8/30/2022: PSL Is Back, Witches!
8/30/2022: PSL Is Back, Witches!
PLUS: Rediscovered Ruins; JLo Slams Leakers; and Meghan Keeps Talking
Today is Tuesday, August 30,2022.
It is the 242nd day of the year.
123 days remain.
TRENDING
Carol Burnett landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Monday. Fans were scared at first that she had died, but it turns out she was trending because people want her to host “SNL.”
#BizarreThingsToCollect was trending yesterday. Tweets included, “the heads of my childhood Ken dolls. Just the heads,” “sugar packets you steal from restaurants,” “Do not disturb door hangers,” “Souls” and “Restraining orders.”
#USOpen was trending as tennis fans welcomed back Serena Williams for one last match.
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HIT LIST
After an unspecified engine issue scrubbed the launch of Monday’s Artemis I mission, NASA isn’t committing to rescheduling it.
There are two launch windows identified in early September, but it does not appear NASA has yet committed to either of them.
WORTH ASKING: Is this the result of NASA emphasizing equity over talent?
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Lowering water levels along a stretch of river in northwestern Spain have revealed well-preserved details of an ancient Roman military camp.
The Aquis Querquennis camp was home to about 600 soldiers and its facilities included barracks, a hospital, a temple, and grain storage. The camp has been studied for years, but the receding water levels have exposed the remnants of the buildings in stunning new detail.
The camp is believed to have been in use for about a century beginning in 75 AD.
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Many models from Kia and Hyundai are prime targets for car thieves, because they’re relatively easy to steal – so much so, that the city of St. Louis is demanding the automakers change this, or they’re going to sue them.
Mayor Tishaura Jones tells the local NBC affiliate that unless the vulnerable vehicles are recalled and retrofitted with technology to make them harder to steal, she’s going to sue them.
WORTH NOTING: Another thing that decreases car thefts is arresting people who steal cars and putting them in jail for years.
ALSO WORTH NOTING: Jones actively campaigned on a defunding the police platform. Her campaign website notes that defunding the police means “restructuring the department and reallocating the budget to programs and resources” to things like substance abuse and mental health services and job training programs.
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It’s over for the planet, new research in “science” journal Nature Climate Change says: Ice sheets will break off from glaciers that aren’t replenishing their size thanks to warmer temperatures and cause the sea to rise 10 inches in coming years.
One of the lead researchers says the world already has “one foot in the grave” and this rise is now inevitable – and it is twice as much as was previously predicted.
Critics of the study say that while their math is right, their timeline is uncertain, and their claim that this will happen in the next 100 years is not supported by even their own data.
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Calling all you basic bitches, put on your uggs and GAP hoodie and get in line at Starbucks bright and early today because the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back!
Starbucks’ fall menu is in full swing beginning today, and will include the PSL as well as Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Apple Crips Macchiato. You can also pick up pumpkin cream cheese muffins and pumpkin scones for the season.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 184 points (0.57%) to close at 32,098 on Monday. The S&P lost 27 points (0.67%) to close at 4,030 and the Nasdaq lost 124 points (1.02%) to close at 12,017.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate traded just shy of $97 on Monday. Brent Crude was up to over $102.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.85 on Monday.
₿ Bitcoin picked up more than $500 Monday, trading around $20,100.
🛩 There were 3,069 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and 331 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Songs on iTunes:
Elton John & Britney Spears, “Hold Me Closer”
Timcast, “Only Ever Wanted”
OneRepublic, “I Ain’t Worried”
Hardy & Lainey Wilson, “Wait In the Truck”
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, “I’m Good (Blue)”
Top 5 Songs on Spotify:
BLACKPINK, “Pink Venom”
Post Malone & Doja Cat, “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Harry Styles, “As It Was”
OneRepublic, “I Ain’t Worried”
Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
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DEATHS
ROBERT LUPONE has died.
The “Sopranos” actor passed away over the weekend after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was also the brother of stage actress and singer PATTIE LUPONE.
He was 76.
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BREAKUPS
Country singer KELSEA BALLERINI, 28, has filed for divorce from her husband, fellow country singer MORGAN EVANS, 37.
She addressed the split on Instagram Monday, telling her followers she wanted them to hear the news “directly” from her. No word on exactly what led to the split.
A source told PEOPLE magazine that the couple “have been working on their marriage for a very long time,” and “have been in therapy for several years.”
Ballerini and Evans tied the knot in 2017.
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WEDDINGS
ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV, 38, and NIKKI BELLA, 37, are married.
The pro-dancer and the former WWE Diva tied the knot in Paris over the weekend, according to a post from Bella.
The nuptials will be featured in a four-part special, “Nikki Bella Says I Do,” which will air sometime on E!.
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THE SWAMP
Some findings from the latest USA Today/Ipsos poll, courtesy of the New York Post:
56% of Democrats say President JOE BIDEN shouldn’t run for president again.
59% of Republicans say former President DONALD TRUMP should be the nominee while another 82% say he’d win if he runs.
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The Wall Street Journal reports that FBI jackboots sloppily collected documents protected by attorney-client privilege when they raided Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.
