Today is Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
It is the 101st day of the year.
265 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A bit of justice for victims of last year’s chemical spill in Ohio and troubling stats from entrepreneurs. Details in HIT LIST.
JELLY ROLL got bad vibes from SEAN COMBS and CALVIN HARRIS’ wife is a secret Swiftie. More in SHOWBIZ.
SUNNY HOSTIN tries to convince her co-hosts to blame everything on “climate change.” Details in CASTING CALL.
KOURTNEY mocks KIM in an “iconic” Instagram post. More in KARDASH.
A new favorite Royal emerges. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A year after a derailed freight train exploded and spewed untold quantities of toxic gas into the air in East Palestine, Ohio, the freight company has finalized a settlement with the city.
Norfolk Southern will give $600 MILLION to pay out claims for class action suits filed by those living within 20 miles of the explosion. Those within 10 miles will be able to receive a payout on personal injury claims.
A judge will still have to approve the deal. Norfolk Southern would not admit liability or wrongdoing as part of the payout. [via @NickSortor]
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Paris Olympics organizers announced on Tuesday that the event’s iconic logo will be affixed to the Eiffel Tower for the duration of the games.
The logo will appear on the tower’s south side, overlooking the Seine River, where competitors will ride in boats as part of the Opening Ceremonies on July 26.
Additionally, winner medals will be embedded with small metal chunks from the Eiffel Tower. [via ABC News]
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All 56 people on board a bus en route to New Orleans from Mississippi miraculously survived after a tire blowout triggered a terrifying series of events.
Around 3:00 pm on Friday, the sudden blowout caused the bus to veer off course. Passengers said that the driver was using all her strength to keep the bus on the road. Eventually, the wheels on one side lifted into the air, and when it crashed back down, the windshield shattered and the driver was thrown out onto the road.
The bust kept on for another half mile, with one passenger getting behind the wheel and successfully stopping the bus. Of those on board, 11 were hospitalized. The incident remains under investigation. [via CNN]
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The National Federation of Independent Business Owners reported this week a 12-year low in optimism for the future among small business owners.
Its small-business optimism index, which measures entrepreneurial outlook, dropped to 88.5, down nearly a whole point in a single month.
Inflation is the biggest source of worry, driving up costs of materials and payroll expenses. 7% of respondents say they’ve increased prices in the last month. Another 38% say they’ve had to pay more to keep workers. [via CNBC]
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AMANDA KNOX faces another trial for slander today in Italy, which could remove the final legal strain against her, eight years after her conviction for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher was tossed out.
Knox, now 36, was convicted of slander for wrongly accusing a Congolese bar owner for the murder. The conviction was thrown out last year, after a European Court of Human Rights ruling found that Knox’s rights had been violated in a long night of questions without a lawyer and official translator.
In the new trial only one piece of evidence will be admitted: Knox’s four-page handwritten statement. Two statements that were typed by police -- that Knox signed when she was detained in November 2007 -- containing the accusation were ruled to be inadmissible.
Hopeful that a not-guilty verdict will clear her name and “take away the stigma,” Knox says she isn’t sure it will be enough to persuade her “detractors.” Also, she says she will take the stand at some point during the trial.
BACKSTORY: Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of Kercher’s 2007 murder. They were acquitted of the charges in 2015. A man by the name of Rudy Guede was later found guilty for the murder and served 13 years of his 16-year sentence. [via Daily Mail]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 9 points (0.02%) to close at 38,883 on Tuesday. The S&P added 7 points (0.14%) to close at 5,209 and the NASDAQ gained 52 points (0.32%) to close at 16,306.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $85; BRENT CRUDE at $89.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.60 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN’s recent volatility continued Tuesday, down 3.4% and trading around $69,000.
🛩 There were more than 3,535 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 140 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $31 million jackpot or a $14.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JELLY ROLL got bad vibes ahead of a meeting with SEAN COMBS, so he bailed.
Detailing the incident on the “Cancelled with Tana Mongeau” podcast, JR said he was walking down the hallway to meet the infamous rapper, when something in his gut told him to turn around. On his way out, JR says he tried to make a joke, asking, “Who don’t wanna meet the guy that got 2Pac killed?” No one apparently thought it was humorous though.
A month after their failed meetup, Combs’ was accused by his ex, CASSIE, of rape and human trafficking, which ignited the firestorm he is currently facing. [via TMZ]
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CINDY CRAWFORD is launching her own brand of tequila.
