CONSERVATION: Four UK bird species including puffins now face extinction: “Atlantic puffins, European turtle doves, Slavonian grebes and pochards are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for birds. This means the number of UK species on the critical list has doubled to eight.”
POLITICS: Jeb Bush is probably toast: “Bush received poor reviews for his debate performance from political commentators of all stripes (Republican, Democratic, partisan, nonpartisan, reporters, “data journalists”), many of whom also suggested that his campaign might soon be over. The straw poll we conducted among FiveThirtyEight writers and editors agreed; Bush’s average grade was a C-, putting him at the bottom of the 10-candidate pack.”
REPUBLICAN PARTY: Paul Ryan is set to take over as speaker after a full vote of the House. The GOP anointed him in a vote yesterday. “The test for Mr. Ryan will be whether he can manage, perhaps even blunt, this wing of the House Republican conference, or if he too will fall to its members’ intransigence. He had warned members that while he would take their concerns about process seriously, he would not brook dissent that would undermine his ability to lead them.”
SEX: Johnny Weir is allegedly looking for a Bumble date in Chicago, or so TMZ thinks. “Weir’s Bumble profile is stark, only mentioning he’s a sports commentator at NBC who loves his dog and can speak 2 languages. But when you swipe through his images, a clearer pic emerges. He should have no problem finding a date.”
ENTERTAINMENT: Katy Perry was Madonna’s unapologetic bitch last night in Los Angeles:
INTERNATIONAL: China has lifted its one-child policy and says couples can have two children: “Xinhua did not immediately give details of when the policy change would be implemented. China’s controversial one-child policy was introduced in 1980, but was partially relaxed in 2013.”
WORLD SERIES: The Royals lead the Mets in the series 2 games to 0 after a dominating 7-1 win last night. “If there was a secret to what MadBum did to them last October, nobody has discovered it this October. And if the New York Mets don’t stumble onto that secret formula really soon, the whole sport will be looking for the nearest fishing hole.”
THE PRESIDENT’S LIFE: There’s a reason Obama looks happy in this photo from White House photographer Pete Souza and it’s sitting right in front of him:
HOLIDAY: The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing ‘Miracle on Thirty-Funk Street this holiday season. DNA: “The holiday show offers a unique take on the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street.” The performance runs about two hours, which includes an intermission, Puttbach said. “Everything is set to funky beats, and it’s kind of an urban tale of a funky holiday in Chicago,” he said.”
STAR WARS: Emperor Palpatine won a Ukraine city council election: “A 25-year-old man named Aleksandr Borovik, who dresses as Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine, was elected with over 54% of votes in the city of Odessa. He was one of almost 50 candidates who used Star Wars names in the election. The news comes just days after a man dressed as Chewbacca was arrested in the city for being unable to produce identification documents. He was accompanying a man dressed as Darth Vader who was attempting to vote.”
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