A US District Judge overseeing the case is going through the extraordinary step of appointing a “special master” to review the documents – a third party who will protect the integrity of confidential communications between former President DONALD TRUMP and his legal team.
LATER TODAY: DOJ officials have been ordered to release a more detailed itemized receipt of what they actually took from Trump’s private residence some time today.
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Just days after President JOE BIDEN called those who support former President DONALD TRUMP fascists, the Seminole County, Florida Republican Party’s office was vandalized. A graffiti message spray painted on glass windows read, “Eat [s—] Fascists” above a rudimentary ANTIFA logo.
WORTH ASKING: As a result of the timing of this attack, will Biden be asked to denounce not just this vandalism, but all vandalism? Will he be asked if he supports political harassment? Will he be made to answer about how he campaigned on unity but accuses the people who disagree with him fascists?
WORTH NOTING: Of course he won’t.
MEANWHILE: Biden will give a national address about the “soul of the nation” on Thursday night, the White House has announced. NBC News gleefully reports that Biden is expected to use the address to warn that anyone who supports former President DONALD TRUMP is a threat to the American democratic system.
IN OTHER WORDS: The guy in charge of the government that is using obscure law to try to imprison his chief political rival, the guy who has actively tried to ostracize that rival’s supporters from society, the guy who has pressured private organizations to achieve these goals, plans to warn the country about the dangers of fascism.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $153 million jackpot or an $85.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS says she turned down “lots and lots of money” to do a tell-all interview with OPRAH WINFREY.
The pop star made the bombshell in a since-deleted audio clip on YouTube, speaking about the “abuse” she suffered during her 13-year conservatorship.
“I get nothing out of sharing all of this,” she explained.
But share she will. Earlier this year multiple outlets reported that Spears is working on a $15 million book deal to share her story.
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JENNIFER LOPEZ is “disappointed” that a video of her serenading her new hubby BEN AFFLECK during their recent wedding weekend has leaked.
“This was taken without my permission. Period. And whoever did it took advantage of our private moment,” JLo wrote on Instagram.
The newlyweds had all their guests sign NDAs and asked them not to share anything from the big day.
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Filming on NATALIE PORTMAN’s upcoming Apple TV+ series “Lady in the Lake” has been halted after drug dealers allegedly threatened producers on set over the weekend.
According to The Baltimore Banner, the men allegedly pulled out a gun and demanded $50,000.
Producers issued a statement on the incident saying they will resume filming once a new location has been found and they will also increase security on and around the set.
Neither Portman, nor any of the rest of the cast, were on set at the time.
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HARRY STYLES had to stop his show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday after a fan threw some chicken nuggets onstage.
After spotting the fast food, Styles stopped the show and asked who threw it. In response, fans started chanting “Eat it!”
“I don’t eat chicken, sorry. I don’t eat meat,” Styles told the crowd before tossing it back to the chicken chucker.
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The second episode of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” saw a 2% increase in viewers from its August 21 premiere -- or about 10.2 million viewers.
The series premiere is now approaching 25 million viewers in its first week.
ALSO: “Game of Thrones” was the No. 2 title on HBO Max last week, behind the prequel series.
MORE, MORE, MORE!: HBO has already given “House of the Dragon” a second season renewal.
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MTV saw an increase in viewers for this year’s Video Music Awards.
According to Nielsen, 3.9 million tuned in to the awards show on Sunday night, an increase from last year’s 3.7 million.
It was also up 4% in persons 18-24, 1% in persons 18-49 and 5% in persons 25-54.
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CASTING CALL
Actor MICHAEL FISHMAN is leaving “The Conners.”
His character's exit will be addressed in the upcoming fifth season, with the door remaining open if he chooses to return one day, according to TVLine.
Fishman originally played DJ Conner on “Roseanne” during its run from 1988 to 1997. He then reprised the role on “The Conners” in 2018, after “Roseanne” was canceled.
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JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and TAYLOUR PAIGE are joining the cast of “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley.”
They will star alongside EDDIE MURPHY, who will return as Axel Foley. No word on roles for Gordon-Levitt or Paige.
The movie follows a Detroit cop, played by Murphy, who travels to Beverly Hills to solve his friend’s murder. The franchise premiered in 1984.
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MEGAN THEE STALLION will make a cameo appearance on Marvel’s “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.”
According to Deadline, she becomes involved in a legal case that is being handled by attorney Augustus “Pug” Pugliese, played by JOSH SEGARRA.
It is unknown if her character will appear in subsequent episodes.
“She-Hulk” airs on Disney+.
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BOBBY MYNIHAN is set to join the cast of “IF.”
He joins previously announced stars RYAN REYNOLDS, JOHN KRASINSKI, PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE, CAILEY FLEMING, LOUIS GOSSETT JR., FIONA SHAW, ALAN S. KIM and STEVE CARRELL.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Deadline reports that the project is based on an original idea of Krasinski’s about a child’s journey to rediscover their imagination. Krasinski will direct, write and produce the film.
The pic will be released on May 24, 2024.
