7/19/2023: Taco Wars 🌮
PLUS: A Surprise from Above; Gigi Hadid Gets Arrested; and Passport Refresh
Today is Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
It is the 200th day of the year.
165 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An American soldier is believed to have tried to defect to North Korea. More in HIT LIST.
New info may soon be revealed in the decades-long investigation into TUPAC SAHKUR’s death and JASON ALDEAN is forced to defend his newest single. More in SHOWBIZ.
PETA goes after the “Gladiator 2” cast and crew and “Yellowstone” has a new network. More in CASTING CALL.
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN gets mom-shamed over an outfit choice for her 11-year-old daughter. More in KARDASH.
British passports get a facelift. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
An American Army Private is believed to have defected to North Korea, following a brief stint in prison in South Korea related to assault charges.
Travis King was released last week and on Tuesday was taken to the airport in South Korea for a flight home to Texas. He managed to get away from whatever minders were following him and joined a tour group headed to the border between North and South Korea.
That’s when he made a dash over the North Korean border and was apprehended by troops there. In another bizarre twist, one member of the tour group from Sweden said King shouted “Hahahaha!” as he made his move. American military officials say they’re trying to figure out how King is doing and where he’s being held.
Expect more details to emerge on this incident in the coming days. [via Associated Press, Daily Beast]
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Taco-bout compromise.
For 34 years, fast food chain Taco John’s has held a trademark on the term “Taco Tuesday.” In May, competitor Taco Bell filed a lawsuit to release the trademark.
NOW: The CEO of Taco John’s says defending the trademark isn’t worth the headache. In a statement, the head said, “We’ve always prided ourselves on being the home of Taco Tuesday, but paying millions of dollars to lawyers to defend our mark just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.” [via CNN]
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A family living close to Chicago’s O’Hare airport narrowly averted disaster after a plane’s emergency escape slide fell off during its descent and landed right in their backyard Monday night.
The homeowner says a couple of inches made the difference from the giant piece of heavy fabric landing on their house. Instead, it flattened some plants in the garden and nicked one of their downspouts.
Fortunately, the flight inbound from Zurich landed without a hitch. [via CBS News]
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A delivery driver living in Hawaii says he managed to earn a six-figure income last year by delivering food and groceries.
Ronald Coleman says he raked in $114,000 last year from DoorDash, and works up to 20 hours a day. He added that his daily goal is about $400 each shift. [via KITV]
WORTH NOTING: He’s gonna owe about $34,000 in taxes on that haul – $17,000 in self-employment tax, nearly $11,000 to the feds, and nearly $6,000 to the state of Hawaii.
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A Twitter user’s photo of a “human-sized” bat has some followers freaked out and others questioning the legitimacy of the post.
In the photo, which was taken in the Philippines, the giant bat is hanging upside down in a building. Comments on the photo were full of photoshopping allegations and camera angle tricks, but one follower explained that it was in fact real.
According to the post, it is a giant golden-crowned flying fox, which has a wing-span of up to five feet and a body that can be as long as 16 inches. Also, they are herbivores, so no blood-sucking nightmares here.
Despite the fun fact, some still called the creature “horrifying.” [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Nashville music producer JERRY BRADLEY has died.
He passed away Monday in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, according to a statement from his family. No other details were shared.
Bradley worked in the music industry for 40-plus years, during which he helped brand the outlaw style of country music.
He was 83.
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Former Iowa Hawkeyes football player CODY INCE has died.
He passed away unexpectedly at his home in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, according to a statement from his former team.
Ince was an offensive lineman on the team from 2018 to 2021.
He was only 23.
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BREAKUPS
Married bandmates KAT LUNA and ALEX GARRIDO are calling it quits on their marriage and their music.
After four years together, the pair announced Monday that they are breaking up both “musically and romantically.”
Kat and Alex rose to fame on “American Idol,” where they auditioned as a duo.
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WEDDINGS
Actor DYLAN SPROUSE tied the knot with model BARBARA PALVIN in Hungary over the weekend.
Keeping things intimate for the first ceremony, the couple said they will have a larger wedding in California this fall.
After six years of dating Sprouse popped the question last September during a camping trip with friends.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 366 points (1.06%) to close at 34,951 on Tuesday. The S&P added 32 points (0.71%) to close at 4,554 and the NASDAQ added 108 points (0.76%) to close at 14,353.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.56 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN was down more than 1% and was trading under $30,000 for the first time in a few days.
🛩 There were more than 5,720 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 690 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $1 BILLION jackpot or a $516.8 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
There has potentially been some new info discovered in the investigation into the death of TUPAC SHAKUR.
