8/1/2024: Rat Attack!
PLUS: Assassination Updates; “New Heights” New Contract; and The King’s Summer Begins
Today is Thursday, August 1, 2024.
It is the 214th day of the year.
152 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
More fallout from the CROWDSTRIKE outage and New York State homeowners get an unwelcome surprise. Details in HIT LIST.
ELIZABETH BANKS chokes on a pea and CHRISSY TEIGEN updates fans on son Miles. More in SHOWBIZ.
The season finale of “House of Dragons” gets leaked and a “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel is in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE finally sells his gutted Malibu mansion. More in KARDASH.
THE KING gets a jump on his summer holiday. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A new video angle of the July 13th shooter again calls into question why DONALD TRUMP wasn’t rushed off the stage before he was shot.
The shooter is plainly seen not crawling but running across the roof before he gets into shooting position during the first minutes of Trump’s speech. Obviously, this should have triggered an immediate response from Secret Service Counter Snipers – if not to fire, to communicate that the scene was not safe.
Senator THOM TILLIS said on Wednesday that there were at least 30 seconds between the shooter being spotted by local law enforcement and the shots being fired but no mechanism to communicate with the Secret Service to get Trump off the stage.
MEANWHILE: Local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania, say they were instructed by the Secret Service to establish a counter sniper team at ground level.
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DELTA Airlines announced Wednesday it incurred north of $500 MILLION in losses as a result of the July Crowdstrike update that triggered systemwide outages.
CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that the company did not just have to give refunds but also shell out for hotels while Delta scrambled to rebook flights. In just one week, the airline canceled more flights than in all of 2019. As a result, Bastian said his company has “no choice” but to sue for damages. They’ve retained power lawyer David Boies to take on the suit. [via CNBC]
MEANWHILE, AT BOEING: The aviation company has tapped the head of aerospace design company Rockwell Collins as its new President and CEO. Kelly Ortberg takes the helm on August 8. [via Boeing]
ALSO IN CORPORATE NEWS: NVIDIA stock soared $329 BILLION on Wednesday, breaking the single-day gain record it set in February when it climbed $247 BILLION.
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A couple in Albany miraculously survived after a truck-mounted crane used to trim trees on their property fell onto their home. The crane operator also walked away from the disaster.
The tree-trimming booth was more than 100 feet in the air when one of the legs from the truck busted through a septic system and caused the whole apparatus to tip over. The worker who fell immediately jumped up and told the crew he was okay.
The homeowner tells local media he’s glad the tree-trimming company that owns the truck is fully insured. He and his wife are looking for somewhere else to stay while the house is repaired. [via CBS Albany]
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There’s a house in Vancouver, Washington surrounded on its property by junk, including a creepy collection of mannequins and statues – but that’s not the worst part: it’s totally infested with rats, too, and it’s so bad they’re spreading to the neighbor’s property.
Keelie Price, who lives next door, tells local media, “The rats scratch on the side of the house. Like right next to my head. So, you're awake.” She added that the rodents keep her dogs barking at all hours, too.
IT GETS WORSE: Price runs a pet sitting service out of her house and can’t let her client’s critters outside. She’s now filing a lawsuit in an attempt to get something done about the problem.
For his part, the owner of the hoarder hell says he’s seeking help for his hoarding problem and is trying to clean things up. [via KATU]
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After an initial recall of more than 207,000 pounds of deli meat due to listeria, BOAR’S HEAD added an additional 7 MILLION pounds of deli and poultry items to the list.
As of midweek, 34 people have gotten sick across 13 states. Two deaths were also reported; one in Illinois and the other in New Jersey.
The newly added items include meat intended for slicing at delis, and some packaged meat and poultry products that were produced from May 10 to July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country Brand names. The sell by dates range from July 29 through October 17.
The recalled items should be thrown away or returned to the store. [via NBC]
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SICK BAY
Comedian PETE DAVIDSON checked himself into a mental health facility.
No word on what he is hoping to work on in treatment, though insiders say he just wants to “get himself right.”
In the meantime, several of his upcoming shows have been canceled.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 99 points (0.24%) to close at 40,842 on Wednesday. The S&P increased 85 points (1.58%) to close at 5,522 and the NASDAQ increased 451 points (2.64%) to close at 17,599.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $81.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.49 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN tumbled on Wednesday, down 2.3% and trading around $64,600.
🛩 There were more than 4,260 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 145 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $358 million jackpot or a $169.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JASON and TRAVIS KELCE are looking to cash in on their “New Heights” podcast success.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the brothers are in talks with Amazon-owned Wondery, for a $100 million contract. No word on other specifics of the deal, however.
