said she is "certainly open to new leadership" but is "not ready to make any commitments at this point."Senate Democrats will elect their leadership team in a private meeting in early December, while House Democrats will pick their team next week.Several progressives have said they are undecided about whether to back Jeffries for speaker as grassroots groups urge the party to more aggressively confront Trump and enact progressive policies. "We're not withholding votes. What we're doing [is] saying we're undecided," said Rep.-elect Adam Hamawy, D-N.J. "We want to sit and have a conversation about the issues and what's the plan going forward."But Jeffries has such a large majority — NBC News projects Democrats will secure 259 seats — that he can afford roughly 40 defections and still win the 218 votes needed to become speaker on the House floor on Jan. 3."We're going to work as hard as we can to get to the 218 number, and we're confident that we will get to that number and beyond," Jeffries told reporters when he was asked about disgruntled progressives.Jeffries and his top lieutenants, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Pete Aguilar of California and Ted Lieu of California, are so far running unopposed for the top four leadership posts: speaker, majority leader, majority whip and Democratic Caucus chair.Kyle Stewart, Zara Morris and Frank Thorp V contributed.
Historic ocean liner to 'live on' beneath waves as world's biggest artificial reef
The SS United States will sink off Florida coast to become an artificial reef, ending long-running wrangle over its fateFinal preparations were under way on Tuesday to sink the world's fastest ocean liner in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef, concluding a decades-long wrangle over the fate of the transatlantic icon.A fleet of five tugboats moved the rusting hulk of the SS United States from a quayside in Mobile, Alabama, on Monday for its short journey to 25 miles off the coast of Destin, Florida, where it will be scuttled in a precision operation on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...
Where Trump goes now on the big 3: tariffs, Iran war, immigration
After his party's calamitous loss in the midterms, a looming question is whether U.S. President Donald Trump will shift course on any of his three biggest initiatives since returning to the White House: tariffs, the war with Iran and immigration enforcement.
On TV

Nothing airing worth remote control today. The screen can rest.

New Music

John Williams — "Seven for Luck & Other Music for Film and the Concert Stage" (Urania Records)

In theaters
How to Rob a Bank (122 minutes)
A crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcasts their daring heists, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their most ambitious heist yet.
Launching today

Nothing launching today. Every rocket is staying grounded and behaving.

Useless Fact

Dr. Jack Kevorkian first patient has Alzheimer`s disease.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7081
▼ 0.0005
CAD → EUR
0.6320
▼ 0.0037
Today In History
911 — Conrad I elected German king after Louis the Child's death
Conrad Iwas elected German king at Forchheim, after the death of Louis the Child, the last of the East Frankish Carolingians
2019 — Evo Morales Resigns After Disputed Bolivian Election
Bolivian labour leader Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, resigned under pressure after monitors claimed that the election—for his fourth term in office—had irregularities, a claim later challenged
2015 — Death of Helmut Schmidt, Former Chancellor of West Germany
German politician and publisher Helmut Schmidt—who, as chancellor of West Germany (1974–82), was one of the most respected and influential of western Europe's leaders—died at age 96.How much do you know about German history?German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), B 145 Bild-F048644-0025
2007 — Norman Mailer, New Journalism Pioneer, Dies in New York
American novelist and journalist Norman Mailer, a pioneer of the New Journalism literary style that blended imaginative subjectivity with journalistic objectivity, died in New York in 2007.
2001 — China and Taiwan Join the World Trade Organization
After 15 years of negotiations, China's membership in the World Trade Organization was approved, and the following day Taiwan's membership was approved
1990 — Home Alone Premieres, Becomes Christmas Classic
The American comedy Home Alone, written by John Hughes and starring Macaulay Culkin, had its world premiere; a huge hit, it spawned a number of sequels and became a TV staple during the Christmas holidays
1982 — Leonid Brezhnev, Soviet Leader, Dies at 75
Soviet statesman and Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev died in Moscow after presiding as the leader of the Soviet Union for more than 18 years.How much do you know about Russian history?World History Archive/age fotostock
1975 — Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior
The American freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 aboard; its mysterious demise inspired a Gordon Lightfoot song that helped make it the most famous shipwreck in the Great Lakes
1969 — Sesame Street Debuts on National Educational Television
The American children's TV series Sesame Street—which featured a cast of puppet characters that included Elmo, Big Bird, and the Cookie Monster—debuted on the National Educational Television network (later PBS)
1958 — Hope Diamond Donated to Smithsonian
The Hope diamond, one of the largest blue diamonds known, was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., becoming one of its most-popular attractions
1938 — Death of Kemal Atatürk, Founder of the Republic of Turkey
Turkish reformer Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president (1923–38) of the Republic of Turkey, died in Istanbul
1925 — Birth of Welsh Actor Richard Burton
Welsh actor Richard Burton—whose best-known performances were of highly intelligent and articulate men who were world-weary, cynical, or self-destructive—was born in 1925.
1918 — Józef Piłsudski declares Poland independent
Józef Piłsudski, Polish revolutionary and first chief of state of the newly reconstituted Poland, arrived in Warsaw in 1918 to officially declare Poland an independent state after over a century of partition.
1898 — The Wilmington Insurrection of 1898
The multiracial Fusionist (Republican and Populist) city government of Wilmington, North Carolina, was violently overthrown, and as many as 60 Black Americans were killed in a premeditated murder spree that was the culmination of an organized months-long statewide campaign by white supremacists. How much do you know about American history and politics? mccool/Alamy
1879 — Birth of Poet Vachel Lindsay
American poet Vachel Lindsay, who, in an attempt to revive poetry as an oral art form of the common people, wrote and read to audiences compositions with powerful rhythms that had an immediate appeal, was born
1871 — Dr. David Livingstone found by Henry Stanley
On this day in 1871, according to his journal, explorer Henry Stanley greeted David Livingstone, the fellow explorer in search of the source of the Nile River, with the famous words "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
1775 — Founding of the U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps was founded when the Continental Congress ordered that two battalions of marines be raised for service during the American Revolution. How much do you know about military history? Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc
1444 — Ottoman Victory in the Battle of Varna
Turkish forces defeated the Hungarians in the Battle of Varna, securing Turkey's control over Constantinople (Istanbul) and assuring the Ottoman conquest in the Balkans

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.