Today is Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
It is the 311th day of the year.
55 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
ELON MUSK’s spending spree continues and trouble for a new tech toy. Details in HIT LIST.
KRISTIN CAVALLARI doubles down on her claim that BRITNEY SPEARS is a clone and RIHANNA wants to grow her Fenty empire. More in SHOWBIZ.
RYAN REYNOLDS is working on a non-Marvel movie for himself and HUGH JACKMAN. Details in CASTING CALL.
KRIS JENNER gives grandson ROCKY a unique gift for his 1st birthday in KARDASH.
A moneymaking scheme for PRINCE ANDREW (sort of) emerges. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
AMERICA HAS BEEN UNBURDENED BY WHAT HAS BEEN.
As long as there’s no funny business, no mysterious ballot drops, no spooky foreign actors pulling strings, DONALD TRUMP will be the 47th President of the United States.
Shortly after midnight, networks and news organizations began calling Pennsylvania for Trump, putting him in spitting distance of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidential race.
Just before midnight, Harris-Walz Campaign Co-Chair CEDRIC RICHMOND addressed the crowd gathered at Howard University, informing them that the Democrat candidate would not be speaking and address the nation some time this morning. The announcement followed multiple media reports suggesting the Harris campaign had stopped communicating with the media earlier in the night.
That’s all we have as of 1:00 am.
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ELON MUSK’s real estate spending spree continues.
LAST WEEK: The New York Times reported that the billionaire was assembling a compound for his kids and their (at least three) mothers to live in together.
NOW: People reports that Musk and artist GRIMES, who have had three kids together, are house-hunting in Bel Air, California, but that property, too, would be able to accommodate his nine other kids and their two respective mothers.
Musk and Grimes are no longer romantically involved. [via People]
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Tuition to the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University costs more than $61,000 a year for a full course load. Fewer than a third of applicants are admitted. The school’s graduates end up in some of the highest levels of government and policy-making.
And so today, the school is offering a “self-care suite” where students can play with legos, snack on milk and cookies, and do coloring books, to help them escape election stress.
WORTH ASKING: Is it too much to ask that future political leaders learn to cope with stress without infantilizing them? [via The Free Press]
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If you recently ordered the new AMAZON color-screen Kindle e-reader, it might be a while before you get your tech toy.
The company announced that it is delaying all shipments by at least a week after multiple customers reported a serious display glitch, including a “yellowish bar” at the bottom. The tablet’s “dark mode,” making the screen easier to read in low-light conditions, is also not working in many cases.
The delay will take at least a week to be fixed. [via The Verge, Android Central]
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Scientists believe that wild animals could be getting drunk on fermented tree fruit.
According to a new study published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, jungle fruit can contain up to 10.2% alcohol by volume. By comparison, wine averages 11.6%.
Further research on the topic could determine whether the animals intentionally seek out the ethanol, with an understanding of its potential boozy side effects. [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Home Depot co-founder BERNARD MARCUS has died.
He passed away Tuesday. No cause of death was shared.
In addition to being a successful businessman, Marcus was also a Republican mega donor.
He was 95.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 427 points (1.02%) to close at 42,221 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 70 points (1.23%) to close at 5,782 and the NASDAQ increased 259 points (1.43%) to close at 18,439.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $75.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.10 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN surged to all-time highs late Tuesday, exceeding $74,500.
🛩 There were more than 1,930 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 150 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $75 million jackpot or a $35.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT’s brother, AUSTIN SWIFT, saved a fan from getting the boot at his sister’s “Eras Tour” show in Indianapolis over the weekend.
A TikTok video shows Austin calling off security guards, who had an issue with the fan’s outfit of choice -- a TRAVIS KELCE jersey, football gloves and helmet.
“Hey, let’s not put hands on people,” he told the employee before apologizing to the fan and complimenting her attire. Austin also gave the fan and her friends some guitar picks. [via TikTok]
BY THE WAY: The “Eras Tour” run in the U.S. is officially over. Things wrap up completely in December.
