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Covid-19: isolated and alone, Britain has become the sick man of Europe

The disasters of Trump, Brexit and coronavirus have been made all the worse by our weak and incompetent leaders


Britain is in a lonely place right now. It resembles the scene of a bad traffic accident where shocked passers-by look away with pity and horror in their eyes. Alarmed by what they see, governments around the world practise their own form of social distancing. Once again, Britain is the sick man of Europe.

Lethal mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is not the sole reason for this un-splendid isolation. The disease’s sudden onslaught is the third national disaster in almost as many years. The first was the decision to walk away from Europe. The second was the advent of Donald Trump and his anarchic America First agenda.

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Can I visit my family or parents for Mother's Day? Australia’s coronavirus lockdown rules and restrictions explained

Can you get takeaway coffee with a friend? What about visiting your family or parents for Mother’s Day? Laws to stop spread of Covid-19 seem to change daily and in some states carry a big fine. Untangle them with our guide

Australia is well into its second month of Covid-19 lockdowns and every state enforcing physical distancing laws slightly differently.

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A rise in retail sales is normally good news. But this is not normal and clearly not sustainable | Greg Jericho

A 24% jump in Australian supermarket sales in March was panic buying in a pandemic, and we all did it

When the monthly retail figures come out, no one generally cares too much about food retailing. It is the most boring of the retail categories and doesn’t really tell us much about how the economy is travelling.

While the amount we spend at restaurants and on household goods is a good indicator of how secure we feel about our income, the level we spend at grocery stores barely moves up or down – on average it shifts about half as much as the other categories.

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How we stay together: 'We’ve been quite heavy risk-takers in some ways'

Celia and Richard Craig moved to the other side of the world for each other – twice – and after 30 years have no plans to slow down

Names: Celia and Richard Craig
Years together: 30
Occupations: Musicians

When Celia Craig travelled to Australia in 1989, her plan was to call things off with Richard, the clarinetist she’d met while they were studying music at the University of York two years earlier. She was English, he was Australian and they’d been exchanging letters in the time they’d been apart – ostensibly just as friends but with “a lot of flirting going on”.

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Apropos of Nothing review – Woody Allen's times and misdemeanours

Dropped by the original publisher after a staff protest, the film-maker’s autobiography can be brutally honest but also a bore, and neither he nor Mia Farrow come out of it well

Though I see what he was getting at, I don’t quite agree with Hilaire Belloc, who once wrote that just as omelettes are either admirable or intolerable, and nothing in between, so it is with autobiography. Most memoirs, alas, struggle over the same things: fame, for instance, is often less interesting (or perhaps simply harder to describe) than the struggle to achieve it; the central irony of autobiography is that it’s far easier to be truthful about other people than it is to be honest about oneself. Such books tend, then, to be patchy: utterly delicious at times, but at other moments, stodgy and in need of seasoning.

If Woody Allen’s Apropos of Nothing was an omelette, you’d scoff down two-thirds of it pretty smartish, I think, after which – sated, to a degree – you’d mournfully scrape what remained on your plate into the bin. Later, you might be troubled by a hint of indigestion; even a little light queasiness. But in the morning, contemplating the Alka-Seltzer, I’m not sure you would be full of regret, let alone inclined to avoid omelettes for life. What I’m trying to say is that Allen’s autobiography is a mixed bag. If he can write (obviously, he can), and if he is, at points, surprisingly honest (eye-poppingly so, on occasion), then he can also be a bore and a self-deceiver. Of course, if you’re one of those who, disgusted by what you regard as his moral failings, has vowed never to watch Annie Hall or Manhattan again, then you’re unlikely to want to embark on Apropos of Nothing in the first place – and fair enough, that’s up to you. But I’m not in that camp. Nor can I comment on Allen’s alleged abuse of his adoptive daughter, Dylan, a crime of which he was first accused in 1992 (two police investigations into this have come to nothing). What I will say, however, is that I regard it as both disgraceful and alarming that Hachette, his original publisher, gutlessly dropped his book following a walkout by some of its staff – and that though I was sometimes repulsed by it myself, I was also fascinated, even entertained. So, shoot me. Again, that’s your choice.

