Today is Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
It is the122nd day of the year.
244 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Middle school girls have bigger backbones than their school board and El Salvador’s president cracks down. Details in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT lands another No. 1 and JON BON JOVI is “no saint. More in SHOWBIZ.
TMZ takes a deep dive into the investigation of SEAN COMBS in the “Downfall of Diddy”. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE may be off the hook again. More in KARDASH.
Another royal photo controversy – for a different monarchy. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Late Monday night, a gang of anti-Israel protesters broke windows to gain access to an academic building on Columbia University’s campus called Hamilton Hall. Though police arrived on the scene, university officials insisted they not immediately intervene to reclaim the building.
The escalation followed Columbia’s announcement earlier Monday that protesters would face suspension for not ending their tent-city occupation in public spaces. One organizer told the media at a press conference that the university has an obligation to bring food and water while they occupy that building, because they’re students paying tuition.
BY THE WAY: That organizer wanted to remain anonymous, but independent journalist Jordan Schachtel identified her as – seriously – Johannah King-Slutzky, who he describes as “a paid instructor & PhD candidate at Columbia studying ‘theories of the imagination & poetry as interpreted through a Marxian lens.’”
Of course, any sane person should acknowledge that the Jewish students who these thugs are intimidating and stopping from going to class should enjoy those same rights and access to the same facilities.
On Tuesday afternoon, one Columbia rep said that the students occupying the building face expulsion, an elevated threat from suspension. But organizers insisted they wouldn’t leave until all their demands are met, which now includes total reprieve from any academic consequences for breaking university rules and vandalizing these buildings.
Around 9:00 pm local time last night, Columbia formally requested the NYPD’s assistance to clear out Hamilton Hall. Dozens of officers arrested even more protestors. [via Morning Martini]
TOP SHELF: Check out a multimedia roundup of the chaos and hateful bigotry lobbed at Jewish students across the country in a special report >
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Five female middle school athletes from Clarksburg, West Virginia who forfeited a shot-put competition in protest of a biological male being allowed to compete with them have been banned from competing in the next meet.
For those unfamiliar with the story, on April 18 the five 12-year-old females -- who were competing alongside the biological male -- chose to show their displeasure by stepping into the shot-put circle, not throwing, and stepping back out. Now, parents of four of them have filed a lawsuit, arguing that the girls’ protest “lasted approximately 10 seconds each and did not disrupt the track meet in any way” and “did not affect any other competitors.”
Attorney General PATRICK MORRISEY filed an amicus brief in support of their lawsuit, calling the ban “outrageous” and saying it “tramples on [the] students’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.” His filing comes after last year’s motion against an injunction allowing biological males to compete on the girl’s track and cross country teams. [via WBOY]
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President of El Salvador NAYIB BUKELE continues to exorcize corruption from his country, taking on his own government.
In a video released on his X account, Bukele gathered his entire cabinet and all officers of the executive branch of the government, and told them the attorney general would be investigating all of them for bribery.
“If God allows it, our war against corruption will be as successful as our war against gangs,” Bukele said. [via @NayibBukele]
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BURGER KING announced on Tuesday a $300 MILLION investment campaign to install self-order kiosks at nearly all of its more 6,000 US locations.
The installations will happen over the next four years. The company saw higher than expected first-quarter revenue this year, and are committing to investing a further $2.2 BILLION in modernizing and updating interiors across its locations. [via DailyMail]
MEANWHILE: Investment firm Roark Capital has finalized a deal to buy the SUBWAY chain. [via WSJ]
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FOLLOW UP: One of the four zebras who went missing after breaking out of a transport trailer over the weekend has been spotted in Washington state – but has managed to evade recapture.
A rep for King County animal control said he received multiple reports from locals, including social media photos and videos, of the zebra-at-large. Officials laid eyes on the animal but spooked it before they were able to grab it.
Animal control officials say people should stay away, hoping to keep it away from traffic and avoid a car collision. [via KING]
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DEATHS
Actor BRIAN MCCARDIE has died.
He passed away unexpectedly at home on April 28, according to a social media post from his sister. No further details were shared.
McCardie is best known for his roles in “Line of Duty” and “Rob Roy.”
He was 59.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 570 points (1.49%) to close at 37,815. The S&P lost 80 points (1.57%) to close at 5,035 and the NASDAQ lost 325 points (2.04%) to close at 15,657.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $81; BRENT CRUDE at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.65 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN tanked on Tuesday, down nearly 6% and trading just over $60,000.
🛩 There were more than 1,960 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 60 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $178 million jackpot or an $81.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT landed her 12th No.1 hit on the Billboard 100 with “Fortnight.”
