Senator Bob Menendez is set to announce his re-election bid on Monday, doubling down on his defense as fellow Democrats are calling on him to resign after he was charged with accepting bribes for favors.

The Democratic senator will hold a press conference in his home state of New Jersey, speaking publicly for the first time since he and his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez were indicted by a federal grand jury over corruption allegations in an investigation that focused on a luxury car, $400,000 in gold bars and cash, plus payments toward a home mortgage allegedly received by the couple.

Menendez, who is up for re-election in 2024, is expected to announce he will run for a fifth term. He will speak at 11:30 am at Hudson County Community College. Hudson County is where he got his start in politics, serving as mayor of Union City.

But support for the embattled Democrat is waning. More than two dozen Democrats in New Jersey have called on him to resign.

And, Rep. Andy Kim, who cleaned up the Capitol after the rioters left on Jan. 6, 2021, announced he’s running for Senate, setting up a tough primary challenge for Menendez. 

‘This is not something I expected to do, but I believe New Jersey deserves better,’ Kim said in a statement. ‘We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our country´s integrity. I believe it´s time we restore faith in our democracy, and that´s why I am stepping up and running for Senate.’ 

It is the second round of bribery charges for Menendez.  A 2015 case ended in mistrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts and a judge acquitted him on some charges.

But, in contrast to eight years ago, when many in the party stood by him, multiple Democrats – including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman – have called on Menendez to resign. 

‘The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state,’ Murphy said. As governor, he would appoint a senator to replace Menendez should he resign.

Notably, New Jersey’s other Democratic Senator, Cory Booker, has been silent on Menendez. 

Menendez himself has remained defiant – although he has stepped down from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez called the investigation ‘an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.’

‘The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent,’ Menendez said. ‘They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.’

He also claimed he is being ‘falsely accused’ because he is a ‘Latin American’ who rose from a humble childhood to the United States Senate.

‘Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first generation Latin American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. senator,’ he said. 

Republicans see an opening to win a Senate seat if Menendez stays on the ballot.

But former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ruled out a run, sticking with his campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee.

‘I have no interest in being in the United States Senate,’ Christie told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker in a Sunday morning interview.

The 27-page indictment, unsealed on Friday, claims that Bob and Nadine Menendezt had an improper relationship with three New Jersey businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who allegedly paid the couple in exchange for Menendez to use his influence in Washington D.C. to their benefit.

The couple face three criminal counts each: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The three businessmen face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud

The indictment also charges the senator with providing ‘sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt.’ 

David Schertler, a lawyer for Nadine Menendez, said she ‘denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court.’ 

The indictment outlines a series of texts, payments and actions the couple allegedly took to help the three businessmen, actions from which they financially benefited.

The probe listed several ‘bribes’ paid to them. ‘Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,’ the indictment said.

A June 2022 raid on their New Jersey home found ‘over $480,000 in cash – much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,’ the indictment notes, adding Nadine had over $70,000 in a safe deposit box. 

It also found two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars.

The indictment alleges that Menendez tried to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes in exchange for the money and other items of value. Daibes is an old friend of Menendez, has fundraised for his Senate campaign, and allegedly has ties to the Genovese mob family.

The indictment charges Menendez ‘promised to and did use his influence and power’ to pressure President Joe Biden to nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who Menendez ‘believed could be influenced by Menendez with respect to the federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes.’

Menendez recommended and Biden later nominated Phillip Sellinger as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in the state. 

Daibes has been under investigation before. New Jersey authorities have tracked high-ranking mobsters meeting with Daibes repeatedly over the last decade, the Daily Beast reported. 

Daibes provided the couple with gold bars and envelopes of cash, the indictment states. 

‘Multiple gold bars provided by Daibes were found during the court-authorized June 2022 search; of the couple’s home, the indictment states. It also says the senator performed a web search for ‘how much is one kilo of gold worth’ and that the envelopes of cash had the fingerprints of Daibes and his driver. 

The investigation also focused on 40-year-old New Jersey businessman, Wael Hana, who has known Nadine since before she started dating Menendez.

Hana, who is originally from Egypt, operated the company IS EG Halal in New Jersey and it soon became the sole entity authorized to certify that any halal food product imported into Egypt from anywhere in the world had been prepared according to Islamic law. 

According to the indictment, Menendez ‘improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt and used in part to fund the bribes being paid to Menendez through Nadine Menendez.’ 

