The wait between Game of Thrones seasons is a long one, but at least we can rely on Instagram to plug some of the gaps.
Lena Headey’s Instagram, in this case.
On Monday, the current ruler of the Seven Kingdoms took some time off from the Iron Throne to post the following reunion shot:
She followed that up with something even better: videos of herself, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) and Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), all blowing raspberries in slow motion (swipe right):
Between this and the games of Heads Up, just think how many hours of glorious footage there must be of the cast killing time between takes.
Susan Bro reflects on the death of her daughter who was hit by a car during a peaceful anti-racist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly one year ago. USA TODAY
The Monday after Thanksgiving also known as Cyber Monday is a day when consumers can ditch the crowded parking lots and long lines and still get the best shopping deals online. Buzz60’s Angeli Kakade has the story. Buzz60
Former Trump aide heads to prison
George Papadopoulos will spend Monday night in a different bed. The change of address comes after a federal judge ordered the former Trump adviser on Sunday to start a two-week sentence for lying to the FBI. Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty last year to misleading FBI investigators about Russian contacts in 2016, had filed two motions to delay his prison time. Papadopoulos started working as an adviser to the Trump campaign in March 2016 and is the first former Trump aide sentenced in connection to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election.
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George Papadopoulos, the Trump campaign adviser who triggered the Russia investigation, was sentenced to 14 days in prison Friday by a judge who said he had placed his own interests above those of the country. (Sept. 7) AP
NASA spacecraft due to land on Mars
With NASA working toward a manned landing on Mars – look for that mission by 2040, a NASA chief scientist said – the space agency is further exploring the red planet. Next up is the arrival of the InSight lander, which is due to touch down on Monday. The InSight launched in May and is the first spacecraft to make a Mars landing since the Curiosity rover in 2012. You can watch its descent and arrival on NASA’s website between 2 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET.
Houston Texans hope to extend streak with win over Titans
The Houston Texans have matched a franchise record for most consecutive wins and are the first NFL team to win seven straight after opening a season 0-3 since 1925. They try to extend that streak Monday night against the Tennessee Titans (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). It will be the Texans’ first game since founder and owner Robert McNair died Friday after fighting skin cancer for several years. He was 81. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota participated in Friday’s practice and is expected to start. USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein will be in Houston to provide coverage of the game.
USA TODAY’s Jefferson Graham takes a look at three new connected speakers that all have video features. USA TODAY
Thanksgiving is now behind us, Black Friday seems like yesterday, and leftovers rule for our lunch and dinner plans.
Which can mean only one thing. It’s that time again for our annual list of the Top Tech Turkeys of the year. We got some assistance this year from some 1,000 consumers, whose responses were “universal” and totally in sync with our pick for No. 1.
“Across the board – regardless of age or gender – Facebook’s Portal was named by a quarter of consumers as the tech turkey of the year (25 percent),” notes the research team at Survey Monkey Audience, which did the exclusive poll for USA TODAY.
The Portal, a video chat device released in early November, saw its debut in a year with near weekly apologies from Facebook over the social network’s hacking and data breach crises.
The Portal has an always-on microphone and video camera that can move around the room to bring more people into view. Tech-wise, the Portal is the best video chat experience we’ve ever had, far superior to FaceTime, Skype or Hangouts, due to the higher-resolution screen and camera movement, which transforms a static image into something resembling a professionally shot video.
In our review, we noted this. But beyond that, and the innate creepiness that comes from putting what amounts to a Facebook monitor in your home, the product also pales in comparison to rivals in that, beyond video chat and a digital photo frame, it can’t get you voice-summoned music videos, recipes or any of the other features of the Amazon Echo Show or Google Home Hub.
And if you try to chat with someone who isn’t on Facebook Messenger, you’re out of luck. Not so with Home Hub or Echo, which lets you make calls to landlines and cellphones. Gobble gobble.
