There may be one more big gift this holiday season for a lucky winner (or several) as the Mega Millions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lottery">jackpot</a> reaches a record-high payout of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/money">$1.15 billion</a>. The next drawing is on Friday, December 27.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 a piece, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jackpot-mega-millions-lottery-3b010e2633d3231cca0d6b9d34ebe5b7">Associated Press</a>. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, the outlet noted. Tickets are available in 45 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states">states</a>, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The last Mega Millions jackpot win was back on September 10 when someone <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/lottery/2024/12/25/did-anyone-win-mega-millions/77205381007/">won $810 million</a> in Texas. The total jackpot has been growing ever since and has become one of the largest of all time. The Christmas Eve jackpot was worth $1 billion or an estimated $448.8 million lump-sum payment after taxes, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/lottery/2024/12/25/did-anyone-win-mega-millions/77205381007/">USA Today</a>.
No one won the jackpot on Christmas Eve, but four people from CA, MO, PA, and WY won $1 million in the Match 5 lottery that night.
As of now, the largest U.S. jackpots won are as follows:
<ol>
<li> $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket, from California)</li>
<li> $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket, from California)</li>
<li> $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket, from Florida)</li>
<li> $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)</li>
<li> $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)</li>
<li> $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)</li>
<li> $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)</li>
<li> $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024 (one ticket, Oregon)</li>
<li> $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024 (one ticket, from New Jersey)</li>
<li> $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

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Mega Millions Jackpot Soars Past $1 Billion For Friday’s Drawing

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A German-language daily newspaper that caught heat for publishing a birthday tribute to Clint Eastwood that included decades-old quotes has issued a statement after it was accused of being fake news. 
The controversy kicked off earlier this week when Eastwood, 95, referred to the article in Kurier as false. The actor released a statement to <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/06/clint-eastwood-assails-austrian-interview-in-austrian-kurier-entirely-phony-1236420771/">Deadline</a> to “set the record straight” and asserted that he “never gave an interview to an Austrian publication called Kurier, or any other writer in recent weeks, and that the interview is entirely phony.”
In the statement, the outlet noted that the writer they contracted for the piece, Elisabeth Sereda, used old quotes from Eastwood that created the perception that she had just interviewed the iconic film legend. In reality, Sereda used a mashup of quotes from Eastwood lifted from different interviews dating back to 1976.  
“There was no immediate reason to doubt that she had interviewed Eastwood,” a translated version of the Kurier statement <a href="https://kurier.at/kultur/medien/clint-eastwood-interview-hollywood-kurier-in-eigener-sache/403047088">said</a>. Outlet reps noted how Sereda had a long history of interviewing celebrities and was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The statement went on to note that Sereda had spoken to Eastwood 18 times during roundtable discussions and that none of the quotes were altered. However, the outlet admitted that framing the article as an interview rather than a tribute did mislead audiences. 
“Even though no quote is fabricated, the interviews are documented, and the allegation of falsification can be refuted, we will no longer work with the author in the future because transparency and our strict editorial standards are paramount to us,” the statement concluded.
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The outlet has since removed the interview from its website. 
Sereda defended her actions in a statement to <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/is-clint-eastwood-interview-real-old-quotes-1236417323/">Variety</a>, again claiming it was enough that only real quotes were used.
“Quotes from Mr. Eastwood cited in the story are culled from several of those 14 press conferences I attended and covered,” Sereda told the outlet.
The original birthday tribute, which appeared on Kurier, got the most attention for being critical of remakes and franchises. 
“I long for the good old days when screenwriters wrote movies like ‘Casablanca’ in small bungalows on the studio lot. When everyone had a new idea,” Eastwood is quoted as saying. “We live in an era of remakes and franchises. I’ve shot sequels three times, but I haven’t been interested in that for a long while. My philosophy is: do something new or stay at home.”
Variety noted that this particular quote might have come from the mid-1980s. 
Eastwood is also quoted as saying he didn’t plan on retiring “for a long time,” despite being five years shy of triple digits.
Eastwood has established a reputation in Hollywood as a conservative and supporter of GOP politicians, including presidential candidates Mitt Romney and the late John McCain. In 2012, he made an appearance at the Republican National Convention, where he made headlines for addressing an empty chair that represented then-President Barack Obama.

