4/17/2024: High Stakes Diplomacy
PLUS: Torch Lighting; Jelly Roll vs. Jellyroll; and Meg the Miserable
Today is Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
It is the 108th day of the year.
258 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An investigation into the Baltimore bridge collapse raises new questions and North Korea expands a dangerous weapons program. Details in HIT LIST.
JOHNNY DEPP wants to buy a castle and COURTNEY LOVE is not a Swiftie. More on that in SHOWBIZ.
A new set of horror films starring beloved characters are in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
KENDALL’s 818 Tequila team blamed for mural damage. More in KARDASH.
A former aide to the House of Sussex dishes. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The countdown to this summer’s Olympic games has begun with the lighting of the ceremonial torch in Greece.
The lighting ceremony typically includes a nod to Ancient Greek mythology, including paying a tribute to Apollo, then positioning the torch between some mirrors that magnify the sun’s rays and ignite the flame. But cloudy weather forced organizers to scrap those plans, opting instead to light it with a nearby flame.
Over the next few weeks the torch will travel a more than 3000-mile route to Paris, where event organizers will take possession of the flame on April 26. The games kick off July 26. [via ABC News]
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A day after news broke that the FBI is investigating last month’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, an inside source tells the Associated Press that the ship responsible for the collision, Dali, started experiencing electrical problems before it left port.
Video of the accident shows lights on the ship flickering before impact. The crew maintains it lost control as a part of a power failure incident.
The insider says that alarms went off on refrigerated container units, suggesting the units did not have adequate power supply – though such an alarm might not have been enough to merit delaying its departure. [via Associated Press]
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A US State Department report accuses North Korea of developing and maintaining a biological weapons development program.
Authoritarian dictator KIM JONG JUNIOR has ordered the creation of sprays and poison-tipped pens that can spread diseases like smallpox or deliver fatal doses of anthrax.
A 30-year-old report from Russia’s government argued that the North Koreans developed biological weapons on offshore islands. Some defectors have since accused the regime of testing weapons on dissidents. [via DailyMail]
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An international network of organized Chinese drug gangs is reportedly financing marijuana growing operations across the United States.
A former head of the DEA tells CBS News, “Chinese organized criminal networks that are international by nature are behind some of the biggest black market marijuana trafficking organizations that we've seen to date."
Maine has become an epicenter for this activity, with its proximity to the quiet northern border with Canada and extensive rural areas that are difficult for police to monitor. In the meantime, officials look for properties using an inordinate amount of electricity to power their grow houses – but only if they can get a subpoena approved.
One local police chief in Maine tells CBS that Chinese nationals are often trafficked into these grow operations and paid $1,000 a month but are required to work constantly. And while marijuana doesn’t carry the same immediate threat as fentanyl, these drug operations use similar distribution networks to move their product. [via CBS News]
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A New Jersey toll booth worker’s “gut feeling” possibly saved her life.
Jessica Daly says she woke up with a bad feeling Friday morning, “like something terrible was going to happen, and later felt that she was “going to get in a car accident.” It was those feelings that led Daly to call into work, something she says she never does.
Four hours later, a garbage truck would slam into the booth that Daly typically works in at the Barnegat Toll Plaza. The driver and the toll booth worker suffered serious injuries in the crash.
After hearing about the crash, Daly says she “dropped to [her] knees and just started crying.” As thankful as she felt to have followed her gut, Daly says she prayed for those involved.
The injured employee has since left the hospital, and an investigation into the accident is ongoing. [via NBC NY]
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BABY NEWS
Actor HENRY CAVILL is expecting his first child with girlfriend, TV exec NATALIE VISCUSO.
He’s 40 and she’s 34.
Cavill revealed the news during an interview with Access Hollywood during the NYC premiere of his new flick “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”
Cavill and Viscuso have been dating since 2021.
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YouTuber-turned-boxer LOGAN PAUL is expecting his first child with his fiance, model NINA AGDAL.
He’s 29 and she’s 32.
“Another Paul coming this Fall,” he captioned an Instagram post of the two in front of a cherry blossom tree, showing off an ultrasound photo.
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BREAKUPS
Former adult film star JENNA JAMESON’s wife JESSI LAWLESS has filed for divorce after less than a year of marriage.
The influencer confirmed the news in a TikTok video on Tuesday, telling viewers that all of the rumors of a split are true. Without getting too specific, Lawless suggested that Jameson’s drinking was to blame.
This was 50-year-old Jameson’s third marriage. She was married to wrestler BRAD ARMSTRONG from 1996 to 2001, and fellow porn star JAY GRDINA from 2003 to 2006. She also dated UFC star TITO ORTIZ, with whom she shares twin 15-year-old sons Journey and Jesse.
This appears to have been 41-year-old Lawless’ first marriage.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 63 points (0.17%) to close at 37,798 on Tuesday. The S&P slid 10 points (0.21%) to close at 5,051 and the NASDAQ lost 19 points (0.12%) to close at 15,865.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $85; BRENT CRUDE at $89.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.64 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN fell on the day, down over 1% and trading around $62,600.
