1/26/2023: $3.4 Million in Debt … Every Day
1/26/2023: $3.4 Million in Debt … Every Day
PLUS: Trump’s Back on Facebook (Soon); Gisele’s New Man?; and “Hulk Hogan’s TP Tweet”
Today is Thursday, January 26, 2023.
It is the 26th day of the year.
339 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Britain is battling a frightening increase in excess deaths; a pair of earthquakes; and the latest defense package headed to Ukraine. More in HIT LIST.
Former President DONALD TRUMP’s reelection campaign is getting spicier, as he’s expected to regain access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and he’s even warmed up to sending text messages. More in THE SWAMP.
Fans are concerned about BRITNEY SPEARS, meanwhile, “Marvel” star JEREMY RENNER may be a real-life superhero. More in SHOWBIZ.
YE may be banned from going to The Land Down Under, while his daughter NORTH WEST lands a movie gig. More in KARDASHOPUS.
VIRGINIA GIUFFRE is set to publish her memoir. Will her accusations against PRINCE ANDREW be part of it? More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The United States and Germany have agreed to send tanks to Ukraine as part of their ongoing war with Russia. The US is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks and Germany is providing 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks. Germany’s contribution was contingent on the United States ponying up its own stock, too. [via AP]
WORTH NOTING: A brutal stalemate in recent months has wreaked havoc on Ukrainian civilians, as the front has remained largely unchanged. Analysts hope the introduction of these tanks will at least shake up the balance of power in the conflict.
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ELON MUSK wants to aggressively tackle the mountain of debt he accumulated to purchase TWITTER. The Wall Street Journal reports he’s looking to sell about $3 billion worth of equity in the social media company to pay down part of the $13 billion he financed.
WORTH NOTING: The terms of the unsecured debts are pretty brutal, with the most expensive credit costing 10% interest a year plus a benchmarked rate that’s currently around 4.3%.
IT GETS WORSE: Those rates go up half a percentage point every quarter they remain on the balance sheet. Between existing debt and the new financing Musk received as part of the acquisition, Twitter owes more than $1.25 BILLION a year just in interest payments. That’s nearly $3.4 million in interest – every day. [via WSJ]
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EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA: A 4.2 magnitude earthquake rattled southern California early Wednesday morning. It first registered just south of Malibu Beach and no injuries or deaths were reported.
EARTHQUAKE IN GREECE: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Greece Wednesday. The quake was felt as far as Cairo, Egypt, but there have been no initial reports of death or damage.
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Human remains washed up on a beach near Cornwall, England, spooking local residents – but an investigation suggests the skull is hundreds of years old. A local environmental group found it when they were picking up litter.
Cornwall’s Rural Historic Environment team believes it may be a shipwreck victim who washed ashore and was buried. They’re planning a more comprehensive study of the bones to try to learn more. [via CBS News]
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Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation – sort of like their CDC – has officially ended its recommendation that people under 50 get a regular covid booster. The government will keep paying for the shots until February 12.
MEANWHILE: For the week ending January 13, England and Wales registered the highest number of excess deaths since February 2021, before vaccines were widely available.
In total, England registered more than 650,000 deaths in 2022 – 9% more than in 2019. [via BBC]
MEANWHILE, AT SOME CONFERENCE WHERE RICH DORKS TRY TO DECIDE HOW WE PEASANTS LIVE: BILL GATES, a vocal covid-vax advocate, told an audience that the mRNA vaccines “are not infection blocking. They’re not broad, so when new variants come up you lose protection, and they have very short duration, particularly in the people who matter, which are old people.” [via Lowy Institute Youtube]
Oops.
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CHARTS
Recommended Reading
Check out this weird, but true story about real life blue people.
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DEATHS
Actor LANCE KERWIN has died.
He passed away Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from his daughter. No further details were shared.
Kerwin is best known for his roles in the 1970s TV series “Salem’s Lot” and “James at 16.”
