11/1/2023: No Bombs, Please
PLUS: FTX Trial Closing Arguments; JT Heads South; and Charles Does Kenya
Today is Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
It is the 305th day of the year.
60 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A big courtroom victory for TESLA and a spider-caused car wreck. Details in HIT LIST.
MATTHEW PERRY was planning on helping those suffering with addiction before his untimely passing. More in SHOWBIZ.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER once worked with an accent removal coach and LEONARDO DICAPRIO’s Lambo hits the auction block. More on that in CASTING CALL.
More details have been shared about Baby Boy Barker. Find out more in KARDASH.
The KING and QUEEN travel abroad on their first Commonwealth visit. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The heart of SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s defense is that he had no idea that customer funds were being improperly used until it was too late. During his last day on the witness stand, he tripled-down on this assertion, responding “I don’t recall giving any direction” when asked three different times by the prosecutor about his handling of this money.
At the same time, he acknowledged he never told employees to stop using customer funds for investments after he found out about it – but the prosecution’s witnesses made it pretty clear that he ordered it all in the first place.
TODAY: Closing arguments begin, and it’s likely the jury will get a start on deliberations heading into the weekend. [via Morning Martini]
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ELON MUSK has long made clear his intention to make TESLA cars fully self driving.
Getting to that point has met its challenges – including the death of a driver who got into an accident while using the technology last year.
NOW: A jury found on Tuesday that Tesla’s current “Autopilot” technology was not the cause for that accident.
Lawyers for Tesla showed that the driver had not only consumed alcohol at the time of the crash but also that there was no evidence that the Autopilot feature had been enabled when the car suddenly veered off the road, hit a tree, and burst into flames. [via Reuters]
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Workers at a Goodwill store in Janesville, Wisconsin, alerted police on Friday when they discovered a live bomb as part of a customer’s donated items.
Authorities describe the device as a “military grade,” “live cluster bomblet” – but so far believe it was included in the donation on accident. They’re still trying to figure out who left it behind. [via NBC 15]
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An Arizona high school teacher has been placed on leave after dressing up in a devil costume and telling students “Hail Satan!” as they entered the classroom.
One student says he had to push away the creepy teacher’s pitchfork prop at least three times as he chanted the demonic slogan.
GO FIGURE: The teacher told local media that the schtick had nothing to do with Halloween and was instead to celebrate the school’s “Spirit Week” daily theme of “Dynamic Duos”; he partnered with the teacher in the next classroom who dressed up as an angel.
After a couple of complaints, the unnamed teacher hasn’t been back to work. [via 12 News]
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A tarantula is to blame for a car accident that occurred in Death Valley National Park over the weekend.
According to the National Park Service, a couple driving a camper van through the park stopped abruptly to avoid hitting the arachnid, causing a close-following motorcyclist to run into them.
The motorcyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. As for the tarantula -- not a hair on any of its eight legs were hurt. [via USA Today]
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DEATHS
Actress JOAN EVANS has died.
She passed away at her home in Henderson, Nevada on October 21, according to a statement from her son.
Evans is best known for her roles in “On the Loose” and “Edge of Doom,” as well as being JOAN CRAWFORD’s goddaughter.
She was 89.
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Baseball player FRANK HOWARD has died.
He passed away Monday. No further details have been shared.
Howard was a four-time All-Star who hit 382 home runs during his lengthy major league career.
He was 87.
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Actor TYLER CHRISTOPHER has died.
He passed away Tuesday after suffering a cardiac event at his San Diego home.
Christopher was best known for his role on “General Hospital.”
He was only 50.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Actors CHANNING TATUM and ZOE KRAVITZ are engaged.
News broke over the weekend when Kravtiz was spotted with a big rock on her ring finger at a halloween party.
The couple has been together for two years.
By the way -- he’s 43 and she’s 34.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW was up 123 points (0.38%) to close at 33,052 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 26 points (0.65%) to close at 4,193 and the NASDAQ increased 61 points (0.48%) to close at 12,851.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $81; BRENT CRUDE at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.48 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked up a bit, trading around $34,650 on Tuesday.
🛩 There were more than 1,860 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 40 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $152 million jackpot or a $66.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Prior to his death, MATTHEW PERRY wanted to create a foundation to help others struggling with addiction.
Sources told People Magazine that those close to the actor are now hoping to bring his dream to life.
By the way -- it was a decade ago that Perry turned his Malibu beach house into the Perry House, a men’s sober living facility. It ran from 2013 to 2015. [via People]
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is vacationing in Cabo San Lucas with his family.
