8/10/2022: Serena Williams Announces Retirement
Discover more from Morning Martini
8/10/2022: Serena Williams Announces Retirement
PLUS: Biden Plays Dumb; Downeys Do a Podcast; and Candace Owens Blasts Meghan
Today is Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
It is the 222nd day of the year.
143 days remain.
TRENDING
Serena Williams landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Tuesday. Head to Sports to see why.
In honor of National Book Lovers Day, Twitter users shared their favorite series and stand-alone books. Several mentioned current New York Times Bestseller Colleen Hoover.
#ThingsNotToTellYourBoss was trending yesterday. Tweets included, “I won’t try crack,” “the absolute truth,” “I spend most of my time in the restroom,” “you want a shorter work week,” and “I would rather be a stripper.”
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HIT LIST
The Los Angeles Times reports that over-the-air antennas are making a comeback, as families scale back amid surging inflation.
Ironically enough, Scripps – the media company with tv stations across the country – says it’s going to spend $20 million this year to educate customers on the old technology; younger ones in particular.
One flagship component of the project is their new site, TheFreeTVProject.org, where users enter their zip code and see which stations they can get for free over-the-air.
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A group of five Georgia residents allegedly went on a gas-stealing spree in Alabama last week, running off with 2,100 gallons of diesel fuel worth $10,000 over the course of four days.
Their heist became apparent when the gas station owner noticed the glaring discrepancy between fuel dispensed and revenue. He verified the robbery with video footage, which showed the bandits filling up an enormous tank in the bank of a U-Haul with fuel and then not paying.
Police say the robbers manipulated the computer in the dispensing station to make it harder to detect the discrepancy.
The gang ranges in age from 21- to 25-years-old and were picked up by police shortly after they were identified. After that incident, local police beefed up surveillance efforts around area gas stations.
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The race is on in Greenland to find vast stores of lucrative minerals.
CNN reports that billionaires like JEFF BEZOS, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, and BILL GATES have invested heavily in prospecting projects looking for minerals on Greenland’s Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula. These minerals are key to the manufacture of batteries essential to green technologies.
Some believe the second-largest nickel and cobalt deposits are sitting underneath Greenland’s snow and ice.
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Ever have turbulence so severe it broke your back?
One Southwest Airlines attendant reportedly broke her back as a result of a hard landing in California last month.
Federal investigators are looking into the incident. The attendant says the landing was so severe she thought the plane crashed, then felt intense pain in her back and neck, and felt paralyzed. She was diagnosed with a bone fracture in the hospital.
No word yet on the reason for the hard landing.
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A Mass General Research Institute study suggests the human brain isn’t meant to function late at night – and that’s why people get up to the worst activities when the sun is down.
Their research shows staying up late led to impulsive actions and riskier decisions – particularly drinking, overeating, gambling, and even illegal activities.
Also, staying up late causes people to be more negative and view the world more negatively during daytime.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 58 points (0.18%) on Tuesday, to close at 32, 774. The S&P 500 lost 17 points (0.42%) to close at 4,122 while the Nasdaq lost 150 points (1.19%) to close at 12,493.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate was trading just over $90 Tuesday. Brent Crude ticked up to around $96.50.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $4.03 on Tuesday.
₿ Bitcoin lost $623 in value Tuesday, trading around $23,190.
🛩 There were 4,821 flight delays within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and 326 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
“Ugly Love,” Colleen Hoover
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” Taylor Jenkins Reid
NONFICTION:
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“The Big Lie,” Jonathan Lemire
“Happy-Go-Lucky,” David Sedaris
“Finding Me,” Viola Davis
“Thank You For Your Servitude,” Mark Leibovich
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DEATHS
BERT FIELDS has died.
The lawyer, famous for his A-list clients, passed away Sunday at his California home. No cause of death was shared.
He was 93.
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SICK BAY
ANNE HECHE’s condition has not improved.
The actress has not yet regained consciousness in the days since her crash and is now listed in critical condition.
“She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” her rep said in a statement.
As previously reported, Heche crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a Mar Vista home. Both her vehicle and her car became engulfed in flames. The crash is still under investigation.
