Entering the fourth quarter of Monday’s Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, the Warriors held an 84-77 lead, looking to knot the series at 2-2. A quarter later, they’d fallen, 104-101, and now face a 3-1 deficit heading back home for Wednesday’s Game 5.
Aside from an offensive drought and some costly blunders, a primary reason behind the Warriors’ loss was Lonnie Walker IV exploding for 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the final frame. He made some crucial plays off the bounce and buried a three. After the game, Warriors forward Draymond Green discussed the loss on his podcast and gave credit to Walker for delivering in crucial moments.
“You tip your hat to Lonnie Walker. That’s a guy who’s been in and out of the lineup,” Green said. “On the biggest stage, he came through. We were right there at tying the series up 2-2 and he came through and he beat us.”
“You tip your hat to Lonnie Walker. That’s a guy who’s been in and out of the lineup… On the biggest stage, he came through. We were right there at tying the series up 2-2 and he came through and he beat us.”
Walker signed with the Lakers last offseason and was a mainstay in the rotation roughly until they remade their roster at the trade deadline. He even started 32 games. But head coach Darvin Ham reinserted him into the rotation in Game 4 and he’s played a key role on both ends, helping Los Angeles stake a 3-1 lead, one win away from the Western Conference Finals, with no bigger stretch than his fourth quarter on Monday night.
Tuesday, May 9, the strike continued at the Netflix headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Totally unexpectedly, Imagine Dragons vocalist Dan Reynolds and guitarist Wayne Sermon showed up and gave an acoustic performance with only a microphone, a guitar, and a speaker. They performed songs like “Radioactive” and “Whatever It Takes.”
In an interview with a TMZ reporter, Reynolds explained why he wanted to support the movement: “We just want fair compensation for people who put in the time and are the incredible creators who drive so much of the entertainment that influences the world. And we have many friends also who are writers,” he said. “The writers are the ones that make all the magic happen.”
Over the weekend, Pete Davidson also showed up to a strike in Brooklyn with a stack of pizza boxes. “I got Spumoni’s for everyone,” Davidson said while giving out the food to those picketing. “Gotta support the writers, man! No shows without the writers.”
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to survive Game 4 of their series against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Philly blew a fourth quarter lead, managed to come back and force overtime, where they once again fell behind before rallying, getting a clutch three by James Harden, and benefitted from some curious decision-making by the Celtics on the final possession of the game.
Instead of trying to elongate the game by going quickly, Boston decided to run the clock all the way down, and while Marcus Smart was able to make a three that would have won the game, the team took so much time off the clock that he wasn’t able to get the shot off in time. This led to plenty of debate about how the team approached this, especially if Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla should have called a timeout, something he has chosen to not do time and time again late in games over the course of the season.
Prior to Game 5 on Tuesday night, the Inside the NBA guys opined on all of this. You will be surprised to know that, primarily, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal got into it with one another, with both dudes agreeing on only one thing: the other person was wrong.
This is one of the best genres of Inside moments, as Chuck and Shaq could talk about this for two straight hours and not budge an inch on their position being correct. Hopefully they keep talking about it for the rest of the night so we can put this theory to the test.
Shania Twain has been having a big year. In February, the iconic country legend shared her new album Queen Of Me. Last month, Megan Thee Stallion presented her with the Equal Play Award at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. “I believe in an all-inclusive country music,” Twain proclaimed in her speech. “We’re a family.”
Swain isn’t done. She’s bringing her new material to the road on The Queen of Me Tour, which kicked off at the end of April and is about to come to the United States after several dates in Canada. The setlist has been packed with hits, from “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” to “Any Man of Mine.”
Find her setlist below, based on her performance in Alberta, Canada on May 5, according to setlist.fm.
1.” Waking Up Dreaming”
2. “Up!”
3. “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)”
4. “I’m Gonna Getcha Good!”
5. “Roll Me on the River”
6. “You’re Still the One”
7. “Giddy Up!”
8. “Any Man of Mine”
9. “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”
10. “Honey, I’m Home”
11. “Last Day of Summer”
12. “Inhale/Exhale Air”
13. “Rock This Country!”
