3/1/2022: Biden Associate Headed to Jail
PLUS: A "Bachelor" Engagement, Another Duggar Baby and Ukraine Update
Today is Tuesday, March 1, 2022
It is the 60th day of the year.
305 days remain.
TRENDING
Twitter users shared #RareDiseaseDay on Monday to spread awareness for the 300 million people in the world with over 6,000 rare diseases (per the CDC). Many users shared their own rare diseases and how they live with them on a day-to-day basis.
Kyler Murray was trending after the QB’s agent shared a lengthy letter saying he wants to stay with the Arizona Cardinals, but needs a commitment from the organization.
#StandingWithUkraine landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Monday as users continue to show their support for those stuck in the middle of the chaos in Ukraine.
#TheBatman was trending ahead of the film’s theatrical release this Friday.
Derek Jeter was trending Monday following a big announcement. Head to Sports to check it out.
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HIT LIST
Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY signed a formal application to get his country into the European Union. This would be very different from joining NATO.
BY THE WAY: Many have noticed a shift in spelling and pronunciation of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv (or Kiev).
Kyiv, pronounced KEEV, is the English version of the Ukrainian spelling, Київ.
Kiev, pronounced kee-EV, is the English version of the Russian spelling, Киев. Ukraine has its own language and a slightly different alphabet than Russian.
So pick your spelling and your pronunciation in solidarity with the cause you’re supporting, apparently.
OTHERWISE: Some updates from the frontlines and the coalitions defending Ukraine:
Both Ukraine and Russia joined in peace talks at the Belarus border Monday. While nothing concrete came of it, they pledged to continue discussions.
A convoy of Russian troops and supplies was nearing Kyiv Monday evening, but continued to run into fierce resistance from both trained military and armed civilians.
As the value of the Ruble plummets, Russia ordered its stock exchange closed on Monday. It’s expected to remain closed Tuesday. Over the weekend, Russians hurried to ATMs to withdraw cash, accelerating what could be a disastrous run on banks and subsequent economic and monetary collapse.
Russia has closed its airspace to planes from 36 countries, retaliating for the countries that have closed theirs to Russian planes.
Switzerland is abandoning neutrality, and getting on board with the European Union’s broader sanctions package, including the closure of its airspace to Russian planes – meaning no safe haven for billionaire oligarchs allied with Putin to escape to from Russia.
FIFA and the European Union of Football Associations have kicked Russian teams out of their leagues.
12 Russian diplomats at the UN have been reportedly expelled from the US over national security concerns.
Pixar will not release its forthcoming movie in Russia — ironically titled “Turning Red.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his country will stop purchasing Russian oil.
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Forget bear invasions: A couple in Boulder, Colorado say when they went to investigate their dog growling at something under their porch, they expected to find a raccoon.
Instead, they were eye-to-eye with a mountain lion, which squirmed its way underneath the porch with less than a foot of clearance to the ground.
Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife service was able to tranquilize the big cat and relocate it into the wild. They estimate the mountain lion weighed up to 120 pounds.
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TikTok is letting users post 10 minute videos now.
When it launched, users could post up to 60 seconds of video. Last July, TikTok upped that length to three minutes.
WORTH ASKING: How long before someone hires professional writers and cameramen to make a bunch of 20 minute TikTok videos that air back-to-back, with commercials in between to make profit? Let’s call it “Network TV” or something.
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Apple’s AirTags are actively being used by stalkers.
An Omaha woman tells her local ABC affiliate she and her daughter were in the car when she received a notification that an unidentified device was with her.
She thought at first it was a prank – until speaking with Apple support.
IT GETS WORSE: She says after searching her car for hours she couldn’t find the tag. The tags have a battery life of up to two years, so in the meantime there’s nothing she can do.
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Philadelphia police are on the hunt for a man and woman who assaulted a convenience store manager with mace while picking up a DoorDash order.
After a verbal altercation, the woman pulled out the spray and attacked the manager, then fled in a blue Nissan.
No word on what specifically triggered the incident.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Songs on iTunes:
Jana Kramer, “The Story”
Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)”
“Encanto” Soundtrack, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
Cody Johnson, “Til You Can’t”
Tyga & Doja Cat, “Freaky Deaky”
Top 5 Songs on Spotify:
Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”
Justin Bieber, “Ghost”
Becky G. & KAROL G, “MAMIII”
Ed Sheeran, “Shivers”
Imagine Dragons, JID, Arcane, League of Legends, “Enemy”
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DEATHS
RICHARD BLUM has died.