. Our tech turkeys of 2018:
Apple’s ever-rising prices
The company, sitting on more than $200 billion in cash, decided to up the prices on every one of its marquee products this year to new highs – with the top-of-the-line iPhone and premium iPad Pro each at or above the $1,000 mark, the MacBook Air at $1,200, the Mac Mini price increased by $300 – and eliminating the entry-level, bargain-priced $350 iPhone SE from its lineup.
Now, the lowest priced iPhone is the still available iPhone 7, which starts at $449. Apple still makes the best-selling consumer device in the world, but folks, if the prices keep going up and up, one of these days, many of us are going to turn our backs and shop elsewhere. (And on another note, those crazy repair prices. Buy an Apple Watch for $400, crack the screen, and Apple charges $300 to fix it. Something is wrong with that equation. How about making a product that doesn’t crack?)
Google Clips
The search giant made several great products this year, including the Pixel 3 smartphone and the Home Hub video speaker, which ranks as my favorite new device of 2018. Google Clips, however, wouldn’t make my top 10 best list. The $250 camera only shoots six- to seven-second silent video clips and photos automatically, when Google decides to do so. The camera is the photographer, not you. And what am I going to do with all those silent videos? No thanks.
Battery life
This year’s crop of smartphones have higher resolution, more features that people probably don’t care that much about and won’t last as long without a charge. Fellow tech critic Geoffrey Fowler recently tested 13 top 2018 models and found that none lasted as long as 2017 models. Once again, smartphone makers, this is what we want: Screens that won’t crack and an all-day battery. (Note the above on repairs.) Nothing else. Well, maybe lower prices, too.
Cloud Blackmail
Photo site SmugMug sweeps in and saves the day to revive Flickr from the hands of Verizon, which snapped it up when it bought the remnants of Yahoo. All looks positive, then SmugMug earlier this month says that anyone who has more than 1,000 photos stored on the site, which predates Instagram and Facebook as a social sharing hub, would have to fork over $50 yearly or see their 1,001st photo and beyond. Delete now, or they will be removed by Flickr in January. Well, that’s a nice way to get people to come back to Flickr and start sharing again, isn’t it? (Folks who pay $50 monthly get unlimited storage.)
YouTube and machine learning
This was the year YouTube had to deal with Logan Paul, Alex Jones and all those misinformed conspiracy videos that leaped to the top of the rankings and had the potential to lead viewers to think they were spouting the truth. Paul posted a video of a suicide in Japan, Jones’ InfoWars spouted out conspiracy videos. Paul got a two-strikes warning, Jones got banned. But the problem remains. YouTube’s videos get posted by humans, and if they don’t abide by community standards, it’s up to the machine to figure that out. YouTube has 10,000 humans overseeing what is 400 hours of videos uploaded every minute. It’s a losing battle. YouTube says it has beefed up its human oversight, but do a search for anything icky, and we guarantee you’ll still find it in the YouTube index. There’s got to be a better way.
AT&T kills Filmstruck
That didn’t take long. AT&T swallowed up Time Warner in 2018, made a quick announcement that it would take on Netflix in 2019 with a new Warner Bros. Studios themed movie service and then proceeded to kill Filmstruck. The beloved classic movie service, which showcased movies from the Turner Classic Movies and Criterion Collection, had only around 100,000 subscribers, which AT&T said was not enough. Where this stings for consumers is that the big streamers, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, showcase current films and originals, and as a rule, classics need not apply. So if the video store and DVD rentals have gone away, the hope was that the film lovers and students of today would have an online resource to see classics such as “Citizen Kane” and “City Lights.” (Criterion is starting its own service in the spring, but without the involvement – and films – from WarnerMedia.) For now, check your YouTube, where clips from classics are in abundance and many greats are available for viewing at a fee.
TiVo’s high-fee DVR
The company that invented the DVR introduced a new model recently, the Bolt OTA, aimed at cord cutters who just wanted to record broadcast TV shows in addition to watching Netflix and Amazon. TiVo, which has a unique business model of selling you a device and then charging $15 monthly to use it – in order to access TV listings – hasn’t changed stripes, even when cord cutters are the target. The Bolt OTA is $249, plus $6.99 monthly to use it. Consumer alert: Amazon’s Fire TV Edition sets from Toshiba show you TV listings within the set menu, at no charge. Ditto for the TCL Roku TVs.
