10/6/2022: Gas Prices Rise Again
PLUS: Early Eating; Baldwin Returns to “Rust;” and Princess Anne Does NYC
Today is Thursday, October 6, 2022.
It is the 279th day of the year.
86 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no daily newsletter next week, October 10-14.
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TRENDING
In honor of World Teachers Day, Twitter users thanked educators for their “selflessness” and asked for “more support” to help children learn.
Blake Bortles made a mini announcement on Wednesday. Head to Sports to find out what he said.
Alec Baldwin was trending after news broke that “Rust” will resume production. More in Casting Call.
OPEC landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Wednesday after the organization shared a plan to cut oil production. More in The Swamp.
#ScaryWaysToGreetPeople was trending yesterday. Tweets included, “with religion,” “vigorously scratching your scalp,” “at the urinals,” and “with your pet bat on your shoulder.”
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HIT LIST
Four astronauts blasted into orbit in a SpaceX Dragon capsule Wednesday. The crew includes two Americans, a Japanese astronaut, and the first Russian to ride on an American spaceship since 2002.
The crew is headed to the International Space Station, where they’re expected to work for about five months.
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A Purdue student has been arrested in connection to the stabbing death of his dorm roommate.
The victim was a 20-year-old studying data science; the suspect, Ji Min Sha, is 22, originally from South Korea. Sha reportedly called 911 in the early hours Wednesday to report his roommate’s death.
No word yet if Sha confessed.
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A study in the science journal “Cell Metabolism” shows that eating meals during a ten-hour window that begins mid-morning has the best effects for weight loss and reducing bad cholesterol.
In one study group, those who ate earlier were less hungry later on, and thus ate less. In the second study group, which included only firemen, the participants had improved blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
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Two American scientists and a Dane are taking home this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry.
Their research centers on aligning molecules to do things like “explore cells, map DNA and design drugs that can target diseases such as cancer more precisely,” the AP reports.
It’s the second prize for 81-year-old K. Barry Sharpless, who won previously in 2001.
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Nine-year-old Ryan Scarpelli got to take a world record home with him after his last trip to the dentist, when he became the youngest person to have a wisdom tooth extracted.
He took the title by just 12 days, which was last set in 2002. While the procedure happened last summer, he’s just getting notoriety for it now.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 42 points (0.14%) to close at 30,273, Wednesday. The S&P dropped 7 points (0.20%) to close at 3,783 and the Nasdaq lost 27 points (0.25%) to close at 11,148.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate ticked up to $87 on Wednesday. Brent Crude closed at $93.62.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.83 on Wednesday.
₿ Bitcoin lost more than $200, trading around $20,140.
🛩 There were 2,501 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and 138 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
TALK ABOUT A TRAFFIC JAM: Video of a large herd of sheep blocking a road in a Utah national forest has gone viral.
The footage, shared by the Manti-La Sal National Forest this week, was posted as a warning to drivers to be aware of large herds of livestock that pass through the 1.4 million-acre mountain range.
Check it out:
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BABY NEWS
HILARY SWANK, 48, is expecting twins with her husband, social venture entrepreneur PHILIP SCHNEIDER.
The actress revealed the news during an interview on “Good Morning America” Wednesday morning.
Swank also shared that twins run on both sides of the family, so it was not a total shock to them.
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JOY-ANNA DUGGAR, 24, is expecting baby #3 with her husband, contractor AUSTIN FORSYTH, 28.
The “Counting On” alum debuted her baby bump in maternity shoot photos, which also featured their son Gideon, 4, and daughter Evelyn, 2.
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BREAKUPS
Model NAZANIN MANDI has filed for divorce from her musician husband, MIGUEL.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Mandi cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
The pair have been married for three years.
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THE SWAMP
Gas prices are about to get much, much more expensive, and fast.
REMEMBER WHEN President JOE BIDEN begged OPEC to keep up production earlier in the summer in order to keep costs down?
That didn’t go so great. OPEC announced Wednesday it’s cutting production by 2 million barrels a day – which sent the price of Brent Crude up immediately. Biden’s White House officially called the move a “shortsighted decision.”
YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS A SHORTSIGHTED DECISION? Campaigning on ending all fossil fuels and then looking around and wondering why the cost of gas is so damn high.
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President JOE BIDEN doesn’t seem to like having a free press.
Following an event Tuesday, Biden is heard lamenting that journalists in other countries don’t shout out questions and need to get herded out by handlers.
WATCH:
REMEMBER WHEN former President DONALD TRUMP would gladly take questions for literally hours at a time? He may have fought back, but at least he answered questions.
WORTH NOTING: They wouldn’t need to shout questions if he ever answered any.
SPEAKING OF THE MEDIA: NBC News reporter BEN COLLINS is pretty nervous about ELON MUSK taking over and what it could mean for midterm elections.
