Today is Thursday, August 29, 2024.
It is the 242nd day of the year.
124 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A grand jury looks into July 13 and CROWDSTRIKE (kind of) starts to make good. Details in HIT LIST.
HALSEY announces a new album and Madame Tussaud’s gives JUSTIN BIEBER a baby. More in SHOWBIZ.
NIKKI GLASER will host the Golden Globes and QUENTIN TARANTINO is a fan of trilogies. Details in CASTING CALL.
A new SKIMS spot to open in Austin. More in KARDASH.
Senior Royals plot the future of the monarchy at Balmoral. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The FBI on Wednesday released photos of evidence gathered from the July 13 assassination attempt of DONALD TRUMP and murder of COREY COMPERATORE. The images include pictures of the gun used, the shooter’s backpack, and the explosive devices found in the shooter’s vehicle. A review of the shooter’s online activity still does not suggest a clear motive for his attack, the Bureau says.
MEANWHILE: Human Events reports that a grand jury has been empaneled in the Western District of Pennsylvania to investigate the shooting. In response to an open records request submitted to the community college the shooter attended about his student records, the college replied it could not furnish records “within the scope of a grand jury subpoena.” A federal grand jury would be weighing whether to bring criminal charges; these could be specific to Comperatore and other victims who were wounded in the attack. [via Human Events]
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WATER BUFFALO UPDATE: The water buffalo that got shot by police after harassing residents in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, earlier this week, then ran off and disappeared, has finally been found and contained.
Officials tracked it down Tuesday night, but local conservation and zoo officials advised police to wait until morning to tranquilize and subdue it. Around 9:30 Wednesday morning, crews found the buffalo again and hit it with one tranquilizer dart. It eventually ambled a bit farther, before it was shot a second time, enough to eventually knock the animal out and load it onto a trailer.
Since first making headlines over the weekend, locals came to call the buffalo “PHill” – a cheeky contraction of Pleasant Hill.
Now, PHill is recovering at an animal hospital and will be sent to the Iowa Farm Sanctuary once it recovers. [via KCCI]
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CROWDSTRIKE announced plans to hand out $60 MILLION in credits to companies affected by its massive system outage in July.
The make-good represents a fraction of the claims clients say the system failure caused their businesses; DELTA Air Lines alone says they’re out more than half a billion dollars from canceled flights and compensation payouts.
The $60-mil is also a tiny fraction of the nearly $4 BILLION the company expects to earn this year.
Crowdstrike’s stock remains down 20% since the outage – but is up about 33% from its low point three weeks ago. It faces two class action lawsuits from Delta customers affected by the outage as well as an imminent suit from Delta itself. [via CNN]
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A Wall Street Journal poll shows Americans are pessimistic about achieving the American Dream – in this case, owning a home, having a family, and accumulating wealth for retirement:
– 10% say home ownership is easy or somewhat easy to achieve.
– 17% say the same about achieving financial security and a comfortable retirement.
– About a third say the American Dream is achievable at all.
In 2012, about half of Americans still believed they could achieve the Dream. [via WSJ]
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Britain’s oldest skydiver Manette Baillie celebrated turning 102 by jumping out of a plane for a good cause.
She used the feat to raise money for three special causes: the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Motor Neurone Disease Association, and Benhall Village Hall.
It was far from the centenarian’s first jump, as she was married to a paratrooper and served in the Women’s Royal Navy Service during WWII.
No word on what thrill-seeking adventure she is planning for 103. [via Sky News]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 159 points (0.39%) to close at 41,091 on Wednesday. The S&P lost 33 points (0.6%) to close at 5,592 and the NASDAQ lost 198 points (1.12%) to close at 17,556.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $74; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.36 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN continued to decline on Wednesday, trading near $59,100.
🛩 There were more than 2,310 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 80 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $627 million jackpot or a $309.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TRAVIS KELCE is part owner of a racehorse named Swift Delivery.
The tight end acquired a significant share of the 3-year-old gelding last year -- whose name is a “total coincidence,” and has nothing to do with his girlfriend, TAYLOR SWIFT. [via AP]
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SCOTTY MCCREERY abruptly stopped singing at the Colorado State Fair last weekend after witnessing a man strike a woman in the crowd.
