1/3/2023: Drink More Water!
PLUS: SBF Goes to Court; Speaker Showdown; and Harry Wants to Reconcile
Today is Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
It is the 3rd day of the year.
362 days remain.
TRENDING
#RoseParade landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Monday as the annual event kicked off in Pasadena. FUN FACT: The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl typically take place on New Year’s Day, unless the holiday falls on a Sunday. This has been the case since 1897 when Parade organizers were concerned all the activity would spook horses tied up outside of churches along the parade route.
Jeremy Renner was trending after the actor was injured over the weekend while plowing snow. More in Sick Bay.
Twitterverse was outraged after Celine Dion was left off of Rolling Stone magazine’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list. Speaking of the list, several Twitter users felt that Freddie Mercury should have been higher on the list than No. 14.
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HIT LIST
TODAY: SAM BANKMAN-FRIED will be back in court in Manhattan where he’ll likely plead not guilty to the fraud and money charges filed against him.
SBF has been staying with his parents in California, on an eye-watering $250 million bond – one of the highest ever filed.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Two of SBF’s former colleagues have already pleaded guilty to similar charges, including CAROLINE ELLISON (who ran the Alameda Research hedge fund) and GARY WANG (FTX’s former Chief Technology Officer). Those two are already cooperating, making a tough path ahead for SBF.
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NASA head BILL NELSON says the US could be headed for another Space Race – this time with China.
Around the globe, China has in recent years actively invested heavily in countries with rich natural resources to fuel its own economy. It is believed the Moon too has vast untapped resources, and China would claim those resource-rich areas for itself.
“It is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory,’” Nelson told Politico about China’s lunar aspirations.
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A classmate of the suspect in November’s Idaho murders says the alleged murderer’s demeanor changed after the killings. The student tells NewsNation that BRYAN KOHBERGER would always show up to classes late, alway with a coffee, and seemed “perpetually exhausted.”
After the murders, Kohberger seemed to be chattier with his peers, though. He also came off as a bit of a know-it-all, apparently. The same student source said, “[Kohberger] had to make absolutely sure you knew he was smart, he had this intellectual capacity.”
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Despite a plummeting stock price, Tesla showed a 40% increase in car deliveries in 2022.
In total, the electric car maker shipped around 1.31 million vehicles. Unfortunately, that still fell short of industry analyst expectations. Only recently China loosened its covid restrictions, which included closing Tesla’s factory in Shanghai amid outbreaks of the virus.
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A 25-year-long study published in science journal The Lancet shows one key to avoiding chronic disease is to drink more water.
Since it would be difficult to manage each of the 11,000 participants’ diaries of daily hydration habits, the study instead looked at the sodium levels in their blood – a higher sodium concentration would suggest they weren’t drinking enough water.
Those with higher sodium levels had worse results overall in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Those with the highest sodium levels were 50% more likely to show greater signs of physical aging, and a 20% higher risk of an early death.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 73 points (0.22%) to close at 33,147 on Monday. The S&P lost 9 points (0.25%) to close at 3,839 while the Nasdaq lost 11 points (0.11%) to close at 10,466.
🛢 Domestic oil markets were closed Monday to reflect the New Year holiday. Brent Crude closed at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.21 on Monday.
₿ Bitcoin was mostly flat Monday, trading around $16,700.
🛩 There were more than 6,500 flights delayed within, into or out of the United States on Monday and 650 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Songs on iTunes:
Ashley Cooke, “it’s been a year”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
Lainey Wilson, “Heart Like A Truck”
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Evanescence, “Bring Me to Life”
Top 5 Songs on Spotify:
SZA, “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down”
Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage, “Creepin’”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
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DEATHS
Earth, Wind & Fire drummer FRED WHITE has died.
He passed away Sunday, according to a statement from his brother and bandmate Verdine White. No cause of death was shared.
He was 67.
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BABY NEWS
Rapper LOGIC, 32, and his wife BRITTNEY NOELL are expecting their second child.
He announced the news with a video on Instagram, showing him recording an ultrasound.
The couple are already parents to son, Bobby, 2.
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RELATIONSHIPS
“Good Morning America” co-host ROBIN ROBERTS, 62, announced Monday that she plans to marry her longtime partner, entrepreneur AMBER LAIGN, 48, this year.
The news came up during a conversation about setting intentions for the new year, at which point Roberts said “I’m hesitating because I haven’t said it out loud yet…I’m saying ‘yes’ to marriage.”
The couple have been together since 2005.
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Singer SARA BAREILLES, 43, is engaged to her longtime boyfriend, actor JOE TIPPETT, 40.
The couple revealed the news on their respective Instagrams.
Bareilles and Tippett have been together for six years.
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SICK BAY
JEREMY RENNER was airlifted to the hospital Sunday morning after being run over by his snow plow.
The actor was reportedly plowing the road near his Tahoe home so his family could get out after a massive New Year’s Eve storm.
According to a neighbor, who was on scene, the Snowcat ran over one of Renner’s legs, causing him to lose an alarming amount of blood. A different neighbor, who is a doctor, was able to put a tourniquet on his leg until paramedics arrived.
