Today is Thursday, February 16, 2023.
It is the 47th day of the year.
318 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Tesla expands its charging stations while retail sales (actually) flounder. More in HIT LIST.
Bad news from the CBO and DONALD TRUMP learns some lessons for 2024. More in THE SWAMP.
MICHAEL JORDAN donates millions to Make-A-Wish and BEN AFFLECK and JENNIFER LOPEZ show off their new ink. More in SHOWBIZ.
ALEC BALDWIN will return to the set of “Rust” when filming resumes this spring, despite being charged with manslaughter. More in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
The judge overseeing SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s trial ordered the release of the names of the two people who guaranteed SBF’s bail. One is a man named Andreas Paepcke, a research scientist at Stanford; the other is Larry Kramer, who used to be the dean of Stanford Law. [via Unusual Whales]
WORTH NOTING: Both of SBF’s parents are faculty at Stanford Law. There does not appear to be anything nefarious about these men signing on to keep SBF out of jail while awaiting trial.
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Only 3% of Russian soldiers aren’t deployed to fight in or near the frontlines in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The news comes as Russia struggles to make territorial progress in the war. [via WSJ]
MEANWHILE: President of Russia VLADIMIR PUTIN has reportedly ordered all TV channels to broadcast his address to the nation next week February 21. This is almost exactly a year since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.
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Tesla is expanding access to its 7,500 EV charging stations across the country so that just about any electric vehicle can use them. The extra access is expected to be online by the end of next year, in addition to building 3,500 new charging stations near highways. [via Financial Times]
ALSO IN ELONLAND: Twitter announced Wednesday it will allow cannabis vendors to advertise on the platform.
BUT WAIT: Companies will still only be able to advertise where they’re legally allowed to sell and they can only promote topical CBD products. So don’t expect ads for bundles of doobies – yet. [via Twitter]
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The Commerce Department reported a 3% jump in January retail sales year over year, blowing out analyst expectations.
BUT WAIT: People aren’t buying more things; things just cost more. Inflation-adjusted year-over-year retail sales declined 2.3%.
WORTH NOTING: This isn’t all to blame on a jittery economy. Americans increasingly buy more things online every year, too.
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CRIME UPDATE: The guy busted for stealing thousands of Cadbury Eggs has already pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage.
NEW DETAIL: Turns out the semi truck he used to jack the candies was also stolen. New numbers from Associated Press suggest the haul was worth about $38,000.
The culprit will be sentenced in March.
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CHARTS
Recommended Reading
Last fall, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Europe exploded. The story caught headlines for about half a news cycle before getting swept into the collective memory hole. Now, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has posted an expose suggesting that President JOE BIDEN ordered an American Navy dive team to wreck the pipeline. However, he only cites a single source and the government has denied Hersh’s claims. Read Hersh’s report here, then take a look at journalist’s Lee Smith’s big questions that Hersh didn’t address here.
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DEATHS
Actress RAQUEL WELCH has died.
She passed away Wednesday morning after a brief illness, according to a statement from her family.
Welch rose to fame for her roles in “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.”
She was 82.
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Former NFL player STANLEY WILSON JR has died.
He passed away after collapsing at a mental hospital earlier this month, according to TMZ. No further details were shared.
Wilson was arrested last August for vandalism. He was later deemed incompetent to stand trial and was transferred to the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles County on February 1.
He was 40.
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DUANGPETCH PROMTHEP has died.
He was the captain of the boys soccer team that was rescued after being trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for two weeks in 2018.
Promthep was found unconscious in his dorm in Leicestershire, UK on February 12. He passed away on February 14 at the hospital. No cause of death is known at this time.
He was only 18.
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BABY NEWS
MARC ANTHONY, 54, and his new bride NADIA FERRERIA, 23, are expecting their first child.
The couple announced the news this week, just two weeks after tying the knot.
While this is the first child for the couple, Anthony is already a dad to six, including 14-year-old twins he shares with his ex-wife JENNIFER LOPEZ.
ALSO: Two of Anthony’s kids are older than his new wife.
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BREAKUPS
NICOLE BOYD, 35, the wife of reality star BAM MARGERA, 43, has filed for legal separation.
She filed paperwork on Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences, according to TMZ.
The two are parents to 5-year-old son, Phoenix.
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THE SWAMP
You know how President JOE BIDEN likes to talk about overseeing the greatest deficit reduction in history?
ABOUT THAT: The Congressional Budget Office says that at the current rate of spending, the federal government will run annual deficits of neary $2 TRILLION a year over the next decade.
So there’s that.
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NIKKI HALEY gave her first speech as a presidential candidate on Wednesday. In the address, she warned of the creeping influence of socialism in America and called for Congressional term limits and mental acuity tests for people over 75 years old serving in government.
