Today is Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
It is the 135th day of the year.
231 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
New developments in the Francis Scott Key Bridge cleanup and report on the culprit behind inflation. Details in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT files a trademark and MELINDA GATES leaves the foundation. More in SHOWBIZ.
A third “Downton Abbey” movie is in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
KOURT shows off her Mother’s Day haul. More in KARDASH.
A rare joint appearance with the KING and heir. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Recovery crews detonated precision explosives to separate the Dali cargo ship from the truss it impacted on March 26.
The ship’s nearly two-dozen crew members have remained living and working onboard since the impact, both to cooperate with an investigation and to keep the ship maintained. Most of the crew are Indian nationals. They were sheltered in the rear of the ship during the detonations.
This week, the ship will hopefully be towed back to port, allowing the crew to go about their lives. [via WBAL]
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When Danish industrialist L.E. Bruun died in 1923, his will stipulated that his 20,000-piece gold collection be held in Denmark as a monetary reserve for the country, for the next 100 years.
A century later, an auction house is managing the sale of the lot, which it calls the “most valuable collection of world coins to ever come to market.”
The hoard has been insured for half-a-billion Danish kroner, which amounts to about $72.5 MILLION.
In gold-collecting circles, Bruun’s stash has been the stuff of legend. One rep for the auction house calls it “the best open secret ever.” The coins will hit the block this fall. [via CBS News]
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While communities across the country wrestle with cicadas this spring, the suburbs of Las Vegas face a much creepier invasion: scorpions.
Local media reports an uptick in scorpion sightings, especially making their way into peoples’ homes. One homeowner says he’s killed about two dozen of the bugs in recent days.
It’s likely the scorpions are brought in with construction and landscaping materials imported from Arizona, often in palm trees. The best way to keep them at bay is proactive pest control — but sticky traps will do if you don’t mind dealing with them. [via KLAS]
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A study out of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco upends the argument that price-gouging firms have driven inflationary pressure on the economy.
“[R]ising markups have not been a main driver of the recent surge and subsequent decline in inflation during the current recovery,” the report argues. Instead, the blame lies in supply chain and labor market disruptions that struggled to get back to equilibrium after the pandemic. [via Reuters]
WORTH NOTING: Even though some companies have shown record prices, it’s not because of price increases in most sectors, either. It’s likely market corrections have empowered firms to find efficiencies that cut production costs, especially as interest rates remain elevated.
ALSO WORTH NOTING: About 20% of all federal borrowing has been incurred in the last four years, expanding the money supply and devaluing the dollar.
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The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Baltimore Ravens in the first game of the 2024 NFL season.
The game will go down at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, September 5.
The Chiefs and Ravens last faced off in the AFC title game, when the former won 17-10. [via NY Post]
FOR THE SWIFTIES: Those wondering if TAYLOR SWIFT will make the opener, she does have a break in her “Eras Tour” schedule for the months of September and October.
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BABY NEWS
Actress MAE WHITMAN is expecting her first child.
She’s 35.
Details regarding the pregnancy or who the father may be remain a mystery.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 81 points (0.21%) to close at 39,431 on Monday. The S&P was down just 1 point to close at 5,221 and the NASDAQ ticked up 47 points (0.29%) to close at 16,388.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $79; BRENT CRUDE at $83.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.61 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN gained over 2% Monday, trading around $62,900.
🛩 There were more than 4,970 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 195 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $363 million jackpot or a $166.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Brooklyn native STEVE BUSCEMI was attacked in broad daylight while strolling through Manhattan last week.
According to the NYPD, a man walked up to the actor, struck him in the face, and ran away. Buscemi suffered swelling and a bruised left eye. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
A statement from Buscemi’s publicist said he is “OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”
The assailant is still on the lam. [via NY Post]
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TAYLOR SWIFT’s company, TAS Rights Management, has filed to trademark the phrase “Female Rage: The Musical.”
Fans speculated that the trademark is probably for merchandise, and not an actual musical, though when it comes to Swift, it could include anything. [via Us Weekly]
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Some of MIKE TYSON’s fellow boxers are concerned about his upcoming match against YouTuber-turned-fighter JAKE PAUL.
Former champ DEONTAY WILDER shared his thoughts on the match, telling Sportsbook Review, “I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber.”
FOR THE RECORD: Tyson will turn 58 shortly before the July 20th match, while Paul is only 27. Tyson’s record is 50-6 and 44 knockouts, while Paul has a 9-1 record with 6 knockouts. [via Deadline]
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MELINDA GATES is leaving her role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
She made the announcement Monday, telling her social media followers that she is leaving the foundation in good hands, with CEO Mark Suzman, the board of trustees and of course, her ex-husband BILL GATES.
As part of her exit, Melinda is getting $12.5 BILLION from Bill, which she plans to commit to new charities and organizations with a focus on “fighting to protect and advance equality” for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. [via TMZ]
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Fans are divided over CHRIS PRATT’s decision to leave out his ex-wife, who is also the mother of his son, from a Mother’s Day tribute post.
While he praised his wife, KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER and mom, Kathy, there was no mention of his ex, ANNA FARIS.
Some felt it was a diss, yet others pointed out that Faris doesn’t typically post about Pratt on Father’s Day.
Pratt, who shares three kids with Schwarzenegger, was married to Faris from 2009 to 2017. Their son Jack is 11. [via Page Six]
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety ANTOINE WINFIELD JR. has agreed to a four-year $84.1 million deal with the team.
