The Buzz: Our sister’s name is Laurel, but we call her Yanny

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 19, 2018

By Jon Bauer

Herald staff

While most of you were busy trying to decide if you were hearing “Laurel” or “Yanny,” there was some news last week. Here’s the week that wasn’t:

By the numbers: A new financial disclosure document released by President Trump reports a reimbursement to his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, of more than $100,000, an apparent reference to the $130,000 Cohen paid as hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump later appeared to contradict the disclosure, while still giving it his full confidence: “The disclosure is a great disclosure, but it’s new. There has been a lot of misinformation. It’ll get its facts straight.”

Was it the garlic fries? The Seattle Mariners have lost star second baseman Robinson Cano to an 80-game suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance, a diuretic that can be used to mask the presence of steroids. Cano, who broke a bone in his right hand just days earlier, will be out until August and won’t be available if the Mariners make the playoffs. Duiretics are commonly used to rid the body of extra water and salt through urination.

And the Mariners find yet another way to piss away a season.

Here, hold my lei: Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, after two weeks of lava flowing from fissures surrounding it, erupted Thursday, spewing a plume of ash 30,000 feet into the sky that then rained down on a nearby town.

Unimpressed, Washington state’s Mount St. Helens, which marked the 38th anniversary of its major eruption a day later, taunted its Hawaiian cousin: “You call that an ash cloud? That’s not even enough to make a case of glass Christmas ornaments.”

Throwing the book: The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law, 6-3, that had barred gambling on professional and college sports. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said Congress could regulate gambling directly or allow states to do so.

Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion wrote: “$500 on Houston in Game 3. Take the points.”

I got the horse right here: Apparently upset by joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises and U.S. insistence on a complete denuclearization by North Korea, the hermit kingdom implied the June 12 summit in Singapore between Kim Jong Un and President Trump was on shaky ground.

Since it’s now allowed by the Supreme Court, we’re giving 10-to-1 odds on Singapore Summit.

Please tell us Eric is next: Recently released transcripts showed that Donald Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee last year that he didn’t remember ever discussing the Russia investigation with his father and didn’t think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower before the 2016 election. Trump Jr. repeatedly answered questions from senators with “No, not that I recall.”

And Trump Jr. needed only a brief consult with the attorney seated next to him to recall ever having met President Trump.

Yanny, definitely Yanny: The latest internet obsession is the debate over why some people hear the name “Laurel” in a sound clip and others are hearing “Yanny.” Still others say they can hear either after repeated playings of what experts are describing as an audio illusion.

A fourth group of listeners emerged late last week: Those who hear their boss yelling, “Stop wasting time on Facebook and get back to work.”

Jon Bauer: jbauer@heraldnet.com.