The track, which is the lead single off her newest album, was also Spotify’s most-streamed song in a single day when it was released on April 19.
Swift is the eighth artist in history to have 12 or more No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, trailing THE BEATLES (20), MARIAH CAREY (19), RIHANNA (14), MICHAEL JACKSON (13), DRAKE (13), MADONNA (12), and THE SUPREMES (12). [via WEAU]
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JON BON JOVI says he enjoyed the rockstar life a little “too much.”
“I got away with murder,” he told MICHAEL STRAHAN in a recent interview, adding, “I’m a rock and roll star, I’m not a saint. You know, I’m not saying that there weren’t 100 girls in my life -- I’m Jon Bon Jovi. It was pretty good.”
Bon Jovi didn’t divulge if any of those 100 girls overlapped with his high school sweetheart, Dorthea, whom he married in 1989, and is celebrating 35 years of marriage with next week. [via NY Post]
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MARY J. BLIGE has her retirement all planned out.
Speaking to EXTRA, the 53-year-old said she will take on some more acting jobs and wrap up the music she is working on so she can hang both up in “like, five or six years.”
In other news, Blige is set to be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this October. [via Extra]
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE kicked off his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” this week and fans are in awe over his set design, specifically a massive floating stage.
For his song “Mirrors,” JT sings on the elevated platform which also rocks back and forth, giving those in the audience extra vantage points. At the end of the song he walks backward as the stage folds into an upright position.
While clearly not afraid of heights, JT is safely strapped into a harness for the stunt. [via TMZ]
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VINCE MCMAHON has reportedly hired Michael Sitircik, the same crisis PR rep that defended disgraced movie mogul HARVEY WEINSTEIN and the Church of Scientology.
The hire comes amid a lawsuit filed by a former WWE employee who accused McMahon of sexual abuse and sexual trafficking.
“It is a relatively new relationship,” Sitrick told Wrestlenomics. “We help build and restore reputations and we help get the truth out.” [via Wrestlenomics]
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KEVIN COSTNER is not happy about his ex-wife CHRISTINE BAUMGARTNER dating his former friend JOSH CONNOR.
While insiders claim Baumgartner is “madly in love” with Connor, they also say that Costner is “bitter” and “far from happy” about the relationship.
Don’t feel too bad for the “Yellowstone” star though, he has been dating JEWEL for the past several months. [via RadarOnline]
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CASTING CALL
A new TMZ documentary claims 250 cameras and other recording devices were taken from SEAN COMBS’ Miami and Los Angeles homes during a raid in March.
In the doc, TMZ boss HARVEY LEVIN chats with current and former associates of Combs’ as well as former prosecutors and federal agents. One such associate is singer AUBREY O’DAY, who Combs signed to Bad Boy Records in 2005.
“I knew all of that was going on,” O’Day tells Levin, referring to the multitude of allegations against Combs. “I’ve known the whole time. I know what’s gone on! A whole lot of people do.”
Combs has been accused of rape, sex trafficking, domestic violence, harassment and other crimes; all documented in lawsuits filed by multiple women, and music producer RODNEY “Lil Rod” JONES.”
“TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy” is airing now on Tubi. [via UrbanHollywood]
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JASON KELCE’s first post-NFL gig will be to join ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show.
He will sit alongside current host SCOTT VAN PELT and panelists ROBERT GRIFFIN III, ADAM SCHEFTER, RYAN CLARK, MARCUS SPEARS and MICHELLE BEISNER-BUCK.
Kelce announced his retirement from football in March after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. [via Deadline]
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Weatherman ROB MARCIANO has been axed from ABC News due to behavioral misconduct, specifically his anger issues.
Insiders told The Post this week that Marciano received a warning a year ago and was temporarily relieved from his duties. Then this past March there was an incident that led to him being banned from the “Good Morning America” studio in Times Square.
Details of the incident were not shared, though one source said there were “a number of alarming events.”
Marciano was hired by the network to be their senior meteorologist in 2014. [via NY Post]
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A live-action “Scooby-Doo” series is in the works at Netflix.
Plot details are not known, other than it will be based on the iconic cartoon.
There have already been several live-action versions, including 2002’s “Scooby-Doo,” starring FREDDIE PRINZE JR., SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR, MATTHEW LILLARD, and LINDA CARDELLINI.
There is also currently a series on Max titled “Velma,” with actress MINDY KALING voicing the glasses-wearing member of Mystery Inc. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE may be off the hook for battery for punching the twin of the guy who allegedly touched BIANCA CENSORI at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
The LAPD launched an investigation into the incident last week, but now says the twins -- restaurateurs Mark and Jonnie Houston -- are not returning their calls.