Casamigas will be a compliment to her husband, Rande Gerber’s Casamigos brand.
The booze features 100% blue Weber agave tequila that’s naturally flavored with jalapenos. On the label will be Crawford’s lips and signature beauty mark.
No word on when it will hit shelves.
Casamigos was founded by Gerber, GEORGE CLOONEY, and MIKE MELDMAN in 2013. [via Page Six]
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Seven months after SMASH MOUTH frontman STEVE HOWELL’s death, his bandmates are ready to debut some new music.
On April 12 the band will release a new single, titled “Ride On.”
The song will be featured in their upcoming tour, which kicks off on April 19. [via People]
BY THE WAY: Smash Mouth celebrates their 30th anniversary this year.
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CALVIN HARRIS’ wife, VICK HOPE, is a Swiftie.
While that may seem like no big deal, it is for the couple as Harris dated TAYLOR SWIFT in 2015.
“As soon as my husband goes away, I listen to Taylor Swift. Just a couple of songs, get it out of my system and then it’s done,” she said on a recent episode of her podcast, “Going Home with Vick, Katie and Jamie.” [via Cosmo]
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Barstool Sports founder DAVE PORTNOY is $2.76 MILLION richer after putting $600,000 down on UConn to win the March Madness National Championship game.
“The greatest bet of my life,” Portnoy tweeted after the big win on Monday night. [via X]
FOR THE RECORD: UConn beat Purdue 75-60.
THAT TRACKS: UConn won every game of their tournament by double-digits.
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JACKIE CHAN is easing fans’ minds when it comes to his health.
The stuntman, who turned 70 over the weekend, sparked concerns after photos of him sporting gray hair and matching beard circulated on social media.
He explained that the new look was for a movie role, though did not specify what that role is.
Next up, Chan will reprise his role as Mr. Han in a remake of “The Karate Kid,” which is set to hit theaters in December. [via NY Post]
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And just like that AOKI LEE SIMMONS’ relationship with the much older restaurateur VITTORIO ASSAF is over.
Following the news -- and subsequent jaw-dropping -- of the 21-year-old and 65-year-old’s relationship, Simmons allegedly told her friends that “It’s 100% done.”
Neither Simmons nor Assaf has publicly commented on the relationship. [via Just Jared]
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CASTING CALL
SUNNY HOSTIN tried to convince her co-hosts and audience members that Monday’s solar eclipse was caused by “climate change.”
“The View” co-host suggested that last week’s earthquake in New York and the upcoming cicada breeding season are also due to “climate change.”
JOY BEHAR and WHOOPI GOLDBERG pushed back on the theory, saying “they’ve known about the eclipse coming because eclipses happen,” and as for the cicadas, the forthcoming mating season occurs every 17 years -- not 100 years like Hostin argued.
Co-host ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN chimed in, joking that she read that the “earthquake epicenter was actually at Bedminster in New Jersey…Fun fact. So It originated with Trump.” [via NY Post]
WORTH ASKING: What happened to “trust the science”?
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Last weekend’s “WrestleMania XL” was a ratings hit for Peacock.
With 1.3 BILLION live minutes across both Saturday and Sunday, the show was the platform’s most-streamed entertainment event ever.
Over the two days, Peacock also reported the second-highest usage weekend, following behind its exclusive NFL Wild Card game weekend. [via Deadline]
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Actor BILLY DEE WILLIAMS told BILL MAHER on his “Club Random” podcast that he thinks actors should be allowed to do blackface.
The topic came up as the two were discussing actor LAURENCE OLIVIER’s performance in the 1965 feature adaptation of “Othello,” in which he wore blackface to play the titular character.
“When he did ‘Othello’ I fell out laughing,” Williams told Maher.
Later, Maher pointed out that today actors would “never be allowed” to do that, to which Williams replied, “Why not? You should do it. If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do.” [via YouTube]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
While vacationing with her sisters in Turks and Caicos, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN took an opportunity to mock KIM KARDASHIAN.
Sharing a photo of her swimming in the ocean clutching her ear lobes, Kourt captioned it, “My diamond earring came off in the ocean and it’s gone.”
Fans of the family’s show jumped on the reference, bringing up Kim’s meltdown from 2011 when her then-boyfriend KRIS HUMPHRIES tossed her into the ocean and she lost her $75,000 diamond earrings.
