U.S.INSIDERNYC sheriffs broke up a sex party with 80 people, a room full of mattresses, and boxes of condoms
Video: Virtual sex worker demand skyrocketing in quarantine The New York City Sheriff's Office broke up an illegal sex party of over 80, mask-less attendees in Astoria, Queens for violating state COVID-19 regulations on Sunday. Officials walked into the venue to find a crowd of people at the event hosted by self-described swinger's club Caligula New York. The New York City Sheriff's Office told Insider that deeper in the party, officers found three couples having sex in a back room with multiple mattresses set up covering the floor, which was scattered with condoms.
PoliticsNational ReviewPennsylvania Republicans File Emergency Lawsuit to Block Certification of Election Results
A group of Pennsylvania Republicans filed a lawsuit over the weekend to block certification of the state's election results in an eleventh-hour attempt to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the key battleground state. The emergency petition, filed in state court, takes issue with a voting reform bill that passed Pennsylvania's Republican-held legislature in October last year. The lawsuit claims that the law's allowance of no excuse mail-in voting is “unconstitutional” and seeks to block Pennsylvania counties from certifying their vote results ahead of the deadline on Monday to do so and invalidate millions of mail-in ballots cast in the 2020 election.
WorldAssociated PressNBA players hailed by pope at Vatican for demanding justice
Pope Francis met with a delegation of NBA players at the Vatican on Monday, lauding them as “champions" and saying he supported their work on social injustice. Five players — Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver — were joined by NBA players' union executive director Michele Roberts and two other union executives, Sherrie Deans and Matteo Zuretti. We're here because, frankly, we're inspired by the work that you do globally," Roberts told the pope during the meeting in the papal library.
HealthBusiness InsiderModerna's chief medical officer says that vaccine trial results only show that they prevent people from getting severely sick — not necessarily that recipients won't still be able to transmit the virus
Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks told Axios that the public should not "over-interpret" the vaccine trial results to assume life could go back to normal after adults are vaccinated. "They do not show that they prevent you from potentially carrying this virus transiently and infecting others," Zaks told Axios. While he believes, based on the science, that it's likely that vaccine does prevent transmission, but said there's still no solid proof of that yet.
PoliticsNational ReviewRush Limbaugh: Trump’s Legal Team ‘Promised Blockbuster Stuff and Then Nothing Happened’
You call a gigantic press conference like that — one that lasts an hour — and you announce massive bombshells, then you better have some bombshells,” Limbaugh said during his show on Monday. There better be something at that press conference other than what we got…I talked to so many people who were blown away by it, by the very nature of the press conference. They promised blockbuster stuff and then nothing happened, and that's just, it's not good.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Ethiopia warns it may shell rebel capital
Civilians in the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region should "save themselves", a spokesman for the federal military has said, amid plans to surround Mekelle with tanks and warnings that the rebel stronghold could be shelled. Colonel Dejene Tsegaye: "We want to send a message to the public in Mekelle to save themselves from any artillery attacks and free themselves from the junta. After that, there will no mercy."
PoliticsThe IndependentMelania welcomes White House tree after being caught on tape saying ‘who gives a f***’ about Christmas
Melania Trump was all smiles as she welcomed her family's final Christmas tree to the White House. The maskless first lady appeared in the festive spirit despite being caught on tape earlier this year complaining “who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff. Decorating the historic mansion will be her final major job as first lady before Dr Jill Biden takes over the role in January.
PoliticsNBC NewsFeinstein says she's stepping down as top Democrat on Senate Judiciary Committee
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday she will step down as top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee in the new session of Congress beginning early 2021, marking a victory for progressives who pressured her to step aside. “After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” the California Democrat said in a statement. The senator came under fierce criticism from progressives after she lavished praise on Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for his handling of the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court hearing, and gave him a hug after the proceedings concluded on Oct. 15.
