3/13/2024: If You Give a Rat a Joint…
PLUS: Fast Food Nutrition; Spelling Mistakes; and Meg Wins
Today is Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
It is the 73rd day of the year.
293 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
DONALD TRUMP wooed ELON MUSK for a potential business deal and American renters have a grim outlook on future prospects. Details in HIT LIST.
The KELCE brothers’ “New Heights” podcast gets a big award. More in SHOWBIZ.
OSCARS viewership was up. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE is back on top. More in KARDASH.
A legal win for MEGAN MARKLE in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
Haiti’s Prime Minister has yielded to demands that he resign to end ongoing gang violence in the capital city Port-au-Prince.
In a video address, ARIEL HENRY announced that he would be stepping down, to be replaced with a “transitional council” that will name a new prime minister and cabinet. At a regional meeting of Caribbean nations on Monday, leaders agreed to work toward holding elections again.
Henry remains in Puerto Rico. Gang violence in Haiti exploded after Henry left for Kenya to sign a deal that would send 1,000 Kenyan police officers to stabilize Haiti. With airports shut down, Henry could not land in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic refused to let his plane land. [via CNN]
###
The New Orleans Police Department’s evidence room has a rat infestation – and the rodents are particularly fond of munching on the confiscated marijuana that’s locked up.
The department’s Superintendent told the City Council during testimony on Monday, "The rats are eating our marijuana. They're all high."
Beyond the amusing image of stoned rats clumsily climbing all over everything, the infestation is causing practical health concerns, leaving their droppings everywhere. The infestation also includes cockroaches.
The testimony came as the police department lobbies New Orleans’ city council to fund relocation to a downtown high rise. [via NOLA]
###
ELON MUSK turned down an offer to buy former President DONALD TRUMP’s Truth Social last summer, the Washington Post reports.
Two insiders say that Musk and Trump have spoken on several occasions about policy and tech.
BUT WAIT: Musk himself told the Post he’s never personally been to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, conflicting with weekend reports that Musk had been invited to discuss potentially speaking at the Republican National Convention. [via Washington Post]
###
A Harris poll shows American renters hold a grim outlook on future ownership prospects. The majority of renters surveyed say the “American Dream” of home ownership is dead (57%), their current area has become unaffordable (62%) and that growing rent expenses are holding them back financially (65%).
Most renters say they would only own a home if it were part of a gift or inheritance at 72%.
ALL GROWN UP: The same survey shows that 60% of millennials are now homeowners. [via The Guardian]
###
Hey moms! Now you can feel less guilty about hitting up that drive thru…
Nutrition scientist Lauryna Nelkine created a list of the top 10 lowest-calorie kids’ meals from some of the most popular fast food chains across the U.S.
Taking the No. 1 spot -- meaning having the fewest calories -- is Wendy’s kids’ meal, which includes chicken nuggets, apple bites and milk.
Next on the list is Chick-Fil-A’s five-count Grilled Nuggets kids’ meal that includes a small fruit cup and milk, followed by a Veggie Delite, GoGo squeeZ Apple fruit pouch and milk from Subway.
Rounding out the rest of the list are:
4. Popeyes’ four-piece nugget kids’ meal with applesauce & milk
5. Quiznos’ grilled cheese kids’ meal with applesauce & milk
6. KFC’s 5-piece Nugget kids’ meal with applesauce & milk
7. McDonald’s 4-piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal with apple slices, fries & milk
8. Dairy Queen’s 2-piece chicken strips kids’ meal with applesauce & low-fat milk
9. Sonic’s Jr. patty with applesauce & milk
10. Burger King’s 4-piece chicken nugget kids’ meal with onion rings, Mott’s applesauce & apple juice
[via HealthNews]
###
DEATHS
Singer ERIC CARMEN has died.
He passed away over the weekend, according to a statement from his wife. No further details were shared.
Carmen is best known as the RASPBERRIES frontman.
He was 74.
###
Rapper BO$$ has died.
Her death was announced late Monday by fellow rapper BUN B. No specifics were shared, though Bo$$ had battled renal disease, and suffered a stroke in 2017.
Bo$$ was the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records.
She was only 54.
###
SICK BAY
Former Mets and Yankees player DARRYL STRAWBERRY is recovering from a heart attack.
The 61-year-old detailed the health scare on Instagram, alongside a photo of him smiling in a hospital bed. According to the post, Strawberry suffered the heart attack on Monday night, and has already undergone a procedure to have a stent put in.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 235 points (0.61%) to close at 39,005 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 57 points (1.12%) to close at 5,175 and the NASDAQ increased 246 points (1.54%) to close at 16,265.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.39 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN remained over $70,000 on Tuesday, continuing past record value.
