A federal judge paused an expected plea deal with President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. The younger Biden, 53, was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of failing to pay taxes and would receive two years of probation, and in return he would not be prosecuted on a gun possession charge. But District Judge Maryellen Noreika, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, told lawyers to adjust language in the deal that would prevent Biden from future prosecution for tax crimes.
2. THIS ONE'S WEIRD
A former Air Force intelligence officer told Congress that the government secretly tries to gather information on UFOs and learn how they work. The Pentagon denies retired Maj. David Grusch's claims. Lawmakers have criticized the military for not being more transparent about what it learns about UFOs (which the military calls UAPs — unidentified aerial phenomena).
"The truth is out there, but so are lies."
(Giphy)
3. WINNING PERFORMANCE
Kevin Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault charges involving four men by a London jury in a case that centered on allegations of sexual abuse between 2001 to 2013. While Spacey has worked little since 2017, when men first came forward with stories of abuse, he has continued to beat cases against him, including a $40 million lawsuit brought by Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp last fall.
4. DRIVEN MAD
When the Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate, as it just did to 5.3%, everyone thinks about how it will price more people out of buying a home. But it also prices more folks out of buying cars — 14% of applicants were denied an auto loan over the last 12 months, the highest share in at least a decade. The high rates have pushed payments so high — the average is now $736 — that even applicants with good credit are getting denied.
On the bright side, lower inflation means you'll be able to afford an extra pair of walking shoes.
5. 'COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE'
Weakened by a fire, the arm of a construction crane working 45 stories above Manhattan snapped off, smashed into a building and fell hundreds of feet onto 10th Avenue. Four people suffered minor injuries, and two firefighters were treated for chest pain, but "this could have been much worse," said Mayor Eric Adams.
Yikes.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
6. KETTLE'S ON
Seawater measured off the tip of Florida hit 100 degrees for the second day in a row. That's tentatively the hottest ever measured and puts the waters in the 100 to 102 range recommended by Jacuzzi for its hot tubs. As rising temperatures weaken and kill more coral around the world, fish lose habitat and coastlines lose their primary shock absorber against damage from waves and hurricanes.
If the temps get any higher, we'll be steeping like tea.
7. CHARGING FORWARD
Seven major automakers including GM, Honda and Hyundai, will build a network of charging stations to rival Tesla's by 2030. Their planned 30,000 plugs across 1,500 to 3,000 stations in the U.S. and Canada, which will be open to all electric cars, would roughly double the current network of 36,000 plugs. That will still be far too little, according to federal estimates that the growing share of EVs will need 182,000 plugs by the end of the decade.
8. IN MEMORIAM
Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor died at age 56, her family said. Ascendant in the early 1990s with her chart-topping "Nothing Compares 2 U," the provocative performer received fierce backlash when she criticized the Catholic Church's sexual abuse by ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live.
Sinéad O'Connor performs in Switzerland in 2008.
(AP Photo/KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza)
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Travis Scott won't be performing at the Pyramids of Giza after all, but his new album still drops Friday, and Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero has now been streamed 1 billion times. Today's video offers news about Michael Jackson lawsuits and Jason Aldean's controversial song, plus new-season clips from Netflix's The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On and Disney's HSMTMTS (got that?).
10. WHALE DEATHS
More than 50 pilot whales have died out of 97 that stranded themselves on a beach in Western Australia, and zoo veterinarians and marine biologists scrambled to save the rest. Experts aren't sure why the whales beached themselves en masse, but it could be the result of stress or illness in the highly social animals' group, called a pod.
CHECK. IT. OUT.
Bingeing Full House might be a rewatch for us, but for comedian and actor Dave Coulier — who played Uncle Joey through the sitcom's eight-season run — it's the first time he's watched the series that made his name. He joined Cheddar News to talk about the Full House Rewind, his new podcast where he shares behind the scenes stories and everything else you oughta know about the '80s and '90s classic.
Dave Coulier attends MegaCon Orlando 2021.
(Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
my girlfriend sold her prized barbie toy collection to get me a ticket to oppenheimer this weekend. and i sold my supply of highly enriched uranium to get her a ticket to the barbie movie 😔
