Trump spirals; old people got all the money; Thermos explosions prompt recall; crocodile airlift; bye bye Spirit.
It's National Hoagie Day!
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—Kevin G. Barkes
(Most) everything you need to know for today:
May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 240 days remain until the end of the year. As of this writing, 990 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
Iran war live updates: Attacks in gulf threaten to reignite conflict. U.S. warships shot down missiles and drones aimed at ships the Navy was guiding through the Strait of Hormuz, and the authorities in the United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for a drone attack. (New York Times gift article)
Trump derails White House event to spiral over state of his health. President Donald Trump derailed his own speech Monday to insist how mentally healthy he is, following new poll data showing that a record high of Americans think he’s lost his mind. (The New Republic)
Trump says he doesn’t need congressional authorization for Iran operations, citing ceasefire. Trump told reporters he considers seeking congressional authorization under the War Powers Act "unconstitutional" and falsely claimed other presidents had not done so. (NBC News)
The great $110 trillion wealth transfer won’t happen any time soon. Americans 55 and up control most wealth, and many of them have decades of living left. They say that like it’s a bad thing… (Wall Street Journal gift article)
The only thing worse than Spirit Airlines … is a world without Spirit Airlines. The airline ran on a singular cynical insight: In exchange for low air fare, plenty of travelers would be willing to tolerate essentially anything. (The Atlantic gift article)
Thermos recalls over 8 million bottles after reports of ‘permanent vision loss’. Time to add one more thing to the list of improbable but real ways you could get severely maimed: an exploding Thermos bottle. The makers of the official product have issued a product recall of over eight million bottles and jars, following the discovery of a defect that can cause them to “forcefully eject” into people’s faces and eyes. (Gizmodo)
How an ocean cruise turned into a hantavirus nightmare. The first victim of a suspected hantavirus outbreak had already been dead 21 days when fellow passenger Jake Rosmarin posted a video about cows he had seen on a remote volcanic island in the Atlantic, showing no indication he was aware his cruise ship was about to be quarantined. (Reuters)
Grok convinces man to arm himself because assassins were coming to kill him. Grok led a Northern Irish man named Adam Hourican — a 50-year-old dad with no history of psychosis — into what sounds like a full-blown breakdown. (Futurism)
Police airlift crocodile from river on suspicion of eating missing businessman. Aerial reconnaissance had identified the reptile after it appeared unusually still, with a full, distended gut - a sign it had recently eaten a large meal. (The Independent)
Late Night:
The Daily Show: As America’s situationship with Iran hits the 60-day War Powers Act deadline, Trump brazenly ignores Congress's authority while spouting nonsense about America's depleted weapons inventory, and Jon Stewart marvels at our "genius" president's faulty math and cognitive skills. Plus, a visit from a real monarch, King Charles, shines a light on the lack of checks and balances from America's absent Congress. (Video)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Trump’s insane posting spree, lies about war and MAGA pins Giuliani’s health issues on Jimmy Kimmel. (Video)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: A new "Star Wars" film is on the way and the merchandising has begun, President Trump rejected Iran's latest offer to end the war, and beloved brands Ask Jeeves and Spirit Airlines are no more. (Video)
Cold Open: President Trump spoke to residents at America's largest retirement community. (Video)
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Trump’s Strait of Hormuz plan fails, Spirit collapses, GOP redraws Congressional Maps: A Closer Look (Video)
Keep scrolling… lots of interesting stuff in Quote of the Day, Holidays, On This Day, Birthdays, and Deaths. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn something new.
History highlight:
2023 – The World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.
Quote of the Day:
If you just say enough things, some of them will end up on those quote websites.
--Hank Green (Wikipedia link)
(More Hank Green quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
African World Heritage Day, Childhood Depression Awareness Day, Cinco de Mayo, Hug a Shed and Take a Selfie Day, International Midwives Day, Lag B’omer, Museum Lover’s Day, Nail Day, National Astronaut Day, National Cartoonist Day, National Concert Day, National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, National Enchilada Day, National Foster Care Day, National Hoagie Day, National Silence the Shame Day, National Teacher Day, Oyster Day, Poem on Your Pillow Day, Revenge of the Fifth, Totally Chipotle Day, World Asthma Day, World Hand Hygiene Day, and World Pulmonary Hypertension Day.
On This Day:
2025 – The telecommunications app Skype was discontinued by Microsoft.
2023 – The World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.
2002 – “Spider-Man” became the first movie to top $100 million in its opening weekend.
1997 – The final episode of “Married… with Children” aired on Fox.
1989 – The movie “Field of Dreams” was released nationally in the U.S. (Video)
1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States.
1981 – IRA militant Bobby Sands died in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
1978 – Ben & Jerry’s opened its first ice cream shop.
1973 – Secretariat won the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.
1973 – Columbia released Paul Simon’s third solo studio album, “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon“. (Video)
1962 – The “West Side Story" Broadway soundtrack album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, where it remained #1 for 54 weeks. (Video)
1961 – Project Mercury: Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight. (Video)
1955 – Allies ended their occupation of West Germany.
1955 – “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway.
1952 – The "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" (also known as "Vitameatavegamin") episode of "I Love Lucy" premiered, garnering 68% of US television viewers. (Video)
1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army killed six people near Bly, Oregon.
1921 – Chanel No. 5 perfume was introduced.
1920 – Authorities arrested Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1912 – The first issue of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda was published.
1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case began in London, England; it marked the first time that fingerprint evidence was used to gain a conviction for murder.
1904 – Cy Young pitched the first perfect game in MLB history.
1900 – Billboard changed from a monthly to a weekly magazine.
1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1868 – Martha Jones became the first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent.
1866 – Memorial Day was first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opened between Brussels and Mechelen.
1821 – The first edition of The Manchester Guardian, now The Guardian, was published.
1821 – Emperor Napoleon died in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1494 – On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sighted Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaica the property of the Spanish crown.
1260 – Kublai Khan became ruler of the Mongol Empire.
(For more comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
2004 – Jenna Davis, American actress and YouTuber
1994 – Celeste, British singer
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist (died 2013)
1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (died 2015) (Video)
1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter (Video)
1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1998)
1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor (Video)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (died 2001) (Video)
1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (died 2010) (Video)
1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress (died 2022) (Video)
1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (died 1958) (Video)
1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (died 1982)
1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (died 1960)
1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (died 1922)
1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (died 1883)
1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (died 1855)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2024 – Jeannie Epper, American stuntwoman (“Wonder Woman”) and actress (born 1941) (Video)
2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (born 1931)
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (born 1917)
2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, invented the laser (born 1927)
2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (born 1916)
2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (born 1904)
2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (born 1918)
1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (born 1769)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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