End of Mr. Brian Williams time on NBC, Peacock Network!

Today, Brian Williams made a huge announcement in his legendary broadcast journalist career. Brian announced that he is leaving MSNBC and NBC News after almost three decades at NBC, the Peacock Network. Williams spent twenty eight years at NBC, and his contract ends in December 2021. For the media world, Brian Williams overcame adversity in 2015 when he lost his NBC nightly news anchor job. Mr. Williams was suspended for six months by NBC News in 2015, and he lost his anchor position/job to Lester Holt. Lester took over for good in late 2015, as the new anchor for NBC Nightly News. Furthermore, Brian showed his resilience by embracing his role and long term job at MSNBC. Williams started by filling into the 11th hour tv show on MSNBC; like he was a regular that turned into a savvy veteran instantly. In the last five to six years, Williams did not lose a step in his academic journalism style at MSNBC; the cable political juggernaut. As Williams leaves MSNBC, he has assured viewers that 11th Hour will remain in good hands. Brian's impending departure comes after a period of executive turnover at NBC News. Executive turnover at most tv newschannels/networks is not unheard of. Next, will Brian Williams ride into the sunset to exit network journalism? Probably not as Williams stated that he wants to continue to work in broadcast media journalism. After some good downtime, Williams could resurface on another big network or in internet journalism. For a man that did not get a college degree, Williams has done many good things in life. Brian calls leaving college 'without a degree is one of his worst regrets.' While in college, Williams did intern in the President Jimmy Carter administration. Last, Mr. Williams did work at CBS for twelve years (1981-1993) before joining the NBC Press family. In 2004, Brian did take over the magnificent Tom Brokaw's job as the nightly NBC news anchor. Tom Brokaw is one of my favorite NBC reporters of all time. In 2022, Brian may spend his downtime with his daughter, Allison. She is an well known Hollywood actress, and she attended Yale University. If you have seen 'Get Out' movie in 2017, Allison was cast as the main female lead character of Rose Armitage. Back to Mr. Williams, he does have a wife and a son, Doug. In addition to his two grown children, Jane Stoddard is his wife of many years. Enjoy the picture above of the Williams family. Good night from the journalistic R$g. Au revoir mes amis!

Debt Ceiling defined and the current crisis explained

In six weeks, the Debt Ceiling extension may end. On October 12, 201; The House of Representatives approved an extension of the nation's debt limit through early December 2021. The United States debt ceiling is a legislative limit on the amount of national debt that can be incurred by the U.S. Treasury. The debt ceiling limits how much money the federal government may pay, on the debt they already borrowed. The Debt Ceiling was created in 1917, during the Woodrow Wilson presidency in the USA. Also, the debt ceiling acts as a limitation on the federal government's ability to finance government operations. Furthermore, today's blog story discusses the 2021 debt ceiling crisis and three other major debt ceiling crises [1995; 2011; and 2013]. In 1995, the debt ceiling increase led to debate in Congress on reduction of the size of the federal government that led to the non-passage of the federal budget. Unfortunately, the US federal government went through a shutdown from 1995 to 1996 that lasted 26 days. The debt ceiling was eventually increased which resolved the government shutdown. In 2011, Republicans in Congress used the debt ceiling as leverage for deficit reduction. From the debt ceiling debacle came an increase in the debt ceiling to $16.394 trillion. Next, the United States again reached the debt ceiling on December 31, 2012 and the US Treasury began taking extraordinary measures. The No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 suspended the debt ceiling from February 4, 2013 until May 19, 2013. The law placed temporary restrictions on Congressional salaries. The total crisis ended on October 17, 2013 with the passing of the Continuing Appropriations Act 2014. There was a continuing debate about the appropriate level of government spending, and the use of the debt ceiling in such negotiations. The US Treasury began taking extraordinary measures to enable payments, and stated that it would delay payments if funds could not be raised through emergency measures. In addition, the U.S. Treasury began taking "extraordinary measures" which were set to expire around October 18 as a result of the expiration of the suspension of the debt ceiling in July 2021. Under President Joe Biden, the debt ceiling crisis should be resolved by December 3. The current US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen states that it will be lawmakers' responsibility to raise the federal debt limit. She has expressed confidence that Congress would do so, after the temporary reprieve runs out on December 3. If the debt ceiling is not lifted, the US economy could go back into recession. This economic malaise would result in higher unemployment, and the US stock markets plunging. In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss the amount borrowed by the US government. That whopping figure is close to $28.5 trillion. If the U.S. government would not be able to meet its debt obligations, the country would go into default. This event has never happened in U.S. history. Ironically, The National Debt Clock billboard is displayed on a building in midtown Manhattan. This billboard in the picture above would have to devise a new way of displaying the national debt, if the USA goes into default. In closing, here are some major economic problems that would happen if the debt ceiling is not fixed. Social Security payments would not go out; and U.S. troops and federal civilian employees would not be paid. Veterans could see compensation or pension payments lapse. Plus, millions of Americans on food assistance would see benefits stop. In the end, the US government has to collaborate on a new solution for ending the Debt Ceiling Crisis. Good day!

