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If one of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s new year’s resolutions was to get booted from major social media platforms, she’s doing a fine job. On Sunday, the controversial Georgia lawmaker and bad idea-haver was permanently banned from Twitter because she couldn’t stop sharing COVID misinformation. But she wasn’t done yet. The very next day she got a lighter sentence from an even more hated platform.

As per The New York Times, Greene was handed a 24-hour suspension by Facebook, where they once allegedly vowed to not fact-check former president and serial fibber Donald J. Trump. What landed Greene in hot water? A lengthy post from Saturday about American life “Before COVID” and “After COVID,” in which she wrote falsely about “extremely high amounts of Covid vaccine deaths.” As per NYT:

Ms. Greene’s post cited misleading information from a government database of unverified raw data called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, a decades-old system that relies on self-reported cases from patients and health care providers.

Greene dropped the post on her personal account. However, her government account remains active, as is also the case on Twitter.

A spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement that while they removed Greene’s post, deleting the account entirely is “beyond the scope of our policies.”

The platform has repeatedly altered their content policies since the start of the pandemic. Last December, they announced they would delete posts that had been debunked by the World Health Organization or government agencies.

By Tuesday, Greene’s personal account will return to its regularly scheduled programming, but her personal Twitter account will likely never return, meaning she’ll have to find somewhere else to attack fellow rightwing politician Dan Crenshaw.

(Via NYT)

At the moment, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards are set to go down at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on January 31, but that may not be the case for long: Billboard reports that “according to multiple sources,” the 2022 Grammys may be postponed, with a “source with direct knowledge” noting it’s “looking likely.” The publication reached out to The Recording Academy, who did not confirm the reports or announce a new date for the show.

It was around this time last year that it was announced that the 2021 Grammys would be delayed. On January 5, 2021, the Grammys shared a statement in which they noted, “After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominees here.

It’s hard to keep track of Donald Trump’s many legal and financial headaches, from him trying to block the Jan. 6 committee from seeing his White House records to his sketchy social media service. But don’t forget about this one: The New York State attorney general’s office is in the midst of a civil investigation into the former president’s family real estate business. And on Monday, that one took another hairpin turn.

As per ABC News, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a subpoena demanding two of Trump’s children, Don Jr. and Ivanka, who were named as respondents in the office’s inquiry. And already both Trump kids have said they will not comply, revealing that they plan to file motion to quash the subpoenas.

It’s a classic Trump move: sabotage investigations into possible wrongdoing by tying things up in legal red tape, hoping the problem will go away (or that the public will lose interest). Of course, it could also blow up in their face. Trump allies who’ve ignored subpoenas, such as Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows, face jail time. Meanwhile, the investigation has already resulted in longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg being indicted.

Both Don Jr. and Ivanka have denied any wrongdoing and have predictably claimed the investigation is purely political. Still, how long will it be until the former records one of his beloved late night hotel rants?

(Via ABC News)

It’s an odd time for celebrity endorsements. Famous people have been lending their names to products (and making extra dough) since advertising began, but a couple new, bizarre ones have been turning heads. First there was AMC’s expensive ads featuring Nicole Kidman beckoning people back to movie theaters. Now there’s Matt Damon shilling for one of the most questionable products in existence: cryptocurrency.

The ad finds the actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter strolling through a white-walled lair-of-sorts that kind of looks like the teched-up version of the Batcave from Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies. “History is filled with almosts,” Damon crows, “with those who almost adventured, who almost achieved, but ultimately for them it proves to be too much.” He then points to those who did the unthinkable: mountaineers, the Wright brothers, astronauts, and, uh, people about to make out in a nightclub.

What exactly is Damon selling? The ad saves that for the end: It’s for cypto.com.

Given that crypto has attracted thieves, that it can have troubling glitches that make people think they’re briefly trillionaires, people were primed to slam Damon for hopping on-board. Some dragged him for not only shilling for crypto but also comparing those involved with it with history’s greatest innovators.

Others just made fun of him.

Others lamented that the future is nowhere close to as cool as people once thought it would be.

On the other hand, at least Damon isn’t singing about the glories of NFTs. Yet.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers won their second straight game Sunday evening, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-103, it wasn’t Russell Westbrook’s finest outing. He recorded nine turnovers — already his third game of the year with at least nine — and scored 20 points on 51.2 percent true shooting.

