Wednesday night’s episode of WWE Total Divas on the E! network drew 563,000 viewers. This is down from last week’s 595,000 viewers. The show featured the first look at Paige and Alberto Del Rio’s relationship.
This week’s Total Divas ranked #26 on the Cable Top 150, a drop from the previous week’s show, which ranked #24.
Below is a look at the viewership breakdown for this season:
Episode 1: 632,000 viewers
Episode 2: 461,000 viewers
Episode 3: 595,000 viewers
Episode 4: 563,000 viewers
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John Pollock of The Fight Network reports that Fight Network parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment has had talks with TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett does not have a new role with TNA and he’s not serving in any kind of advisor role but they are having conversations, described as “background information” for Anthem as they prepare to oversee the revival of the TNA brand.
Jarrett left the company three years ago and remained an investor until last year, when he made his final TV appearance for the company and was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. Again, Jarrett does not have a role with the company right now.
PWInsider reports that the talks between TNA and Jarrett began on Monday, December 5th. Jarrett has been meeting and talking with Anthem’s Ed Nordholm, who is overseeing TNA’s day-to-day operations. The two reportedly went out of their way to meet in secret to have “exploratory discussions” and Jarrett has not been at TNA offices in Nashville. Nordholm wanted to meet with Jarrett to get some background on TNA and learn about different aspects of how the company operated over the various time periods.
Regarding Pollock reporting on Anthem’s dealings, PWInsider reports that he heard about the potential talks with Jarrett and went to Anthem with questions. Pollock is technically an Anthem employee and they could have tried getting the story shut down but they confirmed the story and allowed him to write it as he wanted, which says a lot about the company. Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.
WWE Considering Big Turn, Must See New Maryse & Noelle Foley, Triple H Ready to Push Former TNA Star on RAW, WrestleMania 33 Main Events, WWE Star Gets Backstage Heat, New GIFs & Galleries, More
– Below are the top 10 moments from this week’s WWE SmackDown in Detroit:
– WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo turned 47 years old on Wednesday.
– WWE NXT Superstar Kenneth Crawford is now using the name Montez Ford as he continues to team with Angelo Dawkins at live events. Below is a photo of the US Marine at a recent show:
@MontezFordWWE he’s not worried pic.twitter.com/SdvKX4z79C
— MaryAnn (@gravenbabies) December 17, 2016
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WWE Considering Big Turn, Must See New Maryse & Noelle Foley, Triple H Ready to Push Former TNA Star on RAW, WrestleMania 33 Main Events, WWE Star Gets Backstage Heat, New GIFs & Galleries, More
This week’s WWE SmackDown, the loaded final show of 2016 with John Cena’s return plus WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler in the main event, drew 2.885 million viewers. This is up from last week’s 2.637 million viewers.
SmackDown was #3 for the night on cable in viewership, behind college football on ESPN and Curse of Oak Island. SmackDown was #3 in the 18-49 demographic, behind college football and Curse of Oak Island.
In comparison, Monday’s RAW averaged 2.855 million viewers, down from last week’s 2.955 million viewers. It’s worth noting that SmackDown beat RAW in viewership this week.
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WWE Considering Big Turn, Must See New Maryse & Noelle Foley, Triple H Ready to Push Former TNA Star on RAW, WrestleMania 33 Main Events, WWE Star Gets Backstage Heat, New GIFs & Galleries, More
– Xavier Woods plays “Oh…Sir!: The Insult Simulator!” in this new video from his “UpUpDownDown” YouTube channel:
– Former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali will be returning to the United States for rare appearances this spring. Khali will appear at The Big Event convention on March 4th in Queens and will then wrestle for the SWS promotion that night in New Jersey. Khali has also been booked for Big Time Wrestling events on February 10th in Raleigh, NC and February 11th in Spartanburg, SC. He will be doing open challenges those nights.
– Seth Rollins wasn’t the only WWE star to comment on the big New Japan Pro Wrestling Wrestle Kingdom 11 event from this week as SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan wrote the following in response to headliner Kenny Omega:
Thank you everyone for your support and for watching #wk11 . It was the greatest stage for me to show my vision for pro-wrestling.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) January 5, 2017
Congratulations… Such an incredible accomplishment, and a true joy to watch https://t.co/SapEUtG7vQ
— Daniel Bryan (@WWEDanielBryan) January 5, 2017
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WWE Considering Big Turn, Must See New Maryse & Noelle Foley, Triple H Ready to Push Former TNA Star on RAW, WrestleMania 33 Main Events, WWE Star Gets Backstage Heat, New GIFs & Galleries, More
The dark segment after this week WWE RAW in Portland saw Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman make an appearance to issue an open challenge.