Due to the lack of communication, the case will be forwarded to the L.A. Attorney’s Office who will make a decision on whether to go through with charges against Ye. [via RadarOnline]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Let’s take a detour to the Danish Royal House.
Just weeks after all the controversy over photos amateurly edited by PRINCESS KATE, a royal portrait of Denmark’s QUEEN MARY and KING FREDERIK has some observers wondering if the image was edited – to the extent the monarchs weren’t actually even standing next to each other and the Queen’s entire body was edited in.
Reps for the monarchy say it’s the real thing, though.
WORTH REMEMBERING: The King and Queen of Denmark reportedly have a very frosty relationship after he was spotted galavanting with a Spanish socialite last year, before taking the throne earlier this year. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
May Day
National Black Barber Shop Appreciation Day
Learn to Ride a Bike Day
Law Day
Interpreter Appreciation Day
World Carnivorous Plant Day
Global Travel Advisor Day
National Skilled Trades Day
National Purebred Dog Day
Lei Day
National Chocolate Parfait Day
International Workers’ Day
School Principals’ Day
Global Love Day
National Mother Goose Day
School Bus Drivers Day
Therapeutic Massage Awareness Day
National Executive Coaching Day
New Home Owners Day
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ON THIS DATE
1891 - Legendary pitcher Cy Young wins the first game played at Cleveland’s League Park.
The Cleveland Spiders beat the Cincinnati Redlegs 12-3.
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1920 - Babe Ruth records his first homerun with the Yankees.
The run was scored over his former team, the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees would win the game 6-0.
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1926 - Ford Motor Company regularizes the work schedule for factory-level workers.
It began with a five-day, 40-hour work week, which later extended to the corporate offices as well.
The carmaker was also the first to pay its workers well, when in 1914 it doubled the average pay to $5 a day. The move immediately boosted morale and productivity.
It is important to note the company did this without tax incentive or government mandate.
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1931 - President Hoover ceremoniously dedicates the Empire State Building.
From Washington, Hoover flipped a switch, supposedly turning on the lights of what was at the time the tallest building in the world. In reality, someone in New York powered up the building simultaneously.
The building project was a boon to the economy during the Great Depression, not only for the workers who built and maintained it, but also those who would work inside.
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1941 - Cinema classic "Citizen Kane" is first released.
The film fictionalizes the life and exploits of media mogul Randolph Hearst. Hearst was livid, and prohibited his newspapers from promoting the film.
Without the publicity, and as a testament to Hearst's influence, the movie initially flopped.
Since then it has grabbed the top spot on the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest movies ever.
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1960 - A spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers is shot down over the Soviet Union.
With the Cold War in full force, this put a crack in already fragile relations between the two countries. President Eisenhower was irate, especially after his lieutenants told him that the Soviets did not possess technology sophisticated enough to take down a plane that flies at such high altitudes.
At first the U.S. claimed that the shot-down plane was conducting weather experiments, but then Soviet Premier Khrushchev put not only the plane but Francis Gary Powers on TV.
Eisenhower would have to admit that the US was indeed spying.
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1963 - James Whittaker becomes the first American to summit Mt. Everest.
Whittaker's feat came ten years after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the peak.
Stacy Allison would be the first American woman to reach the peak in 1988.
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2003 - The first of a record-breaking plague of tornadoes breaks out across the United States.
By May 31 of that year, more than 500 tornadoes would be recorded nationwide, shattering the previous monthly record by 100.
Thirty-eight people died as a result, which is miraculous by some metrics. Scientists attribute the relatively low death toll to none of the twisters reaching the fierce F5 status.
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2019 - New York City officially names a street Sesame Street in honor of the show’s 50th anniversary.
The street is located at the intersection of West 63rd Street and Broadway.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lizzy Green - actress, “A Million Little Things” - 21
Chet Holmgren - basketball player - 22
YNW Melly - rapper - 25
William Nylander - hockey player - 28
Khamzat Chimaev - MMA fighter - 30
Victoria Monet - pop singer - 35
Nicholas Braun - actor, “Succession” - 36
Drew Sidora - actress & reality star - 39
Jamie Dornan - actor, “Fifty Shades of Grey” - 42
Wes Welker - football player - 43
James Murray - comedian - 48
Alex Van Pelt - football player - 54
Wes Anderson - director - 55
Tim McGraw - country singer - 57
Ray Parker Jr. - pop singer - 70
Born On This Date
Gianna Bryant - daughter of Kobe - 2006 (d. 2020)
Scott Carpenter - astronaut, Mercury 7-Aurora 7 - 1925 (d. 2013)
Calamity Jane - American frontierswoman - 1852 (d. 1903)
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