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6/3/2022: QE2’s Platinum Jubilee
PLUS: Biden Talks Gun Ban, “Top Gun” Triumph, and Billionaire Bron
Today is Friday, June 3, 2022.
It is the 154th day of the year.
211 days remain.
TRENDING
#PlatinumJubilee was trending Thursday as Queen Elizabeth and her family celebrated her 70 years on the throne. #AbolishTheMonarchy was also trending, indicating that some want the royal line to end with Elizabeth.
Wonder Woman landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends yesterday as many argued the superhero is an “icon” for the queer and trans community.
Billionaire Bron was trending yesterday. Head to Sports to find out why.
#BidenIsAFailure returned to Twitter’s Top Trends as social media users complained about skyrocketing gas prices.
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HIT LIST
Egyptian archeologists have announced the discovery of a literal treasure trove of artifacts, including 150 bronze statues and 250 coffins – and all of them have mummies inside!
The findings date back more than 2,000 years and were found outside Cairo.
Among the score was a piece of papyrus still completely intact – and such a discovery hasn’t been made in a hundred years.
The whole set will go on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum.
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Ford Motor Company has promised Michiganders new jobs and $2 billion in investments in new manufacturing and administrative facilities.
The new development will be part of Ford’s expansion in three states totalling more than $3.6 billion and 6,000 jobs.
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A quarter million dollars just doesn’t buy what it used to.
Bloomberg reports that more than one-third of Americans who make $250,000 or more a year say they’re living paycheck to paycheck – though this says more about those earners’ spending habits than even the rising costs of this economy.
Only 10% of such earners said they had a hard time paying bills each month; most just said they didn’t have much discretionary income left after all their needs were met.
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Business Insider can’t quite figure out why Elon Musk would do something so tyrannical as demand his workforce return to the office.
Musk said earlier this week that any of his employees who weren’t willing to spend at least 40 hours a week working at his companies’ offices could find new work. Musk also said that the pandemic “tricked people into thinking that you don’t actually need to work hard.
So one intrepid reporter – whose entire job consists of reading tweets and getting snobs to comment about them – got input from three “experts” who say that productivity has increased since the pandemic.
WORTH NOTING: The experts were all academics, not real employers who need to get work done and make a payroll.
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After a morning of trading down, the Dow picked up 435 points to finish well in the black.
AAA’s national gas price average set another record Thursday, at $4.71 a gallon.
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CHARTS
New to Hulu:
Fire Island (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%)
New to Netflix:
Interceptor (Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated)
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DEATHS
AIDAN KAMINSKA has died.
The college athlete, who starred on the lacrosse field for the University of Massachusetts, passed away unexpectedly on Monday. The cause of death is not yet known.
He was 19.
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BABY NEWS
Wisconsin native and NFL superstar JJ WATT, 33, and his wife, soccer star KEALIA OHAI WATT, 30, are expecting their first child.
The couple revealed the news with a series of snapshots showing off Kealia’s growing baby bump.
The little one is due in October, according to the couple.
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RELATIONSHIPS
DEREK HOUGH, 37, and HAYLEY ERBERT, 27, are engaged!
The “DWTS” judge and his longtime girlfriend shared the exciting news on Instagram Thursday.
The couple have been together for seven years.
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THE SWAMP
In a TV address last night, President JOE BIDEN called for a national assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban, federal red flag laws, and a few other measures to expand gun control.
Biden laid the failure to get anything passed on Senate Republicans. He noted that ten Republicans would have to cross the aisle to meet the 60-vote threshold.
He closed with a call to action for the country to get involved with the Democrat administration’s efforts to curb gun rights and make the issue central to their vote.
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The Biden Administration likes to talk about low unemployment numbers – but turns out that’s only because the workforce has shrunk so drastically.
A study from payroll processing company ADP shows that small businesses have lost 278,000 jobs in the last four months.