🛩 There were more than 2,315 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 50 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $78 million jackpot or a $36.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JOHNNY DEPP is eyeing up a medieval castle located in the Italian countryside, but insiders claim residents of the small town of Montalto Dora are not so keen on having him as a neighbor.
Mayor Renzo Galletto told The Post that Depp might not be the “best person to move in” and could cause “more harm than good,” especially economically.
As for the castle, it boasts 11 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a 15th-century chapel. It is valued at about $4 million. [via NY Post]
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BARBARA WALTERS once hired a former Green Beret to track down her adopted daughter Jacqueline after she ran away from high school.
The incident, among others, is part of a new biography by Susan Page, titled, “The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters.”
After being “at odds for years, [Jacqueline and Barbara’s] relationship was in a downward spiral,” Page writes. The teen was “drinking booze, popping Quaaludes, and smoking pot…At thirteen she would sneak out of the apartment…to party at Studio 54.”
It was those behaviors that led Barabara to enroll Jacqueline in a residential program at the Parsons School of Design in L.A. Two weeks in, Jacqueline took off, disappearing for four days with a friend. It was then Barbara hired the former Green Beret to get her daughter and place her in an intervention program in Idaho.
After that, Page says the mother-daughter duo were able to find some common ground and rebuild their relationship. Since Barbara’s death in 2022, Jacqueline has remained out of the spotlight.
“The Rulebreaker” hits shelves next week. [via Page Six]
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COURTNEY LOVE is not a Swiftie nor part of the Beyhive.
“Taylor is not important,” she told The Standard. “She’s not interesting as an artist.”
Love also went after BEYONCE, saying she “dislikes” her new country album, “Cowboy Carter.” “As a concept, I love it. I just don’t like her music,” she explained. [via The Standard]
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Country singer JELLY ROLL is being sued by a wedding band from Pennsylvania of the same name.
According to court docs, Jellyroll (the band) is asking JR to stop using the name, claiming they trademarked it in 2010 and renewed the paperwork in 2019. The group also claims that with the country singer’s fame, there is “confusion in the marketplace” as to who is performing where.
Meanwhile, JR previously explained that the name was bestowed upon him at a young age by his mom, though he didn’t start using it as a stage name until 2010. He has not addressed the suit. [via People]
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Basketball player BLAKE GRIFFIN is retiring after 14 seasons in the NBA.
The 35-year-old, who was the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, spent the majority of his time with the LA Clippers, and also played for the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.
Several of his achievements include winning the league’s dunk contest in 2011 -- and landing a couple of dates with KENDALL JENNER. [via ESPN]
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CASTING CALL
TRAVIS KELCE confirmed this week that he will host “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?”
The spinoff of “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader” will center on contestants using celebrities to help to answer elementary school-level questions in hopes of winning $100,000.
The game show will air on Prime Video, though no word on when. [via TMZ]
And don’t worry Chiefs fans…the new gig won’t affect his game.
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CBS will re-air BILLY JOEL’s concert special after the final minutes were cut off at the end of Sunday’s broadcast.
Viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones missed the end of the concert -- and Joel singing the final verse of “Piano Man” as the network cut over to local news telecasts.
“Billy Joel: The 100th -- Live at Madison Square Garden” will air -- in its entirety -- this Friday.
BY THE WAY: The special was taped in March and marked Joel’s record-breaking 100th performance at Madison Square Garden. [via THR]
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A new HBO documentary, titled, “An American Bombing: The Road to April 19,” takes a deep dive into the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The documentary “looks at the surge in homegrown political violence through the story of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, showing the roots of anti-government sentiment and its reverberations today, along with the emotionally charged warnings of those who suffered tragic losses in the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history,” according to the streaming service.
It also features interviews with former President BILL CLINTON, bombing survivor Nancy Shaw, investigative reporters, a number of the victims’ family members, and local and federal officers who investigated the case.
On April 19, 1995, terrorist Timothy McVeigh ignited a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 and injuring 680. Terry Nichols assisted McVeigh in building the bomb using 4,800 pounds of fuel, oil and fertilizer.
“An American Bombing: The Road to April 19” is currently streaming on Max. [via People]
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A second Winnie the Pooh-slasher film is in the works from the London-based horror collaborators behind last year’s “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.”
“Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble” will feature several other beloved characters, including Bambi, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio. Plot details are not yet known.
Those characters are also appearing in their own films, including, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare” and “Pinocchio Unstrung,” all due out this year.
“Poohniverse” is set to be released in 2025. [via NY Post]
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CNN’s “King Charles” has run its course.
The limited series aired its final episode last week, with co-hosts CHARLES BARKLEY and GAYLE KING thanking one another and their viewers.
A spokesperson for the network said the plan was always to end the limited series this spring. [via THR]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A bar owner in Indio, California says KENDALL JENNER’s 818 Tequila brand set up shop at his Club 5 Bar for Coachella, and destroyed a mural with one of their signs.
