Casey Concedes in PA & “Glicked” Hits Theatres | Afternoon Update | 11.22.24
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Attention growing businesses. Oracle is offering to cut your current cloud bill in half if you move to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for new U.S. customers with minimum financial commitment. Offer ends December 31st, 2024. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com slash morningwire. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, November 22nd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.

Judge Juan Merchan has postponed sentencing in Donald Trump's hush money case to allow more time to consider arguments for dismissal. Sentencing was set for November 26th, but Merchan set a new timeline requiring Trump's lawyers to file by December 2nd and prosecutors to respond by December 9th.

The case raises complex legal questions about presidential immunity following Trump's election win. Prosecutors say sentencing may need to wait until Trump leaves office, while his attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed entirely.

Two weeks after the election, Democrat Bob Casey finally conceded to Republican Dave McCormick in the Senate race in Pennsylvania. The Democrat senator's concession comes after his team tried to get illegal votes counted. Vote tallies showed McCormick winning by 17,000 votes, triggering a recount that began this week. With totals showing McCormick maintaining his commanding lead, Casey finally gave up the fight on Thursday.

I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. This race was one of the closest in our Commonwealth's history, decided by less than a quarter of a point. I'm grateful to the thousands of people who worked to make sure that every eligible vote cast could be counted. Target is reeling from its biggest earnings miss in two years, while Walmart continues to outpace it in sales growth.

Target blamed higher freight costs and weak demand for discretionary goods, but analysts point to a deeper issue. Walmart's strategy is resonating with more consumers. Walmart reported a 5% sales increase and leaner inventory, while Target's offerings of discretionary items left it overstocked and forced into heavy discounting.

Experts say Walmart is taking market share from Target, especially among its wealthier customers, as the retailer struggles to compete in a challenging economic environment. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash morningwire. That's shopify.com slash morningwire.

Delta Airlines will soon be serving up Shake Shack cheeseburgers. Starting December 1st, first-class passengers on long-haul flights out of Boston can pre-select the burger meal, which includes chips, a brownie, and a Caesar salad. Delta says the partnership highlights its people-first culture, while Shake Shack calls it an exciting way to meet customers wherever they are, in this case, 30,000 feet up.

Delta has plans to expand the Shake Shack's availability across more U.S. routes in 2025. And researchers from Johns Hopkins University have uncovered what could be the oldest alphabetic writing in history. Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has the details. The writing was etched onto small clay cylinders found in a Syrian tomb and dates back to around 2400 B.C.,

It predates known alphabets by 500 years and challenges long-held theories about the origins of writing systems. Archaeologist Glenn Schwartz, who led the excavation, says the discovery suggests early urban societies experimented with communication technologies far earlier and in unexpected regions. Schwartz will present his findings Thursday at the American Society of Overseas Research's annual meeting.

There's a box office battle brewing this weekend. Daily Wire cultural reporter Megan Basham breaks down the holiday showdown.

The holiday box office is heating up with two big films, Wicked and Gladiator 2, both open today. Universal's Wicked is projected to lead with a weekend debut between $100 million and $130 million, possibly breaking records for a Broadway adaptation. Meanwhile, Paramount's highly anticipated Gladiator 2 is aiming for a solid $65 million domestically. The sequel has already earned $87 million overseas.

Both films set the stage for a blockbuster Thanksgiving week. And as we approach Thanksgiving, Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice offers a feast of Thanksgiving facts. Pew Research spoke to nearly 10,000 Americans about their Thanksgiving plans. Here are the results. 91% plan to celebrate next week's holiday, 74% of whom will be sharing a meal with family and friends, while 26% will have a gathering of more than 10 people.

When it comes to dinnertime, geography plays a role. Southerners prefer an early afternoon spread, while folks in the Northeast wait until evening to eat. 65% of Americans pray or offer a blessing before the meal, and even more, 69%, talk about what they're grateful for before digging in. And while watching football or attending a parade is a classic pastime for some, 19% donate food and goods.

Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.