Today is Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
It is the 205th day of the year.
161 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The head of the Secret Service gives evasive testimony and an accused murderer gets a new trial. Details in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT misses her 13th week and LAINEY WILSON suffers a wardrobe issue. More in SHOWBIZ
A horror reboot and D-Day film are in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM will play her real life divorce attorney. More in KARDASH.
MEGHAN MARKLE has a memoir in the works, apparently. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Secret Service Director KIM CHEATLE gave comically evasive answers during a House Oversight Committee hearing about the July 13 attempted assassination of DONALD TRUMP and murder of COREY COMPERATORE.
Cloaked in excuses about operational secrecy and “ongoing investigations,” Cheatle failed to give direct answers to obvious questions, even from Democrats who pressed her on specifics about the day. Her answers were so bad that both the Republican and Democrat ranking members on the committee called for Cheatle’s resignation in a joint statement after the hearing.
Wisconsin Senator RON JOHNSON has been leading the charge to curate and organize information from the law enforcement agencies that are actually providing information. So far, his report reveals stunning communication failures between federal and local law enforcement. [via Morning Martini]
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Following a mistrial three weeks ago, a Massachusetts judge has proposed a new trial for Karen Read early next year.
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend in January 2022 by hitting him with her car and leaving him to freeze to death in a snowstorm.
The jury failed to reach consensus earlier this month. The defense will present their case to dismiss some charges on August 9. [via ABC News]
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DELTA Air Lines continues to recover from last week’s CROWDSTRIKE outage, canceling more than 800 flights on Monday, representing about a fifth of its schedule and about half of domestic cancellations for the day.
In a Monday statement, the company said millions of computers had been brought back online. It estimates 8.5 MILLION computers in total were affected by the update.
Crowdstrike’s stock is down about 30% since the outage began. [via PBS]
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A homeowner in Niagara Falls, New York, is alive and well after a freight train derailed and smashed into her brick, two-car garage.
GET A LOAD OF THIS: She says that same garage was hit by a train fifty-some years ago when her grandparents lived there.
The garage sits right next to the end of a rail spur, protected only by a metal bumper and some chain link fence. Aside from, y’know, the garage getting taken out, the only other environmental impact was the diesel fuel leaked by the engine after the impact.
So far no word on the cause of the accident. [via ABC News]
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A 300-foot potted plant named “Audrey II,” after the character from “The Little Shop of Horrors,” has taken over the interior walls of packaging company Protective Solutions Ltd.
Originally a house plant for co-founders Des and Allie Brennan, the ivy became too much to handle, so they brought it to the office where it now cascades over desktop monitors and into daily debriefings.
Growing at a rate of six inches per month, Audrey II has its own sponsor -- a local garden center that provides it with everything it needs, such as food and extra pots.
What’s more? Protective Solutions prides itself on being environmentally-friendly, and what better way to express that than by housing a rapid`-growing house plant. [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Musician DUKE FAKIR has died.
He passed away Monday of heart failure at his home in Detroit.
Fakir was the last surviving original member of the Motown group, the FOUR TOPS.
He was 88.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 127 points (0.32%) to close at 40,415 on Monday. The S&P increased 59 points (1.08%) to close at 5,564 and the NASDAQ increased 280 points (1.58%) to close at 18,007.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $79; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.50 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked down on Monday, trading around $67,700.
🛩 There were more than 7,885 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 1,180 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $279 million jackpot or a $131.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Ryan Sukkar, owner of Sugarkikz in Nice, says he has had customers enter his store to pee in a bottle like Sir ELTON JOHN did a few weeks back.
Remember, John was out shopping with his sons when he needed a loo, which Sukkar said was not available in his store. In a pinch, John grabbed an empty bottle from his security team and relieved himself discreetly in a corner.
Since then, Sukkar says there have been several instances of customers peeing in plastic bottles in the middle of the store and even some taking leaks on the front steps.
No word from John on the pissing match he inadvertently started. [via Express]
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is reportedly the holdout when it comes to a potential *NSYNC reunion.