The designation of IS EG Halal surprised U.S. agriculture officials. Previously, several other companies had been doing that certification, but they were dismissed by Egyptian agriculture officials in favor of IS EG Halal, which had no previous experience in the field.

The indictment charges Menendez with using the power of his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to influence the State Department regarding policy in Egypt and with sending Nadine ‘highly sensitive’ about Egypt that he got in Senate briefings that she, in turn, gave to Hana.

As a senator, Menendez could put a ‘hold’ on State Department funding to the country. 

In a text to his wife, Menendez tells her: ‘I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today. Egypt: 46,000 120MM Target Practice Rounds and 10,000 Rounds Tank Ammunition: $99 million.’

Nadine then forwarded it to an Egyptian official who replies with the thumbs up emoji.

Glastonbury announce the date that tickets will go on sale for next year’s festival – here’s everything you need to know

By Kirsten Murray For Mailonline

Published: 15:02 EDT, 22 September 2023 | Updated: 15:03 EDT, 22 September 2023

Ethnicity Awards is returning and scheduled to take place in London on November 2.

And MailOnline can exclusively reveal that TV presenter and comedian Judi Love will return again this year to host the awards.

The Loose Women star successfully hosted the 2022 awards after following in the footsteps of former celebrity hosts such as Alex Scott, Marvin Humes and Charlene White to lead prize-giving duties at the red-carpet extravaganza.

The Ethnicity Awards is the biggest Black, Asian and minority red carpet ceremony in Britain and is held in partnership with HSBC, celebrating the leading activists, allies and celebrities in the UK and globally. 

Nominees this year include Lewis Hamilton, Rochelle Humes, Gok Wan and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Speaking about her return to host to the event Judi said: ‘I am so excited to return to host the 2023 Ethnicity Awards. 

‘The event last year was amazing, and it is so inspiring to see the talent in the room and the real change people are making.

‘The Ethnicity Awards celebrates the role models and those advancing opportunities for underrepresented people across the world.

‘I am honoured to be part of the occasion again and can’t wait to see all the winners!’

Judi is loved by the nation for her honest opinions and hilarious anecdotes and the founder of the awards Sarah Garrett, MBE, expressed their happiness that Judi was back for another year.

She said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to confirm Judi Love will return to host the Ethnicity Awards 2023.

‘Judi contributed to a memorable evening 12 months ago and everyone associated with the awards is delighted she is back.

‘As ever, the Ethnicity Awards shine a light on those standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

‘Judi brings an incredible level of poise, entertainment and humour to one of the most important dates in the calendar.’

It is set to be an incredible evening with Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton nominated for his unparalleled career in the sport and his unwavering support to charity. 

The star, who spoke out earlier this year about the ‘traumatising’ racism he suffered in school from the age of six, donated an estimated more than £20 million to charitable causes in 2022.

Pop star turned TV presenter Rochelle Humes is also tipped to win big as is legendary broadcaster and fashion guru Gok, who away from the media spotlight has championed causes to promote equality, partially for LGBT+ people from minority communities.

Meanwhile 2023 British Eurovision star Mae Muller has been shortlisted in the Music Artist category. 

The singer has previously responded to anti-semitism in the music industry, posting to Instagram: ‘To all my Jewish friends and followers, I love you. There is no place for antisemitism in this world. I’m very proud of my Jewish roots and so should you [be].’

Ethnicity Awards partner HSBC added: ‘HSBC UK is incredibly proud to be a long-time partner of the Investing in Ethnicity Awards, recognising people and organisations making a positive impact on diversity, equity and inclusion across the UK.

‘Within our own organisation, we continue to take action to increase representation, remove barriers and help open up opportunities for all our colleagues, our customers and the communities we serve.

‘Congratulations and good luck to all the incredible role models and change makers nominated this year.’

Previous Ethnicity Award winners include Marcus Rashford, Naomi Campbell, Sadiq Khan and Jade Thirlwall.

Chip and Joanna Gaines announce they are developing a roller-dancing competition series for Max that will debut on the streamer in early 2024

By Amy Lamare For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 18:42 EDT, 23 August 2023

Donald Trump could announce his candidacy for the 2024 election as early as this month, it’s claimed, with the former president reportedly jealous of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and keen to distract from ongoing Capitol riot hearings.  

Most candidates for presidential elections announce their run the year before, so as to minimize the time on the campaign trail, where they’ll likely face scandals and embarrassing skeletons in their closets.

But Trump, 74, is agitating to declare his intentions much sooner, according to the New York Times. 

