As President Joe Biden begins his first full official day in office, there was always an expectation that his administration would be cleaning up significant messes left behind by Donald Trump. However, the size of those messes is already proving to be a bigger shock than anyone imagined. While immediately getting to work on the coronavirus pandemic, Biden’s team has learned that it will have to build an all-new vaccine distribution plan due to a complete lack of effort during the final months of the Trump administration. “There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch,” a source told CNN.
Considering the pandemic is a massive public health crisis with a death toll of over 400,000 Americans, learning that the Trump administration was basically asleep at the wheel when it comes to vital vaccine distribution is jarring, even for them. It also explains why the incoming Biden team was having trouble getting critical updates during the transition. Via CNN:
Prior to Inauguration Day, some of Biden’s Covid-19 advisers had wanted to be careful not to be overly critical in public of the Trump administration’s handling of the virus and vaccine, given that the Biden transition team was already having a hard time getting critical information and cooperation from the outgoing administration, the source said.
Now that the transition of power has taken place, the Biden administration is hoping that they can quickly start to get a clearer picture of where things actually stand with vaccine distribution.
Despite the setback, the Biden administration is still committed to getting 100 million shots in arms within the first 100 days.
One of the biggest questions surrounding The Matrix 4 is this: how can Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) be in the movie since they appeared to die in The Matrix Revolutions? It’s certainly the number one question Gina Torres is asking.
The Firefly star, who played Cas in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, is confused why she wasn’t asked back for the fourth Matrix movie, co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, but Reeves and Moss will somehow reprise their roles.
“Not to be bitter or anything, but the people that are actually in the movie, I believe died. And the people that aren’t didn’t. So that’s all I have to say about that,” Torres told Variety‘s The Big Ticket podcast. “I’m so curious about where they’re going with this. And what’s their jumping off point and what story they want because it just felt like they told it.” Magic. The answer to how dead characters are back is, and will always be, magic.
Torres also recalled experiencing The Matrix for the first place. “I just remember Laurence [Fishburne, Torres’ now ex-husband] telling me about [the first Matrix] and thinking, ‘Sure, good luck with that.’ And then I went to visit him on set in Sydney. And the Wachowskis had a dinner party because they wanted to show the cast what they had cut together. And what they had cut together was the beginning of the rescue sequence,” she said. “I’m sitting there and I didn’t even know my mouth was open. Like I had no idea how far down my jaw had dropped.” Fishburne will also be absent from The Matrix 4, which is scheduled to be released in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22.
A lot of music stars played a part in the inauguration proceedings yesterday, whether it was Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem or Justin Timberlake debuting a new song on the Celebrating America special. After all was said and done, Cardi B revealed (jokingly, presumably) that she was actually supposed to perform her explicit hit “WAP” during the inauguration. Unfortunately, she had a prior obligation that didn’t allow that plan to come to fruition.
Last night, Cardi tweeted, “Ugh I was supposed to perform wap at the inauguration today but I had a dentist appointment ….maybe next time.”
Ugh I was supposed to perform wap at the inauguration today but I had a dentist appointment ….maybe next time .
Still, Cardi did sort of have a musical presence during the day’s events: During the Virtual Parade Across America (the one where New Radicals reunited after 22 years apart), Ozuna performed “Taki Taki,” his collaboration with Cardi, DJ Snake, and Selena Gomez. “Very strong,” Cardi noted of the performance.
Like much of the music world, Cardi B is probably pretty happy that Joe Biden is now president: She interviewed him while he was campaigning, and she was pretty happy to hear the news about Donald Trump’s second impeachment.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
John Oliver’s most recent Last Week Tonight finale not only brought his Adam Driver obsession full circle but also, more importantly, told 2020 to “get f*cked,” so it’s not a stretch to imagine that the HBO host was absolutely giddy to watch Inauguration Day. Yep, that’s the case, especially because Oliver became a U.S. citizen in 2019 and grew emotional while describing how he voted in his first U.S. presidential election. The former The Daily Show correspondent was thrilled to see the day’s festivities and loved the “formal jeans” of a serenading Garth Brooks (who called for unity and made the far-right big mad in the process), but Oliver also knows that there’s a ton of work ahead.