In the meantime, Travis is gearing up for another season with the Chiefs and recently retired Jason is preparing for his ESPN debut with the “Monday Night Countdown” panel. [via WSJ]
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Authorities are searching for “Power Rangers” star HECTOR DAVID RIVERA, who allegedly got into a physical altercation with an elderly man in a parking lot in Nampa, Idaho.
Video of the incident shows the actor shoving the elderly man after an argument and then driving off. The man was not seriously injured.
A warrant has been issued for Rivera, who faces charges of misdemeanor battery. [via NY Post]
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While on set of her latest movie, “Skincare,” ELIZABETH BANKS experienced her “first-ever choking” incident, with a little green pea being the culprit.
Alone in her trailer at the time, Banks said, “I happened to see someone, who said, ‘Are you choking?’ And I gave him the sign, I was like [throwing hands-up signs], ‘Yes.’”
The man had to do the Heimlich maneuver twice before the pea “finally came loose.”
As for her savior, Banks told “GMA” hosts “His name is Julius, and he is my guardian angel.” [via GMA]
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CHRISSY TEIGEN and JOHN LEGEND’s 6-year-old son MILES has Type 1 diabetes.
Teigen confirmed the news on Instagram in response to comments on a photo of Miles with a diabetes monitor on his arm.
After landing in the hospital with an illness, Teigen said doctors noticed something was off about Miles’ blood tests. Further tests led to the Type 1 diagnosis.
As for how the family is handling the new health issue, Teigen said they feel blessed to have gotten him diagnosed, adding that “things could be so much worse.” [via Instagram]
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NICOLA PELTZ BECKHAM is suing Ceballos, HoundSpa LLC, alleging that her pet chihuahua Nala died from “intentional and malicious abuse” at the hands of one of their employees.
In the suit, Peltz-Beckam claims that Nala passed away just two hours after being groomed by Jony Ceballos last month. It also details previous “history of complaints” about “repeated” animal mistreatment.
Ceballos has not yet responded to the accusations. [via The Mirror]
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CASTING CALL
RUMOR IS: The vacant seat at the judge’s table on “American Idol” may soon be filled by CARRIE UNDERWOOD.
According to TMZ, the “Idol” alum’s team is in the final stages of negotiations with ABC.
Should things pan out, she will join fellow judges LUKE BRYAN and LIONEL RICHIE. [via TMZ]
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The iconic gold bikini CARRIE FISHER’s character Princess Leia wore in “Return of the Jedi” sold at auction for $175,000.
The seven-piece ensemble was part of a two-day auction featuring over 500 Hollywood items. Other items included original “Scrooge McDuck” artwork ($312,000), and a wand used by DANIEL RADCLIFFE in “Harry Potter” ($94,000). [via CNN]
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MAYA RUDOLPH will reprise her role as KAMALA HARRIS for the upcoming season of “SNL” through the rest of the 2024 Presidential campaign.
For the sake of America let’s hope the gig ends there.
Season 50 of “SNL” premieres September 28. [via Deadline]
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Clips from the forthcoming season finale of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” were leaked on TikTok. While the dozens of clips have since been removed, they were reshared on the app, and X.
This isn’t the first leak for the “Game of Thrones” spinoff series. In 2022, the Season 1 finale was made available ahead of the premiere date.
It is not yet known who is behind the latest leak.
The Season 2 finale episode will air on August 4. [via THR]
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A “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel is in the works.
ROB LOWE, who stars in the original 1985 film, told Entertainment Tonight that the project is in the “early stages” of development.
The movie follows a group of friends, played by Lowe, DEMI MOORE, ANDREW MCCARTHY, JUDD NELSON, EMILIO ESTEVEZ and ALLY SHEEDY, as they navigate life and friendships post college graduation.
In the meantime, Season 2 of Lowe’s Netflix show, “Unstable” drops today. [via ET]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Remember the Malibu mansion YE gutted and left? Someone wants to buy it!
Ye initially listed the fixer upper for $53 million in January, but after zero interest, he lowered his asking price to $39 million.
The 4,000 square-foot pad houses 4-bedrooms and 5-baths. It also boasts amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. [via TMZ]
WORTH NOTING: Ye enlisted the help of “Selling Sunset” star JASON OPPENHEIM to sell the place. No word on a final selling price or who bought it.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES is getting a jump on his annual summer holiday at Balmoral, spending a few days at the Castle of Mey.
If you watched The Crown, it’s the property the Queen Mother bought in 1952 after the death of her husband, King George VI.
The King reportedly has a ritual of picking flowers and leaving them on the bench where his grandmother liked to sit and watch the sea. He’s expected to head to Balmoral late next week with other senior members of the Royal Family.