The challenge was answered by Big Show, who lost to Lesnar at Saturday’s WWE live event in Salt Lake City. Show entered the ring and went for a chokeslam but Lesnar hit him with a F5 instead. Lesnar then left with Heyman. The segment reportedly lasted under a minute, not including Heyman’s promo.
Heyman and Lesnar did not appear live on this week’s RAW. As noted, Bill Goldberg did appear on RAW to accept Lesnar’s challenge for WrestleMania 33.
Below are photos and a clip of the dark segment from RAW:
Lesnar is here !!!!! pic.twitter.com/geSu8tegXA
— Jay (@JasonAguilarWWE) February 7, 2017
@BustedOpenRadio dark match Brock vs Big Show pic.twitter.com/LDtMEwmt0n
— Mr Plow (@theMrPlow) February 7, 2017
@WrestleTalk_TV dark match after raw!!!! pic.twitter.com/YWwt5FWqDe
— Rosario (@glovesaveluongo) February 7, 2017
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WWE Considering Big Turn, Must See New Maryse & Noelle Foley, Triple H Ready to Push Former TNA Star on RAW, WrestleMania 33 Main Events, WWE Star Gets Backstage Heat, New GIFs & Galleries, More
Angela Merkel launched a spirited defence of Nato on Wednesday in what was widely seen as a public rebuke to France’s Emmanuel Macron.
The transatlantic alliance is more important to Europe’s security today than it was at the height of the stand-off with the Soviet Union, Mrs Merkel told the German parliament
“More even than during the Cold War, it is in our own best interests to maintain Nato,” she told MPs. “Europe cannot defend itself.”
Describing Nato as a “bulwark of freedom and peace,” Mrs Merkel said Germany is “particularly indebted to our American friends.”
Her comments were clearly aimed at Mr Macron, who claimed earlier this month that the alliance is “brain dead” and said Europe can no longer rely on the US for its defence.
They come after Mrs Merkel reportedly rowed with Mr Macron over his remarks and told him she was “tired of picking up the pieces” after him.
Mrs Merkel’s latest comments came in a budget debate in the German parliament. The chancellor traditionally defends her government’s record in the debate, but despite heading an increasingly fragile coalition, Mrs Merkel chose to devote the first half of her speech to Nato.
She pledged to increase German defence spending to 1.5 per cent of GDP by 2024 and to reach Nato’s target of 2 per cent by the 2030s.
Germany has come under intense US pressure to meet the target as part of Donald Trump’s drive to make Europe pay more towards the cost of its own defence.
Mrs Merkel's relations with France's Emmanuel Macron have been strained in recent monthsCredit:
Regis Duvignau/REUTERS
President Macron spoke out against the Trump administration’s attitude towards Nato in an interview with the Economist magazine earlier this month.
“We are currently experiencing the brain death of Nato,” Mr Macron said, arguing that Europe is “on the edge of a precipice” and needs to start thinking of itself as a geopolitical power.
Mrs Merkel was reportedly “furious” at the interview, and rowed with the French president over it on the sidelines of a dinner to mark the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall, according to an unconfirmed account in the New York Times.
“I understand your desire for disruptive politics, but I’m tired of picking up the pieces,” the newspaper claimed Mrs Merkel told Mr Macron. “Over and over, I have to glue together the cups you have broken so that we can then sit down and have a cup of tea together.”
It is no secret that Mrs Merkel does not share Mr Macron’s ambitions for a more federalist European Union, but relations between the two leaders have deteriorated in recent months.
When Mr Macron first became French president, much was made of his good relations with Mrs Merkel, and there were hopes the two could restore the Franco-German alliance at the heart of the EU.
But Mr Macron has reportedly grown impatient with Mrs Merkel blocking his initiatives for EU reform.
Mrs Merkel’s comments came as Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European Commission, also distanced herself from Mr Macron’s remarks on Wednesday.
Ms von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, said Nato would remain responsible for European security "without any question".
"The EU will never be a military alliance. The EU is completely different," she said, adding that the bloc’s strengths lie in trade, development and humanitarian assistance.
President TrumpDonald John TrumpMark Kelly clinches Democratic Senate nod in Arizona Trump camp considering White House South Lawn for convention speech: reports Longtime Rep. Lacy Clay defeated in Missouri Democratic primary MORE on Tuesday participated in a swearing-in ceremony for the U.S. military’s first African American service chief, Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, who will serve as Air Force chief of staff.