For sure, outgoing President Trump left a monumental mess to be cleaned up by incoming president Joe Biden. That includes, reportedly, no coherent plan for pandemic vaccination, but Biden’s already thrown down with a number of swift executive orders on other subjects and has declared the pandemic to be priority number one. So, it’s safe to say that his team has been hard at work, but Oliver realizes that there’s going to be rough months ahead. So, he’s offering some perspective here: it’s alright to celebrate “relief” for a day or two before worrying again:
“It’s gonna be important that we allow ourselves just to have a day — to have one day of feeling the relief before worrying about, yeah, there are monumental issues that we’re facing, there are systemic problems that have gone unaddressed for too long, there are real questions about whether the scale of Biden’s solutions will match the scale of the problems he’s inheriting, but I do think that has to wait till at least tomorrow. Give us a day.”
Granted, the initial day of relief is over by now, but there’s no stopping anyone from feeling relief during the first full day of the new administration, too. Beyond that, Oliver also points out the very “low bar” of being able to enjoy the inaugural festivities “without thinking you were about to get threatened by the incoming president.” Truth.
Throughout Donald Trump’s failed re-election campaign, he peeved artists by play their music during his events. One of the biggest offendees was the Village People, who on multiple occasions have declared that they do not support the now-former president or his use of their music.
Well, Trump got one final presidential use of “YMCA” in as he boarded Air Force One following a farewell address. Village People obviously weren’t thrilled about that, but they at least see the silver lining that since Trump is out of office, he’ll no longer be able to use their songs in a presidential capacity
“We asked him to cease and desist long ago. However, since he’s a bully, our request was ignored. Thankfully he’s now out of office, so it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended. We hope to spearhead a change in copyright law that will give artists and publishers more control over who can and cannot use our music in the public space. Currently there is no limit to blanket licensing.”
In a previous statement from February 2020, the band wrote, “Like millions of Village People fans worldwide, the President and his supporters have shown a genuine like for our music. Our music is all-inclusive and certainly everyone is entitled to do the YMCA dance, regardless of their political affiliation. Having said that, we certainly don’t endorse his use as we’d prefer our music be kept out of politics.”
Now that Donald Trump is out of office, Ted Cruz might be the most hated politician in Washington, D.C. There were already plenty of people on both sides who didn’t like the Texas senator before January 6, but he’s become toxic for playing “a key role in amplifying the false voter fraud claims that drove people to overrun the U.S. Capitol,” according to NPR. Also, his The Simpsons impressions stink.
A day after protestors left three coffins on Cruz’s lawn, with each coffin representing those who died at the Capitol riot, his career, and America’s crumbling democracy, the senator was lambasted for a tweet where he thought the Paris Climate Agreement is about “the citizens of Paris.” The top reply:
Cruz fired back at Seth Rogen, sarcastically calling his response, “Charming, civil, educated response. @Sethrogen. If you’re a rich, angry Hollywood celebrity, today’s Dems are the party for you. If you’re blue-collar, if you’re a union member, if you work in energy or manufacturing… not so much.” Ted Cruz — who graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, two famously blue-collar colleges — should not have picked a fight with Rogen. “Haha get f*cked fascist,” the comedian wrote back. “Go encourage a white supremacist insurrection again you f*cking clown.”
Haha get fucked fascist. Go encourage a white supremacist insurrection again you fucking clown.
Redbreast is one of those brands that get a lot of love from whiskey aficionados. Does the iconic Irish whiskeydeserve the adoration? It’s certainly worth investigating — one bottle at a time. So we decided to taste the full Redbreast line to find out for ourselves.
Redbreast certainly isn’t the cheapest Irish whiskey on the market. Their 27-year-old expression retails for €500 ($610) on the brand’s own webpage. That’s not a secondary market markup, that’s just the price. The cheapest bottle on this list is around $70 in the U.S. And since the price varies pretty widely on down the line, it was impossible not to let price be a factor in our rankings.
How much did the price weigh on how we rated each Redbreast expression? A fair bit, but you’ll have to read on to see exactly how that manifested.
This whiskey is a blend of triple distilled pot still whiskey (that’s an Irish whiskey that’s made from both malted and unmalted barley). The juices are left to rest for 27 years in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-port casks, literally untouched for all those years. Finally, the juice is blended into this masterpiece bottle.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a matrix of tropical bananas and pineapple next to sweet orange and spicy orange zest with tart red berries popping in. The whole nose is underpinned by a buttery/rich toffee poured over walnuts served inside a soft cedar box. That fruitiness narrows into cherry sweetness with a plummy chew as the cedar stays afloat amongst the toffee and subtle notes of vanilla. Those fruits and wood marry on the long and very velvety finish.
