The Starting 5: Impeachment, Iran Nuclear Deal, NFL, Miss Universe And 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Returns
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At midnight last night, American Music Awards' Artist of the Decade Taylor Swift released an original holiday song which is sure to suck much of the nation's collective oxygen today. Swift reportedly wrote "Christmas Tree Farm" over the Thanksgiving weekend. The lyrics and accompanying music video, which uses home videos, will likely have thinkpieces flooding your feeds for days to come.
If you're not a Swiftie, here's what else you need to know today:
It's Time
President Donald Trump has until today to let the House know whether he'll send lawyers to participate in the chamber's impeachment hearings. This is the same president who complained Democrats were "not giving us lawyers, not giving us the right to speak" and then declined to have lawyers at Wednesday's hearing, so we're not making any predictions. The deadline comes a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she'd directed colleagues to draft articles of impeachment.
Looking for the most important Trump impeachment news in one place? Newsweek's daily blog will keep you in the know. Check out the latest coverage here.
Nuclear Option
The 2015 nuclear deal that Trump stepped away from still exists, and the remaining signatories would like to keep it that way. That's why they—officials from Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and the U.K.—are meeting in Vienna today to see how the deal can still be upheld. Since Trump walked away and reimposed economic sanctions, Tehran has tried to offset the impact of sanctions by increasing gas prices. This has led to the deadliest protests since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, with estimates of more than 200 deaths.
'Marvelous' News
Put the brisket in the oven, the next season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel drops today. The show, set in 1950s New York, is an awards darling and was the first show to get a two-season greenlight from Amazon Studios. Now on Season 3, Rachel Brosnahan's titular character will be hitting the road as she tours her comedy set around the country over 8 episodes. New cast members include This Is Us' Sterling K. Brown, which should require far fewer tissues than on the NBC drama. For fans of Midge Maisel, rest assured showrunners already have ideas for a fourth and fifth season.
Taking on The World
The not-at-all controversial Miss Universe pageant, which was previously owned by Donald Trump, will be judged this Sunday in Atlanta. All the glitz and glamor will be broadcast on FOX at 7 p.m. ET from Tyler Perry Studios, coincidentally the home of the last Democratic Debate. Steve Harvey will host the competition for the fifth time. Miss USA's chances look good to us, but oddsmakers are calling it for Miss Thailand.
Sweet Dreams
It's not playoff season yet, but Louisiana's football fans have double the reason to get excited. For the first time in the Super Bowl era, the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints are getting close to pulling off an extraordinary feat: the first college and professional NFL teams to win their titles in the same season. This weekend, LSU will play Georgia on Saturday, with the Saints facing off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. If both teams win, they'll both snag some of the top spots heading into playoffs.