14. “Nah! / She’s Not Just a Pretty Face / Waiter! Bring Me Water! / When / Thank You Baby! (for Makin’ Someday Come So Soon)”
15. “Pretty Liar”
16. “From This Moment On”
17. “Shout Out”
18. “Number One”
19. “Party for Two”
20. “Forever and for Always”
21. “Queen of Me”
22. “That Don’t Impress Me Much
23. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
Once upon a time, Pedro Pascal was a struggling actor suffering so much that Sarah Paulson had to help keep him afloat. Now look at him. The Chilean-born actor has developed the golden touch, starring in not one but two of the biggest shows on TV. He’s got a bunch of other high-profile projects in the pipeline (more on that later). Now he’s another.
As per Deadline, the Mandalorian and Last of Us star is teaming up with Zach Cregger for his follow-up to Barbarian, the twisty-turny and freaky horror hit that also did wonders for Justin Long. He’ll star in Weapons, and its title, that it’s Cregger’s first film since having a smash, and that it stars Pascal is all that’s being made public about it so far.
It’s yet another sweet get for the beloved actor, who first came to prominence on Netflix’s Narcos. He has other biggies on his docket, too. There’s Strange Way of Life, a Western short by legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar in which he and Ethan Hawke play lovers. He’ll be in Drive-Away Dolls, Ethan Coen’s solo directorial debut — his first film without his brother Joel (who himself made Macbeth without him). And he’s in that Gladiator sequel starring Paul Mescal. Thanks again, Sarah Paulson!
A few months ago, Ashley Morgan Smithline, who previously accused Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner) of psychological, sexual, and physical abuse, rescinded her allegations. She claimed that actress Evan Rachel Wood pressured her into making them. Meanwhile, Manson sued Wood and her friend Illma Gore last year for spreading “malicious falsehood,” which included a forged FBI letter.
The defamation case has been ongoing since the premiere of Wood’s two-part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising about Manson, which featured graphic details of abuse. Today, May 9, it’s been reported that Wood won’t have to face the defamation claims.
The ruling reads: “The Court does not find that Plaintiff has demonstrated that Wood had ‘concurred’ in Gore’s alleged defamatory statements about Groupie with knowledge of their unlawful purpose, or that Wood intended to aid in achieving Gore’s objective of making such alleged defamatory statements.”
Upon Smithline accusing Wood of pressuring her into making allegations, a representative of Wood shared a statement. “Evan never pressured or manipulated Ashley,” it read. “It was Ashley who first contacted Evan about the abuse she had suffered. It’s unfortunate that the harassment and threats Ashley received after filing her federal lawsuit appear to have pressured her to change her testimony.”
After earning notoriety as a fabulist who seemed to have lied his way into Congress, it didn’t take long for George Santos to attract the attention of federal investigators. What did take long was for them to formally charge him with something. But on Tuesday, some six months after reporters unearthed sketchy behavior, they finally did.
As per CNN, federal prosecutors ordered Santos, currently running for re-election for the New York City House seat he lied his way into nabbing, to appear before a federal court to be formally read criminal charges being brought against him.
Prosecutors probably won’t file charges over his many, many bizarre mini-lies, such as that his mom died in the September 11 attacks (she wasn’t even in New York on that day) or that he was a college volleyball star (he wasn’t).
Santos — and the world — will find out what he’s been charged with Wednesday, when he becomes the latest prominent Republican to appear in a New York federal courtroom over criminal charges. He’ll probably do what he does when faced with shocking and/or bizarre allegations: ignore or spin them, turning instead to that re-election campaign that wasn’t doing so hot even before he was formally treated like a crook.
Barrel-proof bourbon is whiskey turned up to 11 — hell, sometimes it’s turned up to 111. It’s not for the faint of heart, is my point. It can burn, be overly spicy or woody, and lose a lot of nuances thanks to the proof being overwhelming. It can also be deeply flavored, brilliantly balanced, and pack a punch that adds to the overall experience in new and fun ways. And that makes it pretty beloved, especially by long-time whiskey drinkers who are looking for a little somethin’ extra in their pours.
Naturally, any time a style grows expansive, a lot of mediocre crap ends up on the shelf. That could be a complete waste of your cash. Let me help you avoid that, today.
First and foremost, let’s get a little clarity on what “barrel proof” means in the American whiskey world (other regions often use “cask strength,” but there’s no hard and fast rule and a million examples that can go either way re: labeling). Essentially, we’re talking about a blend of barrels that are bottled without any proofing after aging (whiskey is often proofed before barreling to adjust barrel entry proof for a long list of reasons that we don’t have time to get into here). Once aged, barrel-proof barrels are blended and the label gets the mean barrel proof or ABV of those barrels.
