Discover more from Morning Martini
7/20/2022: Hoover Dam Explosion
PLUS: AOC Fakes Arrest, The Biebs Resumes World Tour, and Kylie Acts Normal
Today is Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
It is the 201st day of the year.
164 days remain.
TRENDING
Hoover Dam landed in Twitter Top 10 Trends yesterday after an explosion occurred. More details in Hit List.
NFL player TJ Watt was trending Tuesday in response to Madden’s ranking of its Top 10 Edge Rushers. Several football fans were questioning why Myles Garrett received the top ranking and Watt, who has better stats, landed in second.
Jim Harbaugh was trending after delivering a strong message at an anti-abortion event. More in Showbiz.
Twitter users sent heartfelt birthday wishes to Rachel Robinson, wife of the late Jackie Robinson, yesterday as she turned 100-years-old.
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HIT LIST
A judge in Delaware has granted Twitter’s request for an expedited, 5-day trial over whether to enforce ELON MUSK’s buyout.
Musk’s team is saying Twitter undercounted the number of bot accounts on the platform. Twitter says they’ve been on the up-and-up and the bot numbers don’t really matter.
The speedy trial is to begin in October.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN met with the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Tehran on Tuesday, creating a new dictators’ club of opposition to Western countries.
One foreign policy expert tells the Wall Street Journal that China and Russia “now share a vision of a coalition of sanctioned states, comprised of countries like Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela.”
While President JOE BIDEN is expected to take action to cripple America’s energy industry, this modern axis of nefarious cooperation has struck its own deal: Russia and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding that will invest $40 billion in off-shore gas drilling, the construction of a pipeline between the countries, and trade agreements for swapping gas and oil.
MEANWHILE: The State Department announced Tuesday their intelligence suggests Russia is getting ready to annex more Ukrainian territory.
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An explosion at the Hoover Dam on Tuesday caused a fire inside the turbine house, sending black smoke into the sky that was caught by tourists and other onlookers on site.
No word yet on the cause, and electricity production wasn’t stopped.
Initial analysis suggests something might have blown after overheating amid temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in the area.
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Do you still pay for Netflix? The streamer said Tuesday they lost 970,000 subscribers between April and June this year, but that was a marked improvement over the two million some estimated they would report losing. They’ve since instituted a few rounds of layoffs and scaled back their production budget.
They also said they expect to pick up 1 million subscribers by the end of September, making up for any losses.
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A Michigan man has won the lottery for the second time, using the same set of numbers.
In 2007, he won $250,000 in Mega Millions. Last week, he won $339,678, this time from Michigan’s Fantasy Five.
Here’s the numbers: 5 - 7 - 9 - 12 - 33.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 Stocks had a strong day Tuesday, with the Dow picking up 754 points (2.43%) to close at 31,827. The S&P 500 added 105 points (2.76%) to close at 3,936, and the Nasdaq added 353 points (3.11%) to close at 11,713.
🛢 Brent Crude was up over $107 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was up over $103.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $4.50 on Tuesday.
₿ Bitcoin had a gangbusters day, adding more than $800 in value, and trading around $23,250 on Tuesday.
🛩 There were 3,356 flight delays within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday, and 250 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Where The Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“Rising Tiger,” Brad Thor
“Ugly Love,” Colleen Hoover
NONFICTION:
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“Battle For The American Mind,” Pete Hegseth with David Goodwin
“Finding Me,” Viola Davis
“Happy-Go-Lucky,” David Sedaris
“Killing the Killers,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
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DEATHS
NOLAN NEAL has died.
The musician, who appeared on “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice,” was found dead in his apartment on Monday. The cause of death is not yet known.
He was 41.
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A crew member working on the set of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” was fatally shot on Tuesday morning.
The unidentified 31-year-old was sitting in his vehicle when another man opened the driver’s side door and shot him, officials told The Post.
The victim, who was shot multiple times in the face and neck, was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made.
