Everybody is too busy watching puppy videos to care about macroeconomics anymore! So despairs a paper published for a Brookings Institution conference with the engrossing title, "Inflation targeting does not anchor inflation expectations: Evidence from firms in New Zealand."

The paper studies many probably very interesting topics like "inflation expectations in New Zealand," but it only caught our attention once it broke out this bizarre factoid: The U.S. public has basically no knowledge of monetary policy and they spend all their time Googling "puppies." Proof:

Americans have great difficulty in identifying the chair of the Federal Reserve System and are generally unable to identify recent inflation dynamics with any degree of precision. When asked about inflation over 10 years, few are willing to confidently predict low levels of inflation, a finding that speaks either to low credibility of the Federal Reserve or, more likely, to the fact that most people don't know what reasonable ranges of inflation rates are. Nor do they seem to show much interest in learning about monetary policy. Twitter and Facebook followers of the entire Federal Reserve System are outnumbered by followers of the FBI and the CIA, and barely outnumber the followers of Ron Paul or Rand Paul. Paul Krugman single-handedly has almost twice as many Twitter followers as the entire Fed system. Google searches confirm this paucity of interest: online searches for macroeconomic variables like GDP, unemployment rate, and inflation are consistently topped altogether by online searches for puppies. [Bookings, via Aurelija Augulyte]

In all fairness to the American public, this video is definitely more satisfying than the Federal Reserve's Twitter account. Jeva Lange

After he spent the past seven years focused on the silver screen, the world of television is welcoming Steve Carell back home.

Carell will star in Apple's new original drama series about a morning news show, per The Hollywood Reporter. Apple is clearly pulling out all the stops for this major foray into original content, as the upcoming series also stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, both of whom serve as producers as well. This untitled drama revolves around a morning news program, and is inspired by Brian Stelter's nonfiction book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. Carell will be playing Mitch Kessler, a TV anchor who is struggling to stay relevant in modern times.

This is Carell's first regular television role since he left The Office in 2011. Coincidentally, it's also Aniston's first regular television role since Friends, another NBC sitcom, ended in 2004. Carell should have no problem getting into character as a television broadcaster, a role he has played a weird number of times now. He kick-started his career by joining The Daily Show as a correspondent, going on to portray fictional broadcasters in two of his most famous movies, Bruce Almighty and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He'll be the primary male lead in this series. Though it remains untitled, Apple has already gone all in on the upcoming show, ordering two full seasons before a single episode even airs.

Apple currently has more than a dozen original shows in development for a streaming platform that The Wall Street Journal previously described as fairly family-friendly and essentially "expensive NBC." None of the shows in the works have release dates. Brendan Morrow

In what could be the biggest tempt of fate in history, an exact replica of the Titanic will set sail in 2022.

The Titanic II will carry 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members, nearly the same number the original held, reports USA Today. Its interior will mimic the first ship, right down to the grand staircase. And for its second voyage, the Titanic II will sail the same route from England to America that doomed the original boat. It all makes for a journey that looks a lot like Jack and Rose's fateful last venture, save for the whole crashing into an iceberg thing.

Australian company Blue Star Line first started drafting the Titanic reboot in 2012, but the project was suspended due to financial issues. Now, building has commenced again, with Blue Star Line assuring that modern navigation and safety features are in the blueprints. The Titanic II's first voyage will sail from Delhi to Southampton in England — a safe distance away from this mysterious square iceberg spotted by NASA last week. Kathryn Krawczyk

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) has lost quite a bit of ground in his race to become Minnesota's attorney general.

A Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota poll published Tuesday found that Ellison's Republican opponent, attorney Doug Wardlow, is now in the lead among likely voters, with 43 percent support to Ellison's 36 percent. This is a major 12-point shift from a poll conducted last month, in which Ellison led Wardlow by five points.

In recent weeks, Ellison's campaign has largely been overtaken by talk of abuse allegations. Ellison's ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan, has accused him of emotional and physical abuse, including once screaming at her while trying to drag her off a bed, reports The New York Times. In 2005, Ellison's ex-girlfriend, Amy Alexander, sought a restraining order against him and alleged he pushed her and verbally abused her, the Star Tribune reports. Ellison has denied both allegations. An investigation conducted by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party could not substantiate Monahan's claims because she would not provide video evidence that she says she has, reports Time. Monahan says she misplaced the video, CNN reports.

This new poll found that about 50 percent of respondents aren't sure whether to believe Ellison or Monahan. But more voters believe her now than in September: 30 percent believe her allegations, compared to 21 percent last month.

The Star Tribune/MPR News poll interviewed 800 likely voters in Minnesota Oct. 15-17. The margin of error is 3 percentage points. Brendan Morrow

White people calling the police on black people for living their everyday lives has inspired viral video after viral video in recent months. Apparently, the greater community is at risk when black people barbeque in the park, study in college libraries, and enter their own apartments. That's why The New York Times came up with 1-844-WYT-Fear, a hotline for white people to call when they're alarmed by the presence of black people.

The hotline may not be real, but its message still stands. Taige Jensen and Jenn Lyon of the Times created a satirical infomercial for the hotline, featuring actress Niecy Nash, pointing out that white people overreacting to black people doing normal things can be especially worrisome considering the state of police brutality in America.

Curious about what happens if you actually call the number? An operator instructs you how to proceed if you're a white person scared of a black person and in need of advice regarding your prejudices. But no matter what option you choose, the outcome is still the same: "Based on your menu selection, we have determined that you are not in danger and are probably just racist." Watch the infomercial below and try calling the number yourself. Amari Pollard

NBC host Megyn Kelly has set off yet another firestorm.

During a Tuesday morning segment about Halloween costumes, Kelly wondered why wearing blackface on Halloween is so frowned upon. "You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface," she said. "Back when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as a character."

She cited the time that a Real Housewives of New York City star faced criticism for donning blackface to dress as Diana Ross for Halloween. Kelly seemed stunned that anyone would consider this racist, arguing that it should be acceptable because "she wants to look like Diana Ross for one day, and I don't know how that got racist on Halloween."

All three of Kelly's guests seemed to disagree, with one arguing that the Diana Ross costume she described actually "sounds a little racist to me." Kelly didn't concede. "I can't keep up with the number of people we're offending just by being, like, normal people," she said, wrapping up the segment.

Kelly's take on this issue was poorly received among many viewers. Television host and activist Padma Lakshmi responded to Kelly's comments on Twitter. "I cannot believe the ignorance on this in 2018," wrote Lakshmi. "You have a responsibility to educate yourself on social issues." Watch the segment below. Brendan Morrow

Update 3:50 p.m. ET: Megyn Kelly has now apologized and retracted her comments in an email to colleagues, saying that "listening carefully to other points of view" has caused her to change her opinion, per The Hollywood Reporter. "I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry," she adds.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father King Salman briefly gave their condolences to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi's family in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Saudi state media reports that Khashoggi's son Salah "expressed their great thanks" to the leaders during the meeting. But state-sanctioned photos suggest otherwise.

Khashoggi's son has reportedly spent a year banned from leaving Saudi Arabia, a friend of the family told The Associated Press. His siblings are U.S. citizens, and one received a condolence call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Istanbul-based news site Daily Sabah reports.

Khashoggi was likely killed in Turkey's Saudi consulate earlier this month, and Turkish officials believe bin Salman ordered the hit. Bin Salman has denied involvement, saying "rogue" operatives killed Khashoggi. The U.S., Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are all currently investigating the matter. Watch a video of Tuesday's quick meeting below. Kathryn Krawczyk