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Your Daily BriefOctober 14th, 2022 |
Good morning, and happy Friday! Did you know that potatoes, while synonymous with European and American dishes, actually originated in South America? It’s true–potatoes were domesticated in the South American Andes about 8,000 years ago and were brought to Europe in the mid-1500s, from where they spread to the rest of the world. Just something fun to think about the next time you order a side of fries! Anyway, here’s what we have for you:
In Today’s Brief
- Syria: 1600-year-old Roman mosaic discovered in Rastan
- Donald Trump: Supreme Court rejects request for special master
- Silk Sonic: Withdrawing album from 2023 Grammy consideration
- Netflix: Service tier with ads rolling out next month
- Kazuki Takahashi: New details emerge around Yu-Gi-Oh! creator’s death
- Top Tips: Jury recommends Nikolas Cruz be sentenced to life in prison without parole; U.S. inflation rose by 8.2% year-over-year in September; House panel on January 6th subpoenas former President Trump
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Jury recommends life in prison without parole for Parkland shooter
A jury recommended life in prison without parole for the gunman responsible for killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Nikolas Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty last year to 17 charges of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in connection to the 2018 shooting. Starting July 18th, Cruz’s trial was to decide whether to sentence him to life in prison or the death penalty. Prosecutors sought the death penalty while the defense asked for life in prison, and the jury had to reach a unanimous decision for the death sentence.
While the jury found there were aggravating factors that could warrant the death penalty, they concluded that those factors didn’t outweigh mitigating circumstances such as Cruz’s birth mother’s alcohol use, his adoptive parents’ failure to get him psychiatric care, and his admission of guilt. The jury therefore found the death penalty to not be merited, resulting in its recommendation for a life sentence.
Inflation in the U.S. rose by 8.2% in September compared to last year
Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 8.2% in September compared to last year and 0.4% from the month prior, per a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to the Labor Bureau’s report, energy prices rose 19.8% year-over-year, and the index for natural gas rose 33.1% from September 2021 levels. Other categories that saw price increases in the 30 days between August and September include transportation services (+1.9%), food (+0.8%), airline fares (+0.8%), rent (+0.4%), and education (+0.4%). “Core” inflation–which removes the food and energy components of the report–increased by 6.6% compared to the same time period last year, and is up 0.6% from August.
Meanwhile, while the gasoline index fell by 4.9% in September, prices have begun rising after OPEC+ announced production cuts, with data from AAA showing a national average of $3.91 per gallon.
January 6th committee votes to subpoena former President Trump
Members of the House of Representatives select committee on January 6th unanimously voted yesterday to issue a subpoena to former President Donald Trump.
Prior to the vote, Representative Bennie Thompson–the committee’s chair–said that it is the panel’s “obligation to seek Donald Trump’s testimony” on the events leading up to January 6th, 2021. After the hearing, Trump responded to the subpoena via his Truth Social platform, writing in a post: “Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago? Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting?”
The occurrence isn’t the first time that Congress has subpoenaed a president. Most recently, Harry Truman was subpoenaed in 1953 over the country’s involvement in the Korean War, though it was voided in United States District Court. Former President Trump did not say whether or not he planned to comply with the subpoena.
Around the Globe
- A 1,600-year-old Roman-era mosaic measuring roughly 65.5 by 20 feet has been discovered in central Syria; the mosaic was found under a building in Rastan near Homs and depicts scenes including the Trojan and Amazon wars
- The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that companies can ban headscarves as long as it is a general prohibition that does not discriminate against employees; the case concerned a Muslim woman who was told she could not wear a headscarf when she applied to do a six-week work traineeship at a Belgian company
- North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile towards its eastern waters after North Korean warplanes were detected as close as seven miles to the South Korean border; South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea fired the missile from the region around Pyongyang at 1:49 AM local time this morning
On the Homefront
- The Supreme Court denied a request by former President Donald Trump to overturn an 11th U.S. Circuit of Appeals ruling that barred a special master from examining the more than 100 classified government records the FBI seized from his Florida residence in August - see Trump’s appeal filing here
- U.S. mortgage rates reached their highest level since April 2002, with the average 30-year fixed rate hitting 6.92% this week, according to a survey of lenders released yesterday by Freddie Mac - see Freddie Mac’s report of weekly averages here
- The death of California 16-year-old Kiely Rodni–whose body was found submerged in Prosser Lake inside her car on August 21st–has been ruled accidental; according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, a pathologist determined Rodni drowned and there was no information to suggest foul play
Glitz & Games
- Bruno Mars said in a statement that Silk Sonic, his R&B duo formed with Anderson .Paak, has withdrawn their album An Evening With Silk Sonic from consideration for the 2023 Grammy Awards; the duo previously won four Grammys for the album’s single “Leave the Door Open,” including Song of the Year and Record of the Year
- The second game of the American League Division Series (ALDS) between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees was postponed due to rain in the forecast and rescheduled for 1:07 PM ET today
- Entertainment company Skydance Media said it completed a $400M investment round that values it at over $4B; per Skydance, the round was led by first-time investor KKR and joined by the Ellison family, with existing investors RedBird Capital Partners and Tencent also participating in the raise
Business & Markets
- Stocks rose after starting the day with losses in response to the Labor Department’s inflation report, with the Dow closing 827 points higher (Dow +2.83%, Nasdaq +2.23%, S&P 500 +2.60%)
- Netflix announced that it will charge $6.99 a month for its new ad-supported service tier when it debuts next month; per the company, the new plan is called “Basic with Ads” and will initially be available in 12 countries - see Netflix’s press release on the rollout here
- Apple is partnering with Goldman Sachs to launch a new Savings account feature for its Apple Card credit cardholders which will allow them to save and grow cashback rewards earned from Apple Card purchases; per Apple, the account will have no fees, minimum deposits, or minimum balance requirements, and customers will be able to transfer their own money into this account - see Apple’s press release here
Tip & Tricks
- Sneak Peek: Take a look at the first poster that Disney released for its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey as Ariel
- Bump This: Soak up the bouncy TGIF feels with the new track “It’s Only Love” from Scottish indie singer Be Charlotte - listen on Apple Music and Spotify
- Chow Down: Foil any weekend hunger pangs with this recipe for baked salmon in foil with asparagus and lemon garlic butter sauce that’s low in carbohydrates and gluten-free (foil...see what we did there?)
- Look Up: Check out this photo that the Hubble Space Telescope captured of a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp-Madore 608-333 that show how each galaxy’s gravitational pull is distorting the other’s
- Say What: “I think going forward you have to pick a side. You have to pick what side do you think is going to be successful. And I firmly believe that I’m on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf,” golfer Phil Mickelson said when speaking on his decision to part ways with the PGA Tour and join the LIV Golf circuit
- Hot Goss: New details emerged around Kazuki Takahashi’s July 4th death, showing that the Yu-Gi-Oh! creator reportedly drowned while attempting to rescue a U.S. soldier, an 11-year-old girl, and her mother from rip currents at a dive spot in Japan
- Life Hack: Sleeping on your back can help promote spinal alignment and reduce symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn - here are some tips to train yourself to sleep on your back instead of your stomach or side
Looking Back…
On October 14th: William, Duke of Normandy defeats King Harold II of England at the Battle of Hastings during the Norman Conquest (1066); test pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to break the sound barrier (1947); the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians premieres (2007); American fashion designer Ralph Lauren is born (1939).
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