With $45 million in guaranteed money, the deal makes him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL. It's also the first time in the history of the league that a safety has landed the title.
Winfield Jr. was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. [via ESPN]
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CASTING CALL
ANTHONY ANDERSON, TAYE DIGGS, CHRIS JONES, TYLER POSEY, BRUNO TONIOLI and JAMES VAN DER BEEK have joined forces for an upcoming special at FOX.
The group will star in “The Real Full Monty,” a two-hour event set to raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing.
They will also perform a striptease at the end, paying homage to the 1997 flick “The Full Monty,” which centers on a group of normal guys who form a male striptease act. [via THR]
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A third “Downton Abbey” film is officially happening.
Returning to the franchise are HUGH BONNEVILLE, ELIZABETH MCGOVERN, MICHELLE DOCKERY, LAURA CARMICHAEL, PAUL GIAMATTI, JOELY RICHARDSON, ALESSANDRO NIVOLA, SIMON RUSSELL BEALE and ARTY FROUSHAM, per the official release.
The film follows 2019’s “Downton Abbey,” which picks up where the TV series left off. From there, 2022’s sequel “Downton Abbey: A New Era” continued the story. It is assumed the new movie will pick up where the second one ended. [via People]
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CHRIS PINE says a case of bad acne cost him a lead role in “The O.C.”
He was asked about the casting on a recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, where he detailed how his acne has been something he has dealt with into adulthood.
As for the role, it would ultimately go to BEN MCKENZIE. [via TMZ]
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Instead of a “Mrs. Doubtfire” sequel one of the stars thinks a documentary about the flick could be a good idea.
MATTHEW LAWRENCE, who played one of ROBIN WILLIAMS’ kids in the movie, told TMZ this week that he doesn’t think another movie is possible without Williams, but some sort of reunion with the rest of the cast could be “cool.”
“Documentaries are pretty cool. So, I don’t know, maybe we could do that!” he exclaimed.
Williams died by suicide in 2014, just as talks of getting the cast back together began. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN showed off her Mother’s Day spoils, giving fans a sneak peek at an extravagant floral display from husband TRAVIS BARKER.
For his part, Barker posted a heartfelt tribute for her on Instagram.
This Mother’s Day is the couple’s first since welcoming son Rocky Barker. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In a rare joint appearance, KING CHARLES formally handed over the title of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Core to PRINCE WILLIAM in a ceremony on Monday.
Charles called his son “a very good pilot indeed.”
The King first picked up the title in the early 1990s. [via BBC]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Dance Like a Chicken Day
International Chihuahua Appreciation Day
Online Romance Day
International PMO Day
National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
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ON THIS DATE
1787 - The first delegates to the Constitutional Convention arrive in Philadelphia.
May 4th of that year was the scheduled start date, but with travel arrangements adding time to everyone’s trip, it took another 10 days to get the key players together.
The Convention would vote to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new governing document -- The Constitution, which strengthened the federal government.
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1804 - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St. Louis to explore the Western Frontier.
One year earlier, Thomas Jefferson organized the purchase of the territory from the French.
The round trip took about 2 and a half years. But most importantly, it was the first documented, official American expedition to lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean and successfully return.
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1948 - The country of Israel is formally instituted in its present location.
It became the first formal Jewish state in a few thousand years. Its first Prime Minister would be David Ben-Gurion.
Fighting between Jews and Arabs began immediately -- though it never really stopped in the first place.
The U.S. was the first major world power to recognize Israel as a legitimate state.
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1955 - The Soviet Union and surrounding bloc countries agree to the Warsaw Pact.
The defense treaty promised mutual defense from the Soviets, as long as the Soviets had control of the smaller countries' armies.
Any of the countries would come to the defense of the others in the event of an attack of war. The agreement followed the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by the United States and other free European countries. Most notably, West Germany was included in NATO.
The Soviets and Eastern European communists saw this as a direct threat to communist supremacy in the region, and further froze relations with the United States.
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1973 - The first American space station is put into orbit.
Skylab could hold astronauts for extended periods of time, unlike its single-mission predecessors. Though the U.S. won the space race by putting the first men on the moon, the Soviets launched their first space station two years earlier.
But the Soviet space station stayed in orbit for less than a year, and the first crew could never even board the craft. The American Skylab was a smashing success for 6 years, housing three separate 3-man crews. It burned up re-entering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean in 1979.
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1998 - The 2-part finale of “Seinfeld” airs on NBC.
76.3 million viewers tuned in to watch.
Commercials during the time slot sold for $2 million for 30 seconds.
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2020 - Global death toll from COVID-19 passes 300,000 with over 4.4 million confirmed cases.
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BIRTHDAYS
Zach Edey - basketball player - 22
Jack Hughes - hockey player - 23
Miranda Cosgrove - actress, “iCarly” - 31
Rob Gronkowski - football player - 35
Dustin Lynch - country singer - 39
Mark Zuckerberg - co-founder of Facebook - 40
Anjelah Johnson - comedian - 42
Sofia Coppola - director, “Lost in Translation” - 53
Cate Blanchett - actress, “Elizabeth” & “Blue Jasmine” - 55
Greg Davies - comedian - 56
Tim Roth - actor, “Lie to Me” & “The Hateful Eight” - 63
George Lucas - director, “Star Wars” - 80
Born On This Date
Russi Taylor - voice actress, 6th Minnie Mouse - 1944 (d. 2019)
Ed Walsh - HOF pitcher & manager - 1881 (d. 1959)
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