1/12/2023: ANOTHER Biden Document Trove Uncovered

PLUS: “Starry Hits Different”; Selling The WWE; and Record Sales for “Spare”

Jan 12, 2023

Today is Thursday, January 12, 2023.

It is the 12th day of the year.

353 days remain.

HIT LIST

The new management at FTX has some good news for those hoping to recoup their losses from the fraudulent crypto company’s implosion: The company has recovered more than $5 billion of liquid and soft assets that could be converted to cash.

Just last month, the company said it could only locate about $1 billion worth of such assets.

As the dust settles, it’s still unclear exactly how much FTX will owe to creditors.

WORTH ASKING: With so many assets in the company’s name, how did it become insolvent? Was its bookkeeping and accounting really so bad that it couldn’t keep track of BILLIONS in assets?

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Fliers across the country had a rough start Wednesday morning, after a glitch in the Federal Aviation Administration’s computer system forced all domestic flights to be grounded.

The NOTAM system that informs pilots and tower crews about weather conditions and potential hazards broke down overnight Tuesday and was still offline early Wednesday morning. While the problem appeared to be resolved by around 8:00 am Wednesday, the snafu caused havoc for the industry throughout the day. More than 9,200 of the estimated 21,000 flights for the day were delayed.

The FAA says it is now investigating the cause of the system breakdown.

UNRELATED (?): Associated Press reports that Britain’s Royal Mail system experienced a “cyber incident” on Wednesday that kneecapped its ability to send letters or packages internationally.

British officials seem to acknowledge it was a cyber attack, looping in the country’s National Cyber Security Center and the National Crime Agency “to fully understand the impact,” AP reports.

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Americans are holding a record amount of credit card debt, at $5,474 per credit card user – that represents a 13% increase year over year, NPR reports.

Overall, 46% of credit card users carry a balance month to month, a 7-point increase over last year.

IT GETS WORSE: 37% of credit card borrowers who earn at least $100,000 a year carry balances month to month as well.

Analysts say most spending is for everyday items, not extravagant spending.

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Pepsi is rolling out a new lemon-lime alternative to take on Sprite’s dominance.

Since rolling out in 1999, Sierra Mist has failed to earn more than one-tenth-of-one-percent of the American soda market’s sales. Sprite, meanwhile, eats up 8% of all soda sales nationwide.

Now, Pepsi plans to retire Sierra Mist and replace it with a whole new recipe for a drink called Starry.

CNN reports that the marketing for Starry is aimed squarely at Gen-Zers, with the slogan, “Starry Hits Different,” which is something we’re told Young Persons say. Part of the product rollout will also include a heavy advertising buy on TikTok.

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As more states legalize weed, police are cracking down harder on high drivers, and one Phoenix company is trying to make their job easier.

ElectraTect Inc. is developing a breath-test to determine if someone is stoned, much like the breathalyzer that measures someone’s blood alcohol content.

Currently, it takes a laboratory bodily fluid analysis to find even trace or residual chemicals in the body from having gotten high in recent weeks, but there isn’t a tool to find out immediately in the moment.

The company says it’s partnering with the Iowa firm that developed the ignition interlock device to detect whether a driver’s been drinking.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow added 268 points (0.8%) to close at 33,973 on Wednesday. The S&P added 50 points (1.28%) to close at 3,969 and the Nasdaq added 189 points (1.76%) to close at 10,931.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed at $77 on Wednesday; Brent Crude at $82.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.26 on Wednesday.

₿ Bitcoin jumped nearly $100 by Wednesday afternoon, trading over $17,500.

🛩 There were more than 9,200 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 1,300 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

An international group of architects teamed up with the UK-based Tim Fu Design to create a Floating City.

The futuristic habitat is capable of housing up to 50,000 residents on 25 acres of interconnected platforms. Each platform contains hi- and low-rise buildings and “photovoltaic glasses,” which provides electricity, making it energy-independent, according to a press release.

