7/22/2024: Election State of Play
PLUS: Crowdstrike Fiasco; The Boss’ Billions; and Documentary Delayed
Today is Monday, July 22, 2024.
It is the 204th day of the year.
162 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The POPE prays for peace heading into the Olympics and a Montana man fends off a bear. Details in HIT LIST.
JLO celebrates without BEN and TRAVIS KELCE brings back the “Killa”-stache. More in SHOWBIZ
Your home can smell like “Stranger Things.” Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM, IVANKA and TAYLOR SWIFT are the topic of today’s KARDASH.
A potentially problematic documentary project examining MEGHAN MARKLE hits delays. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
For the latest on President JOE BIDEN’s imminent replacement as the nominee for the Democrat Party in November, subscribe to TOP SHELF Premium Access >>
More developments in the ongoing investigation of the attempted assassination of DONALD TRUMP and the murder of COREY COMPERATORE:
– The Washington Post on Saturday confirmed reports that the Department of Homeland Security had denied requests for increased security for the Trump campaign – for the last two years. A spokesman for the department denied similar reporting earlier last week but has since walked that back to the Post. Still no word on details – but with the same department confirming that foreign actors are actively trying to kill Trump, it is absolutely bizarre that they would not have beefed up his protection detail.
– Real Clear Politics reporter Susan Crabtree posted on Sunday that the Secret Service top brass has made a practice to “hand out bonuses to mid-level managers who cut manpower,” making it a process to do more with less.
WORTH ASKING: Why is the federal government so eager to borrow-and-spend for things like student loan forgiveness and benefits for illegal immigrants but not for ensuring the safety of world leaders?
ALSO WORTH ASKING: With an annual budget north of THREE BILLION DOLLARS, couldn’t the Secret Service shake some couch cushions to properly staff up?
THE INTERNET REMEMBERS: Just last week, DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS called these allegations “unequivocally false.” WATCH >
IT GETS WORSE: Senator JOSH HAWLEY has a whistleblower report from inside Trump’s security detail claiming that typical security precautions weren’t taken on July 13 and that most officers came from the Homeland Security Investigations unit, not the US Secret Service.
– The Wall Street Journal reports that the shooter flew an aerial drone over the Butler Farm Show grounds “shortly before” Trump began speaking – but no word yet if that means hours or days before.
– According to a Morning Consult poll, one in three Biden supporters say it’s “credible” that the assassination attempt and murder were orchestrated by Trump to boost his poll numbers, so that’s totally normal behavior.
– Secret Service Director KIM CHEATLE is scheduled to testify for the House Oversight Committee today. Real Clear Politics reports that Cheatle could tender her resignation at the hearing.
STILL UNANSWERED: Why was Trump allowed to take the stage while security was actively pursuing a credible threat? In a forthcoming interview, Trump confirms to JESSE WATTERS he was not informed of any such issue before taking the podium.
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Early Friday morning, a software update from cybersecurity firm CROWDSTRIKE triggered what has been hailed as the “largest IT outage in history,” affecting almost all computers and systems running on Windows.
The faulty code knocked systems entirely offline, making a fix much more complicated than unplugging and plugging back in, as is sometimes the case. Instead, the fix requires extensive manual coding requiring specialized training and education – or in the case of many IT professionals, word of mouth and video tutorials trying to figure everything out.
Airlines have been hit particularly hard. The outage knocked out a good segment of the global air travel business, which will have to reimburse customers and pay extra labor and fuel costs for crews. [via CNN]
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The Paris Olympics kicks off opening ceremonies on Friday and POPE FRANCIS wants countries at war to enter a short-term truce during the games.
“According to ancient tradition, may the Olympics be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, demonstrating a sincere will for peace,” he said during a prayer on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.
Francis specifically mentioned people who have died in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar. [via ABC News]
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A 72-year-old Montana man near Billings says he had to shoot and kill a grizzly bear that attacked him while he was out picking huckleberries.
Fortunately, he’s okay and recovering in a hospital.
Reps for the state’s Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Department say the bear was likely defending cubs and will review camera footage in the area, which is on national forest land. Without their mother, the cubs might have to be captured and rehomed if they’re too young to fend for themselves. [via NBC News]
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A shattered jar of salsa caused a community pool in Massachusetts to close last week during the height of an extreme heatwave.
After shards of glass ended up in the water at the Rosemary Recreation Complex, employees were forced to drain the 220,000-gallon pool, chemically rebalance, and test it for bacteria -- an effort that cost about $20,000.
The incident serves as a reminder that glass is not allowed at public pools. [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Rep. SHEILA JACKSON LEE has died.
She passed away on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Lee served in the House since 1955.
She was 74.
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Actor WHITNEY RYDBECK has died.
He passed away last Monday in hospice of complications from prostate cancer.
Rydbeck is best known for his roles in “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives” and “M*A*S*H.”
He was 79.
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Actress ESTA TERBLANCHE has died.
She passed away unexpectedly last Thursday at her North Hollywood home. No further details have been shared.
TerBlanche is best known for her role in “All My Children.”