The investor, and husband of Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, passed away Sunday at his California home after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was 86.
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NED EISENBERG has died.
The actor, known best for his role on “Law & Order: SVU,” passed away after a battle with cancer.
He was 65.
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BABY NEWS
JILL DUGGAR, 30, is pregnant.
The former “Counting On” star is expecting her third child with husband DEREK DILLARD, 32.
The couple are already parents to sons, Israel David, 6, and Samuel Scott, 4.
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BREAKUPS
HULK HOGAN has divorced his second wife, JENNIFER MCDONALD.
The former WWE star took to social media Monday to announce the news. He also told his followers that he already has a new girlfriend.
According to court records obtained by TMZ, Hulk filed for divorce in October 2021. The couple tied the knot in 2010, after Hulk divorced his first wife, LINDA HOGAN.
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RELATIONSHIPS
COLTON UNDERWOOD is engaged!
The “Bachelor” alum and his boyfriend — now fiancee — political strategist JORDAN C. BROWN got engaged while vacationing in Big Sur shortly after Colton’s 30th birthday last month. .
The couple started dating last summer -- shortly after Colton came out as gay.
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THE SWAMP
DEVON ARCHER is headed to prison.
He’s the longtime pal and business partner of HUNTER BIDEN; Archer and Biden both spent time on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company.
Archer was convicted of defrauding a Native American tribe out of $60 million in bonds, the New York Post reports.
Archer will have to forfeit $15 million and pay $43 million in restitution to the tribe.
Hunter Biden has not been implicated in the case.
BUT WAIT: Archer had a meeting with then-Vice President Biden at the White House on April 16, 2014.
Five days later, Biden flew to Kyiv on official government business.
The next day, Ukrainian energy company Burisma announced Archer was joining its board.
And within the month, Hunter Biden also joined the Burisma board.
WORTH ASKING: Is this a coincidence?
(h/t Mark Hemingway @Heminator on Twitter for the timeline).
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President JOE BIDEN says things are actually great but people are just too psychologically impacted by the last two years to feel it.
WATCH:
MEANWHILE: President JOE BIDEN addresses the nation in his first State of the Union tonight. It’ll air at 8 PM Central on just about every network and broadcast news station.
JUST IN TIME: CBSNews reports that an internal White House memo says their mask mandate ends today, too. California, Oregon, and Washington State have also announced an end to school mask mandates. The Science has amazing timing!
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Vice President KAMALA HARRIS popped out of her cuckoo clock on Monday during a White House event, appearing to acknowledge the disaster her administration has levied upon the country.
“As we all know, elections matter. And when folks vote, they order what they want. And in this case they got what they asked for,” she said, then acknowledged, “I went off script a little bit.”
WATCH:
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $102 million jackpot or a $67.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Twisted Sister’s DEE SNIDER loves that their hit song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” is being used as a battle cry by Ukrainian fighters.
Taking his feelings to Twitter, Snider wrote: “I absolutely approve of Ukrainians using ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It.’ My grandfather was Ukrainian, before it was swallowed up by the USSR after WW2. This can’t happen to these people again!”
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An eagle-eyed TikToker revealed that “Kevin’s Famous Chili” recipe — from “The Office” — is buried within the terms and conditions of the comedy series’ exclusive streaming home Peacock.
For those who are not familiar with “Kevin’s Famous Chili,” it appears in Episode 26 of Season 5. In the episode, Kevin Malone, played by BRIAN BAUMGARTNER, brings his namesake speciality dish to the office for his co-workers to enjoy.
As they say, no good deed goes unpunished…Kevin hilariously spills the entire pot all over the floor, and then tries to scoop it back into the pot.
WORTH NOTING: According to The Post, this is not the first time Peacock has hidden cooking instructions in their terms of service. In 2020, it was discovered that a random recipe for chocolate cake had been added to the policy.
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ARETHA FRANKLIN’s granddaughter sang her heart out in front of the judges on “American Idol.”.
GRACE FRANKLIN, 15, started out singing “Killing Me Softly,” which the judges felt was “sleepy.” She then belted out one of her grandmother’s classics, “Ain’t No Way.”