According to local law enforcement, authorities served a search warrant at a home in Henderson, Nevada on Monday. While no details were shared, officials did confirm it was “part of the ongoing Tupac homicide investigation.”
Remember Tupac died in September 1996 after being shot multiple times just off the Las Vegas Strip.
There is no statute of limitations for prosecuting homicides in the state of Nevada. [via NY Post]
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WILL.I.AM and BRITNEY SPEARS are releasing a new song, titled, “Mind Your Business.”
The collaboration will mark the fourth time Spears and the BLACK EYED PEAS member have worked together. It is also the second release for Spears since the end of her 13-year conservatorship. [via Page Six]
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POST MALONE performed on the newly installed TSX stage in Times Square on Tuesday, making him the first artist to do so.
The performance comes just days before the release of his new album, “Austin.” [via TMZ]
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MATT DAMON once made a deal with his wife during couples therapy that he would take some time off of acting…except if director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN called.
The statement, while serious, was also sort of a joke as the last time Damon acted in a Nolan film was in 2014’s space flick “Interstellar.”
“[Nolan] put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn’t in the rotation,” Damon quipped.
Of course, once the deal was made Nolan called Damon about appearing in his new movie, “Oppenheimer.” And per the terms of their deal, his wife had to give him the go ahead.
In “Oppenheimer,” Damon plays Leslie Grove, the general that oversaw the Manhattan Project. [via Deadline]
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JERRY O’CONNELL is a real-life super hero.
The actor jumped into action Sunday when he spotted a food truck that had caught fire.
After exiting his vehicle and scaling a fence, O’Connell moved a gas can out of the range of the fire to avoid an even larger blaze. He then grabbed a fire extinguisher and held off the flames until first responders arrived.
The food truck was a complete loss, but everyone was able to walk away from the incident. [via TMZ]
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TAYLOR SWIFT’s latest album, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” sold over 507,000 copies in its first week -- or nearly a quarter of all album sales in the US last week.
“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is Swift’s third re-recorded album. It is also her 12th No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. [via Billboard]
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JENNIFER LOPEZ gifted BEN AFFLECK a new tune for their first wedding anniversary.
JLo shared lyrics to her new song, “Midnight Trip to Vegas,” in her newsletter, “On the JLo.” The track is an homage to her and Affleck’s Vegas wedding.
“What about a / Midnight trip to Vegas / Just me and you baby / Throw the kids in the back / Of the pink Cadillac / And us in the bathroom changing,” part of the song goes.
The single is from her forthcoming album “This is Me…Now.” [via Page Six]
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JASON ALDEAN was forced to defend the music video for his hit “Try That In a Small Town” after backlash over what some assumed to be anti-BLM messaging.
Aldean said the song is about the small town he grew up in where neighbors looked out for one another. As for the music video, he says the violent riot scenes are all from news clips, meaning they actually happened.
Another issue people seem to have with the music video is that it was filmed in front of Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which is where 18-year-old Henry Choate, who was Black, was lynched in 1927 after being accused of attacking a white girl.
Based on that, some critics have accused Aldean of being pro-lynching. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
PETA has sent a handful of letters to the production crew and stars of the “Gladiator 2” film over the use of live animals on set.
The animal rights organization points out one such rumor of a horse collapsing on set, allegedly due to the heat on the Mediterranean island of Malta, where filming is taking place. Also, the group is warning director RIDLEY SCOTT of the dangers of filming with macaque monkeys, as they can be “unpredictable” and have been known to “hurt humans.”
Despite the actors’ strike, PETA says they have heard that filming is continuing on the sequel and they would like the crew to replace all live animals with CGI ones.
No word on if Scott or stars PEDRO PASCAL, DENZEL WASHINGTON and PAUL MESCAL have responded to the letters. [via TMZ]
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As “Yellowstone” fans wait for the second-half of Season 5 to be filmed and released, they can relive Seasons 1-4 all over again on CBS.
The network announced Monday that the hit series will be making its broadcast TV debut this fall. It currently airs exclusively on the Paramount Network; though it is available on Peacock too.
An official premiere date will be announced later. [via People]
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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK
Model GIGI HADID was arrested after drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in her luggage upon landing in the Cayman Islands.
Despite the small amount, Hadid was booked on charges of importation of marijuana and importation of utensils to smoke cannabis. She was processed and released on bail.
After news of the incident broke, an insider told TMZ that the drugs were actually found in a bag belonging to Hadid’s travel companion, but because the plane was in her name, she was charged.
That same source also said that customs officials insisted they could make the whole thing disappear if Hadid gave them some money.
Those officials later denied any sort of bribery took place. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Even the Kardashians get mom-shamed.