She was 51.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. The Bikeriders: $701k (up from 15)
9. MaXXXine: $819k (down from 8)
8. Bad Newz: $1 million (new)
7. Bad Boys: Ride or Die: $2.6 million (down from 6)
6. Fly Me to the Moon: $3.3 million (down from 5)
5. A Quiet Place: Day One: $6.1 million (down from 4)
4. Longlegs: $11.6 million (down from 2)
3. Inside Out 2: $12.8 million (stayed at 3)
2. Despicable Me 4: $23.8 million (down from 1)
1. Twisters: $80.5 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 377 points (0.93%) to close at 40,287 on Friday. The S&P lost 39 points (0.71%) to close at 5,505 and the NASDAQ lost 144 points (0.81%) to close at 17,726.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $80 on Friday; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.50 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN gained 1.25% on Sunday, trading back up over $68,000.
🛩 There were more than 7,960 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 1600 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $279 million jackpot or a $131.1 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $102 million jackpot or a $48.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Two jurors from ALEC BALDWIN’s involuntary manslaughter trial say that had the case not been dismissed, all 12 were ready with a verdict of “not guilty.”
“As the week went by, it just didn’t, it didn’t seem like a very strong case,” one of the jurors told The New York Times. “It was clearly an accident,” the other added.
A third juror later told The Times that the group felt that as an actor Baldwin should not have been expected to know a lot about gun safety. [via NYT]
WORTH ASKING: Isn’t it common sense to not point a gun -- real, prop, loaded, or unloaded -- at someone? Also, had the prosecution been able to come at Baldwin as not just an actor on set, but also a producer, would that have changed jurors’ minds on the level of gun safety he should know?
LASTLY: Baldwin faced a charge of involuntary manslaughter, which by definition is the “unintentional killing of a person” due to negligence and/or recklessness. How does that not apply to the unintentional death of cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS? [via FindLaw]
MEANWHILE: Armorer HANNAH GUITERREZ-REED is serving an 18-month sentence for the same charge. While her job is directly gun-related, technically Baldwin (as a producer) would have been her superior, shouldn’t some blame still fall on his shoulders?
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN is a BILLIONAIRE!
According to Forbes, The Boss is now worth $1.1 BILLION, the bulk of which came from selling his music catalog to Sony in 2021 for somewhere between $500 million and $550 million. [via Forbes]
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SEAN KINGSTON and his 61-year-old mother were indicted on Friday in connection to a $1 million wire fraud scheme.
They have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud charges for allegedly defrauding sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry and other goods. The charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Both were released on bond and are due back in court on August 9. [via Us Weekly]
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TENACIOUS D guitarist KYLE GASS removed his Instagram apology for mocking the attempted assassination of DONALD TRUMP.
While on stage in Australia, Gass was asked to make a birthday wish before blowing out his candles. He said, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
His disgusting words were met with swift backlash, including from Tenacious D frontman JACK BLACK, who decided to postpone the band’s tour. In response, Gass posted an apology, condoning violence, on Instagram.
It is unclear if he deleted the post to move on from the incident or because he is no longer sorry. [via Deadline]
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Just days after PRISCILLA PRESLEY accused GWS Auctions of “financially abusing” her, the auction house has been accused of selling items that never actually belonged to the late ELVIS PRESLEY.
NBC reports that Priscilla filed a complaint against four GWS associates, including owner Brigitte Kruse, last week, claiming they conned her out of $1 million in a financial elder abuse scheme.
Now, Joel Weinshanker, the managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, says he is “suspicious” of several of the auction house’s items, claiming they may never have belonged to Elvis.
GWS has not commented on either accusation. [via NBC]
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JENNIFER LOPEZ isn’t letting all the divorce drama ruin her 55th birthday bash.
The soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Affleck celebrated her milestone birthday with a “Bridgerton”-themed party over the weekend.
While many of JLo’s family and friends were in attendance, BEN AFFLECK was nowhere to be seen. This tracks though, as the two recently spent their second wedding anniversary on opposite ends of the country.
Still no official divorce announcement, however. [via Page Six]
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TRAVIS KELCE joined his Chiefs teammates at training camp on Sunday, and showed off the return of the “killa”-stache.
Reporters and fans went wild over the look, with the team giving it a shoutout on X, writing “KILLA STACHE IS BACK.”
No word on whether or not TAYLOR SWIFT is a fan. [via X]
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CASTING CALL
NETFLIX and BATH & BODY WORKS have teamed up to release an official “Stranger Things” candle collection.
The collection features scents inspired by both characters and locations from the show, including “Steve’s Scoops,” “Eleven’s Waffles,” “Hopper’s Coffee” and “Argyle’s Pineapple Pizza.”
The final chapter of the Netflix series doesn’t come out until sometime next year, giving fans plenty of time to stock up on their favorite scents. [via Billboard]
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ANNA FARIS says she would return for a “Scary Movie” remake under two conditions, the first of which being “money.”
The second stipulation for her to reprise her role at Cindy Campbell would be if her co-star REGINA HALL, who played her character’s best friend Brenda, would also return.