In May, only 128,000 new jobs were added to the economy, after April saw barely 200,000 new jobs.
MEANWHILE: President JOE BIDEN tweeted a three-point plan to tackle inflation on Thursday: “Let the Fed do its job, Lower everyday costs for Americans, Keep reducing the deficit.”
All this despite a meek fed that won’t raise interest rates because it would lead to a necessary recession to beat inflation and historic spending that even the most aggressive tax cuts couldn’t balance out.
WORTH NOTING: This is like an alcoholic tweeting a three-point plan to sobriety that includes: “Go to the same bars with the same people I always do, skipping AA meetings, and drinking whiskey every night.”
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Attorney MICHAEL AVENATTI is headed to prison. Again.
He was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding porn star STORMY DANIELS out of $300,000.
He was also convicted in federal court earlier this year of aggravated identity fraud and wire fraud, for which he’ll face up to 20 years in prison.
IT GETS WORSE: Avenatti was already serving a 2-and-a-half year sentence for trying to extort Nike out of $25 million.
A judge ordered him to appear in person for the sentencing.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $189 million jackpot or a $109.9 million cash payout.
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No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $184 million jackpot or a $109.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Al Riggs, “Themselves”
Angel Olsen, “Big Time”
Chelsea Rose, “Truth or Consequences”
The Fixx, “Every Five Seconds”
Gene On Earth, “Time On The Vine”
Jasmyn, “In the Wild”
Ken Yates, “Cerulean”
Mr Little Jeans, “Better Days”
Oklahoma Kid, “Tangerine Tragic”
Post Malone, “Twelve Carat Toothache”
Sub Urban, “Hive”
The Suffers, “It Starts with Love”
The Zells, “Ant Farm”
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“Top Gun: Maverick” continues to thrive at the box office.
As of Wednesday, the flick grossed nearly $200 million domestically -- beating the 1986 original film, which earned $180.2 million.
This weekend is expected to bring in an additional $57 million, marking the highest-grossing movie for TOM CRUISE in the US/Canada.
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AMBER HEARD’s lawyer claims that the jury’s decision was swayed by “social media attacks” made against her client.
ELAINE CHARLSON BREDEHOFT shared her thoughts during an interview on the “Today” show Thursday, where she referred to the defamation trial as a “zoo.”
She also called the jury’s verdict “a setback for women” and added that Heard has “no means to pay” the $8 million she now owes her ex-husband, JOHNNY DEPP.
SPEAKING OF THE EXES: Next Tuesday, FOX will air a TMZ documentary, called “Johnny vs. Amber: From Love to Hate.” The show will cover their relationship, the trial and what happens next.
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RAY LIOTTA’s hometown of Union Township, New Jersey wants to honor the late actor.
TMZ reports that the city is considering naming a youth baseball field after him as a nod to his role in “Field of Dreams.”
Liotta, who died last week at the age of 67, played “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in the 1989 sports flick.
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PANIC! AT THE DISCO announced a new album is coming and also unveiled a new single, called “Viva Las Vengeance” this week.
The new album -- a follow-up to the band’s 2018 “Pray for the Wicked” -- will drop on August 19.
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SIMU LIU went all out for his role in the upcoming Warner Bros. flick “Barbie.”
The Marvel star recently told The Independent that he waxed his entire body, calling it “one of the most painful experiences” of his life.
Liu stars in the movie alongside MARGOT ROBBIE, who plays the titular character. Details of Liu’s role are being kept under wraps.
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While many networks reported a decline in vieviewership last month, Fox News saw an increase.
According to Nielsen, the network drew 2.27 million total viewers during primetime -- up 4% from May 2021.
Meanwhile, MSNBC averaged 1.02 million (32% drop) and CNN averaged 660,000 (28% drop).
Fox also saw a 23% increase in total day numbers.
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CASTING CALL
Marvel fans rejoice!
Disney announced Thursday that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” will be available to stream on Disney+ this month.
