News

Original Sesame Street Star Bob McGrath Dies At 90

The Associated Press reports: Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it “mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over …

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Iran Scraps Morality Police After Widespread Protests

The New York Times reports: Iran has abolished the morality police, according to an announcement by the attorney general carried on state media, following months of protests set off by the death of a young woman who was being held by the force for supposedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress laws. The decision, reported by state news outlets late …

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73 New House Reps Hold Drawing To Pick Offices

Congress Minutes reports: Seventy-three soon-to-be members gathered in the Cannon Caucus room to pick from a box that held slips of paper numbered 1-73. The order of the slips dictates who picks their office first, second and so on. After the member-elect selects their slip, the members then line up to choose their offices — a process that begins in …

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Senate Plans “Must-Pass” Pro-Weed Bill For Lame Duck

Axios reports: A bipartisan group of senators plans to attach significant marijuana legislation to “must-pass” year-end bills, Axios has learned. The group, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), has the Justice Department’s blessing for legislation letting cannabis companies access banking institutions, and creating grants for state expungement of past marijuana convictions. In an email reviewed by Axios, the …

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“Rogue Wave” Kills Woman On Antarctic Cruise Ship

CNN reports: One passenger was killed and four injured when a “rogue wave” hit their cruise ship during a storm earlier this week. The passengers had been taking an Antarctic cruise aboard the Viking Polaris when it was hit by the storm as it sailed towards Ushuaia, Argentina. The storm caused a giant wave that broke several panes of glass …

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Pantone’s Color Of The Year For 2023: “Viva Magenta”

NPR reports: It’s official: 2023 is the year of magenta. That’s according to the Pantone Color Institute, the authoritative consultancy that’s christened an “it color” every year for more than two decades. Its latest pick is none other than Viva Magenta 18-750, which it describes as “a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a …

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Tampa Police Chief Put On Leave After Flashing Badge To Get Out Traffic Stop Over Golf Cart With No Plate

Florida Politics reports: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has placed Police Chief Mary O’Connor on administrative leave, pending an investigation into a traffic stop in which O’Connor flashed her badge and asked for leniency. Body camera video shows O’Connor on a golf cart identifying herself as the Tampa Chief of Police and telling the Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy she hoped he …

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NYC To Hire Rat Czar: Must Have “Aura Of Badassery”

Yet another New York City story about rats: On Wednesday, the city published a job listing for a director of rodent mitigation, which a City Hall spokesperson described as a “rat czar.” Based in City Hall, the individual will report to Meera Joshi, the deputy mayor of operations, and will be paid a salary between $120,000 to $170,000. New York …

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Senate Votes To Block Rail Strike, No Sick Days In Deal

The Washington Post reports: The Senate on Thursday adopted a measure that forces a deal between warring national freight railroads and their unions, averting a potential Dec. 9 strike that could have crippled U.S. travel and commerce ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. The overwhelmingly bipartisan, 80-15 vote sends the measure to President Biden’s desk, as he requested earlier …

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SCOTUS To Hear Arguments On Student Debt Plan

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday delayed a decision on whether to grant President Joe Biden’s bid to implement his student loan forgiveness plan, announcing instead that it will hear full oral arguments on an expedited basis. In a brief order, the court said it would hear arguments in February with a decision soon to follow. In the …

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Gas Prices Now Lower Than Before Russia-Ukraine War

Axios reports: The average cost for a gallon of gas in the U.S. has dropped below the price it was before Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, according to AAA. It is the first time since February that gas prices cost less than $3.50 per gallon, a significant decrease from record prices in the summer. A gallon of regular gas …

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NYC Ties With Singapore As World’s Most Expensive City

The Guardian reports: New York was the world’s most expensive metropolis in 2022, sharing the unwanted title with Singapore, as soaring energy prices doubled the inflation rate across the major global cities, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual survey. Last year’s leader Tel Aviv dropped to third, while Sydney snuck into the Top 10 and Moscow and St Petersberg …

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Georgia Senate Runoff Poll Shows Race Deadlocked

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: With early voting reaching record numbers, a new poll says that the race to be Georgia’s next senator is deadlocked. The new survey from FrederickPolls, COMPETE Digital and AMMPolitical shows both Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Challenge Herschel Walker tied at 50 percent each ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff. According to the poll, 97 …

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NYC Sanitation Department Sells $48 “Rats” T-Shirt

Gothamist reports: The shirts, which were listed at $48 on Only NY’s website, featuring a rat running scared, feature a phrase made famous by Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Standing outside City Hall on Oct. 17, Tisch unveiled a proposal to shorten the amount of time trash bags sit on the street in hopes of giving city rats less garbage to …

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Jeffries Unanimously Elected Leader Of House Dems

CBS News reports: House Democrats elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York as their next party leader in a unanimous vote on Wednesday, ushering in a generational shift as Democrats prepare to relinquish control of the lower chamber in January. Long considered a rising star in the party, the 52-year-old Jeffries will make history as the first Black party leader …

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Alberta Records Strongest “Natural” Earthquake Ever

The CBC reports: According to Earthquakes Canada, three seismic events were recorded Tuesday: a 5.8-magnitude quake and two 5.2-magnitude quakes. “A series of earthquakes has occurred in northwestern Alberta. The largest, a M 5.8 earthquake, was preceded by two M 5.2 earthquakes, and followed by several felt events,” reads a post on the Earthquakes Canada website. Earthquake reports are often …

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Record 800,000 Georgians Have Already Voted Early

Axios reports: Georgia has seen record-breaking early vote turnout ahead of its Dec. 6 Senate runoff between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker. The Peach State set a new record for daily turnout during early voting on Tuesday, after setting the previous record on Monday. As of Tuesday evening, more than 800,000 Georgians had voted in the …

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NYC To Involuntarily Commit Mentally Ill Homeless

The New York Times reports: Mayor Eric Adams announced a major effort on Tuesday to remove people with severe, untreated mental illness from the city’s streets and subways, saying New York had “a moral obligation” to address “a crisis we see all around us.” The effort will involve hospitalizing people involuntarily, even if they do not pose an immediate risk …

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Yet Another Major Crypto Outfit Files For Bankruptcy

CNBC reports: Distressed crypto firm BlockFi has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey following the implosion of putative acquirer FTX. In the filing, the company indicated that it had more than 100,000 creditors, with liabilities and assets ranging to $10 billion. In the filing, the company listed an outstanding …

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Merriam-Webster’s Word Of The Year: “Gaslighting”

The Associated Press reports: “Gaslighting” — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasn’t a single event that drove significant spikes in the curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year. The …

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