The most recent update, from his rep, has Renner listed in “critical but stable condition.”
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Tennis champ MARTINA NAVRATILOVA has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
She revealed the news Monday, saying the diagnosis is “still fixable” and that she’s ready to fight the illness.
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THE SWAMP
TODAY: Congress will attempt to elect a new Speaker of the House. With Republicans taking control of the body, California Republican KEVIN MCCARTHY is the expected choice – but a handful of conservative legislators are holding out on him still as of Monday.
WORTH REMEMBERING: There is little threat of conservative holdouts inadvertently causing the election of a Democrat to the speakership. The House will keep voting until someone gets a majority of the quorum, and since everyone will be in DC to get sworn in, there’s no reason for all 435 members to not be present. Assuming so, that’s 218 votes to be speaker.
WORTH NOTING: Every few sessions, there’s always some Congressmen who rabble rouse ahead of the Speaker election, and they almost always get in line. A second vote hasn’t been required since 1923, when Massachusetts Representative Frederick Huntington Gillett took the gavel.
For the 34th Congress in 1855, it took 133 ballots to elect Nathaniel Prentice Banks – also of Massachusetts.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $785 million jackpot or a $395 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT will release a re-recorded version of “Speak Now” in the very near future.
According to The Sun the album will come out in the next “couple of months.”
As many are aware, Taylor has been remaking her earlier albums after a dispute with her old label, Big Machine Records. So far, she has released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version).”
An insider told the publication that she has been “quietly” re-recording her third and fourth studio albums, ahead of her upcoming world tour.
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Rapper MEEK MILL posted bail for several women ahead of the holidays so they could spend the time with their families.
According to an Instagram post by his nonprofit REFORM Alliance, 20 women incarcerated at Philadelphia’s Riverside Correctional Facility were released in time for Christmas. Each of the women were given gift cards to purchase food and gifts for loved ones.
“No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time,” Meek said in a statement.
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SHAKIRA is heading into 2023 with a positive outlook.
The singer, who split from longtime boyfriend, soccer star GERARD PIQUE last year, penned a note on social media about healing after a betrayal.
“In the face of contempt, keep valuing yourself. Because there are more good people than bad people. More empathetic people than indolent people. There are fewer who leave and more who stay by our side,” she wrote.
She also noted her intent to spend more time with her two sons, whom she shares with Pique.
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KATHY GRIFFIN and ANDY COHEN are still feuding.
It all started in 2017 when Cohen replaced Griffin on CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live” special after she got the boot for posing with a prop that looked like former President DONALD TRUMP’s bloody, severed head.
When asked about taking over her job, Cohen pretended he had never heard of her, responding, “Who? I don’t know her.”
In response, Griffin tweeted that Cohen was her boss for 10 years on Bravo and is “deeply misogynistic.”
Fast forward to 2022 and Griffin, who still clearly holds a grudge, tweeted that she chose to watch “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party,” hosted by MILEY CYRUS and DOLLY PARTON over Cohen’s CNN special.
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BAD BUNNY is responding to a now-viral video of him tossing a fan’s phone into the water.
In the video, a woman approaches the rapper, holding her phone up to his face, trying to take a photo or video with him. Clearly irritated, he grabs her phone and tosses it into a body of water off to the side of them.
Explaining his actions, Bad Bunny says he “draws a line between fans who want to create a genuine interaction” and the ones “looking for social media clout.”
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JUDY SCHEINDLIN, aka Judge Judy, is happy that her former neighbor JUSTIN BIEBER appears to be on the straight and narrow.
Speaking to TMZ photogs, the good judge said she has not spoken to the Biebs recently, but she’s seen him and he looks “better than ever.”
Many may recall that just months ago Judy recalled Bieber’s erratic behavior when the two were neighbors, including how he was “scared to death” of her after she called him out in 2014 after his DUI bust.
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CASTING CALL
The ladies of “The View” will celebrate the life of the show’s creator BARBARA WALTERS when they return from the holiday hiatus today.
Walters created “The View” in 1997 and was one of the original co-hosts along with MEREDITH VIEIRA, STAR JONES, DEBBIE MATENOPOULOS and JOY BEHAR. She retired from the show in 2014.
As previously reported, Walters passed away on December 30. She was 93.
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GEORGE RR MARTIN says that ongoing changes at HBO Max have led to several “Game of Thrones” potential spinoffs to be “shelved.”
Writing on his blog, Martin explained that some of his projects surrounding the megahit show are “moving faster than others,” attributing the delays to the restructuring at the streamer due to the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
He did not specify which “GoT” spinoffs have been affected.
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The midseason finale of the current Season 5 of “Yellowstone” aired Sunday night on Paramount Network.
Now fans of the hit show, starring KEVIN COSTNER, are wondering when it will return.
According to the network, the second half will return this summer.
WORTH NOTING: The Season 5 premiere episode broke a ratings record at Paramount with over 12 million viewers tuning in.
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“Avatar: The Way of Water” has brought in more than $444 million domestically and $1.4 billion globally through Sunday (New Year’s Day).
Those numbers make it the 14th-highest global release in history, just ahead of “Black Panther” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.”
