Here’s a look at the weekday email our subscribers enjoy. First, a couple things:
You’ll see how we curate and distill important news of the day. Read it on the fly for your show or use the topics as great conversation starters with guests or your fans on social media.
Then, the full edition, including more headline news, celebrity stories, and daily features like “This Day in History” and notable birthdays round out each edition.
Today is Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
It is the 15th day of the year.
350 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
ELON MUSK faces another federal lawsuit with just days to go in the Biden administration. Details in HIT LIST.
DIDDY’s defense thinks they have a win and COLDPLAY releases a “Moon Music” companion film. More in SHOWBIZ.
More delays for Hollywood events. Details in CASTING CALL.
Good news from PRINCESS KATE in ROYALS.
###
Xanax and alcohol may seem like a good idea for a nervous flyer, but for 34-year-old Zachary Greear it was a costly mistake.
After taking the concoction, Greear wet himself, his seat, and the nearby aisle, forcing the flight from Amsterdam to change course, and the pilot to dump more than $30,000 worth of fuel.
Despite offering the court his sincerest apology, officers claim Greear not only soiled himself, but also acted “unruly” and was so intoxicated he “couldn’t understand where he was.”
He was ordered to pay the damages caused to the flight, which amounted to about $10,308. [via The Guardian]
WORTH NOTING: The incident comes as Dublin-based Ryanair called for airport bars to limit the number of drinks they serve to passengers, as was reported yesterday.
###
ELON MUSK faces another lawsuit connected to his purchase of Twitter-turned-X – this time from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Before beginning the hostile takeover of the company, Musk quietly bought shares in the social media platform, eventually worth more than 5% of all outstanding shares. The SEC argues this threshold should have required Musk to publicly disclose his stake before he did. Waiting to disclose his ownership value at the time helped him save about $150 MILLION, they argue, because other investors would have valued the stock differently had they known Musk was making moves.
Reps for Musk say the suit is a “sham.” Last month, the SEC gave Musk the option to pay a fine to avoid the lawsuit. No word on whether the SEC under the direction of a second Trump administration will continue to pursue the charges – but you can probably guess. [via CNBC]
GoFundMe has raised more than $100 million for the families affected by the L.A. wildfires, thanks to several donations from celebrities.
“Shark Tank” star BARBARA CORCORAN donated $50,000; ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER gave $10,000; musician MARSHMALLO contributed $45,000; actress SOFIA VERGARA gave $20,000; the JONAS BROTHERS and ZACH BRYAN each donated $15,000, while a handful of celebs, including MEGHAN TRAINOR, GAL GADOT, PINK, and KRISTEN BELL contributed $5,000 each. [via TMZ]
###
MANDY MOORE and her family have been staying with actress HILARY DUFF and her husband MATTHEW KOMA after losing their L.A. home.
Moore’s brother-in-law, who also lost his home in the blaze, took to Instagram to thank Duff and Koma for not only opening up their home, but also setting up a GoFundMe for him and wife, who are expecting a baby.
When Moore shared the GoFundMe page with followers, she was met with swift backlash from people suggesting she just give her own money, and not ask for donations. She addressed the comments, saying they are “not helpful or empathetic,” while adding that “of course” they are helping financially.
In addition to losing their homes, Moore said her children’s school is also gone. [via THR]
###
The red carpet Season 2 premiere of Netflix’s action drama series “The Night Agent” has been canceled due to the L.A. wildfires.
Season 2, which follows newly minted Night Action agent Peter Sutherland (GABRIEL BASSO) and cyber security expert Rose Larkin (LUCIANE BUCHANAN) racing to save the city from a terrorist attack, starts streaming on January 23. [via Deadline]
###
UP NEXT: An unruly Eagles fan hurls vile insults caught on video, how BRAD PITT got unwittingly wrapped up in a European love scam, TAYLOR SWIFT’s renovations, why the FDA thinks you’re stupid, and the birth of the Democrat Donkey in History.
QUICK NOTE: This is typically where the free version breaks off each day. We save the great daily information below, including This Day in History and By The Numbers, for Top Shelf subscribers.
PLUS: At the bottom, you can download a Rip ‘n Read PDF version of the daily email as a Top Shelf subscriber!
HIT LIST
A federal lawsuit accuses CAPITAL ONE of deceptively misleading customers with its high-yield savings account offerings.
The suit, brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, alleges that the bank offered two, similarly-named savings products with vastly different interest rates, but specifically prevented employees from explaining the difference to customers.
One is called 360 Savings and the other 360 Performance Savings. While the Performance version provides higher yields, the basic version only offers about 0.3%. According to the suit, “The only thing that has ever meaningfully distinguished 360 Performance Savings from 360 Savings is the former product’s higher interest rate.”