On Friday The New York Times reported that the former president has surprised some of his advisers by saying he may declare his intentions on social media, without even informing them in advance.

Trump remains banned from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and would have to make the announcement on his much smaller network, TruthSocial. 

He is said to be aggrieved by increasing attention and compliments heaped on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Many Republicans believe DeSantis pushes the same policies that made Trump very popular – but without the divisive and unpredictable personality.  

Aides, the paper said, are scrambling to build a campaign infrastructure in time for an announcement that could come this month. 

‘Every day is different,’ one source told CNN. 

‘We get told he’s going to announce imminently, and by the afternoon that has changed.’

Another source, who previously said Trump would wait until after Labor Day, told CNN the September announcement was ‘up in the air’ and that if Trump does announce early, ‘it will be July.’

‘He’s sounding a lot more committed lately,’ added another person close to Trump.

Trump has repeatedly teased another run for the White House, even though he’d only be allowed to serve a single term. 

But the idea has been given added urgency by the surge in support for DeSantis, the 43-year-old governor of Florida.

Republican donors who have opened their wallets for Trump are now backing DeSantis as he bids to win a second term as governor of Florida , it has emerged.

Powerful GOP supporters hope DeSantis could serve two terms in office to the one Trump will have to make do with, giving him more time to push through his policies.  

New campaign filings obtained by Politico show that DeSantis has received $3.4 million from 10 donors who collectively spent $24 million on Trump’s reelection bid.

Many of those who donated had never contributed to state-level Florida elections before, and include Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, 93, who gave DeSantis $500,000. In 2016, he was one of Donald Trump’s most generous donors, contributing $7 million.

The cash donations for a relatively small-fry election show just how seriously many big-hitting Republicans are taking DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate.

Trump told The New Yorker, in an article entitled: ‘Can Ron DeSantis displace Donald Trump as the G.O.P.’s combatant in chief?’, that he was responsible for DeSantis’s political career thanks to a 2018 endorsement credited with landing the Florida man the governor’s post. 

‘If I didn’t endorse him, he wouldn’t have won,’ Trump said.

The article said that DeSantis was sometimes described as ‘Trump with a brain’.

Asked again whether he would beat DeSantis in 2024, Trump told Newsmax: ‘I was very responsible for him getting elected.’

Big money is following DeSantis, however.

DeSantis has amassed a campaign war chest of $100 million, setting new records, and leaving him well positioned to turn those funds to 2024. 

Trump himself has already amassed a $100 million fund, through his Super PAC.

But that money is not allowed to be able to directly support a candidate, under campaign finance laws.

Some aides are urging Trump to wait, so he can use the cash freely before his official declaration. 

One R.N.C. official also pointed out that when Trump officially launched his bid, the Republican party would have to stop paying his legal bills related to an investigation by the New York attorney general. 

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, is encouraging him to wait so he has a more complete campaign team ready to go, The New York Times said. 

Others are concerned about the impact of the January 6 hearings.

Trump himself has been watching them avidly, and giving commentary on his Truth Social network.

Lindsay Graham, the South Carolina senator, said Trump should declare swiftly, to keep him focused on policy.

‘It’s up to him if he runs or not,’ Graham told The New York Times. 

‘But the key to him being successful is comparing his policy agenda and policy successes with what is going on today.’ 

By Kieran Lynch For Mailonline

Published: 04:11 EDT, 8 June 2023 | Updated: 14:36 EDT, 8 June 2023

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President Joe Biden will announce his re-election bid after he gives his State of the Union address in February, according to new reports Thursday, as his advisers dismiss the classified documents scandal as ‘DC elite’ making ‘DC noise.’

Biden will give the speech on February 7th in the House of Representatives, where he’ll expected to use the prime time television event to emphasize his administration’s accomplishments, stress the importance of bipartisanship and governing, and tout the country’s strengthening economy.

‘We want him to be a president at State of the Union, not a candidate,’ a person close to Biden told NBC News. 

Meanwhile, his close inner circle of longtime aides have been on lockdown as they prepare for Biden’s 2024 re-election bid, trying to hold off any leaks about their plans and avoid triggering any legal issues with the Federal Election Commission.

But plans are moving full steam ahead and are unaffected by the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the classified material Biden had at his D.C. think tank and Wilmington, Delaware, home – an issue that has engulfed the White House in the past week.

Several of Biden advisers told CNN that it’s simply the ‘DC elite’ making ‘DC noise,’ referring to it merely as the latest passing obsession. 