U.S.Business InsiderApple's security chief was indicted on bribery charges over allegations that he offered $70,000 worth of iPads in exchange for concealed-carry permits for Apple security guards
Apple's head of security was indicted on charges accusing him of offering 200 iPads, worth an estimated $70,000, to local law-enforcement officials in exchange for concealed-carry weapons permits for Apple security guards. The second-in-command at Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office was also named in the indictment. In October, two former managers at a Silicon Valley security firm pleaded guilty to charges related to the case.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastRush Limbaugh Does Full 180, Blasts Sidney Powell After Team Trump Disavowed Her
Rush Limbaugh fully reversed course on Monday, trashing the Trump legal team's unhinged press conference detailing baseless election-fraud conspiracies just days after praising attorney Sidney Powell—whom the Trump team has since disavowed—for dropping “bombs all over the place.” Over the weekend, after Powell claimed millions of votes were stolen from President Donald Trump by corrupted software, Powell gave an off-the-rails interview to Newsmax TV in which she expanded her bonkers conspiracy to include Georgia's Republican governor and secretary of state being bribed.
U.S.National ReviewOregon Gov. Kate Brown Encourages Residents to Call Police on Neighbors Violating COVID Rules
Oregon Governor Kate Brown is encouraging residents to call the police on any neighbors who flout state COVID-19 restrictions, which include limiting in-home gatherings to a maximum of six people. Last week the Democratic governor instituted a new round of restrictions aimed at mitigating the spread of coronavirus in the state via executive order, including a two-week “freeze” limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings to no more than six people from no more than two households just ahead of Thanksgiving. Residents are also prohibited from eating out at restaurants and going to the gym, though faith-based gatherings of up to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors are allowed.
U.S.NBC NewsSearch for missing Dallas businessman upgraded to 'Endangered Missing Person'
As many families gather for Thanksgiving this week, the loved ones of Dallas businessman Alan White say it won't be the same without him as the holiday marks five weeks since he went missing. “We should all be together right now,” Alan's younger brother, Tim White, told Dateline. “Instead, we're just worried sick about where Alan could be,” he said.
PoliticsNational ReviewHere Comes the Biden Blame Game
During the eight years that President Obama and his team managed the economy, Americans were regularly assured that the president's Keynesian policies would deliver striking growth in the years ahead. The growth repeatedly failed to materialize, and what followed was a master class in blamesmanship. No matter how far into the Obama term we were, the disappointing growth was a “new normal”– not the result of President Obama's high tax and heavy regulatory policies.
PoliticsThe WeekNYT reporter Maggie Haberman thinks Trump's tweet is 'the closest to a concession' he'll give
President Trump has yet to concede the election, and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman thinks his Monday evening tweet about what is in "the best interest of our country" is "the closest to a concession Trump is going to get." Trump wrote that he spoke to Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, and recommended that she "do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols," adding that he has "told my team to do the same." Haberman tweeted that she's been told some of Trump's advisers "had been urging him" to let the transition begin before Thanksgiving, "even if he never said the word 'concede.'" Between the Trump campaign and other Republicans, more than 30 lawsuits have been filed in six swing states, in an attempt to contest the election results, NBC News reports. Despite Trump and members of his legal team claiming there has been widespread voter fraud, no court has found a single piece of evidence.
U.S.The Independent12-year-old boy fatally shot after answering knock at his Philadelphia front door
A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot after he heard a knock and went to answer the front door in his Philadelphia home, authorities said. The boy, identified as Sadeek Clark-Harrison by CBS Philly, was shot in the face and killed shortly before 3am on Sunday morning. A knock was heard at the front door of the Frankford home before a bullet was shot through the crescent moon glass of the door.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestClever’s 2020 Gift Guide Is Here and It Just Wants You to Have a Nice Time
We rounded up a mix of gifts that help others, keep folks healthy, and add a little something-something to the home Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.NBC NewsAlleged mafia members 'Joey Electric,' 'Tony Meatballs,' 13 others indicted
Fifteen alleged members of a crime family based in Philadelphia face federal racketeering and related charges, prosecutors said. A superseding indictment revealed on Monday that the fifteen alleged crime associates of the crime family La Cosa Nostra were accused of racketeering conspiracy, illegal gambling, loansharking, and drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Philadelphia. Among the 15 defendants are 60-year-old Joseph Servidio, or “Joey Electric,” and Anthony Gifoli, 73 — better known as “Tony Meatballs.”
