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6/30/2022: Pizza Rat Sighting Goes Viral

PLUS: Bison Beatdown, R. Kelly Gets 30 Years, and Harry the Feminist

Jun 30, 2022

Today is Thursday, June 30, 2022.

It is the 181st day of the year.

185 days remain.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: There will be no Morning Martini on Monday, July 4th in honor of the holiday. Enjoy the day!

HIT LIST

TikTok is turning out to be one of China’s most successful spying efforts ever, right in front of everyone’s eyes.

Federal Communications Commission member Brendan Carr has written a letter to Apple and Google, asking them to take the app out of their online stores.

He writes, “It is clear that TikTok poses an unacceptable national security risk due to its extensive data harvesting being combined with Beijing’s apparently unchecked access to that sensitive data.”

WORTH REMEMBERING: Former President DONALD TRUMP issued executive orders to boot TikTok, but was rebuffed by federal courts, and President JOE BIDEN actively rescinded those orders when he took office.

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ELON MUSK’s birthday was Tuesday, when he also racked up his 100-millionth follower on Twitter.

He has the sixth-biggest account on the platform (behind BARACK OBAMA (132.1m), JUSTIN BIEBER (114.1m), KATY PERRY (108.8m), RIHANNA (106.9m), and CRISTIANO RONALDO (101.4m)).

Amid the milestone, Musk hasn’t made news lately about his bid to buy Twitter, and his prolific account has been uncharacteristically silent; he hasn’t tweeted in over a week.

Lawyers for his camp are reportedly going back and forth with Twitter’s legal team to determine exactly how many user accounts are bots, and not real people, the results of which could affect his buyout bid.

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Two people have been attacked by bison at Yellowstone National Park since Memorial Day weekend.

The latest is a 34-year-old man from Colorado, who was reportedly walking with his family when a bull bison charged at them, attacking him badly enough to send him to the hospital for an arm injury.

The National Park Service says the family got too close to the animal and that visitors are required to keep at least 25 yards from bison.

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Airport officials in Thailand busted two travelers for bringing live animals through security – including snakes, porcupines, turtles, and even armadillos!

The critters were first spotted by X-ray scanners, and a visual inspection confirmed the stash of animals.

No word on why the smugglers were trying to fly with them, either. They’ve been charged with violating three of Thailand’s animal control, exportation, and conservation acts.

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Here’s one way to get rich quick: When your employer accidentally cuts you a payroll check for 286 times what you’d normally earn, take the money and R-U-N-N-O-F-T.

A Chilean man who worked for a food processing company typically earns 500,000 pesos a month – equivalent to about $541.

In May, his check was instead for the equivalent of more than $178,000. When the company got wise, they asked him to return it.

Instead, he submitted his resignation and has been impossible to get ahold of.

While he’s on the run, the company is working with authorities to try and track him down.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 Stocks were flat again Wednesday: The Dow added 52 points (.17%), the S&P 500 finished down 2.72 points (.071%), and the Nasdaq lost 3.65 points (.033%).

🛢 West Texas Intermediate and Brent Crude were both in spitting distance on either side of $110 a barrel.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas Wednesday was $4.87.

₿ Bitcoin fell $142 (.71%) on Wednesday, trading at $20,107.

🛩 In the United States, 580 flights were canceled and 2,618 were delayed.

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CHARTS

NYC’s infamous Pizza Rat was caught on camera enjoying some ‘za with his family in a subway station over the weekend.

New Yorker LOUYI FERRIN shared a clip of the family of rodents on his personal Instagram page. It was later shared by @subwaycreatures, where it racked up over 1 million views in just a fews hours.

Check out the video here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfCa4Y6D_Ey/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

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DEATHS

MARGARET KEANE has died.

The artist, known for her paintings featuring big-eyed, melancholy children, passed away Sunday at her home in Napa. An official cause of death has not been shared.

She was 94.

