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COLTS DUMP TWO PRO BOWLERS IN ONE AFTERNOON
Indianapolis dropped to 2-5, fired general manager Chris Ballard a week ago, and then spent Tuesday clearing out the building. Quenton Nelson, the No. 6 pick in 2018 and a Pro Bowler in all eight of his seasons, went to Seattle for a 2027 third-rounder and a 2028 fifth. A few hours later DeForest Buckner went back to San Francisco, the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2016, for a 2027 fourth. That is two franchise cornerstones for three picks, one of which does not exist for another year and a half. The Colts wanted the draft capital because they shipped their 2026 and 2027 first-rounders to the Jets last November for Sauce Gardner. They emptied the cupboard, then sold the furniture to refill it. Both guys were on expiring deals and neither had been shy about his mood after the recent losses. Seattle, the defending champs, took on the remaining $9.777 million Nelson is owed. Buckner brings four sacks and 31 tackles in seven games to a 49ers pass rush that finished last in the league with 20 sacks a year ago. Next up is running back Jonathan Taylor, who signed a two-year, $44 million extension in August and is now the most discussed man in Indiana. The deadline is Nov. 10.
Sources (3)
- nbcsports.com - With two trades in one day, Colts are clearly open for business
- sports.yahoo.com - Colts trade Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to Seahawks, send DeForest Buckner to 49ers in reunion
- cbssports.com - DeForest Buckner trade grades: 49ers get reunion with three-time Pro Bowler, Colts work toward rebuild
MBAPPÉ LOSES AN ENTIRE COUNTRY'S TV SCHEDULE OVER ONE MEME
Kylian Mbappé sat down with Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni on a French show called The Bridge, got asked his favorite meme of himself, and answered honestly. It was the one where his face is pasted onto some guy he figured was "a Chinese dictator." The clip was reportedly filmed back in April. It hit social media on Monday. By Tuesday his Chinese business empire was ash. Dongpeng, the drink brand that ran AI-generated ads of him swigging it during the World Cup, terminated everything with immediate effect, citing zero tolerance for behavior that offends national sentiment. Mengniu, the country's biggest dairy, did the same. So did cheese maker Milkground. State broadcaster CMG suspended La Liga matches, every game Mbappé plays in, and every ad with his face, which in China means subway walls and elevator screens going dark at once. Then came the apology pileup. Mbappé called the comment ill-judged and said he has deep respect for the Chinese people. La Liga apologized to China on his behalf. The Chinese Football Association demanded Real Madrid apologize as a club. Global Times framed it as proof you don't get to profit from China while disrespecting it. American outlets framed it as a superstar bending the knee for sponsor money. Same statement, two countries reading it out loud in different tones. All of this landed the morning after he left the Ballon d'Or ceremony with nothing.
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NICKI MINAJ INTERVIEWS FOR PRESS SECRETARY
Sunday on Air Force One, White House communications director Steven Cheung pointed a camera at Nicki Minaj and ran a mock job interview, asking her about the economy, Trump's work ethic and polls he thinks are fake. She answered every question straight, in a business suit, doing a shockingly competent press secretary impression. Cheung posted the clip saying he may have found the new White House press secretary. The official White House account replied with the eyes emoji. Adviser Alex Bruesewitz asked the Barbz what they thought. Nobody offered anybody a job. The vacancy is real. Katie Zacharia was fired October 16 after five days at the podium, and the Minaj rumor started as an internet joke on October 19 that a lot of people did not read as a joke. Then came Port Huron, where Trump got to Minaj by way of retelling the time he complimented Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted's rear end. He informed the crowd he had seen "one hell of a beautiful a**," told Minaj to stand up, and said twice that it was hard to miss. She stood, spun, waved. Trump then said he hoped she wasn't insulted. One more wrinkle. Minaj said in a 2024 livestream she was not a U.S. citizen, said in January she was finalizing the paperwork, and has never confirmed she finished it. She spent Sunday telling Michigan how to vote on November 3.
JAY-Z SPENT SEVEN YEARS PICKING THE HALFTIME ACT AND FINALLY PICKED HIMSELF
Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced Monday night, during halftime of Cowboys-Eagles, that Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show on Feb. 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Roc Nation has advised on and helped produce the show since 2019, which means the search committee was one man, the finalist was that same man, and the interview went great. The funny part is how hard he fought it. In 2019 he said he told Goodell, "If this is about me performing at the Super Bowl, then we can just end this conversation now." He told the New York Times in 2020 that the league had earlier floated him headlining if he brought Rihanna and Kanye West along, and he passed on principle. Seven years of producer credits later, the moment feels right. Goodell, for his part, says that was always the ask, that his one request when the Roc Nation deal closed was that Jay-Z take the stage himself someday. Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber were reportedly in the mix, and TMZ had Harry Styles in the running. All three lost to the guy holding the pen. Apple Music broke the news with a black-and-white spot of Jay-Z in an empty stadium surrounded by actual goats, captioned "GOAT's out of the bag," because subtlety costs extra.
ISRAEL HELD AN ELECTION, AND NOBODY GOT TO 61
Israel voted Tuesday in its first national election since the October 7, 2023 attacks and produced a 120-seat Knesset where nobody can get to 61. The first exit polls put Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc near 50 and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot's at 52 or 53. Then the numbers moved overnight. Kan and Channel 13 updated to 51-51. Channel 12 flipped it to Netanyahu 52, opposition 49. Everybody still lost. Arab parties took 17 to 19 seats, the strongest showing they have ever posted, and both men spent the night promising not to govern with them. Netanyahu called them anti-Zionist and ruled out any deal. Eisenkot has all but ruled one out too. The kingmakers got rejected by both kings before the ballots were counted. Which channel you watched decided which country you lived in. The main networks had Likud at 24 or 25 in the first wave. Channel 14, the network that adores him, opened with a 60-seat right-wing bloc and Likud at 30. Same voters, two realities, one extremely supportive pollster. Netanyahu addressed supporters after 3 a.m. and said they must form a right-wing, national, strong government, an ambitious pitch while sitting nine or ten seats short. He stopped short of declaring outright victory. Eisenkot said the public voted for change and stopped short of it too. Official results are due by November 4.
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