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COURT CASES
HARVEY WEINSTEIN’s trial is still on track for this October.
The disgraced movie mogul had tried to get his Los Angeles sex crimes trial pushed back due to the upcoming release of “She Said,” a movie about the investigation into his decades of abuse and sexual assault.
On Monday Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench rejected his team’s request.
“She Said” stars CAREY MULLIGAN and ZOE KAZAN as the two journalists who cracked the Weinstein scandal. It is set to make its world premiere at the New York Film Festival next month.
LOCKUP: Weinstein is facing up to 140 years behind bars if he is found guilty. He has been indicted on four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, plus one count sexual
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
TAYLOR SWIFT’s upcoming 10th studio album will drop on KIM KARDASHIAN’s birthday.
Swift dropped the news during Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards, revealing that her new album “Midnights” will be released on October 21 -- Kim’s 42nd birthday.
While the date could be a coincidence, Swift fans know the singer does nothing by accident.
REFRESHER: Tay and Kim have been feuding since 2016, when the reality star leaked a phone call during which the songstress gave KANYE WEST permission to use the lyric “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.” Something Swift says she never did. Her feud with Ye goes back even further.
ANOTHER EASTER EGG: October 21 is the same day that singer CARLY RAE JEPSON, who is managed by SCOOTER BRAUN, drops her new album. Swift and Scooter are also foes.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
MEGHAN MARKLE spoke out once again about how miserable it was to be part of the Royal Family in a wide-ranging cover story for The Cut magazine.
She explained how she “hated” having to give a picture of her now-3-year-old son ARCHIE to the Royal Rota, the press who covers QUEEN ELIZABETH and family, when such hateful things were being said about him.
“Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child,” she asked.
Meg also shared how she and PRINCE HARRY had no say on what got posted on the @KengsingtonRoyal Instagram account they shared with PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON, prompting them to break off and create their own account, @sussexroyal.
Harry and Meg went against the royal grain and posted to their account on a whim; that’s a big no-no if you're part of the Royal Family. The account was ultimately shut down following the couple’s exit from royal ife.
SPEAKING OF INSTAGRAM: Meghan teased her upcoming return to Instagram during the interview, a move that would likely only further distance them from her in-laws.
SPEAKING OF HARRY: Meghan told the publication that Harry told her he “lost” his dad following their exit from the royal family.
THAT’S ODD: A royal insider told Page Six that Meg’s statement about loss is “odd” as PRINCE CHARLES gave the couple “millions when they left the UK.”
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SPORTS
MATTHEW STAFFORD is the newest face of Little Caesars, the official pizza of the NFL.
WATCH:
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Toasted Marshmallow Day
International Whale Shark Day
National Grief Awareness Day
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ON THIS DATE
1682 - William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World.
He would later find Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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1890 - President Harrison signs the first law requiring regulated inspection of meat in the U.S.
The US Department of Agriculture would inspect all exports of salted pork and bacon, as well as imported cattle.
The following year, the act would include beef exports.
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1918 - Vladimir Lenin survives an assassination attack in Moscow.
The attacker was Fanya Kaplan, a member of the Social Revolutionary movement, fighting against the Bolshevik takeover.
Lenin recovered at his home in the Kremlin. Kaplan was shot in the back of the head 3 days later.
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1945 - Douglas MacArthur arrives in Japan.
The General would oversee the formal end of fighting in the Pacific.
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1963 - The "Red Phone" connecting the United States and Moscow is established, but not as depicted in the movies.
It was a precursor to fax messages, sending strings of text across 10,000 miles of cable with encryption points to keep out snoopers. The first sentence sent from the States to Moscow: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog's back 1234567890." (It uses all letters and numbers).
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1967 - Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice as the first African American to sit on the bench.
He would serve for 24 years.
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1981 - Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry takes the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart.
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1993 - The 150,000,000th person visits the Eiffel Tower.
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2017 - Hurricane Irma forms in the Atlantic.
It would eventually make landfall in Florida after demolishing the Caribbean. The Category 3 storm caused more than $50 billion in damage. More than 100 people were killed.
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2020 - Global cases of COVID-19 pass 25 million with over 843,000 deaths.
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BIRTHDAYS
Sean Ryan Fox - actor, “Henry Danger” - 21
Emily Bear - composer - 21
Trevor Jackson - actor, “Eureka” - 26
Dwayne Bacon - basketball player - 27
Bebe Rexha - pop singer - 33
Ryan Ross - guitarist, Panic! at the Disco - 36
Michael Grant Terry - actor, “Bones” & “NCIS” - 38
Andy Roddick - tennis player - 40
Jermaine Coleman - rapper - 49
Cameron Diaz - actress, “The Mask” & “Charlie’s Angels” - 50
Warren Buffett - stock market genius - 92
Born On This Date
Tug McGraw - baseball player & dad of Tim McGraw - 1944 (d. 2004)
John Phillips - singer & guitarist, Mama & Papas - 1935 (d. 2001)
Mary Shelley - author, “Frankenstein” - 1797 (d. 1851)
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