Amazon plays the cities
Amazon put many cities into an “Apprentice”-like contest to bid for its new corporate headquarters and, in the end, picked the usual suspects – New York and Washington, D.C., where some speculate it was always headed in the first place. It extracted huge tax breaks from New York and Washington to get Amazon, while the other cities spent precious time and person power trying to woo the e-commerce giant. Net result: These poor souls helped Amazon get richer terms from the East Coast cities.
And that’s our 2018 Tech Turkey list. If you’re keeping score, Snapchat’s Spectacles topped our chart last year, and the exploding Samsung Note phone in 2016. What’s on yours for 2018? Let us hear from you on Twitter, where I’m @jeffersongraham.
RAW VIDEO: Chemical leak closes Delaware Memorial Bridge in both directions Jerry Habraken, John J Jankowski Jr., Delaware News Journal
A toxic gas leak from a chemical plant near the base of the Delaware Memorial Bridge on Sunday shut down all lanes of traffic on the busy holiday weekend for more than six hours.
A hazmat crew was called to Croda Inc. in New Castle at 4:16 p.m. for leaking ethylene oxide, an extremely flammable gas, from a tank on the site, according to Holloway Terrace Fire Chief Mark Willis.
At 11:20 p.m., the leak was contained and the bridge reopened.
Ethylene oxide is used to manufacture other chemicals, to sterilize medical devices and as a fumigant, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The gas was transferred from the leaking tank to a secure one. More than 70 percent of the gas escaped the chemical tank, said fire company spokesman George Greenley.
As of 11:20 p.m., the ethylene oxide is fully contained, the chemical plant announced.
Residents in New Castle neighborhoods north of Moores Lane were urged to stay in their homes, said New Castle City Police Chief Richard McCabe. Dispatchers used a reverse 911 call to notify residents.
No injuries have been reported.
All north and south lanes of Delaware Memorial Bridge closed around 5 p.m. as a precautionary measure as crews responded to the leak, Delaware River and Bay Authority spokesman Jim Salmon said.
Interstate 295 closed at I-95, and traffic was diverted to the Commodore Barry, Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin bridges. The congestion from the bridge had a ripple effect along I-95 and other major roadways, causing major delays for the end of the holiday weekend.
“We deeply regret the significant inconvenience that this has had on the community and those travelling in the area,” a press release said.
Dan Heneghan said his son and his daughter-in-law, who is diabetic, are stuck on the New Jersey side of the bridge, trying to return home to northern Virginia. They had just spent the holiday with Heneghan in Ventnor City.
British-based Croda Inc. is an international specialty chemical manufacturer.
Atlas Point, Croda’s Delaware location, manufactures formulas ranging from pharmaceutical use to industrial chemicals. Croda bought the site from Uniqema in 2006.
The process of turning ethanol into ethylene oxide is new — something Croda began doing less than six months at its Atlas Point location, according to Greenley.
A manufacturing operation has been at Atlas Point for more than 75 years.
Contact Josephine Peterson at (302) 324-2856 or jhpeterson@delawareonline.com
NCCo Traffic Alert: The @demembridge remains closed in both directions. I-95 NB traffic is being directed to continue on I-95 NB to I-495 NB into Pennsylvania and use one of the alternate bridges to enter New Jersey. Please drive safely! #netdepic.twitter.com/SEDtA1fWol
Sunday’s episode of Outlander featured an actor with a recorded history of domestic violence, prompting a response from the book’s author.
As first reported by EW, Will Strongheart appeared as an English-speaking Cherokee named Tawodi in Season 4 episode “Common Ground.”
In 2010, Strongheart was reportedly charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm, according to CBC News, something which resurfaced when he appeared in the Canadian film Indian Horse earlier this year.
Following the airing of the season’s fourth episode, “Common Ground,” fans asked the series’ author Diana Galbaldon about her feelings toward the casting on Facebook. Galbaldon said she had nothing to do with the casting process.