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HERSHEL W. “Woody” WILLIAMS has died.

The last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from WWII passed away Wednesday at the Veterans Affairs medical center located in Huntington, Virginia.

In light of Williams passing, Senator JOE MANCHIN called him the “embodiment of a true American hero.”

He was 98.

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BREAKUPS

Actors ANNA KENDRICK and BILL HADER have broken up.

“Entertainment Tonight” reported that the two called it quits after nearly two years of dating.

A reason for the split is unknown.

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SICK BAY

TRAVIS BARKER has been hospitalized with pancreatitis.

The 46-year-old Blink-182 drummer was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday morning for an unknown health issue. He was then transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for additional treatment.

Sources revealed Barker’s diagnosis to TMZ on Wednesday, but did not give an update on his condition.

His wife, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, has been by his side.

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THE SWAMP

Supreme Court Justice STEPHEN BREYER will formally step down into retirement today.

His successor, KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, has already been confirmed by the Senate.

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More facts are coming to light that discredit the testimony given on Tuesday by CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, who was the assistant to former President DONALD TRUMP’s chief of staff, MARK MEADOWS.

Hutchinson said she hand wrote a note dictated by Meadows that referred to the January 6 protestors as entering the Capitol “without authority.” Former White House lawyer ERIC HERSCHMANN now says he wrote it.
As noted yesterday, two Secret Service agents already said they’re willing to dispute Hutchinson’s claims that Trump assaulted agents as he tried to take control of his vehicle. Hutchinson said she heard this story from former Deputy Chief of Staff TONY ORTNATO. A source close to Ornato says he never spoke to Hutchinson about this – because it never happened.

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: Hutchinson said Wednesday in a statement through her attorney that she stands by her testimony.

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The state of California will begin issuing direct payments up to $1,050 to qualifying households in order to help citizens there combat inflation.

WORTH NOTING: If this sounds stupid to you, that’s because it is.

The $97 billion program is funded by a phony surplus, which the state only enjoyed because it was soaked in federal pandemic relief money that remains unspent.

BY THE WAY: That a state like California can just give away pandemic relief money goes to show there was no need for additional spending in early 2021.

FOR THOSE IN THE BACK OF THE CLASSROOM: Today’s inflation is a result of an oversaturated money supply. Laundering that same money through the government will only exacerbate the economic situation.

WORTH ASKING: Instead of giving people their own tax dollars to pay for California’s highest-in-the-nation gas, why not just cut gas taxes?

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $360 million jackpot or a $199.3 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

HALSEY shared her views on the overturning of Roe v. Wade at her recent concert in Arizona, telling those in the crowd to “stand up” and “speak out” against the ruling.

She also told those who were in favor of the ruling to “go home” -- and go home they did.

According to several post-concert tweets from those in the audience, more than just a couple of people exited the event.

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NBC has revealed plans for its 46th annual “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” on Wednesday.

Performers include 5 Seconds of Summer, Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce, Pitbull, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Brodway’s “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” cast.

“Today” anchors CRAIG MELVIN and DYLAN DREYER will co-host the two-hour event, which will air Monday from 8-10 pm ET.

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BRITNEY SPEARS and SAM ASGHARI are feeling the newlywed bliss.

The actor told “GMA” this week that being married to the pop princess is “surreal.”

The couple tied the knot earlier this month at their former Thousand Oaks home. They moved to a new pad shortly after their big day.

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ARIANA GRANDE’s stalker is behind bars again after breaking into her home this week.

AHARON BROWN, who is a repeat offender when it comes to violating a restraining order the singer has against him, did so once again over the weekend when he entered Grande’s home.

A source told Page Six that Grande was not home at the time of the incident.

At the time of reporting, Brown remained behind bars.

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WILLIAM DANIELS, known to many as Mr. Feeny, the beloved teacher from “Boy Meets World,” is still giving his “students” advice.