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BREAKUPS
CHELSEA HANDLER, 47, and JO KOY, 51, have split.
Sources close to the pair told PEOPLE magazine that they hope the time apart is only temporary.
The breakup comes just ahead of their one-year dating anniversary. No word on why they split.
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WEDDINGS
Actor JAY ELLIS, 40, and model NINA SENICAR, 36, are married.
The couple tied the knot on July 9 in Tuscany, Italy, according to Vogue.
The nuptials come two years after the couple’s original wedding date, which was pushed back twice due to the pandemic.
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THE SWAMP
The New York Post reports that in 2012, HUNTER BIDEN was arranging a meeting with former Colombian president Andres Pastrana while Pastrana was visiting Washington, D.C.
Hunter and his business partners had been pursuing a construction project in Colombia through a Brazilian firm called OAS. The deal would be lucrative; as business partner ERIC SCHWERIN said in another email, “If it works, we’ll all be rich.”
WORTH REMEMBERING: Schwerin was Hunter’s business partner who was often included in meetings with Hunter and his father, JOE BIDEN, who at the time was the Vice President of the United States.
Pastrana ostensibly had connections in the Colombian government to get the deal through.
Hunter emailed Pastrana about setting up a meeting to discuss the business arrangement, which previous emails indicated would generate $25,000 a month in consulting fees to Hunter’s firm, and a $5.6 million “success fee” if the deal went through.
Here’s what Hunter wrote to Pastrana: “I’d like to discuss an opportunity that I think you have already been initially briefed regarding OAS [that’s the Brazilian construction company].” Hunter added, “I am checking on my dad’s schedule.”
IN OTHER WORDS: Here is concrete evidence Hunter actively engaged Joe Biden in his business dealings. This is an absolute contradiction to the president’s now-absurd assertion he has never, not once, discussed Hunter’s business dealings – yet it’s a stance the media does not question and the administration does not address.
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Both Reps. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ and ILHAN OMAR attended an abortion rights protest at the Supreme Court Tuesday. Each was caught on video getting escorted away by police.
Video shows them walking away from the crowd with their hands behind their back, as if they were handcuffed. But when met with applause, both were shown raising a fist in solidarity – exposing that they were never actually handcuffed in the first place. Not even zip-tied. Not even restrained or detained.
WORTH NOTING: Imagine if this country were actually as oppressive as they claim it to be.
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TODAY: President JOE BIDEN will give a national address on climate change today.
The Washington Post reported early on Tuesday that Biden might declare a state of emergency over climate change, but there’s no clear answer about what that means, other than throwing even more money around that the country doesn’t have to begin with.
BUT WAIT: The Associated Press reported that the speech will be a lot of talk, but no aggressive action will be immediately taken.
WORTH NOTING: Calling something an emergency doesn’t grant the president imperial powers, but Biden certainly may try.
WORTH REMEMBERING: The Supreme Court last month struck down EPA regulations that overreached the scope of the agency’s authority. Expect any other aggressive regulations to be swiftly challenged.
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The federal government set another record for tax income for the first nine months of the fiscal year, raking in more than $3.83 trillion. That’s a more than $500 billion increase year over year.
WORTH NOTING: Though Democrats control the White House and Congress, these record revenues are with the Trump tax cuts for individuals and businesses in place.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $101 million jackpot or a $58.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
The Chainsmokers are taking to the sky.
Musicians DREW TAGGART and ALEX PALL are set to perform inside a pressurized capsule that will be tethered to a stratospheric balloon some 20 miles above Earth.
The feat, set for 2024, will make the duo the first artists to perform at the edge of space, according to Ryan Harman, CEO of space tourism company World View.
“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure and experience,” Taggart and Pall told the Associated Press.
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MIRIAM MARGOLYES revealed during a recent interview which famous actor one farted in her face.
The British-Australian actress told “I’ve Got News for You” podcast hosts that while filming “End of Days,” her co-star ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER “deliberately” farted “in her face.”