Without any awareness of irony, Collins whines on Twitter, “If Musk is really taking this site private, there are no real guardrails anymore. Rulemaking can be capricious. He can elevate any idea or person he wants through recommendations and UX choices and there will be no oversight on this as a private company.”
WORTH ASKING: What’s the difference between elevating ideas and suppressing others — like when Twitter suspended accounts that so much as shared the HUNTER BIDEN laptop story just days before the 2020 election; a story that 80% of Americans — including Democrats — since say would’ve changed the election outcome.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $410 million jackpot or a $213.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
GISELE BUNDCHEN was spotted without her wedding ring on Wednesday, just a day after news broke that she had hired a divorce lawyer.
The supermodel was out and about with her and TOM BRADY’s kids when TMZ photogs spotted her bare finger.
As previously reported, the couple’s relationship has been rocky for months. No official word yet on what happens from here.
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Depeche Mode announced they will release a new album, titled “Memento Mori,” and kick off a European and North American tour next year.
The forthcoming album, the band’s 15th, will be their first release since the death of founding member and keyboardist ANDY “Fletch” FLETCHER in May.
The tour will kick off at the end of March in Sacramento. No date has been announced for the release of the new album.
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Rapper FAT JOE says that even though he has dropped several pounds over the past decade, he will not be dropping the “Fat” from his name.
“I spent so many millions and millions of dollars marketing Fat Joe that it wouldn’t be smart to change my name now,” he told Page Six this week.
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JOHNNY DEPP’s lawyers, CAMILLE VASQUEZ and BEN CHEW, were cheering him on Tuesday night as he took the stage at The Anthem in DC.
The actor kicked off his nationwide tour with JEFF BECK this week, giving his attorneys the best seats in the place.
Vasquez and Chew rose to fame as they defended Depp against his ex-wife, actress AMBER HEARD.
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POST MALONE got his daughter’s initials -- DDP -- tattooed on his face.
Sources close to the performer told TMZ that he got the new ink after his show in Indianapolis on Sunday night.
Post still has not revealed the infant’s name.
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CASTING CALL
Filming will continue on ALEC BALDWIN’s film “Rust” after HALYNA HUTCHINS’ widower settled his wrongful death lawsuit against the actor and others.
The shocking news broke Wednesday morning, with outlets reporting that Baldwin will reprise his starring role, along with all the other actors who were initially involved with the flick, in January.
The only difference is that now Halyna’s husband MATTHEW HUTCHINS will act as executive producer alongside Baldwin.
In a statement, Matthew said “I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Haylna’s death was a terrible accident.”
Civilly things are done, but there is still an ongoing criminal investigation into Halyna’s death.
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MARILYN MONROE biopic, “Blonde,” took the second spot on Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart.
The movie, starring ANA DE ARMAS, racked up more than 37 million viewing hours in its debut week on the streamer.
In the top spot was “Lou,” starring ALLISON JANNEY, JURNEE SMOLLETT and LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN, with over 46 million viewing hours.
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The Season 5 trailer for Paramount’s “Yellowstone” shattered viewing records.
The trailer had more than 14.4 million views and over 1.7 million engagements within the first 24 hours of its September 29 release, according to Paramount.
That is three times as many views and six times as many engagements as the Season 4 trailer earned.
The drama, starring KEVIN COSTNER, returns on November 13.
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CHRIS CUOMO flopped in his primetime cable news return this week.
The former CNN anchor premiered his new show “Cuomo” on NewsNation and pulled in just 147,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
MEANWHILE: Fox News’ TUCKER CARLSON continues to dominate cable news with almost 2.9 million viewers.
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An official documentary about MICHAEL JACKSON’s “Thriller” is in the works at Sony.
The film “takes fans back in time to the making of the record-breaking album and release of revolutionary short films that redefined the music video format and captivated audiences globally,” according to a release from Jackson’s estate.
“Thriller” has sold 34 million copies in the US and an estimated 100 million copies worldwide, won eight Grammy Awards and landed seven top 10 singles.
The album was released 40 years ago next month.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KHLOE KARDASHIAN is defending her sister KIM KARDASHIAN against KANYE WEST after he ranted on social media again about their custody arrangement.
“Ye, I love you. I don’t want to do this on social media but YOU keep bringing it here. You are the father of my nieces and nephews and I’m trying to be respectful but please STOP tearing Kimberly down and using our family when you want to deflect,” Khloe wrote on Instagram.
In defending himself against heavy backlash in response to his White Lives Matter clothing, Ye once again bashed his ex, claiming she doesn’t allow him to see their four kids. This is the opposite of what Ye said in an interview last week, when he said he needed to work harder to make things “calmer” for Kim.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCESS ANNE made a surprise visit to the Big Apple this week.
