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9/28/2022: “Listen, Fat,” Biden Tells the Country
PLUS: Hurricane Ian Updates; Tom Hanks Writes a Novel; and Shakira Heads to Court
Today is Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
It is the 271st day of the year.
94 days remain.
TRENDING
#HurricaneIan landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Tuesday. More on the storm in Hit List.
The Crow was trending yesterday after Twitter user @NdreamsLife asked followers to share their favorite movie poster. Other contenders included “The Joker,” “E.T.,” and “Deadpool.”
#HalloweenEnds was trending Tuesday as scary movie fans shared their excitement over the final chapter of the Michael Myers story. The movie hits theaters and Peacock on October 14.
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HIT LIST
About 2.5 million Floridians were ordered to evacuate Florida Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall.
The storm is expected to be the worst to directly hit the Tampa area, marking the biggest and largest direct hit of a hurricane in a century.
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service’s official advisory anticipated “Devastating to Catastrophic” impacts from the storm, amid wind speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.
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Turns out ELON MUSK hasn’t started his deposition ahead of October’s Twitter acquisition trial after all, the Wall Street Journal reports. Twitter CEO PARAG AGRAWAL didn’t show up to give his side of things either – leaving some to speculate if a settlement is in the works.
This news bolstered Twitter’s stock price 5% for a while, but ultimately only added 8 cents in value on the day.
The five day trial will start October 17 – for now.
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Europe is already on the brink of a winter energy crisis as it relies on Russia to pipe in natural gas. Now, the existing Nord Stream system has cracked a leak deep under the Baltic Sea, and multiple countries are blaming it on sabotage.
The Swedish Seismic Center reports that underwater explosions were detected in the vicinity of the pipeline before the leak was first spotted.
Germany's Economy Minister says his government is certain “that they were not caused by natural occurrences or events or material fatigue,” Reuters reports.
WORTH ASKING: Who gains from this, if it is sabotage? Russia could just be seeking to sew more chaos amid its invasion of Ukraine, too.
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Last week, news broke about a man who received a rifle from Amazon instead of the screen mesh he ordered.
Now, a Houston couple has apparently received more than a dozen fully automatic M16 rifles, when they thought they were just buying empty storage cases on eBay.
The anonymous buyers immediately reported the package to local authorities, and the ATF quickly got involved.
The military surplus store that sold the cases says they’ve pulled all such listings and contacted the Defense Department.
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A survey published by The Sun indicates one in four Americans can’t afford their Netflix subscriptions, and will cancel before the end of the year. Another 22% say they’re just not watching the shows and movies on it.
Netflix has already announced subscriber losses in the first half of the year, bleeding 1.2 million accounts. Meanwhile, it’s been working with Microsoft to launch an ad-supported package that will cost viewers less.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 125 points (0.43%) to close at 29,134. The S&P lost 7.75 points (0.21%) to close at 3,647. The Nasdaq ticked up, adding 26 points (0.25%) to close at 10,829.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate was trading at $78 on Tuesday. Brent Crude closed at $85.
⛽ The AAA national average price of a gallon of gas ticked up again Tuesday, to $3.74.
₿ After a daytime rally, Bitcoin slid sharp in the afternoon, ultimately losing $175 and trading just over $19,000.
🛩 There were 2,079 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and 373 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Where The Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens
“Vince Flynn: Oath of Loyalty,” Kyle Mills
“Fairy Tale,” Stephen King
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
NON-FICTION
“I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy
“What If? 2,” Randall Munroe
“Holding the Line,” Geoffrey Berman
“Dinners With Ruth,” Nina Totenberg
“The Myth of Normal,” Gabor Mate with Daniel Mate
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DEATHS
ROBERT COMIER has died.
The actor, known for his role as Finn Cotter on “Heartland,” passed away on September 23, according to his obituary. No cause of death has been shared.
He was 33.
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SICK BAY
Actress MARLYNE BARRETT (“Chicago Med” & “The Wire”) has been diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancer.