They also argue the questions from reporters and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are from those who won’t accept that Biden is ‘honoring his promise to a T by upholding the rule of law and respecting DOJ’s process.’ 

But, despite the argument from Biden’s team, the revelation the president had classified material in his personal possessions has affected Biden’s standing with the public.

Biden’s approval rating is getting back toward the lowest numbers of his presidency – despite coming off a strong performance by Democrats in the midterm election and the growing economy. 

A Reuters-Ipsos poll – conducted amid the fallout of the documents scandal – found only 40 percent of Americans approved of Biden’s performance as president. 

Biden advisers have argued the documents won’t be a political issue by the time the November 2024 contest rolls around but Republicans will be intent on keeping the administration’s crisis front and center.

Donald Trump, who is running for again in 2024, has been hammering Biden on the issue. The former president, who is being investigated by a special counsel for his own classified document scandal, is portraying himself as a victim of a double standard.  

Meanwhile, House Republicans, in addition to holding hearings on the classified documents, plan to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings, the ‘weaponization’ of the federal government and the crisis at the Southern border – all areas they see as Biden weak spots. 

The White House plan has always been to continue with the business of governing and to show Biden being presidential. 

Additionally, since the New Year began Biden’s schedule has been filled with events that can easily transform into a campaign message – including a trip to the Southern border.  

Biden’s age – he is 80 – and his health remain a factor. He is the oldest president in American history.

A health issue for him or his family is one of the few things that could derail any plans for a second term. 

First lady Jill Biden recently underwent a cancer scare – she was pronounced cancer free by White House Dr. Kevin O’Connor on Wednesday – and President Biden has faced questions about his advancing age. If he wins a second term he will be 86 when he leaves the White House.

Officials have said he will have his annual physical soon and, if he has it before he announces a second bid, it could take some of the pressure off the age question. Additionally, if it reveals a health issue, it could also allow the Biden family to reassess their 2024 plans. 

Some Democrats have argued it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the party. Nancy Pelosi recently stepped down as the Democratic leader in Congress – although she remains a member of the House of Representatives – but odds of Biden facing a primary challenger are slim.

It’s highly unusual to challenge a sitting president who is running for a second term. And the fact Democrats held off a predicted Republican wave in the midterm election has strengthened Biden’s credentials as the leader of his party.

Powerful Democratic powerbroker Rep. Jim Clyburn – a longtime Biden ally – said he is all in for a second Biden term.

‘I’m all-in for President Biden,’ he told CBS’ Robert Costa. ‘I think he’s demonstrated, in these two years … that he is deserving of re-election. And I do believe he will be re-elected irrespective of who the Republicans, they put up.’

Trump’s former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday her former boss should wait until after the Georgia runoff next month to announce a run for president – and implied he should stay out of Georgia and let Ron DeSantis do the stumping for Republicans. 

‘I know there’s a temptation to starting talking about 2024 — no, no, no, no, no,’ McEnany said on Wednesday’s edition of ‘Outnumbered.’

‘2022 is not over. Every Republican energy needs to go to grinding the Biden agenda to a halt, and that could go straight through the state of Georgia.’ 

Pressed by host Harris Faulkner on if that meant Trump delaying his reelection announcement, she said: ‘I think he needs to put it on pause, absolutely.’

McEnany refused to say whether Trump should appear with Walker in the Peach State in the run-up to December 6.  

Asked by Faulkner whether the former president should go to Georgia, McEnany replied: ‘I think we’ve got to make strategic calculations. Gov. DeSantis, I think he should be welcome to the state, given what happened last night. You’ve got to look at the realities on the ground.’ 

Georgia’s Senate race is expected to head to a runoff on Dec. 6 after neither candidate breached the 50 percent threshold, per the state’s election law.  Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock holds a slight edge over Republican Herschel Walker. 

During an election eve Ohio rally for J.D. Vance, Trump turned the midterm spotlight back onto himself by revealing he would have a ‘major announcement’ next week on Nov. 15. 

Trump insiders said the former president was gunning to announce his run before the midterm elections. Many urged him to wait, in part to avoid turning the election into a referendum on him and partly to avoid blame should Republicans underperform on Tuesday. 

But the former president was eager to piggyback off expected GOP momentum. But that excitement has waned, as conservatives underperform their expectations. Many now blame Trump for launching unelectable candidates to the forefront on primaries and placing fealty to him and his election fraud claims above likability and policy proposals. 

On Wednesday Trump acknowledged Tuesday’s results were ‘disappointing’ for Republicans but counted them as a win for himself. 