He was 62.
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Dancer and actress MARGIE DUNCAN has died.
She passed away on January 3 at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness, her family said in a statement.
Duncan appeared in many films, including “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “The Second Time Around” and “The Singing Nun.”
She was 92.
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BABY NEWS
PARIS HILTON, 41, and her husband CARTER REUM, also 41, revealed Wednesday that they have welcomed their first child -- a son -- via surrogate.
Hilton did not reveal when the baby arrived or what his name is.
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“Jersey Shore” star MIKE “The Situation” SORRENTINO, 40, and his wife, LAUREN SORRENTINO, 38, have welcomed their second baby.
The couple’s daughter, named Mia Bella Elizabeth Sorrentino, arrived Tuesday.
The newborn joins big brother Romeo Reign, 1.
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BREAKUPS
Cowboys QB DAK PRESCOTT, 29, has split from his girlfriend, model NATALIE BUFFETT, 25.
Multiple sources confirmed the news, with one telling Page Six they broke up in March 2022.
No word on what caused the split.
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THE SWAMP
Former President DONALD TRUMP will get access back to his Facebook and Instagram accounts.
A rep for the company said in a statement, “The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box.” [via CNBC]
MEANWHILE: The New York Times reports that Trump has started using his phone to send text messages. Trump has notoriously avoided written documentation of just about anything and has a reputation of insulting and mocking people who take notes at meetings that include him. [via NYT]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 9 points (0.029%) to close at 33,743 on Wednesday. The S&P lost 0.73 points (0.018%) to close at 4,016 and the NASDAQ lost 20 points (0.18%) to close at 11,313.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $80; BRENT CRUDE at $86.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS increased to $3.48.
₿ BITCOIN surged late in the day Wednesday, adding more than $370 and trading just over $23,000.
🛩 There were more than 4,241 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States and 657 such cancellations as winter storms pummeled the east coast.
💰A winning ticket for Tuesday night’s $31 million MEGA MILLIONS drawing was sold in Massachusetts. The cash option is $16.3 million. Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $10.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Actor JEREMY RENNER was trying to save his nephew from being hit by his snowplow when the machine crushed him.
According to a recently released incident report from the Nevada Sheriff's Office, Renner was using the plow to pull out his nephew’s vehicle when it started to slide. He jumped out of the plow -- without setting the emergency brake -- to get his nephew out of harm's way. It was at that point he got run over.
The report states that while investigators believe the safety brake would have stopped the vehicle, they also noted that brake indicator light was not working.
Renner, who is recovering at home now, was flown to a trauma center after the accident, where he was in “critical but stable condition.” [via Page Six]
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Fans concerned about BRITNEY SPEARS made several calls to Ventura County Sheriff’s Office this week seeking a wellness check on the singer after she deleted her Instagram account…again.
A police spokesperson updated fans on the situation, confirming that Spears is not “in any kind of harm or any kind of danger.” They did not say if they spoke to Spears directly, however.
Spears has deleted her social media accounts several times over the past few years, but always returns. As for the latest deletion, an insider told Page Six that she “just likes to take social media breaks every now and then.” [via Page Six]
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LUKE BRYAN fans are split over the way he introduced his friend, fellow country singer DUSTIN LYNCH, over the weekend at Crash My Playa music festival in Mexico.
“No one has drank more liquor, no one has vomited more, no one has taken more drugs, no one has taken more IVs, no one has passed more STD tests than this next gentleman,” Bryan told the crowd.
Lynch then took the stage and went right into his first song. He did not respond to Bryan’s comments.
Comments ranged from those calling Bryan “an idiot” to those pointing out he was just “goofing off with a good buddy.” [via Page Six]
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GISELE BUNDCHEN was spotted horseback riding with her kids’ jiu-jitsu instructor JOAQUIM VALENTE.
The outing -- one of many for the duo -- has led to speculation that the model may have already moved on post-divorce from TOM BRADY.
