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9/2/2022: Bee Attack!

PLUS: “Lost” Romance; Brady vs. Bundchen; and Steph Curry Graduates

Sep 2, 2022

Today is Friday, September 2, 2022.

It is the 245th day of the year.

120 days remain.

PROGRAMMING NOTE

REMINDER: There will be no newsletter published for Monday, September 5.

HIT LIST

Twitter has rolled out a feature to edit tweets – but you’ll have to pay to use it for now.

It’s going to launch as part of Twitter Blue, the $4.99-a-month optional add-on with some minor customization features for the platform’s power users. Recently, the premium service added a feature to undo the send of a tweet, but just for a few minutes after it was sent out.

The New York Times reports that Twitter expects to allow all users to edit tweets eventually.

WORTH NOTING: ELON MUSK, who may or may not be forced to make good on his buyout offer of Twitter, has been a proponent of the edit feature.

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YIKES: A 20-year-old man is recovering after suffering a massive bee attack last week, when he climbed a tree while helping a friend trim some of its branches.

PEOPLE reports that’s when he accidentally cut into a nest of African killer bees.

In all, the man was stung 20,000 times and even swallowed 30 bees during the attack.

HORRIFYING: The victim’s mother tells PEOPLE, “he had bees inside of him, and they suctioned bees out of him until Sunday morning.”

Fortunately, he’s expected to make a full recovery.

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Power company Xcel Energy has a program that provides rebates to customers who use a thermostat that the company controls, even in the customer’s house, so that Xcel can moderate the power grid during peak use.

Typically, users are able to override it in case of emergency, or if they just don’t want to swelter in summer heat.

BUT WAIT: On Tuesday, as temperatures pushed into the 90s in Colorado, some customers were completely out of luck. They couldn’t override the system to cool their homes below 78 degrees.

WORTH NOTING: This program was and remains entirely voluntary.

For now.

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LUCKY: A few weeks ago, a woman named Laura Hernandez was paddleboarding off the coast of Massachusetts. She fell off, and lost her iPhone. But it was in a waterproof pink case, so she thought maybe it wouldn’t be lost long.

She was right.

Just a day later, a student diver found it about 25 feet underwater – on her first open-water ocean dive ever. It even still had power when she found it.

Herndandez gave the diver $300 for finding and returning it.

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Starbucks has named a new Chief Executive Officer.

LASMAN NARASIMHAN previously was the head of PepsiCo Latin America, and worked with Starbucks leadership in the past on various deals and initiatives.

Most recently, he was CEO of Reckitt, the company that manufactures Lysol and Enfamil baby formula, the Wall Street Journal reports.

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Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress — sometimes called the “the nation's report card” — shows the LARGEST decrease in reading scores among 9-year-olds in 30 years, while math scores for the age cohort plummeted for the FIRST TIME since the testing began half a century ago.

Commissioner Peggy Carr from the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the US Department of Education, explained that even the highest achievers on the assessment showed declines in scores — something she says wasn’t seen “before the pandemic.”

THE TAKEAWAY: “There were no increases in achievement in either subject or for any student group on the assessment. There were only declines or stagnant scores for the nation’s 9-year-olds,” Carr stated.

NEVER FORGET: COVID-19 didn’t cause this. The over-politicization of schools and school boards did this. The closures, the virtual education, the social distancing, the lack of accountability did this.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow picked up 145 points (0.46%) on Thursday to close at 31,656. The S&P 500 lost 11.85 points (0.30%) to close at 3,966. The Nasdaq lost 31 points (0.26%) to close at 11,785.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate slipped to $86.44. Brent Crude was down to $92.12.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.82 on Thursday – $1 a gallon MORE than it was at the start of September, 2018.

₿ After an afternoon selloff, Bitcoin was relatively flat Thursday, down just a few bucks, and was trading just above $20,000.

🛩 There were 3,663 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and 268 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

New to Amazon Prime:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%)

New to Disney+:

Year of the Scab (No Score)

New to HBO Max:

Elvis (Score: 78%)

New to Hulu:

A Cat in Paris (Score: 83%)
Ernest & Celestine (Score: 98%)
Lupin III: The First (Score: 95%)
White Snake (Score 70%)

New to Netflix:

Ivy + Bean (No Score)
Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had to Go (No Score)
Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance (No Score)

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DEATHS

WILLIAM REYNOLDS has died.

The actor, best known for playing Special Agent Tom Colby on “The F.B.I.,” passed away on August 24 after experiencing non-COVID pneumonia complications, according to a statement from his son.

He was 90.