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SPOILER ALERT
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Grace did not get the golden ticket to Hollywood.
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“Dancing With the Stars” pro MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY was arrested and released in his native Ukraine during the ongoing invasion.
In a short video shared on Instagram, Chmerkovskiy updated his followers on his plans to leave Kyiv, where he has been filming a project called “World of Dance USA.”
He did not share details of his arrest.
WORTH NOTING: Chmerkovskiy is married to fellow “DWTS” pro PETA MURGATROYD. They have a 5-year-old son. Peta and their son are currently at home in Los Angeles.
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NEIL DIAMOND has sold his song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group.
Financial details were not disclosed, but based on recent catalog deals it is likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Diamond has had more than 70 songs on Billboard charts and sold more than 130 million albums.
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CASTING CALL
New stars have joined the cast of Netflix’s “Sex/Life.”
Joining series regulars ADAM DEMOS, SARAH SHAHI, MIKE VOGEL and MARGARET ODETTE are CRAIG BIERKO, CLEO ANTHONY, DARIUS HOMAYOUN, DYLAN BRUCE and WALLIS DAY.
Season 2 is forthcoming, but a premiere date has not been announced. Season 1 is currently on Netflix.
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GREEN DAY will not be performing in Russia this spring amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The rock band announced the cancellation on Instagram, telling fans this moment is “bigger than” rock shows and they hope to be able to “return in the future.”
FOLLOWING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS: A rep for THE KILLERS told TMZ that the band has scrapped their performance at the Park Live Festival which is set for July in Moscow.
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RENE ROSADO, EDDIE MARTINEZ, RICKY RUSSERT and SCOTTY TOVAR have joined the cast of the indie thriller “The Low End Theory.”
Based on a story by SOFIA YEPES, the film centers around Raquel, (Yepes), an aspiring producer in the low-budget hip-hop world who is moonlighting as a drug money launderer. She ends up stealing from her crime-lord boss to pay off debts owed by the woman she is having an affair with.
Producer DANIEL RAGUSISS told Deadline the film is an “exciting opportunity” to focus on the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community.
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Peacock has given a series order to “Twisted Metal,” a half-hour live-action adaptation of the popular video game.
ANTHONY MACKIE will star in and executive produce the series.
“Twisted Metal” is a high-octane action comedy about a motor-mouthed outsider who is offered a chance at a better life, but only after he delivers a package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland, according to official description.
Mackie plays John Doe, the man who has been given a second chance.
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The fourth season of “Yellowstone” will launch on Peacock on March 28.
The announcement comes after news that the KEVIN COSTNER-fronted series has been renewed for a fifth season.
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HENRY WINKLER will star in an Israeli/US crossover comedy, called “Chanshi.”
Chanshi is a young religious girl from the Jewish community in Brooklyn who decides right before her wedding to abandon everything and immigrate to Israel. While there, she embarks on a wild and reckless journey, according to the official description.
Winkler will play Tatty, Chanshi’s father.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Former “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star JEN SHAH wants KIM KARDASHIAN on her legal team.
Shah, who faces federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, made it clear that she is serious about wanting Kim by her side during the “RHOSLC After Show.”
While Kim is not a lawyer yet, Shah says she has “mad respect” for her and believes she would be an asset in her legal battles.
Jen’s trial is scheduled for this month. She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
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Rumors continue to swirl that KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN is pregnant with TRAVIS BARKER’s baby.
The latest round comes after the reality star appeared in a video for her lifestyle brand, Poosh. In the clip, Kourt was wearing a loose leather jacket, which fans think was intentional to hide a baby bump.
A source previously told Us Weekly that it’s only “a matter of time” before the couple has a child.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE GEORGE is practicing his rugby skills with his mom KATE MIDDLETON.
The 8-year-old recently attended the England vs. Wales Six Nation game with his parents, who told reporters that he has started playing the sport at school. Middleton added that she has been tackled more than once by George.
WORTH NOTING: Saturday’s match was the first face-off between England and Wales since Kate took over as patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union — making her rivals with PRINCE WILLIAM, who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
George did not say which side he was cheering for.
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SPORTS
DEREK JETER is stepping down as CEO of the Miami Marlins.
The Hall of Famer made the announcement Monday, saying that after five seasons he would no longer be a shareholder in the team, citing a differing “vision of the future” with the organization.