The film was a box office hit following its debut on May 6.
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EILEEN DAVIDSON, LORETTA DEVINE and VINCE VAN PATTEN have joined the cast of the second season of the Peacock original series, “Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.”
The show follows “Days” characters as they leave Salem and travel the globe. Of course they pack plenty of drama for the journey.
The five-episode second season will hit the streamer July 11.
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Journalist MALCOLM GLADWELL will host a new podcast series that centers on the San Jose State track and field program from the 1960s, which launched the careers of several of the fastest sprinters known today.
The podcast will tell the stories of TOMMIE SMITH, LEE EVANS and JOHN CARLOS, who are remembered not only for their incredible speed, but also their protests at the 1968 Olympics.
The six-part series will launch on June 14.
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COURT CASES
Disgraced filmmaker HARVEY WEINSTEIN isn’t going anywhere after an appeals court upheld his conviction Thursday.
The decision comes two years after he was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.
His 23-year sentence was also upheld.
Following the ruling, Weinstein’s attorney told The New York Times that he will now ask the New York Court of Appeals to review the case.
WORTH NOTING: Weinstein faces a second rape trial in Los Angeles. A date for that has not yet been set.
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CRIB NOTES
The longtime home of BETTY WHITE sold for more than its asking price.
The 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom Los Angeles pad was listed at $10.575 million and sold for $10.678 million.
White lived in the home from 1968 until her passing on New Year’s Eve 2021.
The unidentified buyer is reportedly not a celebrity, sources told TMZ.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM has asked the Federal Bureau of Prisons to grant the father of one of the Uvalde shooting victims a temporary release to attend her funeral.
Sharing a photo of 10-year-old Eliahana “Ellie” Cruz Torres to social media Thursday, Kim joined a growing number of people pleading for her father to be able to say good-bye in person.
Torres, who is serving a 25-year sentence for drug trafficking, has been given the option to watch a live stream of the service.
SPEAKING OF KIM: She recently told The New York Times that she would “eat poop everything single day” if it meant looking younger. While she was clearly joking (we think!) social media trolls jumped all over her.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The four-day celebration of QUEEN ELIZABETH’s 70 years on the throne kicked off yesterday with Trooping the Colour parade and military aircraft fly-over.
Her Majesty took in the spectacle from the balcony at Buckingham palace alongside several family members, including PRINCE CHARLES, CAMILLA, PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON and her great grandchildren, PRINCE GEORGE, PRINCESS CHARLOTTE and PRINCE LOUIS.
Non-working royals, such as PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE, reportedly watched the event from the shadows inside the palace.
Meanwhile, PRINCE ANDREW, who would not have been allowed on the balcony anyway, was missing from the event due to testing positive for COVID-19.
The day proved to be an exhausting one for the 96-year-old monarch, who chose to retire from the festivities early in the evening.
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SPORTS
LEBRON JAMES is the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status.
According to Forbes, the 37-year-old made $121.2 million in 2021.
He joins MICHEAL JORDAN and KOBE BRYANT as the only other basketball players to earn billions -- though their billion came after retiring from the league.
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LIST OF THE WEEK
PEOPLE Magazine compiled a list of 25 things to do, eat and see in 2022. (Since the year is almost half over, this list only shows 10 of the things -- all editor’s choice)
Live like John Dutton at the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana. This is where the hit series “Yellowstone” was filmed.
Visit the Laurel Mercantile and Scotsman General Store in Laurel, Mississippi. Both locations are owned by HGTV stars Erin and Ben Naper.
Go sledding on the World’s Largest White-Sand Dune in the New Mexico desert.
Have a cocktail in the Dolly Parton-themed wonderland at Nashville’s White Limozeen.
Ride the coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia.
Enjoy the peacefulness of Washington’s Olympic National Park, known as one of the quietest spots in the contiguous 48 states.
Follow in the prehistoric footsteps of dinosaurs during a 30-minute hike on Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracks Trail in Moab, Utah.