Insiders told TMZ that the other four members -- LANCE BASS, CHRIS KIRKPATRICK, JOEY FATONE and JC CHASEZ -- are all on board, and have responded with interest to several pitches.
WORTH NOTING: Next year will be the band’s 25th anniversary. Fans are crossing all their fingers and toes, hoping for an official tour announcement. [via TMZ]
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After 12 weeks at the top, TAYLOR SWIFT’s “The Tortured Poets Department” got bumped to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The new No. 1 is EMINEM with his latest album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace).”
FOR THE RECORD: Swifties noted the defeat over the fact that she missed out on her 13th week at No. 1 -- as 13 is Swift’s lucky number. [via People]
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KOBE BRYANT’s locker from the Staples Center is hitting the auction block.
Saved from being destroyed by a maintenance worker during the 2018 renovations, the locker had been in storage, until a collector recently bought it.
Sotheby’s will auction off the locker, which is expected to fetch up to $1.2 million. Some of the money will go to The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation to honor Bryant’s “legacy of philanthropy and community impact.”
Bidding starts August 2. [via HypeBeast]
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JOJO SIWA wants to become a mom…times 3!
The 21-year-old “Dance Moms” alum revealed her plans to “fertilize three eggs, and have three surrogates.”
Siwa has previously discussed her wish to have three kids -- a daughter named Freddie and twin boys named Eddy and Teddy. She already has tattoos dedicated to them too.
As for when this will all take place, Siwa said she has a few years yet. [via E!]
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Country singer LAINEY WILSON paused her concert in Michigan over the weekend after splitting her pants.
“Y’all just about got a real show… a REAL show,” she told the crowd after stepping off stage and returning with a new outfit on.
Fans were all for Wilson’s humility over the incident, with one calling her “so dang genuine & funny!” [via The Sun]
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PETE DAVIDSON no longer uses cocaine, ketamine or pills, but says he just “can’t quit [weed] yet.”
“All I have is weed left, so it’s almost over, but I’m holding on for a little bit longer,” he told the crowd at one of his recent comedy shows.
Davidson later said that despite many “pushbacks” last year he is currently “having a good year.” [via Page Six]
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CASTING CALL
RYAN REYNOLDS is clearing the air when it comes to rumors that TAYLOR SWIFT has a cameo appearance in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
“I will say once and for all that the cameo thing with Taylor, because she’s our friend -- that is not in this film,” he told E!.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” hits theaters this Friday. [via E!]
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MADELYN CLINE (“Outer Banks”) and CAMILA MENDES (“Riverdale”) will star in the reboot of 1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
They will join JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT and FREDDIE PRINZE JR., who are in talks to reprise their roles from the movie.
The reboot is set to hit theaters next July. No word on how close to the original it will follow. [via THR]
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BRENDAN FRASER will play Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower in the forthcoming D-Day film, “Pressure.”
He joins ANDREW SCOTT, who will star as Britain’s Chief Meteorological Officer James Stagg in the drama about the tense days leading to the Normandy landings.
As many may recall, Stagg was in charge of keeping Eisenhower informed about the weather conditions that could make or break the invasion.
Filming is set to begin in September. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN will play her real life divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, in the upcoming legal drama “All’s Fair.”
Wasser not only represented Kim in her split from KRIS HUMPHRIES and YE, but also KEVIN COSTNER and BRITNEY SPEARS in their respective divorces. What’s more, she hosts her own podcast, also titled “All’s Fair.”
As previously reported, the show follows an all-female law firm, headed by Kim. GLENN CLOSE also stars. [via Daily Beast]
WORTH ASKING: Will playing a lawyer be as close to the real thing as Kim gets?
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Royal author TOM BOWER says that MEGHAN MARKLE has a memoir in the works. He says, “she’s a good writer, and it will be filled with vitriol and filled with lies.”