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Clint Eastwood Calls Out ‘Entirely Phony’ Article About Him; Writer Responds

Journalist Megyn Kelly weighed in on former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announcing that she was leaving the Democratic party and becoming an independent.
“You&#8217;ve got to be kidding me. … What a lie. … She&#8217;s going to tell us what it&#8217;s like to be an independent?” Kelly said on Wednesday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.” She went on to explain her own history as an independent, describing Jean-Pierre’s abrupt rebranding as having the “stank of desperation,” considering how she worked for the Obama and Biden administrations. 
“She ran for the hills trying to pretend she knows what independence is,” Kelly added.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Karine Jean-Pierre Writes Book Rebranding Herself as &quot;Independent,&quot; w/ Halperin, Spicer, Turrentine" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rCDFQRVStFM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Kelly went on to speak on others who had been in the role and how Jean-Pierre compares.
“You have had press secretaries &#8230; Dana Perino, Kayleigh McEnany, Tony Snow back in the day &#8230; who are smart people. Who are not, really, let&#8217;s face it, utter morons who are just out there as mouthpiece,” Kelly said. 
She added, “Obviously. Karoline Leavitt … very smart person. But Karine Jean Pierre is not on the list. All right? Even Jen Psaki, she&#8217;s not a moron, but Karine Jean Pierre is a total moron. You only need to have watched her for two days to pick that up.” 
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“There is literally nobody in the country who wants to hear her political analysis on anything,” Kelly said. 
The journalist was reacting to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-press-sec-karine-jean-pierre-says-shes-leaving-democrats-selling-inside-look-at-broken-wh">news</a> of Jean-Pierre’s new memoir, “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.” 
“In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary to the Biden-Harris administration, shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents (sic),” the book description says. “Jean-Pierre didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent (sic) lightly. She has served two American presidents, Obama and Biden.” 
In the book, Jean-Pierre “urges Americans to think outside of the blue-and-red box as we consider what’s next to save our democracy,” per the description.
&nbsp;

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Megyn Kelly Reacts To Karine Jean-Pierre Abandoning Dems: ‘Ran For The Hills’

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer argued during closing statements at his retrial that his client was actually the victim.
The disgraced Hollywood executive, now a convicted sex predator, has been undergoing a new trial in Manhattan since late April. His attorney’s closing statements have been making headlines as he attempts to flip the script.
“They’re using their youth, their beauty, their charm, their charisma to get stuff from him,” defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of the three women who testified against him, per <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/us-news/closing-arguments-begin-in-harvey-weinsteins-manhattan-rape-trial/">the New York Post</a>.
“I know it’s going to sound crazy, but he’s the one who’s being abused. He’s the one who’s getting used,” he added.
Aidala went into detail about the Miramax co-founder’s romantic relationships with his accusers, saying the sex was both consensual and “transactional” because they all “wanted to cut the line” to getting famous.
He said the women were upset that their method didn’t work and they never achieved notability. “They’re mad. They’re mad to this day,” Aidala <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/harvey-weinstein-abused-defense-retrial-closing-argument-1236416728/">said</a>.
The attorney next referenced the prosecutor deciding on a retrial. “They needed to get the poster boy, the original sinner for the MeToo movement,” Aidala said. “They tried to do it five years ago, and there was a redo, and they’re trying to do it again.”
The defense attorney said the women’s claims were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He described his client as a “fat dude” incapable of participating in some of the sexual acts described by their testimonies.
“Some of these descriptions from these women sound like ‘Cirque du Soleil’!” Aidala said.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg denied these assertions, saying “it wasn’t about fooling around — it was rape.”
Weinstein is charged with two counts of committing a “criminal sexual act” and one count of third-degree rape by former production assistant Miriam Haley, former model Kaja Sokola, and former aspiring actor Jessica Mann. Weinstein pleaded “not guilty” to all charges.
Once a powerful figure in Hollywood, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York following his 2020 conviction on charges of rape and sexual assault. But in April 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned that conviction. The court ruled that testimony from three women should not have been included as their accounts were deemed unfairly prejudicial and most likely helped sway the jury.
Weinstein was also found guilty of rape in a Los Angeles court and sentenced to 16 years in prison for the crime.

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Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyers Argue ‘He’s The One Who’s Being Abused’ During Retrial

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday included testimony from a former hotel security guard claiming he was paid $100,000 to destroy footage of the rapper assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.
The footage went viral after being released by CNN in May 2024, a full year before Combs’ trial began. Eddie Garcia told the jury that he was approached by the rapper’s chief of staff, Kristina Khorrum, with an offer to exchange cash for destroying the video and all copies of it.
Garcia described an alleged phone call he had with Combs during which the rapper said he had “a little too much” to drink preceding the assault, saying “it could ruin him” if the video got out. “You know how it is with women,” Combs reportedly said.
The former security guard said it was promised that he would be taken care of, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/arts/music/sean-combs-diddy-trial-cassie-hotel.html">The New York Times</a>.
The witness said he turned down the rapper’s request at first, but eventually agreed. “He was excited, said ‘Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help. I knew you could do it,’” Garcia said of Combs.
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Garcia said he and his supervisor handed over the USB drive during a meeting at a high rise apartment building. &#8220;I was very nervous and my voice kept cracking,&#8221; the security guard said of the meeting. Garcia testified that he signed a non-disclosure agreement asserting that there were &#8220;no duplicates, backups, stored drives&#8221; containing the video and then was given $100,000 in cash in a paper bag.
The security guard said he was told “not to make any big purchases” because “it would draw attention.”
It’s not clear how the security footage wound up on CNN, as the outlet noted.
Ventura testified earlier during the trial, providing the jury with graphic details of alleged physical, sexual, and psychological abuse during her decade-long relationship with the Bad Boy Records founder. The defense claims that Combs had an unconventional sex life, but is not guilty of the criminal activities he’s been charged with.
Combs pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

