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Hollywood Legend's Shocking Death Ruled 'Suspicious'
Your unbiased daily news brief
James Kratch
February 28, 2025
Good Friday morning. A grassroots organization is encouraging an economic blackout in the U.S. today to protest billionaires, major corporations and politicians. Have a great weekend.
In Today’s Brief
Texas: Measles death
Mexico: Drug extraditions
Slotkin: Democratic response
Tariffs: New date
Oscars: On Sunday
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Gene Hackman: 1930-2025
The heralded actor was discovered dead at his New Mexico home along, as was his wife and one of the couple's dogs.
The news: Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered in separate rooms by maintenance workers. Officials said it appeared both had been deceased for '"some time." A dog was also found dead with two others found alive. A search warrant said the deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."
More details: There were no signs of forced entry. Arakawa was found in a bathroom; a bottle of prescription pills was on the counter. Hackman was found in a mudroom. Cops surmised both could have fallen suddenly; neither had external injuries. There were no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas leak. Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said there are no signs of foul play, but it cannot be ruled out. It will likely take weeks for complete autopsies and toxicology reports to be finalized.
Looking back: Hackman was a Marine Corps veteran whose career blossomed late. He won two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes while starring in iconic films like The French Connection, Superman, Hoosiers, Mississippi Burningand numerous others. He retired from Hollywood in 2004 but was reportedly in good health. Hackman married Arakawa, a classically-trained pianist, in 1991. They did not have any children together.
2) Funny money
The Securities and Exchange Commission made a significant ruling yesterday.
What happened: The SEC said most meme coins are not securities under federal law. The agency said the cryptocurrencies are similar to collectibles and "typically have limited or no use or functionality."
Catch up: Meme coins -- also known as "sh-tcoins" -- are cryptocurrencies with popular culture-inspired origins. The name of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is a riff on Dogecoin, one of the more prominent meme coins. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump launched their meme coins before Inauguration Day.
Wild ride: Meme coins can be wildly volatile. Trump's coin had a paper valuation of $13B shortly after it launched; it has since crashed. The same goes for almost all meme coins that catch fire. Critics argue they are ripe for financial crimes and fraud and could be used to enrich and influence government officials and politicians.
Big picture: Just because meme coins are not considered securities does not mean owners will not see taxes on their gains. And the lack of regulation means people will not have the same legal protections if they lose money due to questionable actors and tactics. House Democrats are expected to propose legislation targeting Trump's meme coin.
3) Potential breakthrough
The Middle East may be on the verge of another sea change.
The news: Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, called for his organization to disarm, disband and end decades of conflict with Turkey.
Catch up: PKK has waged guerrilla warfare against the Turkish government since the 1970s. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and other Western and NATO allies. A ceasefire between the PKK and Ankara collapsed a decade ago.
Complicated situations: The PKK has ties to more moderate Kurdish groups that have entered Turkey's political mainstream in addition to militias that control territory in Iraq and Syria, including the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Ocalan, who has been held on an island since 1999, could be released if his party listens to his call.
Big picture: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is constitutionally term-limited. But the strongman is expected to try to find a way to stay in power. He has also pushed to grow Turkey's stature as a regional power through multiple avenues -- opposition to Israel's war in Gaza, appeals to moderate between Russia, Ukraine and NATO, efforts to step into a vacuum created by Iran's degradation -- and the PKK bombshell gives him even more leverage over the future of Syria.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Texas' measles outbreak has led to the first known U.S. virus death in 10 years. Officials said an unvaccinated child passed away; there have been 124 cases in the state, plus a handful in neighboring New Mexico and a recent smattering nationwide (More)
The Justice Department released some documents related to late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein; there were no substantial new revelations. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed the FBI's New York field office is still withholding information (More | More)
North Carolina police charged a woman with attempted murder after she locked her boyfriend in a storage unit. The man survived for four days despite lacking access to electricity, food or water; he managed to call 911 after finding his phone before it ran out of battery (More)
World News
Mexico extradited 29 drug traffickers to the U.S., including major cartel leaders. The move was unexpected and viewed as a goodwill gesture to the Trump Administration amid trade talks and a renewed focus on border security (More)
Senegal signed a new peace deal with separatist rebels in the latest bid to end a decades-long armed conflict. The Casamance region of the African country has been contested since the 1980s (More)
The oldest known Holocaust survivor died at 113. Rose Girone passed away at a New York state nursing home; she and her husband managed to flee Germany with their daughter, but were then oppressed by Japanese forces in China (More)
Political News
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic rebuttal after President Trump addresses Congress next Tuesday. New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat will make the party's Spanish-language response after the joint-session address (More)
King Charles invited Trump to a second United Kingdom state visit. Prime Minister Keir Starmer touted the gesture as "unprecedented" at the White House; second-term presidents typically only have meetings when returning across the pond (More)
Trump held the first cabinet meeting of his second term yesterday. Elon Musk was among the attendees despite not having an official position; the billionaire again claimed without evidence that dead and fictitious people are fraudulently being paid by the federal government (More | More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed lower yesterday. Nvidia slipped below a $3T market cap despite reporting solid results, pulling the markets down with it (Dow -0.45%, Nasdaq -2.78%, S&P 500 -1.59%).
President Trump plans to hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs next Tuesday while doubling tariffs on China to 20%. He said he is working on a trade deal with the United Kingdom that could allow it to avoid tariffs; the European Union could also see 25% duties (More | More)
The founding family of 7-Eleven's Japanese parent company abandoned a $58B buyout bid due to financing issues. Seven & i could now face pressure to revisit merger talks with Circle-K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard (More)
Entertainment & Sports
The 97th Academy Awards are Sunday night in Los Angeles (7 p.m. ET, ABC). Emilia Perez is the most-nominated film with 13 nods, followed by 10 for Conclave and Wicked (More)
Travis Kelce will play for the Kansas City Chiefs next season. The future Hall of Fame tight end (and Taylor Swift's boyfriend) had been the subject of recent retirement speculation at age 35 (More)
Chess grandmaster Boris Spassky died at 88. The Russian was world champion from 1969-72, losing the title to American grandmaster Bobby Fischer in a match that drew international attention amid the Cold War (More)
Quick Hitters
Fun Stuff: A mountainside in China looks like an adorable dog. No, really; check out the viral photo taking the internet by storm.
Big Bucks: Two Colorado strip clubs must pay $14M in back wages and penalties. A judge found the establishments "violated nearly every applicable provision" of Denver's civil theft and minimum wage laws.
Deep Dive: Neighborhood pharmacies are rapidly disappearing across the country. Here is a look at why so many are shuttering and what people can do if theirs closes.
Geography Lesson: Africa has 54 countries -- the most of any continent -- and almost as many varying types of national borders. Here is a rundown examining some of the more unusual dividing lines.
Life Hack: Building a consistent (and realistic) morning routine is possible, even if you are not a morning person. Here are some tips to set yourself up for success.
Watch This
A UFO explorer found a strange object at the bottom of the Baltic Sea over a decade ago. There is still no explanation for it.
Links
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Joy Behar does not want to get sued by Elon Musk 📺
The FBI may join forces with UFC 🤼♂️
Illinois' controversial 'Super Mayor' was voted out 🗳️
An original The Office character will be in the spinoff show 📋
Looking Ahead …
NASA will attempt to launch the SPHEREx space observatory this weekend. The spacecraft will map the entire sky four times over two years, allowing scientists to study how galaxies form and evolve and examine the universe's creation.