After the win, Westbrook offered insight into how he views those components of his game. When a reporter suggested Westbrook struggled prior to some important plays late, Westbrook pushed back against that notion under the belief “that’s all a part of the game.”

“My game is not predicated on shots or if I turn the ball over. I miss some shots, that’s part of the game,” he said. “I’m allowed to miss shots. I can do that. Like any other player, I can turn the ball over too.”

Here’s the thing: I think Westbrook is largely correct in his assessment. Of course, nine turnovers is suboptimal, but he’s constructed a Hall of Fame career through constant aggression and applying pressure on the defense to create for himself or others. Turnovers come with the territory of a style like that. One fewer turnover per game or so would be preferred, but they’re not soul-crushing plays.

Stagnant possessions leading to missed shots can serve the same purpose as Westbrook giving the ball away while trying to make something happen. His playmaking has been hugely beneficial to the Lakers and is helping LeBron James have his best scoring regular season in recent memory.

I also side with Westbrook on scoring efficiency. Even during his MVP campaign and All-NBA seasons, his true shooting hovered around league average. It’s about 3.5 points below league average this season, which is in line with his production as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2019-20 and substantially better than last year’s mark of 6.3 points below league average. His turnovers per 100 possessions this season are also similar to his prime last decade.

So, yeah, turnovers and sterling scoring efficiency are not what make him an excellent player. Ideally, they’d both be cleaned up, but Westbrook isn’t off-base or just aiming to save face when he says he’s “allowed to miss shots” and “can turn the ball over.” Those flaws are simply part of his nature and while they’re frustrating, harping on them overlooks his exploits: passing, rebounding, transition play and driving.

The one-year anniversary of the Capitol siege is drawing near, and it appears the House committee investigating that fateful day still have some snooping (and maybe some jailing) to do. Among the intel they seek are Donald Trump’s White House documents. One problem: The former president has been aggressively blocking access to them, citing “executive privilege” — an erroneous claim, one judge pointed out, considering he’s no longer in office. But he may have some other reasons for making sure no one sees them.

The Daily Beast spoke with Don W. Wilson and John W. Carlin, two former heads of the National Archive, which is where each presidential records are sent after their tenure ends. While Wilson and Carlin haven’t seen those documents, they’re sure they’re deeply incriminating.

“Given how frantic they are… there are things in those records that are going to make real trouble. I’m talking about prison time,” Carlin told The Daily Beast. “It reinforces the fact that they know they’re in real trouble if these things are released—particularly if they’re released soon.”

Some of the records the Jan. 6 committee seek are stored on personal e-mail accounts and cellphones. Former chief of staff Mark Meadows has tried to block access to them, citing “presidential privilege.” But Wilson says that’s a violation of the Presidential Records Act.

“You aren’t supposed to conduct personal business on your cellphone. If it is, then it’s an official record. Is this official business? If it is, then it’s technically a presidential record, even if it’s on your personal cellphone,” Wilson said. “All of it is supposed to be turned over at the end of the administration.”

Among the things Trump’s records may show is whether or not he tried to use the Department of Justice to intimidate states to contest the 2020 election results. They could show whether or not he plotted with Republicans to halt the certification of Joe Biden’s win. They could show whether or not he schemed with rally organizers to lure his supporters to the Capitol building, which they then violently stormed, resulting in five deaths. Whatever the case, for Trump and his allies to try to block the truth from coming out seems awfully fishy.

(Via The Daily Beast)

The Houston Rockets have had a fascinating season, losing 15 games in a row to start the season before winning seven straight in one of the most surprising winning streak of the season. Since then, the Rockets have gone back to looking like one of the NBA’s worst teams, going 1-9 in their last 10 games to fall to their current record of 10-27, which is the worst record in the West and third-worst record in the NBA.

The record isn’t a surprise, as this was very clearly Year 1 of a rebuild in Houston, and the focus was more on the development of young players than winning games. The good news is they’ve seen some positives from No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green since his return from a hamstring strain and fellow first-round pick Alperen Sengun has been a consistent bright spot, showing flashes of considerable talent. The bad news is things seemed to hit a low point on Saturday night in a loss to the Nuggets when two of their highest profile players refused to play the second half after getting called out for effort by the coaching staff.

Christian Wood was reportedly the main target of coach Stephen Silas’ frustrations with effort in a scathing halftime message to the team, calling out Wood (who was benched to start the game for missing a COVID test), who then refused to sub in during the second half. Kevin Porter Jr., meanwhile, left the arena at halftime after getting into it with an assistant coach, allegedly throwing something during the argument before driving home from the arena, which the Rockets covered in the moment as him getting treatment on his thigh.