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Diddy Trial: Security Guard Claims He Was Paid $100K To Destroy Hotel Assault Footage

The Kennedy Center has issued a response to the “fake news” article which was published in The Washington Post on Tuesday asserting that subscriptions dropped dramatically compared to the previous year.
“Your comparison isn’t accurate because of several factors,” the statement from Kim Cooper, Senior Vice President of Marketing, began. “We strategically launched later this year vs. last year. Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit homes.”
The statement goes on to explain how patrons often wait for the hard copy brochures to arrive before renewing.
“Also, earlier this year, and for the first time ever in Kennedy Center history, we launched a brand new option that lets subscribers mix and match genres within a single subscription,” Cooper continued. “It is a highly requested feature we’re proud to deliver as part of our commitment to giving people more choice and flexibility. It also expands our ability to reach new audiences.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here’s our response to the fake news: <a href="https://t.co/3DSfTByY9C">pic.twitter.com/3DSfTByY9C</a>
&mdash; The Kennedy Center (@kencen) <a href="https://twitter.com/kencen/status/1929951415058751786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
The statement teased upcoming announcements and new genres that will have a “strong appeal” to audiences of all ages.
This response came after the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/06/03/kennedy-center-subscription-sales-decline/">article</a> claimed subscriptions were down $1.6 million, or 36%, compared to the year before. The anonymous staffer blamed the drop on “mismanagement by the new leadership.”
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President Trump made waves earlier this year when he promised to reform the Kennedy Center, which began when he replaced its board and was elected chairman. Trump also tapped Special Envoy Richard Grenell to serve as the Center’s president.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote in February. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”
Ever since, the Center has been pivoting to family friendly content, which has been successful thus far. Most recently, they sold out two showings of the bible-based film “The King of Kings.” It fits in with the Center’s new leadership being focused on offering high-quality entertainment that’s free from radical progressive messaging.
And so far it’s been successful. The Center broke their all-time attendance record in March of this year when 11,000 visitors showed up to see the EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky fireworks show, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kennedy-center-breaks-all-time-attendance-record-after-lib-meltdown-over-trump?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Kennedy+Center+Breaks+All-Time+Attendance+Record+After+Lib+Meltdown+Over+Trump">reported</a>. A majority of those attending were visiting the venue for the first time ever.

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Kennedy Center Issues Response To ‘Fake News’ WaPo Report About Subscription Sales Falling

According to a Reuters <a href="https://archive.is/lUgfe">report</a>, Disney is preparing to conduct mass layoffs that will affect hundreds of employees across various departments, including film and TV, publicity, casting, development, and corporate finance.
Reps for the entertainment company have declined to comment, and no exact numbers have been released yet.
This is just the latest in a series of layoffs over recent years. Disney laid off nearly 200 television and ABC News operations employees earlier this year after cutting ABC News and local station staff in October. In September 2024, an additional 300 people were let go, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/disney-mass-layoffs-tv-film-finance-departments-1236415786/">Variety</a>.
Disney cut 7,000 jobs in 2023 alone as it tried to save $5.5 billion in costs, Reuters reported.
During layoffs in 2023, company CEO Bob Iger said, “There will no doubt be challenges ahead as we continue building the structures and functions that will enable us to be successful moving forward.”
“In tough moments, we must always do what is required to ensure Disney can continue delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and guests around the world, now, and long into the future,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-will-begin-mass-layoffs-this-week-ceo-announces">continued</a>.
Critics are quick to point out that Disney has had several big-budget flops recently, including the latest disaster, “Snow White.” The live-action remake is estimated to have cost the company approximately $115 million, based on a $410 million budget, including marketing, but it only earned a worldwide box office gross of $194.7 million. 
The film had multiple controversies, including a total change to the storyline and controversial statements made by Rachel Zegler, the actress playing the titular role. 
Many fans blame Disney’s downfall on increasingly leftist messaging, which Iger addressed during a shareholder meeting last April. When asked about Disney&#8217;s &#8220;wokeness,&#8221; the exec <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/disney-bob-iger-slams-ron-desantis-disney-florida-1235571743/">replied</a>, &#8220;I&#8217;m sensitive to that.&#8221;
&#8220;Our primary mission needs to be to entertain and then through our entertainment to continue to have a positive impact on the world. And I&#8217;m very serious about that. It should not be agenda-driven,&#8221; Iger added.

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Disney Layoffs Will Affect Hundreds Of Employees In TV, Film, Corporate Finance: Report

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​​Tinder is experiencing a dip in paying subscribers. In what appears to be an attempt to boost sales, especially among the female demographic, they are rolling out a new feature: a height filter. These already superficial apps have just become even more miserable.

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