Today is Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
It is the 100th day of the year.
266 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Americans sour on EVs and a runner crosses all of Africa. Details in HIT LIST.
MORGAN WALLEN gets arrested and BEYONCE tops the charts again. More in SHOWBIZ.
JOHN MULANEY returns to Netflix for the streamer’s week of comedy. Details in CASTING CALL.
Find out about NORTH WEST’s TikTok success in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES sits out another royal event amid his cancer treatments. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Police in Haiti have taken back control of a cargo ship that two gang factions hijacked late last week.
On Thursday, gang members kidnapped the crew of the Magalie, which was carrying thousands of sacks of rice. They stole 10,000 sacks of rice for themselves and maintained control of the vessel after the attack.
In a shootout, two police officers died, but the offensive appears to have neutralized any gang members who remained on the ship. The scuffle marks a rare victory for beleaguered police losing ground and territory to gangs that have taken control of Port-au-Prince since a revolt last month. [via NBC News]
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When the Olympics kickoff in Paris later this summer, some swimming events will take place in the Seine River – in theory.
One conservation charity has announced that bacteria levels reveal “alarming levels of bacteriological pollution” at one of the swimming sites, resulting from more than a dozen tests taken over the last six months. A rep for the group blames pollution, sewage leaks, and animal waste for the unhealthy concentrations.
The city of Paris has shelled out nearly $1.5 BILLION in water treatment facilities in preparation for the Games. Reps for the city say those facilities were shut down over the winter and will have things cleaned up for the start of the Olympics. [via CBS News]
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For all the buzzy headlines and tax incentives, Americans are souring on electric vehicles.
A Gallup survey shows 48% of respondents would not consider buying an EV – that’s up 7 points from last year.
On the flip side, a greater share of respondents said they now own an EV, at 7%, up from 4% in 2023.
Opposition to EVs follows party lines, with 69% of Republicans saying they aren’t interested and only 27% of self-described Democrats saying the same. [via The Hill]
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Officials in St. Louis are looking for a con crew that scammed Cardinals fans in a parking lot ruse. Multiple visitors to last week’s home opener paid to park in a lot near the stadium, only to find parking tickets on their cars after the game.
TURNS OUT: Some hucksters charged the cars to park in a lot they neither owned nor managed then ran off with the cash. Hundreds of drivers were issued tickets and the city stands by its decision to fine the illegally parked cars.
The conned customers say they shelled out $40 cash to park and remain on the hook for the $30 fine to the city. City officials say they’re working on figuring out who pulled off the con. [via KSDK]
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Russ Cook accomplished his goal of running from the southern tip of Africa to the northernmost point on Sunday, traveling 10,000 miles across 16 countries in 352 days.
The 27-year-old had hoped to complete the quest in 240 days -- the equivalent of running more than a marathon each day -- but thefts and diplomatic issues stalled him and his team along the way.
The run raised more than $870,000 for the Running Charity, which works with homeless youth, and Sandblast, a charity that assists those displaced from Western Sahara. [via AP News]
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DEATHS
FIREHOUSE frontman CJ SNARE has died.
He passed away unexpectedly on Friday after suffering cardiac arrest.
Snare’s bandmates called his passing a “sad day for Rock N’ Roll” in a post on Facebook.
He was 64.
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BREAKUPS
GYPSY ROSE BLANCHARD has filed for divorce from her husband, RYAN ANDERSON.
The filing comes weeks after Blanchard announced on Facebook that she and Anderson were separating after two years of marriage.
The pair met when Blanchard was serving time, starting out as penpals before tying the knot in 2022. They moved in together after her release late last year.
No word on exactly what led to the split.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 11 points (0.029%) to close at 38,892 on Monday. The S&P lost 1 point (0.037%) to close at 5,202 and the NASDAQ gained 5 points (0.03%) to close at 16,253.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $86; BRENT CRUDE at $90.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.59 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN surged on Monday, up 3.2% and trading over $71,600 Monday evening.
🛩 There were more than 3,015 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 105 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $97 million jackpot or a $45 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
A former bodyguard for SEAN COMBS claims the mogul has extensive blackmail material on a variety of prominent and influential figures around the world.
