Today is Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
It is the 113th day of the year.
252 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: The latest on the passing of the late POPE FRANCIS.
Newly released audio footage seemingly supports SHANNON SHARPE’s accuser. More in SHOWBIZ.
The Academy now says those who vote for Oscar winners need to watch the movies they are voting for. Details in CASTING CALL.
MEGHAN SUSSEX lifts the lid on her brand name change – if she is to be believed. Details in ROYALS.
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Some new developments following the death of POPE FRANCIS on Monday:
– The funeral will be held on Saturday at 10:00 am local time in the Vatican, or 3:00 am Central USA. The Pope’s coffin will be carried to St. Peter’s Basilica in a procession today that includes the entire College of Cardinals. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will celebrate the funeral mass.
– A who’s who of world leaders will attend Saturday’s funeral: PRESIDENT TRUMP and MELANIA TRUMP; VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY of Ukraine; EMMANUEL MACRON of France; GIORGIA MELONI of Italy; KIER STARMER of the UK; and OLAF SCHOLZ of Germany. PRINCE WILLIAM will attend as a representative of KING CHARLES.
– Following his final public appearance on Sunday, Francis reportedly had a quiet dinner but felt very ill upon waking around 5:30 am Monday morning, dying a little over an hour later. Francis reportedly thanked his nurse for encouraging him to make the public appearance on Sunday, despite his own concerns over his health and strength.
– Francis’ last will and testament includes only instructions for his burial location: he asked to be interred near the Pauline Chapel and that “[t]he tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
– Streaming analytics firm LUMINATE reports that online viewing of the movie “Conclave,” which depicts in detail the Papal Enclave process, spiked 283% on Monday. If you’re interested, the flick is included with Amazon Prime.
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TARIFF (AND TECH!) TALK
– In an afternoon press conference, PRESIDENT TRUMP said he anticipates making deals with China to establish new trade terms.
– The International Monetary Fund has revised its global economic growth forecasts down half a percentage point for the year, as a result of Trump’s reimagined global trade scheme. He didn’t give a concrete timeline (because of course he didn’t) but said deals would be finalized very quickly. “We’re going to be very nice, they’re going to be very nice, and we’re going to see what happens,” Trump said in prime rhetorical form.
– The public backlash against ELON MUSK and TESLA hit the automaker’s bottom line in its first quarter earnings report announced Tuesday, showing total revenue down 9% year over year and net income down 71% – but was still in the black at $409 MILLION. Musk said he’ll remain active with DOGE for a day or two a week until the job gets done, and is returning focus to Tesla next month. Tesla stock surged in after-hours trading on the news.
– As a federal court hears arguments about how to break up tech giant ALPHABET, artificial intelligence company OpenAI said in court it would be open to buying the Google Chrome browser. OpenAI recently suggested it’s building its own social media platform; acquiring a web browser would be yet another path toward owning a firehose of user information to train its A.I. models.
– And speaking of a training data, the JEFF BEZOS-owned Washington Post will license its content to OpenAI to assist its ChatGPT program and provide real-time news information.
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KIDS THESE DAYS: Two teenage young men sprang into action after a man suffered a medical emergency while driving and crashed into the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky.
When officials arrived at the scene, the rescuers were in the water helping the driver, and helped secure a rope to the vehicle so it wouldn’t float away. Local law enforcement credit their quick thinking with saving the day, saying in a statement, "The quick actions from these young men helped turn a potential tragic situation into positive outcome." [via WLKY]
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A Michigan man won a $1 MILLION lottery scratch-off after the cashier gave him a ticket for the wrong game.
The winner, who’s remaining anonymous, said the cashier noticed her mistake and offered to correct it, but he went ahead with it anyway. The next morning he discovered he won the full jackpot. In overexcited panic, he put the ticket in a mason jar and buried it in his yard.
The winner’s opting for the $634,000 lump sum payout. [via People]
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A new study published in the medical journal Aging & Mental Health found that middle-age adults in the United States report feeling lonelier than their counterparts living abroad.
The study surveyed more than 64,000 adults, ages 50 and up, from 29 countries. The U.S. and Netherlands were the only two places where loneliness peaked in middle-age rather than for seniors.
Factors leading to feelings of loneliness include not working, being “unmarried,” “probable depression,” and having “poor self-rated health.” [via ABC]
WORTH NOTING: In 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General warned that the impact loneliness has on one’s health is similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. [via HHS]
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