EntertainmentBusiness InsiderNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancels his Thanksgiving plans hours after saying his 89-year-old mother and 2 daughters were coming to dinner
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be having Thanksgiving dinner with his 89-year-old mother and two of his three daughters, contrary to what he alluded to a radio interview on Monday. The internet was quick to drag Cuomo, given that he's been urging New Yorkers to stay home and limit travel this Thanksgiving due to the coronavirus pandemic. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be having his 89-year-old mother and two of his daughters over for Thanksgiving, according to a senior adviser.
WorldBBCCovid: Australia state reopens border after Covid cases plummet
The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has reopened its border with neighbouring Victoria for the first time since July after coronavirus cases there fell to zero. Victoria, which imposed a tough lockdown after a surge in cases, has reported no new infections since the beginning of November. Australia has recorded about 900 deaths and 28,000 infections in total.
PoliticsReutersTrump relents after steady drumbeat of fellow Republicans urge start of Biden transition
President Donald Trump gave some ground on Monday to allow Joe Biden's transition to the presidency after the ranks grew of prominent Republicans calling for Trump to end efforts to overturn his election defeat. Twenty days after Election Day, most members of Trump's party still refused on Monday to refer to Biden as president-elect, or question Trump's insistence - without evidence - that he only lost on Nov. 3 because of fraud. Trump gave the go-ahead for federal funds to start flowing to Biden so that he can carry out his transition duties before his Jan. 20 inauguration as the 46th U.S. president.
LifestyleThe IndependentMysterious metal monolith found in the wilds of Utah by team of biologists
It is made of smooth, black-grey metal, unlike anything seen in the nearby red rocks. KSLTV, a local news station, interviewed Bret Hutchings, the pilot who helped discover the monolith. That's been about the strangest thing that I've come across out there in all my years of flying,” he told the broadcaster.
EntertainmentINSIDERDisney World fans are worried that Animal Kingdom's broken yeti will never get fixed after a famous Imagineer announced he's retiring
Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde announced in an Instagram post on Monday that he's retiring after 40 years with the company. The beloved creative said he thinks now is a "great opportunity to slip away without too much disruption" while Disney World faces a "quiet time" during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many fans thanked him for his impact on the theme parks over the years, others questioned if the broken yeti animatronic in Animal Kingdom — the theme park he was in charge of — will ever be fixed.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTravis Kalanick's $37 million NYC penthouse was reportedly the site of a large party where no one was wearing a mask
A large indoor party where guests weren't wearing masks was reportedly held at ex-Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's New York City penthouse in September. In a story featured in New York Magazine's The Cut, Cat Marnell describes attending the party, saying there were "tons of people there, and of course no one was wearing a mask." A representative for Kalanick told Business Insider that he had lent his apartment to a friend and was not aware of the party, and that he does not know Marnell.
PoliticsNBC NewsWith nearly all votes counted, the 2020 presidential election wasn't that close
What's gotten lost in all of the focus on President Trump's lawsuits, his baseless accusations of voter fraud and his administration's unwillingness so far to begin the transition is a simple fact. Right now, Joe Biden's popular-vote lead over Trump stands at 4 percentage points, 51 percent to 47 percent — and it's only going to grow once more of New York's votes (finally) get counted. When it comes to the Electoral College, the tally stands at Biden 306, Trump 232 – which happens to be the exact same split as Trump's 2016 win versus Hillary Clinton (but in reverse).
PoliticsNBC NewsRepublicans who have broken with Trump to congratulate Biden on his win
A small but growing group of prominent Republicans has broken with President Donald Trump and the rest of their party in congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their projected election victory. Trump has refused to concede the race, and the vast majority of Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have yet to acknowledge the Democrats' win. A Trump appointee in the General Services Administration has also refused to sign a letter that allows access to government resources for a presidential transition.
“Donald Trump defeated Donald Trump.”
“The victory was a vindication of a style of American politics that many feared was gone forever.”
“Mr. Biden’s victory — and Mr. Trump’s defeat — is a testament to the resilience of American democracy.”
“Trump’s 2020 reelection bid was doomed by his boorish behavior. Time and again, he refused to act like a president.”
“Biden took the opportunity to unite the Democratic Party.”