Gene Deal said in a recent interview with YouTube show “The Art of Dialogue” that Combs has recordings of politicians, princes, and celebrities, but didn’t name any specific names or what the recordings might entail – though the speculation about the depravity happening behind Combs’ doors give an idea.
Deal added that Combs had every room of his properties bugged with recording devices.
Following the raids on Combs’ properties, it’s possible the government now has its hands on those recordings. Whether they hold onto thEM to prosecute or protect people in a position of power remains to be seen. [via Modernity News]
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MORGAN WALLEN had his whiskey glasses on on Sunday night when he allegedly decided to chuck a chair from the rooftop of ERIC CHURCH’s bar, Chief’s.
The chair landed near two police officers, who, after questioning several bystanders, arrested the country singer for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct.
Wallen posted a $15,000 bail and was released on Monday morning.
BY THE WAY: Church’s bar opened on Friday. [via TMZ]
MEANWHILE: Last week, Wallen’s ex-fiance, and the mother of his son Indigo, got engaged and married. KATIE “KT” SMITH eloped with LUKE SCORNAVACCO on April 3, less than a week after he popped the question. She’s 29 and he’s 22. The DailyMail reports that Wallen threw the chair after he learned the news. [via DailyMail]
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BEYONCE’s “Cowboy Carter” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, making her the first-ever Black female artist to do so.
The album also took the top spot on the Billboard 200, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Album Sales charts -- with more than 407,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week of chart eligibility.
In February, Bey became the first-ever Black female artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart with the album’s lead singer, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
FOR THE RECORD: “Cowboy Carter” is Bey’s eighth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. [via Billboard]
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One OnlyFans exec thinks BRITNEY SPEARS could make a killing on the platform.
Celeste Franklyn, of the Miami-based OnlyFans agency Plush, believes Spears could make “anywhere from $13 million to $18 million” in the first month. That would then taper out to about $6 million to $9 million a month, once the initial curiosity wears off.
Spears has addressed the topic of her joining in the past, saying she has no interest. [via Daily Mail]
WORTH NOTING: Spears already shares a lot on Instagram, why not join the platform and make some moolah?
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Actor JONATHAN MAJORS will avoid jail time for his misdemeanor assault case; he was sentenced Monday to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling.
His accuser, ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, was not pleased with the punishment, telling the court that he will “hurt other women” as he believes “he is above the law.”
Majors was convicted last year of assaulting Jabbari inside a Manhattan car service. [via NY Post]
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BILLIE EILISH’s third album now has a name and release date.
“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” will be released on May 17, she announced on Instagram, along with a photo of the album’s cover art, featuring Eilish swimming underwater toward an open white door.
Just like with her first two albums, this one was written by Eilish and her brother, FINNEAS, who also produced it. [via Variety]
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JESSICA SIMPSON’s inner circle has raised concerns over her recent behavior, specifically her “spaced-out attitude,” refusal to venture out of the home and lack of motivation to restart her music career.
As many know, the 43-year-old has been sober since 2017, but those close to her say they are concerned about her mental state as of late, especially with her marriage to ERIC JOHNSON allegedly being on “shaky ground.” [via RadarOnline]
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CHRISSY TEIGEN, JOHN LEGEND, and their four young children were forced to sleep at the Dubai airport after being stranded for hours while traveling back home from Thailand.
Documenting the ordeal on Instagram, Teigen showed Legend trying to set up tablets for his kids, while she is wrapped up in a blanket on the floor.
Other than the travel delay, the family of six appeared to have a great time on their getaway. [via Instagram]
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CASTING CALL
A new JOHN MULANEY special will air during the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival this May.
“John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA” is a six-episode show that follows the comedian as he and his friends explore Los Angeles “during a week when every funny person is in it.”
The first episode debuts on May 3, with new installments airing nightly May 6-10. [via Variety]
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The first comic to feature Batman sold at auction for over $1.825 million this past weekend -- a record sale price for the issue that debuted in 1939.