“Hey, hey, hey, right here. That’s a lady you just hit, sir,” he shouted into the mic while pointing out the offender.
After security escorted the guy out, and McCreery made sure the woman was okay, he resumed singing. No word on whether or not any charges were filed. [via Billboard]
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HALSEY announced this week that her fifth studio album will be titled “The Great Impersonator,” and is a “confessional concept album.”
Three singles have already been released, including “The End,” “Lucky,” and “Lonely Is the Muse.”
No word on when the album will drop. [via People]
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Madame Tussaud’s updated JUSTIN BIEBER’s wax figure at their London museum to include a baby in a baby carrier.
The addition was added after news broke that Bieber and his wife, HAILEY BIEBER welcomed their son, Jack Blues.
MEANWHILE: Insiders say Bieber is a “very hands-on” dad and is very “private and protective” of his little family. [via The Sun]
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MATT LAUER’s daughter, Romy, was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run last month in the Hamptons.
According to local sources, the 20-year-old crashed her Jeep Wrangler into a fence and then drove off. She was easy to track down, however, as her license plate was left at the scene of the crime.
Power house attorney Edward Burke Jr. is reportedly representing Romy. His other famous clients include Romy’s dad, JASON KIDD and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. [via Page Six]
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CELEBS, THEY’RE JUST LIKE US: He may be the great-grandson of an oil tycoon, but ARMIE HAMMER is just like the rest of the country when it comes to dealing with the high price of gasoline.
“I can’t afford it. I can’t afford the gas anymore,” Hammer told his Instagram followers this week, after revealing that he sold his pickup truck for a more wallet-friendly hybrid ride.
Hammer currently lives in Los Angeles where gas is $4.66 a gallon. [via EW]
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CASTING CALL
Comedian NIKKI GLASER will host the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.
The ceremony will air live on January 5, 2025 on CBS.
Glaser most recently showed off her comedic talent on Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady.” [via Deadline]
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A new docuseries on the ins-and-outs of “Baywatch,” details how PAMELA ANDERSON was almost booted from the show after the release of her infamous sex tape with then-husband TOMMY LEE.
Not knowing how it would all play out at the time, producer Michael Berk pulled Anderson from a couple of episodes, but when ratings spiked as a result of the tape, she was allowed to stay.
Anderson did not participate in the doc, titled “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” which is currently streaming on Hulu. [via NY Post]
ELSEWHERE: “Baywatch” alum JEREMY JACKSON revealed in the doc that he used to sneak into the trailers of some of his female co-stars and “smell” their worn bathing suits. Of all the suits he smelled, Jackson says his favorite belonged to co-star NICOLE EGGERT, who was first told about the revelation while filming the doc. Her response to it was simply: “this surprises me not at all.” [via NY Post]
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Netflix’s new basketball series, “Starting 5,” will give an “unfiltered view of life at the pinnacle of professional basketball.”
It follows NBA superstars LEBRON JAMES, JAYSON TATUM, ANTHONY EDWARDS, JIMMY BUTLER and DOMANTAS SABONIS during the 2023-2024 season.
“Starting 5” is produced by BARACK and MICHELLE OBAMA’s Higher Ground, and PEYTON MANNING’s Omaha Productions.
The 10-episode series is set to debut October 9. [via THR]
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QUENTIN TARANTINO refuses to watch “Toy Story 4” because he thinks “Toy Story 3” is one of the greatest movies ever.
“...the third one is just magnificent [...] but the thing is, then three years later or something, they did a fourth. I have no desire to see it. You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done,” he told BILL MAHER on his “Club Random” podcast.
It’s a safe bet that Tarantino is unlikely to see the upcoming fifth installment. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A new SKIMS store will soon open in Texas.
With two brick and mortar stores already established in Miami and the D.C. suburb of Georgetown, the newest location is set to open by the end of next week in Austin. The brand had a successful pop-up in the city in 2023, prompting the decision to make it a permanent fixture.