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WEDDINGS

“Game of Thrones” star JACK GLEESON (he played Joffrey Baratheon), 30, tied the knot with his girlfriend ROISIN O’MAHONY over the weekend in an intimate ceremony in Ireland.

The nuptials were revealed in a Twitter post from the priest who married them.

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THE SWAMP

President JOE BIDEN said this Thursday night about former President DONALD TRUMP and anyone who supports him: “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.”

Biden painted Trump and his supporters as a fringe minority, saying, “Not every Republican, not even a majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans.”

But this isn’t true. Since Biden took office, and at a faster pace in recent weeks, more Republicans support Trump than ever.

IN OTHER WORDS: If you believe in secure borders, if you believe in energy independence, if you believe in safe neighborhoods, if you believe parents have the ultimate rights to determine where and how and what students learn, the President of the United States — the same angry nitwit who campaigned on a Unity Agenda — says you are a danger to this country.

It is time for MAGA Republicans to shout right back, “no, we’re a danger to your regime.”

Americans must reject this militant godlessness and racist folderol espoused by an aggressive, angry, dangerous Democrat party.

Republicans must not surrender to the defamatory riffs of a dementia-addled halfwit who plodded his way into the presidency and the meaningless insults and accusations of racism, misogyny, and bigotry leveled by his sycophants. They use these tactics to distract from the reality of their agenda: to create a State with an inherent right to tell you how to live your life, and that your desires and your rights are subordinate to the State’s agenda.

MAKE NO MISTAKE: This is the desperate attempt of a failed president to intimidate and scare millions of Americans. While Trump’s pompous rhetoric irked many, it overshadowed a policy agenda centered on American Exceptionalism, and that same bombastic style endeared him not to marginalized kooks, but large swaths of the population. Only in the insulated bubble of handlers at the center of Washington D.C. could he believe otherwise.

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After a hearing Thursday, a Florida judge says she’ll soon release the detailed list of items taken by the FBI jackboot raid on former President DONALD TRUMP’s private home last month.

It will supplement the limited inventory list released previously that suggested Trump improperly stored government documents.

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $169 million jackpot or a $95.4 million cash payout.

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No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $148 million jackpot or a $83.1 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

These albums drop today:

George FitzGerald, “Stellar Drifting,”
Lean Year, “Sides,”
Living Hour, “Someday Is Today”
Megadeth, “The Sick, the Dying…and the Dead!”
Mo Trooper, “MTV”
Rian Sawayama, “Hold the Girl”
Stereolab, “Pulse of the Early Brain (Switched On, Vol. 5)”
Two Door Cinema Club, “Keep On Smiling”
Ylayali, “Separation”
Yungblud, “self-titled”

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CHRIS NOTH performed for the first time since several allegations of sexual assault came out against him.

He produced, directed and starred in a one-night reading of Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

As for how it went, a source told Page Six that “it was well-received” and Noth even got a “standing ovation at the end.”

Two women accused the actor of sexual assault earlier this year. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.

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Actor BILLY EICHNER has been kicked off Tinder for the second time.

The dating app first axed him in 2019 after his account was flagged as being a catfish. After explaining that it was in fact him, Tinder sent him a care package to apologize.

Accepting the apology, Eichner decided to get back on the app, only to be kicked off again. Speaking to Variety, he revealed that he has once again been removed, but this time he doesn’t plan on returning.

“I was like, [eff] if. I’m not going through this again. I’ll stick to Hinge and Grindr and everything else,” he added.

Eichner did not reveal what led to his removal the second time around.

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Disgraced actor ARMIE HAMMER is still under investigation over claims he raped an ex-girlfriend, named EFFIE.

Filmmakers behind the new documentary “House of Hammer” told Page Six that they were informed that the LAPD is still looking into the actor. A prosecutor has been “specially assigned” to the case, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office. No criminal charges have been filed…yet.

Hammer, meanwhile, has denied the allegations.

“House of Hammer” premieres today on Discovery+.

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Have you ever wondered how much work it takes for DWAYNE “The Rock” JOHNSON to stay in peak performance shape?

STEPHEN MERCHANT, who directed Johnson in “Fighting With My Family,” told SiriusXM’s JIM NORTON and SAM ROBERTS that the actor has a “very structured diet.”

“When he goes out for dinner with friends he brings his own food and has the restaurant heat it up for him,” Merchant revealed.

Johnson does enjoy a cheat meal every now and then. His first time trying In & Out, he ate two Double Double burgers and two large fries. He washed them down with some tequila, calling the meal “one for the history books.”

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Actor DOMINIC MONAGHAN opened up to ANNA FARIS on her “Unqualified” podcast about his “heartbreaking” split from his former “Lost” costar EVANGELINE LILLY.

