Biggest news you missed this weekend
Trump dismisses allegations of Russian election tampering
Donald Trump says it's "ridiculous" to believe Moscow helped him win the presidency and he rejects intelligence findings that Russia intervened in the U.S. election. "I think it's just another excuse," Trump told Fox News Sunday. "I don't believe it. ... Every week it's another excuse." Democrats and some Republicans have called for hearings and investigations into the CIA's conclusion that Russia authorized hacking and other tactics in order to help Trump and hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the campaign.
Turkey mourns after deadly blasts claimed by Kurdish rebels
Turkey declared a national day of mourning, launched a full investigation and paid tribute to the dead Sunday after two bombings in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium. The attack was claimed by a Turkey-based Kurdish militant group. In a statement posted on its website, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, said two of its members had sacrificed their lives in the Saturday night attack that targeted security forces outside a stadium shortly after the conclusion of a soccer match. Three people have been detained for social media posts related to bombings.
Louisville's Lamar Jackson wins Heisman Trophy
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson won the Heisman on Saturday night. Jackson had 51 total touchdowns this season with 3,390 passing yards and 1,840 rushing yards. As the first player from his school and the youngest player to take home the award, the 19-year-old was understandably overwhelmed when he stepped up to speak at the podium. The first thing he said was, “I’m sorry, ya’ll, this crazy right now for me, man. Oh snap. I’m shaking right now. Now I gotta get my speech out, I’m sorry.” Then, he thanked Jesus Christ before continuing. Jackson paused many times in between his words of thanks just to say “Oh snap” or “Oh my God” or “This crazy” or “Oh man,” and that’s what made his speech so great. It was raw and from the heart. Hear his inspiring words here.
Polar Vortex looms as snow roars across North
A winter storm's unrelenting march across the nation's northern tier brought snow to a handful of states Sunday and promised plunging temperatures that could drive frost as far south as Atlanta by week's end. "It may not set records, but it will be really, really cold," Bruce Sullivan, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center told Paste BN. "The thing is, it's not even winter yet." Parts of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin were among states blasted Sunday by a band dumping up to eight inches of snow more than a week before winter officially begins. A few areas, such as Granite Falls, Minn., are reaching double-digit accumulations.
Patti Smith forgets words then delivers at Bob Dylan-less Nobel ceremony
Sometimes a hard rain falls down even harder than expected. Singer-songwriter Patti Smith needed two attempts to get through Bob Dylan's 1963 classic A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm on Saturday. Smith faltered when she forgot the words in the second verse of one of Dylan's most famous songs filled with complicated lyrics. Smith composed herself and asked the orchestra to start over. "I apologize. I'm sorry, Could we start that? I'm so nervous," Smith said quietly, as the audience in Stockholm's Concert Hall clapped in support. The song is in the video below, at the 1 hour, 3 minute mark.
Bryan Cranston mocks Trump as 'Breaking Bad's Walter White on 'SNL'
Temporarily retiring her Hillary Clinton impression, Kate McKinnon played Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway, who appeared on CNN (in an Alec Baldwin-free cold open) to announce the president-elect's latest administration pick. Turns out, Trump chose Walter White to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, with Bryan Cranston making a surprise appearance to reprise his Breaking Bad character. "He came highly recommended by Steve Bannon," McKinnon's Conway says, referencing Trump's chief political strategist.