WH Press Sec Kayleigh McEnany Don't Ask Me, Ask The White House (Umm, Say Whaat???)

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NOT IT!
Fox News

Well here's a new one -- Kayleigh McEnany punted a question about President-elect Joe Biden getting access to intelligent briefings, saying it's a question for The White House ... even though that's literally HER job!!!

The WH Press Secretary's absurd moment went down Thursday morning on "Fox & Friends," when they asked her if President Trump's considering looping Biden in during the transfer of Presidential power.

McEnany says she hasn't spoken to the Prez about that topic, but ... "that would be a question more for The White House."

Puzzled? Yeah, us too. So, we asked a different White House rep what gives, and got this -- "Kayleigh appeared in her personal capacity as a private citizen. She advises the campaign on a voluntary basis."

Oooookay! Now, Kayleigh's paying gig is still Press Secretary -- for the White House -- so, she essentially said ... that would be a question for ME, but at some other time. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Despite her next level dodging ... Kayleigh did say all laws are being following during "an expected transition" -- but quickly added, they expect Trump to continue being POTUS.

Ticketmaster Exploring COVID Vaccination, Test For When Concerts Return

Figuring out what to wear to a concert will take a backseat to your COVID-19 status when tours resume in 2021 -- Ticketmaster's exploring a safety plan to help welcome fans back.

The ticket sales company is reportedly in the early stages of developing a plan that event operators can use as a safety measure to mitigate the spread of the virus. One path TM is actively exploring and working to develop ... is a framework for syncing with third party healthcare providers to link COVID vaccine status and/or test results to fans' digital tickets for event entry. It's ultimately up to event organizers to figure out ways to safely bring back fans to live events ... and this is one idea Ticketmaster's spitballing.

The proposed plan was reported by Billboard, and comes on the heels of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announcing its coronavirus vaccine showing a 90% efficacy rate. That's giving concert venues and artists hope the industry can mount a comeback.

Ticketmaster would work with third-party health apps and independent labs, and says data sent to them will be done so in a secure, encrypted way. Ticketmaster would NOT have access to concertgoers' medical records.

Welcome to the new normal.

Originally Published -- 11:29 AM PT

Coronavirus HALLELUJAH!!! VACCINE 90% EFFECTIVE

At last!!! It looks like a COVID vaccine is on the horizon that will change the world.

Pfizer just released incredible data -- preliminary though it is -- showing they've developed a vaccine that is MORE THAN 90% EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS. That level of protection matches the effectiveness of the measles vaccine, which has effectively wiped out that disease.

Scientists were warning a vaccine might only be 55% effective ... maybe slightly higher, but we hadn't heard percentages like this before in the various trials.

The stock market reacted in spectacular fashion ... futures are up 1500 points, and it makes sense -- the pandemic has wiped out our economy, and this is the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer's CEO, called the results a "great day for science and humanity."

The vaccine requires 2 doses, and the protection kicks in 28 days after the initial dose.

As for the size of the trial ... pretty impressive. There were 43,538 participants, and of those, there were 94 confirmed COVID infections.

Pfizer says by year's end it should have enough doses to immunize 15 million to 20 million people.

The Operation Warp Speed folks have promised Pfizer nearly $2 billion to deliver 100 million doses to Americans free of charge.

The news can't come fast enough -- 1.2 million people worldwide have died from COVID -- 240,000 in the U.S. alone.

Donald Trump Jr. Vaccine News Timing After Election Suspicious ... Go Figure!!!

President Trump's eldest son has his tinfoil hat on Monday morning -- he thinks the promising COVID vaccine news coming out right after the election is more than coincidence ... he's insinuating the drug company held its findings back till after the election so Trump wouldn't get a bounce and possibly win as a result.

Donald Trump Jr.'s response to Pfizer developing a coronavirus vaccine that may be more than 90 percent effective ... "Nothing nefarious about the timing of this at all right?"

The President repeatedly claimed during the lead up to the election that a vaccine would be announced before voting day. On top of that, Trump touted Pfizer as a company with great promise in finding a vaccine. So his son is suggesting the findings were available but held back.

For his part, President Trump took a different approach to Pfizer's vaccine results by tweeting -- in all caps -- "STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!"

President-elect Biden says he was informed of the vaccine development Sunday night and says, "I congratulate the brilliant women and men who helped produce this breakthrough and to give us such cause for hope."

As we reported ... Pfizer says the new vaccine will be available soon and it should have enough doses to immunize 15 million to 20 million people by year's end. It requires 2 doses and takes 28 days from the first dose to become effective. One of the things that makes this so significant -- the worry is that 40% of the people won't take the vaccine, but if it's more than 90% effective it will still provide great protection for those who choose to take it.