When rumors of the relationship first started, Gisele’s camp said that Joaquim was just tagging along on family vacations to train her kids. [via TMZ]
WORTH NOTING: Gisele’s kids -- who she shares with Brady -- did not go horseback riding.
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The first round of performers for this year’s Grammy awards were announced Wednesday.
BAD BUNNY, LIZZO and BRANDI CARLILE will take the stage for the 65th annual music awards show.
Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.
TREVOR NOAH will return to host the event, which is set for February 5 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. [via The Hollywood Reporter]
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“Good Morning America” co-anchors (and rumored adulterers) TJ HOLMES and AMY ROBACH are taking part in mediation with ABC today.
The network says they don’t want the two back together on the same set, but have not hinted at whether one, or both, could get the boot.
Insiders told TMZ that the pair plan to attend today’s meeting as a “united front.”
Many may recall, the two anchors took a leave of absence from the show at the end of last year as network execs opened an investigation into their relationship -- which may have overlapped with both of their respective marriages. [via TMZ]
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HULK HOGAN was either hacked or accidentally tweeted out about his bathroom emergency on Wednesday.
“I ran out of toilet paper, brother, help!!!!!” the tweet read.
The tweet was removed minutes later, but not before several Twitter users screenshot it.
What most likely happened was Hogan thought he was texting someone to bring him some more TP, but hit the Twitter button instead. Or maybe Siri is to blame? Either way, hopefully he got what he needed, and in a timely manner. [via TMZ]
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Actor JULIAN SANDS, 65, is still missing.
He was reported missing 12 days ago while hiking Mount Baldy in Southern California.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department gave an update this week, saying “numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place [...] no evidence of [Sand’s] current location has been discovered.” Search efforts will continue, weather permitting.
The British-born actor is an avid hiker, according to family members. [via The Hollywood Reporter]
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CASTING CALL
Several contestants on the reality show “Squid Game: The Challenge” were injured while playing a game of “Red Light Green Light” during the ongoing cold snap in the UK, where the show takes place.
The injured were among 456 players in the game, which was featured in Netflix’s Korean drama series “Squid Game.” In the show a giant doll swivels her head around and fires gunshots at players caught moving. This is NOT how the game is played in the competition series -- just for the record.
Producers told Variety that all of the injuries were “mild.”
As for the game show it features various challenges, all based on children’s games that are in the actual show, as well as new games. The winner receives a $4.56 million cash prize. [via Variety]
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“Today” co-host SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’s New York Times bestselling children’s book, “Princesses Wear Pants” is being turned into an animated series for Netflix.
The story follows four princesses who all hail from major fruit kingdoms -- Kira Kiwi, Beatrice “Bea” Blueberry, Rita Raspberry and Penelope “Penny” Pineapple -- who come together to help make the world a better place.
Actress DREW BARRYMORE will serve as executive producer alongside Guthrie on the project.
“Princesses Wear Pants” premieres on Netflix on January 30. [via People]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE’s upcoming Australian trip is in jeopardy thanks in part to his anti-semitic rants.
Australia’s Education Minister, Jason Clare, told Nine Network TV Wednesday that Ye’s visa may get rejected over his idealization of Hitler, among other things.
Several Australian Jewish groups have also petitioned the government to ban Ye from entering.
Ye is planning to head to The Land Down Under to meet his new wife, BIANCA CENSORI’s family next week. [via TMZ]
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NORTH WEST will lend her voice to the upcoming Nickelodeon sequel “PAW PATROL: The Mighty Movie.”
She joins her mom, KIM KARDASHIAN, who will reprise her role as Delores from the 2021 original film.
WHAT’S MORE: North’s younger brother, SAINT WEST, will also make a cameo in the animated flick. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE ANDREW’s accuser VIRGINIA GIUFFRE is publishing her memoir.