Randy Franco says a giant 818 sign was hung up on an exterior wall of his bar, on top of a mural of the band, AC/DC. He claims that when Jenner’s team removed the sign the adhesive they used took off some of the mural’s paint.
While Franco says he knew they were going to attach the sign to the wall, he says that there was an agreement for there to be a protective layer underneath to protect the artwork.
It is unclear how Franco plans to handle the issue, though insiders say his mom, bar co-owner Carmen Franco, okayed the condition of things as the 818 was packing up, and it's all in writing.
Jenner has not publicly addressed the complaint, though it seems like it won’t be one that goes very far. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A former aide to PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE says she was interviewed as part of an internal investigation in 2021 to address claims from the Sussexes’ staff that they worked in an abusive environment.
Australian native Samantha Cohen worked for the Royal Family for nearly two decades beginning in 2001, most of the time in the communications department, and later as assistant private secretary, for QUEEN ELIZABETH. At the late Queen’s request, in 2018 Cohen became the private secretary for Harry and Meg.
Cohen says she was only supposed to work for the couple until a suitable replacement could be found – but those replacements would quit when they saw what it was like working for them. In one instance, a promising candidate came along on a tour of Africa, but left in the middle of the trip. Cohen ultimately worked for 18 months before quitting the Royals entirely.
Cohen herself admits to being interviewed as part of bullying claims from Meg, but refuses to elaborate – but a book published in 2022 argues that Cohen was treated poorly and “screamed at” by the couple, which she at the time compared to working with teenagers. [via Herald Sun]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Banana Day
National Ellis Island Family History Day
National Cheeseball Day
International Bat Appreciation Day
International Haiku Poetry Day
National Kickball Day
Nothing Like A Dame Day
Blah Blah Blah Day
World Hemophilia Day
National Ford Mustang Day
2A Day
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ON THIS DATE
1790 - Benjamin Franklin dies.
He was 84 years old.
His legacy includes fighting for US independence, the US Constitution, and solidifying America as a legitimate nation around the world.
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1945 - American forces confiscate 1100 tons of German uranium in Stassfurt.
The commanding officer was under orders to not let it fall into the hands of the Reds.
The American troops were also under orders to prevent any German scientists from being captured by the Soviets.
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1961 - The Bay of Pigs invasion begins.
It was an attempt by the Kennedy administration to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist regime.
The plan was for 1200 Cuban exiles to land on Cuba's beach and rally the locals to violently overthrow the government.
But the Cuban government was ready. The landing force's boats were sunk and 100 were killed. The other 1100 were captured and jailed. Instead of weakening Castro it only served to solidify his power in Cuba, and was given even more Soviet support.
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1964 - The first Ford Mustang is shown off at the World's Fair in New York.
One of the designers at Ford was a fan of the P-51 Mustang fighter plane, arguably the coolest flying war machine ever constructed, and suggested borrowing the name for the car.
It was put on sale in Ford showrooms across the country on the same day. Nearly 22,000 were bought that day.
By year's end 400,000 were sold. Fan clubs for the car popped up across the country.
Since then, more than 9 million have been sold.
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1970 - The crew of Apollo 13 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission was the third American manned journey with the objective of landing on the moon. On the second day of the mission, an oxygen tank exploded, leaking the astronauts' supply and altering the flight plan.
In order to conserve power, the astronauts navigated using the sun, earth, and moon, only using bursts of power to maintain their course for reentry.
The wait for splashdown was nerve-wracking, as they would not be able to communicate with mission control until they entered the Earth's lower atmosphere. Finally, after the parachutes deployed and the command module was spotted, it was confirmed the astronauts were alive.
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2009 - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark becomes the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program.
She is the first woman to lead the organization.
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2019 - 10 babies with “bubble boy disease” cured using gene therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The disease, severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID, was made famous in the mid ‘70s when the “Bubble Boy” was described in a documentary.
The condition -- a lack of a functioning immune system -- strikes fewer than 100 babies a year in the U.S.
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BIRTHDAYS
Kyla Drew Simmons - actress, “Prisoners” & “Peppermint” - 20
Phoebe Dynevor - actress, “Bridgerton” - 29
Luke Mitchell - actor, “Blindspot” & “The Code” - 39
Rooney Mara - actress, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” - 39
Victoria Beckham - pop singer, Spice Girls - 50
Jennifer Garner - actress, “Alias” & “Yes Day” - 52
Redman - rapper - 54
Tami Roman - reality star, “Basketball Wives” - 54
Maynard James Keenan - metal singer - 60
Sean Bean - actor, “Game of Thrones” & “GoldenEye” - 65
Olivia Hussey - actress, “Romeo and Juliet” - 73
Born On This Date
Roddy Piper - wrestler - 1954 (d. 2015)
JP Morgan - industrialist & financier - 1837 (d. 1913)
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