Virgin Hyperloop 1st Test with Human Passengers ... Gets Up to 100 MPH

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SUCCESS!
Virgin Hyperloop

One day, we'll be able to zip through tubes at super-fast speeds like "The Jetsons" -- and that day is coming sooner than later thanks to Sir Richard Branson's company ... which just tried it out with humans.

Virgin Hyperloop announced Monday it had successfully tested a Hyperloop ride with a couple of passengers -- 2 company execs -- over the weekend out at their Las Vegas test site.

The track -- which is, in fact, completely tubular -- only runs about 500 meters or so, and because of that ... the pod was only able to reach up to 100 MPH.

Normally, according to techy lore, a full-blown hyperloop track should (theoretically) be capable of firing down a cylinder at around 600 MPH -- which is faster than a freakin' airplane. Unfortunately, this test didn't quite get there ... but by all accounts, it was a huge first step.

If you're unfamiliar with what a hyperloop system is exactly, it's basically propelled by magnets -- with zero friction on the vehicle you're actually traveling in. So, in other words, you're pretty much hovering ... and because of that, sky's the limit as far as speed. Again, in theory.

There are other companies and wizzes that have eyed getting into the hyperloop market -- like Elon Musk, for example -- but with Virgin ... it seems they're the first ones through the gate on this endeavor. There's other hyperloop-like tech already in use in places like Japan and Germany ... where some of their train systems use magnetic tracks.

It's not quite like this though, and if Virgin continues to roll out passenger tests with more success -- not to mention building out their track for faster speeds -- it could open a whole new mode of transportation, the likes of which we've never seen but were always promised.

The future is here! Almost.

Eddie Van Halen Honored at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 'The Mozart Of Our Generation'

Eddie Van Halen was honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night ... as one of the greatest guitar players in the history of music.

The tribute is incredible and shows Eddie's miraculous talent.

Some of the greatest living guitarists, including Slash and Tom Morello, paid tribute to the man who was one of 2 guitarists in competition for the G.O.AT. title -- the other, of course, being Jimi Hendrix.

Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, called Eddie, "The Mozart of our generation. He had the kind of talent that maybe comes around once a century."

Slash said, "His style and his sound were completely unique to him. He had a massive impact on guitar playing."

The sounds emanating from Eddie's guitar were like none heard before. The ferocious sounds hit like a nuclear bomb and were subsequently mimicked by many -- but no one had Eddie's touch.

You gotta watch the video to remember how inspiring Eddie was on the guitar.

As you know by now, Eddie died last month after a long battle with cancer at 65.

The inductees Saturday night were Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex.

Supermanager Irving Azoff and producer Jon Landau received the Ertegun Award award.

BTW ... Van Halen was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Joe Biden Bill Maher Calls Race for Biden ... Networks too 'Chicken S***' to Call

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TRUMP'S GETTING EVICTED
Real Time with Bill Maher/HBO

The election has not been called on the news shows, but that didn't stop Bill Maher from stating what is increasingly obvious ... Joe Biden's gonna be the next president.

Bill flat-out declared Biden the winner, and he reveled in the fact he's the only one in the media who's said it out loud for all to hear. He also says Trump's acting like a "whiny little bitch" in challenging the process ... something Bill predicted 3 years ago.

The numbers certainly support Bill's conclusion ... Biden is pulling away from Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia with a dwindling vote count remaining ... and that would be more than enough to win.

Bill also cautioned during his show ... it's not going to be smooth sailing for Biden, because there are 70 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump, and although Biden has vowed he'll be a president for all Americans -- whether they voted for him or not -- it's going to be a tall order to get them under the tent.

Nevertheless ... Bill celebrated with balloons cascading down from above -- balloons that startled the host in the middle of some pretty great conversations.

So, what's everyone waiting for??!??

CA Governor Gavin Newsom Slammed by Weatherman Over COVID ... He's Acting Like a King

This bizarre weather report is pretty shocking ... as the meteorologist goes after California Governor Gavin Newsom, referring to him as a king who is ruining Thanksgiving, and that's just for starters.

Waiting for your permission to load the Facebook Video.

Mark Mathis, the weather dude from KUSI in San Diego, has some major beef over turkey, accusing the Governor of acting like a king for daring to impose guidelines on how to stay safe during a COVID Thanksgiving.

Mathis, among other things, says Newsom is urging everyone to regularly sanitize bathrooms, but says the Guv's "throne" is only for him.

He went as far as suggesting Newsom worships Lucifer and not God.

