9/8/2022: Major Regrets

PLUS: New Apple Tech; Obamas Do DC; and “Teletubbies” Revival

Sep 08, 2022

Today is Thursday, September 8, 2022.

It is the 251st day of the year.

114 days remain.

HIT LIST

The judge presiding over the case that will determine whether ELON MUSK will be forced to make good on his offer to buy out Twitter has ruled that he can include whistleblower claims about the platform’s security practices in his countersuit.

HOWEVER: The addition of these claims can’t be used to stall the start of the trial, which is scheduled for next month.

Musk and his team are arguing that the accusations leveled by former security chief PEITER ZATKO would leave Twitter in breach of its agreement with Musk and make the buyout offer invalid anyway.

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Remember ELIZABETH HOLMES – the Theranos founder who got billions in investment money on bogus claims about her blood test technology?

She’s now requesting a new trial after a key prosecution witness has said he regrets the role he played in her conviction for fraud and conspiracy. That witness was Adam Rosendorff, who was the lab director for Theranos

Holmes’ team asserts in a new filing that Rosendorff tried to speak with Holmes on August 8 at her private residence. NPR reports that before he could be escorted off the premises, he said "he tried to answer the questions honestly but that the prosecutors tried to make everyone look bad" and that his testimony made him feel like “he had done something wrong.”

Rosendorff also reportedly had been trying to make contact with Holmes via her lawyers.

No word yet on what’s next, but Holmes’ lawyers requested an October 3 hearing about the incident.

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A Washington Post study looked at which majors college graduates regret the most.

Nearly 48% of respondents with humanities or arts degrees said they wish they would’ve picked a different field of study.

On the low end, engineers are most content with their degree choice, but still nearly 1 in 4 wished they would’ve gone a different degree path.

GET THIS: The more money you earn, the less likely you are to regret your degree choice.

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Apple announced a new feature yesterday coming to iPhone 14 models: an emergency satellite communication feature when you’re not covered by regular data.

When the feature is activated, the screen will guide you to point your phone at the sky toward the nearest satellite. While you won’t be able to make calls or send texts, your location and information about your emergency will be relayed to nearby emergency services.

The feature is going to be free on capable iPhones for the next two years.

BY THE WAY: Apple also introduced upgrades to its Watch and AirPods Pro.

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Netflix has agreed to settle a lawsuit leveled by Soviet Chess master Nona Gaprindashvili, who alleged she was defamed in “The Queen’s Gambit” when a chess announcer in the show said she had “never faced men” in competitive play.

In real life, she actually had played 59 matches against men by 1968, when the scene in question took place in the show.

Netflix has tried to scrap the case, citing First Amendment liberties, but a judge said free speech doesn’t protect defamation of real people.

Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow was up 435 points (1.4%) to close at 31,581 on Wednesday. The S&P added 71 points (1.83%) to close at 3,979 while the Nasdaq added 246 points (2.14%) to close at 11,791.

🛢 Oil prices tumbled Wednesday: West Texas Intermediate fell to $81 and Brent Crude was down to $87.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.76 on Wednesday.

₿ Bitcoing picked up more than $400 Wednesday, trading north of $19,264.

🛩 There were 2,165 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and 211 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

In honor of National Beer Day (yesterday) check out this beer-chugging broad who showed off her talent at not one, but two US Opens.

A side-by-side video of her chugging-skills was shared on the official US Open Twitter account.

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BABY NEWS

Singer ADAM LEVINE, 43, and his wife, model BEHATI PRINSLOO, 34, are expecting baby #3.

The model showed off her growing baby bump while vacationing with her husband and their two daughters, Dusty Rose, 5, and Gio Grace, 4, in Hawaii.

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Baby #2 is on the way for actress BILLIE LOURD, 30, and her husband AUSTEN RYDELL, also 30.

Her baby bump was proudly on display as she walked down a red carpet in London.

