Mike’s Blog Round-up

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a political survivor. For more than 20 years, first as Turkey’s Prime Minister and then as its President, he has weaved his way through the kinds of crises that end the careers of even the most resourceful and resilient of leaders: runaway inflation, a spiraling currency, the arrival of millions of refugees, a devastating earthquake, corruption accusations, mass protests, international condemnation and pressure, and a 2016 coup attempt. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Erdoğan has always been a shrewd populist who understands the importance of cultivating both the right friends and the right enemies.

On a flight from Mexico City to London last month, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown tuned into a new docuseries, Game 7, which explores the tension surrounding decisive moments in sports. Brown felt like he could relate. Much like the 1994 New York Rangers, who led their Stanley Cup Finals series over the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 before losing two straight games to Vancouver to force a win-or-go-home Game 7, McLaren’s lead in the F1 constructors standings had just been narrowed, via a victory for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.

We all know where most turkeys end up on Thanksgiving. But for a lucky pair, a presidential pardon will save them from the table. The presidential turkey pardon is a wacky American tradition that some historians date back to President Harry Truman. The chairman of the National Turkey Federation, an organization that advocates on behalf of the turkey industry, gets the opportunity to oversee the presidential flock, and for current chair John Zimmerman, raising the birds is an “honor.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] And while they might not realize it, it’s an honor for the two lucky birds as well: “There’s some 40 million turkeys eaten on Thanksgiving,” says Zimmerman, a second-generation turkey farmer based in Northfield, Minn.

The CSU Rams’ conference championship hopes are no longer in their hands. With a chance to control their own destiny in the Mountain West Conference title race, the Rams fell flat in a trip to California’s Central Valley, losing 28-22 at Fresno State late Saturday night. CSU scored on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead but didn’t score again until after Fresno State built a 28-7 by the end of the first half.

After an NBA Cup loss in Denver, the Nuggets bounced back Saturday by dominating the second half en route to a 127-102 win over the Lakers to split their weekend back-to-back. Including playoff matchups, Denver (9-6) has won 13 of its last 14 games against the Lakers. The Nuggets will be back in action Monday at home against the Knicks. MPJ leads game-winning run in 3rd Trailing 63-57 at halftime, the Nuggets once again needed a jolt from their starting lineup.

BAKU, Azerbaijan — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the city where industry first tapped oil. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The $300 billion will go to developing countries who need the cash to wean themselves off the coal, oil and gas that causes the globe to overheat, adapt to future warming and pay for the damage caused by climate change’s extreme weather.