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Danish filmmaker LARS VON TRIER has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Zentropa, the production company founded by von Trier, announced the news this week, saying the director is in “good spirits and is being treated for his symptoms.”
He is currently working on completing “The Kingdom Exodus,” the upcoming third and final season of his “The Kingdom” series.
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WEDDINGS
Director TAIKA WAITITI, 46, and singer RITA ORA, 31, are married.
The pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in London, The Sun UK reported Tuesday.
They are planning a big bash to celebrate their nuptials later this summer, according to the outlet.
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Former professional cyclist LANCE ARMSTRONG, 50, tied the knot with his longtime love ANNA HANSEN, 41, in France over the weekend.
The couple, who began dating in 2008, got engaged in 2017. They share two children together, while Armstrong shares three more kids with his first wife, writer KRISTIN RICHARD.
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THE SWAMP
The White House maintains that they found out about the FBI raid on former President DONALD TRUMP when everyone else did, on Twitter and on TV.
The White House also maintains that President JOE BIDEN has never discussed HUNTER BIDEN’s business dealings.
Make of that what you will.
MEANWHILE: Late Monday Trump posted a nearly 4 minute montage video to social media that excerpted from his recent speeches and highlighted the lawlessness on the streets and turmoil in foreign policy, among the other challenges facing the country.
It concluded with white text on a black screen that said, “...the best is yet to come.”
WORTH NOTING: This certainly looks like a preview of an announcement speech for 2024.
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With the dust settling in Wisconsin’s primary elections, the nation will watch the matchup between incumbent Senator RON JOHNSON and Democrat MANDELA BARNES as Republicans seek to take control of the US Senate.
Barnes is a former state legislator and sitting Lieutenant Governor, a role in Wisconsin that has no constitutional duties other than being a warm body ready to step into the top job if the governor leaves office for whatever reason.
But since first taking office in 2019 through last November, Barnes has incurred more than $587,000 in security costs paid to state police officers.
As L.G., he earns more than $80,000 a year.
BUT WAIT: Barnes’ top donor is a group called Lead the Way, a political committee that props up Defund the Police candidates across the country.
Despite not filing income taxes for 2018, because he said he had no income and lived off savings and family support while he ran for office, Barnes has since bought TWO condos so he can split his time between Milwaukee and Madison.
WORTH ASKING: Why? He’s not an elected representative who needs to work in Madison and live in his home district.
WORTH NOTING: People who have never had a real job and only made money off the public dime are not qualified to address the economic challenges facing the country. Normal people who make $80k a year don’t buy two condos and rely on state police to drive them around so they don’t have to pay for gas.
SPEAKING OF NOT LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD: While businesses struggle to hire and keep staff, the White House is doing just fine.
RealClearPolicy reports President JOE BIDEN’s White House staff has the highest headcount in history and costs $50 million a year just in payroll costs.
He had 560 White House employees last year. By contrast, Trump had 374 in 2018 – that’s 186 fewer.
WORTH NOTING: Imagine if small businesses could just summon money into their bank accounts when they want to hire more people and pay them more.
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Speaker NANCY PELOSI said on the “Today” show Tuesday that criticisms of her trip to China were completely overblown and that she stands by the One China Policy.
IT GETS NUTTIER: Pelosi not only stands by the One China Policy, but asserts that China is one of the freest countries in the world and a great democracy.
WORTH ASKING: What.
WATCH:
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $35 million jackpot or a $20.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
While the DRAKES, TAYLOR SWIFTS and KYLIE JENNERS of the world enjoy first class flying, actor TOM HOLLAND chooses to slum it on commercial flights.
The actor recently flew over 4,350 miles from New York City to Budapest to visit his girlfriend ZENDAYA, who is there filming the second “Dune” movie.
Earlier this year, Holland flew to Rome to surprise Zendaya, again taking a regular ol’ plane.
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JOHNNY DEPP has signed a new contract with Dior.
Insider told TMZ that the actor will be the face of the beauty company’s new Sauvage men’s scent.
The multi-year deal is worth 7-figures.
Depp first signed with Dior in 2015.
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KENAN THOMPSON will host the 2022 Emmy Awards.