The couple are already parents to son Kingston Fisher, 2.

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THE SWAMP

There’s a lot of names here and a lot of dots to connect:

HUNTER BIDEN’s lawyer is Chris Clark, who is a partner at Latham & Watkins in New York. Clark became Hunter Biden’s lawyer in December 2020.
Nicholas McQuaid is the head of the US Department of Justice’s criminal division, a job he got the day President JOE BIDEN took office, on January 1, 2021.
Before getting the DOJ job, McQuaid used to be a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he worked with Clark on at least four different cases.
The Department of Justice has had an open criminal investigation into Hunter Biden since at least 2018 regarding tax fraud, money laundering, and violation of foreign lobbying laws.

Since hacks like JOY REID get to speculate wildly about former President DONALD TRUMP with impunity, let's do some speculation of our own:

It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to consider a scenario where Hunter Biden got connected to a lawyer friendly with a top official headed into the new administration in order to best protect him because everyone in BidenWorld knew what he’d been up to.

WORTH NOTING: Wisconsin Senator RON JOHNSON says his office has been rebuffed at least five times by the Biden DOJ over questions about any conflict of interest over this arrangement.

If there isn’t any conflict, why not address it?

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BARACK and MICHELLE OBAMA were back at the White House Wednesday for the official hanging of their portraits.

The Obamas joined President JOE BIDEN and First Lady JILL BIDEN for lunch beforehand.

WORTH ASKING: In the interest of a return to norms and unifying a divided country, when can former President DONALD TRUMP and MELANIA TRUMP expect an invitation from Biden to hang their portraits?

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $210 million jackpot or a $114 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

JENNIFER LAWRENCE says a line from the show “30 Rock” changed her mind about being a Republican.

Speaking to Vogue for their October issue, the actress explained that when TINA FEY’s character Liz Lemon said, “Just because I think gay dudes should be allowed to adopt kids and we should all have hybrid cars doesn’t mean I don’t love America,” she took note.

Lawrence, who voted for JOHN MCCAIN in 2008, said that another factor in her switching to the Democratic Party is former president DONALD TRUMP and his alleged “refusal to condemn white supremacy.”

WORTH NOTING: Trump did condemn it…many, many, many times over.

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JANN WENNER, a longtime friend of JOHN F. KENNEDY JR., says the attorney once tried to smuggle a foot-long bong into a Rolling Stones concert..

Wenner, known for co-founding Rolling Stone magazine, shared the salacious story in his upcoming memoir, “Like a Rolling Stone.” He also writes about a falling out he had with JFK Jr, and how MARIA SHRIVER helped the two reconcile just weeks before his untimely death.

“Like a Rolling Stone” is due out September 13.

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NORMAN REEDUS is opening up about the terrifying injury he suffered on the set of “The Walking Dead” earlier this year.

While initial reports said it was a “simple head injury,” Reedus told Entertainment Weekly this week that it was “horrible” and he thought he “was going to die.”

Filming had to be put on hold for several weeks as Reedus recovered at home, which he says left him feeling “lots of guilt.” He did eventually make a full recovery and was permitted to return to set.

The second half of the final season of “The Walking Dead” is set to premiere on October 2 on AMC. The series finale will air on November 20.

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It turns out putting on an eco-friendly world tour is a little too rich for COLDPLAY’s blood.

Frontman CHRIS MARTIN said in an interview that they almost had to scrap the global tour because of a “big financial crisis” they had never experienced before. The feel-good band committed to cutting energy consumption by 50% compared to their last tour in 2016.

This has included bringing solar panels to every show and relying on 100% renewable energy at every venue.

But, Martin says, the band played on after making little tweaks here and there.

WORTH NOTING: Martin has a net worth in the nine figures – does he not care enough about the planet to lose some money? Isn’t that the right thing to do?

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CASTING CALL

ANTHONY SCARAMCCI, JAMIE LYNN SPEARS and Spice Girl MEL B are among the 16 celebs set to compete on Fox’s new series “Special Forces: The Ultimate Test.”