Learn more here >>>

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DEATHS

CONSTANTINE, the last king of Greece, has died.

He passed away on Tuesday at the Hygeia Hospital in Athens, his physicians told The Associated Press. No further details were shared.

Constantine ascended the throne in 1964, when he was 23-years-old. After a military coup in 1967, he was forced to exile. The monarchy was abolished in 1973, and democracy restored a year later -- meaning the official end of Constantine’s reign.

He was 82.

ROYAL CONNECTION: Constantine’s uncle was Greek-born PRINCE PHILIP, the husband of the late QUEEN ELIZABETH.

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Model TATJANA PATITZ has died.

She passed away at her home in Santa Barbara, California after a battle with breast cancer, her agent told TMZ.

She was 56.

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BEN MASTERS, best known for his role as Julian Crane on “Passions,” has died.

He passed away on Wednesday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs. According to Deadline, he battled dementia for a number of years and succumbed to Covid-19.

He was 75.

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Musician JEFF BECK has died.

He passed away Tuesday after contracting bacterial meningitis, according to a statement from his reps.

Beck first gained notoriety after replacing ERIC CLAPTON in the British band, the YARDBIRDS. He later started his own band, the JEFF BECK GROUP, which featured vocals from ROD STEWART.

Most recently, Beck toured with JOHNNY DEPP, promoting their album, “18.”

He was 78.

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Actress CAROLE COOK has died.

She passed away yesterday of heart failure in Beverly Hills, according to her husband Tom Troupe.

Cook, a protege of LUCILLE BALL, appeared in many of her shows and movies, including “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” and “Sixteen Candles.”

She was 98.

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BABY NEWS

NAOMI OSAKA, 25, is expecting her first child with boyfriend, rapper CORDAE, 23.

The tennis superstar announced the news on Instagram Wednesday, sharing a photo of an ultrasound screen.

She vowed to get back to the court after welcoming the new arrival.

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THE SWAMP

Aides for President JOE BIDEN have found another trove of classified documents, NBC News reports.

No word yet on where these documents were found, other than that they were not at the Penn Biden Center in DC.

(If you missed it yesterday, don’t forget to read our lengthy analysis of the unanswered questions surrounding the first document trove).

WORTH REMEMBERING: Here’s how Biden responded to news that former President DONALD TRUMP had classified documents at Mar-a-Lago: “How anyone could be that irresponsible, and I thought what data may be in there that could compromise sources methods. "By that I mean names of people who helped, etc. It was just totally irresponsible.”

WORTH ASKING: The National Archives knew about the mishandling of classified materials in November. News is only getting out about this misstep now, as Biden looks stronger than ever to again win the Democratic nomination for president. Is this an inside job?

ALSO: If Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND officially appoints a special counsel to investigate the matter, it looks even worse for Biden, whose Family Crime Syndicate will face new scrutiny from Republican-led House committees.

SPEAKING OF WHICH: The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday sent letters requesting financial transaction data about the Biden Family Crime Syndicate’s financial transactions. In a separate investigation, the committee requested testimony from some of the former Twitter executives

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s drawing. Friday’s drawing will be for a $1.35 BILLION jackpot or a $707.9 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced Wednesday.

Leading the pack with five nominations apiece were “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.’

OTHER NOTABLES IN FILM: In the Lead Actress category, CATE BLANCHETT, MICHELLE YEOH, VIOLA DAVIS, ANA DE ARMAS and DANIELLE DEADWYLER received nods. For Lead Actors, AUSTIN BUTLER, COLIN FARRELL, BILL NIGHY, ADAM SANDLER and BRENDAN FRAISER landed nominations.

FOR TV: Netflix led all other streamers and networks with 12 noms, with original series “Ozark” coming out on top with four.

The SAG Awards will take place on February 26, and for the first time ever, will be livestreamed on Netflix’s YouTube channel.