She made the confession after being asked who her least favorite co-star was.
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JOE ROGAN is in hot water again after controversial comments he made during a recent episode of his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
While speaking to guest TOM SEGURA about the increased homeless problem in Los Angeles, Rogan suggested that maybe “you should just go shoot [them].”
Several L.A.-based advocates who work with the homeless said Rogan’s comments could “cause violence directed at people without homes.”
WORTH NOTING: Rogan made the comments while discussing how in Los Angeles people are more likely to be arrested for removing a homeless person’s personal effects than for shooting someone.
ALSO: If someone were to take Rogan’s statement -- or statements of anyone with a platform -- and act on it, that is on the individual. The blame should not fall on the person speaking their thoughts. You know, the 1st Amendment and all.
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The role of action hero John Wick was originally written for an older actor -- think HARRISON FORD or CLINT EASTWOOD -- but instead went to KEANU REEVES, who made it his own.
Producer BASIL IWANYK confirms in his new book, “They Shouldn’t Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action,” that the character was a 75-year-old man in the original script.
Iwanyk writes that Reeves loved the script so much that he “overhauled” the character so that he could play him.
Reeves once again takes on the role of John Wick in the upcoming fourth installment in the franchise -- “John Wick: Chapter 4” -- which hits theaters on March 23, 2023.
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JUSTIN BIEBER will resume his “Justice” tour at the end of the month, after being forced to postpone shows due to being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
A rep for the singer confirmed to Variety that the world tour will resume with a performance in Italy on July 31, followed by several dates in Europe, South America, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
There is no update on rescheduled shows for North America, but an insider told the publication that they will likely be set for next Spring.
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JIM HARBAUGH was the keynote speaker at a “Right to Life” event that took place in Plymouth, Michigan last weekend.
The college football coach, who is a devout Catholic, delivered a passionate anti-abortion message, telling guests that he believes “in having the courage to let the unborn be born.”
Harbaugh told the Detroit Catholic that conversations on the topic can get “passionate” and “messy,” but “maintaining respect and civility when dealing with each other can go a long way.”
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CASTING CALL
The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards is set for Thursday, May 11, 2023.
The event will be livestreamed from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Viewers can watch the ceremony on Amazon Prime Video.
Additional details, including hosts and performers, will be announced in the coming months.
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A new Netflix documentary will explore the story of MANTI TE’O, the former Notre Dame football star who made headlines after being the target of a catfishing hoax.
The two-part documentary, titled “The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,'' will premiere on August 16.
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Actress JADE CATTA-PRETA is set to host “Hotties,” a new dating competition show for Hulu.
The ten-episode series pits pairs of blind dates against each other in a battle to cook up date-night worthy dishes, all while attempting to eat spicy food.
The series will launch on August 16.
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HUGH JACKMAN will voice Big Greg, a character in Hulu’s new original animated comedy series “Koala Man.”
The comedy is about a middle aged dad named Kevin whose only superpower is a passion for rule-following and snuffing out petty crime in the Australian suburb Dapto, according to the streamer.
Jackman’s character is a well-liked Dapto resident who serves as the head of the Town Council.
No airdate has been announced.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
In an effort to appear “normal,” KYLIE JENNER posted a TikTok video of her recent trip to Target with her daughter, STORMI, and nieces CHICAGO and TRUE, all 4, in tow.
Viewers accused her of “trying to cosplay as middle class” amid backlash over her private jet usage.
“Did you rent out Target for this is the real question,” one TikTok user commented.
Another called the reality star “out of touch.”
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Despite soaring temperatures in London, QUEEN ELIZABETH’s famous guards remain outside her royal residence all decked out in their uniforms, including their bearskin caps.
While known for their unflinching stance, the guards have been given a respite amid the heatwave.
PEOPLE magazine shared a snapshot of a security guard holding up a bottle of water to a member of the Queen’s Guard, who sipped while maintaining his stoic position.