“There are no votes, and no eliminations -- just survival,” according to a statement from the network. The contestants will endure physical challenges that candidates of actual special forces training must complete.

It is set to premiere in January.

WORTH NOTING: It’s a spinoff of a popular British format called “Who Dares Wins.”

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KATE WALSH is returning to the upcoming 19th season of “Grey’s Anatomy” in a recurring role.

Her character Dr. Addison Montgomery appeared in a multi-episode arc last season.

Season 19 premieres on October 6.

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A new season of “The Great British Baking Show” drops on Netflix this month.

The baking series will kick off its 10th season on September 16, with new episodes premiering every Friday.

A total of 12 competitors will be featured in the new season, with judges PAUL HOLLYWOOD and PRUE LEITH returning to critique them.

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HELEN HUNT is set to narrate Lifetime’s new series “Meet Marry Murder.”

The series takes a deep dive into several homicide cases featuring spouses -- one the victim and one the murderer.

It premieres on October 3.

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A “Teletubbies” revival is heading to Netflix.

The popular British kids show will be narrated by TITUSS BURGESS. It is set to premiere on the streamer on November 14.

The show initially ran from 1997-2001 and featured colorful friends Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po.

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Over 16 million viewers tuned in to Episode 3 of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” which dropped on Sunday.

That is a 27% increase from Episode 2 viewership, according to HBO.

ANOTHER COFFEE CUP: An eagle-eyed fan took to Twitter to point out that in one scene an actor’s fingers appeared green -- clearly a missed “green screen” edit. This isn’t the first time the show has been called out over editing. In Season 8 Episode 4 a coffee cup -- possibly from Starbucks -- was clearly spotted on a table

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KIM KARDASHIAN is expanding her empire.

She has teamed up with veteran investor JAY SAMMONS to form private-equity firm SKKY Partners. Both will serve as co-founders and co-managing partners, while KRIS JENNER will serve as a partner -- because of course she will.

The firm’s goal is to make investments in “growth-oriented, market-leading consumer and media companies” with a focus on “consumer products, digital, ecommerce, consumer media and entertainment, hospitality and luxury,” according to a company statement.

Sammons will run the day-to-day operations (obviously), while Kim and Kris focus on investment opportunities.

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Actress COURTENEY COX clapped back at KANYE WEST, who once tweeted that her hit show “Friends,” was “not funny.”

In an Instagram video, Cox played Ye’s song “Heartless,” while showing her 12 million followers his tweet. She then turned the song off and walked away.

She captioned the clip, “I bet the old Kayne [sic] thought Friends was funny.”

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

According to a new report, PRINCE HARRY is the one who decided to postpone the release of his memoir.

Sources told Us Weekly that the royal got “contradicting reviews” on the book, causing him to have second thoughts about releasing it this year.

Another insider told the outlet that the delayed release is due to Harry’s spat with his brother, PRINCE WILLIAM, who allegedly is not planning to speak to him until after he sees what is in the book.

The Mirror reports that the royal family is “anxious” and “suspicious” about what could be in the book.

WORTH ASKING: Can Harry and Meg deliver anything on time that they’re paid to produce?

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SPORTS

Louisiana basketball coach JOSHUA WALKER broke five world records in one day, including the world record for the longest basketball shot.

He also made the farthest behind-the-back shot, the farthest basketball hook shot, the farthest basketball bounce shot and the farthest basketball shot made backward.

All of the amazing shots occurred in July of this year, and were recognized by Guinness World Records in August.

FOR THE RECORD: Walker took the record for the longest basketball shot from Elan Buller, who made a basket from 112 feet, 6 inches in 2014. Walker’s record stands at 113 feet, 6 inches.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Ampersand Day

National Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day

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ON THIS DATE

1504 – Outside Florence's public square, the statue of David is unveiled.