Bottom Line:
It’s really hard to justify ever spending $500 or more for a single bottle of whiskey. But goddamn it if this bottle doesn’t tempt us to do just that. That said, this landed last because of how spendy it is. The other five bottles on this list are going to give you a similarly great drinking experience at a much more manageable price tag.
This is Redbreast’s entry point whiskey. The juice is a traditional triple distilled pot still whiskey that’s then aged in American and Spanish oak, which formerly held bourbon and sherry respectively. After 12 years, the juice is blended and proofed with County Cork’s soft spring water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice tobacco spice to the nose that meets the sherry fruitiness and oak notes. The palate builds on those notes with a more Christmas spice, dried fruits, fatty nuts, a bit of maltiness, and a lingering sense of toasted oak. The end is long but doesn’t overstay its welcome as the spices, fruit, and oak fade away.
Bottom Line:
This is a great dram to help you embark on a deeper journey into Irish whiskey. We’d also argue this makes for a solid mixer if you’re looking to slant your old fashioned or Manhattan game towards the Emerald Isle.
This juice is the classic single pot still triple distilled Irish whiskey. It spends 21 years maturing in ex-bourbon and first-fill sherry casks before it’s blended, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine a fruit cake filled with candied tropical fruits, nuts, dried berries, and mild Christmas spices. That nuttiness leads towards a soft vanilla pod and hints of cedar with light touches of toffee sweetness. The cedar carries on, along with the spices and fruit, as the sip slowly fades out, leaving you with a velvet mouthfeel that’s just lovely.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this is expensive but damn if it isn’t f*cking delicious. This is a bottle we could see shelling out for on a very special occasion.
In a perfect world, it would land closer to $150 rather than $300.
This dram really stands out amongst the line. The tripled distilled pot still juice is matured only in casks from Bodega Lustau in Spain. Their sherried oak brings about a dialed-in depth to the whiskey that really helps elevate the Irish juice.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a chewy fruitiness up top with notes of figs and dates next to nutty marzipan and … maybe … garam masala. The palate is bold with sherry oak next to nuttiness and hefty fruits that shine brightly next to a slight cedar and spicy tobacco underpinning. That spice and fruit merge on the long end as the soft wood helps to create a svelte finish that lingers just the right amount of time.
Bottom Line:
It was really hard to place this on the list. It’s really special. But in that, it feels almost like a different whiskey. Still, this is a phenomenon in a glass and really blooms with a little water or a single rock.
This is a testament to the magic that can happen when a cask hits just the right marks. This is the standard 12-year expression — single pot still, triple distilled, and ex-bourbon/ex-sherry maturation — that’s blended and bottled unfiltered and uncut.
It’s the purest expression of the cask in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Dried tropical fruit, stone fruit, and berries come through on the nose with a hint of cedar next to a slight cinnamon-forward spice powder. Those fruits and spice mix into a Christmas cake with a bit of malt next to that wood while vanilla pokes in with a rich and creamy texture. The fruit, oak, and spice marry on the long and warming end as the fade brings a buzzing to your senses.
Bottom Line:
This sort of hits on the best tastes of the line while also being a big, flavor-forward dram. It’s also a really solid cocktail mixer thanks to that high ABV. If you’re going to sip, make sure to add a little water or ice cube to let it fully bloom in the glass.
This expression utilizes classic Redbreast — triple distilling, ex-bourbon, and ex-sherry, etc. — that’s aged for 15 years before blending, proofing, and bottling. The result is one of the most accessible and delicious whiskeys around.
Tasting Notes:
Bright red berries mingle with hints of soft yet spicy woods and a hint of citrus oils on the nose. The palate calms down as the fruit becomes fairly chewy-yet-sweet (think dates and prunes) with a hint of nuttiness next to a cedar box full of spiced vanilla toffees. The whole sip combines on the end with the fruit, wood, spice, and sweetness bringing about a sip of pure velvet that lasts just the right amount of time, leaving you needing more.
Bottom Line:
This hits every mark for the brand. It’s not cheap but not crazy expensive. It’s astoundingly delicious and easy to drink. It really feels like the pinnacle of what Midleton Distillery down in County Cork is aiming for.
Yes, the price is high. But there are $100 bottles of bourbon that don’t stand up to the well-rounded depths and joys provided by this whiskey.