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The ultimate quiz from this week in sports history | Jonathan Howcroft

There might not have been any live sport to enjoy over the past week but it was a memorable one in history. See how much you can recall from the week ending 10 May

Forerunner of the modern AFL, the VFL hosted its first round of matches on 8 May 1897, but who took home the competition’s inaugural premiership?

Melbourne

Geelong

Collingwood

Essendon

Perhaps the greatest ODI batsman in history was born on 8 May 1970, but which of these statements about Michael Bevan is true?

First Canberra-born cricketer to represent Australia

First man to play 300 ODIs

First man to retire with an ODI average above 60

A man who took his nickname “The Finisher” to such extremes he was always the first to clear his plate during team meals

Wally Lewis claimed his final State of Origin man of the match award on 8 May 1991, but on how many occasions was the Emperor of Lang Park considered best afield in his 31 Origin appearances?

31

20

12

8

The tennis circuit should be in the middle of the European clay season right now, counting down to Roland Garros and Ash Barty’s defence of the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. But can you remember who the Queenslander beat in last year’s French Open final?

Simona Halep

Naomi Osaka

Markéta Vondroušová

Amanda Anisimova

Mark Williams won his third world snooker title on 7 May 2018, 15 years after his second, but during his celebrations, how did he honour a bet he had made at the beginning of the tournament?

By appearing at his post-win press conference nude

By taking a midnight dip in the nearby River Don

By reciting Hamlet’s soliloquy in the middle of one of England’s most important regional theatres

By retiring

Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City have only met once in an A-League finals contest, and it happened on 8 May 2015 with Victory romping home 3-0. What was the official attendance that night?

60,873

50,873

40,873

30,873

Australian boxing great Lionel Rose died on 8 May 2011, but at what weight did he hold the lineal world title?

Flyweight

Bantamweight

Featherweight

Lightweight

Leicester City lifted the Premier League trophy on 7 May 2016, becoming the unlikeliest champions in the competition’s history. The presentation ceremony featured a spine-tingling rendition of Nessun Dorma from which tenor?

Andrea Bocelli

Placido Domingo

Luciano Pavarotti

Bryn Terfel

The Super Netball season was supposed to get underway last weekend with which side defending their premiership?

NSW Swifts

Sunshine Coast Lightning

Melbourne Vixens

Collingwood Magpies

Andrew McLeod made the first of his 340 AFL appearances for Adelaide on 5 May 1995, but who traded the dual Norm Smith medallist a few months earlier, without him ever pulling on that club’s guernsey?

Brisbane

Port Adelaide

Fremantle

West Coast

With just three seconds remaining in the deciding fifth game of the first round of the 1989 NBA playoffs Michael Jordan nailed “The Shot”. But who did the Chicago Bulls eliminate in such dramatic fashion on 7 May 31 years ago?

Boston Celtics

New York Knicks

Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Australia began their campaign to secure a maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on 6 May 2010 with a group match against England. Both teams finished 104 all out, and both ended the super over six for two. How was the result decided?

Coin toss

Fewest extras

Most sixes

Points shared

The eyes of the football world were trained on Milan on 6 May 1970 to witness which Dutch side become the first to lift the European Cup?

Ajax

Feyenoord

PSV Eindhoven

FC Twente

The magical four-minute barrier for the mile was broken by Roger Bannister on 6 May 1954 in Oxford, but whose record did he overhaul to set the new mark?

John Landy

Herb Elliott

Peter Snell

Gunder Hägg

Dan Christian was born on 4 May 1983. A successful all-rounder at first-class and 50-over level, Christian has made the T20 franchise circuit his own. How many professional teams (states, counties and franchises) has he represented during his career?

17

12

8

5

13 and above.

Congratulations. Top of the class

10 and above.

You've been immersed in nostalgic re-runs, haven't you?

7 and above.

No disgrace in being average

4 and above.

Plenty of room for improvement

0 and above.

Perhaps use isolation to read up on some history?