Neither have ever publicly addressed their split, but Monaghan explained that his drinking and partying led her astray, saying there was a “bit of a crossover” of relationships for her.

On top of the devastation he felt from the breakup, Monaghan said he was also hurt that the “Lost” crew seemed to know Lilly was cheating on him and didn’t tell him.

It is unclear if the two are amicable now, but in 2013, Monaghan commented on a tweet about the actress, writing “Nah. I don’t date cheaters.” So, take that for what you will.

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There is trouble in Tampa.

NFL star TOM BRADY and his model wife GISELE BUDNCHEN have had “several heated arguments” over his decision to un-retire from the league. A source told Page Six that Bundchen has left the family’s Tampa home to cool off in Costa Rica, while Brady remains behind with their two kids.

The insider told the outlet that the couple have been known to fight, but have always reunited.

Clearly this is not a new issue for the couple, as earlier this year Bundchen told British Vogue, “His focus is his career, mine is mostly on the kids.”

TIT FOR TAT: Shortly after Brady decided to un-retire, she decided to get back to work too, and is starring in a new Burberry campaign.

Reps for both of them have refused to comment on the matter.

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CASTING CALL

ALEX MOFFAT, MELISSA VILLASENOR and ARISTOTLE ATHARI are not returning for the upcoming Season 48 of “SNL.”

Moffat and Villasenor joined the show in 2016, and were promoted to the main cast in 2018, while Athari joined last season.

They join KATE MCKINNON, AIDY BRYANT, KYLE MOONEY and PETE DAVIDSON whose exits were announced in May.

WORTH NOTING: Last season was the sketch-comedy show’s largest cast ever, with 21 stars.

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Dancing pro LINDSAY ARNOLD is following in her friend SHARNA BURGESS’ footsteps and leaving “Dancing With the Stars.”

She made the announcement this week, writing on social media that after 10 years on the dance competition show, she has decided to hang up her dancing shoes to stay home and focus on her family.

Arnold and her husband SAMUEL LIGHTNER CUSICK welcomed their daughter Sage Jill in November 2020. They are currently working on expanding their family.

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CBS’ longest-running scripted series “The Young and the Restless” will return on Friday, September 30. The upcoming season will be the show’s 50th.

“The Bold and the Beautiful” is also hitting a big milestone this year, with its 9,000th episode airing on April 24, 2023.

Other notable daytime CBS shows include, “The Price is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal,” which are both slated to return on September 19.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

Ahead of the Season 2 premiere of their Hulu series, “The Kardashians,” Instagram account @kardashianshulu posted a promo poster featuring the KarJenner ladies.

Fans were quick to comment on the photo, calling it -- and the women -- “iconic.”

Season 2 of “The Kardashians” drops on September 22.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCESS DIANA’s friend TINA BROWN doesn’t think she would have been a “great fan” of MEGHAN MARKLE.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, Brown added that she believes Diana would have “viewed [Meghan] as someone who is steering Harry in a direction that is not good for him.”

As for the ongoing estrangement between her two sons -- PRINCE WILLIAM and PRINCE HARRY -- Brown says that Diana would be “very unhappy,” as she would have wanted Harry on hand to support Will as king.

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SPORTS

NBA superstar STEPHEN CURRY returned to his alma mater, Davidson College, this week for a solo graduation ceremony.

He was presented with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Curry completed his degree in May of this year.

During the visit, the North Carolina college also retired his No. 30 jersey. He is the first player to have their jersey retired at the school.

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LIST OF THE WEEK

Let’s take a look at the 87,000 IRS agents President Biden wants to hire. Per ZipRecruiter, the average salary of an agent in the US is about $70,000. Take that times the number of agents and you get just over $6 billion.

What could that $6 billion cover in other, more in-demand areas, around the country? Here are some ideas:

That amount could cover a $38,000 salary (the average per Ziprecruiter) for a school resource/security officer in each of the 89,831 public schools in the country. With that, there would be over $2.6 billion leftover, which could go to a higher salary for the officers, bonuses, benefits, etc.

Speaking of schools, how about putting the funds toward the school lunch program? According to the USDA, the average school lunch ranges from $2.50 to $3.50 per meal nationwide. Let’s go with the higher amount….because inflation. That $6 billion would cover more than 1.7 billion school lunches.

Sticking with the school theme, let’s see what that $6 billion could do for educators across the country. According to the National Center for Educational Studies there are just over 3.8 million teachers in the US. Dividing up the $6 billion evenly, every teacher could get an additional almost $1,600 a year.

And just for fun: Based on Thursday’s average price of a gallon of gas -- $3.82 -- that $6 billion would cover nearly 1.6 billion gallons of gas.