A rep for Capital One tells the New York Times it intends to dispute the accusations in court. [via New York Times]
###
A verbally abusive Eagles fan went viral for his disgusting taunts of a female Packers at Sunday’s playoff game in Philly – and now he’s been banned from ever watching his team in person ever again.
Speaking to local Philly media, the victim of the harassment, Ally Keller, says the man in the video, Ryan Caldwell, kept trying to pick fights with her and her fiance, Alex Basara.
Basara says, “He started out with playful jabs at first or kind of just saying things to us right when we sat down.” He adds, “It got worse and worse as the game went on.” As the Eagles lead grew, the taunts got worse. Caldwell told the couple to have a better attitude, despite his harassment (and the Packers’ poor performance).
When the couple refused to engage in tit-for-tat, Caldwell started making it personal. He reportedly told Keller, “Actually you’re not even good looking enough to be talking to me.” The insults continued, until Basara started filming, which was enough to get Caldwell to pipe down.
After the video swiftly went viral, Caldwell was quickly connected to the company he works for, a social justice consulting firm called BCT Partners. The firm publicly acknowledged Caldwell as the culprit but so far has not announced whether he’s been terminated from his job. Caldwell has also appeared to have wiped all of his social media accounts.
USA Today reports that the Eagles have banned Caldwell from attending any events at their stadium, Lincoln Financial Field. The team has also reportedly tracked down the woman and will be sending her a bunch of Packers gear as part of an apology, but Keller says she hasn’t heard anything yet from the team. [via Morning Martini, NBC Philadelphia]
###
The Food and Drug Administration thinks you’re too stupid to turn around a food package to see what’s in it.
A new rule proposed by the regulatory agency would require food manufacturers to put a product’s fat, sodium, and sugar content on the front of its packaging. As anyone who’s ever bought literally anything at a grocery store already knows, a complete Nutrition Information label is already required on such items.
IDIOCRACY: And to further dolt-proof the packaging, the fat, sodium, and sugar content will only be described as “low,” “medium,” or “high.”
If the proposed rule goes into effect, manufacturers would have until 2028 to comply. [via NBC News]
###
BABY NEWS
Former football star TIM TEBOW and his wife, former Miss Universe DEMI-LEIGH are expecting their first child together.
He’s 37 and she’s 29.
They tied the knot in 2020.
###
BREAKUPS
JESSICA SIMPSON and ERIC JOHNSON are calling it quits after 10 years of marriage.
She’s 44 and he’s 45.
Simpson confirmed the separation in a statement to People Magazine, though she didn’t spill any details.
The two are parents to two daughters, 12-year-old Maxwell and 5-year-old Birdie, and 11-year-old son Ace.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 221 points (0.52%) to close at 42,518 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 6 points (0.11%) to close at 5,842 and the NASDAQ lost 43 points (0.23%) to close at 19,044.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN gained over 2% on Tuesday, trading around $96,500.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $303 million jackpot or a $132.8 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
SEAN COMBS thinks the “freak off” videos that were confiscated by the government will actually work in his favor, and prove that things were all consensual between him and then-girlfriend, CASSIE.
According to new legal docs filed by Combs’ team, the nine-or-so videos feature “private sexual activity between fully consenting adults in a long-term relationship.”
The defense also claims that the videos were turned over to the feds by Cassie, not Combs, as previously reported.
No word on how this plays into the slew of other accusations against him. [via TMZ]
###
COLDPLAY announced a 44-minute “companion film” for their most recent album, “Moon Music.”
The project, called “A Film for the Future,” will debut on YouTube next week on January 22. There will also be live screenings at specially-equipped facilities in London, Manchester, and Seoul, where viewers can watch a 360-degree version.
In partnership with Microsoft, after the debut of the film, fans will be able to create their own remixes of the music and video.
###
WHOOPI GOLDBERG is (sort of) supportive of CARRIE UNDERWOOD’s decision to perform at DONALD TRUMP’s upcoming inauguration.
“I stand behind her,” she said this week on “The View.” “If I believe I have the right to make up my mind to go perform some place, I believe [she has] the same right.”
That being said, Goldberg said she still “won’t be watching.”
Co-host and fellow never-Trumper SUNNY HOSTIN added that she has “scheduled a spa day” for January 20. [via EW]
###
TAYLOR SWIFT is adding on to her $17.75 million Rhode Island mansion.
The new addition will feature another bedroom and more bathrooms, according to a building permit obtained by the Providence Journal. Her kitchen will also be getting a makeover.
Total costs are expected to run the billionaire about $1.7 million. [via Page Six]
###
A 53-year-old French woman was conned out of $850,000 by a scammer pretending to be BRAD PITT.
The woman, identified only as Anne, was married to a millionaire when she started texting with who she believed was the A-list actor in 2023. During their “relationship,” the scammer conned her out of large chunks of money claiming he needed the funds for cancer treatment. The individual also included duped photos to seal the deal.