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Grinding away: 11 ways to reuse leftover coffee grounds

If you’ve been making more coffee at home lately, there are plenty of uses for your daily brew’s remnants – from composting to cleaning

Coffee is good for more than just waking you up in the morning. Before you toss used grounds, consider putting them to use in the garden, around the house, or in bath and body products.

Repel garden pests
Sprinkle grounds liberally around your plants, or the perimeter of your garden, to deter pests such as ants, slugs, and snails.

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Kylie Moore-Gilbert feels abandoned by Australia, sources in Iranian prison say

Academic has reportedly told other prisoners she is outraged at the government’s handling of her imprisonment

British-Australian woman Kylie Moore-Gilbert is despairing at her isolation inside Tehran’s Evin prison, believing she has been abandoned to her decade-long sentence, according to sources within the prison.

Political prisoner Moore-Gilbert, who has spent more than 600 days inside the notorious Ward 2A of Tehran’s Evin prison, much of it in solitary confinement, was convicted in a secret trial and sentenced to 10 years prison on charges of espionage.

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Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad resigns ministerial duties amid integrity probe

Health minister Steven Miles has been appointed deputy premier, while Cameron Dick will take on the role as treasurer

Jackie Trad has resigned from the Queensland government cabinet after standing down on Saturday following a second probe into her integrity.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement on Sunday, following the news the Crime and Corruption Commission was investigating Trad for the second time in 12 months.

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Factional flareup: can Gladys Berejiklian keep her unruly ministers focused on the main game?

The NSW premier is trying to project a sense of order during Covid-19 but the men in her team are indulging in a kind of sabotage

Since well before Christmas the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has been dealing with crises: first the drought, then bushfires that ravaged her state, then the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected everyone.

Every morning at 8am Berejiklian fronts the media for her Covid-19 briefing, trying to project a sense of calm, order and empathy, urging the people of NSW to stick with the restrictions.

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Global report: Anthony Fauci and two other White House Covid-19 taskforce members to self-quarantine

Fauci and heads of CDC and FDA potentially exposed to coronavirus; Boris Johnson to announce UK lockdown changes

Three members of the White House coronavirus taskforce have placed themselves in self-quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. It comes as the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, prepares to unveil his “roadmap” to a new normality in a national broadcast and global infections pass four million.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, are all expected to work remotely due to potential exposure to Covid-19.

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Coronavirus Australia updates live: anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne as NSW and WA set to ease Covid-19 restrictions – latest news

Cafes and restaurants will reopen for limited numbers of people as part of a relaxation of Covid-19 rules in both states. Follow all the latest news, live

We will leave our live Australian coverage there for the day. You can follow our rolling global coverage here or read a summary here.

Here’s how things stand in Australia:

South Australia has established a rapid response team to deal with any coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes.

Twenty-seven of the 97 people to die in Australia after testing positive to Covid-19, died in nursing homes.

The dedicated SA Pathology team has been assembled to provide greater protection for some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

If an outbreak occurs, the team will immediately test everyone in the facility, helping to quickly identify cases, limit the spread and protect both residents and staff.

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Fish and chips #StillopeninOxfordshire

OFF The Hook fish and chip shop in Long Hanborough has been serving tasty takeaways to residents during lockdown.




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Claire Hughes of Didcot is completing a bucket list in memory of her sister

IN 1993, 12-year-old Zoe Hitchman passed away after falling ill with meningitis.




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Inquests into six Oxfordshire deaths to be heard at coroners court

THE INQUESTS into the deaths of six people who died in Oxfordshire will be heard at court this week.




in

How Andre Harrell Introduced Halle Berry To The World



She was just one of many celebrities put on by Harrell.




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Ms. Juicy Posts Emotional Tribute To Miss Minnie



They had a complicated relationship.