LET US NEVER FORGET: The average one-way flight from Afghanistan to the US costs $1,102, according to Kayak. There are still Americans in Afghanistan that the Biden Administration deserted when it pulled troops out in August 2021. How far would that $6 billion get them? You do the math.

WORTH NOTING: This is premised on the assumption the country has the money to spend in the first place. We don’t. We’re over $30 trillion in debt and running annual deficits in the trillions of dollars.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Blueberry Popsicle Day

National V-J Day

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ON THIS DATE

1666 – A little bakery on Pudding Lane in London catches fire, starting a blaze that would endure three long days.

The Great Fire of London practically destroyed the city. The medieval Palace of Whitehall, which was home to Charles-the-Second, almost met its demise too.

More than 13,000 homes and almost 90 churches were destroyed, leaving up to 80,000 Londoners homeless.

Despite the carnage, London was rebuilt almost exactly as it had been, following essentially the same street plan.

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1789 – Congress approves the act that leads to the creation of the U.S. Treasury.

A body of government was needed to manage the revenues coming into the country.

The Treasury Secretary was granted a staff of five people: a Comptroller, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Register, and an Assistant, all appointed at the Secretary's discretion.

Today the Department employs more than 115,000 bureaucrats.

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1864 – Under the leadership of Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, Confederate-held Atlanta falls to Union troops.

Fighting had started in July. Sherman finally contained Atlanta, shelling the city, and ordering raids on nearby supply depots. On September 1st, Union troops captured a nearby train depot, and set fire to 81 ammunition cars. Supplies and resources into the city were cut off.

Atlanta's Mayor had enough. He met with Sherman, who guaranteed protection of private property and non-combatants. To really rub it in, Sherman set up his headquarters in Atlanta a few days later, where he remained for two months.

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1935 – A Category 5 hurricane plasters the Florida Keys. Storm surges reach 20 feet and 400 people are killed.

It was one of three Category Fives of the 1900s. The others were Camille in 1969 and Andrew in 1992. The 1935 storm precluded the tradition of naming storms after first names. This one is simply commemorated as the “1935 Labor Day Hurricane.””

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1945 – On board the USS Missouri, representatives from the major powers of World War II convene to approve Japan's instrument of surrender.

Douglas MacArthur signed on behalf of the U.S. Army; Chester Mimitz on behalf of the Navy.

The agreement ended all official major combat in the Pacific Theater almost a month after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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1963 – With Walter Cronkite behind the CBS news desk, CBS extends the regular news broadcast from 15 minutes to 30. It's the first network to do so.

It also changed its name from “Walter Cronkite with the News” to “The CBS Evening News.”

The broadcast featured Cronkite interviewing President Kennedy.

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2004 – President George W. Bush is nominated as the GOP's candidate to run for president at the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.

In his acceptance speech, he thanked supporters for rallying behind the cause of freedom in the Middle East, and promised an even longer fight ahead.

Dubya would beat Democrat John Kerry in the general election, winning 50.7 percent of the vote.

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2015 - There are 3 trillion trees on Earth, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

Researchers from Yale University found that the total number of trees had plummeted by roughly 46% since the start of human civilization.

The findings were the most comprehensive assessment of tree populations ever produced.

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2021 - At least 43 people die as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the northeast.

Record rains, tornadoes and flooding took over New York, which had just dealt with Hurricane Henri. Central Park recorded 3.1 inches of rain in an hour -- shattering the record set the week prior of 1.94 inches.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in NYC for the first time ever, followed by Mayor Bill de Blasio declaring a state of emergency.

The storm caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

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BIRTHDAYS

Ella Ann Toone - soccer player - 23

Brandon Ingram - basketball player - 25

Madilyn Bailey - pop singer - 30

Lala Kent - reality star, “Vanderpump Rules” - 32

Zedd - DJ - 33

Patrick Cloud - rapper - 33

Spencer Smith - drummer, Panic! At the Disco - 35

Jake Ryan - actor, “The Great Gatsby” - 39

Syleena Johnson - R&B singer - 46

Katt Williams - comedian - 51

Salma Hayek - actress, “Frida” & “The Eternals” - 56

Keanu Reeves - actor, “The Matrix” & “John Wick” - 58

Eugenio Derbez - actor, “Instructions Not Included” - 61

Mark Harmon - actor, “NCIS” & “Freaky Friday” - 71

Terry Bradshaw - football player - 74

Born On This Date

Billy Preston - soul musician & singer, 5th Beatle - 1946 (d. 2006)

Vera Vague - actress, “Sleeping Beauty” - 1906 (d. 1974)

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