It is gearing up to pass TOM CRUISE’s “Top Gun: Maverick” which was the highest grossing film of 2022 at $1.488 billion globally.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
BETHENNY FRANKEL shaded KIM KARDASHIAN in the comment section of GWYNTEH PALTROW’s Instagram post raving about the reality star’s appearance on her “Goop” podcast.
The post read, “@kimkardashian is fascinating to the world, we know this. For me she is fascinating because she challenges so many ideas of what a woman is supposed to be, and how she is supposed to look and behave while doing it.”
Frankel, who has long been anti-Kardashian, commented “I mean LOL.” The comment received thousands of “likes.”
Several others shred the sentiment, questioning why Kardashian would be a guest on the podcast, which is about wellness and holistic approaches.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In a trailer for a forthcoming interview with ITV 1, PRINCE HARRY says he would like to have a relationship with his father, KING CHARLES, and brother, PRINCE WILLIAM, but they have “shown no willingness to reconcile.”
“They feel as though it’s better to keep us, somehow, as the villains,” Harry explained.
That interview will air on January 8.
Harry also sat down to chat with ANDERSON COOPER on CBS’ “60 Minutes” about his leaving the Royal Family. That interview is also set to air on January 8.
The interviews drop just two days before the official release of his memoir, “Spare,” on January 10.
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SPORTS
The New York Giants celebrated clinching their first playoff berth in six years with a $40,000 celebration on Sunday.
After defeating the Indianapolis Colts 38-10, the entire team went back to NYC and “shut down” Asian fusion restaurant Sei Less for their “private celebratory event,” an insider told Page Six.
The source added that running back SAQUON BARKLEY, wide receivers STERLING SHEPARD and KENNY GOLLADAY and QB TYROD TAYLOR picked up the tab, and left a generous tip for the staff.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Women Rock! Day
International Mind-Body Wellness Day
National Fruitcake Toss Day
Festival of Sleep Day
Humiliation Day
National Drinking Straw Day
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
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ON THIS DATE
1521 – Pope Leo kicks Martin Luther out of the Church officially.
The papal bull named "Decet Romanum Pontificem" officially excommunicated Luther, who was a rogue monk speaking out against corrupt church practices.
Though many higher-ups in the church wanted Luther killed, Germanic princes went out of their way to protect him, in order to further weaken the power of the church.
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1861 – Delaware turns down a proposal to secede from the Union.
South Carolina was the first, two weeks prior.
While Delaware did allow slavery, it was not common.
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1868 – A group of samurai overthrow the feudal lords ruling Japan, and help restore an emperor to the throne.
There had been a line of succession, but the royal Japanese family did not have any significant power. With the end of the feudal system, Japan began to boom and joined the progress of the Western World.
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1924 – British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team uncover King Tut's sarcophagus.
The crew had discovered the tomb years earlier, near the tomb of King Ramses.
Tut's tomb was spread over 4 rooms and took 4 years to completely excavate.
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1952 – “Dragnet” debuts on primetime TV.
It started as a radio drama only three years earlier.
The show popularized Detective Friday's catchphrase, "Just the facts ma'am."
It was one of the first television cop dramas, and has spawned hundreds of others, from “Law & Order” to “CSI.”
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1993 – The Buffalo Bills mount the biggest comeback in NFL history.
By halftime, they were trailing the Houston Oilers 28-to-3.
At the start of the second half, the Oilers put in another touchdown.
But then the tide turned.
In the next six minutes, the Bills knocked in 4 touchdowns, closing their point deficit to 4. They took the lead on their next drive, after the Oilers bungled a field goal.
The Oilers managed to tie the game at the end, though. Finally, in OT, the Bills won on a field goal, coming back 32 points and then some in under 28 minutes.
The record would be broken in 2022 when the Vikings would come back from a 33 point deficit to beat the Indianapolis Colts.
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2004 – Casey Kasem gives up his hosting gig at “America’s Top 40.”
The DJ had hosted the show for 30 years.
Ryan Seacrest took his seat.
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2018 – Lawyers for President Trump try to stop the publication of the book “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff.
The book, according to Wolff, details the behavior of Trump and the staff of his 2016 presidential campaign and White House.
The book became a New York Times number one bestseller.
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BIRTHDAYS
Greta Thunberg - activist - 20
Georgia Stanway - soccer player - 24
Florence Pugh - actress, “Little Women” & “Don’t Worry Darling” - 27
Katie McGrath - actress, “Supergirl” & “Jurassic World” - 40
Eli Manning - football player - 42
Danica McKellar - actress, “The Wonder Years” - 48
Jason Marsden - actor, “Step By Step” & “General Hospital” - 48
Dan Harmon - voice actor, producer & writer, “Community” - 50
Michael Schumacher - race car driver - 54
Mel Gibson - actor, “The Patriot” & “Lethal Weapon” - 67
John Paul Jones - bassist, Led Zeppelin - 77
Born On This Date
J.R.R. Tolkien - author, “The Hobbit” & “The Lord of the Rings” - 1892 (d. 1973)
Cicero - philosopher - 106 BC (d. 43 BC)
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