4/26/2024: Population Collapse!
PLUS: Iconic Windmill Collapse; Weinstein Conviction Overturned; and Operation Menai Bridge
Today is Friday, April 26, 2024.
It is the 117th day of the year.
249 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
New leadership takes power in Haiti and volatile tech stocks round out the week. Details in HIT LIST.
REBEL WILSON’s book gets an edit and EMMA STONE says there is no beef with JIMMY KIMMEL. More in SHOWBIZ.
DANNY DEVITO and ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER are reuniting in a new movie. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM and KAMALA talk criminal justice reform. More on that in KARDASH.
Insiders are already weary about the King’s health and what that means for the future. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Prime Minister of Haiti ARIEL HENRY resigned on Thursday, clearing the way for a transitional council to govern the country as gang violence wreaks havoc on its capital.
A committee of leaders will make decisions by majority vote for the next two years, when their legislative mandate expires and elections must be held for a new president – if all goes to plan.
Haiti has not had an elected president since July 2021, when Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his private residence. Since then, interim leaders have fulfilled presidential duties.
Under Haiti’s constitution, the president governs alongside a Prime Minister who leads the legislature. With Henry’s departure, Haiti’s finance minister will succeed as the interim Prime Minister, until a new government, president, and cabinet are fully formed in the next two years – all while grappling with increasingly dangerous gang violence. [via CNN, Morning Martini]
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First-quarter financial reports sent tech stocks all over the place to close out the week.
AT META: MARK ZUCKERBERG saw his net worth drop $18 BILLION as Meta’s stock nosedived after trading Wednesday and only recouped modest gains on Thursday. Despite showing strong profits, Zuckerberg remains committed to investing in “metaverse” technology even as investors grow more weary of the technology’s potential to create short-term return.
AT ALPHABET: 15% year-over-year revenue growth powered the parent company of Google past a $2 TRILLION market cap. The company announced its first-ever stock dividend to go out later this year, followed by quarterly dividends.
AT SNAP: Shares increased 27% on strong earnings, showing a 21% revenue increase in the first quarter of the year. The company credits its improved advertising platform for the boom. [via CNBC, Morning Martini]
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A new report from real estate data firm REDFIN shows the shocking unaffordability of houses for middle class Americans.
Not only is the median monthly housing payment up 13% year over year, the $2,843 median monthly housing payment is at an all time high.
IT GETS WORSE: An increasing number of homes are being purchased for cash or with huge down payments. One in three home sales were all cash in February this year. The median down payment increased more than 24% year over year, to $55,640.
Redfin’s head of data says, “wealthy Americans are the only ones who can afford to buy homes.” [via Redfin, The Hill]
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POPULATION COLLAPSE: The fertility rate fell to 1.62 births per woman last year, down 2% from the year before, marking the lowest birth rate since the government started collecting the data.
IT GETS WORSE: In terms of total numbers, not ratios, fewer babies were born last year than any year since 1979.
WORTH NOTING: The “replacement rate” for a sustainable civilization is 2.1 children per woman – otherwise everyone would end up marrying a cousin too close for genetic comfort. [via WSJ]
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The iconic windmill sails of Paris’ Moulin Rouge collapsed early Thursday morning after a show. No injuries were reported.
Jean-Victor Clerico, the director of Moulin Rouge, explained that a “technical problem” led to the collapse, which also included part of the historic cabaret venue’s sign.
Despite the incident, Clerico said shows will continue as he has been assured there is no danger of further collapse.
The Moulin Rouge marks its 135th anniversary in October. [via The Guardian]
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DEATHS
Musician MIKE PINDER has died.
He passed away Wednesday at his home in Northern California, according to a statement from one of his longtime bandmates.
In addition to singing, Pinder also co-founded the band the MOODY BLUES.
He was 82.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 375 points (0.98%) to close at 38,085 on Thursday. The S&P lost 23 points (0.46%) to close at 5,048 and the NASDAQ lost 100 points (0.64%) to close at 15,611.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $83; BRENT CRUDE at $88.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.65 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN gained slightly on the day, trading around $64,800.
🛩 There were more than 2,435 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States and more than 80 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $228 million jackpot or a $103.4 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $149 million jackpot or a $68.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Alien Ant Farm, “Mantras”
Anitta, “Funk Generation”
Corridor, “Mimi”
Inter Arma, “New Heaven”
Jess Glynne, “Jess”
Loren Kramer, “Glovemaker”
Neil Young + Crazy Horse, “FU##IN’ UP”
Pet Shop Boys, “Loneliness”
Sega Bodega, “Dennis”
St. Vincent, “All Born Screaming”
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The New York Court of Appeals overturned disgraced producer HARVEY WEINSTEIN’s 2020 rape conviction on Thursday.