The Daily Mail shared photos of JT deboarding with his youngest son, 2-year-old Phineas, in his arms.
Many are questioning whether the family vacay was pre-planned or something decided on a whim in an effort to hide out following the backlash from his ex, BRITNEY SPEARS’ memoir.
Neither Timberlake nor his wife, actress JESSICA BIEL have spoken out about the stories shared in the book. [via Daily Mail]
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The obsession over TRAVIS KELCE and TAYLOR SWIFT’s relationship is “incredibly overwhelming” for his family.
Insiders told TMZ that Travis’ mom Donna, dad Ed, and fellow football player brother, Jason, feel like they are all under a microscope and are “a bit startled” by Swifties’ intense love for the musician.
The extra attention has them concerned for Travis’ safety, despite him being a 6’5”, 250lb football player.
Things should cool down for the Kelce family soon as Taylor is gearing up to kick off the international leg of her “Eras Tour” next month. [via TMZ]
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KYLE RICHARDS has a spooky house.
During an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Tuesday Richards detailed several supernatural experiences she has had in the California estate, including hearing footsteps, strange noises and unplugged lights turning on.
Instead of being totally freaked out, Clarkson thought the whole thing was so “cool” and asked to visit.
Speaking of spooky things….Clarkson dressed up as a vampire for the Halloween episode of her show. [via Life & Style]
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Former BTS band member JUNGKOOK is doing really well on his own.
On October 30, his song “Seven” became the fastest song to reach 1 BILLION streams in Spotify history; hitting the milestone in 108 days.
Many may recall that BTS announced they would be taking an extended break at the end of 2021 as several of them were approaching the age at which point they would be required to serve in South Korea’s military for 21 months. [via Billboard]
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With all of the “horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world,” SELENA GOMEZ says she needs a break from social media.
Without specifically addressing the Israel-Hamas war, Gomez told her 430 million followers this week that she wishes she “could change the world. But a post won’t.” [via Variety]
In response to her post, followers slammed Gomez for claiming her “platform is useless,” while another added that only she “would find a way to make genocide about herself.” [via Instagram]
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During a recent Twitch interview about his music, SEAN PAUL was abruptly disconnected as a 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook his home in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Oh s**t, we’re having an earthquake,” he said before the call dropped.
Addressing the quake later on, Paul said that he has experienced them since he was a kid, and he did what he always does “ran to the door jamb the safest palace in the house!” [via People]
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CASTING CALL
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER revealed that he once hired an accent removal coach to help him ditch his strong Austrian accent.
“I had an English coach and an acting coach and a speech coach and an accent removal coach, who has passed away since then, but I should have otherwise gotten my money back,” he shared on “The Graham Norton Show” this week.
At the time, Schwarzenegger said he was told that his accent would keep him from landing leading man roles -- which proved to be totally inaccurate considering “Conan the Barbarian” and “The Terminator” worked so well because of the accent. [via Variety]
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The Lamborghini that LEONARDO DICAPRIO drove in 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is heading to auction.
The 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary car is expected to fetch anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million, and is listed in “as filmed condition,” meaning it's fairly beat up. Those familiar with the movie will remember the ride from the scene where DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort, took too many quaaludes and tried to drive home.
Whoever buys the Lambo will also get one of four outfits DiCaprio wore while filming the scene with the car, a director’s chair and clapboard signed by director MARTIN SCORSESE, DiCaprio and actress MARGOT ROBBIE, some crew hoodies and DVDs of the movie. [via TMZ]
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ALEC BALDWIN and HILARIA BALDWIN are considering starring in their own reality show.
In a recent interview with KELLY RIPA on her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, Alec explained that they are entertaining pitches for a new show.
Remember, Alec and Hilaria have seven kids together, plus his 28-year-old daughter Ireland, so there would be lots of chaos to film. [via ET]
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COURT CASES
ROBERT DE NIRO took the stand for the second day on Tuesday in the gender discrimination case with his former assistant.
Once again the actor reportedly got loud when asked about his treatment of the assistant, while admitting that he “berated her” one time when she failed to wake up for an important meeting.
“I raised my voice. I don’t yell,” he exclaimed to the courtroom.
The assistant is counter suing De Niro for $12 million, claiming she was discriminated against for being a female. Her suit is in response to one filed by the actor’s production company who claims she acted inappropriately while employed. [via Page Six]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
TRAVIS BARKER revealed that he and KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN plan to name their son Rocky 13 Barker.
As for when baby boy Barker will make his arrival, Travis said that he is due to arrive any time.
Stay tuned…[via E!]