It's ridiculous, but also telling that there's so much contempt for COVID precautions as America breaks some awful records ... on Friday alone there were 25,000 new cases.

Biden's clearly got his work cut out for him.

Keisha Lance Bottoms ATL Mayor Elated Georgia Is Flipping Blue ... But Biden Can't Ignore Trump Supporters

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE
TMZ.com

Atlanta's mayor's on cloud nine over her state being on the verge of flipping to blue ... and she says the spirit of some fine Georgians shone through to make it happen.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is feeling incredible, as all signs point to Joe Biden being elected as the next President of the United States ... something she says reflects on Georgia and inspiration it drew from the late John Lewis, C.T. Vivian and Joseph Lowery.

Though she's happy now, the Mayor admits the overall election results felt more like a "gut punch" a couple days ago when she saw roughly half the country supported Trump. Mayor Bottoms told us on "TMZ Live" she said Biden needs to address some of their issues given their sheer numbers.

That's why she says it's so important to have a President like Biden who's unifying instead of divisive ... so we can get back to "civil disagreement" and move forward in a positive way together.

She says the past 4 years have been very dark, but Keisha sounds hopeful that America's heading toward the light.

New Jersey Google Searches 'How to Roll a Joint' Surges ... After Legalizing Weed

Folks in New Jersey have green on the mind -- they are eager to brush up on their marijuana skills after voting to legalize it, and their Google searches show it.

The term "how to roll a joint" saw a nearly 3,000% jump in the ultimate search engine during a solid 4 hours Tuesday evening as the Garden State overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to make it legal to grow, smoke and sell herb starting in 2021.

Of course, like California, you'll have to be 21 to do all that ... and there's still some red tape they gotta go through -- like setting up the rules of this trade -- before anyone can partake. Still, a whole new batch of tokers are obviously itching to bust out rolling papers.

Also trending in Jersey ... the term "when will weed be legal in New Jersey." So, yeah, they're ready to burn.

Several other states are saying puff puff pass with Jersey, too -- Arizona, Montana and South Dakota also voted to approve pot measures.

Colorado, Washington, Cali, Oregon and Illinois have been leading the nation in cashing in on marijuana users ... having gone fully legal with it years ago.

Speaking of Oregon, that state got even more progressive with its drug laws -- voting to decriminalize possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and meth.

Kentucky State Police Hitler, Robert E. Lee Quotes Used for Training ... Imploring Cops to Use Violence

Kentucky State Police used to train their cadets with inspiration from 2 infamous leaders ... Robert E. Lee and Adolf Hitler.

One of the training slides had the title, "Violence of Action," and instructed cops to be "ruthless killer[s]," like Robert E. Lee and imploring officers to have, "a mindset void of emotion" and to "meet violence with greater violence," like Hitler.

And, there's more ... another training slide reads, "The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence." That is from Hitler's "Mein Kampf" manifesto. The Dept. then linked to a Hitler page on Goodreads. There are 3 quotes from Hitler in the training program.

A spokesperson for the Dept. says the slides were removed back in 2013, adding, "Our administration does not condone the use of this material."

Kentucky has been reeling for months in the wake of the Breonna Taylor killing, where Kentucky State Police have been involved in handling the various protests.

Manual RedEye, a Louisville high school student newspaper, was the first to unearth the quotes.

Walmart Restocks Guns, Ammo in Stores

UPDATE

12:48 PM PT -- The guns are back in stores. A spokesperson for Walmart says the civil unrest from earlier this week "remained geographically isolated" so the retail giant has made the decision "to begin returning these products to the sales floor today."

Walmart's anticipating civil unrest ahead of the presidential election ... and that's triggered the retail giant to stop pull guns and ammo from shelves.

The nation's biggest retailer has pulled the items from its stores in an effort to keep firearms and ammo from being stolen in the event there's civil unrest. A spokesperson for Walmart said, "We have seen some isolated civil unrest, and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers."

It's important to note ... customers can still buy guns and ammo in half of the 4,700 stores where they're available, they just have to request it. The firearms just aren't on display for now.

Walmart made a similar move back in June following George Floyd's death. It's unclear how long the store will keep guns and ammo out of store displays.

Originally published -- 7:32 AM PT

Wild Video Semitruck Rocked by Crazy Winds ... Nearly Topples Over!!!

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CLOSE CALL!!!!
TMZ.com

There IS something worse than a SoCal traffic jam -- try getting caught behind a semitruck as powerful wind tosses it like a rocking chair, nearly tipping it over right in front of you!!!

The incredible footage shows the big rig leaning and rocking in the wind, and as you can see, at one point the entire trailer was lifted up on one side as it came oh so close to falling over.