The 74th awards show will air live from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on September 12 on NBC. It will also stream live on Peacock for the first time.
Thompson recently hosted the 2021 People’s Choice Awards and the 2022 NHL Awards.
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OZZY OSBOURNE returned to the stage for the first time on Monday since his “life-altering” surgery in June.
The legendary rocker surprised fans at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in England.
The 73-year-old’s surgery involved removing and realigning pins in his neck and back.
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OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN’s family has accepted an offer to have a state funeral for her in her native Australia.
The premier of the Australian state of Victoria confirmed the news Tuesday, saying the government would hold a state funeral to “celebrate Newton-John’s amazing contributions.”
The actress and singer’s death was announced Monday. She was 73.
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TAYLOR SWIFT is finally addressing a copyright lawsuit from 2017 accusing her of stealing the lyrics to her hit 2014 song “Shake It Off.”
The lawsuit was filed by songwriters SEAN HALL and NATHAN BUTLER who claim Swift stole lyrics from 3LW’s 2001 track “Playas Gon Play” to write “Shake It Off.”
In court documents obtained by Billboard, Swift recently told a judge she “never heard” the song and that the lyrics to her hit “were written entirely” by her.
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IGGY AZALEA took to Twitter this week to share that she is ready to get back to working on her music.
Fans may remember the singer announcing a hiatus a year ago, saying she was walking away to avoid all the “negative energy.” In her latest post, Iggy said she soon realized that everyone will still be “negative and nosey” even if she minds her own business, so she has decided to make a comeback.
While Iggy did not share any specifics about her comeback, she did confirm that new music will be released in the near future.
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CASTING CALL
JILL BIDEN will appear as a special guest on National Geographic’s upcoming five-part docuseries “America’s National Parks.”
She will kick off each night of the series with a “special message about how each national park connects people to a piece of the American story,” according to Deadline.
The series, narrated by country legend GARTH BROOKS, premieres on August 29.
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ROBERT DOWNEY JR. and his wife SUSAN DOWNEY are joining the world of podcasting.
The duo are behind a new investigative series about the Synanon cult, called “The Sunshine Place.”
The podcast will tell the story of the former California-based experimental drug rehab facility and community that turned into a dangerous and violent cult, led by its founder Charles E. Diedrich.
The eight-part series launches today.
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RYAN PHILLIPPE will star opposite BELLA THORNE in the new thriller “Saint Clare.”
The film, based on Don Roff’s novel “Clare at 16,” follows Clare Bleecker (Thorne), a quiet catholic college student with a love of murder.
Phillippe will play Timmons, a police officer investigating the latest murder in the small, quiet town.
The movie also stars Frank Whaley, Bart Johnson and Dylan Flashner.
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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK
MARSHAWN LYNCH was picked up Tuesday for driving under the influence in Las Vegas.
The former running back for the Seattle Seahawks was pulled over by officers after he was seen driving onto curbs along the side of the road. He was arrested, booked and locked up in the Clark County jail.
His arrest comes less than 24 hours after Seattle revealed Lynch would return to the organization to serve as a special correspondent for the 2022-23 NFL season. He retired from the league in 2019, after 12 years.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
PETE DAVIDSON has been in “trauma therapy” to deal with KANYE WEST’s attacks on social media.
Sources told Page Six that the comedian sought help earlier this year to help cope with “the attention and negativity” coming from Ye for dating his ex-wife KIM KARDASHIAN.
The insider added that despite their recent split -- and all of the drama from Ye -- Davidson “has no regrets for dating Kim.”
WORTH ASKING: Think he regrets any of the tattoos he got in Kim’s honor?
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Conservative commentator CANDACE OWENS thinks MEGHAN MARKLE is a “D-list actress.”
She made the comment while discussing Meghan’s racism claims against the royal family made during her and PRINCE HARRY’s interview with OPRAH WINFREY.
“This is a Hollywood star going into a country that loves its traditions and then accusing them of being fundamentally racist. It’s the height of ignorance to me to have this D-list actress that nobody knew go over there,” Owens told commentator MATT WALSH on her weekly Daily Wire show “Candace.”