🛩 There were more than 1,740 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 60 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $559 million jackpot or a $273.3 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
JASON and TRAVIS KELCE are celebrating their Podcast of the Year award from iHeartPodcast for their “New Heights” podcast.
“This is an incredible honor especially for two jabronies like us,” Jason said while accepting the award. He also gave a shout out to all the Swifties who voted for them.
Travis shared the sentiment, calling the win “big s--t.” [via Page Six]
###
DAK PRESCOTT is being accused of sexual assault by a woman, who says she will come forward with her allegations unless he pays her $100 million.
In response, the Cowboys QB has filed a lawsuit against accuser Victoria Shores, claiming she is extorting him and he has a letter from her to prove it.
The letter, which was sent in mid-February, states that Shores was assaulted in February 2017 by Prescott. She also writes that in order to keep the allegations under wraps he must pay her $100 million in hush money.
Prescott’s attorney released a statement on the matter, saying “Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the Defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott.” [via TMZ]
###
LILY ALLEN loves her children dearly, but also (jokingly) says they are the reason her singing career ended.
“My children ruined my career,” Allen quipped during a recent appearance on the “Radio Times Podcast.” “It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t.”
Allen shares daughters, 12-year-old Ethel Mary and 11-year-old Marnie Rose with her ex-husband SAM COOPER. She is currently married to “Stranger Things” star DAVID HARBOUR. [via People]
###
Celebs…they’re just like us!
ANGELA BASSETT says she may need therapy to deal with the emotions around sending her twins to college.
“I’m excited for them, I’m sad for me,” she said while walking the red carpet at the Season 7 premiere of her drama “9-1-1” in Los Angeles this week.
Bassett’s kids, son Slater and daughter Bronwyn, turned 18 in January, and will head to college this fall. As for where they will go, Bassett said she is pushing for her alma mater, Yale School of Drama. [via ET]
###
Spelling errors on the recently unveiled KOBE BRYANT statue outside Crypto.com Arena will soon be corrected.
The Los Angeles Lakers revealed the mistakes this week, noting the misspelling of two players’ names and the word “decision.”
The statue is of Bryant after his 81-point game in the Lakers’ 122-104 win against the Toronto Raptors from January 2006. The point total is second only to the 100 points scored by WILT CHAMBERLAIN in a 1962 game. [via Deadline]
###
KIM ZOLCIAK and KROY BIERMANN will soon find out if they are fit to be parents.
Insiders tell TMZ that the couple will soon be visited by a parent fitness evaluator who will monitor the happenings of the home inhabited by the on-again, off-again couple and their interactions with their four minor children.
The evaluator will also visit the childrens’ school, speak with any professionals who have worked with the family and check out all legal documents, including hospital records and those filed after visits from the local authorities.
Making things sting even more, Kim and Kroy must foot the bill, which will cost them about $5,000.
It is unclear who exactly is ordering the evaluation be done, but since the kids have been present for many of their squabbles, chances are it came from the Department of Family and Children's Services. [via TMZ]
###
STEPH CURRY has some serious political ambitions.
While promoting his new book, “I Am Extraordinary,” Curry said that post-basketball he would love to influence younger generations by getting into politics.
As for how high he would like to go in the political sphere, Curry said ending up at the White House is a definite “maybe.”
THE BOOK: “I Am Extraordinary” tells the story of a girl with auditory impairment who dreams of playing for her school’s soccer team, but is self-conscious about her hearing aids. The book is out now. [via The Blast]
###
CASTING CALL
The 2024 Oscars was one for the record books.
According to early Nielsen numbers, the awards show averaged 19.5 million viewers -- a 4% increase from last year.
Also, Sunday’s show scored the biggest audience across all awards shows since 2020. [via THR]
###
NEVE CAMPBELL is returning to the “Scream” franchise.
She posted a photo of a script for the forthcoming Scream 7 on Instagram, along with the caption, “Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!”
The news may come as a shock to fans as Campbell bowed out of the last installment over pay issues. Seems those have all been resolved though! [via TMZ]
###
JAKE LLOYD, who played young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace,” has remained out of the spotlight since the breakout role due to mental health struggles.
In a recent update, his mom revealed that her son -- now 35 -- was diagnosed with schizophrenia after filming the movie and fell into a deep depression, which ultimately led him down a path of erratic behavior.
Now, she says her son is just over halfway through an 18-month program at a mental health hospital and seems to finally be doing well.
WORTH NOTING: At the time of Lloyd’s abrupt disappearance there was speculation that bullying by classmates over his role caused him to hate all things “Star Wars,” but his mom says this is not the case, adding that he is still a huge fan of the franchise.