Grab a bite to eat at the High-Pie shop, located in the fictional home of “Top Gun” characters Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood and Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Oceanside, California.
Tour Kentucky’s Bourbon Country. Some of the world’s best bourbon makers and distilleries are located just an hour outside Louisville, KY.
Cool down in the Snow Room at the Lodge at Woodloch, nestled within the Pocono mountains in northeast Pennsylvania.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Chocolate Macaroon Day
National Repeat Day
National Egg Day
Chimborazo Day
National Insect Repellant Awareness Day
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ON THIS DATE
1800 – President John Adams begins governing from the Tunnicliffe City Hotel in Washington DC. The White House was not yet finished.
He would move into the residence for a very short time, beginning in November. But Adams lost his re-election to Thomas Jefferson, and his stay was short-lived.
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1864 – Union troops are slaughtered by Confederates at the Battle at Cold Harbor.
A full-frontal assault ordered by General Grant left 7,000 dead in under an hour, as the Southern troops had time to fortify their position and dig protective trenches.
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1937 – The former King of England marries Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he surrendered the royal throne the previous December.
Edward had only been on the throne a short time when he began his romantic entanglement with Simpson and thought he’d have more time to make appropriate arrangements to avoid scandal. But when his father, George-the-fifth died, he became King.
Wallis would be denied any titles of nobility. They would later live in France and travel Europe, when the couple became friendly with the Nazis, though that wouldn’t last.
Winston Churchill arranged for Edward to be governor of the Bahamas, and sent him across the Atlantic in August 1940.
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1965 – Ed White becomes the first American to walk in space.
From on board the Gemini 4 capsule, he exited the craft tethered by a 25-foot cable. He used an oxygen jet-propulsion system to maneuver.
The walk lasted just 20 minutes, but was a huge step in keeping up with the Soviets in the space race. They successfully sent an astronaut alone into space in March that year.
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1989 – The Chinese Government rolls tanks and troops into Tiananmen Square nearly two months after public protests for freedom began.
The uprising began as a movement for college students that quickly gained support from laborers, professors and bureaucrats.
By some estimates, a million people were eventually gathered at one point in the square.
During the shutdown, hundreds were killed and thousands arrested. The Chinese government would have scores of dissidents assassinated in the following weeks to deter further protests.
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2017 – The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum opens in Springfield, Massachusetts.
It features family-friendly, interactive exhibits exploring the author’s Springfield roots, as well as recreations of his studio and living room memorabilia, and never-before-seen art, family photos, and letters.
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2019 - Jay-Z is named the world’s first billionaire rapper by Forbes magazine.
He accumulated his fortune through real estate, sports, music and fashion.
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2020 - Three police officers involved in the death of George Floyd are charged in Minneapolis.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd, is also charged with second-degree murder.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lukas Rieger - pop singer - 23
Chase Mattson - model - 28
Anne Winters - actress, “The Fosters” & “13 Reasons Why” - 28
Sean Berdy - actor, “Switched at Birth” & “The Society” - 29
Mario Gotze - soccer player - 30
Dave East - rapper - 34
Rafael Nadal - tennis player - 36
Al Horford - basketball player - 36
Arianne Zucker - actress, “Days of Our Lives” - 48
Anderson Cooper - TV show host, “Cooper 360” - 55
Danny Wilde - singer, The Rembrandts - 66
Jill Biden - First Lady - 71
Born On This Date
Billy Powell - keyboardist, Lynyrd Skynyrd - 1952 (d. 2009)
Tony Curtis - actor, “Some Like It Hot” - 1925 (d. 2010)
Ellen Corby - actress, “The Waltons” & “Vertigo” - 1911 (d. 1999)
Garret Hobart - 24th Vice President (McKinley presidency) - 1844 (d. 1899)
Jefferson Davis - President of the Confederate States - 1808 (d. 1889)
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