‘While in certain ways yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal standpoint it was a very big victory – 219 WINS and 16 Losses in the General – Who has ever done better than that? 

Trump shot Walker to the front of the primary by backing him, even as he attacked Georgia’s GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger for not toeing the line on his election fraud claims. Both Kemp and Raffensperger won with a comfortable lead over their opponents, suggesting a large number of ticket splitters could not bring themselves to vote for Trump-backed Walker. 

Some Republicans are now gunning for a new leader of their party, and all eyes, including McEnany’s, are now turning to Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis after his successful re-election bid. 

‘This was the single best case I have heard someone make for the GOP in quite some time,’ McEnany, a Florida native, said of DeSantis’ victory speech on Fox. 

‘[Trump] will make that decision, he’ll make his own decision,’ McEnany said. ‘If I’m advising any contender, DeSantis, Trump, whomever, no one announces 2024 until we get through Dec. 6.’ 

Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson emerged victorious over his Democratic rival Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin, as all major news networks called the race by Wednesday afternoon. Now the Senate hangs at a 48-48 balance. Alaska is sure to notch a GOP win – though ranked choice voting there pit incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski against Trump-backed challenger Kelly Tshibaka. 

Arizona is tilting toward Democrats, though the race is still too close to call, while Nevada is leaning in favor of Republican Adam Laxalt. If trends hold, fate of the upper chamber will come down to the wire after another excruciating month of campaigning for Georgia’s runoff races. 

The control of the House was also in the balance in the early hours of Wednesday morning after the Democrats performed better than expected. Many House races have not yet been called, but Republicans are up 203-174.  

In Pennsylvania, Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz lost the currently Republican-held Senate seat to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. 

Trump was said to be ‘livid’ this morning and ‘screaming at everybody’ after a lackluster performance by Republicans in the midterms – and is even rumored to be blaming his wife Melania for advising him to endorse defeated Pennsylvania candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. 

‘Trump is indeed furious this morning, particularly about Mehmet Oz, and is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz — including his wife, describing it as not her best decision, according to people close to him,’ the well-sourced New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman tweeted. 

She continued: ‘There are people pushing Trump to reschedule his announcement next week, and several Rs have texted asking whether he will, but it’s risky and would be acknowledging he’s wounded by yesterday, something that some of his advisers insist is not the case.’ 

CNN’s Jim Acosta cites an unnamed adviser who said the president is ‘livid’ and ‘screaming at everybody’ today after last night’s underwhelming Republican results. 

Taylor Budowich, Trump’s spokesperson, told DailyMail.com such reports were ‘completely fake’ this morning. 

Acosta cites an unnamed adviser who said he is ‘screaming at everybody’ today. 

He also took credit for Ron DeSantis 2018 win, saying he ‘was not going to be a factor’ in the race before his endorsement. 

‘He was not going to be able to even be a factor in the race. And as soon within moments, the race was over. 

‘I got him the nomination. He didn’t get it. I got it, because the minute I made that endorsement, he got it.’ 

Duncan, the Lt. Gov of Georgia, said Republicans would have had better success with a different pool of candidates.  

‘It turns out Mitch McConnell knew what he was talking about with candidate quality,’ he said, referring to McConnell’s prediction in August that poor quality would impact the result. 

‘If they would have just woke up 12 months ago, and stopped taking his lead and took the lead of what real Republican, real conservative policies meant and mattered, we’d be in a different place.

‘I wouldn’t want to be the one delivering him the news last night or this morning as to what the results of the candidates they supported and poured money into were, it’s time to turn the page.

‘I’m ready to move on. Who knows. Donald Trump is moving from a movement to a distraction for the Republican Party now.

The massive merger between the Roy family’s Waystar Royco and Lukas Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgard) GoJo is potentially hampered by a new Waystar acquisition in the sixth episode of Succession‘s fourth and final season.

The Roy children – Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) are preparing for their company’s annual Investor Day, where it’s announced Waystar is acquiring Living Plus, a company Matsson has no interest in and could be trouble for the deal with Matsson

While Kendall and Roman were named the interim CEO’s after their father Logan’s (Brian Cox) surprising death, Shiv has been seen meeting with Matsson, with the possibility growing that she could have a much bigger role in the new company.

Shiv’s estranged husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) warns her in the show’s preview that she’s keeping all of her options open and to be careful.

Shiv also expresses her concern that her brothers could say anything they wanted at the Investor Day presentation.