DANIELLE FISHEL, RIDER STRONG and WILL FRIEDLE, who played Topanga, Shawn and Eric, respectively, on the show, recently told PEOPLE magazine that even at 95-years-old, Daniels “still shoots out the pearls of wisdom.”

Fishel, Strong and Friedle chat with Daniels on their new iHeartRadio podcast, “Pod Meets World.”

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Country singer and first-time-dad LUKE COMBS is focusing more on his health to make sure he is “around” for his son.

“Having a kid has messed up my head on this thing in the best way,” Combs told ZANE LOWE on “Apple Music 1” this week.

“I would really love to trim down,” he explained.

Combs and his wife NICOLE HOCKING welcomed their son on Father’s Day.

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CASTING CALL

The next Bond flick is at least two years away, according to producer BARBARA BROCCOLI.

While speaking at an event in London, Broccoli explained that the hunt for a new 007 will take some time as the plan is to “reinvent Bond.”

DANIEL CRAIG was the last to play Bond in a long line of famous men to take on the role. He ended his career as 007 in “No Time to Die.”

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Following her success in “Mare of Easttown,” KATE WINSLET will star in and produce another series for HBO.

The limited series, called “Trust,” is based on the Hernan Diaz novel by the same name. The story follows a wealthy financier who is dissatisfied by a novel based on his life and his wife’s portrayal, so he seeks a ghostwriter to set the record straight.

Told in four different voices, the story is described as a “narrative puzzle that subverts the notion of truth and who gets to define it,” per the book’s description.

It is unknown what role Winslet will take.

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CAMERON DIAZ is “un-retiring” (as TOM BRADY would say) to star in the Netflix film “Back in Action.”

The storyline and casting details are being kept under wraps.

She will star opposite JAMIE FOXX.

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Netflix will be home to the next film by JOE and ANTHONY RUSSO.

“The Electric State,” starring MILLIE BOBBY BROWN, is set in the retro-futuristic past, where an orphaned teen (Brown) traverses the American West with a robot and an eccentric drifter in search of her younger brother,” per the official description.

CHRIS PRATT is reportedly in talks to co-star, according to Deadline.

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JASON MOMOA’s Apple TV+ series “See” will end with Season 3.

The show follows Momoa as Baba Voss, who lives in the future, hundreds of years after humankind has lost the ability to see.

Season 3 premieres on August 26, with new episodes airing weekly.

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Season 4 of “Stranger Things: Volume 1” drew in more than 930.3 million hours of viewing in its first 28-days on Netflix.

That is the most for any English-language series on the streamer ever.

It is the second largest audience overall behind the Korean series “Squid Game,” which grossed 1.6 billion hours viewed over the same period.

BY THE WAY: The 28-day window is a metric Netflix uses to measure premiere viewership for its TV series and movies.

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COURT CASES

R. KELLY has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The 55-year-old singer-songwriter was found guilty last September on one charge of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the transport of “any woman or girl” across state lines for an “immoral purpose.”

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

LAMAR ODOM was recently asked who he would like another chance at love with -- his ex-girlfriend, actress TARAJI P. HENSON or his ex-wife KHLOE KARDASHIAN.

According to Page Six, Odom picked Henson.

“I love Taraji. It’s a love thing. It’s about who you love,” he explained.

As many may remember, Odom broke up with Henson to date Khloe, who he married after only a few weeks of dating.

He did tell the outlet that Khloe was “a great wife.”

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE both had “guttural” reactions to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Markle spoke to Vogue Magazine about her feelings on the matter, saying that it’s not just women who need to speak out, but men too.

“My husband and I have talked about that a lot over the past few days,” she continued.

She also referred to Harry as a “feminist” several times in the interview.

WORTH NOTING: The couple live in California -- which continues to allow virtually unrestricted abortions.

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SPORTS

SERENA WILLIAMS, 40, is not ready to share if she is considering retiring from the world of tennis.