BY THE WAY: “The Phantom Menace” will be re-released in theaters this May for its 25th anniversary. [via Daily Mail]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE is back on top of the music charts.
The rapper landed his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 13 years, with “Carnival,” from his recently released “Vultures 1” album.
The song features RICH THE KID and PLAYBOI CARTI.
WORTH NOTING: Ye’s latest No. 1 makes him the only rapper to have landed at the top in three separate decades. His first No. 1 was 2004’s “Slow Jamz,” and his second was 2011’s “E.T.” alongside KATY PERRY. [via Variety]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
MEGHAN MARKLE is off the hook for a defamation lawsuit filed by her half sister SAMANTHA MARKLE.
Samantha accused Meg of making slanderous comments during her 2021 interview with OPRAH and again in the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan.”
In a ruling, the judge on the case decided that Samantha “failed to identify any statements that supported her defamation claims,” the New York Times reports. [via New York Times]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
Ken Day
Smart & Sexy Day
National K9 Veterans Day
National Good Samaritan Day
National Jewel Day
National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day
National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day
National Coconut Torte Day
National Earmuff Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1781 - European astronomer William Hershel discovers Uranus.
It became identified as the seventh planet from the sun and the first discovery of a new planet in centuries.
It was also the first to be found using a telescope. Earlier astronomers believed it to be a star.
Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to fly by it in 1986, when it also identified ten new moons and rings around the planet.
###
1809 - A military-led coup removes King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden from his throne, following a disastrous loss of the country’s territory to Russia.
The revolutionaries let Gustav’s uncle, Duke Charles, take charge of an interim government while the Royal Family was imprisoned in a castle. A few weeks later Gustav abdicated, leading the way for his uncle to become King Charles XIII of Sweden and oversee a new constitution.
Gustav IV lived in exile for the rest of his life, though he was ultimately buried at a monastery near Stockholm.
###
1868 - The first presidential impeachment trial begins, with Andrew Johnson fighting accusations of violating the Tenure of Office Act when he dismissed Edwin M. Stanton from his cabinet seat.
Contemporary accounts described the trial as pure theatrics -- a political show to make a political point.
In May that year, a majority of senators would vote to remove Johnson from office, but fell short of the two-thirds majority for removal by just one vote.
In 1926, the Tenure of Office Act would be declared unconstitutional.
###
1961 - JFK sets up the Alliance for Progress.
The plan aimed to establish economic cooperation between the United States and Latin America, and counter the perceived communist threat from Cuba.
It was short-lived, however, and by the early 1970s was deemed a failure due to Latin American nations who were unwilling to implement needed reforms, JFK’s successors not being supportive and not enough financial contribution.
The whole thing would be disbanded by 1973.
###
2005 - Robert Iger takes over at Disney.
He succeeded Michael Eisner and hoped to breathe new life and vigor into the company. Disney had struggled to keep up with creative powerhouse Pixar, which had recently produced the family blockbuster, “Finding Nemo.”
Since Disney owns ABC, Iger became the first big-four network head to agree to sell its TV shows on the iTunes store.
He was also instrumental in coordinating the purchase of Lucasfilm by Disney in 2012.
###
2019 - The U.S. grounds all Boeing 737 Max aircraft after the second crash in Ethiopia.
China was the first to ground the MAX, with other countries following in quick succession.
By March 18, all 387 airplanes were grounded, disrupting 8,600 weekly flights by 59 different airlines.
In April, Boeing admitted that the new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) played a role in both crashes.
Boeing’s CEO would be ousted in December over mismanagement of the crisis.
###
2020 - The US government officially declares the Covid-19 pandemic a national emergency.
In a matter of days, from coast to coast, businesses closed, schools sent kids home, and millions of people lost their jobs.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Coco Gauff - tennis player - 20
Jack Harlow - rapper - 26
Kaya Scodelario - actress, “Skins” & “The Maze Runner” - 32
George MacKay - actor, “Peter Pan” - 32
Tristan Thompson - basketball player - 33
Emile Hirsch - actor, “Into the Wild” - 39
Noel Fisher - actor, “Shameless” - 40
David Draiman - metal singer, Disturbed - 51
Leigh-Allyn Baker - actress, “Good Luck Charlie” - 52
Annabeth Gish - actress, “The West Wing” - 53
Common - rapper - 52
Adina Porter - actress, “True Blood” & “The 100” - 53
Adam Clayton - rock bassist, U2 - 64
Kathy Hilton - fashion designer & reality star - 65
Jamie Dimon - CEO of JPMorgan Chase - 68
William H. Macy - actor, “Shameless” - 74
Born On This Date
Charles Grey - 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of the UK - 1764 (d. 1845)
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo - conquered Central America & discovered California - 1499 (d. 1543)
###