“Sometimes, they’ll tell me ahead of time who’s going to play a particular part, if it’s an important character and they want me to announce it here when whichever media outlet they/ve chosen break it, but not otherwise. And no, they didn’t tell me about any of the Native American actors except Tantoo Cardinal,” she responded in a Facebook comment.
Galbadon said she “[didn’t] think it’s good that this happened,” but said she doesn’t “think it’s reasonable to ask the production people to investigate the backgrounds of every actor they hire for a minor part.”
When the allegations against Strongheart were again brought to light in April 2018, he told CBC that the incidents happened when he was battling drug and alcohol abuse, and that he had been sober since 2010.
“I would like to address the story and photos that have resurfaced, and most importantly, offer my sincere apologies to those affected by my actions — especially to the women and their families who I have hurt resulting in pain and suffering that they did not deserve,” he wrote in an email to the news outlet.
“To those I have wronged, and caused undue grief and anguish, I wish to extend the hope of reconciliation and healing with you.”
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Vikings weren’t getting embarrassed on the national stage for a second straight game.
Badly needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, they came out and handily defeated the division rival Green Bay Packers 24-17 to improve to 6-4-1 on the season.
This was an extremely important victory because next week the Vikings travel to New England, where wins don’t come easily.
Here are three things we learned Sunday night.
1. The Vikings get it
Mike Zimmer’s players understood the importance of this game and knew they had to attack with the sense of urgency. They got off to a sloppy start, but as the game progressed, the team got key stops from the defense and put together productive drives on offense.
Minnesota had the look of a squad that knew it needed to win to keep playoff hopes alive. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was coming off of his worst game as a Viking (two interceptions to go with two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 76.5) and he had all eyes on him Sunday night because the Vikings fans wanted to know he would respond. The quarterback bounced back in a big way, completing 29 of 38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
Helping matters for Cousins was the fact that the Packers’ pass rush is nothing like that of the Bears. Minnesota’s line did a good job of protecting the quarterback, and Cousins held up his end of the deal. He had some of his best throws in the second half with his team needing first downs and points.
2. Defense does still matter
This phase of the game is often overlooked in today’s NFL where teams produce video-game-like scores and rack up record-setting yardage totals. But strong defensive contributions do indeed still have a place in this league.
The Vikings generated good pressure on Aaron Rodgers with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson leading the way with two sacks. The disruption made it hard for the Packers to get anything going in the final three quarters of the game. Green Bay was a woeful 2-for-10 on third downs and managed only 14 first downs compared to the Vikings’ 22.
Give the Vikings credit for the way that they regrouped after offering little resistance to start the game. After surrendering two early touchdowns to the Packers, Minnesota limited Green Bay to just 23 yards in the second quarter and kept Rodgers and Co. out of the end zone the remainder of the game.
3. This just isn’t Green Bay’s year
The Packers already were on a disappointing course as they entered this game with a 4-5-1 record. But now at 4-6-1, and well behind wild card hopefuls in the Redskins, Vikings, Panthers and Seahawks, Green Bay can basically kiss its postseason hopes goodbye.
In their final five games, the Packers will face the Cardinals, Falcons, Bears, Jets and Lions. They’ll have trouble against the Bears, but wins are possible against the four other opponents. That still won’t likely be enough, however. The Packers have some nice pieces, but changes surely are coming. Mike McCarthy’s play-calling is largely unimaginative. The defense needs more difference-makers, and Rodgers could use another weapon or two.
The 32 things we learned from Week 12 of the 2018 NFL season:
1. Fair to say Philip Rivers was on point Sunday? He completed 25 passes in a row, most ever in a single league game, in the Chargers’ smackdown of Arizona.
1a. Rivers also set a record for completion percentage in one game (96.6) after connecting on 28 of 29 throws.
1b. Lastly, he led the Bolts to 45 consecutive points over the final three quarters after L.A. spotted the lowly Cards 10 in the opening period.