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TAYLOR SWIFT, HARRY STYLES and LIZZO lead the nominations for this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards.

The trio will be competing with other big names, such as JACK HARLOW, JUSTIN BIEBER and DOJA CAT for Song of Year and with BEYONCE, DRAKE and others for Artist of the Year.

The awards show will air live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 27.

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DAMAR HAMLIN has been released from Buffalo General Medical Center to finish his recovery at home.

His release comes just days after he was transferred to Buffalo following his week-long stay at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

TRADEMARK TRAUMA: Just days after suffering cardiac arrest on the football field, Hamlin filed to trademark two phrases, “Did We Win” and “Three Is Back.” Per the United States Patent and Trademark Office, he is intending to use the the phrases on shirts, clothing jerseys, sweatshirts, hats, pants, shorts, jackets, posters, mugs and novelty pins.

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The District Attorney working the “Rust” shooting case, specifically the death of HALYNA HUTCHINS, will make a decision on which charges to file -- if any -- and against whom by the end of month.

Everyone involved in the film, most notably ALEC BALDWIN, is part of the investigation.

Baldwin, who was holding the gun that discharged the bullet that ultimately killed Hutchins, has denied any wrongdoing, laying the blame on others.

It is unknown what charges the DA is potentially seeking.

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THE CHAINSMOKERS -- consisting of ALEX PALL and DREW TAGGART -- revealed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that they have had threesomes with fans on more than one occasion.

“They were never planned,” Pall explained, while Taggart jokingly added that in the early days of their careers they were forced to share a hotel room and the “European government doesn’t separate their beds,” so “[the threesomes] just kind of happened.”

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Rumors were swirling Wednesday that the WWE had been sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

At the time of reporting, this does not seem to be the case.

According to CNBC, the wrestling organization only confirmed that they had hired banking giant JP Morgan to aid with a potential sale. The reason Saudi Arabia is being floated is because the company already has lucrative deals with their government -- two major Saudi-based shows each year for ten years through 2027.

Fans will have to stay tuned to this one.

MEANWHILE: Co-CEO and chairwoman STEPHANIE MCMAHON gave her official resignation from the WWE this week. Her once-ousted dad, VINCE MCMAHON, will serve as executive chairman of the board.

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Actor FRANKIE MUNIZ is ready to hit the race track.

The former star of “Malcolm in the Middle” revealed yesterday that he will be driving Rette Jones’s Racing’s #30 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Series.

He will kick things off next month at the Daytona International Speedway.

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Investigators believe that actor ADAM RICH’s death was likely due to an overdose.

Insiders told TMZ that Rich’s body was found in the bathroom of his apartment by the building manager, after a welfare check was called in. There was also “a white powdery substance” found at the scene. That, combined with Rich’s past drug use, led investigators to assume his death was an OD.

An autopsy and toxicology report will determine the official cause of death.

Rich was only 54.

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CASTING CALL

“Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” have both been renewed for five years -- through the 2027-2028 season.

For “Wheel,” the renewal takes it through Season 45, while “Jeopardy!” is guaranteed through Season 44.

PAT SAJAK and VANNA WHITE will return to host “Wheel” and KEN JENNINGS and MAYIM BIALIK will return to the podium on “Jeopardy!”

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The 2023 Golden Globes tanked in the ratings category.

According to Nielsen data, only about 6.3 million people tuned in to watch -- marking the lowest audience EVER for the ceremony.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KHLOE KARDASHIAN, her mom KRIS JENNER and sister KIM KARDASHIAN, will all be by TRISTAN THOMPSON’s side as he lays his mom to rest.

Insiders told TMZ that the women are planning to fly to Toronto to be there for Tristan as he says goodbye to his mom, ANDREA THOMPSON.

As previously reported, Andrea suffered a heart attack at her home last week. She was rushed to a local hospital, but did not make it.