Standing 17-feet high, it represents the young man who destroyed the giant Goliath from the Bible story. Michelangelo had completed the work in just three years.

A replica now stands in its original place, as the original is preserved in a museum, where it can be properly cared for.

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1781 – British forces suffer the greatest single-day loss of the whole Revolutionary War.

Nathanael Greene sent a group of 2,200 into Eutaw Springs, located near the Santee River in South Carolina.

The British were caught off guard, and had to abandon their breakfasts to take refuge in a fortified position.

Continental Troops took over the British camp, and started enjoying the leftover breakfasts. But the British soldiers rallied, and started the bloodiest day of the war.

500 Americans died while the British suffered 700 casualties. British Lieutenant Alexander Stewart ordered his men back to Charleston, South Carolina to regroup. The Continental victory, though deadly, was crucial: it allowed the Patriots to continue their control of the southern territories.

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1892 – The Youth's Companion publishes the Pledge of Allegiance.

Its appearance coincided with the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day.

The whole notion began as a marketing schtick to sell flags to public schools and magazines to students.

Early recitations included extending the hand outward, arm up, palm down -- which would eventually resemble the Nazi Salute. That part was written out of the process in 1942.

It originally didn't include the "Under God" clause -- that was added in 1954.

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1915 – A German Zeppelin bombards central London, killing 22 and causing 500 British Pounds worth of damage.

The pilot was Heinrich Mathy, one of the deadliest German blimp pilots ever. He would be shot down a little more than a year later.

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1974 – President Gerald Ford pardons Richard Nixon.

Ford wanted to move past the divisiveness created by the Watergate scandal. "Our long national nightmare is over," he famously said in a TV broadcast.

He would lose re-election in 1976 to Jimmy Carter.

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1986 – The Great Woman Oprah Winfrey, Blessed and Sacred Be Her Name, broadcasts her talk show nationally for the first time.

She would shatter audience viewership records and be credited with forever reshaping the talk show landscape.

The show ran for 25 seasons.

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1998 – Mark McGwire slugs his 62nd home run, breaking the record made by New York Yankee Roger Maris in 1961.

Since then McGwire has been lambasted for using performance-enhancing drugs to assist him through the feat.

Later in the season, Chicago Cubs Sammy Sosa also beat the record, finishing with 66.

But McGwire wasn't done. He finished the season with 70.

Barry Bonds broke both records in 2001, nailing 73 homers.

The first slugger to surpass 60 homeruns in a season was Babe Ruth, in 1927.

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2015 – Stephen Colbert debuts as the new host of CBS’ “The Late Show.”

He took over for David Letterman, who hosted the late night talk show since its debut in 1993.

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2021 - A statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee is removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.

Rulings from the state Supreme Court paved the way for its removal after intense national debate over the statue’s purpose in what was once the capital of the Confederacy.

The statue was one of many removed after George Floyd’s death prompted a nationwide reckoning.

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BIRTHDAYS

Gaten Matarazzo - actor, “Stranger Things” - 20

Deja Kelly - basketball player - 21

Sierra Capri - actress, “On My Block” - 24

Bruno Fernandes - soccer player - 28

Dianne Doan - actress, “Descendants” - 32

Wiz Khalifa - rapper - 35

Chumlee - reality star, “Pawn Stars” - 40

Jonathan Taylor Thomas - actor, “Home Improvement” - 41

Slim Thug - rapper - 42

Pink - pop singer - 43

Larenz Tate - actor, “Family Matters” - 47

David Arquette - actor, “Scream” & “Wild Bill” - 51

Martin Freeman - actor, “The Hobbit” films - 51

Big Boy - DJ - 53

Ruby Bridges - civil rights leader - 68

Bernie Sanders - politician, who owns three homes - 81

Born On This Date

Avicii - DJ - 1989 (d. 2018)

Patsy Cline - country singer - 1932 (d. 1963)

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