After doctors found a mass on her uterus and ovary in July, the actress tells PEOPLE magazine that she has already undergone two rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and will soon begin a third. She will also need to undergo a hysterectomy.
Despite the exhaustion, both physical and mental, Barrett has continued with her role as Maggie Lockwood on the NBC show “Chicago Med.”
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THE SWAMP
Maybe rampant inflation at the grocery store is just part of President JOE BIDEN’s plan to starve people into thinness.
The Biden White House announced Tuesday a series of initiatives to curb obesity while also tackling food insecurity – because everyone is a victim of their circumstance and the Biden White House wants to do all your thinking for you.
The package of proposals would expand the mandatory labeling process for food sold at stores, requiring that they feature in moron-proof colors about an item’s fat and sugar content. Other programs would give direct cash payments, courtesy of the federal government, to welfare recipients who buy healthy items.
WORTH ASKING: How does this mesh with the “beautiful at every size” crowd? Does this hurt their feelings? Why is there a need to end obesity if there’s nothing wrong with being obese? Is fat-shaming still a thing?
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Socialist Senator BERNIE SANDERS, who owns three homes, didn’t say “no” when he was asked about running for president – again – in 2024.
Here’s how he responded to the big question: “That’s a big – you know, I haven’t made that decision,” he said.
WORTH NOTING: It’s revealing that he didn’t immediately defer to the one-term incumbent from his party already in the White House.
Sanders is 81; Biden is 79.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $300 million jackpot or a $159.2 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
ADAM LEVINE is really not letting the cheating accusations get to him.
On Tuesday, the Maroon 5 frontman and his band announced they are kicking off a Las Vegas residency.
The band will perform 16 shows from March to August 2023 at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
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TOM HANKS can now add published author to his lengthy resume.
The two-time Oscar winner wrote his first novel, titled “The Make of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” which focuses on the movie business and the making of “a colossal, star-studded, multi-million-dollar superhero action film and the humble comic book that inspired it,” per the official synopsis.
Speaking to PEOPLE magazine about the book, Hanks said it is all from “personal Hollywood experiences.”
“The Make of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece” is set to be released in May 2023.
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Several big names are in the running to potentially join RIHANNA on stage during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Insiders told TMZ that anyone RiRi has collaborated with is “fair game.” This includes KANYE WEST, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PHARRELL, JAY-Z, DRAKE and CALVIN HARRIS.
The source also noted that she may choose to perform solo, or with her boyfriend, and the father of her child, rapper A$AP ROCKY.
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GWYNETH PALTROW stripped down and was painted gold for a “Goldfinger”-inspired nude photoshoot in honor of her 50th birthday on Tuesday.
“I feel so good turning 50, and this is about expressing that sense of energy and optimism that I experience,” she said in a statement on her Goop Beauty website.
The actress has always embraced the natural aging process, telling Stylist magazine in 2014 “I like my wrinkles.”
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In an effort to draw in more A-listers, the church of Scientology spares no expense.
According to a new book, titled “A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology,” written by former high-ranking church officer MIKE RINDER, the church once erected a state-of-the-art soccer field in order to persuade DAVID BECKHAM to join them.
“It was built for one purpose only: so Tom Cruise could woo his friend David to come. It never happened,” Rinder writes.
Rinder has been outspoken about the “cult-like” church since leaving in 2007. He has joined forces with fellow former member, and actress, LEAH REMINI to call out the secretive organization.
In response to claims made in the book, a Scientology spokesperson told Page Six that “Mike Rinder is an inveterate liar who seeks to profit from his dishonesty.”
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A Spanish judge ruled Tuesday that SHAKIRA must stand trial on tax fraud charges.
The singer is accused of not paying $13.9 million in taxes for income she earned between 2012 and 2014. She says that she doesn’t owe anything because she was living in the Bahamas during those years, not in Spain.
Prosecutors are seeking eight years in prison on the charges.
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Is there trouble brewing with the Beckhams?
