Today is Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
It is the 196th day of the year.
169 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: A local hero earns a fitting reward.
An update on ERIK and LYLE MENENDEZ’s fight for freedom in SHOWBIZ.
“Superman” scores big box office numbers and a sneak peek at the new “Harry Potter” in CASTING CALL.
The “frustrated” Sussexes just have no idea who might’ve leaked their latest tabloid dustup. Details in ROYALS.
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TARIFF TALK
A massive sanctions package is working its way through Congress that would slap 500% tariffs on any countries buying uranium, gas, or oil from Russia. The number has nothing to do directly with economics and everything to do with applying pressure on VLADIMIR PUTIN. The bill has bipartisan support. PRESIDENT TRUMP says he will implement a 100% tariff on Russia if a ceasefire is not negotiated in the next 50 days.
MEANWHILE: Trump says Mexico and the European Union will be subject to 30% tariffs effective August 1. President of Mexico CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM said over the weekend that current negotiations regarding fentanyl and border security have made progress and a final deal can be established before the end of the month.
MEANWHILE, IN BRAZIL: A brothel in Fortaleza, Brazil, has reportedly added a 50% surcharge to all American customers, which it calls a “Trump Tariff.”
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Pannonhalma Archabbey was founded by Benedictine monks in 996 A.D. and since has grown to hold an estimated 400,000 volumes of books dating back centuries.
NOW: A beetle infestation threatens to destroy up to one-fourth of those books. The “bread beetle” plaguing the shelves are attracted to some of the adhesives, made from gelatin and starch, used in older books.
The chief restorer on the project says, “We’ve never encountered such a degree of infection before.”
Workers are quickly, but delicately, containing around 100,000 infested books into crates, where the editions that have already been consumed will be carefully restored as much as possible.
Fortunately, some of the most ancient books, which include a complete Bible from the 13th Century, have been spared, since they’re kept in a contained, special environment, that prevens exactly this kind of thing from happening. [via NBC News]
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Last month, worshippers at a Wayne, Michigan church avoided tragedy when an apparent would-be gunman was stopped in the parking lot before he could make his way inside and open fire.
One of the church’s deacons, a man named Richard Pryor, was running late for the scheduled Vacation Bible School service on June 22, but his tardiness was providence. As he was pulling up to the property in his F-150 truck, Pryor spotted the armed gunman, who was dressed in fatigues and carrying weapons, making his way for the front entrance.
Pryor then hit the accelerator and ran down the shooter, who survived long enough to fire a few shots off, but was quickly killed by armed security on site. The heroic act left Pryor’s F-150 badly damaged.
NOW: A nearby Ford dealership has gifted Pryor a brand new F-150. The dealership’s owner says, “[Pryor] was incredibly grateful for it and was almost standoffish like he doesn’t deserve it, which is certainly not the case.” [via WXYZ]
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BACK TO WORK: STARBUCKS corporate employees have to work in the office four days a week starting in 2026, up from the current three. Staff from the management-level on up will also have to live near their office within the next year.
For employees, or “partners” in corporatespeak, who don’t want to abide by the new rules, they’ll be offered a one-time payout to find work elsewhere.
The return-to-office order comes from BRIAN NICCOL, who took over the coffee company last September. While his official residence is in California, he has a home in Seattle and spends much of his time traveling to manage the global brand, anyway. [via New York Post]
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SPIDERS ON A PLANE: More than 1,500 young tarantulas were seized at Cologne Bonn airport in West Germany earlier this month.
The arachnids were found inside plastic tubes that had been hidden in chocolate spongecake boxes, shipped from Vietnam. Custom officials only made the discovery due to a “noticeable smell” coming from the package.
While most of the spiders did not survive the trip, the ones that did were handed over to an expert handler.
The unidentified recipient of the package now faces several charges, including failure to pay the proper import duties and make the proper customs declarations. [via AP]
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