Celebrity Suicide: Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died a suicide in New York City yesterday. Her body was found outside her high rise apartment building.

  Kryst was a super achiever, both a lawyer and a correspondent on the television show “Extra.” She won the pageant in 2019.

  People who knew her said she had given no indication she was in trouble. In October 2019, Kryst posted on Facebook for World Mental Health Day, offering tips on coping with stress. “I do a lot to make sure that I maintain my mental health,” she wrote. “And the most important thing that I did is talk to a counselor. She’s really easy to talk to. She gives me great strategies especially if I’m sad or happy or have a busy month ahead of me.” 

  But she had also written an essay in Allure magazine in which she bemoaned turning 30, saying, “Each time I say ‘I’m turning 30, I cringe a little. Sometimes I can successfully mask this uncomfortable response with excitement; other times, my enthusiasm feels hollow, like bad acting.” She wrote, “Society has never been kind to those growing old, especially women.” 

  Kryst jumped from her luxury 60-story building on 42nd Street at about 7:15 in the morning. Shortly before she jumped, she posted on her Instagram page, “May this day bring you rest and peace.”

Stop the Music: Responding to musicians pulling their music because of Covid misinformation spread by podcaster Joe Rogan, the audio platform Spotify has published its rules in an effort to mollify critics. Nils Lofgren, formerly of  Crazy Horse and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band is the latest to take himself off Spotify. 

  “We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a news release. “In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”

  In other words, it doesn’t sound like much is going to change.

  Answering the question of why Spotify would side with Joe Rogan over Neil Young and other musicians, The Washington Post’s Travis Andrews wrote that, “Despite public perception, Spotify isn’t a music company. It’s a tech company looking to maximize profits.”

Bowl Bound: The Cincinnati Bengals made a big second half comeback to go into overtime against Kansas City and win a berth in the Super Bowl with a field goal. They had been behind by 18 at the half.

  Football analysts have been saying the NFL playoffs this year have been the best in history.

  In Los Angeles, the Rams edged San Francisco 20-17 to host the Super Bowl at home on February 13^th.

Incomplete Pass: Reports surfaced over the weekend that Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady is hanging up his spikes after 20 years in the NFL. But Brady has made no official announcement despite the amount of time CNN spent on the air with the story.

  Brady’s retirement was announced on social media by TB12 Sports, his health and wellness company. But that post was later deleted and it appears Brady has given no official word to his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Obit Page: Actor Howard Hesseman, who played the hard-rocking disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” has died after colon surgery. He was 81. Hesseman also appeared on “Head of the Class” and “One Day at a Time.”

You Say You Want a Revolution: Former President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that if he’s re-elected president he will pardon deserving people convicted of crimes in the January 6^th Capitol insurrection.

  “We will treat them fairly, and if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly, ” Trump said at a “Save America” rally in Conroe, Texas. 

  Presumably among those he might consider for pardon would be Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers group, who was found in his communications to have talked about “inciting a revolution or civil war” that “had the potential to be massively bloody.” Rhodes kept a network of escape tunnels under his yard in case the feds came knockin’.” 

  Writer Ian Bassin opened his piece on The NY Times Book Review  saying, 

“Last month, three retired generals warned that the U.S. military needs to start preparing for the possibility of internal breakdown over the 2024 election. “In a contested election,” they wrote, “some might follow orders from the rightful commander in chief, while others might follow the Trumpian loser. … Under such a scenario, it is not outlandish to say a military breakdown could lead to civil war.” 

  Bassin writes that in her book “How Civil wars Start,” author Barbara Walter concludes that the US is so factionalized it is “quickly approaching the open insurgency stage, which means we are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe.”

The Spin Rack: In the absence of  Novak Djokovic who wouldn’t get vaccinated against Covid, Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open, His 21st Grand Slam Title. — Nine people died and a 10^th was critically injured in a six-car wreck Saturday in Las Vegas. Police say a speeding Dodge Challenger ran a red light. Fifteen people were involved. The driver and passenger in the  Challenger died as well as some children in other vehicles. — The University of Nebraska has changed its Herbie Husker mascot hand gesture after more than 47 years because the thumb to index finger universally taken to mean “OK” has been adopted as a signal of recognition among racists. Herbie will now put up just his index finger for “We’re number one.”

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