BRITISH CREDIBILITY: Owens knows a thing about how it works in Britain as her husband is Brit GEORGE FARMER, the son of LORD MICHAEL FARMER, who is a member of the House of Lords -- an elite government body that dictates laws in the country.
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SPORTS
SERENA WILLIAMS announced her retirement from tennis in the cover story for the September issue of Vogue published Tuesday.
The 40-year-old will hit her final tennis balls at the US Open later this month.
Williams says she is ready to hang up her racket to spend more time with her husband and 4-year-old daughter Olympia. She also said she has baby #2 on the brain.
Throughout her illustrious career, Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Lazy Day
National S’mores Day
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ON THIS DATE
1846 - President James Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law, establishing what has grown into a giant institution of science and history in the nation’s capital.
When English scientist James Smithson died in 1829, his will ordered that his estate would go to the US government to create “an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge” — but only if his only nephew died without any heirs. Six years later that was the case, and a diplomat went to Europe and returned with 104,960 gold coins and a variety of Smithson’s personal effects and research worth more than half a million dollars at the time.
That’s more than $12 million today.
After years of negotiations and figuring out how to allocate the money to achieve Smithson’s vague objective, they determined the money would go to a museum, a library, and a research program emphasizing sciences, arts, and history.
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1977 - Police arrest David Berkowitz, who would be charged with the “Son of Sam” killings in New York City.
Berkowitz blamed demons and a black Labrador dog that his neighbors owned named Sam for telling him to carry out his attacks, which killed six and injured ten in the course of a year. His victims tended to be young women with long brown hair.
He later withdrew his insanity plea and plead guilty to the six murders, earning him six 25-to-life sentences. Parole hearings rejected his plea for freedom in 2016 and 2018, though his lawyer noted that prison staff have called him a model prisoner.
Another was scheduled for May 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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1981 - Pete Rose clocks a new record for most hits by a National League player in a career, with his 3,631st.
The previous record holder was on hand for the feat: Stan Musial, who spent his career with St. Louis, which was also the team the Phillies were playing, ran out to first base to congratulate Rose.
Rose accomplished the record in only 2,886 games. He would finish his career with 4,256.
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1984 - “Red Dawn” appears in theaters, the first ever with a PG-13 rating.
The Motion Picture Association of America wanted an in-between rating between its M rating for mature audiences with no age restrictions and R, which restricted anyone under 16 without an adult.
M became PG and the even stiffer X rating was changed to NC-17, since X was distinctly associated with pornography.
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2003 - Temperatures in the United Kingdom exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time.
The widespread heatwave in August that year is believed to have killed 35,000 lives, mostly young and elderly.
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2008 - Swimmer for Team USA Michael Phelps wins the 400-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics with a world record time of 4:03.84.
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2017 - President Donald Trump declares opioid addiction a national emergency.
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2020 - Global COVID-19 cases pass 20 million.
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BIRTHDAYS
Sunny Suljic - actor, “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” - 17
Ja Morant - basketball player - 23
Kylie Jenner - reality star, “KUWTK” - 25
Andre Drummond - basketball player - 29
Drew Lynch - comedian - 31
Maci Bookout - reality star, “Teen Mom”
Lucas Till - actor, “Hannah Montana: The Movie” & “MacGyver” - 32
Brenton Thwaites - actor, “Home and Away” & “Maleficent” - 33
Jake Stone - actor, Jake from State Farm - 37
Wade Barrett - wrestler - 42
June Shannon - reality star, Mom to Honey Boo Boo - 43
Angie Harmon - actress, “Law & Order” & “Rizzoli & Isles” - 50
Rickey Smiley - comedian - 54
Suzanne Collins - author, “The Hunger Games” trilogy - 60
Antonio Banderas - actor, “The Mask of Zorro” & “Desperado” - 62
Rosanna Arquette - actress, “After Hours” - 63
Betsey Johnson - fashion designer - 80
Born On This Date
Jack Haley - actor, Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz” - 1898 (d. 1979)
Herbert Hoover - 31st POTUS - 1874 (d. 1964)
Edward L. Doheny - oil tycoon (born in Fond du Lac, WI) - 1856 (d. 1935)
Henri Nestle - founder of Nestle - 1814 (d. 1890)
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