There are only 100 copies of “Detective Comics #27” known to exist, which is what makes it such a coveted treasure.
The comic last sold for $1.7 million in 2022. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
NORTH WEST’s impressive TikTok following could land her some big bucks.
The 10-year-old has nearly 20 million followers on the platform, and according to Influencer Marketing Hub, accounts with that many followers could generate between $30,402 and $45,604 per post.
The account is run by both North and her mom, KIM KARDASHIAN, much to the ire of her dad, YE. [via Daily Mail]
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BIANCA CENSORI’s latest outfit may be her best (worst?) one yet.
While grabbing dinner with YE in Los Angeles on Sunday, Censori made a bold fashion statement, wearing a see-through rubber-like dress with nothing underneath.
Many on social media compared the dress to a condom, with others calling her a “walking ad for Trojan.”
So much for indecent exposure laws. [via Daily Mail]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of an ongoing peace treaty between the United Kingdom and France, the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Monday included French troops – a first.
Despite the historical significance, KING CHARLES opted to stay home and rest amid his cancer treatment. Instead, PRINCE EDWARD and his wife DUCHESS SOPHIE oversaw the proceedings.
The “entente cordiale” agreement is the framework for Britain and France’s ongoing diplomatic and military cooperation. [via People]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International ASMR Day
National Mature Women’s Day
Global Holistic Wealth Day
Identity Management Day
National Library Workers Day
National Winston Churchill Day
National Unicorn Day
National Equal Pay Day
International Be Kind to Lawyers Day
National Name Yourself Day
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ON THIS DATE
1865 - General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
After surrendering the South's capitol in Richmond, the Confederates were cut off from supplies and reinforcements. Lee was trapped. Meanwhile, troops were deserting in droves.
Grant hand-wrote the terms of surrender in the parlor of a private home, and personally handed them to Lee. Provisions included that the southern soldiers would be able to keep their weapons and be fed Union rations. Most importantly, all officers and men would be pardoned.
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1959 - The Mercury astronauts are introduced by NASA.
They were: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John Glenn, Gus Grisson, Walter Schirra Jr., Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard Jr.
The first American manned space mission would begin in 1961.
America lost the race to put the first man into orbit when Yuri Gagarin blasted out of the atmosphere on April 12, 1961. Alan Shepard followed suit the following month. And John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth the following February.
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1987 - US Secretary of State George Schultz publicly decries Soviet spying efforts just before a trip to Moscow.
Schultz accused the Reds of snooping on intelligence efforts at the US Embassy in the USSR.
Of greater concern were the pending arms reduction negotiations, which had been increasingly successful since Reagan made spending the Soviets into oblivion a priority. Fortunately, in December, the talks would be successful.
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2003 - Major operations end in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nearly 40 countries participated in the three-week operation. With Saddam Hussein clearly out of power and on the run, rebelling Iraqis famously pulled down a statue of their deposed dictator on this date.
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2012 - “The Lion King” becomes the highest grossing Broadway show.
It knocked “The Phantom of the Opera” from the top spot after netting more than $853,846,062.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lil Nas X - rapper - 25
Elle Fanning - actress, “Maleficent” & “Super 8” - 26
Jhay Cortez - reggaeton singer - 31
Kristen Stewart - actress, “Twilight” films & “Panic Room” - 34
Bianca Belair - wrestler - 35
Jesse McCartney - pop singer - 37
Leighton Meester - actress, “Gossip Girl” - 38
Keshia Knight Pulliam - actress, “The Cosby Show” - 45
Gerard Way - rock singer, My Chemical Romance - 47
Cynthia Nixon - actress, “Sex and the City” - 58
Joe Scarborough - TV personality, “Morning Joe” - 61
Marc Jacobs - fashion designer - 61
Dennis Quaid - actor, “The Parent Trap” & “Traffic” - 70
Born On This Date
Carl Perkins - singer-songwriter - 1932 (d. 1998)
Hugh Hefner - founder of Playboy - 1926 (d. 2017)
Curly Lambeau - HOF halfback & first coach of the Green Bay Packers - 1898 (d. 1965)
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