Morning Martini

Laila Ali was involved in a serious accident in Calabasas on Tuesday.

The former boxer was driving through a parking lot of a shopping center when she hit an elderly pedestrian. According to law enforcement, the elderly gentleman was treated at the scene before being transferred to a local hospital.

Muhammad Ali’s daughter was not arrested or cited for the incident. For now, the Sheriff’s Department is investigating it as an accident.

There has been no comment from Laila or her reps.

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Celebrity porn lawyer Michael Avenatti will not run for president in 2020. On Tuesday the combative attorney for President Trump foe Stormy Daniels, and an outspoken Trump critic himself, said he is withdrawing his name after consulting with his family. Avenatti is the father of two teenage girls and a four year old son—and he’s also been accused recently of domestic abuse and is embroiled in a contentious divorce from his estranged second wife. The personal life problems—especially the charges of violence toward a lover—caused his beloved cable TV appearances to dry up, and the invitations to speak in front of groups of politically correct, social justice lefties eager to hear about his work on behalf of porn stars took a slide. That may have also played a role in his decision to bow out early.

—QUOTABLE: “I think today’s a good reminder that this whole thing is a marathon and not a sprint. Just because someone is the most click bait-y or cable-ready candidate at any moment doesn’t mean they’re going to go the distance.” -Jesse Ferguson, Dem strategist 

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The longest serving congressman is calling for the abolition of the U.S. Senate and the electoral college. Former Rep. John Dingell, of Michigan, represented the state for more than 59 years, said in an Atlantic op-ed that a series of suggestions would restore the public’s trust in the government—and he said it’s “antiquated” and “dangerous” that all states get two senators regardless of their population. The Senate is supposed to represent the states themselves, not just groups of people in the states. But Dingell forgot that, saying it’s crazy that the 20 lowest populated states get 40 senators, while California has as much population but has just two senators. Just the same, giving weight to small states in the Presidential Electoral College is dumb—essentially, the people living in the biggest cities should be able to run the lives of everyone across the country, Dingell believes. Both must be abolished in favor of rule by the mob, he insinuated.

—INANE QUOTABLE: “California has almost 40 million people, while the 20 smallest states have a combined population totaling less than that. Yet because of an 18th-century political deal, those 20 states have 40 senators, while California has just two.” -Dingell

—INANE QUOTABLE: “It will take a national movement, starting at the grassroots level, and will require massive organizing, strategic voting, and strong leadership over the course of a generation. But it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? ‘Abolish the Senate.’ I’m having blue caps printed up with that slogan right now. They will be made in America.” -Dingell

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There’s no doubt that the Saudi Crown Prince was deeply involved in the murder of a journalist living in the U.S., according to top CIA officials who briefed senators on Tuesday. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was definitely deeply involved in the killing of Kamal Khashoggi, intelligence officials insist, even though President Trump’s administration says there is no “smoking gun” tying the key U.S. ally directly to the October murder and dismemberment. Sen. Lindsey Graham, for one, says there is indisputable evidence and that the Crown Prince and his behavior poses a threat to the critical alliance between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

—QUOTABLE: “There’s not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw (in reference to the dismemberment of Khashoggi)…It is zero chance — zero — that this happened in such an organized fashion without the crown prince.” -Graham

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The Washington Post gave Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the dubious “Four Pinocchios” award for her latest claims about Pentagon funding and her “Medicare for All” scheme. The newly elected Democratic Socialist member of the House claimed Monday in a tweet that unaccounted for Defense Department funding could be used to pay for the Bernie Sanders-inspired socialist healthcare plan, which was pegged at a cost of $32 trillion over ten years. But according to a 17-year Pentagon audit, there were $21 trillion of difficult to explain spending, the result of accounting issues. The audit does not mean there is a giant pot of cash sitting around somewhere, and Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t give thought to basic accounting, the Washington Post concluded. Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood added that the DOD spending hasn’t even been appropriated $21 trillion in its entire existence, making her claim completely impossible.

—QUOTABLE: “Ocasio-Cortez is not the first Twitter user to mangle information from a news report. But it’s unconvincing to try to pass this off as a rhetorical point being misread. She cited the $21 trillion figure and said ‘66% of Medicare for All could have been funded already by the Pentagon…That’s a direct comparison. It’s badly flawed. The same article she referenced on Twitter would have set her straight. The tweet is still up, probably causing confusion. So we will award Four Pinocchios to Ocasio-Cortez.” -Washington Post

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Bob Dole paid his respects to fellow World War II veteran, President George H.W. Bush, who is lying in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. Dole is 95 years old and is confined to a wheelchair as Bush was in the later years of his life, but he stood up briefly with the help of an aide to salute Bush—a fellow Republican who defeated him in the 1988 presidential primary and served with him in the Second World War. Bush passed away Friday at age 94.

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Republicans said they were hacked in the 2018 election. Emails from the top four honchos at the National Republican Congressional Committee were stolen in a major hack detected in April, according to a Tuesday report from Politico. The NRCC didn’t make a public statement, but did inform the FBI. The hacking came after the group hired cyber security firm CrowdStrike, the same firm that handled Democratic National Committee hacks during the 2016 election. Senior Dem officials have accused CrowdStrike of being incompetent.