It seems more care is being given to the guards after several of them fainted last month during Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
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SPORTS
The 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles will be held July 21 through August 6.
The Opening Ceremony will be held at both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday.
NBC locked in full media rights for the 2028 Games.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Moon Day
National Lollipop Day
World Jump Day
International Chess Day
Space Exploration Day
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ON THIS DATE
1807 - Two French brothers successfully patent the world's first internal combustion engine, granted by Napoleon Bonaparte.
It was called the "Pyreolophore" (PEE-ray-oh-lo-fore), which is an amalgamation of the Greek words fire, wind, and produce.
A series of controlled explosions of experimental fuels made from finely crushed coal dust and resin powered the engine.
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1810 - Bogota, Colombia declares its independence from Spain.
The Spanish governor buckled to pressure from locals unhappy with their overseas monarchy, especially after Napoleon had toppled the Spanish throne two years earlier and installed his brother.
After a riot of angry locals pushed the governor to surrender power to the creoles. Though many Spanish provinces had declared their independence around this time, they did not unite. Local conflicts would continue for years.
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1877 - Workers on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad are killed by state militia after striking for 6 days.
The strike was started after the owners of the railroad had reduced their wages twice that year.
As the strike spread between Maryland and West Virginia, the governor ordered the state militia to put down the rioters.
After 11 died, sympathy strikes in Pittsburgh mourned the deaths.
SIDE NOTE: The railroad may be better known as the Monopoly spot "B&O Railroad"
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1932 - More than 43,000 protesters gather in Washington, D.C.
Most of the marchers are World War I vets demanding immediate cash-payment for the service certificates they were granted at the end of their tour.
Police fired tear gas onto the crowd, which called itself the Bonus Expeditionary Force.
After 2 marchers died, President Hoover ordered the army to clear the marchers' base camp. The marchers and their families were driven out.
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1939 - FDR approves the Hatch Act.
It limits the extent to which civil servants working at the federal level can engage in partisan political activity.
Federal workers were banned from membership in any political organization advocating the overthrow of the constitutional government in the U.S.
It particularly applied to marginalizing fascist and communist organizations.
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1969 - The Eagle lander puts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. They're the first men to walk on its surface.
The crew almost spent 24 hours on the lunar surface before completing a rendezvous with the orbiter.
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1976 - Hank Aaron slugs the final home run of his career -- his 755th -- which also marked a career home run record for the MLB. That record stood until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.
Aaron would be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1982.
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1987 - The Bob & Brian Show premieres in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on "Lazer 103" WLZR.
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2012 - 12 people are killed and 70 injured at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado after gunman, James Eagan Holmes, opens fire during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."
The incident marked the deadliest shooting in Colorado history since the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999.
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2020 - A COVID-19 vaccine is developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
The announcement stated that the vaccine is able to “trigger immune response and antibodies,” according to early clinical trial results.
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BIRTHDAYS
Alison Fernandez - actress, “Jane the Virgin” & “Life-Size 2” - 17
ZaZa Maree - pop singer - 25
Ben Simmons - basketball player - 26
Gwydion Lashlee-Walton - actor, “Stranger Things” - 28
Steven Adams - basketball player - 29
Alycia Debnam-Carey - actress, “The 100” & “Into the Storm” - 29
Paige Hurd - actress, “Everybody Hates Chris” - 30
Julianne Hough - dancer - 34
Gisele Bundchen - model - 42
Ray Allen - basketball player - 47
Omar Epps - actor, “Love & Basketball” & “House” - 49
Sandra Oh - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” & “Killing Eve” - 51
Terri Irwin - wife of the late Steve Irwin - 58
Carlos Santana - guitarist - 75
Born On This Date
Pop Smoke - rapper - 1999 (d. 2020)
Chris Cornell - rock singer, Soundgarden - 1964 (d. 2017)
Billy Mays - entrepreneur - 1958 (d. 2009)
Natalie Wood - actress, “West Side Story” - 1938 (d. 1981)
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