2. Dearest mother — It’s time to start talking about @CaptAndrewLuck (even though he was sacked Sunday for the first time since Week 5) as a bona fide MVP candidate. It’s much easier to imagine the Saints or Chiefs as potential playoff teams without their respective stud quarterbacks than the Colts without Luck, who just threw at least three TD passes for the eighth consecutive game (the second-longest such streak in league history).
Dearest mother — I write you so full of joy, I might burst. Our unit secured yet another victory. That makes five straight, or an entire hand. The Dolphin men put up a great fight, but our aquatic drilling paid dividends. Our trusted sniper capped the win. I am beaming. — Andrew
3. That said, does the public really want either Indianapolis (6-5) or Miami (5-6) sneaking into the postseason? In one particularly putrid stretch of three plays between the teams, two Xavien Howard interceptions of Luck sandwiched a fumble by Miami rookie TE Mike Gesicki.
3a. So, yeah, the most intriguing outcome would be Baltimore hanging onto that sixth and final AFC playoff berth — after all, Ravens rookie QB Lamar Jackson is quite the wild card after another great day running the ball (71 yards, TD on 11 carries) but an uneven one through the air (178 yards, TD, 2 INTs).
3b. But we haven’t forgotten about Denver (5-6), quite the intriguing squad after snapping Pittsburgh’s six-game winning streak Sunday a week after also ending the Chargers’ run at a half-dozen.
4. Linemen giveth: 6-9, 320-pound Steelers LT Alejandro Villanueva — he once played wide receiver for Army — caught his first NFL pass, a 2-yard TD … naturally thrown by Pittsburgh K Chris Boswell.
6. Was Indianapolis TE Eric Ebron the free agent signing of the offseason? He has 11 TD grabs in 2018, matching his total from the previous four seasons — combined.
7. Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey said of Bills rookie QB Josh Allen in an offseason interview with GQ: “Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me.” Sunday, Allen proceeded to trash the trash Jaguars, throwing a 75-yard TD pass and running one in from 14 yards in a 24-21 Buffalo win.
8. Welp. You coulda kept your job as Bills coach, Doug Marrone. After watching your talented but careening Jacksonville squad — did you really have to drop the gloves, Fournette? — drop its seventh straight, no guarantee you’ll be hanging onto this gig much longer.
9. It’s getting really hard to find the silver linings, @BortlesFacts, but the fact remains: BB5 has never lost to Buffalo … in the playoffs.
10. I touted the Browns as a playoff dark horse in Week 3, after rookie Baker Mayfield cracked the lineup. Sure, they’re a pedestrian 4-5 since — though that’s a very happy factory by Cleveland standards — but are only 1½ games out of the AFC’s final wild-card spot. On Sunday, Cleveland trounced the Bengals 35-20 — Mayfield threw TD passes to four separate receivers, in Cincinnati, meaning …
10a. The Browns’ 25-game road losing streak ended, one shy of the Lions’ all-time record.
10b. The Browns won consecutive games for the first time since completing a three-game win streak Nov. 6, 2014.
10c. It was Cleveland’s most points in a victorious effort since a 37-24 defeat of Buffalo on Oct. 3, 2013.
11. Christian McCaffrey became the first Panthers player with 100 yards rushing (125) and receiving (112) in the same game.
12. However Carolina couldn’t overcome more decisions that backfired on coach “Riverboat Ron” Rivera in a 30-27 loss to Seattle. He spurned a nearly automatic field goal in the first quarter, going for it on fourth-and-2 from the Seattle 5. Oops. With the game tied on the Panthers’ final possession, Rivera (understandably) allowed Graham Gano to attempt a 52-yard field goal, but that didn’t work out, either. Gano missed, giving the Seahawks a short field — which they ultimately parlayed into Sebastian Janikowski’s game-winning, 31-yard field goal on the final play. (And, don’t forget, Rivera’s failed decision to go for two cemented a loss in Detroit last week.)
12a. Losers of three in a row, the Panthers — once regarded as a legit Super Bowl threat — find themselves on the playoff fringes.