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Twitter reacts to new 'stay alert' slogan as Government criticised for ditching 'stay at home' message

The Government's new "stay alert" slogan for the next stage of the UK's fight against coronavirus has divided opinion.




in

Andy Serkis says 'The Batman' is going to be the darkest incarnation yet

Andy Serkis says the upcoming Batman film will be darker and broodier than the previous cinematic incarnations.




in

Robert Downey Jr helped convince a ‘scared’ Mark Ruffalo to join the MCU

Mark Ruffalo was “scared” when the Marvel Cinematic Universe approached him about portraying the Hulk in 2012’s The Avengers. 




in

Author Alison Roman Apologizes to Chrissy Teigen After Receiving Major Backlash

Cookbook author and New York Times cooking columnist Alison Roman has publicly apologized to Chrissy Teigen after receiving backlash for comments she made about her fellow culinary...




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Demi Lovato Says She's "Really Happy" With Max Ehrich After Sharing PDA Clip From "Stuck with U" Video

Demi Lovato says she's really happy with Max Ehrich after posting their swoon-worthy moment from the new Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber video, "Stuck with U," directly to her own...




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Why Emma Stone's Fans Are Convinced She's Already Married to Dave McCary

Wedding bells?! Here's a new celebrity theory making the internet rounds: fans are convinced that Emma Stone is already married to Saturday Night Live writer, Dave...




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Everything You Need to Turn Your Yard Into a Relaxing Beach Oasis

We love these products, and we hope you do too. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. If...




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Kim Kardashian Says Psalm West Makes "Everything Perfect" in Sweet Birthday Post

Kim Kardashian's baby boy turns one! The Keeping Up With the Kardashian star is celebrating Psalm West's first birthday. It's safe to assume her and Kanye West's little...




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Andy Cohen Says His Son Benjamin and Anderson Cooper's Son Wyatt Will Be 'Best Friends'

A lifelong friendship awaits Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper's sons. The 51-year-old TV host took some time while in quarantine to answer a few fan questions on his Instagram Story on...




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Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson Are Officially ''Moving On'' Following Their Recent Split

Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne don't seem to have plans for reconciliation. After almost two years since the two began dating and one year since they went public with their...




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Katy Perry Gets Real About Crying When ''Doing Simple Tasks'' During Pregnancy

Katy Perry is getting real about her hormonal changes and mood swings during pregnancy. On Saturday, during the SHEIN Together livestream event--a virtual festival led by the clothing...




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Netflix's Too Hot to Handle Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey Get Engaged During Zoom Reunion

Nothing is stopping these two lovebirds. The infamous Too Hot to Handle couple Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago are officially engaged. During a recent Zoom reunion of the...




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These are the top travel trends for 2021, according to experts

From being more conscious about travel to an uptick in staycations, Laura Hampson chats to leading travel experts about their predictions for 2021




in

Trump administration announces plan for distributing remdesivir after chaotic rollout

HHS will ship 14,400 vials of the drug to state health departments, putting the onus on them to decide which hospitals get some of the country's limited supply.




in

Three top U.S. health chiefs enter self-quarantines

All three officials serve on the White House coronavirus task force.




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Covid-19 coronavirus: Reopenings bring new cases in South Korea, virus fears in Italy

South Korea's capital closed down more than 2100 bars and other nightspots on Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried...




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How plot to overthrow Venezuelan regime lacked everything - except 'cojones'

Ever since he fled Venezuela last year, opposition senator Hernan Aleman has dreamed of toppling President Nicolas Maduro.But, like many of the exiles now holed up in next-door Colombia, he knew that those who talked of doing it...




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Driver tries to throw $50,000 worth of cocaine from van window, forgets to open it

A driver tried to throw NZ$50,000 worth of cocaine out of his van while police were chasing him but ended up with cocaine all over the inside of the vehicle after forgetting to actually open the window.A photo of the man's expensive...




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Ahmaud Arbery shooting: US man's death raises echoes of racial terror legacy

Many people saw more than the last moments of Ahmaud Arbery's life when a video emerged this week of white men armed with guns confronting the black man, a struggle with punches thrown, three shots fired and Arbery collapsing dead.The...




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Covid 19 coronavirus: Dramatic arrest of a mother protesting in Sydney shocks bystanders

Dramatic footage has surfaced of a woman being pulled away from her screaming son by a number of police officers while protesting during the coronavirus pandemic.Two clips shared to Facebook depict the woman speaking with police...