(As aside about my last aside, when you see a label that says “full proof” or “barrel entry proof,” it means that the blend of whiskeys was created to match the proof that the whiskey went into the barrel — sometimes by proofing the whiskey with more water before bottling and sometimes not at all. When you see “barrel proof” or “cask strength,” that means that the blend of whiskeys was bottled at whatever proof the whiskey was out when it came out of the barrel — that’s always without any final proofing water before bottling.)
Below, I’ve conducted a blind taste test (shout out to my wife for the assist!) of new barrel-proof bourbon whiskeys and one “barrel entry proof” which was also bottled at barrel proof.
Our lineup today is:
A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2
Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks
While I was simply looking for the best-tasting bourbon in this blind test, I also had to consider how those higher ABVs were used in the final blend. Was the high proof balanced with the rest of the flavor profile? Or did that barrel proof completely wash out the palate, leaving me with nothing but burn? These things matter when picking the right barrel-proof bourbon to enjoy, so let’s dive right on in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.
Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamy Nutella and maybe some cherry tobacco.
Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.
Initial Thoughts:
Wow. Right out of the gate and my palate is blown the f*ck up by this pour. There was so much going on that tasted great and then it was completely muted by the ABVs. Shame.
I had to reset my palate after this taste with celery and fizzy water. It was that much of a proof bomb.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels lush and oaky with a sense of Christmas cookies, mincemeat pies, and sticky toffee pudding next to stewed plums over fresh scones with a hint of brandy butter.
Palate: Old leather boots filled with cinnamon bark and a medley of dates, figs, and prunes lead to chocolate cut with red chili and vanilla and kissed with salt and dry cedar.
Finish: That cinnamon bark intensifies with dark red fruit, light chili pepperiness, and a sense of old malted cookies dipped in vanilla toffee on the very end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is balanced and lush. The ABVs are there but it’s nuanced and adds a nice buzzing rather than a slashing burn. It’s nice.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with dark chili pepper spice next to salted caramel, cherry cake, and rich vanilla with a hint of nuttiness.
Palate: The taste is lush with a deep sense of creamy winter spices mixed into mincemeat pies and eggnog next to malted buckwheat pancakes drizzled in toffee syrup and sprinkled with roasted walnuts, pecans, and almonds with a whisper of wild sage.
Finish: Sharp cinnamon bark and cherry vanilla tobacco round out the finish with a nice balance of creaminess and sharp woody spice leading to a warm and long Kentucky hug (ABV warmth).
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty classic with a nice and gentle burn that leaves you buzzing (around your mouth).
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of orchard fruits and barks that leads to a dry grassy graininess (hello, craft whiskey) with a soft apple pie and peach cobbler vibe that leads to a floral honey cut with clear Caro corn syrup sweetness.
Palate: That sweetness attaches to the dry grains on the palate with a sense of white cornmeal over smudging sage with a hint of orchard and winter spice bark rounding out the palate before the ABVs start to rise.
Finish: The rise of the ABVs peak pretty quickly with a pleasant buzzing, more honeyed sweetness, and dry prairie grasses on a summer’s day.
Initial Thoughts:
I like this as a crafty. It’s kind of fun. The ABVs aren’t overpowering but they’re there. It’s about a million miles away from a classic bourbon though (but maybe that’s the point).
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Roasted vanilla beans and pan-toasted winter spices (nutmeg, clove, allspice, and cinnamon) mingle with lush and butter caramel sauce, brown-sugar rock candy, and a whisper of old wicker furniture with a hint of pipe tobacco.
Palate: That brown-sugar sweetness drives the palate toward woody and warm winter spices that create a nice buzz alongside a creamy eggnog edge next to vanilla sheet cake sprinkled with toffee chards and dried orchard fruits.
Finish: The end dries out a tad as the warm spices ramp up toward a holiday cake made with plenty of vanilla, brown sugar, buttercream, and toasted woody spices before being kissed with fresh pipe tobacco that was left in a cedar box for a spell.
Initial Thoughts:
This is damn fine. It has a really good balance of ABV heat with a deep flavor profile.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Toasted almonds and walnuts lead the way on the nose with a deep and rich vanilla cake lightly dusted with cacao, dry cherry, and cinnamon with a touch of old oak cellars and black-mold-encrusted old deck furniture.
Palate: The soft caramel and vanilla open the palate before a rush of woody and sharp spices — clove, anise, allspice, red chili pepper — arrive with a sense of old wood chips on a workshop floor leads to salted toffee dipped in roasted almonds and dark salted chocolate with a whisper of cherry cordial backing it all up.