KEEPING UP: The baby will be Kourt and Travis’ first kid together. She is mom to three, whom she shares with ex SCOTT DISICK, and he is dad to two, whom he shares with ex-wife SHANNA MOAKLER. Travis also considers his wife’s daughter, Atiana De La Hoya, one of his children.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA arrived in Kenya on Tuesday for their first visit to a Commonwealth country as monarchs.
In a banquet speech, Charles expressed “sorrow” and “regret” for Britain’s colonial history, particularly violence used against Kenyans during their fight for independence in the 1950s. The King added that he intends to get a better understanding of how that violence in previous generations still affects people there today. [via Reuters]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Cinnamon Day
Extra Mile Day
Scented Candle Day
National Cook For Your Pets Day
National Authors’ Day
National Vinegar Day
World Vegan Day
National Deep Fried Clams Day
Wobbly Wednesday
National Calzone Day
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ON THIS DATE
1512 - The public is able to view the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome for the first time.
The work is heralded as among the master Michelangelo’s finest.
The most famous of the nine ceiling panels depicting biblical stories is "The Creation of Adam," which shows God giving the spark of life to Adam.
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1765 - British Parliament approves the Stamp Act, which forced American colonists to use special paper for all printing purposes. It was designed to raise money for the British Army serving in America.
Organizations like the Sons of Liberty sprang up in reaction to the measure.
The outcry was loud enough that Parliament did repeal the Stamp Act the following March; however, they also passed the Declaratory Acts, which asserted Parliament's legislative supremacy over the colonies.
Of course, the back-and-forth culminated in the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775.
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1800 - John Adams moves into the President's House in Washington, D.C.
Only a few months of his presidency remained, which was fortunate, as there remained much work to be done to complete the house.
The winter months were indeed cold and uncomfortable and Abigail Adams insisted that fires be lit in every room to warm the place. She had to hang her laundry indoors, in what is today the East Room.
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1950 - Two lame assassins botch an even lamer assassination attempt on President Truman.
The commander-in-chief and his family had been living in Blair House, across the street from the White House, which was undergoing renovations.
The two assassins, Grisello Torresola and Oscar Collazo, ran up to the front door and started shooting.
They were quickly subdued by security officers, one of whom died in the fight. Torresola was also killed.
Collazo later admitted that their plan was ill-conceived. They were even unsure whether the president was home during the attack.
Truman kept his schedule that day. His only remarks: "A president has to expect these things."
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1952 - The world's first thermonuclear bomb is detonated over Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The blast came seven years after the explosion of the atomic bombs over Japan. The Soviets caught up in 1949 with their own atom bomb. In the meantime, this gave the United States the most powerful weapon in the world. It was 1,000 times more destructive than other atomic bombs.
The Soviets would catch up the following year, with the detonation of their own hydrogen weapon.
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1993 - With the passage of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union becomes a real institution.
Named for the town in the Netherlands where negotiations over formation of the EU took place, the Maastricht Treaty called for a centralized European parliament, a central European bank, and universal foreign policy across the member nations.
It was also the first step for the foundation of the Euro currency.
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1998 - 49ers Steve Young and Jerry Rice connect for their 80th career touchdown at Lambeau Field.
They would ultimately lose the game to the Green Bay Packers 36-22.
The record was previously held by Dolphins tandem Dan Marino and Mark Clayton.
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2018 - Palau becomes the first country to ban sunscreens with specific chemicals.
The Pacific nation made the decision as the cream can be harmful to corals and sea life.
Hawaii would follow with a similar ban three years later.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jayden Bartels - actress, “Camp Nick” & “Side Hustle” - 19
Kaylee Bryant - actress, “Kickin’ It” - 26
Rocky Lynch - pop singer, R5 - 29
Anthony Ramos - actor, “Hamilton” - 32
JoJo Fletcher - reality star, “Bachelorette” - 33
Penn Badgley - actor, “Gossip Girl” & “You” - 37
Natalia Tena - actress, “Game of Thrones” - 39
Jenny McCarthy - model & TV personality, “The View” & “The Masked Singer” - 51
Anthony Kiedis - rock singer, Red Hot Chili Peppers - 61
Tim Cook - CEO of Apple - 63
Lyle Lovett - country singer - 66
Anna Stuart - actress, “All My Children” - 75
John McEnry - actor, “Romeo and Juliet” - 80
Charles Koch - businessman, Koch Industries - 88
Born On This Date
Lil Peep - rapper - 1996 (d. 2017)
Larry Flint - magazine publisher, Hustler - 1942 (d. 2021)
Stephen Crane - novelist, “Red Badge of Courage” - 1871 (d. 1900)
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