WORTH NOTING: Both of those initiatives would require amending the Constitution.
BY THE WAY: Republican Senator JOSH HAWLEY confirmed on Wednesday he’s not running.
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Former President DONALD TRUMP has demonstrated the first signs he’s making tactical changes to his campaign this time around. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump’s team is working on aggressive ballot harvesting programs in order to compete with Democrat tactics that drove up the vote count in 2020 and during midterms.
The report notes that Trump personally is critical of early voting, but will play by Democrat rules to win. [via WSJ]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 38 points (0.11%) to close at 34,128 on Wednesday. The S&P added 11 points (0.28%) to close at 4,147 while the NASDAQ added 110 points (0.92%) to close at 12,070.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78 on Wednesday; BRENT CRUDE at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.41 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN exploded on Wednesday, up nearly 9% and trading over $24,000.
🛩 There were more than 3,061 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 315 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $84 million jackpot or a $44 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
JENNIFER LOPEZ and BEN AFFLECK celebrated their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple by getting tattoos.
She got an infinity sign with their names inscribed and an arrow going through the middle. He got two arrows crossing with a “J” and a “B.” [via People]
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In honor of his birthday, MICHAEL JORDAN is giving back.
The NBA legend, who turns 60 on Friday, is donating $10 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“Witnessing their strength and resilience during such a tough time in their lives has truly been an inspiration,” he said in a statement.
Jordan has donated to the cause a lot over the years and has consistently been one of the most-requested celebrities. [via TMZ]
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CHRIS CUOMO revealed that he was going to “kill everybody” and himself after getting fired from CNN in 2021.
Speaking with former White House communications director ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, on his podcast, “Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci,” Cuomo said that he needed to find some way to deal with his firing or he would have “kill[ed] everybody, including [himself].”
Since the ordeal, he admitted to having made a “lot of mistakes” and has started going to therapy to deal with it all. [via Page Six]
REMEMBER: Cuomo was ousted after advising his brother, former NY Governor ANDREW CUOMO through a sexual misconduct scandal.
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“Fixer Upper” star CHIP GAINES admitted to flirting with MARTHA STEWART at the Time 100 party in 2019.
“I flirted with Martha Stewart in an aggressive -- in a very real way,” he told late night host JIMMY FALLON this week. Chip’s wife, and fellow “Fixer Upper” star JOANNA GAINES, confirmed the story, saying “Yeah, you did.”
“I told her, ‘If anything happens to Jo, watch your DMS,’” Chip joked. [via People]
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“White Lotus” star JENNIFER COOLIDGE had an unwanted visitor at her home last month.
She noticed the man while scrolling through her security tapes, which show the guy jumping over her gate and walking up to her home before eventually taking off.
Insiders told TMZ that Coolidge’s team called the police and a trespassing report was filed. No arrests have been made. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
Following yesterday’s news that production on “Rust” will resume this spring, director JOEL SOUZA confirmed to E! News that ALEC BALDWIN will return to the film. Remember, not only is he starring in the movie, but also acting as a producer.
Souza also shared that safety officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan have been added to the crew to ensure there are “zero working weapons” or “any form of ammunition” on set. [via E! News]
MEANWHILE: Baldwin’s charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS will continue to play out.
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One name can be removed from the lengthy list of men rumored to be in the running to be the new James Bond.
While speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, actor IDRIS ELBA said that he has taken himself “out of the running” to play 007.
Meanwhile, Elba is taking on another high-profile role, starring in a film based on the British TV series “Luther.” [via Fox News]
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The life and career of football great JOHN MADDEN will be the focus of a new limited series.
TOM BRADY will serve as executive producer, which was a request by Madden’s family, a source told Deadline.
Once the filmmakers finish a script and land a broadcast partner, they will start casting for the lead. [via Deadline]
WORTH NOTING: The project was initially planned as a film, but producers decided his story was too big to fit in just two hours.
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A new Netflix documentary investigates the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
“MH370: The Plane That Disappeared” takes an indepth look at the Boeing 777 that vanished over the South China Sea on March 8, 2014 after taking off from Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing Capital International Airport.
There were 239 people onboard.
The three-part series will premiere on March 8 -- the nine-year anniversary of the plane’s disappearance. [via People]
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Season 4, Part 1 of “You” is Netflix’s most-viewed title of the week with 92.1 million hours viewed since it premiered on February 9. The first five episodes of the series were released, with the remaining five set to be released on March 9.
For films, REESE WITHERSPOON and ASHTON KUTCHER’s rom-com “Your Place of Mine” topped the list with 51.2 million hours viewed.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE will be the focus of a new documentary and eight-part podcast from the BBC.