James Bond is back and Daniel Craig is heading to Broadway

Originally, the last James Bond movie was going to be released in 2020. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the release date in the USA to October 8, 2021 for 'No Time To Die.' For Daniel Craig, it is his fifth and final Bond movie. The last Bond movie, 'Spectre;' was released in November 2015. Six years between the Bond movies is a long time, and the 25th Bond movie is an expensive movie. 'No Time To Die' has a budget of $250-$301 million; just like 'Spectre' did. In addition, 'Spectre' made $881 million worldwide at the box office. But, this Covid-19 pandemic has seen less people in the movie theaters. Luckily, James Bond has made $121 million already in the international box office. In today's box office world, the movie has to gross $400-$550 million to be a huge hit. 'Free Guy'; 'A Quiet Place Part II' and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' are the big three summer movies which made more than twice of the film budget in 2021. 'No Time To Die' and 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' could compete for top two movies, at the box office in October 2021. Next, Daniel Craig got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in October 2021. His star is the 2,704th on the Walk of Fame. According to NBC News, Craig's star is fittingly next to the late Roger Moore. Moore played James Bond in seven movies between 1973 and 1985. Craig played Bond first in 'Casino Royale' in 2006. In 2022, Daniel Craig will star in 'MacBeth' on Broadway. Back in November 2019, Daniel Craig starred in 'Knives Out' with an ensemble cast. Ana De Armas joined him in the movie, and she is joining him again in 'No Time to Die.' De Armas will be one of the Bond girls, along with Lea Seydoux. Seydoux will play the love interest of Bond, like she did in 'Spectre.' The main villain is Rami Malek, since Christoph Waltz is in jail in the new Bond flick. If you remember in 'Spectre'; Christoph Waltz played the main Blofeld villain. In contrast, Christoph Waltz has a smaller part in 'No Time To Die.' Malek plays the role of Lyutsifer Safin, a sinister supervillain. Naomie Harris is back as 'Eve MoneyPenny' in the latest Bond movie. She will play the familiar role for the third time. Ralph Fiennes will reprise his role of Gareth Mallory, for the third time as well. Gareth Mallory goes by 'M'; as his shorter nickname. In this penultimate paragraph, the character of 'Nomi' is discussed in detail. 'Nomi' is portrayed on the big screen by Lashana Lynch. She is the new female 007 in 'No Time To Die.' In one of the scenes, Lynch and Craig make snide remarks at each other. In another action scene, Lynch and Craig are in the same plane on a deadly mission. Finally, James Bond is back on the big screen for 163 minutes. Like 'Spectre'; this new Bond movie is another long movie. Enjoy the picture above of Daniel Craig sans his wife, Rachel Weisz. The married couple has a daughter together. Good Stuff!

