Last December, we learned that on January 6th, Donald Trump Jr. spent a good chunk of the day frantically texting Mark Meadows, telling his father’s then-chief of staff something that he already knew: That the president needed to “condemn this sh*t ASAP.” (That Don Jr. wouldn’t just text his father directly is pretty telling in and of itself.)
But just a few months later, we learned that Junior’s seeming desire to see a peaceful transfer of power was a relatively new stance, as he was texting ideas for how to overturn the election results while the votes were still being counted. Now, as Raw Story reports, we’re finally getting a chance to see the entire plan Junior — who, reminder, held no place in his father’s administration — laid out for his dear ol’ dad to hold onto the keys to the White House.
Talking Points Memo published a series of texts related to the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including the “very simple” plan Don Jr. had, which he was dumb enough to lay out — point by point — in a text that read as follows:
It’s very simple If through our lawsuits and recounts the Secretary of States on each state cannot �certify� that states vote the State Assemblies can step in and vote to put forward the electoral slate Republicans control Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina etc � we get Trump electors There is a Safe Harbor on 8 December if for whatever reason you miss that the Electors then cannot meet in the individual state Capitols on 14 December So we either have a vote WE control and WE win OR it gets kicked to Congress 6 January 2021 the House meets to vote�- by state party delegation� 1 vote per state California 1 ; Montana 1 Republicans control 28 states Democrats 22 states Once again Trump wins Senate votes for VP Pence wins Summary We have multiple paths We control them all We have operational control Total leverage Moral High Ground POTUS must start 2nd Term now Fire Wray ; Fire Faucci Make Grennel interim head of FBI Have Barr select Special Prosecutor on HardDrivefromHell Biden crime family
To call the message rambling would be the understatement of the decade (then again, we are talking about Don Jr.). But the real cherry on top of this text is a Trump — any Trump — declaring that they have the “moral high ground.”
According to Talking Points Memo, Meadows waited until the next day to respond, when he replied: “Much of this had merit. Working on this for pa, ga and nc already.”
Donal Trump Jr. did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Though it’s been nearly two years since the shocking and deadly events of January 6, 2021, we’re still learning new information about the events leading up to the attack on the Capitol — and just how much information then-president Donald Trump and his inner circle knew about what would happen on that day. And, as Jimmy Kimmel explained on Tuesday night, “it’s even crazier than the crazy we previously thought was crazy. Turns out the calls were coming from inside the House—and the Senate.”
While we knew that Trump’s then-chief of staff Mark Meadows’ cell phone was blowing up throughout the day, we now know that he was texting with at least 34 Republican lawmakers, who were offering up their own ideas for how to keep the 45th president in office — despite the fact that he lost the election. “The list includes all the usual suspects: Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Louie Gohmert,” Kimmel said. “It’s like a gang of Batman’s dumbest enemies.”
As Kimmel sees it, one of the dumbest of the dumb is South Carolina congressman Ralph Norman, who texted Meadows three days before Biden was sworn in to suggest that he try to convince Trump to declare “Marshall” law.
“We have people who tried to overthrow the government in the government right now,” Kimmel marveled. “And I continue to be blow away by how dumb they are. Even Scooby-Doo villains know not to write it down.”
You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 1:30 mark.
While Tucker Carlson unintentionally gives his hate-watchers plenty to laugh about on a daily basis, there are few things funnier than watching him attempt to flex his proverbial muscles and act like a big tough guy. Like the time in summer 2021 that a Monana Man/hero got in the Fox News host’s face and told him he was “the worst human being known to mankind,” to which Carlson responded — weeks later, and on the air, that he had been harboring some pretty “dark thoughts” about what he would have done had cameras not been rolling. (Of course!)
Now Carlson is all riled up again, and telling tales about exactly what he said to Republican Michael McCaul, the Republican congressman from Texas who accused the Fox News host — who has been plugging pro-Putin talking points and praising the Kremlin for years — of being a Russian agent. As Mediaite reports, Carlson shared the story on Tuesday, when he was a guest on Tulsi Gabbard’s podcast. (Gabbard, it should be noted, has also been accused of being a Russian agent.) The two talked about Tucker’s attempts to score an interview with Vladimir Putin, and his belief that the NSA was spying on him because of that.