13. Despite the long flight, the Seahawks have now won their last four regular-season games in Charlotte.
13a. Seattle won even though its top-ranked ground game produced a mere 75 yards, the first time it had been held to fewer than 150 since Week 3.
14. Had the Jets’ Sam Darnold (foot) been able to play Sunday, there would have been a two-decade difference between starting quarterbacks — Darnold is 21 and New England’s Tom Brady is 41.
14a. Instead, the game’s QBs averaged 40 years of age, with Brady facing Jets backup Josh McCown, who is 39.
14b. #TB1K update: Brady’s game-ending kneeldown meant he finished the day with minus-1 rushing yards, setting his quest for 1,000 career rushing yards back to 995.
14c. #TB80K update: After passing for 283 yards against the Jets, TB12 now has 79,416 in his career, including playoffs. That breaks Peyton Manning’s record for combined passing yards in the regular and postseasons (79,279).
14d. Brady still needs two more TD passes to surpasses Manning’s total (regular season plus playoffs) of 579.
15. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski scored a touchdown for the first time since Week 1. Gronk’s stretch of six scoreless games had been the longest of his nine-year career.
16. Since trampling Denver for 323 rushing yards in Week 5, the Jets have averaged 77.5 in the six game since and have been held to fewer than 100 five straight.
17.After surviving the Giants, the Eagles are only one game out of first place in the NFC East. However history is against them. No team has repeated as division champion since Philadelphia’s four-year stranglehold from 2001 to 2004.
18. Could Matt Judon be the Ravens’ next great pass rusher? Stay tuned, but it’s worth noting he had a career-best three sacks Sunday and 14 since the start of the 2017 season, when he became a starter.
19. Could Joey Bosa be the league’s next great pass rusher? He collected two sacks Sunday — his second game of the season after coming back from a foot injury. Bosa averages .83 sacks per game in his three-year career.
19a. By comparison, J.J. Watt averages .88 per game during his eight-year career.
20. Kudos to 49ers GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan for adhering to their zero-tolerance policy on Reuben Foster, a first-round pick last year. San Francisco will release the troubled linebacker, who incurred a domestic violence charge stemming from an alleged incident at the team hotel in Tampa on Saturday. Foster was also arrested earlier this year, but that domestic violence charge was dropped after his accuser recanted.
21. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans has now eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his five NFL seasons. Only Randy Moss (first six seasons) and A.J. Green (first five) have gotten off to equally good starts.
22. This isn’t baseball, with its American League vs. National League purists, but still seemed kinda odd that the league scheduled only NFC teams for its Thanksgiving tripleheader.
23. All four of Drew Brees’ TD passes Thursday night went to undrafted Saints: Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr, Dan Arnold and Keith Kirkwood.
23a. Brees’ 29 TD passes this season have been distributed among 13 different teammates, a figure only Matt Ryan (in 2016) has matched since the merger.
24. Did you know the 21 head-to-head matchups between Brees and Ryan are the most between two opposing quarterbacks?
25. Atlanta’s Julio Jones has at least 100 receiving yards in six consecutive games, an Atlanta record.
26. Jones, who has a league-high 1,305 yards, is now on pace for 1,898 — a figure that would allow Jones to pass himself (1,871 in 2015) for second most in a season while making him the only player to top 1,800 twice. Calvin Johnson’s single-season record (1,964 in 2012) and even the elusive 2,000-yard plateau could also be in play for Jones.
27. Chicago QB Chase Daniel … started his first game Thursday since 2014 … did it on a short week that didn’t allow for needed reps with the first-team offense … connected for two TD passes anyway … and kept the Bears rolling with his second career win.
28. Washington QB Colt McCoy … started his first game Thursday since 2014 … did it on a short week that didn’t allow for needed reps with the first-team offense … connected for two TD passes anyway … but couldn’t prevent the Redskins from losing their grip on first place in Dallas.