Finish: That soft sweetness counters the hot spices for a while on the slow finish as the spices take on an orange/cherry/vanilla Christmas cake vibe with plenty of nuts and ABV heat.
Initial Thoughts:
Goddamn, this is delicious. It’s hot but it makes sense that it is with all that’s going on in that it is kind of like climbing a set of stairs into ever more intense and deep flavors and sensations. This is a winner, folks.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet salted caramel and dusty old cinnamon sticks lead to oily vanilla pods, red chili spiced cherry syrup, and a sense of cedar planks soaked in red fruit and maple syrup.
Palate: Dried blueberries and woody huckleberries combine with rich salted caramel and ground almond with a sense of classic cherry vanilla bourbon notes adhering to a light sense of chewy tobacco.
Finish: That tobacco really leans into the caramel/cherry/vanilla on the finish as the bourbon-iness of everything peaks with a soft Kentucky hug and subtly sweet end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is very nice but a little on the thinner side. The ABVs were there but this felt more like a standard bourbon — in the best way — than anything else on this list.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of classic bourbon notes of spiced cherry cake, vanilla pods, soft oak, and a touch of leather and nuttiness.
Palate: The taste delivers stewed peaches next to peppery spice, a hint of Christmas spices, and rich vanilla caramel cake with a twinge of cherry/ginger.
Finish: The stone fruit, cherry, woody spices, and vanilla all come together on a lush and warming end.
Initial Thoughts:
This was very thin comparatively. I wouldn’t even have guessed it was barrel proof to be completely frank. It had a nice flavor profile, very classic in fact, but it just didn’t sing on the palate.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrives with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.
Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.
Initial Thoughts:
Again, this is damn fine whiskey! This is a winning pour that’s wonderfully balanced between ABV warmth and deep and darkly classic Kentucky bourbon notes.
Part 2 — The Barrel Proof Bourbon Ranking
Zach Johnston
9. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2 — Taste 1
This new batch (late 2022) from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on the last bold ABV release. Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.
Bottom Line:
I’ve liked this in the past but this time it was just too unbalanced toward the ABVs. It wasn’t a Kentucky hug at all. It was a Virginia kick in the face. It’s a real shame too, as there is some great nuance going on in this whiskeys profile. You’ll just need a big rock or a tablespoon of mineral water to find it.
The sourced bourbon is small-batched from hand-selected barrels and bottled at Diageo’s new Bulleit Kentucky facility without any filtration or cutting down to proof. Basically, we’re talking about Bulleit dialed in to as close to bourbon excellence as it can get.
Bottom Line:
This is good bourbon but didn’t feel like barrel proof at all, hence it’s low ranking. Still, this 100% felt like a crowd-pleasing bourbon that’ll work wonders in a cocktail.
7. Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch No. 0001 — Taste 4
This Iowa whiskey is all about the Iowa corn. The mash is 74% corn, 14% malted rye, and 12% malted barley that is rested in oak for a few years. Since the temperature in Iowa swings by 100 degrees through a single year, aging doesn’t need to last forever. When the barrels are just right, they’re batched and bottled completely as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was a nice crafty bourbon. If you’re looking for a classic bourbon, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for something different to break up the static of Kentucky bourbon, this is the bottle to snag. It’s tasty and well-balanced.
6. New Riff Silver Grove Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Aged 4 Years — Taste 7
This new and very limited release from New Riff (it’s a distillery-only release for now) is an hommage to Cincinnati’s Carthage neighborhood and the Edward Brinkmann Distillery’s 1933 bottling of “Silver Grove.” The actual whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash of 65% corn, 30% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. That whiskey was left alone for four years before batching and bottling as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is damn fine bourbon from one of the best “craft” distilleries working today. If you’re anywhere near Northern Kentucky, or Cincinnati, Ohio, get yourself over to the distillery for a bottle ASAP. That all said, this was on the lighter side. You feel the ABVs but they take a back seat to the rest of the profile. So when ranking barrel-proof bourbons, this takes a knock on that front.
The spring edition of Larceny is here. The whiskey is a barrel-proof version of Larceny wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley) created from a small batch of six to eight-year-old barrels. Those barrels come together and go into the bottle 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice Larceny release (there are three of these every year). It’s balanced and classic but doesn’t quite pop. I’ll probably use this more for killer old fashioneds than sipping.