No word on if Khloe and Tristan’s two kids will travel with them for the funeral.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCE HARRY’s book, “Spare,” is flying off the shelves faster than he and MEGHAN MARKLE fled the UK.

In its first 24 hours, the book sold more than 400,000 copies across hardcover, ebook and audio formats, according to his publisher, Transworld Penguin Random House.

“As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry,” Larry Finlay, the publisher’s managing director told The Mirror -- referring to Harry Potter.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Youth Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Curried Chicken Day

Kiss a Ginger Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Marzipan Day

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ON THIS DATE

1879 - The British-Zulu war begins after British troops attack the African republic of Natal.

The war was part of Britain's ongoing land conquests, even well into the 19th century.

During the fighting, thousands of British soldiers died, but the Crown ultimately took over and annexed Zululand. The land later became part of South Africa.

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1904 - Henry Ford sets a land-speed record of 91.37 mph on the frozen surface of Michigan's Lake St. Clair.

He was driving a four-wheel vehicle, dubbed the "999," which was made out of wood and lacked a body and hood.

The stunt helped drive sales of the automobiles churned out of Ford's newly-founded factories.

In time, Ford would become an iconic American carmaker.

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1926 - The predecessor to "Amos 'n' Andy" debuts on WGN radio in Chicago. It was first called “Sam n Henry,” but after the rebranding, it was one of the more common radio programs in the country.

Freeman Gosden and Charles Carrell voiced the titular characters. They were white men imitating black men on the air -- in fact, they were discovered after doing a blackface routine on stage in Chicago.

In 1951, the show would head to TV, but blackface performing had become wildly taboo, so black men portrayed the characters. The NAACP rightly criticized the show for wrongly portraying unfair racial stereotypes.

The show would be canceled in 1953.

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1943 - Soviet soldiers break the German lines holding Leningrad, which the Nazis had held for more than a year.

Opening up the line allowed for more supplies and resources for the beleaguered troops.

By January 27, the Germans were pushed west, out of Leningrad.

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1981 - TV show "Dynasty" appears on ABC.

The first episode was actually a three hour movie, which was spun off into a TV show.

By the end of the '80s, the show’s ratings would tank, and it would be canceled, even with complicated storylines left wide open.

Ten years later, ABC would produce and air a two-part “Dynasty” movie to give its fans some closure.

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1995 - OJ Simpson’s murder trial begins in Los Angeles.

The former NFL all-star was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His good friend, Robert Kardashian, was part of his defense team.

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2004 - The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.

Queen Elizabeth II named the ship after the first RMS Queen Mary of 1936.

At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 was the longest (1 million feet) and the largest (148k GT) passenger ship ever built.

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2017 - President Barack Obama surprises VP Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Obama called the former longtime Delaware senator “the best Vice President America’s ever had.”

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2019 - Missy Eliott is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

She is the first female rapper to land the honor.

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BIRTHDAYS

Nathan Gamble - actor, “The Dark Knight” & “Dolphin Tale” - 25

Ella Henderson - pop singer - 27

Zayn Malik - pop singer - 30

Jana Duggar - reality star, “19 Kids and Counting” - 33

Deena Nicole Cortese - reality star, “Jersey Shore” - 36

Issa Rae - actress, “Insecure” & “Little” - 38

Jeremy Camp - rock singer - 45

Melanie Chisholm - pop singer, Spice Girls - 49

Toto Wolff - race car driver - 51

Rachel Harris - actress, “New Girl” & “Natural Selection” - 55

Rob Zombie - metal singer, White Zombie - 58

Jeff Bezos - entrepreneur, Amazon - 59

Howard Stern - radio host - 69

Born On This Date

Naya Rivera - actress, “Glee” - 1987 (d. 2020)

Kristie Alley - actress, “Cheers” - 1951 (d. 2022)

Rush Limbaugh - radio host - 1951 (d. 2021)

Joe Frazier - boxer - 1944 (d. 2011)

Tim Horton - hockey player - 1930 (d. 1974)

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