8/2/2024: Paintball Justice
PLUS: Olympic Milestones; Britney Biopic; and Harry & Meg Do Sunday Morning
Today is Friday, August 2, 2024.
It is the 215th day of the year.
151 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A massive prisoner swap frees three Americans and ELON MUSK manages another lawsuit. Details in HIT LIST.
TOM CRUISE will close out the Olympics and SNOOP DOGG reminisces about his “girl” QUEEN ELIZABETH. More in SHOWBIZ.
COLIN JOST will host a new “Jeopardy!” spinoff and a NETFLIX series will end with Season 3. Details in CASTING CALL.
KENDALL discusses her life on the road in KARDASH.
THE SUSSEXES tee up another interview. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Italian boxer ANGELA CARINI on Thursday forfeited her Olympic match against IMANE KHELIF of Algeria less than a minute into the bout.
Contrary to some reporting, Khelif is not transgender. She is intersex, living with a rare condition causing her to have XY chromosomes and elevated levels of testosterone despite biological female anatomy. In 2023, Khelif was disqualified from participating in the Women’s World Boxing Championships for these elevated levels.
After forfeiting, Carini told the media, “I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue.”
Khelif’s passport indicates she’s a woman. Algeria’s government does not recognize trangender rights to change their sex. Khelif has pursued an amateur athletic career in a violent sport that, because of her biology, gives her a tremendous advantage over other women. She previously competed in the 2020 Olympics, against women, and did not take home any medals.
Khelif’s chromosomes determine immutable physical characteristics that give her a tremendous athletic advantage over female competitors with typical xx chromosomes. Whether that is fair or not is, and should be, a separate discussion from whether high school boys who grow out their hair and present feminine characteristics should be able to join girls’ athletics teams and clubs.
Milestones:
SIMONE BILES is the most decorated US gymnast in Olympic history after winning her eighth medal this week.
Team USA rowers JUSTIN BEST, NICK MEAD, MICHAEL GRADY, and LIAM CORRIGAN took home gold in men’s four -- the first for the country since 1960.
With her win in the women’s 4x200 freestyle relay, KATE LEDECKY became the most decorated female US Olympian of all time with 13 total medals.
Fencers LEE KEIFER, LAUREN SCRUGGS, JACKIE DUBROVICH and MAIA WEINTRAUB won gold in the women’s team foil -- a first for any US fencing team.
The USA is the first country to surpass 3,000-Olympic medals in a combined tally of both the Summer and Winter Games. No other country has even half of that.
As of Thursday evening (Central Time), China has the most gold medals at 11, followed by the US with 9 and France with 8. Overall, the US has the most total medals with 37.
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Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVIC and imprisoned American PAUL WHELAN have been freed from Russian captivity in a complex international prisoner swap.
Gershkovic was arrested last year on trumped-up espionage charges. Whelan has been locked up since 2018 for similar reasons. ALSU KURMASHEVA, a dual American-Russian citizen who was convicted in July for violating Russia’s speech laws, was also part of the exchange, alongside human rights activists and journalists arrested and imprisoned by VLADIMIR PUTIN.
In return, American and European authorities released Russian spies that had been locked up in six countries. Planes with passengers landed in Ankara, Turkey, to facilitate the exchange. The swap marks the biggest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War. [via Associated Press]
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DON LEMON is suing X and ELON MUSK after the social media site canceled his $1.5 MILLION annual deal for producing content on the platform.
Musk pulled the plug on the deal after Lemon conducted a hostile interview with the eccentric billionaire. In a statement, Lemon’s attorney accused X’s leadership of “fraud, negligence, and reputational damage.” Lemon’s camp says he was promised total creative control over his content.
The suit asks for $35 MILLION in damages, citing the promises of 60% advertising revenue share that would have materialized from posting his show on the platform 24 hours before he put it up anywhere else. [via CBS News]
SPEAKING OF LAWSUITS: Investors in CROWDSTRIKE have filed their own lawsuit against the IT security company after July’s massive outage, alleging fraud. In particular, they say the company failed to disclose proper testing procedures that would have prevented the catastrophic failure. [via The Guardian]
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A Los Angeles man successfully prevented the burglary of his neighbor’s house after shooting the would-be bandits – with a paintball gun.
Julian Harper-Smith says he spotted masked men crossing his property to jump the fence around his neighbor’s plot. That’s when he grabbed his paintball gun and started firing. It was enough to spook the crooks, who dashed back to their car, which Harper-Smith said he also nailed with a couple paint rounds.
So far no arrests have been made or suspects identified.