Faris last appeared in 2006’s “Scary Movie 4.” [via Deadline]
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Ahead of the release of “Deadpool and Wolverine,” RYAN REYNOLDS opened up about the lengthy process of getting “Deadpool” to the big screen.
Speaking to The New York Times, Reynolds says he spent a decade trying to get the first film made, including paying the screenwriters out of his own pockets.
“No part of me was thinking when ‘Deadpool’ was finally greenlit that this would be a success,” he admitted. Not only was the movie a success, making over $782 million, domestically, it spawned two sequels, including the forthcoming “Deadpool and Wolverine,” due out this Friday.
Elsewhere in the interview, Reynolds said he watched the newest installment with his 70-year-old mother and 9-year-old daughter; something he says he doesn’t recommend everyone do, as the film has an R-rating. [via NYT]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Does KIM KARDASHIAN no longer have any Bad Blood with TAYLOR SWIFT? And is IVANKA TRUMP the reason why?
Over the weekend, Ivanka made an Instagram post celebrating her daughter, Arabella’s 13th birthday. The post featured a photo of a birthday cake, which happened to be a replica of the cake featured in Tay’s “Blank Space” video.
Kim commented on the post, writing, “Happy Birthday Arabella.”
So, while several outlets, such as TMZ with its headline of “KIM KARDASHIAN OLIVE BRANCH TO TAYLOR SWIFT???” would like one to think the feud is no more, don’t expect Tay to be modeling SKIMS anytime soon. [via Instagram]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A German production company has delayed the release of a documentary it’s been working on about MEGHAN MARKLE.
The project was going to focus on her life before she entered the royal spotlight. One insider tells Express, “The team wants to make sure that everything used on Meghan Markle is correct,” adding that they’re double-checking all the assertions.
Insiders say that Meg and PRINCE HARRY have been “in a panic” about the forthcoming documentary. No word yet when it will actually hit the airwaves. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Rat Catcher’s Day
Fragile X Awareness Day
National Be a Good Teammate Day
National Hammock Day
World Brain Day
National Mango Day
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ON THIS DATE
1706 - England and Scotland agree to The Treaty of Union.
The legislation would join the countries under the flag of Great Britain when it was ratified the following year.
The two countries had shared a monarch since 1603, when King James VI inherited the English throne through a convoluted line of succession following the death of Queen Elizabeth I.
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1894 - Jules Albert de Dion wins the world's first motorized race, held in France between Paris and Rouen.
Le Petit Journal, a newspaper, organized the event after the French public took a special interest with motorized transportation -- a new phenomenon.
Dion also started the Paris Motor Show in 1898.
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1933 - Wiley Post completes his solo flight around the world in a Lockheed Vega.
Wiley took off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York seven days earlier. On the way he landed in Berlin for minor repairs, Konigsberg in western Russia for some maps he had forgotten, Moscow for a tune-up, Irkutsk for another go at the autopilot, Alaska for a series of rest stops, and a stop in Canada before landing again at Floyd Bennett Field.
This wasn't Post's first 'round-the-world adventure. Two years earlier he embarked with a navigator for a similar feat -- it's the inspiration for the book “Around the World in Eight Days.”
Both accomplishments earned him New York ticker tape parades.
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1951 - Two soviet cosmo-dogs are the first of their kind in space.
Dezik and Tsygan made a sub-orbital flight that maxed out at an altitude of 70 miles.
Both pooches survived. Dezik made another flight later on with a lass named Lisa, sadly, neither survived the journey.
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2003 - Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay are killed in a bombing raid by a strike courtesy of the 101st Airborne.
Other casualties included Qusay's son and a bodyguard.
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2019 - Marvel film “Avengers: Endgame” becomes the highest-grossing film in the world, earning $2.9 billion.
The spot was previously held by “Avatar,” with $2.7 billion.
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BIRTHDAYS
Prince George - UK prince - 11
Madison Pettis - actress, “The Game Plan” - 26
Skyler Gisondo - actor, “Santa Clarita Diet” & “Vacation” - 28
Ezekiel Elliott - football player - 29
Jonathan Owens - football player - 29
Jaz Sinclair - actress, “Paper Towns” - 30
Selena Gomez - pop singer & actress, “Only Murders In the Building” - 32
Keegan Allen - actor, “Pretty Little Liars” - 35
AJ Cook - actress, “Criminal Minds” - 46
Shawn Michaels - wrestler - 59
David Spade - actor, “SNL” & “Tommy Boy” & “Joe Dirt” - 60
Keith Sweat - R&B singer - 63
John Leguizamo - actor, “Romeo + Juliet” & “Freak” - 64
Willem Dafoe - actor, “The Boondock Saints” - 69
Danny Glover - actor, “Lethal Weapon” - 78
Born On This Date
Alex Trebek - game show host, “Jeopardy!” - 1940 (d. 2020)
Louise Fletcher - actress, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” - 1934 (d. 2022)
Bob Dole - Senator & Presidential candidate - 1923 (d. 2021)
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy - mom of JFK, RFK & Ted - 1890 (d. 1995)
Emma Lazarus - poet, wrote “The New Colossus” - 1849 (d. 1887)
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