“There are members of Congress who are controlled by the intel agencies,” Carlson said, adding: “I’m not speculating on this. You know, I lived [in Washington DC] for 35 years. I know this.” But of McCaul in particular, he explained:
“I got into an argument with him once last year on the phone — he had told somebody that I was a Russian agent or something, and I was outraged. So I called him on the phone. And I used bad language — I was really mad — and he said, ‘Woah, woah, woah… That’s what the intel briefers told me, that you were working for Russia.’ And I said, ‘That’s what the intel briefers told you? You believe your f***ing intel briefers? Like, how old are you, son? I’m from D.C. My dad was in this world. You’re being manipulated by your intel briefers!’”
Also: Nothing screams “total badass” like a 51-year old former bow tie addict who drops an F-bomb, calls you ‘son,’ then mentions his dad in one tirade.
You can listen to the full interview on Mediaite here.
When Henry Cavill abruptly exitedThe Witcher, it seemed like the logical move for Netflix would be to cancel the series altogether. Netflix doesn’t shy away from giving its shows the axe at the earliest sign of any inconvenience, even its hit shows, to focus on those larger projects. You know, like Emily in Paris.
But instead of canceling the show, Netflix announced that Liam Hemsworth would be stepping in for Cavill, who is already trying on his Superman suit for DC. While Cavill will still star in the upcoming third season, which will hit the streamer sometime next year, Hemsworth will take over for the planned fourth season. Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander says that despite the change, the show’s integrity will stay the same.
“Henry is an extraordinary Geralt and I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt,” Freelander told Variety, adding that they are aiming to stay true to the source material. “There has been a legacy of amazing, iconic characters where the actors have changed and we’re hugely optimistic about this. We will continue to honor the IP, the fans, the storytelling, all the way through.”
Before it was officially announced that Cavill would be exiting the series, there were rumors that the actor was dissatisfied with where the show was heading, which makes fans nervous about the future of the series. Still, Cavill will probably be sticking around for some promo once season three gets its official release date. That should be a fun rollout.
While October and November were the peak months for new whiskeys releases, don’t discount December as a month for banger, last-minute drops. The end of the year always sees some killer bottles sneak onto shelves just as folks get desperate for a last-minute gift.
Below, I’m calling out ten bottles of the good stuff that hit shelves recently — most of these are brand new drops (some literally within the past couple of days) with a few dropped a month or two ago that are hitting shelves more widely just in time for the holidays. They’re all new, fresh, and worth checking out.
I didn’t rank these since there’s a massive swath of bourbons reviewed on this list. It’s not really fair ranking a $60 bottle against one that’s so rare it’ll cost thousands on the aftermarket. They’re just in different leagues. That all said, this list is full of great bourbons that speak to winter vibes and gift-giving. There are even a few that are sure to win some big medals on the awards circuit next spring, so let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This whiskey — a revival of a centuries-old dead brand — is from the new company founded by Heaven Hill’s Andrew Shapira with partners Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky, based around the Rare Character Whiskey shingle. The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from six barrels of six-year-old whiskey that’s expertly batched and bottled with just a touch of local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a beautiful sense of fresh orange blossom and nasturtiums on the nose with a lush honeycomb vibe next to stewed plums with hints of clove and allspice. The palate is luxurious with a sense of salted caramel, cherry Dr. Pepper, and sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spice, salted toffee, orange zest, brandy butter, and black-tea-soaked dated. The end has a sense of plum pudding with burnt sugars and orange tobacco kissed with anise and clove and rolled up with wild sage and cedar bark and wrapped in old leather pouches.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that was technically released back in September but is only hitting shelves now (I finally spotted them in the wild just last week at my local Total Wine). That all aside, this is fantastic whiskey that’s created for true bourbon lovers. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s truly a love letter to bourbon.
This high-rye bourbon from out in Colorado was blended especially for the holiday season this year. The juice is rested for three years high up in the mountains before it’s batched and cut with that iconic Colorado Rocky Mountain glacial water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a real sense of fresh butterscotch on the nose with a sense of orange dark chocolate balls, apple cider, and a nice sharp cinnamon and clove spiciness. The palate has an echo of that orange dark chocolate with a brown sugar sweetness and a touch of powdery white pepper and ground cinnamon. The end has a slight minerally edge with a dash more pepper and butterscotch next to apple cider spiked with cinnamon and orange.
Bottom Line:
This is perfectly nice. It’s like a warm wintery spiked drink with a bourbon kick that’s a perfect stocking stuffer bottle.