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN was criticized over the weekend for allowing her 11-year-old daughter, PENELOPE DISICK, to wear -- what some deemed -- an “inappropriate” outfit while vacationing in Hawaii.
The outfit in question is a cropped, crochet-style top with baggy denim jeans rolled over at the waist. Kourtney was wearing a similar outfit, as the two posed for a mother-daughter photo op.
Social media trolls questioned why Penelope had her jeans rolled and had her stomach showing. But here’s the thing…Kourtney is very pregnant and often wears outfits showing off her baby bump. If Penelope wanted to look like her mom for the occasion what is wrong with her doing so? And maybe she did it just for the photo and then covered up? Or maybe it was one of those choose-your-battles type of moments and Kourtney figured, “hey, she is covering what needs to be covered and we are on a beach vacay, so I’m going to let it go.”
The family is on vacation to celebrate Penelope’s birthday.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Subjects of KING CHARLES in Britain who received a new passport this week are the first to get the booklet with the new monarch’s name and likeness.
Of course, QUEEN ELIZABETH had appeared on British passports over the course of more than seven decades. Officials were careful to add that old passports remain valid.
Similarly, the Royal Mail service is continuing to sell out its stock of stamps featuring the late Queen while they phase in stamps with Charles’ likeness. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Hot Dog Day
National Daiquiri Day
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ON THIS DATE
1553 - Lady Jane Grey, 15, is deposed from the British Throne and is replaced by her cousin Mary.
A complicated series of marriages and deaths resulted in her installment just nine days earlier. Though the Royal Council backed putting her in power, the People of England felt otherwise, and believed power should go to Mary.
Mary showed up with an army and popular support -- Jane Grey was imprisoned and later found guilty of treason and executed.
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1692 - Five people are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
Around 200 were accused of witchcraft in total and of those, 19 were found guilty and executed.
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1848 - At the Seneca Falls Convention in New York, suffragettes meet to discuss women's rights in America.
The gathering included speeches and discussions on general grievances among the American female population.
On the second day, men were allowed in, notably Frederick Douglass, a well-known black abolitionist. They produced 12 resolutions calling for equal rights for women, including the right to vote.
Women would be granted the right to vote in 1920 with passage of the 19th amendment.
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1879 - Wild West renegade Doc Holliday marks his first kill.
A man was upset with one of Holliday's saloon girls. The man walked into the street and started firing shots.
After the second shot, Doc stepped outside and dropped him with one shot.
Despite his reputation, Holliday only engaged in eight shootouts in his life, and has only two indisputable kills.
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1935 - Oklahoma City installs the world’s first parking meters.
They were designed to solve parking and traffic congestion in the downtown areas. People working in the metro area took all available street parking, leaving no room for shoppers or visitors.
The inventor said from the start the meters were also intended as a form of revenue.
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1969 - Apollo 11 goes into Moon orbit.
The ship had launched three days prior and would land Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon the following day.
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1981 - French Prime Minister Francois Mitterrand shows President Reagan the Farewell Dossier.
These files outlined Soviet spy programs to steal American technological resources and innovation -- and how successful they had been at it.
The documents came from a Soviet deserter, assigned to spy in France, but who fell in love with the West.
To combat the espionage, Americans started leaking bad intel to suspected Soviet spies.
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2007 - “Mad Men” debuts on AMC.
The drama stars Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser and centers around one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s.
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2018 - Airbus Beluga XL makes its first flight, landing in Toulouse-Blagnac, France.
The aircraft, painted to look like a whale, was built to carry large airplane parts by Stelia Aerospace in Meaulte, France.
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BIRTHDAYS
Riley Curry - daughter of Steph Curry - 11
Will Woods - rock singer - 30
Steven Anthony Lawrence - actor, “Even Stevens” - 33
Trent Williams - football player - 35
Jon Jones - MMA fighter - 36
Jinder Mahal - wrestler - 37
Jared Padalecki - actor, “Gilmore Girls” & “Supernatural” - 41
Tim Foust - country singer - 42
Chris Sullivan - actor, “This Is Us” - 43
Benedict Cumberbatch - actor, “Sherlock” & “12 Years a Slave” - 47
Nathalie Boltt - actress, “Riverdale” - 50
LeRoy Butler - football player - 55
Nancy Carell - actress, “SNL” & “The Office” - 57
Anthony Edwards - actor, “ER” - 61
Howard Schultz - CEO of Starbucks - 70
Brian May - guitarist, Queen - 76
Born On This Date
Charles Horace Mayo - surgeon & co-founder of Mayo Clinic - 1865 (d. 1939)
Lizzie Borden - murdered her parents with an ax - 1860 (d. 1927)
Samuel Colt - firearms manufacturer, Colt 6 shot revolver - 1814 (d. 1862)
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