The episode begins with a shot of Logan Roy filming something about the Living Plus real estate brand becoming part of their real estate division.

The director stops him and tells him to be ‘more upbeat’ for the video but Logan keeps pushing back at it.

We see Kendall watching the video as Logan screams at everyone around him, saying they are as, ‘useless as my f***ing idiot kids.’

Hugo (Fisher Stevens) apologizes for what Logan said, but Kendall says it’s ‘fine’ and that it’s like a ‘Valentine’s card,’ asking to watch the video again. 

Shiv is on her plane waiting for it to refuel when she’s joined by Lukas, who tells her he doesn’t want to pursue the acquisition of Living Plus.

He asks why they’re doing this since he doesn’t want Living Plus but Shiv says they didn’t want it to ‘look like we were just minding the shop until you came in,’ though he says that’s exactly what they’re doing. 

He says he doesn’t need it, adding, ‘You know how s****y and heartbreaking it is being locked up on a cruise? How about that, but you also get to stay in the same f***ing place the whole time?” I’m not gonna pursue, so why would you announce?’

Matsson says he hates it but he likes that he has Shiv on the ‘inside’ that ‘gets’ him but Shiv says, ‘Maybe I hate you.’ 

‘Maybe I love my brothers very much,’ she says, and Matsson adds, ‘Oh, by the way, did they mention that they went totally f***ing mental on me,’ adding it was, ‘totally unprofessional.’

She adds, ‘You know, I’m gonna tell my brothers everything you said,’ and he adds, ‘Cool. Do that. Nothing to hide, nothing I wouldn’t tell them myself.’

Back at Waystar HQ, Kendall and Roman warn the senior team that they have some concerns about the deal and Matsson taking over.

When they tell everyone about their conflicts with Matsson, Kendall and Roman are alone with Shiv as she realizes that her brothers are trying to tank the deal.

‘The plan was always we were getting out clean. Doing Pierce, buying Pierce together. What the f**k happened?’ Shiv asks.

‘Shiv, maybe we can keep it, and Pierce, all of us,’ Kendall says, as Shiv adds, ‘Oh, man, you are f***ing c**ksuckers.’

They both apologize and insists they wouldn’t have ‘d***ed you over’ as they all hug.

Shiv schedules a meeting room when she starts crying, as her estranged husband Tom enters the room.

She tells him, ‘Yes. I’m just very busy. And… I have found I am too busy, what with my dad. And so, uh, Sarah has sometimes found me somewhere so that I can…Have a moment to cry.’

Tom adds, ‘You’re scheduling your grief?’ but she tells him to f**k off but instead he gives her a hug and they start kissing.

Kendall and Roman read a statement their father made before he passed which said they will not be at Investor Day. 

They start talking about Matsson adding they don’t think he has any ‘juice’ past 192, meaning $192 per share for the merger. 

Roman meets with Joy (Annabeth Gish), the head of Waystar Studios, who is concerned that ATN has a ‘direct line’ to Mencken and their coverage on him.

Roman says he plans on dumping a ton of money into the network and wants the ‘hit machine’ to keep pumping… but she doesn’t seem to be on the same page with Roman… so he fires her.

She tells him this is a mistake but he’s clearly made up his mind before he leaves the room.

Kendall is meeting with his team for prepping Investor Day, telling them he wants them to build a Living Plus house in a day, which is quite the daunting task.

Roman meets up with Kendall, who tells him has some thoughts about Investor Day.

Tom is seen mingling at a mixer reception for Investor Day when he meets up with Shiv, who asks him who he likes at the party, who he’d hook up with.

Tom apologizes for ‘f***ing you up,’ but Shiv laughs, saying he barely scratched the surface and she was ‘f***ed up’ long before they met.

She asks if they want to play ‘Bitey’ a game where they each bite each other and see who can take it.

They each bite each other’s forearms, but Shiv relents first, joking, ‘Tom Wambsgans, finally making me feel something.’

Kendall talks with Roman and Greg (Nicholas Braun), saying that if they bump the price up to $192 a share, they can drive Matsson out.

Kendall tells Greg to go find Jess as Roman says he’s happy with trying to force Matsson out of the deal.

Roman admits he didn’t see his father’s death coming, adding there should be another way around death.

Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) pulls Roman aside he tells her that he fired Joy, which Gerri has a problem with.

‘Roman, you absolutely cannot fire a studio executive without speaking to Legal and HR…,’ Gerri says.

Roman says they might ‘kick her up to International or she walks and takes a fat f***ing producer deal.’ 