But it’s not just rest and relaxation in the meantime; The King is expected to conduct official business this weekend near the castle. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Girlfriends Day
Earth Overshoot Day
National Pinball Day
National Woman Astronomers Day
National Spritz Day
Play Ball Day
Respect For Parents Day
National Minority Donor Awareness Day
National Promise to Care Day
Homemade Pie Day
National Planner Day
National Mountain Climber Day
Colorado Day
World Wide Web Day
India Pale Ale Day
National Spider-Man Day
National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
World Lung Cancer Day
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ON THIS DATE
1798 - Fighting between France and Britain at the Battle of the Nile begins at Aboukir Bay in the Mediterranean, near Egypt.
Napoleon planned the battle as a stepping-stone for invasion into Egypt. He hoped to marginalize Britain’s support role to France’s enemies.
Defending the British was Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson, tasked with defeating and eliminating Napoleon’s naval force. Nelson had been on the French’s tail for months, but always missed it.
Finally, a French fleet under command of Francois-Paul Brueys D’Aigalliers anchored at Aboukir Bay in a fortified position. When Nelson finally came onto it, he immediately ordered an attack, trapping the French in a crossfire.
After three hours of fighting, the British destroyed 13 French ships, while four more were able to escape. The French commander was killed. The victory established the British force in the Mediterranean.
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1831 - A new London Bridge opens, connecting the city over the River Thames.
Haytor granite was used in its construction.
King William IV and Queen Adelaide enjoyed a banquet on the bridge to commemorate its opening.
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1842 - Riots over slavery break out on Lombard Street in Philadelphia.
It started as a parade of 1,000 marchers from the Young Men’s Vigilant Association, commemorating the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies.
A mob of Irish Catholics started attacking the marchers. Subsequently, the marchers were arrested but the attackers were not. Fires were set to the homes of abolitionists and the buildings that housed their organizations.
The Philadelphia militia ultimately quelled the uprising.
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1876 - Colorado is admitted as the 38th state of the Union.
Parts of Colorado had been bought in the Louisiana Purchase. The rest was disputed between the U.S. and Spain until a series of treaties clarified what land belonged to whom.
After the civil war, as Colorado became a useful hub for routing railways herding treasure hunters out to California and the West Coast, Congress took action to admit the territory to the union.
When it became a state, it was known as the Centennial State, since it was entered into the Union just 28 days after the U.S. Centennial.
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1941 - Anne Frank records the last entry in her diary.
Three days later, Anne and her family would be captured by Nazi police. Records indicate the Frank family was sent to concentration camps, where all the women in the family died.
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1980 - Vigdis Finnbogadottir (fin-BO-zha-dotter) becomes the first democratically-elected female head of state when she becomes President of Iceland.
With 16 years in office, she holds the record for the longest-serving female head of state in history.
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1981 - MTV hits the airwaves.
The first video aired is “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles
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2007 - The I-35 Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River near Minneapolis collapses; 13 died and 145 were injured.
A replacement bridge would be erected in 48 days.
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2021 - Dr. Anthony Fauci says “things are going to get worse” as cases of COVID-19 double in 10 days.
The surge in cases is due to the Delta variant.
Also on this day, the US passes 35 million cases of the virus; and California becomes the first state to hit four million cases.
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BIRTHDAYS
Scottie Barnes - basketball player - 23
Carmelo Hayes - wrestler - 30
Jack O’Connell - actor, “Skins” - 34
Max Carver - actor, “Teen Wolf” - 36
Amelia Rose Blaire - actress, “Criminal Minds” & “Hawaii Five-O” - 37
Ashley Parker Angel - pop singer, O-Town - 43
Jason Momoa - actor, “Aquaman” & “Game of Thrones” - 45
Tempestt Bledsoe - actress, “Cosby Show” - 51
Sam Mendes - director - 59
John Carroll Lynch - actor, “Shutter Island” & “Gran Torino” - 61
Joe Elliott - rock singer, Def Leppard - 65
Born On This Date
Coolio - rapper - 1963 (d. 2022)
Jerry Garcia - rock singer, Grateful Dead - 1942 (d. 1995)
Yves Saint Laurent - fashion designer - 1936 (d. 2008)
Herman Melville - author, “Moby Dick” - 1819 (d. 1891)
Francis Scott Key - composed the “Star-Spangled Banner” - 1779 (d. 1843)
William Clark - explorer & territorial governor- 1770 (d. 1838)
Catherine Parr - Last Queen Consort of the House of Tudor - 1512 (d. 1548)
Claudius - Roman Emperor - 10 BC (d. 54 AD)
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