NATIONAL CHAMPAGNE DAY UPDATES

No-Brainer There, Peeps

-A test of whether both Donald Trump and his President-by-Action Thing That Wouldn't Leave, Elon Musk, has been set for later this week, as the duo (if anyone has had a JD Vance sighting, please alert the authorities) both formally endorsed Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA) to be House Speaker for the upcoming Congress. There is doubt because the 219-215 MAGAGOP majority House that begins this week means Johnson can only afford to lose one vote and still win the gavel - and Rep. Thomas Massie of KY is a hard NO on Johnson. (I'm letting the pun ride.)

-With at least six other MAGAts publically openly hostile of Johnson and one open seat thanks to the exit of Matt Gaetz, the prospect of a protracted Speaker vote means a potential delay in certification of the 2024 Presidential vote - and subsequent potential delay in confirmation hearings for the Putz Parade that will be the Tru-usk (or is that Mu-ump?) Cabinet looms. (Which could also explain the endorsements given the hostility Tru-usk/Mu-ump showed towards Johnson in the end-of-year attempt by Musk to hijack the debt ceiling bill that allowed Musk to try to kill funding for pediatric cancer research, which was partially saved by Senate Democrats).

-And Johnson will not have Democrats to give him a life line. As last year when Kevin McCarthy lost the gavel and the scramble to find Johnson emerged, House Democrats - already newly-steeled for a fight with reports that Musk and fellow tech-prick Vivek Ramaswamy are setting up an attempt to use their government efficiency committee (IT IS NOT A DEPARTMENT) gut Social Security and Medicare (because that ALWAYS goes well with the base!) - have told Johnson he's on his own to secure the majority. After all, both Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries did with margins as small as Johnson's. So they sit with popcorn in hand waiting to see what happens ...

-Speaking of Congress, as mentioned hearings for the Trump Cabinet (shudder) will begin next week, and if you have noticed amid the intraMAGA war over immigration over the past few days that the freaks have not come out to gab about immigration rules or even people in any color, that is by design and a surprising amount of discipline being enacted and (perhaps?) enforced. Credit, if you want to give it, goes to incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who reportedly told the nominees to zip it with any pro-Project 2025 or pro-Vivek-and-Elon talk so as many of the weirdos can get through as possible. It could also be the holiday, of course, but expect at least some noise from the Democrats amid the continued sane-washing of Trump and his minions by a mainstream news media that continues to give Trump every benefit possible while holding Democrats to an nth degree the likes of which have rarely been seen.

-Arrrrgh ...

-Praise and encomiums continue to flow in the memory of Jimmy Carter, who passed away Sunday as the longest-lived U.S. President in history at the age of 100. Among the little-known facts I did not realize about Carter that have emerged among the celebration of a life well worth living: while in the Navy he and a crew of 22 managed to clean a nuclear reactor without sustaining lifetime damage (obviously) while literally spending months with radioactive urine ... while President he legalized home beer brewing ... Carter started the tradition of sports teams visiting the White House after a World Championship (even if it started with the hateful and disgusting Pittsburgh Steelers - I AM NOT A BITTER CLEVELAND FAN (whimper)) ... and allowed Willie Nelson to smoke marijuana in the White House, which I hope doesn't stunt Willie's life span or anything ...

-The state funeral for Carter will be January 9, and flags are flying around Washington at half staff for 30 days, meaning they will be that way on January 20 when Trump (sigh) returns to the White House. (And yes, there are apparently MAGAts who are not happy about this. Thanks, Jimmy!)

-The Second Round of the revamped NCAA Mens' Football Championship Tournament begins tonight, and after a first round at campuses that proved to be not very competitive from a football standpoint, tonight the major Bowl games come in play as do the top seeds. Penn State faces Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl tonight, followed tomorrow with Arizona State facing Texas in the Peach Bowl, Ohio State facing Oregon in a familiar looking Rose Bowl matchup, and ending in the Sugar Bowl with Georgia facing Notre Dame. The brackets will be reseeded based on who wins and seeding at the Orange Bowl (on Thursday, January 9) and Cotton Bowl on January 10, leading to the Title Game on January 20 in Atlanta. And all that comes after St. Louis goes to Wrigley Field to play Chicago in the Winter Classic - that's the Blues and the Blackhawks. Let's do that hockey!