New Liberty Bloody Butcher 100% PA Bourbon Whiskey
This Pennsylvania bourbon starts off with Bloody Butcher corn sourced from Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown, PA, only 25 miles from the distillery. The malted rye and malted barley are also local and sourced from the Deer Creek Malthouse. Those grains combine to make this unique red corn bourbon that then rests for nine years before it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle milk chocolate on the nose that leads to buttery toffee and old leather gloves next to orchards full of fruit and bark. The palate leans into apricot jam and marmalade with a touch of buttermilk biscuit and dry wild sage next to cinnamon bark and clove buds. There’s a creamy nutmeg vibe near the end that leads to a milk chocolate tobacco finish with a whisper of dry cedar bark and earthy dry moss.
Bottom Line:
There’s a nice earthiness to this one thanks to that ruddy corn base. The overall vibe is mildly sweet and unique, making this a good bourbon for someone looking to try something a little different.
This four-grain bourbon starts with standard aging for two years in new American oak. The barrels that hit just the right mark are then batched and re-filled into cognac casks for additional mellowing. Once those barrels hit the right flavor profile, the whiskey is vatted into a 50-year-old French oak foeder (huge barrel, basically) where it rests for a spell before bottling. That foeder is never fully emptied, creating heritage to all the bourbon that passes through it year after year.
Tasting Notes:
This season’s nose has a sense of Earl Grey tea leaves just touched with champagne next to stewed plums and apples with a sense of Saigon cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. The palate is rich and lush with an apple butter thickness and spice next to singed cedar bark and apple bark over rum-raisin, creamy eggnog, and a whisper of pear. The end has a creamy and lush vibe that leans into vanilla and nog with a whisper of holiday cake imbued tobacco rolled with cellar oak and rich caramel sauce.
Bottom Line:
There were just north of 2,300 filled this year. That makes this a fleeting release that’s worth chasing down, especially if you’re into cognac finishes on your bourbon.
Frey Ranch Malted Grain Series 100% Malted Corn Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey is a unique concept from out in Nevada. The bourbon is made with 100% malted corn that’s grown and malted at Frey Ranch. That corn has to be grown in the summer to save it from frost. Once fermented and distilled, the hot juice rested for exactly five years and 10 months before it was batched and bottled as-is with a touch of local water.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is wild — it meanders through floral and citrus forward notes that are kind of like an old-school West Coast IPA with dank hoppiness next to savory melon, dry smudging sage, and a hint of lard-filled tamales. The palate leans into fresh honeycombs next to orange and grapefruit peels soaked in apple cider with a fleeting sense of anise. The end really leans into the floral and citrus dank with an underlying sense of a corn field right after the harvest when everything is still green.
Bottom Line:
This is out there and delicious. It’s very unique though, so don’t expect a classic Kentucky cherry bomb. That said, if you love a good dank West Coast IPA, this is the perfect pairing partner.
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Premium Whiskey Barrel No. 007
This new single barrel release — so new that’s it still pre-order only — is made with juice distilled, aged, and bottled at the Nearest Green Distillery in central Tennessee. The single barrels are chosen for their exact flavor profile and greatness and bottled completely as-is with no filtration or cutting with water to maintain that barrel’s greatness in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a strong sense of rich and dark cacao powder next to burnt caramels, black licorice, old vanilla pods, and old leather boots with a whisper of fresh nutmeg and clove lurking beneath. The palate has a lush salted caramel vibe with a rich sense of honey loaded with cinnamon sticks and a black cherry cola before a pinch of black pepper arrives. The end has a cream soda feel with spiced winter nut cakes and minced meat pies over a Cherry Coke cut with chocolate sauce that’s just kissed with chili pepper tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty damn delicious and sure to win all the awards next year.
Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted American and French Oak
The latest release from the Bourbon Pursuit team is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons. The three bourbons involved are a Finger Lakes whiskey (70/20/10 corn/rye/malted barley), an MGP bourbon (60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley), and an undisclosed Tennessee whiskey (80/10/10 corn/rye/malted barley). Those whiskeys were finished in both American and French toasted oak barrels before batching and bottling with a touch of Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Dark chocolate nut clusters (pecan and walnut heavy) mix with burnt orange, a hint of mulled wine, and rum-raising with an echo of fresh cedar on the nose. The palate has a sense of Nutella over scones with a Cherry Coke on the side while singed cedar and cherry bark mingle with clove-studded oranges and a hint of freshly cracked black pepper. The end has a nice spicy warmth and a touch more of that singed wood next to spicy cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a quintessential bourbon. It’s a great sipper but really feels like it’d make a killer Manhattan with all that spiciness and cherry.