—QUOTABLE: “We don’t want to get into details about what was taken because it’s an ongoing investigation…Let’s say they had access to four active accounts. I think you can draw from that.” -NRCC official

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Sen. Chuck Grassley is accusing Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson of giving his committee “extremely misleading” if not false testimony. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Simpson in 2017 about his work with the Democrat Party and the infamous Steele Dossier, which Simpson’s firm produced. Simpson, in his testimony, denied he still worked for the Dems after the 2016 election, but Grassley compared his sworn claims to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony, which have been revealed to be riddled with falsehoods—for which he’s been convicted. The two should be treated the same, Grassley said.

—QUOTABLE: “I hope that the Justice Department is handling all these instances of false statements to Congress with the same level of seriousness they treated Mr. Cohen’s.” -Grassley

—QUOTABLE: “Contrary to Mr. Simpson’s denial in the staff interview, according to the FBI and others, Fusion actually did continue Trump dossier work for a new client after the election.” -Grassley

The post Grassley: Fusion GPS Foe Misled Congress appeared first on Morning Martini.

Robert Mueller is sparing the whip when it comes to Michael Flynn. The special counsel is recommending no prison time for Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Trump. Mueller cited Flynn’s “substantial assistance” with his investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 elections. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI last year about his conversations with a former Russian ambassador, but agreed to fully cooperate with the Mueller probe.

The post Mueller Spares Flynn from Prison Time appeared first on Morning Martini.

1492

Christopher Columbus reaches the coast of Hispaniola.

The culmination of his first adventure across the Atlantic made him the first recorded European to set foot in the Caribbean.

The natives received him and his men well, at least at first.

Later, inhabitants of present-day Dominican Republic attacked the crew with arrows. He managed to kidnap a handful of the attackers, though, and brought them back to Europe.

### 
1872

A small British boat discovers an American vessel at full sail near the Azores islands.

The American boat was called the Mary Celeste. It was completely stocked and in tip-top condition — but no one was on board.

The British crew boarded the Mary Celeste to find water in the hold and the lifeboat missing.

The captain, his family, and the 8 passengers were never found.

### 
1933

Prohibition ends.

With ratification of the 21st amendment, the sale and transportation of alcohol was again legal in the United States.

For the previous 14 years, gangsters like Al Capone thrived on the bootlegging business.

Several states would remain dry for a couple decades. Mississippi remained a dry state until 1966.

### 
1945

Five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappear while flying over the Bermuda Triangle.

All of the pilots and their crews were never found. A Mariner flying boat was put into the air to search for the missing planes — it too disappeared, and is suspected to have exploded in mid-air.

A Navy investigation concluded that the planes ran out of fuel and the pilots ditched in the ocean.

### 
1969

The prototype of the Internet grows, with the expansion of the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency computer network. ARPANET for short.

The project linked what were called network nodes in Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.

At first the computers only shared test messages to ensure that information could be shared between networks. From there, it expanded exponentially as more researches connected to this network of networks.

The same principles and technology now power the Internet.

The post History: December 5, 2018 appeared first on Morning Martini.

Franke Muniz – Actor, Malcolm in the Middle – 33

Amy Acker – Actress, Root on “Person of Interest” – 42

Margaret Cho – comedian – 50

Gary Allan – country star – 51

John Rzeznik – Goo Goo Dolls guitarist – 53

Morgan Brittany – Actress, “Dallas” – 67

Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman) – singer – 86

BORN ON THIS DATE

Strom Thurmond – racist former Senator – 1902

Walt Disney – famed animator – 1901

George Armstrong Custer – Civil War general – 1839

Martin Van Buren – POTUS 8 – 1782

The post Birthdays: December 5, 2018 appeared first on Morning Martini.

Washington
Nationals free agent outfielder Bryce Harper is the belle of the off season
ball with as many as 12 teams hoping to get a chance to slow dance with the
slugger and whisper contract offerings in his ear.

Teams are
travelling to his off-season home of Las Vegas to meetings in hope of
attracting him to their club.

Magic
Johnson, who is a minority stake owner in the LA Dodgers has denied a report that
he has met with Harper and team officials.

The lineup
of hopefuls for Harper’s services include; the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia
Phillies, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and his home club the Washington Nationals.
These clubs have already met with him or plan to soon.

Harper has
close ties with fellow Las Vegas resident and Chicago Cubs infielder Kris
Bryant and their wives are close friends too, so that could play into a decision
to go to Wrigley Field.

The biggest consideration
is cost. It’s thought that it could take a 12 year $420 million dollar contract
to sign him.

A head turning
contract to be sure however it is rare that a 26-year-old with an NL Rookie of
the Year and NL MVP crown and six All Star nods hits the open market.

In his MVP
season on 2015 Harper hit .330, with 42 home runs and 99 RBI. In 2018 he hit 34
homers drove in a career best 100 RBI and won the All-Star Home Run Derby.