-With the year ending, all the lists you want are out there for various cultural artifacts. I will not do a Best-Of, but in the spirit of my end-of-Substack reviews, herewith are the Bests based on charts and box office and sales, of all sorts of media, in the United States ...

-NUMBER ONE SONG OF 2024: "Die With a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

-NUMBER ONE ALBUM OF 2024: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT by Taylor Swift.

-NUMBER ONE MOVIE OF 2024: INSIDE OUT 2

-NUMBER ONE BROADCAST TELEVISION SERIES OF 2024: TRACKER

-NUMBER ONE STREAMED TELEVISION SERIES OF 2024: BRIDGERTON

-NUMBER ONE NOVEL OF 2024: THE WOMEN by Kristen Hannah

-NUMBER ONE NONFICTION BOOK OF 2024: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann.

-NUMBER ONE VIDEO GAME OF 2024: CALL OF DUTY, BLACK OPS 6

-With that, let's see what else December 31 has brought us, and see you on the flip side in 2025!

-On this date in 1862, the USS Monitor sank. On this date in 1958, Fulgencio Batista left Cuba, paving the way for Fidel Castro to begin his rule (and giving a salient plot point to THE GODFATHER PART II).On this date in 1963, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir jam for the first time. On this date in 1991, the Soviet Union officially disbanded. On this date in 1974, Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks officially joined Fleetwood Mac. On this date in 1982, Max's Kansas City closed. On this date in 1999, the United States returned the Panama Canal to Panamanian control. (And it was never a problem again ...) Also on this date in 1999, Boris Yeltsin stepped down as President of Russia. And on this date in 2019, the World Health Organization was first told of an outbreak of a coronavirus in Wuhan, China - thus the official start of COVID-19.

-Debuts on this date: the East India Company (1600), incandescent light (1879), the Big Ben chime as the identifying sound of the BBC (1923), The Beach Boys (1961), MATCH GAME (1962), The Kinks (1963), CNN Headline News (1981), President Vladimir Putin (1999, grrrr), Taipei 101 - the current tallest building in the world (2004).

-Happy Birthday to Henri Matisse, George C. Marshall, Jule Styne, Simon Wiesenthal, George Schlatter, Odetta, Anthony Hopkins, Tim Considine, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sarah Miles, Andy Summers, Ben Kingsley, John Denver, Taylor Hackford, Barbara Carrera, Diane von Furstenberg, Burton Cummings, Tim Matheson, Donna Summer, Tom Hamilton (of Aerosmith), Charles Ogletree, James Remar, Bebe Neuwirth, Paul Westerberg, Val Kilmer, Rick Aguilera, Tyrone Corbin, Scott Ian, Nicholas Sparks, Paula Barbieri, Junot Diaz, Brent Barry, Psy, Ryan Blaney, and Gabby Douglass.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Pete Duel, Roberto Clemente, Marshall McLuhan, Raoul Walsh, Ricky Nelson, Sam Spiegel, Lloyd Haines, George Allen, Jose Greco, Eileen Heckart, Beth Howland, Natalie Cole, Wayne Rogers, William Christopher, Joan Micklin Silver, Richard Thornburgh, Betty White, Anita Pointer, Cale Yarborough, and Shecky Greene.

-Feed the Worms: lead failson Donald (SCHNOOORT!) (ALLEGEDLY) (eyeroll) Trump Jr. and fisting insurrectionist Josh Hawley (R-VA, representing MO) entered Earth on this date. Abuse-hiding Pope Benedict XVI bought it on this date.