He tells Gerri to clean everything up but she says, ‘Joy has a lot of relationships. She has a lot of friends. 

She says, ‘And you are weak monarch in a dangerous interregnum,’ but Roman adds, ‘This is something that Dad would have done, and you know it.’

‘Oh, well, maybe. But you’re not your dad,’ Gerri says, which clearly stings Roman, and he suggests maybe he’ll fire her too.

‘Sure, I’m not on the kill list,’ Gerri says, adding Mattson will be very angry but Roman clearly doesn’t care.

‘Be serious, you’re minding shop. Roman. You cannot win against the money. The money is gonna wash you away. Your dad knew. Tech is coming. We are over,’ she says. 

‘This is a simple business decision. You are not good at your job. Maybe Dad did know. Maybe I’m firing you for a list of failures I choose not to outline right now, but including a failure to close off our liabilities vis-à-vis claims against Waystar Cruises in a timely manner. That’ll play nicely. Let’s do that,’ Roman says.

Gerri insists, ‘I am good at my job,’ but Roman says, ‘Shall we get started on the paperwork? You wanna do it yourself, or do you want me to get somebody a bit sharper?’

Roman goes back to Kendall and tells her he fired Joy and he fired Gerri too, but he thinks maybe they should ‘roll back’ firing Gerri. 

‘F**k it, bro. Why not? Drop her in the end zone. I mean, look at you. Who are you gonna fire next? I mean, fire Frank, fire Karl, f***ing eat Greg, and fire me, man,’ Kendall jokes.

Meanwhile, Shiv is with Tom, asking him, ‘You’re all in on Matsson, huh?’ 

Tom responds, ‘Yeah. I guess. I mean, your brothers hate me, and you hate me, and you’ll fire me. So, yeah. I don’t entirely… Entirely know what to do.’

He jokes, ‘Still keeping all your options open, honey? Yeah? You should be careful with that.

She adds, ‘Wow! Truth bombs from… From the phony man,’ as he says, ‘I think… I think I want you. I think I would like this back.’

‘Well then, you shouldn’t have betrayed me,’ Shiv says.

Tom adds, ‘I’ve been thinking a little bit about money… And how to get money, and how to keep money. And you didn’t ask me in. Shiv, you kept me out. And I always agreed to all the compartments, but it seemed to me that I was gonna be caught between you and your dad. And I really, really, really love my career and my money. And, you know, the suits, and my watches, and… Yeah. Sure, I know. I like nice things, I do. And if you think that’s shallow, why don’t you throw out all your stuff for love. Throw out your necklaces and your jewels for a date at a three-star Italian. Yeah? Come and live with me in a trailer park. Yeah? Are you coming?’

She jokes, ‘Well, I’d follow you anywhere for love, Tom Wambsgans,’ as they both laugh.

Greg is watching the video Logan made about Living Plus before he died, but he tells the video tech that he wants him to doctor the video to say ‘double the earnings’ instead of ‘a significant boost.’ 

Greg gets angry, telling him, ‘Just f***in’ make it happen. -Make it happen. Okay. Or I get in trouble. And I don’t wanna get in trouble. I wanna get in the good books. So, you help me get in the good books.’

Kendall arrives to the presentation, finding the house that they are making but it’s not quite right.

‘He’s got that gleam in his eye. This is not good. It’s gonna be very f***ing messy. -You’re out of control, he’s out of control,’ Shiv says.

She asks, ‘Should we pull the plug on today?’ Roman insists, ‘It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s a decent play, I think.’

Shiv adds, ‘I love him, but he cracks under pressure, and I think we should protect him. We should stop this.’,

Roman goes to see Kendall, who has jackets made up for Roman, telling him they shouldn’t go ahead with this, or at least postpone.

‘Maybe we just dump it on fucking Ray. I mean, look, it’s his division, and… You know… But maybe not do the whole… this idea.

Roman adds this whole thing has been Kendall’s vision and he thinks he might ‘f**k it.’

Roman tells Kendall he will ‘kill it’ and tells him to ‘break that leg,’ as Kendall goes out to the stage when he’s interrupted by Karl (David Rasche).

He says he wants to get some ‘visibility’ because he heard there have been tweaks in his ‘arena,’ but Kendall tells him it’s not a good time.

‘Oh, really? Well, listen to me. I took a lot of s**t from your dad because we’ve been through the mill. But I’ve been the CFO of major public companies for over two decades, and I know a thing or two about a thing or two. And if you f**k up his deal, or you try to stand up numbers that I am not comfortable with, -I swear to God,’ Karl says.