Fans called attention to VICTORIA BECKHAM’s bare wrist that once held her hubby DAVID BECKHAM’s initials.
She has had the cursive “DB” since their 10th anniversary - they celebrated 23 years in July.
An insider tells TMZ there are “no marital issues,” and Victoria has recently had “several tattoos removed from her body.
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TOM BRADY and GISELE BUNDCHEN’s ongoing marital breakdown is not due to cheating, according to several sources.
Insiders told Page Six this week that the couple has simply “grown apart.”
While multiple outlets previously reported that the couple split after an “epic fight,” a family source revealed the two have been living and parenting separately since early summer, adding that there “wasn’t an epic fight.”
MEANWHILE: Brady and Bundchen are still building a home on Indian Creek Island in Miami aka “Billionaire Bunker,” Page Six reports. So maybe not all hope is lost?
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CASTING CALL
JEFF BRIDGES returned to TV for the first time in decades to star in “The Old Man.”
Based on THOMAS PERRY’s novel of the same name, the story follows a retired CIA operative who gets involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Starring opposite Bridges are JOHN LITHGOW (“The Crown”) and HIAM ABBASS (“Succession”).
Many may recall Bridges’ health issues over the past few years, which include a cancer battle and a bad case of COVID-19.
“The Old Man” is available on Disney+.
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The cast of cult classic indie film “Napoleon Dynamite” is reuniting for an animated pilot, titled “Cyko KO.”
JON HEDER, TINA MAJORINIO, EFREN RAMIEREZ and JON GRIES have all signed on to voice characters in the series, which is based on the comic book of the same name.
The show follows Cyko KO (Heder), a “fourth-wall breakin’, pinball-addicted, cereal eatin’, motorcycle-ridin’ hero” and his sidekick Peachy Keen and their pet Meemop, according to the official description.
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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK
EZRA MILLER has been charged with felony burglary.
“The Flash” star, who is nonbinary and goes by they/them pronouns, allegedly broke into a home in Stamford, Vermont in May of this year and stole several bottles of alcohol. Surveillance videos showed Miller entering the property, leading authorities to charge him with felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling.
This is the latest chapter in a string of bad behavior. Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii earlier this year, for disorderly conduct harassment and once for second-degree assault. They have also been accused by several women of abuse.
Despite all the drama, Warner Bros. is still planning to move forward with “The Flash,” though it is unknown if the actor will be allowed to promote the film or not.
“The Flash is set to hit theaters in June 2023.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN does not have dating on the brain.
During a recent appearance on “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” the reality star was asked about what sort of man she sees herself ending up with.
“Absolutely no one,” she replied.
Did PETE DAVIDSON ruin the dating pool for Kim? Or maybe she fears having to deal with another split like the one she is going through with KANYE WEST?
WORTH NOTING: She has previously discussed dating someone “outside of the entertainment industry.” Perhaps a fellow attorney?
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE GEORGE isn’t afraid to use his royal status to his benefit.
“My dad will be king so you better watch out,” he allegedly told some of his classmates, according to an excerpt from royal author KATIE NICHOLL’s new book “The New Royals.”
The nine-year-old is “very much aware that he will one day be king himself,” Nicholl also writes in her book.
WORTH REMEMBERING: George is now second in line to the throne, following QUEEN ELIZABETH’s death.
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SPORTS
TOM BRADY and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be forced to play their game against PATRICK MAHOMES and the Kansas City Chiefs at a neutral sight this weekend as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida.
While several options have been noted, NFL Network’s JEFF DARLINGTON says the most neutral site for the two teams would likely be US Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings) in Minneapolis.
WORTH NOTING: The Vikings’ stadium will be available as the team plays the New Orleans Saints in London this Sunday.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Drink Beer Day
National Good Neighbor Day
International Poke Day
National Strawberry Cream Pie Day
World Rabies Day
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ON THIS DATE
1542 – Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo of Portugal leads an expedition to the shores of San Diego Bay -- making it the first recorded European encounter with the West Coast.