Harper is
repped by super-agent and thorn in the paw of ownership Scott Boras, who is no stranger
to getting record contracts for his clients. Look for him to come through in
much the same way for Harper.

Whoever does
sign him will be getting a marquee player with as many as 10 years of prime
production left.

The post The Bryce Harper Courtship Tour Continues appeared first on Morning Martini.

Ohio State
University head football coach Urban Meyer has announced that he will retire effective
after the Rose Bowl on January 1st.

Offensive Coordinator
Ryan Day will take over as the head football coach on January 2nd.
Day went 3-0 while filling in for Meyer who had been suspended earlier this
season after an investigation found he improperly handled domestic violence charges
against wide receivers coach Zach Smith.

Many things
factored into Meyer’s decision but the biggest are health concerns surrounding
an arachnoid brain cyst that Meyer underwent surgery to remove in 2014. The symptoms
have returned and cause severe headaches when he is under stress which is a daily
thing in big time college football. His doctors have warned him about the possible
risks involved in continuing to coach.

OSU is 12-1
and beat Northwestern this past Saturday 45-24 to win the Big Ten Title. Their
third in Meyer’s tenure. The Buckeyes won the National Championship in 2014 under
Meyer.

This marks the second time Meyer has retired due to health concerns. He had retired from the University of Florida following the 2010 season. Meyer had won National Championships with Florida in 2006 and 2008.

Meyer sat
out one season before taking the job at OSU in 2012. In 17 seasons as head
coach at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State Meyer complied a 186-32
record.

The post Urban Meyer to Retire From OSU appeared first on Morning Martini.

Michael J. Snyder has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Michael is known for being the first franchisee of the Red Robin restaurant chain in 1979 and later became CEO and President in 2000.

He was ousted in 2005 after an internal investigation discovered he had misused funds and charter planes.

He was 68-years-old.

The post Red Robin Franchisee Dead appeared first on Morning Martini.

The royal family revealed their Christmas decorations for Buckingham Palace on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for Twitterverse to start comparing them to the one’s at White House.

Many agreed that the Palace’s style was much more tasteful than the Presidential home. With more than half of the comments being about Melania Trump’s red Christmas trees, it is safe to say Americans are not fans of the look. Some even compared them to something that would be seen in “The Shining” or “Suspiria.”

Meanwhile, the Palace is adorned with white twinkling lights, little crowns scattered about and staircases covered in greenery with multicolored ornaments.

The post Difference In Xmas Style appeared first on Morning Martini.

The Oscars are struggling to find a host for its 2019 broadcast. Following lackluster ratings and the La La Land Best Picture snafu, A-listers aren’t clamoring for the top emcee spot.

The Hollywood Reporter says that everyone who’s anyone has turned it down, including Oprah, Justin Timberlake, Julia Louis-Drefyus, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as a team effort, who successfully helmed the Golden Globes a few years back.

The job requires weeks of work for a paltry low-six figures; the media, critics and fans inevitably rip the host to shreds; and the show does little to make the host more visible or famous.

In recent years, no one has done it more than twice, including Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen Degeneres, Hugh Jackman, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In contrast, Bob Hope did it 19 times in his heyday.

The post Oscar Host: TBD appeared first on Morning Martini.

Danielle Bregoli aka Bhad Bhabie aka Cash Me Outside Girl slammed Facebook while discussing her 12-episode deal called “Bringing Up Bhabie.” The 15-year-old told TMZ that Snapchat and Instagram are her generations go-to social media and Facebook is for the older crowd.

Danielle clearly doesn’t know that Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for $1 Billion.

“Bringng Up Bhabie” is a docuseries about Danielle’s personal life and career that will be featured on Snapchat.

The post Facebook is for Old People appeared first on Morning Martini.

Baby #2 is on the way for Steven Yuen and his wife Joana Pak. Joana  and “The Walking Dead” star shared the news via Instagram on Monday.

The couple are already parents to 1-year-old son, Jude Malcolm Yeun.

Steven played fan favorite Glenn Rhee on the hit show.

The post Baby #2 for Walking Dead Actor appeared first on Morning Martini.

The happiest moment in Lyrica Anderson’s life quickly turned into one of the scariest. After welcoming her child with rapper A1 into the world, the “Love & Hip Hop” star’s health quickly started to deteriorate. The new mom said she felt like she was about to die.

While the specific health issue was not disclosed, it has been reported that both mom and baby are doing well.

The couple had a baby boy named Ocean Zion Bentley.

The post Post-Pregnancy Health Scare for Reality Star appeared first on Morning Martini.

Victims of the California wildfires are about to get six figures worth of relief. Money raised from the sold-out One Love Malibu concert on Sunday will benefit those who lost everything in the Woolsey Fire.

A spokesperson for the concert told TMZ that between donations, ticket sales and the live auction about $1 Million was raised and 100% of it is going to MalibuFoundation.org.

The concert featured performances from Robin Thicke, Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani.

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