On Monday, Houston will take on the Sixers and they will be without both Wood and Porter Jr., who were suspended for their “poor behavior,” per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.

The Rockets will hope to put this all behind them after the one-game suspension, and it’s clear that Silas is trying to send a message to the entire team with the suspensions as they try to build something of a culture in Houston with a young roster.

A few weeks ago, Bruce Springsteen’s masters and publishing rights were sold to Sony Music for an astronomical $500 million in what Billboard said “may be the biggest deal in music for an individual body of work.” So, to pretty much anyone besides Bruce Springsteen, the reportedly more than $250 million that David Bowie’s catalogue netted is an impressive number.

Today, Variety reported that David Bowie’s estate has indeed sold the Starman’s vast catalogue to Warner Chappell, following months of negotiations. Bowie, whose immersive Bowie 75 museum you can now visit in London and New York City, released 26 studio albums across six different decades. Everything from The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars to Young Americans to Blackstar is included in the deal. Even the posthumous Toy, which will be released this Friday, is included.

Warner Chappell Music Co-Chair and CEO Guy Moot issued a statement on the significant purchase:

“All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history. These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever. Bowie’s vision and creative genius drove him to push the envelope, lyrically and musically — writing songs that challenged convention, changed the conversation, and have become part of the canon of global culture. His work spanned massive pop hits and experimental adventures that have inspired millions of fans and countless innovators, not only in music, but across all the arts, fashion, and media. We are looking forward to tending his unparalleled body of songs with passion and care as we strive to build on the legacy of this most extraordinary human being.”

Warner Chappell has been on an acquisition spree as of late, securing the publishing rights to the catalogues of Quincy Jones, Cardi B, George Michael, and others. But this one is a different kind of big and it likely indicates that unconventional experiences like Bowie 75 and other unearthed recordings (like on the Toy box set) will be on the horizon.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On Thursday, word broke of a rather surprising trade involving the Lakers and Cavaliers that would send Rajon Rondo to Cleveland, as the Cavs sought out a veteran point guard after Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury and Collin Sexton is likewise out for the year.

For the last four days the two sides have been working on the specifics of the deal, namely trying to find a third team that could take Denzel Valentine so the Lakers could open up a roster spot and avoid having to pay additional luxury tax. On Monday, they found that team in the form of the New York Knicks, who will send a pair of draft-rights to the Lakers and get $1.1 million for their troubles.

As Woj notes, this is about saving luxury tax for the Lakers as they’ll avoid having to pay to cut Valentine and create that extra roster spot, which would add $4 million to their tax bill, which is why they were happy to send $1.1 million to New York to do it instead. The Lakers will now be able to be players on the buyout market next month once the trade deadline passes, or be able to take in one more player than they send out in a trade should they find one before the deadline. The Cavs get point guard help, but it remains to be seen if Rondo has much left in the tank to help a team.

Britney Spears has made it clear that she has issues with members of her family over her conservatorship, and now she appears to have taken a step to distance herself from one family member: It is being reported that she recently unfollowed sister Jamie Lynn Spears on Instagram. The earliest mentions on Twitter of Spears unfollowing her sister seem to be from January 1, including a post from Pop Crave, although it’s not known when exactly Spears unfollowed Jamie Lynn.

The most recent archived version available of Spears’ Instagram page, from October 21, 2021, shows that Spears followed 47 accounts at the time. She currently follows 46 accounts, including those of fiancé Sam Asghari, Paris Hilton, G-Eazy, and other collaborators, personal connections, and recognizable figures.

Also on January 1, Jamie Lynn shared a gallery of photos from 2021 on Instagram and wrote, “Dear 2021, You tried your damnedest… bless your heart. Hoping 2022 brings nothing but healing, love, peace, and happiness to you all- wishing every a safe and Happy New Year.”

Meanwhile, Spears appeared to take a stab at Jamie Lynn in an October Instagram post. In what seemed to be a response to Jamie Lynn announcing the title of her book Things I Should Have Said, Spears wrote, “Psssssss also great news … I’m thinking of releasing a book next year [winking emoji] but I’m having issues coming up with a title so maybe my fans could help !!!! Option #1 … ‘Sh*t, I really don’t know’ Option #2 … ‘I really care what people think’ [laughing and shrugging emojis] !!!!” What do you guys think ????”