In a 4-3 ruling, it was decided that his constitutional rights were violated, with prosecutors allowing other women to testify who weren’t part of the charges he was facing. Weinstein was ultimately convicted on two of the five charges, including 1st-degree criminal sexual act and 3rd-degree rape. He was sentenced to 23 years.
Despite the ruling, Weinstein will remain behind bars, thanks to his 2022 conviction in Los Angeles for similar charges. He is serving 16 years for that one.
The Manhattan D.A. does plan to retry him, which means his accusers potentially being forced to retell their stories in court. [via AP News]
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COLT FORD updated fans on how he is recovering since suffering a heart attack earlier this month after a performance in Arizona.
From his hospital bed in the ICU, the 53-year-old told viewers that he “died two times” before being revived by emergency personnel. Once stable, Ford says he had to have three stents put in.
He also noted that fellow country singer BRANTLEY GILBERT made sure he got the best care possible. [via Taste of Country]
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“Tiger King” fans showed up to support JOE EXOTIC at his copyright infringement trial in Pensacola, Florida this week. There were many signs being raised, asking for the reality star to be released and pleading for President JOE BIDEN to pardon him.
Exotic was extradited from Texas where he is serving 22 years for two murder-for-hire convictions against his nemesis, fellow big cat lover CAROLE BASKIN. He will return following the conclusion of this case. [via Fox10]
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AUBREY PAIGE doesn’t care what people are saying in response to her recently announced split from RYAN SEACREST.
Taking to Instagram after the news broke, the model posted a clip of her enjoying a glass of wine in a pool, with a voiceover saying, “I am fully aware of what y’all say about me. Number one, and I don’t give a [eff].”
Reports of the couple’s split surfaced Wednesday. Neither have officially addressed it. [via Page Six]
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EMMA STONE says she has no beef with JIMMY KIMMEL after he joked about her movie “Poor Things” while hosting the Oscars.
The actress went viral during the awards show after appearing to call Kimmel a “prick” in response to calling out all the sex scenes in the flick, but she recently told The Hollywood Reporter that there is no bad blood and she isn’t that easily offended. [via THR]
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REBEL WILSON’s memoir “Rebel Rising” will have a slight edit before hitting shelves in the UK.
A spokesperson from HarperCollins told People that some passages from the book will be “redacted,” such as the parts about her negative experience working with SACHA BARON COHEN.
The edits are being made for legal reasons, as Cohen’s rep says, “printing falsehoods is against the law in the UK and Australia.”
Cohen has denied ever acting inappropriately toward Wilson. [via People]
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JOE ALWYN will not answer any questions regarding his past relationship with TAYLOR SWIFT during the upcoming tour for his new film, “Kinds of Kindness.”
Alwyn has always remained mum when it comes to spilling details about their relationship, and apparently plans to keep things on the downlow when it comes to being asked about her latest album release, in which she made several digs at him.
The pair dated for six years before calling things quits in early 2023. [via Daily Mail]
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CASTING CALL
DANNY DEVITO and ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER are reuniting in a new movie.
Speaking to ET, DeVito revealed that a script is currently being written, and as soon as that is complete they will begin working on things over at Warner Bros. studios.
The two most notably co-starred in the 1988 comedy “Twins” and 1994’s “Junior.” They also played villains in two “Batman” films, DeVito as Penguin and Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. [via ET]
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The Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant will remain on The CW after the network landed an exclusive, three-year deal.
The network first acquired the rights last year, and the show ranked as its number one new special of the year, with over 1.1 million viewers.
The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air live on Sunday, August 4, after the Miss Teen USA Pageant airs on August 1. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN was at the White House yesterday where she sat down with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS as part of a roundtable discussion on criminal justice reform.
In addition to the reality-star/aspiring lawyer, the discussion also included four of the 16 people President JOE BIDEN granted clemency for earlier in the week.
As for where Kim falls politically, it's anyone’s guess, though she has previously praised former President DONALD TRUMP for his work on criminal justice reform. [via Axios]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Since KING CHARLES announced his cancer diagnosis, palace insiders have committed to keep details under wraps while celebrating a new era of transparency, in that the monarch came forward with a health struggle at all.
But the columnist covering the Royal Family for the Daily Beast says the buzz among those close to the King is that his situation is dire. Tom Sykes writes in a recent column, “Speaking to friends of the king in recent weeks about his health, the most common response is a lowering of the voice by half an octave or so, followed by the somber, drawn-out pronouncement: ‘It’s not good.’”