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Actress ANYA TAYLOR-JOY and her husband, musician MALCOLM MCRAE, were victims of a terrifying breakin at the London mansion they were staying in last year.
According to a newly released report of the incident, the two were staying at the residence of a fellow celebrity when a group of masked burglars broke in, prompting the couple to hide in a closet.
A 42-year-old man was recently arrested and charged with the burglary, while his accomplices remain at large.
The delay in reporting was due to a restriction placed on the police report by the Wood Green crown court of North London. That restriction was recently lifted. [via The Sun]
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After sharing her belief that BRITNEY SPEARS is a clone, reality star KRISTIN CAVALLARI revealed that the pop princess reached out to her.
“Britney sent me a text,” she shared on her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast this week. After texting back and forth for a bit, Cavallari says she suggested a meet up and Spears left her on read.
“She just never [effing] responded,” she explained. “Now I do think you’re a [effing] clone. I don’t think it’s you. I don’t want to hang out.”
Cavallari also believes YE is a clone. [via E!]
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RIHANNA’s next venture is for the kids.
According to RadarOnline, RiRi has filed trademarks to create her own Fenty Kids line, which will include clothes, accessories and reusable cloth diapers.
“Let’s get these kids cool. These kids deserve to be cool,” an insider told the outlet of the plans. [via RadarOnline]
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JENNIFER LOPEZ is still living at the Beverly Hills mansion she shared with BEN AFFLECK.
Fans pointed that out after she posted some photos posing on the heavily decorated front porch.
Affleck, meanwhile, moved out of the place in May, well ahead of their August divorce filing. [via InTouch]
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CASTING CALL
“Outer Banks” will end with its forthcoming fifth season.
News of the renewal comes this week, just days ahead of Season 4 Part 2, which debuts on November 7.
“Outer Banks,” set in a North Carolina beach community divided by class into Haves (Kooks) and Have Nots (Pogues), quickly took over popular culture during the early days of the pandemic. [via Deadline]
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BARRY KEOGHAN says he didn’t hesitate when asked to strip down for the full-frontal dance scene at the end of “Saltburn.”
He also kept things au natural, too, shutting down speculation that he used a prosthetic penis.
“It was all me, you know…” he quipped on “The Louis Theroux Podcast.” [via People]
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RYAN REYNOLDS is working on a non-Marvel flick that will have him once again working alongside HUGH JACKMAN.
“I’m spending the year writing,” he shared on the “Variety Awards Circuit” podcast this week.
While no details were revealed, Reynolds called his plans “fresh and unexpected.”
Most recently, Reynolds and Jackman starred in the box office hit “Deadpool & Wolverine.” [via Variety]
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MATT DAMON and BEN AFFLECK are growing beards for their forthcoming film, “RIP.”
“We’re in the middle of it, that’s why we’re bearded,” Damon told Extra.
Plot details are unknown, though the movie has been described as a “crime thriller.” It is expected to drop on Netflix next year. [via Extra]
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TOM HANKS didn’t hold back while discussing movie critics on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast.
“C--ksuckers,” Hanks said when asked about how he feels about some of the movie critics who have panned his work in the past.
He is particularly bitter over the initial reaction to his directorial debut, 1996’s “That Thing You Do!,” which has since become a cult classic.
“But that’s the thing we all signed up for,” he continued. “That’s the carnival, that’s the contest. I got faith in that. That’s okay.” [via NY Post]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KRIS JENNER gifted her youngest grandchild, ROCKY BARKER, a unique gift for his 1st birthday: a handwritten letter from SYLVESTER STALLONE.
“Dear Rocky, my name is Rocky too,” the letter starts out, referring to Stallone’s iconic character Rocky Balboa.
“You must never give up on your dreams, never! Now most importantly, you must always value family, friendship, and loyalty over fame and fortune,” the note continued.
Many on social media called the gift “inappropriate,” with one user writing, “This is gonna be so cool when he learns 1. How to read 2. Who Sylvester Stallone is.” [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE ANDREW remains in a tough spot to pay for upkeep of the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, now that brother KING CHARLES has totally cut off his annual allowance.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman reports that Andrew is leaning on friends to make it all work, and none of it sounds particularly legitimate. Hardman writes, “He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs.”