4. Maker’s Mark 2023 Limited Release BEP Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Finished With 10 Virgin Oak Staves — Taste 5
This is the final chapter of Maker’s Mark “Wood Finish Series” before the next set starts dropping. The whiskey in the bottle is made from classic Maker’s that’s batched at barrel entry proof (BEP), which is 110-proof. Next, the whiskey is finished with ten bespoke wooden staves inside the barrel, all made from new (or “virgin”) oak. Those barrels are then batched and bottled without any proofing water.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent whiskey. It’s on the woodier side, yes, but it all makes sense to the senses as you slowly sip it. This is the bottle you get when you want a slow and delightful sipping experience with a well-made bourbon that has a nice bite to it.
3. Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks — Taste 2
This cask-strength version of Hirsch is made from a classic bourbon mash of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. That hot juice then rests for six years in new American oak. Those barrels are batched and then re-filled into 30-year-old Hine XO fine cognac casks for another year-and-a-half of resting. Finally, the whiskey is batched and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This might be my favorite Hirsch release. It has a serious depth that’s perfectly accented by the subtle cognac notes. If you’re looking for a great food pairing whiskey, this is a must-have as the tasting profile feels very culinarily focused.
The latest Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is here (number two of three for 2023). This edition is a batch of bourbons that are a minimum of 11.5 years old (down from the usual 12-year age statements). The batch is bottled completely as is without cutting with water or chill filtration.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent Elijah Craig release. It’s deeply classic while going to new and funky places that 100% elevate this pour. The ABVs are balanced and nuanced and add to the overall profile.
This might as well be tied for first place but the next pour was just that little bit extra so here we are.
This first Booker’s Small Batch of 2023 has arrived! This release is an hommage to Charlie Hutchens — the woodworker who makes Booker’s boxes the whiskey comes in and a long-time family friend to the Noe family who makes Beam whiskeys. The whiskey is a blend of mid to high-floor barrels from five warehouses. Those whiskeys were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength after just north of seven years of aging.
Bottom Line:
This is a warm whiskey — the quintessential Kentucky hug bourbon if you will. That said, there’s just so much going on in the flavor profile with beautifully layered heat, smells, and tastes that it transcends. My advice is to pour this over a single large rock and slowly let it wash over you one slow sip at a time.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Barrel Proof Bourbon
Zach Johnston
There are some great whiskeys on this list. You really cannot go wrong with anything from the top five. The Hirsch and Maker’s are going to be the most easy to find while the Booker’s should be widely available… for the moment. Then it’s likely to hit the aftermarket. The Larceny and Elijah Craig are a bit more allocated (only sent out to special accounts) so they will be a little more fleeting, but they’re worth tracking down — both are great editions.
At the end of the day, if you’re just grabbing one, the Booker’s is what you want.
Ever since Tucker Carlson was abruptly and mysteriously canned from Fox News, people have wondered where he’d wind up next? (Provided his old employer didn’t use his contract to keep him off-air for nearly two years.) Would he wind up at one of those low-rent Fox copycats like Newsmax or OANN? Would he start his own rival rightwing company? Would he go the way of other Fox alumni, like Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Megyn Kelly — i.e., become mostly irrelevant? Two weeks later we have an answer, and it’s none of the above.
As per Mediaite, Carlson is heading to…Twitter? On Tuesday, the guy whose voice was recently used to dupe Alex Jones into agreeing to some mutual nipple-licking (seriously!) dropped a new video on Twitter. Its caption read “We’re back.”
Unlike the video Tucker posted a couple days after his firing, this wasn’t cryptic and dog-whistle-y. It began with him accusing the mainstream media of misleading the masses, who are then left “manipulated” — a pretty rich charge from the guy who edited Jan. 6 Capitol riot footage to make it look peaceful. He also subtweeted his old employers, saying that if one “bumps up” against certain limits of free speech enough times, “you will be fired for it.”
He eventually gets to the big announcement. “Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” Carlson revealed. He called the social media giant, at least under current owner Elon Musk, the “last big” platform for unfettered free speech “remaining in the world.” (Note: In the early days, Musk vindictively and pettily suspended the accounts of journalists he didn’t like.)
The news comes after reports that surfaced over the weekend that Carlson had had a secret meeting with Musk.
What does this mean for Tucker’s Fox News contract? Puck’s Dylan Byers said that by moving to Twitter, he’ll “forgo at least $25 million owed to him by Fox Corp. in order to break non-compete clause.”