“You’re family is very proud of you,” Trump said in the Oval Office ceremony Tuesday afternoon alongside Brown and his family. The president complemented Brown’s career, adding, “And I’m very proud.”
Brown said he was honored to have the opportunity and expressed gratitude to administration officials, military leaders and his family.
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“It is a distinct honor for me to have this opportunity,” Brown said in brief remarks. “I feel very honored and blessed.”
Vice President Pence, who presided over Brown’s historic confirmation in June, administered the oath of office during the brief ceremony.
Brown will replace retiring Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, who, along with Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOvernight Defense: Marines find human remains after training accident | Fourth service member killed by COVID-19 | Pompeo huddles with Taliban negotiator Trump participates in swearing-in of first African American service chief Overnight Defense: Embattled Pentagon policy nominee withdraws, gets appointment to deputy policy job | Marines, sailor killed in California training accident identified | Governors call for extension of funding for Guard’s coronavirus response MORE, also participated in Tuesday’s ceremony. The Air Force is expected to have its own official ceremony to mark Brown’s swearing-in on Thursday.
Trump noted at one point that he moved the event – which the president was not originally expected to attend – to the West Wing. The ceremony was initially scheduled to take place in the vice president’s ceremonial office.
“I said this is the big leagues and we have to have you and your family over to celebrate,” Trump said.
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Brown was confirmed in a unanimous 98-0 vote by the Senate in June to become the next chief of staff of the Air Force. Brown is the first African American to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff since Colin PowellColin Luther PowellTrump participates in swearing-in of first African American service chief Sinking Trump seeks to squash GOP dissent Powell said he supports push to rename Army bases named after Confederate leaders MORE served as its chairman from 1989 to 1993.
Brown previously served as the commander of Pacific Air Forces, the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
The confirmation comes amid growing unrest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Finland is rolling back recommendations for returning to work as rising COVID-19 cases stoke concerns for health authorities.
“The rise in infections gives reason to consider continuing remote working …where it is possible,” Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen said on Twitter Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Pekonen said she submitted a request for guidelines on working from home to be updated, just days after the Scandinavian nation had dropped previous guidelines advising people to work from their homes.
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The reversal comes as health authorities announced 29 new cases in a span of 24 hours Wednesday, raising a seven-day total to 98, up from 52 last week.
Finland saw a peak of coronavirus cases in March and April, though the country was able to contain outbreaks by imposing restrictions such as canceling school and closing restaurants.
Since then, reports of cases in June and July have been relatively low but have led some residents to ignore social distancing rules as many partake in summer holiday activities.
As of Wednesday, Finland has reported a total of 7,512 cases, with 331 deaths related to the virus since the pandemic began earlier this year, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Thousands on non-U.S. residents who were in the country on temporary work visas have received $1,200 stimulus checks dispensed to them in error under the coronavirus relief CARES Act, NPR reported on Wednesday.
The mistake is apparently due to the fact that many of the foreign workers who annually come to the U.S. for low-wage seasonal jobs filed their tax forms incorrectly.
“I would say probably anywhere to a third to a half [of first-time foreign filers] are filing the wrong return,” Georgia attorney Clayton Cartwright told NPR, noting that errors are especially likely if workers use an online tax service such as TurboTax, which is intended only for U.S. residents.
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Cartwright, who specializes in immigration tax law, added: “I don’t know if the IRS would even be able to tell. I mean, they have no way of knowing. You don’t mark on your [Form 1040] tax return whether you’re a citizen.”
This is just the latest problem with the stimulus checks, which were meant to help offset the economic hardship created by the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly $1.4 billion worth of stimulus checks were also sent in error to dead people.
Under Congress’s plan, checks were only supposed to be sent to U.S. citizens and legal “resident aliens.” The term “resident alien” is technically a federal tax classification and refers to U.S. residents that either have a green card or have lived in the country a certain number of years.
The exact number of foreign workers who received a stimulus check is unknown, but one tax preparation firm told NPR that it had workers from 129 different countries who received money, including Brazil, Canada, China, India, Nigeria and South Korea.
Sprintax, a tax preparation company that specializes in nonresidents told the news outlet that it has done 5,000 amended returns for foreign workers who received stimulus checks in error, a huge increase from the 400 it filed last year.
In response, the federal government acknowledged the fact that some stimulus checks were sent to foreign workers and told NPR that the Treasury Department is “exploring possible options” to prevent the error from occurring again.
The Hill has reached out the Treasury Department for further comment.