Erik, the guy who shot the video, tells us he was driving onto the 210 Freeway Monday in Fontana, CA -- an hour east of L.A. -- when he noticed the semi struggling to cut through the strong Santa Ana winds, which gusted up to 96 MPH that day.

Erik says he started filming the semi, thinking it was only a matter of time before it blew on its side. He was dangerously close to being right.

The worst part for Erik was there was already bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway due to multiple other semis flipping in the wind.

No such thing as a boring commute 'round these parts.

George Floyd Courage Award for Teen Who Recorded His Death

Darnella Frazier -- the teenager who captured George Floyd's final minutes and started a worldwide movement -- is getting an award from a prestigious nonprofit.

PEN America announced Tuesday they were honoring 17-year-old Darnella with its annual PEN/Benenson Courage Award. The org's CEO, Suzanne Nossel, says, "With nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police."

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EXCESSIVE FORCE
Facebook/ Darnella Frazier

Nossel adds, "Without Darnella’s presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd’s murder. We are proud to recognize her exceptional courage with this award."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump -- who reps George's family now -- praised Darnella as well on Twitter, saying she showed tremendous courage and the award was well-deserved.

As we reported ... Darnella went through a lot of backlash in the immediate aftermath of her video being posted, with many questioning why she didn't do more than record it. Her family told us they were seeking therapy to help Darnella cope with the emotional trauma.

Darnella will share the award with Marie Yovanovitch ... the ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who helped expose President Trump's efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.

Philadelphia Protests Violence Over Fatal Police Shooting ... 30 Cops Injured, 1 Hit by Truck

The police killing of a 27-year-old black man wielding a knife in West Philadelphia set off severe unrest in the city ... and escalated to extreme violence and chaos.

At least 30 Philly police officers were injured overnight and 33 people were arrested for rioting, vandalism and looting. A 56-year-old female sergeant suffered a broken leg and other injuries when she was struck by a pickup truck.

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CHAOS IN THE STREETS
Newsflare

Philadelphia PD says she's hospitalized in stable condition, and the other 29 officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries from being hit by bricks or rocks thrown at them. Cops say multiple businesses were looted and damaged, and 5 police vehicles -- along with one fire vehicle -- were vandalized.

Protesters first clashed with cops outside a police precinct as tensions rose over the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace. Around 2:45 PM Monday, cops responded to a call of a man with a weapon.

The officers discovered Wallace brandishing a knife and acting erratically, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Gripp. Footage of the incident shows Wallace walking around a parked car as the officers back away with their guns pointed at him.

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DEADLY FORCE
@GrantB911/Twitter

Wallace appeared to move toward them and they opened fire, taking him down instantly. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Gripp says the officers ordered Wallace to drop his weapon multiple times to no avail ... which you can hear on the video. One witness, Maurice Holoway, says several people were yelling for him to drop the knife, but Holoway told reporters he also thinks cops could have shot him in the leg instead of shooting to kill.

Wallace's father, Walter Wallace Sr., says his son was shot at least 10 times. He told reporters his son had mental health issues and was on medication, and questioned why he had to be gunned down instead of police using non-lethal force.

Both the mayor and the police commissioner say an investigation will address what happened.

San Diego Man Threatens to Jump Off Roller Coaster Cops Try Talking Him Down

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THE SCARY SCENE
TMZ.com
UPDATE

4:39 PM PT -- San Diego PD tells TMZ ... they got a call around 1:30 PM about a guy who'd climbed the fence at Belmont Park and made his way to the top of the ride. We're told their negotiating team is out there now trying to get him safely down ... as he's threatened to jump.

A guy is threatening to jump off the very top of a roller coaster in San Diego ... and authorities have been unsuccessful thus far in talking him down.

This is happening right now at what appears to be Belmont Park, atop the Giant Dipper attraction -- also known as the Mission Beach Roller Coaster. As you can see, there's a man up there at the highest peak (which is said to reach around 75 feet), looking out.

He's not in a car -- doesn't look like the ride is even operating right now, but somehow ... he climbed his way to the tip-top and has been screaming, making threats and acting erratically for at least an hour now, according to eyewitnesses. We're told many on the ground there believe he's prepared to jump ... and that the fire department and police are on the scene.

We're told the guy's been pacing back and forth as negotiators try speaking to him, but thus far ... no sign of him cooperating. Witnesses also tell us the man has yelled out that he's 21 years old and that he's "no fool." There's about 100 people scattered about watching.

It's a delicate situation obviously -- a fall from there would likely kill him, so the folks running point on this don't wanna scare him into anything rash.

We've reached out to the police for more details ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 4:19 PM PT