Kendall says, ‘Easy. CEO. CFO,’ but Karl just laughs, ‘What? You gonna fire your chief financial officer a week in? Your dad just gone? You’d be f***ing toast.’

‘You have my d**k in your hand, Ken. But I’ve got yours in mine. So let’s get real. If you say anything that I don’t like up there or make me look foolish, I’ll f***ing squeal,’ Karl says.

Kendall gets up on stage, clearly nervous, before he shares a video of his father, as everyone bemoans his ‘amateur hour’ antics.

Kendall announces the acquisition of Living Plus, ‘Our brand-turboed Living Plus real estate communities are going to guarantee three absolute essentials. One, total peace of mind. Discreet community protection and enhanced home monitoring. You’ll have your keys but, uh, yeah, you won’t need ’em. Crime-free, hassle-free, and respectful. Two, fun.’

Kendall adds Living Plus will offer, ‘Hyperlocal news, movie-themed events, advance screenings, ATN debate and discussions, multimedia events from cooking to premium access sports. We’re talking integrated, everyday character IP life enhancement. Maybe a director will swing by with a rough cut. Stars certainly will. Movies, shows, rides, experiences to enjoy at home or with the family, who will not want to stop visiting. We can even tell them you’re out if you need a break.’

Shiv gets a call from Matsson who asks Shiv if he can stop Kendall’s presentation because he doesn’t like it.

Kendall plays the doctored video from his late father, which Greg seemingly convinced the tech guy to alter Logan’s words, saying they will double the parks division’s revenue.

The team reveals the buzz is surprisingly good about Kendall’s presentation, though they learn Matsson has made a holocaust joke on social media.

‘Well, uh, I’m not gonna fave it,’ Kendall says to a smattering of laughs from the crowd.

‘Everybody knows here, you guys all know we’re looking at a deal with Lukas. And, you know, I have so much time and respect for what he’s built. Now, personally, I wouldn’t have said that. And, uh, apologies, sincere apologies for any offense caused. Uh, you know, he’s, uh… He’s very European.’

‘If and when we complete the deal and he gets into the incredible opportunity this product presents, I think he’ll be tweeting something different,’ Kendall says.

Shiv talks with Matsson on the phone, telling him, ‘Maybe you’re giving this too much attention than it deserves?’

Lukas insists, ‘I know what I’m doing,’ but she tells him to back off, when Kendall goes back to the team and learns Matsson had deleted the tweet.

While they all celebrate, Roman leaves the room, seemingly troubled.

Roman is seen in the car, playing another doctored clip from his late father’s old video, where he says, ‘I wanna make what I think is a fairly historic announcement. I’m convinced that Roman Roy has a micro d**k and always gets it wrong.’

Tom is driving Shiv, who tells him, ‘I think, uh, if we’re thinking of hosting, I can’t… I can’t get into it. Any of our s**t, yeah? I think it has to be, if this is okay with you, strictly party and strategy.’

Tom adds, ‘Uh-huh. I can’t help it if I find strategy sexy, though. I do. I really do,’ as Shiv smiles to herself.

The episode ends with Kendall stripping to his shorts and dives into the sea.

The preview teases a ‘tailgate party’ at Shiv and Tom’s house – the event they alluded to hosting – their first since Logan passed, with Matsson making a surprise appearance. 

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong first confirmed that Season 4 will be the end of the show in a wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker, where he was asked why he decided to confirm the final season before it debuted. 

‘One, we could have said it as soon as I sort of decided, almost when we were writing it, which I think would be weird and perverse,’ Armstrong began.

‘We could have said it at the end of the season. I quite like that idea, creatively, because then the audience is just able to enjoy everything as it comes, without trying to figure things out, or perceiving things in a certain way once they know it’s the final season,’ he added.

‘But, also, the countervailing thought is that we don’t hide the ball very much on the show. I feel a responsibility to the viewership, and I personally wouldn’t like the feeling of, “Oh, that’s it, guys. That was the end.” I wouldn’t like that in a show. I think I would like to know it is coming to an end,’ he clarified.

He added, ‘And, also, there’s a bunch of prosaic things, like it might be weird for me and the cast as we do interviews. It’s pretty definitively the end, so then it just might be uncomfortable having to sort of dissemble like a politician for ages about it. Hopefully, the show is against bulls**t, and I wouldn’t like to be bulls****ing anyone when I was talking about it.’