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: Police in the Tarzana neighborhood where the attempted break-in occurred say they’re launching more patrols – on horseback. [via ABC 7]
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A Fort Myers-area neighborhood is trying to figure out why dead alligators have been spotted floating in a community canal. Locals say they think someone has been tossing the remains over the seawall, which ultimately floated into the canal.
IT GETS WORSE: To make things weirder, many of the carcasses have been mutilated. One had its head, tail, and feet chopped off.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission so far has no details or leads. [via WINK News]
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BREAKUPS
Soap star CAMERON MATHISON and his wife VANESSA MATHISON are calling it quits after 22 years of marriage.
He’s 54 and she’s 57.
In a joint statement, the exes say the split is amicable. They share 18-year-old daughter Leila and 21-year-old son, Lucas.
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CARDI B filed for divorce from OFFSET -- again.
She’s 31 and he’s 32.
Hours after that news broke, it was announced that she is pregnant with their third child. “With every ending comes a new beginning!” she captioned a photo of her baby bump.
Cardi first filed for divorce in September 2020, though they later reconciled before anything became official. Then last December, Cardi told followers that she was “single,” though the pair appeared to rekindle things months later.
No word on what led to her filing again, though rumors are there was cheating involved.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 494 points (1.2%) to close at 40,347 on Thursday. The S&P lost 75 points (1.3%) to close at 5,446 and the NASDAQ lost 405 points (2.3%) to close at 17,194.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.48 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked up Thursday, trading around $65,000.
🛩 There were more than 5,820 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 185 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $358 million jackpot or a $169.7 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $171 million jackpot or a $81.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music
Ella Langley, “hungover”
John Carter Cash, “Pilgrimage to Rising Fawn”
Kacey Musgraves, “Deeper in the Well”
Khalid, “Sincere”
Maren Morris, “Intermission” EP
Orville Peck, “Stampede”
T. Graham Brown, “Memphis to Muscle Shoals”
X, “Smoke & Fiction”
Ye, “Vultures 2”
RUMOR IS: Many Swifties are convinced that TAYLOR SWIFT will drop “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” today! This is based on pure speculation over some alleged Easter Eggs fans think they spotted in recent posts.
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TOM CRUISE will close out the Paris Olympics with a “Mission: Impossible”-esque stunt that also serves as a bridge to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
TMZ reports that Cruise will rappel down from the top of the Stade de France, Olympic flag in hand, during the Closing Ceremony on August 11. From there, the broadcast will cut to a previously recorded clip of Cruise jumping out of a plane down to the Hollywood sign -- again, with the Olympic flag in hand. Sources say that was filmed back in March and shockingly went unnoticed by paparazzi.
The stunt comes 20 years after Cruise participated in the 2004 Games as a torch bearer. [via TMZ]
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POST MALONE is heading to the Grand Ole Opry.
He was invited to perform at the iconic venue by country superstar BRAD PAISLEY.
Posty’s debut is set for August 14. [via People]
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DJ KHALED has a freezer dedicated solely to ice cream.
He showed off the collection in a video featuring his 7-year-old son, Asahd, who was browsing the endless choices.
Fans were in awe of the freezer, with one commenting, “Bro got a whole ice cream truck in there.” [via X]
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The Army is looking to recoup some of the $11 million marketing deal it made with the United Football League and co-owner DWAYNE “The Rock” JOHNSON after it failed to land them a single new recruit.
Military.com reports that as part of the deal, the UFL would feature Army branding on players’ uniforms and in games and Johnson would make five social media posts promoting the Army during the season, which ran from March through June.
While there was branding during the season, Johnson only made two Army-related posts, and none since April. Also, an internal review from Army planners shows that the partnership actually led to a projected loss of 38 enlistments. [via Military.com]
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FLAVOR FLAV and ALEXIS OHANIAN covered Olympic track star VERONICA FRALEY’s August rent.
After tweeting about how she is competing at the Olympics, yet can’t pay her rent, Flav commented, “I gotchu…DM me and I’ll send payment … And imma be rooting for ya.”
Ohanian jumped in writing, “C’mon now! I’ll split it with @flavorflav.”
Fraley competes today in the discus competition. [via US Weekly]
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SNOOP DOGG reminisced about his close relationship with the late QUEEN ELIZABETH II during an interview on the U.K. radio station “Capital FM with DJ Jordan North.”
When asked about his plans while in the U.K. (beyond covering the Olympics, of course) Snoop said he wanted to “go by the palace.”
“I’ve heard the future king, [Prince] William, is a huge Snoop fan,” North said, to which Snoop replied, “Well, the Queen was a fan too. Rest in peace to the Queen, that was my girl.”