While most of their country had their eyes set on the presidential inauguration on Wednesday, the day was important to Joey Badass for other reasons: it was his 26th birthday. While some might stay to themselves on a day like this, Joey opted to share a gift with fans in the form of new music.
The Brooklyn native made his first impression in 2021 with the release of his “Let It Breathe” single. The track, which is supported by nostalgic production from Statik Selektah, comes with a music video that sees Joey celebrating life and the success he’s earned so far. While the new song may be a gift to his supporters, the Levi Turner and Waqas Ghani-directed video captures the rapper getting a gift for himself, that being a lime green Porsche 911. After flaunting it in the eyes of viewers, Joey takes it out for a spin before he posts up with it next to a helicopter on a helipad as he hit listeners with some precision bars.
Whether or not the song will land on his upcoming third album remains to be seen, but it’s almost certain that the new project will arrive at some point this year. Joey initially teased a 2020 release for the new effort last January, but fans did not receive it. Instead, Joey delivered The Light Pack EP, featuring three tracks and a lone appearance from Pusha-T, as well as a number of guest features.
Ted Cruz isn’t doing so well. A growing number of his colleagues in Congress want him expelled due to his role in the failed MAGA riot that occurred a mere fortnight before new president Joe Biden’s was sworn in. His own former staffers are now “disgusted” with him. He’s refused to apologize, refused to back down, and is still his punchy self on social media, even when he’s repeatedly owned by AOC. The Texas senator was at it again on Inauguration Day, with a tweet so obviously false that, once again, people couldn’t help but ridicule him.
By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden indicates he’s more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh. This agreement will do little to affect the climate and will harm the livelihoods of Americans.
The tweet came mere hours into the Biden presidency, after he resigned to the Oval Office and fired off one policy after another, each reversing some of Trump’s more controversial moves. The “Muslim ban” was gone. Construction on the border wall was to be stopped. That inane “1776 Project,” which minimized slavery and was released on MLK Day? Deleted from the White House site. He also reneged Trump’s removal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, ensuring we’d be helping the planet’s other nations fight climate change. So Cruz took his shot.
“By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement,” he wrote, “President Biden indicates he’s more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh. This agreement will do little to affect the climate and will harm the livelihoods of Americans.”
Just one really obvious thing: The Paris Climate Agreement has as much to do with Parisians as, to use his example, Pittsburghians. It’s called that because the agreement was signed in Paris. Many were quick to point this well-documented fact out.
It’s a broad agreement on emissions and policies that has NOTHING to do with the city of Paris or its citizens. It’s called that because meetings are located there. YOU IDIOT!!! https://t.co/hCTPB1uE89
Here’s another one- Cruz knows the Paris agreement isn’t about the citizens of Paris. He just thinks we don’t. Bad faith from a bad actor. https://t.co/0MmpI4vHQD
So fucking disingenuous. The “Paris” accords aren’t about Paris,it’s where the damn thing was signed.
Like “Yalta” didn’t end WWII for just some spot on the Crimea. Cruz knows this, of course. He’s just a dangerous charlatan of the worst kind. https://t.co/KebxQP3Auw
By signing the treaty of Westphalia, Louis XIV indicated he’s more interested in the views of the burghers of Osnabruck and Münster than the townspeople of Saint-Jean-de-Monts. https://t.co/BAoYQgB3OJ
It’s been a long time in the making, but the Brooklyn Nets Big 3 finally made their debut together on court on Wednesday night as they took on the Cavs, a game that also doubled as Kyrie Irving’s first time playing back in Cleveland since his departure for Boston four years ago.
Kevin Durant went for 38 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, while Irving chipped in 37 points of his own. And it was a relatively quiet night for James Harden, as he logged a casual 21-point, 10-rebound, 12-assists triple-double for the game after his explosive 32-point triple-double last weekend. The main takeaway here is that their three-headed monster is already a force to be reckoned with.
After the game, Durant didn’t disguise his pleasure with how the fared together in their first outing.
“It felt right, it felt perfect, it felt like we belonged together”
Still, Durant and company will face plenty of skepticism from fans and pundits alike about their ability and willingness to sacrifice and spread the wealth on a consistent basis, but it’s the type of “problem” almost any team would be happy to have. The bigger concern is probably on the defensive end, as evidenced by the Cavs big offensive night, but that can come and reinforcements in the frontcourt are almost surely on the way once the buyout market forms later this year. For now, there will be nights like this, but in terms of comfort together as an offensive unit, their debut was encouraging and clearly has KD feeling excited about their prospects.
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