29. Nice job, Ezekiel Elliott. His 143 total yards and a TD in Thursday’s win over Washington was nice. What’s better? Elliott, who tossed $21 (he wears No. 21) into The Salvation Army kettle at AT&T Stadium this year, will match $21 donations to this year’s Red Kettle Campaign (the Cowboys will also match those gifts).
31. Was the Bears’ Motown troll the celebration of the year thus far?
32.Late Texans owner Robert McNair made some unfortunate statements in recent years. But let’s not allow them to overshadow the fact he brought the NFL back to Houston and, more importantly, had a hugely philanthropic spirit which he didn’t publicize. Rest in peace.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe Host Mika Brzezinski says President Trump complained that he can’t watch porn in the White House. Veuer’s Sam Berman has the full story. Buzz60
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are more than just co-hosts on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” They are now husband and wife.
The two journalists said “I do” Saturday in front of a small group of friends and family at the National Archives in Washington, the home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
In photos obtained by Vanity Fair, Brzezinski wore a white gown with a sweetheart neckline and polka-dot lace sleeves by designer Michelle Smith. Scarborough looked dapper in a black Zegna suit with a black tie.
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland officiated the ceremony.
Brzezinski told Vanity Fair that Scarborough’s marriage proposal came during a trip to Antibes, France, in honor of her 50th birthday. During a walk by the Mediterranean, he feigned being winded and asked to take a break. That’s when he busted out the oval-shaped diamond set in platinum.
“When I saw him on one knee, I started laughing nervously, almost hysterically,” Brzezinski said. “And then he asked, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Scarborough and Brzezinski have been an onscreen team for 10 years. “Morning Joe” premiered in April 2007 following the cancellation of “Imus in the Morning.”
Scarborough, 54, a former Florida congressman, left the House of Representatives partway through his fourth term in 2001. He then spent a couple of years practicing law before joining NBC News in 2003. Brzezinski has worked in journalism since shortly after graduating from college and has also reported for ABC and CBS.
Both were married to other people for much of the show’s tenure.
Scarborough has been married twice before, to Melanie Hinton from 1986-1999 and then to former congressional staffer Susan Warren from 2001-2013. He has four children, two from each marriage. Brzezinski, the daughter of Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, was married to James Hoffer, a fellow TV journalist, from 1993-2016. They have two children together.
Brzezinski and Scarborough say they didn’t act on their feelings for each other until after their previous marriages ended.
Contributing: Jayme Deerwester, The Associated Press
Most of us are just happy with a roommate who’s clean and pays rent on time.
Not this particular renter in London, whose fastidious list of demands for a future roommate has gone viral over the weekend.
The requirements, posted by Twitter user @rxdazn, were originally sent to someone who wanted to check out the available room.
While some of the requests, like following a cleaning roster, are understandable, it’s fair to say most of the demands are asking quite a lot.
Like the first requirement: You’ll have to be out of the house (yes, the one that you live in) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
“I work from home 5 days a week and I need the place to myself. If you have a proper job, this shouldn’t be a problem. Students who go to university on random days for a few hours or stay at home all day long and chill out unfortunately can’t live here,” the post reads.
Here are some other highlights:
No cooking before 8:30 a.m. and after 11 p.m. Although they’ll occasionally allow it, only for porridge or to use the microwave.
They “don’t want to hear noise coming from your room all the time.” That ranges from phone calls, to watching movies, to laughing past 11 p.m.
“If you have to run to the toilet 15 times a day or every 15 minutes, don’t move in here.” Excessive bathroom use is not cool.
“If all you eat is canned beans and cooked lentils and drink beer, you’re not my kind of flatmate. I need someone a little more sophisticated here.”
They don’t like someone who spends a lot of time cooking, and people who make elaborate meals or bake aren’t welcome.
Guests are only occasionally allowed to the house.
That it’s not a sociable house. No parties, no cooking together, no watching TV together because no one in the house has time to. Still, everyone is expected to be friendly with each other.
You’re not welcome if you’re the kind of person who spends a lot of time at home: “That’s why you definitely need a full-time job, and if you’re doing some interesting things with your life as well, that’s even better.”