Jeter was part of an ownership group that purchased the Marlins in 2017 for $1.2 billion.
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Russia has been banned from participating in the World Cup.
FIFA, along with the UEFA, announced Monday that all national and club teams will not be allowed to participate in this year’s tournament.
The organizations were initially criticized for failing to take a stronger stance against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, but it seems they have chosen to listen to the hurt and anger from soccer fans around the world.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Dadgum That’s Good Day
National Fruit Compote Day
National Horse Protection Day
National Minnesota Day
National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
National Pig Day
Self-Injury Awareness Day
National Pancake Day
Fat Tuesday
Paczki Day
Fastnacht Day
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ON THIS DATE
1692 - The first women are arrested for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were charged with practicing witchcraft, specifically bewitching 2 young girls who were experiencing bizarre fits.
Tituba confessed later that day, likely after being coerced. The other women blamed each other of being witches, but claimed innocence themselves.
Good was eventually hanged. Osborne died in jail. Titbua spent some time in jail, but there is no record of what happened to her after being released.
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1781 - Congress ratifies the Articles of Confederation with Maryland agreeing to terms of land claims with Virginia.
These Articles would govern the states until passage of the Constitution 8 years later.
The document gave express and supreme sovereignty to the individual states. Many argued there was not enough power granted to a central government. The Articles of Confederation were a diametric, opposite extreme from living under a sovereign king. The Constitution struck a more reasonable balance.
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1890 - The first US edition of Sherlock Holmes' first story "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle is published.
The story follows Holmes as he investigates a series of deaths among members of a secret society.
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1954 - Puerto Rican nationalists touring the US Capitol open fire on members of the House of Representatives from the visitors' gallery.
Five reps were wounded, but eventually recovered.
Three of the four shooters were caught right away, and the fourth was caught a short time later.
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1961 - President Kennedy authorizes the Peace Corps through an executive order.
The trial program would send civilian workers to develop impoverished countries. Though Congress was skeptical of whether it would be effective, it later voted to fund it and make it permanent in September that year.
Thousands of young Americans signed up, and were sent to countries around the globe. Since then, more than 240,000 have served.
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1966 - A Soviet satellite crashes on the surface of Venus.
Venera 3, which was supposed to measure the planet's atmosphere, was the first spacecraft to impact a planet.
Two years later, Venera 4 was successful in collecting the desired measurements.
Venera 4 would also successfully land on Venus and send back images before failing in the high temperatures and high pressures on the planet's surface.
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2006 - The one-millionth article is published on the English version of Wikipedia.
It's about the Jordanhill railway station in Glasgow.
At the time there were more than 3.3 million articles in 125 languages.
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2016 - Forbes releases its Richest List.
Taking the top spot is Bill Gates with $81 billion. Jeff Bezos in second with $67 billion, Warren Buffet in third with $65.5 billion, Mark Zuckerberg in fourth with $55.5 billion and rounding out the top five, is Larry Ellison with $49.3 billion.
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2020 - The first known COVID-19 case is identified in New York.
A 39-year-old health care worker contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran.
According to all reports, she experienced mild symptoms.
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BIRTHDAYS
Ja’Marr Chase - football player - 22
Ava Allan - actress, “The Middle” & “Bad Teacher” - 22
Tyreek Hill - football player - 28
Justin Bieber - pop singer - 28
Daniella Monet - actress, “Victorious” - 33
Kesha - pop singer - 35
Big E. Langston - wrestler - 36
Lupita Nyong’o - actress, “Black Panther” & “Us” - 39
Jensen Ackles - actor, “Supernatural” - 44
Mark Paul Gosselaar - actor, “Saved By the Bell” & “Pitch” - 48
Cara Buono - actress, “Mad Men” - 48
Javier Bardem - actor, “No Country for Old Men” - 53
Don Lemon - TV show host - 56
Paul Hollywood - chef - 56
Booker T - wrestler - 57
Ron Howard - actor & director, “Happy Days” - 68
Born On This Date
Alan Thicke - actor, “Growing Pains” & “The Alan Thicke Show” - 1947 (d. 2016)
Harry Caray - Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster - 1914 (d. 1998)
David Niven - actor, “Casino Royale” & “The Pink Panther” - 1910 (d. 1983)
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