5/22/2025: How To Impress Chicks
PLUS: Breakout Update; Celebrity Legal Updates; and The King’s Letter
Today is Thursday, May 22, 2025.
It is the 142nd day of the year.
223 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: ELON MUSK throws shade at another billionaire.
SZA wants to keep kids off drugs and a missing bust of the late JIM MORRISON has been found. More in SHOWBIZ.
The CHRISLEYS return to reality TV and a MARTIN SCORSESE doc is in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
KING CHARLES sends a letter to JOE BIDEN following his cancer diagnosis. Details in ROYALS.
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UPDATE: A maintenance worker for the jail that ten inmates escaped from last week has been charged with aiding the breakout – but he says he was duped.
An attorney for the worker, 33-year-old Sterling Williams, says Williams turned off water for the cell to fix a clogged toilet. Williams said the inmate threatened to shank him if he didn’t comply and that he had no knowledge of the escape plan.
Authorities allege Williams could and should have informed jail supervisors of the breakout plan.
MEANWHILE: Police in New Orleans say they’ve arrested two people connected with helping some of the escapees, and have now rounded up five of the ten missing inmates. [via AP News]
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Earlier this month, BILL GATES gave an interview to the Financial Times, in which he commented on ELON MUSK’s role at DOGE. In particular, Gates criticized attempts to curtail foreign aid spending, saying, “The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one.”
NOW: When asked about those comments during an interview with Bloomberg, Musk fired back hard. “Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children given that he frequented Jeffrey Epstein?” Musk said. “I wouldn’t trust that guy to baby-sit my kids, I can tell you that.”
Musk also punched back at Gates’ assertion, calling it a conspiracy theory. “Show us any evidence whatsoever that that is true” – meaning that DOGE was cutting life-saving treatments for children – “It’s false,” Musk said. [via New York Post]
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AMAZON CEO ANDY JASSY says a few weeks of hefty tariffs had no impact on customer spending and did not lead to an increase in seller’s prices.
MEANWHILE, AT HOME DEPOT: During a Tuesday earnings call, Home Depot’s head said it does not anticipate “broad based price increases for our customers going forward.” The company says more than half of its products are sourced domestically in the US.
Chinese products continue to face a 30% tariff, though that’s significant relief from the 145% peak established earlier this year. [via CNN]
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Johns Creek, Georgia, is the latest locale to be named the best place to live in the country.
A US News and World Report analysis says the Atlanta-area enclave “is the kind of place where tree-lined streets, a strong sense of community and a high quality of life come together to make it one of the nation’s most desirable places to call home.”
Overall, the study looked at quality of life, job market accessibility, and overall affordability.
Carmel, Indiana, and Pearland, Texas, rounded out the top three. [via US News+]
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NO CLIMBING: An inebriated Montana man tried to impress the ladies by climbing Wyoming’s famous elk antler arches last week.
Police were called, and the guy was given a $100 citation. A fellow female patron also attempted to climb the arch. No word on whether she was also cited.
One of the responding officers did note that he had never seen “anybody quite get up as far onto the top” as this guy did. “We usually catch them thinking about it, talking about it or just starting to climb,” he added.
The Jackson elk arches were built by the Jackson Rotary Club in 1953 and comprise 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of antlers, according to Yellowstone Park. [via @touronsofyellostone]
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