Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

April 13th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Thursday! We’ve got a lot of news to cover today, but before we do, here’s an interesting tidbit: did you know that dining in the dark can affect the amount of food we eat? Apparently, people who ate in darkness were more likely to consume more food...and the data suggests that seeing our food before we eat it plays a big role in telling our brains how hungry we are. If you’ve ever dined in the dark, reply to this email and let us know how it went!

In Today’s Brief

Mexico: Mayan stone scoreboard found
NPR: Stops publishing to Twitter
Harry Potter: TV series announced
The Fed: Predicting a recession

...and more

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Top Tips

March inflation report

Inflation in the U.S. as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 5% in March compared to last year and 0.1% from the month prior, per a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the Labor Bureau’s report, energy prices decreased by 6.4% year-over-year, while the index for food rose 8.5% from January 2022 levels. Other categories that saw price increases in the days between February and March were airline fares (+4.0%), appliances (+0.7%), and rent (+0.5%). “Core” inflation–which removes the food and energy components of the report–increased by 5.6% compared to the same period last year, and rose 0.4% in March after rising 0.5% in February.

Last month’s 5% annualized rise in the CPI marks a decline of 3.2% from its September 2022 level, which saw an annualized increase of 8.2% from September 2021. Price categories that decreased in March are gasoline (-4.6%), watches (-4.2%), and energy (-3.5%), while price levels for food remained unchanged.

Juul settlement

E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. announced yesterday that it would pay $462M to six states to settle claims that it unlawfully marketed its vaping products to minors.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led the settlement, which marks the company’s largest that it has reached with states to date. The states involved are California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and New York as well as Washington, D.C. As part of the deal, retailers must secure Juul products behind counters and verify the age of purchasers. Juul also can’t use people under 35 years old in its marketing materials that directly or indirectly target young people going forward.

Without admitting wrongdoing, Juul has now settled with 45 states for more than $1B. The company still faces lawsuits or open investigations in Alaska, Florida, Maine, and Michigan, and a trial is currently underway in Minnesota.

Recycling plant inferno

A fire emitting toxic smoke from a recycling plant in eastern Indiana near the Ohio border is expected to continue burning for days, according to city and state officials.

The blaze was first reported on Tuesday afternoon and has since been contained, though residents living within a half-mile of the plant were forced to evacuate their homes. Over 2K people have reportedly been evacuated so far, per the Wayne County Emergency Management Office. The roughly 175K-square-foot industrial site has been used since 2009 to store plastics for recycling, which give off “a host of different chemicals” when they burn, according to Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones.

The entire complex is either burned or still burning as of last night, and winds have carried the fumes east into nearby Ohio. Dayton is located about 50 miles east of the fire, and the population of the city’s greater area is estimated to be over 814K residents.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

China records the world’s first human death from H3N8 bird flu, according to a statement from the World Health Organization; the WHO said only three people have so far been known to have contracted the disease, and all of them are in China (More)
Italy called a six-month state of emergency in response to a rise in migrants who have arrived in the country after crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa; the decision comes amid 3K migrant arrivals in three days (More)
Archaeologists discovered a Mayan stone scoreboard used in an ancient soccer-like ball game at the Chichen Itza archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula this week (More)

On the Homefront

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott launched a presidential exploratory committee, which allows him to raise money that can be transferred to an official presidential campaign (More)
NPR will stop sharing content on its 52 official Twitter feeds after the social media company labeled it as “state-affiliated media,” per an announcement delivered yesterday (More)
Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were both reinstated to the state House as interim representatives after the legislature expelled them for their roles in a protest against gun violence on the House floor (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Remi

‘The Conjuring’ horror TV series is in development at HBO Max, according to an announcement from Warner Bros. Discovery (More)
Jake Paul and Nate Diaz will compete in a boxing match on August 5th at American Airlines Center in Dallas (More)
A TV series based on the ‘Harry Potter’ books is officially announced for HBO Max; an entirely new cast will be playing the characters and the series has been given a 10-year commitment (More)

From our partners: Stop grinding your teeth at night – Getting a custom professional night guard from your dentist used to mean putting a huge hole in your wallet, but Remi has reinvented the night guard to be far more comfortable, convenient, and affordable. Save your teeth from stress. Use code TIP25 for 25% off your own custom night guard.

Business & Markets

Stocks closed lower after the Federal Reserve released its minutes forecasting a recession this year (Dow -0.11%, Nasdaq -0.85%, S&P 500 -0.41%)
Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled “Max” as the new name for its combined streaming service set to debut on May 23rd; the service will include content currently on the platforms HBO Max and Discovery+ (More)
Recent bank implosions are expected to cause a “mild recession” later this year, according to Federal Reserve documents released yesterday (More)

Tips & Tricks

Sneak Peak: Check out the teaser trailer for True Detective: Night Country, the upcoming chapter of the True Detective series starring Jodie Foster as a sheriff in small-town Alaska during the dead of winter
Bump This: You’ll be singing along in no time to the catchy falsetto hook in Ian Munsick’s new single “White Buffalo” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: There may be numerous ways to cook eggs, but making an omelet the way it’s meant to be enjoyed requires medium to low heat, consistency, and attention to detail - check out this step-by-step guide on how to make the perfect omelet, along with some ideas for fillings
Nerd Out: Read up on how scientists have confirmed the discovery of a new bat species at Wyoming’s Green River Formation that lived as long as 52M years ago…making it the oldest bat fossil ever discovered
Go Deep: Take a closer look at the specific types of hallucinogenic drugs that people were using 3K years ago, based on a hair sample from the Bronze Age that scientists last week found contained traces of hallucinogens
Hot Goss: Elon Musk gave an interview to a BBC reporter on the platform Twitter Spaces, and said he went forward with purchasing the platform because he believed a court would force him to complete the acquisition
Life Hack: Knowing what you’re worth and staying true to it during tough times can be the magic ingredient to success, even if you can’t see it at the time - check out this number one negotiation tactic from reality TV star and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel and how it changed her life

Tip-Offs

The ultimate traveler’s guide to burritos in California.

What it’s really like to build and live in a tiny home.

See how cadaver dogs are trained to find dead bodies.

…and how Indian villagers brought a dead river back to life.

South Korea’s strategy to address its population problem.

Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger terminate a pothole.

Meet Disney’s latest rollerblading robot prototype.

Catch up on Trump’s lawsuit against Michael Cohen.

Looking Back…

On April 13th: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is incorporated in New York City (1870); Japan concludes a neutrality pact with the Soviet Union in World War II (1941); Tiger Woods becomes the first golfer of African American descent and the youngest player to place first in the Masters Tournament (1997); outlaw Butch Cassidy is born (1866).

In partnership with Snake River Farms

Treat yourself to elevated dining

Elevate your dining experience with Snake River Farms' American Wagyu beef. Enjoy buttery tenderness and intense marbling, expertly raised with 100% American-born and raised Wagyu cattle. With a variety of cuts available and the option for free shipping, it's easy to treat yourself to the best beef.

Use code SWAPSRF to savor the finest flavor and texture in every bite and get $25 off on orders over $149!

Please support our sponsors!