RSG's preview for NBA 2021-2022 season

Two days ago, Ben Simmons announced that he will not play another game for the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons knows that he could be fined heavily, if he does not join the team for start of training camp and the preseason. Training camp is set to start on September 27; and the NBA preseason starts on October 3. As the NBA season gets underway in another three weeks, there may not be a single team for Simmons to join. Will the 76ers change Ben Simmons mind, when the season starts? Doc Rivers, the 76ers head coach; thinks he has a way of encouraging Ben to come back to Philly. In the Western Conference, the stars in LA could be aligned for the Lakers franchise to be the heavy favorite to advance to the NBA finals. The Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook, and Dwight Howard is coming back to the franchise. Carmelo Anthony; Trevor Ariza; Wayne Ellington; DeAndre Jordan; Kent Bazemore; and Rajon Rondo joined the team in the offseason also. Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn joined the Lakers, and they could be guards that come off the bench. Talen Horton-Tucker will join the team for another season, but the Lakers are being termed as 'LAARP.' The funny nickname is given to the team, as most of the players are 32 years old and aging. Back to the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn appears to be the favorite to make the NBA Finals. Kyrie Irving; James Harden; Kevin Durant; Joe Harris; and Blake Griffin should lead the team unless injuries run their season. Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets in a tight seven game series. Can the Bucks repeat as NBA Champions this year? Giannis; Khris Middleton; Jrue Holiday; and Brook Lopez will be ready for opening night as they get their 2020-21 nba championship rings. The Bucks play their first home game on October 19, against the Brooklyn Nets. In the last NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns were up two to zero against Milwaukee before the Bucks won the final four games. This year, the Suns will look to rebound from their NBA Finals loss to Milwaukee. Phoenix will bring back Chris Paul; Devin Booker; Deandre Ayton; and Jae Crowder among other familiar players. The Suns will play in Footprint Center, which is the new name of their familiar arena. The Suns organization did not make a splash on NBA draft night, but they signed JaVale McGee as a potential backup to DeAndre Ayton. McGee will enter his 14th season with his eighth different team, over his journeyman career. In this penultimate paragraph, all NBA teams are scheduled to play 82 games for the regular season. The Toronto Raptors played all of their home games in Florida last year. But, Scotiabank Arena will be home once again for the Raptors. LaMarcus Aldridge retired at the end of last season, but he has been cleared to play in the NBA again. He has rejoined the Brooklyn Nets this offseason. In closing, what other players will make an impact this year? The Golden State Warriors will depend on the Splash brothers duo to guide them back to the playoffs. Klay Thompson will be back with the squad, as he missed the last two years due to various injuries. Maybe, Ben Simmons will join the Warriors in a trade at the beginning of this NBA season. If that process happened, it may hinder the Warriors playoff chances.

OneRepublic; Drake; and Kanye West release new albums as Summer 2021 ends

In the past two weeks, OneRepublic released their new album titled 'Human.' Kanye West released his new album titled 'Donda'; on August 29. Kanye West's new album is #1 already. Drake released 'Certified LoverBoy' album on September 3. The album has twenty one great songs on it. Twenty-One Savage and other distinguished hip-hop artists are featured on Drake's new album. Going back to Kanye, he wants to change his name to Ye only. In the past six weeks, Kanye was living in Atlanta's Mercedes Benz stadium. Jay-Z and other cool hip-hop artists including the Weeknd are featured, on Kanye's new album. With his 10th chart-topping album, West once again ties Eminem for the most No. 1 debuts in a row. 'Donda' is at the top of the charts with 309,000 equivalent album units. West is one of only seven artists in chart history to release 10 chart-topping albums. Next, Drake's new album became a best-seller on Amazon. Certified LoverBoy became Spotify's most streamed album in a single day on September 3, 2021. Apple Music said Certified LoverBoy was the service's biggest ever album debut. Kawhi Leonard made a cool cameo in 'way 2 sexy' video; and the two time NBA world champion came through. Billboards across the U.S. appear to be teasing the names of Drake's features. Also, ESPN hinted at Drake's new album in a cryptic ad recently. In contrast, OneRepublic released their first new album, 'Human'; in five years. The album is a deluxe album, with sixteen tracks. Ryan Tedder is the lead singer of the group. He has written songs for Beyonce, U2, Paul McCartney, etc. Recently, Tedder sold his song catalogue for $276 million. KKR is Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and they are a huge US private equity firm that bought the song catalogue. In this penultimate paragraph, let's talk about the net worth of these huge mega-artists. Kanye West has a net worth of $1.8 billion. Drake has released numerous hit songs and launched several businesses that have earned him more than $430 million. Drake founded OVO, known as October's Very Own; which is his very successful record label. Ryan Tedder owns a slate of commercial real estate properties across the country alongside venture-capital investments, in companies like salad chain Sweetgreen and Masterclass-style content company Monthly.com. Since 2013, Drake is a global ambassador of the NBA's Toronto Raptors. In closing, see the picture above in Houston. The hometown hero is most likely Travis Scott, in reference of that massive billboard. Drake's cover of the album is meme inspiring, to say the least. Enjoy listening to all three new albums, as Summer 2021 comes to an end.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul starts her first day as New York Governor this week