He went on to explore much of present-day California's coast. But in a freak accident on one of his landings, Cabrillo broke his leg and fell very ill. He would die four months later.
Today there's a national monument where he's believed to have landed.
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1779 – Samuel Huntington is elected to succeed John Jay as the president of the Continental Congress
He was one of the more soft-spoken of the Revolutionaries, but vocal in opposition to British hegemony. His background in law made him a smart voice in the fight for independence.He actively lobbied the colonies to support the war effort with supplies, troops, and money.
Under his watch, the Continental Congress passed the Articles of Confederation. Some consider him the first president of the United States, but without the constitutional title.
Huntington would later become governor of Connecticut.
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1781 – Nearly 20,000 Continental soldiers lay siege to Yorktown, Virginia, with the help of the French.
British General Cornwallis was there with 9,000 troops, defending his last headquarters of the Revolutionary War.
It took three weeks of constant artillery attacks to smoke out the remaining redcoats. Cornwallis issued surrender on October 17th, but was not gentlemanly enough to show up for the ceremony: he said he had a bad cold and sent his Number Two to carry his sword to give to Washington.
The United States was officially recognized as a free nation after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, on September 3rd, 1783.
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1858 – William Usherwood of England captures the first photo of a comet. He snapped a picture of Donati's comet, whose two gas tails made a spectacular sight in the evening sky.
An American also tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out nearly as well.
The next recorded shot of a comet wouldn’t be captured until 1881.
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1889 – The First General Conference on Weights and Measures meets to standardize the way things should be weighed and measured.
Its first mission was to define the kilogram and the meter -- which it did.
Today, a meter is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458th of a second.
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1941 – Ted Williams plays in his last game for the season. He gets a hit on 6 of his 8 at-bats, boosting his batting average to .406.
Exactly 19 years later, in 1960, Williams would make his last career trip to the plate and hit a homerun, for a career total of 521.
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1958 – French voters approve a brand-new constitution -- the country's fifth since its bloody revolution in the late 18th-century.
It came on the heels of the final collapse of the French Empire, particularly its holdings in Algiers. It replaced the parliamentary system with a president who appointed a Prime Minister.
It's what they're using today, though with some changes here and there.
1982 – The first deaths from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules are reported in Chicago.
A total of seven people would die with several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes.
No suspect has ever been charged.
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2008 – SpaceX launches the first ever private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit.
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2015 – Trevor Noah takes over for Jon Stewart as host of “The Daily Show.”
Stewart hosted the show for 16 years.
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2020 - Global COVID-19 deaths pass 1 million with over 33 million known cases.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lauren Spencer-Smith - pop singer - 19
Brenna D’Amico - actress, “Descendants” - 22
Frankie Jonas - actor, “Ponyo” - 22
Olivia Jade - influencer & daughter of Lori Loughlin - 23
Alex Landi - actor, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 30
Hana Mae Lee - actress, “Pitch Perfect” films - 34
Hilary Duff - actress, “Lizzie McGuire” & “How I Met Your Father” - 35
Melody Thornton - pop singer - 38
St. Vincent - pop singer - 40
Charlotte Dean - illustrator, “My Crazy Baby Brother” - 40
Nick Viall - reality star, “Bachelor” - 42
Bam Margera - reality star, “Jackass” - 43
Jeezy - rapper - 45
Naomi Watts - actress, “King Kong” & “The Ring” - 54
Janeane Garofalo - actress, “SNL” & “Truth About Cats & Dogs” - 58
Jeffrey Jones - actor, “Deadwood” & “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” - 76
Brigitte Bardot - actress, “Contempt” & “Viva Maria!” - 88
Born On This Date
Skye McCole - actress, “The Patriot” & “Don’t Say a Word” - 1992 (d. 2014)
Ben E. King - soul singer - 1938 (d. 2015)
Ed Sullivan - TV show host, “The Ed Sullivan Show” - 1901 (d. 1974)
Confucius - Chinese philosopher - 551 BC (d. 479 BC)
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