After a devastating loss in her first Grand Slam match in more than a year this week, the tennis legend refused to answer reporters' questions about her future with the sport.

Williams has competed on the women’s tour for 27 years.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Meteor Watch Day

Social Media Day

National Corvette Day

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ON THIS DATE

1520 – Spanish conquistadors battling Aztec warriors narrowly escape the ancient capital Tenochtitlan. After Aztec King Moctezuma died in Spanish captivity, the Spaniards needed a way out of the city.

The natives had turned on Moctezuma, who had grown sympathetic to the Europeans. On the night of June 30th, Hernando Cortez packed up his troops and his treasure.

They started undetected, but eventually had to fight violently against roused Aztec warriors. The Spanish lost hordes of treasure, all their artillery, and almost all their horses. Cortez escaped.

It was this incident that incited his desire for the destruction of the Mexican Empire and the siege of Tenochtitlan.

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1805 – Congress incorporates the Michigan territory. Detroit would be its capital.

For a while, the territory included what is today Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and parts of both Dakotas. What we know today as Michigan became a state in 1836. The other land became known as the Wisconsin territory.

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1859 – Charles Blondin walks a tightrope strung across Niagara Falls. He crosses 1100 feet of 3-and-one-quarter-inch diameter rope, 160 feet above the water.

It wasn't his only attempt. His other Niagara Falls tightrope stunts include making the walk blindfolded, with a man on his back and, once, on stilts.

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1908 – A strange explosion demolishes trees and other landscape in present day Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It's known as the Tunguska Event.

Research indicates either a comet or meteoroid fragment exploded some five miles above Earth's surface as it fell to the ground. Estimates of the blast range from 10-15 megatons -- that's about 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Luckily the explosion occurred in a remote area of Siberia and no one was injured.

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1953 – The first Chevy Corvettes go into production. 300 are made in the first run, selling for $3,498 each.

All of the cars were white and had red interiors with a black top. The only options were door handles inside the car and clip-in curtains instead of roll-up windows.

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1921 – President Harding names former President William Howard Taft to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

He was approved on the day of his nomination in the Senate, 60-4. The roll call vote has never been made public. Taft served until 1930. He's the only president to have served as Chief Justice.

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1997 – The United Kingdom's 99-year lease on Hong Kong expires, and the land is handed over to China. Governed by the "one country, two systems" principle, the city maintains an independent judicial branch and a common law system separate from the rest of Communist China.

A chief executive selected by an election committee presently oversees the region.

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2019 – President Trump becomes the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then the pair crossed the border to South Korea together, shaking hands again.

The meeting of the two leaders was focused on reconciliation and diplomatic progress.

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2021 - Abhimanyu Mishra becomes the youngest chess grandmaster ever at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days.

He stole the crown from Sergey Karjakin who previously held the record at the age of 12 years and 7 months, which he set in 2002.

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BIRTHDAYS

Trea Turner - baseball player - 29

Alicia Fox - wrestler - 36

Michael Phleps - Olympic swimmer - 37

Cody Rhodes - wrestler - 37

Fantasia Barrino - R&B singer - 38

Dale Mills - reality star, “Outdaughtered” - 39

Cheryl Ann Tweedy - pop singer - 39

Cole Swindell - country singer - 39

Lizzy Caplan - actress, “Mean Girls” - 40

Monica Potter - actress, “Parenthood” & “Head Over Heels” - 51

Brian Bloom - actor, “As the World Turns” - 52

Mike Tyson - boxer - 56

David Alan Grier - actor, “In Living Color” - 66

Born On This Date

Florence Ballard - R&B singer, The Supremes - 1943 (d. 1976)

Ed Yost - inventor of the hot air balloon - 1919 (d. 2007)

Willie Sutton - bank robber - 1901 (d. 1980)

Elizabeth Kortright Monroe - First Lady of the US, wife of James Monroe - 1768 (d. 1830)

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