Insiders told the New York Post that Giuffre has signed a book deal, said to be worth millions, just a year after agreeing to a multimillion-dollar settlement with the royal.
As part of the settlement, neither Andrew nor Giuffre could publicly discuss the case or the settlement for one year. While that timeline has almost passed, sources told the outlet that it is “unlikely” Giuffre will be “allowed” to write about Andrew or their settlement.
Despite possibly not being allowed to write about her accusations against Andrew, the book itself will still be another embarrassment to the Royal Family. Especially with it being published so soon after PRINCE HARRY’s memoir, “Spare.”
What is likely to be in the book is how Giuffre was groomed by JEFFREY EPSTEIN and GHISLAINE MAXWELL when she was just a teenager. [via NY Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement
Indian Republic Day
Clashing Clothes Day
National Green Juice Day
International Customs Day
National Peanut Brittle Day
Australia Day
National Spouses Day
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ON THIS DATE
1500 - Vicente Yáñez Pinzón is the first European explorer to discover Brazil.
He was the Spanish commander of Columbus' ship the Niña eight years earlier.
Pinzón explored the mouth of the Amazon River, but did not go deep into the territory.
That same year, a Portuguese explorer named Pedro Álvares Cabral also stumbled upon Brazil, and claimed it for Portugal.
The first permanent Portuguese colony would arrive 30 years later.
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1788 - British Captain Arthur Phillip leads 11 British prisoner ships to the New South Wales Colony and founds Australia.
The entire island was meant to be a penal colony for convicts of the British empire. The prisoners would perform labor at an agricultural work camp.
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1838 - Tennessee becomes the first state to prohibit the sale of alcohol in taverns and stores.
Those found in violation were fined. The revenue went to public schools.
Prohibition would began nationwide in 1919, lasting 14 years.
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1934 - Sam Goldwyn buys the movie rights to the children's story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," written by L. Frank Baum.
Goldwyn had wanted Shirley Temple to play the leading role, but it went to 17-year-old Judy Garland, catapulting her to international stardom.
The movie was released in 1939.
The film would spawn two sequels: “Journey Back to Oz” (1974) and “Return to Oz” (1985).
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1980 - The US Olympic Committee votes to cancel or move the Moscow Olympics, and sends its resolution to the International Olympic Committee.
While the Cold War underscored the politics of the US Olympic Committee's decision, in particular the US was protesting the movement of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan.
The venue did not change, though, and the games went on. The US did not participate in the games that year.
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1998 - During a news conference Bill Clinton tells the American people, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
Monica Lewinsky was an unpaid summer intern who would later get a paid position in the White House, during which she would have numerous sexual encounters in the Oval Office with President Clinton.
After denying the inappropriate relationship, Clinton finally acknowledged the affair in testimony to the grand jury.
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2020 - Kobe Bryant dies in a helicopter crash.
The LA lakers basketball legend, his daughter Gianna, 13, and six family and friends, along with the pilot were aboard the chopper heading to Ventura Country. All nine were killed after the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain and began burning.
The official cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma.
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BIRTHDAYS
YaYa Gosselin - actress, “We Can Be Heroes” - 14
Cooper Van Grootel - actor, “One of Us Is Lying” - 22
Joseph Quinn - actor, “Stranger Things” - 29
Sasha Banks - wrestler - 31
Colton Underwood - reality star “Bachelor” - 31
Colin O’Donoghue - actor, “Once Upon a Time” - 42
Vince Carter - basketball player - 46
Kevin McCarthy - politician & House Speaker - 58
Wayne Gretzky - hockey player - 62
Anita Baker - R&B singer - 65
Ellen DeGeneres - talk show host - 65
Born On This Date
Eddie Van Halen - guitarist, Van Halen - 1955 (d. 2020)
Paul Newman - actor, “The Color of Money” & “Hud” - 1925 (d. 2008)
Bessie Coleman - first African-American female pilot - 1892 (d. 1926)
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