No word how Andrew makes money on friends conducting international trade. Either way, Hardman says, “whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.” [via The Mirror]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Stress Awareness Day
Eating Healthy Day
National Ladies Learning Code Day
National Saxophone Day
National Basketball Day
National Advent Calendar Day
National Nachos Day
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ON THIS DATE
355 - After dealing with several rebellions, Roman Emperor Constantius II decides he needs a representative in Gaul, so he proclaims his cousin Julian as Caesar of the West and heir apparent.
After being given the title, Julian married Constantius’ sister -- also his cousin -- Helena.
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1789 - Pope Pius VI appoints Father John Carroll as the first Catholic bishop in the United States.
Father Carroll had been trained in the ministry in France and became a member of the Society of Jews. He returned to the U.S. as a Catholic missionary in 1773.
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1860 - Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th President of the United States.
Lincoln, a Republican, beat Democrats John C. Breckenridge, Stephen A. Douglas and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell for the seat.
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1861 - Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America.
Like the Union's first commander-in-chief, George Washington, Davis was unopposed.
He would be the Confederate States of America's only president. His six-year term was not quite completed when the CSA was dissolved in 1865.
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1906 - President Roosevelt begins a trip to Panama and Puerto Rico.
The trip made him the first president to leave the continent on official state business while in office.
During the trip, he inspected the Panama Canal, which remained under construction. There is an iconic picture in which Roosevelt is photographed operating a large steam shovel.
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1917 - Vladimir Lenin leads communist revolutionaries who topple Russia's provisional government.
Lenin oversaw the first Marxist state in the world. He consolidated power under the banner of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
He died in 1924 and was succeeded by Stalin.
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1962 - The United Nations formally condemns apartheid through a resolution.
The document called for all partner countries to end any military and economic aid or support to South Africa, which sanctioned racial segregation against non-whites in the country.
While the white population was a minority in numbers, it nonetheless held control of power in the country.
A new constitution outlawing the injustice was implemented in 1991.
Nelson Mandela became president in 1993, after spending 27 years in prison alongside other anti-apartheid leaders.
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1995 - Owner of the Cleveland Browns Art Modell announces a plan to move the team to Baltimore.
Legal actions by the city of Cleveland, as well as Browns season ticket holders, persuaded the NFL to keep the franchise in Cleveland.
Modell was permitted to move his organization to Baltimore, establishing the Baltimore Ravens, leaving the Browns in Cleveland and owner-less.
After “The Move” no one purchased the Browns franchise, so the NFL deactivated the team. They were reactivated in time for the 1999 season after being purchased by a new owner the year prior for $530 million.
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2012 – Elizabeth Warren becomes the first female Senator from Massachusetts.
She defeated incumbent Republican Scott Brown.
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2022 - The Powerball jackpot rises to a record of $1.9 BILLION after three months of no winning tickets.
The following day Edwin Castro of California would win more than $2 BILLION in the drawing.
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BIRTHDAYS
Bobby Finke - Olympic swimmer - 25
Hero Fiennes Tiffin - actor, “After” films - 27
Paige DeSorbo - reality star, “Summer House” - 32
Emma Stone - actress, “The Help” & “La La Land” - 36
Lamar Odom - basketball player - 45
Sal Vulcano - comedian - 48
Ethan Hawke - actor, “Training Day” & “Boyhood” - 54
Kelly Rutherford - actress, “Gossip Girl” - 56
Mohamed Hadid - reality star, “Real Housewives” - 76
Sally Field - actress, “Steel Magnolias” & “Forrest Gump” - 78
June Squibb - actress, “The Age of Innocence” - 95
Born On This Date
Mike Nichols - director, “The Graduate” - 1931 (d. 2014)
James Naismith - invented the football helmet & basketball - 1861 (d. 1939)
John Philip Sousa - composer, “Stars & Stripes Forever” - 1854 (d. 1932)
Agrippina the Younger - Roman Empress & mom of Nero - 15 AD (d. 59 AD)
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