At the time, in response to her tears, Kourtney responded, “There are people dying Kim.”
Fans called Kourt’s burn “iconic.” [via Instagram]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A YouGov poll shows PRINCESS KATE as the runaway favorite member of the royal family among the British public.
Of those surveyed, 76% have a positive view of the future queen while 15% perceive her negatively. Another 9% had no opinion.
Her husband, future King PRINCE WILLIAM, had similar numbers: 73% positive, 21% negative, 7% had no opinion.
The polling shows a shift in perception since January; Kate gained 6 popularity points and Wills lost 1.
Some other senior royal results:
PRINCESS ANNE: 71% positive / 13% negative / 16% no opinion
KING CHARLES: 63% positive / 30% negative / 7% no opinion
PRINCE EDWARD: 54% positive / 22% negative / 24% no opinion
QUEEN CAMILLA: 50% positive / 41% negative / 9% no opinion
And then there’s PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE.
31% view Harry positively, 61% feel the opposite. It gets worse for Meg, who 26% of Brits view positively but 64% view negatively.
And, finally, RANDY ANDY, clinging to the bottom of the barrel with 6% positive perception and 86% viewing him natively.
OVERALL: 58% of respondents view the monarchy positively as an institution.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Library Outreach Day
World Baton Twirling Day
International Day of Pink
National Hug Your Dog Day
International Safety Pin Day
National Farm Animals Day
National Cinnamon Crescent Day
National Siblings Day
Golfer’s Day
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ON THIS DATE
1606 - A royal charter issued by King James I creates the Virginia Company of London.
The organization was established specifically to colonize and settle a 100-square-mile settlement along the East Coast of North America. Just over a year later, ships for the company landed in Chesapeake Bay near present-day Virginia Beach.
About a week later, they established Jamestown about 40 miles upstream.
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1849 - Mechanic Walter Hunt patents the safety pin.
He originally called it a “Dress-Pin.”
Within weeks he sold the patent rights to the manufacturer for $400 – about $15,000 today – and used some of the proceeds to pay off a $15 debt he owed a friend.
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1865 - A day after agreeing to surrender, General Robert E. Lee gives a final address to his troops, commending their bravery and endurance.
After four years of fighting, Lee retired to Lexington, Virginia, where he would die five years later.
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1970 - Paul McCartney officially announces the end of the Beatles, though the individual members had been pursuing solo interests for years.
McCartney said the band suffered from personal, business, and musical differences. He also flat-out rejected the idea of working with John Lennon again.
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1971 - Amid tensions with the communist East, the American ping pong team visits China.
The Chinese were anxious to bridge the diplomatic gap between the two countries, especially in the context of the Cold War. The tactic was named "ping pong diplomacy."
Though the Soviets and Chinese communists both subscribed to Marxist philosophies, they remained in conflict that sometimes resulted in violentconflict across their borders.
The ping pong trip laid the foundation for Nixon's historic visit in 1972.
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2019 - A multinational scientific effort reveals the first-ever photo of a black hole.
The image, captured by The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, was taken in 2017.
It is 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth and 55 million light years away.
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BIRTHDAYS
Ian Nelson - actor, “The Hunger Games” - 29
Sofia Carson - actress, “Descendants” films - 31
Daisy Ridley - actress, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” - 32
AJ Michalka - pop singer - 33
Maren Morris - country singer - 34
Alex Pettyfer - actor, “I Am Number Four” & “Beastly” - 34
Haley Joel Osmont - actor, “The Sixth Sense” - 36
Shay Mitchell - actress, “Pretty Little Liars” - 37
Mandy Moore - pop singer & actress, “This Is Us” - 40
Jamie Chung - actress, “The Gifted” & “The Hangover Part II” - 41
Chyler Leigh - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 42
Charlie Hunnam - actor, “Sons of Anarchy” - 44
David Harbour - actor, “Stranger Things” - 49
Roberto Carlos - soccer player - 51
Babyface - music producer - 65
Steven Seagal - actor, “Machete” - 72
Mel Blount - football player - 76
Born On This Date
John Madden - legendary NFL coach & sportscaster - 1936 (d. 2021)
Joseph Pulitzer - publisher & founder of the Columbia School of Journalism; Pulitzer Prize - 1847 (d. 1911)
William Booth - preacher & founder of the Salvation Army - 1829 (d. 1912)
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