The fake Pitt said he couldn’t access his own funds because they were all tied up in his divorce from ANGELINA JOLIE.
It wasn’t until Anne saw a photo of Pitt out with current girlfriend, INES DE RAMON, that she realized it was all a hoax. After filing a complaint, Anne entered treatment for depression. The scammer has not been caught. [via TMZ]
CASTING CALL
A highly anticipated announcement from BEYONCE has been delayed because of the ongoing inferno in L.A.
The decision follows a hefty donation of $2.5 million from her BeyGOOD foundation to the relief funds. [via @beyonce]
###
“Ms. Rachel,” the hit kids TV series, which started as a web series on YouTube, is heading to Netflix.
Beginning January 27, four 30- to 60-minute episodes will be available, with more on the way later this year. [via People]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCESS KATE announced on Tuesday that she is in remission from cancer and focused on recovery.
In an Instagram post, the Princess of Wales said that while she’s adjusting to “a new normal,” “there is much to look forward to.” The post coincided with the announcement that she and PRINCE WILLIAM have become co-patrons of a cancer charity called The Royal Marsden.
Kate also visited the charity’s research hospital on Tuesday and visited with patients receiving treatment. [via The Sun]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Hat Day
National Strawberry Ice Cream Day
Museum Selfie Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1559 - Queen Elizabeth I takes the throne.
Her half-sister Mary had died two months earlier. Elizabeth was a Protestant, and her sister a Catholic. It took a while to figure out whether it would be okay for a British monarch to assume control without subscribing to Catholicism. But the nobility favored a split from the Vatican, and approved of Elizabeth's reign.
Elizabeth established the Church of England, which encouraged greater acceptance of Catholics.
###
1797 - According to legend, a haberdasher named John Etherington wears a top hat in public for the first time – to chaotic results.
As the story goes, the sight of Etherington’s headwear aused a riot on the streets of London, with several women fainting, children screaming, dogs yelping, and a young boy breaking his arm after falling down in the melee.
A contemporaneous news report says Etherington’s unique headwear was “calculated to frighten timid people.” Etherington was charged with breach of the peace and ordered to pay a 500 Pound fine.
###
1870 – Thomas Nast publishes a cartoon that depicts the Democratic Party as a donkey, at least indirectly.
In the cartoon, the donkey was labeled "Copperhead Papers," meant to refer to the Southern newspapers heavily influenced by Democratic politics.
The allegory did not catch on immediately. Four years later, Nast would depict the Republican Party as an elephant.
###
1934 - While robbing the First National Bank in East Chicago, Indiana, a police officer shoots and wounds John Dillinger.
Dillinger would survive the shooting thanks to a bullet proof vest, but he killed killed the officer. Ten days later, Dillinger and his gang were arrested in Tuscon, then extradited back to Indiana.
He escaped just a few weeks later, and continued his crime spree.
###
1967 - The Packers and Chiefs face off in the first Super Bowl.
The world championship brought together the teams of the separate National and American Football Leagues.
Coach Vince Lombardi and QB Bart Starr led the Packers to a 35-10 win. Each player pocketed $15,000 for winning - an astronomical sum for the time and a record for professional sports.
Three years later the NFL and AFL would merge.
###
1970 - Muammar Qaddafi takes control of Libya.
He had been an army captain who helped lead the overthrow of the previous monarch, King Idris, the year before.
Qaddafi's rule was marked by orthodox Islam and far-left based on hatred for Western culture.
###
2009 - Sully Sullenberger lands the historic "Miracle on the Hudson" flight.
The passenger jet hit a flock of geese just as it was ascending and lost power in both engines. Sully was unable to return to the runway and prepared for a water landing.
Everyone survived, though one passenger suffered two broken legs.
The disaster also demonstrated the influence of social media in the digital age: photos and videos of the plane in the water began popping up on computer screens and smartphones around the globe almost instantly, both from witnesses and the victims.
###
2021 - The global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic passes 2 million.
The actual number is believed to be much higher.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Chicago West - daughter of Ye and Kim - 7
Valentina Zenere - actress, “Soy Luna” - 28
Deebo Samuel - football player - 29
Dove Cameron - actress, “Descendants” - 29
Caroline Arapoglou - actress, “Outer Banks” & “Stranger Things” - 34
Skrillex - DJ - 37
Kelly Kelly - wrestler - 38
Ben Shapiro - journalist, The Daily Wire - 41
Pitbull - rapper - 44
Drew Brees - football player - 46
Regina King - actress, “Watchmen” & “If Beale Street Could Talk” - 54
Shane McMahon - wrestler & son of Vince McMahon - 55
Charo - actress & comedian - 74
Born On This Date
Martin Luther King Jr. - civil rights leader - 1929 (d. 1968)
Edward Teller - father of the Hydrogen bomb - 1908 (d. 2003)
###