BACKSTORY: Snoop and QE2 go wary back. In 1994, she shutdown discussions about banning the rapper from the U.K. as he was facing first- and second-degree murder charges in the U.S. at the time. [via Capital FM]
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CASTING CALL
Universal Pictures is turning BRITNEY SPEARS’ memoir into a biopic after dropping millions of dollars to secure the rights.
Filmmaker JON M. CHU will direct, alongside producer MARC PLATT.
As for who gets to cast the pop princess, insiders say the final decision is up to Spears.
FOR THE RECORD: Chu and Platt most recently worked together on the upcoming movie version of “Wicked,” starring ARIANA GRANDE and CYNTHIA ERIVO. [via TMZ]
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COLIN JOST will host the new “Jeopardy!” Pop Culture spinoff on Amazon Prime.
Production kicks off this month.
Jost, meanwhile, is on assignment in Tahiti covering the Olympics for NBC. [via The Sun]
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Season 2 of “Squid Game” will premiere on December 26.
Netflix announced the date on Thursday, while also letting fans know that the show will end with Season 3 next year.
The first season of “Squid Game” was a hit for Netflix, passing 1.65 BILLION viewing hours in 28 days. It is also the streamer’s first series to surpass 100 million members at launch. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KENDALL JENNER says life as a famous model isn’t always as glamorous as it may seem.
During a recent appearance on the “Anything Goes” podcast, Jenner told EMMA CHAMBERLAIN that months of traveling for modeling gigs led to many “dark nights” of crying herself to sleep.
Mental health is something Jenner has spoken about in the past, specifically the anxiety she deals with. As for how she copes, Jenner says getting in water or taking a walk helps. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE have recorded an interview set to air this weekend on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
The Sussexes will chat with JANE PAULEY about yet another new initiative they have in the works, this time focused on how kids use social media.
The sitdown will mark their first joint interview since they talked to OPRAH more than three years ago. [via Page Six]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International Beer Day
Braham Pie Day
National Coloring Book Day
National CAD Day
National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
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ON THIS DATE
1377 - BATTLE ON PYANA RIVER– The Blue Hoard of Arapska defeats Russian forces.
The Russian troops were under the direction of Ivan Dmitriyevich. The army arrived at the river and realized that the enemy forces would not arrive for at least a day.
It was very hot and uncomfortable so the Russians spent the day drinking.
When the Blue Hoard came across, the Russians were too intoxicated to fight and were forced to retreat. Many Russian soldiers, along with their commander, drowned in the river while attempting to escape. The Blue Hoard easily killed the remaining Ruskies.
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1610 - English explorer Henry Hudson enters the bay that would later be named after him — the Hudson Bay.
The voyage was Hudson’s fourth and final.
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1776 - The formal signing of the Declaration of Independence takes place — 56 signatures are added.
This is the date accepted by modern historians.
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1790 - The first US Census is conducted.
The census was performed under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. In the original census only the head of the household was named and other members of the house were simply recorded as a number. Beginning in 1850, all members in a household were named.
The population of the US according to the first census was 3,929,326.
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1865 - Lewis Carroll publishes “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
The book, commonly called “Alice in Wonderland,” details the story of a young girl named Alica who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy land filled with human-like creatures.
It is known as one of the best works of Victorian literature.
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1937 - The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed, making marijuana and its by-products illegal.
There was wide speculation that executives in the paper industry were pushing for the act because hemp was beginning to be used as a replacement for paper pulp in newsprint.
Doctors were upset with the measure because they had become accustomed to prescribing marijuana on a regular basis for numerous ailments.
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1989 - NASA confirms Voyager 2’s discovery of three more moons of Neptune.
The moons were tentatively named 1989 N2, 1989 N3 & 1989 N24.
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2017 - Prince Philip, 96, makes his final solo public appearance before retiring.
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2019 - Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” tour becomes the most attended and highest grossing tour of all time.
Sheeran performed in front of more than 8.5 million people across 43 countries, breaking U2’s record of 7.3 million.
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BIRTHDAYS
Devon Dotson - basketball player - 25
Jabari Banks - actor, “Bel-Air” - 26
Austin Theory - wrestler - 27
Charli XCX - pop singer - 32
Evander Kane - hockey player - 33
Lily Gladstone - actress, “Killers of the Flower Moon” - 38
J.D. Vance - Senator & future VP - 40
Nick Diaz - MMA fighter - 41
Sam Worthington - actor, “Avatar” & “Terminator Salvation” - 48
Kevin Smith - director - 54
Mary-Louise Parker - actress, “Weeds” - 60
Born On This Date
Wes Craven - director, “Scream” - 1939 (d. 2015)
Carroll O’Connor - actor, “All in the Family” - 1924 (d. 2001)
Myrna Loy - actress, “Vanity Fair” - 1905 (d. 1993)
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