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Nottinghamshire Police: Cops catch suspect after fart blows cover

UK cops caught a suspect this week after an ill-timed fart revealed his hiding place.The bizarre arrest happened on Thursday in Harworth in England's East Midlands as Nottinghamshire Police went to an address on Brookside Walk with...




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Coronavirus in Sweden: What life is like in a country without lockdown laws

Unlike most images of public spaces around Australia and the rest of the world, life in Sweden paints a much different picture.In lieu of a strict, national lockdown, the Scandinavian country has asked its citizens to self-police...




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Covid 19 coronavirus: Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police in Melbourne

Dozens of anti-lockdown protesters swarmed the steps of Victoria's Parliament House today with several people being arrested.More than 200 people flouted social distancing restrictions to furiously demand an end to the coronavirus...




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Televangelist Jim Bakker Has Stroke, Taking Sabbatical From His TV Show

Televangelist Jim Bakker recently suffered a stroke, according to a Facebook post Friday by his wife, Lori. As a result, the 80-year-old preacher will be taking what’s described as a “sabbatical” from his television show. “For many years now, Jim has been working non-stop, working hard to bring incredible prophets and guests to our show, […]




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Coronavirus In L.A. County: 44 More Deaths And 1,011 New Cases Confirmed

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 44 additional deaths related to COVID-19 and 1,011 new cases in the county on Saturday. These latest figures bring the coronavirus toll to 31,197 cases and 1,512 fatalities, according to the health department website. The numbers were released as hiking trails and parks reopened today, although […]




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Obama Calls Trump Administration’s Response To Coronavirus “An Absolute Chaotic Disaster”

Former President Barack Obama has sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, describing the administration’s response as “an absolute chaotic disaster” during a call with fellow Democrats, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News. The blistering comments came during a Friday call with the Obama Alumni Association, which is made up […]




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BET Mourns Death Of Andre Harrell As Production Of Network’s Uptown Records Mini Is Delayed By COVID-19

As the music world today is reeling from the news of Andre Harrell’s death at the age of 59, his colleagues and friends are celebrating the career of the Uptown Records founder. Harrell’s milestone career and personal story also are the subject of Uptown, a three-part original scripted miniseries, which was greenlighted by BET Networks […]




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‘Clarice’: Kal Penn Speaks Of “Thoughtful Thriller” CBS Series As He Joins ‘Silence Of the Lambs’ Sequel

When CBS Friday announced a series order for Silence of the Lambs sequel Clarice starring Rebecca Breeds, the announcement included three key new cast members whose deals had closed after the coronavirus pandemic suspended all pilot production in mid-March, Kal Penn, Nick Sandow and Michael Cudlitz. Designated Survivor and The Good Doctor alum Penn became available after NBC/Universal […]




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‘Saturday Night Live’ Opens With Alec Baldwin Making America Great Again By Drinking Bleach

Saturday Night Live kicked off its season 45 finale this weekend with a tip of the hat to the Class of 2020. The cast members appeared on-screen remotely in the cold open as graduating seniors, with Alec Baldwin joining them as President Donald Trump. Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, Baldwin offered a […]




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Leslie A. Pope Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Seabiscuit’ Set Decorator Was 65

Leslie A. Pope, a celebrated set decorator who received an Oscar nomination for the 2003 film Seabiscuit, has died. She was 65. Pope passed away on Wednesday at her home in Venice, according to an obituary in her hometown newspaper, the Bowling Green Daily News. She had been recovering from heart surgery in February. Pope […]




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Dr. Anthony Fauci Goes Into “Modified Quarantine”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and undisputed media star of the COVID-19 White House press briefings, is going into “modified quarantine” after making a “low risk” contact with an White House staffer who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The member of the White House’s coronavirus […]




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Tina Fey Returns To ‘Weekend Update’ As Martin Short, Josh Gad & Danny Trejo Join ‘SNL’ Season Finale

Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live to lament the quarantine and dream about Governor Cuomo’s alleged nipple ring. The SNL alum and 30 Rock creator joined Michael Che on her old post on Weekend Update, where she famously appeared alongside Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler between 2000 and 2006. She joked about Zoom backgrounds, […]