NEWS: Tucker Carlson will relaunch his show *on Twitter* with help from former Fox News staff. He will forgo at least $25 million owed to him by Fox Corp. in order to break non-compete clause.@PuckNews
This could lead to a messy legal battle — which Carlson reportedly may want to happen anyway. Given that all the revelations that have been made about him — including that he hated Donald Trump’s guts, at least during the aftermath of the 2020 election — haven’t appeared to make him less popular with his base, maybe he’s not worried about all that dirt Fox News honchos allegedly have on him. Like Trump, embarrassing/bone-chilling revelations only seem to make him stronger.
Protests in NYC over the murder of Jordan Neely got tense last night after a 150 people march was broken up by the NYPD outside of the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in Manhattan. According to ABC7NY, a handful of protestors and journalists were arrested for “unspecified offenses” and left bruised and bloody in the process, with police later reporting that a protestor brought a suspected Molotov cocktail to the march.
In a statement shared by ABC7NY, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said, “We don’t know what the liquid is as of yet. It has not been tested. You can see the ripped-up rag down there that will facilitate the flame…”
Now, the NYPD News Twitter account has produced a photo of the alleged Molotov cocktail and it looks like the internet — especially Twitter, where the conversation is concentrated — isn’t entirely convinced. The account tweeted a photo of a Topo Chico bottle with a damp… something inside and wrote:
“This is a Molotov cocktail that was found at tonight’s protest.”
Keep in mind it still hasn’t been tested, so this is off to a hell of a start, the tweet continues, “We are committed to ensuring everyone’s right to protest. Violence has no place in civic demonstration. These actions will never be tolerated and anyone bringing weapons on dangerous substances will be arrested.”
This is a Molotov Cocktail that was found at tonight’s protest. We are committed to ensuring everyone’s right to protest. Violence has no place in civic demonstration. These actions will never be tolerated & anyone bringing weapons or dangerous substances will be arrested. https://t.co/5eS5A525SQpic.twitter.com/VMh14FQQSD
Obviously, the NYPD is correct in stating that violence has no place in civic demonstration but the photo is a strange one and Twitter users have added additional context to the post writing, “While these materials could technically be used in the making of a Molotov cocktail, the picture does not show a Molotov cocktail, or provide evidence that one was made.”
A typical Molotov cocktail is made using a glass bottle filled with flammable substances like kerosene, gasoline, alcohol, or potassium chlorate, and uses a cloth wick to ignite the substance, but what the NYPD News account posted raises a lot of questions.
Mainly, why, if someone were to make a Molotov cocktail, why would they use a bottle of Topo Chico? But beyond that, if the NYPD does have this alleged Molotov in its possession, why are they just letting it chill out on a table? Why so close to the bottle of Poland Spring? Why leave a potentially dangerous weapon out in the open at all?
Many on Twitter are reacting to the NYPDNews account for this post with some people suggesting the photo is not of a Molotov cocktail at all but of just some random trash the NYPD stumbled upon.
All this time I’ve been putting trash in my empty bottles to make it easier to carry and throw out, I’ve accidentally been making Molotov cocktails. Should I turn myself in to the FBI or?
Maybe test the liquid before you decide it’s a Molotov Cocktail. The fact that it was just left on the ground, and there’s no apparent way to light it, suggest that it’s simply a napkin in a not-quite-empty bottle. Snack remnants, not a bomb.
How far in the recycling bin did you go to find this, nerds
— the they/them causing may/hem (@kyliesparks) May 9, 2023
Damn, you guys really need to keep an eye on all the Mexican restaurants. If a used napkin inside a Topo Chico bottle is a Molotov, I see a dozen molotovs daily.
“oh cool, Topo Chico is trending. I’m sure it’s for a fun reason and not for something unbelievably dumb” https://t.co/KA8hi8UVDe
— in another life we were arborists (@VernorsHerzog) May 9, 2023
It’s really a testament to how much everyone hates cops that an NYPD tweet purporting to show how an activist made a Molotov cocktail out of a Topo Chico bottle sparked a debate about what the best type of seltzer is
I think we can conclude two things: 1. The NYPD, the same police department that once claimed Shake Shack employees were poisoning them because they got a tummy ache from a milkshake is goofy AF. And 2. Topo Chico is the greatest carbonated water ever.
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NEWS: Tucker Carlson will relaunch his show *on Twitter* with help from former Fox News staff. He will forgo at least $25 million owed to him by Fox Corp. in order to break non-compete clause.
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