KIM KARDASHIAN co-founded SKIMS in 2019, alongside entrepreneur JENS GREDE. As of last year the shapewear brand had a valuation of $4 BILLION. [via MySA]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
While Senior Royals gather at Balmoral this summer, KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA have convened a family summit to discuss the monarchy’s plans for the rest of the decade – and particularly how to talk about PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE.
One insider tells Express that the next few years will focus on the next generation and their vision for the future of the monarchy, even as Charles reigns. This also includes creating unofficial roles for some of the King’s grand-nieces-and-nephews, even though they’re well-distanced from the line of succession.
There’s also been chatter about formally removing Harry, and his children, from the line of succession, should the worst happen in the House of Wales. Parliament would have to vote on the exclusion. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
More Herbs, Less Salt Day
National Lemon Juice Day
International Day Against Nuclear Tests
According to Hoyle Day
Potteries Bottle Oven Day
Individual Rights Day
National Chop Suey Day
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ON THIS DATE
1786 - The first organized uprising of the Shays' Rebellion begins.
Burdened with debt after the Revolutionary War, many veterans were unable to pay money owed without an established American currency or banking system.
As families were ruined in debtors' courts, Daniel Shay rallied like-minded farmers to violently shut down courts that issued verdicts forcing people to sell off their land and possessions to pay owed debts. The impromptu militia wore their revolutionary uniforms, distinguishing themselves with a sprig of hemlock in their hats.
Five of the fighters were eventually found guilty of treason in Massachusetts. But when John Hancock became the new governor, he pardoned the men.
The entire uprising encouraged the Founding Fathers to design a strengthened national government.
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1842 - The first American design patent is issued, and goes to George Bruce for a new typeface.
The patent is designed to protect objects with "practical utility." The Coke bottle shape, for example, is covered under design patent 48-160.
Similarly, typefaces and computer icons can be covered under this type patent.
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1949 - Soviet scientists detonate the country's first atomic weapon in Kazakh.
Named Joe-1 after their Fearless Leader Josef Stalin, the 22 kiloton bomb closely resembled the Fat Man explosion over Nagasaki thanks to successful espionage during World War II.
The Soviets built dummy houses and a train system and brought in 1500 animals and old aircraft to see the bomb's effects first-hand. Its explosion was more destructive than originally predicted.
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1982 - Two explorers complete their Transglobe expedition.
Ran Fiennes and Charles Burton circumnavigated the Earth along the 0-degree-longitude line, beginning in Greenwich, England.
Heading south, they braved the Sahara, jungles in Mali, the cold Antarctic, the Northwest Passage and ultimately the Arctic Ocean.
The 100,000 mile trek took almost three years. That's about four-times the circumference of the Earth. Since the adventurers didn't follow a straight line around the globe, the total mileage added up quickly.
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2005 - Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in the Gulf Coast.
The category 3 hurricane was the most destructive natural disaster in America's history, damaging the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama. New Orleans famously bore the brunt of the destruction.
At least 1,800 died and up to $115 billion in damage was incurred.
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2018 - Senator John McCain is the third person ever to lie in state at the Arizona State Capitol Rotunda in Phoenix.
He had passed away days earlier after losing his battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
The two others to have lied in state include Arizona State Senator Marilyn Jarrett in 2006 and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens in 1980.
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BIRTHDAYS
Eduardo Franco - actor, “The Binge” - 30
Liam Payne - pop singer - 31
Chelsea DeBoer - reality star, “Teen Mom” - 33
Nicole Anderson - actress, “Ravenswood” - 34
Lea Michelle - actress, “Glee” - 38
Nicole Byer - comedian - 38
Brian Chesky - CEO of Airbnb - 43
Carla Gugino - actress, “Spin City” & “The Haunting of Hill House” - 53
Neil Gorsuch - Supreme Court Justice - 57
Elliott Gould - actor, “M*A*S*H” - 86
Born On This Date
Michael Jackson - pop singer - 1958 (d. 2009)
John McCain - politician - 1936 (d. 2018)
Richard Attenborough - actor, “Jurassic Park” - 1923 (d. 2014)
Iris Apfel - cofounded Old World Weavers - 1921 (d. 2024)
Ingrid Bergman - actress, “Casablanca” - 1915 (d. 1982)
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