On this Tuesday, Kathy Hochul starts her new role as Governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo resigned on August 10, as governor of New York over a myriad of sexual harassment allegations. The 63 year old Democrat denied his wrongdoings with diverse women, as there were a total of eleven women that had accused the governor of sexual harassment. New York’s attorney general, Letitia James; released the results of her investigation in early August 2021. With the resignation, Cuomo's political career is virtually over. Cuomo was also under fire over the discovery that his administration had concealed thousands of COVID-19 deaths, among nursing home patients. Next, Kathy Hochul will be the 57th governor of New York and the first female to hold the post. Cuomo had plans to run for reelection in 2022, and many politicians wanted him to be impeached. Many prominent politicians including President Biden had urged Cuomo to resign. Cuomo still faces the possibility of criminal charges, with a number of prosecutors around the state continuing to investigate him. At least one of his accusers has filed a criminal complaint. In contrast, Cuomo’s national popularity soared during the harrowing spring of 2020 when New York was the lethal epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak. In addition, Cuomo’s briefings won an international Emmy Award. He went on to write a book on leadership in the coronavirus crisis. But, Cuomo’s administration was fiercely criticized for forcing nursing homes to accept patients recovering from the virus. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths. Letitia James is looking into whether Cuomo broke the law in using members of his staff to help write and promote his book, from which he stood to make more than $5 million. Cuomo's book is titled American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Furthermore, Cuomo faced increasing criticism over his rough and sometimes vindictive treatment of fellow politicians and his own staff. Many former aides conveyed stories of a brutal work environment, to the press. New York has seen a string of high-level politicians brought down in disgrace in recent years. This list includes former Gov. Eliot Spitzer; Rep. Anthony Weiner; and former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Cuomo's last days in office are the end of the Cuomo dynasty, which started with Mario Cuomo. Mario was governor of NY from 1983 to 1994; and he was Andrew's father. In this penultimate paragraph, let's talk about Kathy Hochul. She will lead in a collaborative manner and build an agenda that reflects the needs of New Yorkers from the bottom up. She is prepared to step into the executive chamber in Albany, NY. Hochul has worked in government at every level. Yet, she has the unenviable job of restoring faith in the state government. She's an active and accountable leader who gets involved in every part of the state's actions. In closing, Hochul has demonstrated she is someone who leads with her values. See the picture above of the Cuomo brothers, Chris and Andrew. Chris Cuomo works as a CNN anchor. Here's to wishing the very best for Kathy Hochul, who will handle the staff crisis at the NY Health Department in one of her first important actions as NY Governor.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics end with US edging China, in total gold medals

Tonight, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics ended with the USA winning the total gold medals by one. China had 38 gold medals, and the USA had 39 gold medals. USA won the most medals with a total of 113. China had 88 total medals, which was 2nd. Throughout the Olympic games, China was leading in the race for the most gold medals. These Olympic games had its twists in various events. Furthermore, some of the twists involved the USA women's gymnastics team. Simone Biles won two medals (1 silver in the team event, 1 bronze in the balance beam event), and she survived a temporary loss of air balance awareness during different events. She went through the 'twisties;' which prompted her to withdraw partially from various events. Biles withdrawal led to other US gymnasts picking up the slack per se. Jade Carey won the gold medal for USA, in Women's floor-Artistic gymnastics. Mykayla Skinner won the silver medal for USA, in Women's vault-Artistic gymnastics. In other Olympic statistics, the women athletes of the USA won 60% of the total medals. Katie Ledecky won two gold medals, and two bronze medals in swimming for team USA. She has won ten total medals at three Olympic games (London, Rio De Janeiro, and Tokyo). US women's basketball team won their seventh consecutive gold medal. April Ross and Alix Klineman won their first gold medals in beach volleyball. In the picture above, Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad won gold and silver in the women's 400 meter hurdles. Next, US swimming won 30 total medals in Tokyo thanks to Caeleb Dressel; Ryan Murphy; and other familiar names in the pool. This number of medals is a major domination, as Dressel won five gold medals. Ryan Murphy won three medals: 1 bronze, 1 silver, and 1 gold. Yet, Murphy made some controversial comments by alluding that Russia was guilty of doping. Ryan stated that the 200 meters backstroke final was ‘probably not clean.’ Murphy earned a silver medal in that event, while Russia snagged the gold. In this penultimate paragraph, some countries like India did win that elusive gold medal. Neeraj Chopra won gold for India, in the men's javelin throw event. Chopra is a 23 year old track and field athlete, who hails from Panipat; Haryana; India. On another note, the US won twenty six medals in track and field. This number of medals was second only, to their haul of medals in the pool. Other big names in track and field were Athing Mu; Rai Benjamin; and Allyson Felix. In closing, Paris will host the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics. Brisbane will host the 2032 Olympics. Tonight's closing ceremony had an ending, that showed Japan passing the games to France for the summer of 2024. This summer's Olympic games will be remembered for Japan staging an event, with a global pandemic raging onwards in a depressing fashion. In 2024, hope the seats are filled with fans cheering for their home country. Sayonara from Tokyo, Japan.