Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

August 3rd, 2023

Good morning, and happy Thursday! A missing rodeo goat named Willy was found yesterday in someone’s backyard after weeks of searching led by the residents of Willacy County in Texas. The whole neighborhood came together to find her, with people searching for her on horses, all-terrain vehicles, and by drone. We’re glad she’s all right…and we don’t know about you, but we think Willy is a great name for a goat!

In Today’s Brief

Brazil: Police crack down on gangs
California: York Fire burns Joshua Trees
Women’s World Cup: Milestone for Jamaica
IRS: Planning to go paperless by 2025

...and more

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Top Tips

Synagogue attacker sentenced

Federal jurors decided yesterday that the gunman who killed 11 and wounded seven others when he opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue will be sentenced to death.

The decision to sentence Robert Bowers, 50, to death was unanimous. Jurors spent over 10 hours deliberating over two days. In June, Bowers was found guilty on 63 criminal counts, including 11 counts each of obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death, and hate crimes resulting in death. He was found eligible for the death penalty on July 13th. This is the first federal death penalty imposed under the Biden administration, which has put a moratorium on executions. A judge will formally impose the sentence today.

The Tree of Life synagogue has been closed since the shooting, which happened in 2018. The congregation is currently working on an overhauled complex that would house a sanctuary, museum, memorial, and center dedicated to fighting antisemitism.

Light bulb ban takes effect

The federal government’s ban on incandescent light bulbs took effect yesterday, more than a decade and a half after such a rule was first proposed.

The policy establishes a new minimum energy-efficiency standard of 45 lumens per watt. Traditional incandescent lightbulbs, which trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent, provide 15 lumens per watt, while LED lights can measure 70 to 100 lumens per watt. It also bans the manufacture and sale of non-conforming bulbs, but not their use. A federal regulation to ban incandescent light bulbs was initially issued in 2007 following the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act, but its implementation has been repeatedly delayed until now.

According to a report from the Energy Department, U.S. consumers are estimated to save almost $3B annually on their utility bills when implementing LEDs. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222M metric tons over the next 30 years.

Potential cancer-killing pill

Researchers at the cancer treatment and research center City of Hope claim to have found a new way to treat cancer through a targeted chemotherapy pill that can kill solid tumors, according to a recent study.

The drug was tested on 70 different cancer cells including those present in breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancers. In a press release, City of Hope said the “cancer-killing pill is like a snowstorm that closes a key airline hub, shutting down all flights in and out only in planes carrying cancer cells.” Known as AOH1996, the drug–which was in development for 20 years–targets a cancerous variant of a protein called proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).

The PCNA protein is present in most cancers and helps tumors grow and multiply within the body, and was previously thought to be “undruggable.” The investigational chemotherapeutic is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials in humans at City of Hope.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Police raids targeting drug gangs in Brazil left at least 45 people dead in three different states over the past week, including at least 10 yesterday in Rio de Janeiro; a drug trafficking kingpin and a trafficker were among the 10 people killed yesterday in the city, according to local media reports (More)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau & Sophie Gregoire Trudeau are separating after 18 years of marriage; the two married in 2005 and have three children together: Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace, 14, and Hadrien, 9 (More)
The death toll from an Islamic State-led bombing in Pakistan has risen to 63, officials said, with at least 120 others wounded; in terms of casualties, the incident marks one of the region’s worst attacks in recent years (More)

On the Homefront

The U.S. added 324K private sector jobs last month after adding 455K positions in June, according to the ADP National Employment report released yesterday (More)
The York Fire in California and southern Nevada has burned more than 82K acres in the Mojave National Preserve, including an unconfirmed number of Joshua Trees; the blaze is California’s largest fire of the year, in terms of acres burned (More)
Talks will resume between Hollywood studios and the Writers Guild after studios asked the guild back to the negotiating table in the first known negotiations since the nearly 100-day strike brought production of most TV shows and movies to a halt; the talks are scheduled for tomorrow (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Remi

Actor Leah Remini filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, alleging harassment, defamation, and other unlawful conduct (More)
Jamaica is the first Caribbean nation to advance to the knockout stage in the Women’s World Cup after tying Brazil 0-0 during group stage play for Groups F and G (More)
WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon was hit with a federal grand jury subpoena and search warrant that was executed last month; the company said it believes the subpoena and search warrant are “a continuation of the investigation that commenced last summer” into allegations of McMahon’s misconduct (More)

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Business & Markets

Stocks closed lower yesterday in response to the U.S. debt downgrade, with the Nasdaq seeing its worst-performing day since February (Dow -0.98%, Nasdaq -2.17%, S&P 500 -1.38%)
Qualcomm’s smartphone chipmaking division reported that sales are down 24% from a year earlier; shares of the company (NASDAQ: QCOM) fell by more than 7% in after-hours trading (More)
The IRS unveiled plans to offer digital correspondence for the 2024 tax season and aims to achieve “paperless processing” by 2025; the agency expects to eliminate up to 200M pieces of paper every year, cut processing times in half, and speed up refunds by several weeks, per the Treasury Department (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Meet Torbjorn “Thor” Pedersen, the man who left his life behind to achieve his goal of traveling to every country in the world without flying; after nearly ten years of travel, Pedersen successfully visited his 203rd and final country and has now returned home to Denmark
Sneak Peek: If there's one thing horror has taught us, it's that spending any length of time in an abandoned hotel isn't the best idea; check out the nerves inducing trailer for Stewart Thorndike's Bad Things, once again reminding us of this fact
Bump This: Calvin Harris and Sam Smith have teamed up once again on their new single “Desire” inspired by the electronic dance of the ’90s - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: There are too many great ways to use fresh summer corn to count, but if you’re looking for a corn dish that can be made for breakfast, lunch, or dinner try this recipe for corn fritters; it’s sure to be a dish that all can enjoy at any time throughout the day
Nerd Out: Asteroids are time capsules of the Solar System, containing material from early in its history; read up on the research being conducted on asteroid Ryugu and how the asteroid traces back to materials from before the Sun ever existed
Hot Goss: Taylor Swift gave bonuses totaling over $55M to every person working on the Eras Tour; tour personnel including caterers, truck drivers, riggers, dancers, and more all received bonuses from Swift
Life Hack: Diet can influence many parts of our overall health, including our weight, energy levels, and mood, but research has found that it might also be key to promoting sleep; find out what science suggests to add to your plate if you're looking to finally get a good night's rest

Tip-Offs

Charting the cities with the most vacant offices.

…and the U.S. states with the most student debt.

A therapist shares how to quell a panic attack.

Breaking down the growing size of cruise ships.

YouTubers journey to an underground crystal cave.

See the average annual cost of expanding a family.

Examining the rise & fall of the Great Resignation.

An extinct whale may be the heaviest animal ever.

Looking Back…

On August 3rd: Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first transatlantic voyage (1492); the National Basketball Association (NBA) is formed (1949); the Republic of Niger gains its independence from France (1960); football player Tom Brady is born (1977).

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