The understanding among insiders is that palace officials are regularly meeting on The King’s eventual funeral plans and taking note of what did and didn’t work for QUEEN ELIZABETH’s funeral program.
WORTH NOTING: Her state funeral plan was called “Operation London Bridge.” The King’s is “Operation Menai Bridge.” [via DailyBeast]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pretzel Day
Your First Kiss Day
National Hairball Awareness Day
Audubon Day
National South Dakota Day
National No Makeup Day
National Kids and Pets Day
Alien Day
National Richter Scale Day
World Intellectual Property Day
National Arbor Day
Get Organized Day
National Help a Horse Day
Hug an Australian Day
International Chernobyl Remembrance Day
World Burlesque Day
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ON THIS DATE
1865 - Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth is found and killed.
Union soldiers found him 12 days after the murder of the president.
Booth had the help of Confederate sympathizers during his run. A doctor even mended his broken leg, and he had assistance getting across the Potomac river.
A $20,000 reward had been issued for information on his whereabouts.
Union soldiers finally found him at the farm of Richard Garrett, who claimed to not know who Booth was or what he had done.
When authorities surrounded the barn, Booth's much-forgotten accomplice David Herold surrendered, but soldiers set the barn on fire to smoke out Booth. Still, the assassin stayed. He was finally shot, but it took him three hours to die.
His last words, as he stared at his hands, were "Useless. Useless."
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1954 - Just over a year after a cure for polio is announced to the public, its trials begin in earnest.
Officials were willing to take their chances, vaccinating 1.8 million children over the course of a couple weeks.
The first children to receive the shots were from MacLean, Virginia.
Less than a year later, scientists announced that it was a success.
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1977 - Studio 54 opens in New York City.
It was hugely popular in disco music and culture for a brief time in the late '70s, and discotheques boomed.
While it was open, even the likes of Jackie Onassis and Jimmy Carter's chief of staff made their way for a visit.
The club would be shut down three years later after its founders were convicted for tax evasion.
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1986 - The Chernobyl Disaster kills thousands and poisons tens of thousands more with radiation when a Soviet power plant near Kiev explodes.
Nearly 150,000 people in the 18-mile radius of the blast zone were relocated.
Soviet officials did not immediately announce the explosion. But two days later the Swedes started picking up unusually high levels of radiation in the atmosphere and grew suspect.
It wasn't until later that year that the Soviets admitted the disaster, and years later that they released the horrifying details.
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2009 - The United Auto Workers union and Chrysler reach a new labor agreement as the government forces restructuring in order to bail it out.
Ultimately, cost savings were reached by having employees pay more for their health insurance—a move approved by Barack Obama.
The money saved wasn't enough, and Chrysler went bankrupt at the end of the month; the first American carmaker to do so since 1933 when Studebaker went under.
It was bought by Fiat, and given $6.6 billion in rescue money from the US Government.
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2018 - Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.
The comedian was on trial for three counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from a 2004 incident.
The jury took only two days to deliberate, finding him guilty on all charges. Months later he would be sentenced to 3-10 years in jail.
He was one of the first celebrities to be jailed in the #MeToo era.
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2021 - US Census results show its population growth as the second slowest in recorded history.
The total population is recorded at 331,449,281. That is only a 7.4% increase from 2010.
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BIRTHDAYS
Aaron Judge - baseball player - 32
Channing Tatum - actor, “Magic Mike” - 44
Jordana Brewster - actress, “Fast & Furious” - 44
Stana Katic - actress, “Castle” - 46
Avant - R&B singer - 46
Tom Welling - actor, “Smallville” - 47
Jason Earles - actor, “Hannah Montana” - 47
Melania Trump - First Lady & wife of Donald - 54
Tionne Watkins - R&B singer, TLC - 54
Kane - wrestler - 57
Kevin James - actor, “The King of Queens” & “Zookeeper” - 59
Jet Li - actor, “Lethal Weapon 4” & “Mulan” - 61
Giancarlo Esposito - actor, “King of New York” & “Breaking Bad” - 66
Carol Burnett - TV show host, “The Carol Burnett Show” - 91
Born On This Date
Joey Jordison - drummer, Slipknot - 1975 (d. 2021)
I.M. Pei - architect who designed the Louvre Pyramid & JFK Library - 1917 (d. 2019)
Frederick Law Olmsted - architect who designed Central Park - 1822 (d. 1903)
John James Audubon - ornithologist & painter - 1785 (d. 1851)
Marcus Aurelius - Roman Emperor - 121 (d. 180 AD)
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