Despite the requests, the renter describes themselves as being “quite easy-going.” The internet didn’t quite agree with that assessment.
This is my favourite part because he thinks the only reason people cook meals is because they don’t know how to make a sandwich
There are no words It’s the amount of self-contradictions that get me. You gotta have friends and be really interesting… but you can’t actually talk to anyone and we only allow guests max 3 times a week and they have to be people I like etc. etc.
“Hi, I’m looking for someone to silently live in my flat in the evenings, give me money and help me clean and then fuck off for the entire day. If that sounds like your cup of tea, give me a ring.”
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It’s been a busy Black Friday weekend for big box retailers such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy. But despite throngs of shoppers already grabbing the hottest gifts and their favorite electronics, there are still lots of amazing deals you can find with just a click of your mouse! And with Cyber Monday on its way, even more deals are coming online.
Here at Reviewed, we spent all year testing thousands of products so we can guide you through some of the best deals of the season. And while you can see our full list of Cyber Monday deals here, sometimes it’s easier to shop the stores you know best. Here are some of our favorite deals from Walmart, Target, and Best Buy:
BOGO Toys—Buy one get one free: This sale includes major toy brands like Baby Alive, Hot Wheels, Melissa & Doug, Nerf, and more. And you can save up to 50% on loads of other toys at Target too.
Ecovacs Deebot N79W—$149.99 (Save $50): This is one of our favorite smart robot vacuum (it’s just the Target-exclusive version). It has stronger suction than its predecessor, can be controlled through an app, and is Alexa compatible. You can get it for its second lowest price right now. The Amazon and Best Buy versions of this vacuum (same but off by a letter) are available for the same price.
Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 930 Smart Robot Vacuum—$399.99 (Save $200): This is the best price we’ve seen in this higher-end smart robot vacuum. Ecovacs’ lower-end models always performs well in our tests, so we’re confident this one will wow you. It’s the same price at Amazon too.
Fitbit Alta HR—$79.95 (Save $50): If you want a minimalistic fitness tracker with plenty of features, the Alta HR is a good bet.
Fitbit Charge 3—$119.95 (Save $30): The all-new Charge 3 is amazing, and it’s never been on sale before now. The battery lasts over a week, it’s waterproof, and the design is much sleeker than ever before. No wonder we named it the best fitness tracker of 2018.
Target Home Decor Sale—Save up to 40% with the code “TURKEY”: If you’re in the market for new bedding, furniture, decor, or other home accessories, this is your chance to get great savings. Also take an extra 15% off rugs, but these sales are online only.
Apple HomePod—$249.99 (Save $100): We’ve never seen this musical beast on sale before, so this is huge. It sounds incredible, and if you’re an Apple fan and a music lover, you should really consider this deal.
LG Styler—$1,099 (Save $900): This is the first time this incredible WiFi-enabled clothing care system has even gone on sale, and it’s practically 50% off! It’s available for $1-$2 more from The Home Depot and Lowe’s too, and if you have a Costco membership, you can get it for $100 less.
Philips Hue White & Color Smart Lighting Starter Kit (3-Pack)—$119.99 (Save $70): This is the best smart bulb money can buy, especially at this sale price, which is actually the same as what it costs refurbished at Amazon. We love that you can choose between hundreds of colors, and you can add up to 50 bulbs on one hub.
Samsung RF260BEAESR French Door Refrigerator—$998 (Save $776): This French door refrigerator is a stylish update for any kitchen, with a sleek stainless look. It uses storage space well, and the deli drawer has three temperature settings you can adjust, depending on what you want to store there. You can also get it at The Home Depot for the same price, if you prefer.
Xbox One S 1TB Console with Fortnite—$229.99 (Save $70): If your gamer is dying to try Fortnite, this bundle is the perfect gift. Technically Fortnite is free to play, but you’re also getting a bunch of skins and stuff, so it’s worth it.
It’s the amount of self-contradictions that get me. You gotta have friends and be really interesting… but you can’t actually talk to anyone and we only allow guests max 3 times a week and they have to be people I like etc. etc.
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