This rare release from Rabbit Hole is a five-grain bourbon that’s made with some unique grains. The standouts are chocolate malted wheat from Germany (4%) and chocolate malted barley (3%) from the U.K. combined with 70% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted rye. That juice rests in Kentucky until it’s just right for batching and bottling completely as-is in only 1.365 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is brimming with dark chocolate cut with hazelnut, chili pepper, and orange with a molasses sweetness over cinnamon toast with a hint of sharp spearmint and maple. The palate has a sense of that hazelnut tied to cinnamon bark and black cherry tobacco with a sense of firewood bark resting in rich black dirt next to dry dark chocolate just flaked with salt. The end has a sense of old boot leather and cedar chocolate boxes just emptied and refilled with spiced cherry tobacco and eggnog-infused espresso beans.
This year’s Parker’s Heritage starts off with Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. From there, it’s all about where and how that whiskey aged. The lion’s share, 67% of the blend, comes from a 13-year-old double-barreled bourbon from the 5th-7th floors of Rickhouse Q. 33% of the blend comes from a 15-year-old bourbon that was aged on the 2nd and 5th floors of Rickhouse II. Those barrels were batched and then bottled 100% as-is without any filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Salted toffee rolled in almonds and dark chocolate is packed into an old oak stave chocolate box and wrapped with old leather and caramel tobacco with a fleeting sense of dried ancho chilis and sour cherry juice next to singed hickory. The palate has a deep woody winter spiciness — cinnamon bark, whole nutmeg, star anise, allspice berries — next to sweet oak and dry sweetgrass with a mild sense of cherry cream soda and salted black licorice over woody tobacco. The end leans towards a sweet and salted dark chocolate with a rummy plum pudding full of dark spice and dried fruits with a fleeting sense of that dried chili on the very back end with some very old oak and leather.
Bottom Line:
This is a great addition to the Parker’s Heritage lineup. It’s deep, complex, and murky even with this rich bourbon-y heritage shining through in every nose and sip.
George Dickel Tennessee Whisky Reserve Cask Strength Aged 17 Years
George Dickel 17 is back! This whiskey is made from Dickel’s classic Tennessee mash of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. That hot juice is then left to rest in a single-story warehouse in Cascade Hollow for 17 long years. Finally, the perfect barrels were picked for batching and bottling completely as-is — yes, this is cask strength at 46%.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a sense of old oak staves in a dank cellar on the nose next to creamy vanilla and burnt sugars over an old rye sourdough (the stuff you get in Europe from a real bakery) with stewed apricots and plums with saffron, star anise, and cardamom with a whisper of caraway. The palate opens with a rich and spiced plum jam over scones with brandy butter and crème brûlée on the side accented by juniper and clove and a whisper of burnt orange and marzipan. The end is lush and full of creamy nuttiness that leads to an old cedar box full of winter spiced pipe tobacco with a mild chewiness and booze-soaked fruit cakes from the old country.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly exquisite whisky from Nicole Austin and ends the year on a massively high note.
We’re at the point in the year where it’s not quite done yet, but done enough to start looking back on everything that happened. That’s especially true of music, as year-end list season is in full swing (Uproxx recently ran our top albums and songs of the year lists, for example). 2022 was busy, but in a new “Top 5” video, host Jackie Powell condenses the past few months into five key moments.
She begins with one of the year’s biggest album releases: Beyoncé’sRenaissance. The comeback project was Queen Bey’s first album since 2016’s iconic Lemonade and the follow-up has earned similar acclaim. Both the album and lead single “Break My Soul” spent some time at No. 1 on their respective Billboard charts, and zooming out, the project added a new dimension to Beyoncé’s already complex and beautiful legacy.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe released three of 2022’s biggest movies in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (which will also likely be nominated for multiple Academy Awards), and Thor: Love and Thunder, the DC Extended Universe is getting rebooted for, like, the eighth time. Things aren’t entirely dire for new overlord James Gunn, however: DC is more popular than Marvel in horniness.
Pornhub released its annual “Year in Review” findings this week, including the most searched movies and characters. The list is topped by Harley Quinn, who was also number one in 2021; she finished second in 2019 (there was no 2020 edition) behind the Avengers. The Avengers dropped to eighth in 2022, although Black Widow is fourth after Star Wars at number two and 365 Days (lol) at number three. Wonder Woman is fifth, followed by Sonic at six. Not to kink shame anyone, but: no.