Bower said Markle plans to “drop another bomb” on the Royal Family for the headlines — but there’s no reason to believe anything she says: “She will not tell the truth because she wants a sensational headline.”
No matter what she comes up with, Bower isn’t optimistic about the future of the House of Sussex, saying about Harry and Meg, “I think they’re on a permanent decline.” [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Sprinkle Day
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day
World Sjogren’s Day
National Vanilla Ice Cream Day
National Gorgeous Grandma Day
International Yada, Yada, Yada Day
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ON THIS DATE
1827 - The first swimming school opens in the U.S. in Boston, Massachusetts.
Francis Lieber and Charles Follen were behind the idea, which was so novel at the time it warranted a visit from President John Quincy Adams.
The two men would later introduce gymnasiums to the city.
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1878 - Wild West outlaw Black Bart robs a bank stagecoach and leaves behind a poem chiding his victim. He got away with a small safe, full of only $400, plus one of the passenger’s jewelry.
Bart would be caught after leaving behind a handkerchief at the scene of a heist in 1883, where he would successfully steal $4,800. The handkerchief had a laundry mark, used by commercial laundromats to denote which items belonged to which customers.
Investigators were able to use the laundry mark to trace it back to a man named Charles Boles. He confessed to some of his robberies, believing the statute of limitations would keep him out of trouble for the rest -- they did not.
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1881 - Chile and Argentina agree to their present-day borders.
More than 60 years after the countries individually declared independence from Spain, their governments disputed over what land belonged to whom.
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1929 - Italy's government outlaws the use of foreign words.
When Mussolini took control seven years earlier, Italians spoke a smattering of different dialects, but no more than 12% of the population spoke Italian as it is known today.
In order to foster nationalism and further modernize the country, speaking anything other than government-sanctioned, official Italian was outlawed.
Many words were borrowed from French and English, but the government used invented or modified substitutes when there was not an Italian equivalent. For example, a movie would be colloquially called "il film," but that was upgraded to "la pellicola" -- which also means plastic wrap.
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1984 - Then-reigning Miss America resigns following news that nude photos of her would appear in Penthouse.
Vanessa Williams was the first black winner. The unauthorized photos were taken before she won the title, and she thought they had been destroyed.
The crown then went to the runner-up.
Williams continued on to have a successful career in entertainment.
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1986 - Sarah Ferguson marries Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
Andrew is the son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Like another highly-publicized royal union, this one was riddled with scandal and affairs.
The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
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2010 - Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson join forces to become One Direction.
They link up after performing on competition show, “The X-Factor.”
The band would break up five years later.
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2020 - COVID-19 cases in the US surpass 4 million, with more than 143,000 reported deaths.
The CDC states that real numbers are likely 13 times higher.
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BIRTHDAYS
Tosin Cole - actor, “Hollyoaks” & “Doctor Who” - 32
Daniel Radcliffe - actor, “Harry Potter” films - 35
Aaron Peirsol - Olympic swimmer - 41
Paul Wesley - actor, “The Vampire Diaries” - 42
Michelle Williams - pop singer, Destiny’s Child - 45
Kathryn Hahn - actress, “Bad Moms” & “WandaVision” - 51
Monica Lewinsky - White House intern for Bill Clinton - 51
Omar Epps - actor, “House M.D.” & “Love & Basketball” - 52
Marlon Wayans - actor, “In Living Color” & “White Chicks” - 52
Alison Krauss - bluegrass singer - 53
Slash - guitarist, Guns N’ Roses - 59
Eriq La Salle - actor, “ER” - 62
Woody Harrelson - actor, “Cheers” & “Zombieland” & “ - 63
Anthony Kennedy - Supreme Court Justice (1988-2018) - 88
Born On This Date
Philip Seymour Hoffman - actor, “Capote” & “Moneyball” - 1967 (d. 2014)
Jon Landau - movie producer, “Titanic” & “Avatar” - 1960 (d. 2024)
Cy Young - only US athlete to win the Olympic javelin title (1952) - 1928 (d. 2017)
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