Friday 16 September 2022

A man made $100K suing predatory telemarketers. He's opening a bar called The Wrong Number.

September 16, 2022 | VIEW IN BROWSER

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The line to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II grew so long it had to be halted for hours, and Martha's Vineyard deals with the unexpected arrival of nearly 50 migrants sent there by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Plus, the man who turned settlements from annoying telemarketing calls into enough money to buy a bar.

THE LATEST

👑The line to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II was halted for hours after it grew to nearly 5 miles long.

The line of mourners in London waiting to pay their respects to the queen grew so long it had to be closed for six hours after reaching capacity. Thousands have braved a wait of up to 14 hours on a line stretching nearly 5 miles to file past the queen's coffin in Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral on Monday. King Charles III and the queen's other three children will mount a vigil by her coffin today. Charles will pay his first visit to Wales as king before returning to London to be alongside his siblings at the vigil. Go here for live updates on the queen's memorial.

Volunteers in Martha's Vineyard mobilized to provide food and shelter after Florida's governor flew two planes of migrants there without warning.

After two flights arranged by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis containing 48 migrants landed in the popular island getaway of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Wednesday without warning, officials and local volunteers jumped into action to provide them with shelter, food and medical care. DeSantis sent the planes of migrants north in what appeared to be a protest of President Biden's border security policies. Democrats have countered that DeSantis and other Republicans are using the migrants as political pawns.

💪 How young Latinx parents are ending the cycle of 'machismo' in their families.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we spoke to several Latinx parents about how they're ending the often-toxic cycle of "machismo" culture in their young families. In many Latin cultures, machismo, a term coined in the 1930s, often prevails as an attitude that prizes macho posturing and puts men in domineering positions over women. But a new generation of parents refuses to adhere to these stifling norms. "(Our kids) see diversity in our household," Vannessa Rodriguez, 42, tells us. "My husband cooks and cleans ... There is no dynamic of 'the man works in the yard and the woman works inside.'" For more on this story, go here.

🧢 How often should you wash your favorite baseball hat? A cleaning expert and a dermatologist weigh in.

It's easy to forget to clean the hat you usually just slap on for a day in the sun or at the ballpark. But it might need to be cleaned multiple times a year, depending on how often you wear it, one cleaning expert told us. You may not realize it, but not washing hats for long stretches could lead to irritated skin. Here's what to know before you wash your cap, plus some tips on properly washing baseball hats and deals on 9 trendy baseball hats.

LIVE BETTER TODAY

Achieve your life goals with easy tips.

Get inspired to get into a walking routine from these 12 tips from 12 people who built walking habits from scratch and had successful results as members of the Start TODAY Facebook group. They shared with us how steps like using their walks to change their mindset, connect with other people and explore their surroundings also helped them reach fitness goals.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you.

Make chef Roze Traore's shredded braised brisket sandwiches (above) the newest addition to your football tailgate or gametime snack. Roze stopped by for the latest installment of the TODAY Food Loves Football series to show us how to make this slow-braised dish in the oven with a two-pound brisket and a mornay sauce (a style of cheese sauce). For a warmup or some side snacks, he shared his smashed parmesan potatoes with fresh herbs and a cool yogurt sauce.

DAILY DELIGHT

A little pick-me-up before you go.

Hello? Yes, you've got The Wrong Number. We're open all night. A North Carolina man who racked up more $100,000 in settlement money from unwanted telemarketing calls decided to open a bar he's calling The Wrong Number. Despite being on the Do Not Call list, Omar Khouri was getting telemarketing calls during the pandemic in 2020. So he started following through on reaching settlements, resulting in between 30 and 40 checks that added up to $100,000. First of all, we had no idea that was a thing that could happen. (It depends on your state's laws). Secondly, if you're looking for us on a Saturday night, just call The Wrong Number. "We'll have a drink that's the 'Car Warranty,' another one that's 'Debt Relief,' one called 'Student Loans,'" he told us. "Whatever the name of the scam is."