Here’s the top 15:
1. Harley Quinn
2. Star Wars
3. 365 Days
4. Black Widow
5. Wonder Woman
6. Sonic
7. Catwoman
8. Avengers
9. Princess Leia
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
11. Avatar
12. Batman
13. Elastigirl
14. Tomb Raider
15. The Incredibles
The two biggest surprises are Avatar all the way down at #11 (searches for “I just blue myself” probably split the vote) and our good friend the Joker at #22. Now that’s tWiStEd. Overall, there are seven DC characters on the list, and six Marvel characters.
On Tuesday night, the third-longest NXT women’s title reign came to an end when Roxanne Perez pinned Mandy Rose for the belt. Early on Wednesday, Sean Ross Sapp reported that Rose has been released from her contract due to content she has posted on her FanTime page.
Fightful Select has learned that Mandy Rose has been released by WWE.
WWE officials felt they were put in a tough position based on the content she was posting on her FanTime page. They felt like it was outside of the parameters of her WWE deal. pic.twitter.com/RZSiQ53XPf
The news comes following Rose’s 413-day run as champion, only bested by Asuka and Shayna Baszler. Rose finished in second place on the show Tough Enough in 2015, but later joined the promotion and earned her way toward the top of the WWE roster. Following a stint with Sonya Deville, Rose rejoined NXT in 2021 to lead the Toxic Attraction faction, and in October won her first major women’s title.
Where Rose goes from here is very much up in the air, but options to join outside promotions, such as AEW or Ring of Honor seem like reasonable options. According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, Rose’s release caught her off guard.
Per Bryan Alvarez on Mandy Rose: “She was very much caught off guard by the firing.”
With Rose done with NXT, the belt rests with the 21-year-old Perez. She was the inaugural Ring of Honor women’s champion before signing with WWE earlier this year and became one half of the NXT women’s tag team champions with Cora Jade.
NBC’s hit reality TV competition show, The Voice, ended its 22nd season with a bang last night (December 13). But, before the crowning of the season’s winner, the contestants took the stage one last time in the hopes of earning enough votes to snatch the title.
For judge Camila Cabello, this moment was bittersweet. Despite only joining the judges’ panel this season, the “Havana” singer won’t return next season due to personal reasons. However, Cabello was sure to leave viewers with one final evocative performance. Joining her mentee Morgan Myles on stage, Cabello dug through her musical archives for the perfect song to fit the occasion.
The singer didn’t look to her latest album, Familia, but rather a something from her entry into the music industry as a solo artist. The song selected, “Never Be The Same,” holds sentimental value to the musician, as it’s the opening track on her debut self-titled album.
The pair sang beautifully, pouring out all they had to give in their farewell duet, and Cabello was sure to enunciate every word, which ought to help avoid online jokes.
The former Fifth Harmony member took to Twitter to remind fans this was her final show as she wrote, “Last one! Watch #TheVoice right now to see who wins season 22.”
After a relatively quiet few years, emotive Compton rapper Westside Boogie made his return with the therapeutic album More Black Superheroes this June. A criminally overlooked project, More Black Superheroes finds Boogie once again ruminating on his own toxic tendencies while advocating for a more positive future.
To that end, he brought his own squad of superheroes to the NPR offices for his Tiny Desk Concert. Backed by costumed children for the finale performance of “Silent Ride,” Boogie makes a nod to the themes (and cover) of his new album. The MCU this isn’t, but then again, maybe that’s the point. The powered heroes in Marvel’s movies might be able to lift buses, but he’s on a mission to lift spirits and set some positive examples for a community that could frankly always use a few more.
During the performance, Boogie delivers soulful renditions of signature tracks from the album like “Stuck” and “Nonchalant,” employing “Float” vocalist Mamii to provide an angelic counterpoint to his sinful rhymes.
Boogie has done a lot of growing up since bursting onto the scene in 2015 with “Oh My.” He attributed at least a little bit of that growth to mentor Eminem, who advised him to slow down on reading his press. “He talked to me about not taking everything personal from blogs, ’cause it’s hard for me because my music is so genuine to me,” he said in a July interview. “So not seeing good responses sometimes frustrates me ’cause I know how much I put into it, but I think that’s every artist. Plus, coming from a neighborhood where we can’t let nobody punk us [and] gotta stand up for ourselves, when somebody come for me crazy on the internet, it’s always hard to not reply.”
Watch Westside Boogie’s Tiny Desk Concert above.
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