The NYC Department of Transportation shared a photo of the royal aboard the Staten Island Ferry on Twitter, writing, “We were pleased to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Anne to the #StatenIslandFerry today.”
Anne was in town for a speaking engagement at a gala for the English-Speaking Union of the United States.
Her trip comes nearly 65 years after her parents, QUEEN ELIZABETH and PRINCE PHILIP, toured the area in October 1957.
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SPORTS
BLAKE BORTLES has retired from the NFL after eight seasons.
Announcing the news Wednesday on Barstool Sports “Pardon My Take” podcast, the QB said “I have not touched a football since January. I have officially retired.”
Bortles was drafted by the Jaguars in 2014 and spent five seasons with the team. He then played backup QB for the Rams, Broncos, Packers and Saints.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Transfer Money to Your Daughter Day
National Physician Assistant Day
National Noodle Day
National Mad Hatter Day
National Badger Day
World Cerebral Palsy Day
Bring Your Bible to School Day
Inbox Zero Day
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ON THIS DATE
1683 – The first Mennonites land in America, on board the Concord, making them the first Europeans of German heritage to attempt to colonize the New World.
Early settler William Penn offered 5,000 acres of property in Pennsylvania to Mennonite immigrants. The Protestant sect had been persecuted across Europe, and especially in Germany.
Francis Daniel Pastorious was the leader of the first group, hailing from Krefeld, Germany.
When the American Revolution came around almost 100 years later, there were 100,000 Germans in Pennsylvania – almost one-third of the total population.
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1847 – Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” is published by Smith, Elder and Co. in Britain. She wrote under the pseudonym Currer Bell.
It was published the following year stateside by Harper & Brothers.
As the novel’s success accelerated, Bronte revealed her real identity and started rubbing elbows with other prolific British authors.
Bronte died while pregnant only 8 years later.
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1866 – The first recorded robbery of a moving locomotive is committed.
The Reno gang is the culprit and makes off with more than $10,000. Train line owners had been subject to stickups while trains were sitting at freight yards or public stations, but none had ever been assaulted while en route.
For 20 years trains were widely susceptible to robberies while moving, but owners got wise and hired armed guards, installed safes, and fortified their boxcars.
By the late 1880s, attempting to rob a moving train became a very dangerous and costly business.
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1926 – Babe Ruth homers three times against the Cardinals in game 4 of the World Series, propelling the Yankees to a 10-5 victory. It was a new record that has only been tied once: Reggie Jackson hit three homers in a World Series game on October 18, 1977.
The Yankees actually lost that series anyway, in game 7.
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1979 – Pope John Paul II is the first Pope to visit the White House.
Since that first visit to Jimmy Carter, every president has had at least one meeting with His Holiness. George W. Bush holds the record with 5 meetings with two different popes: John Paul II and Benedict XV.
With 64 million Catholics in the country, it’s a politically expeditious move.
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1981 – A terrorist sect assassinates Egyptian president Anwar Sadat while he was reviewing troops to commemorate the Yom Kippur War.
Sadat took four bullets and died two hours after the attack. Ten others were killed.
Sadat’s presidency was controversial in extremist Muslim circles for his cooperation with Israel.
The year before, Muammar Qadaffi had been behind another assassination attempt against Sadat.
Five of the assassination conspirators were put on trial and executed for the murder. Another 17 went to prison.
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1996 – Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton meet in their first debate.
The debate took place in Hartford, Connecticut and was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. Most voters considered Clinton the winner of the debate. He would go on to win re-election in November.
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2018 – Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed and sworn into the US Supreme Court, creating a generational conservative majority.
Protestors were on hand to share their disappointment in the decision, as many believed the accusations of sexual assault levied against Kavanaugh.
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BIRTHDAYS
LeBron James Jr. - basketball player - 18
Rio Mangini - actor, “Kickin’ It” & “Good Luck Charlie” - 20
Jazz Jennings - reality star & LGBTQ activist - 22
Trevor Lawrence - football player - 23
Matt Cornett - actor, “High School Musical: The Musical” - 24
Scarlett Byrne - actress, “Harry Potter” films - 32
Jared Dines - metal singer, Dissimulator - 33
Brett Gelman - actor, “Love” & “Stranger Things” - 46
Ioan Gruffudd - actor, “Fantastic Four” & “Titanic” - 49
Amy Jo Johnson - actress, “Power Rangers” & “Felicity” - 52
Jordan Matter - photographer - 56
Elisabeth Shue - actress, “Leaving Las Vegas” & “CSI” - 59
Born On This Date
Fannie Lou Hamer - civil rights activist - 1917 (d. 1977)
Helen Wills Moody - tennis player - 1905 (d. 1998)
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