Under the working title “We Need to Talk About Kanye,” the doc will be helmed by award-winning investigative journalist MOBEEN AZHAR, who also did the “Battle for Britney” doc. It will follow Azhar as he goes on deep dive into understanding Ye’s complex journey to become one of the most famous and successful artists of his generation.
The doc will be paired with a podcast called “The Kanye Story.”
No premiere date has been announced for either project. [via Deadline]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Remember when MEGHAN MARKLE told OPRAH WINFREY that she didn’t know anything about the Royal Family? Well, it turns out that was a lie.
The Daily Mail recently resurfaced a post from Meg’s now-defunct website The Tig, which reveals her true feelings about royal princesses. Of course, the post was written two years before she would meet PRINCE HARRY and become one of those princesses herself.
In the entry, from 2014, Meg wrote that she dreamed of being a “royal rebel” rather than a “Cinderella-princess” as a child, as she reflected on the “pomp and circumstance” surrounding PRINCESS CATHERINE’s wedding to PRINCE WILLIAM. [via Daily Mail]
WORTH NOTING: Her entry came three years after the couple’s 2011 royal wedding, which begs the question, if she didn’t care then why did she write about them at all?
AND: Writing about them means she at least knew a little bit about the ins and outs of royal life, which is much more than she has let on in several interviews since marrying into the Royal Family.
WORTH ASKING: Are Meghan and Harry so far removed from reality that they have created their own victim-filled alternative universe where no one will question anything they say?
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Almond Day
Innovation Day
National Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Fat Thursday
National Tim Tam Day
Introduce a Girl To Engineering Day
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ON THIS DATE
1923 – The barrier into the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen is first unsealed.
The passage leading into it had been excavated the preceding November. Once inside, it was evident that the room had been broken into at least twice, though it had likely been hundreds of years since.
The tomb was a multi-room complex that took years to carefully catalog and investigate. A year later, the sarcophagus was opened.
Further study has suggested Tut was a young King, beginning his reign at 8 or 9 years old and serving for 10 years as the son of the Egyptian god Ra.
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1960 – USS Triton begins its underwater circumnavigation of the earth.
The submarine departed on the premise of doing a shakedown cruise. Once underway, Captain Edward L. Beach explained to the crew the real mission.
They used a grouping of rocks in the Atlantic called Saint Paul and Peter Rocks as the starting point for the official mission. The voyage took 60 days and 21 hours.
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1961 – Explorer 9 is launched from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The satellite took measurements and readings from the upper and lower reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere.
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1985 – Muslim clerics form the political group Hezbollah in protest of Israeli occupation of Lebanon in 1982.
Translated from Arabic, the name means “Party of God.”
While the organization has gained political clout across the Middle East, it has also proactively built and trained an army. Its official flag even includes an arm holding a gun. Today its focus is on the pushback and eradication of Israel. It believes much of the violence in Syria and Lebanon over the last years is part of a larger Zionist plot.
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2005 – The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, an international agreement regarding carbon emissions that some argue cause global warming.
Signers of the agreement had to acknowledge that global warming was an imminent threat and that such warming is caused by man-made emissions of carbon dioxide. Signers of the treaty took the obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their country over a multi-year time frame. Meanwhile, industrial producers like China and India were exempt from the rules.
It was signed by President Bill Clinton in the United States in 1998, but the Senate unilaterally rejected its ratification.
Ultimately, the project was pointless. It expired in 2012 to little fanfare.
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2005 – National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces that the remainder of the 2004-2005 NHL season would be canceled.
The Players Association and League had failed to reach an agreement on pay cuts and revenue shares, which were at stake in the ongoing negotiations.
This marked the first time a professional sports league in North America had to cancel a season due to labor disputes, and the first time since 1919 that the Stanley Cup wasn’t awarded.
That following summer, players ended a 310-day lockout with a new agreement.
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2021 - Denver records its lowest temperature in 70 years with minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
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BIRTHDAYS
Ava Max - pop singer - 29
YFN Lucci - rapper - 32
The Weeknd - R&B singer - 33
Elizabeth Olsen - actress, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” - 34
Lupe Fiasco - rapper - 41
Anthony Alabi - actor, “Raven’s Home” - 42
Valentino Rossi - motorcycle racer - 44
Amanda Holden - actress, ‘Shrek The Musical” - 52
John McEnroe - tennis player - 64
Ice-T - rapper & actor - 65
Janice Dickinson - model - 68
Born On This Date
Lisa Loring - actress, “The Addams Family” - 1958 (d. 2023)
Kim Jong-il - leader of North Korea - 1941 (d. 2011)
June Brown - actress, “EastEnders” - 1927 (d. 2022)
Margot Frank - older sister of Anne Frank - 1926 (d. 1945)
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