Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

July 19th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Wednesday! The 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is set to kick off tomorrow, with the final slated for August 20th in Sydney. It’s the first time the tournament will have 32 nations competing for the world title. If you’re curious, check out this team-by-team preview to help you get up to speed before the action starts!

In Today’s Brief

Greece: Athens wildfires force evacuations
Trump: Says he is target in Jan 6th probe
Tupac Shakur: Vegas PD reopen case
Babies R Us: New flagship store opens

...and more

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Top Tips

US soldier held in North Korea

A U.S. soldier in South Korea crossed the border into North Korea “without authorization” after blending in with a group of tourists bound for the demilitarized zone between the two countries, according to the Pentagon.

The soldier was identified as Private Travis King, who joined the Army in January 2021. King had reportedly spent nearly two months in a South Korean prison, where he was held on charges for allegedly kicking a South Korean squad car. He was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday, but reportedly joined a tour group headed for the DMZ instead of boarding his flight.

King is believed to now be in North Korean custody and is the first U.S. citizen detained in the country in nearly five years. His crossing and detention comes amid escalating tension between the U.S. and North Korea over the country’s continued missile launches in the direction of South Korea and Japan.

Phoenix heat record

Phoenix, Arizona, recorded its 19th consecutive day of temperatures at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking a record that was set in 1974.

Weather historians at the Weather Company said that no other major city–defined as the 25 most populous in the United States–has had any stretch of 110-degree days or 90-degree nights longer than Phoenix. A high of 116 degrees was also reported at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, tying a record for the same date set in 2005. So far this year, 12 individuals have been confirmed to have lost their lives due to the heat in Maricopa County, in addition to 55 other suspected heat-related deaths, per the county’s health department.

Climate patterns such as the recently-arrived El Nino are contributing to the heat wave. Over 90M people are under heat advisories across the U.S., including at least 50M who have been under heat alerts for the past 10 days.

The most powerful passport

Singapore has recently overtaken Japan to claim the title of having the world’s most powerful passport, according to the most recent Henley Passport Index.

Henley & Partners publishes the index based on data from the International Air Transport Association. In a press release, Henley & Partners announced the Singapore passport as the one with the highest number of destinations that its holders can access without a prior visa. Singapore citizens can currently travel to 192 countries out of 227 with no need to obtain a visa. Japan had previously held the number one spot in the index for five years, including at the start of 2023, but is now ranked in 3rd place along with six other nations.

Over the 18-year history of the index, the average number of destinations travelers are able to access without a visa has nearly doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 109. The “weakest” passports, meanwhile, include Afghanistan (currently ranked lowest), Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Fires outside Athens, Greece, forced thousands to evacuate as two wildfires edged closer to summer resort towns and gusts of wind hit 45 mph; Greater Athens was on the second highest level of alert for wildfires following a four-day heatwave (More)
Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for laundering funds through the purchase of a media company (More)
Police in Belarus detained the journalist Ihar Karnei and seized his phones and computers from his apartment in the country’s capital Minsk; Karnei is being held in the Akrestina pretrial detention center and has not had access to lawyers or his family, per his daughter (More)

On the Homefront

Former President Trump claimed he is the target of a probe by a Washington-based grand jury examining events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021 (More)
The House passed a resolution affirming support for Israel yesterday in a 412-9 vote; the decision to approve the resolution comes after Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the White House and ahead of his address to a joint meeting of Congress set for today (More)
Michigan’s attorney general announces charges against 16 people who allegedly signed paperwork claiming that Donald Trump was elected president in the state in 2020 (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Pique Tea

SAG-AFTRA approved 39 independent productions to shoot during the strike after confirming that they are not tied to AMPTP companies; it includes two projects from A24, Mother Mary starring Anne Hathaway and Death of a Unicorn starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega (More)
Former Iowa offensive lineman Cody Ince passed away over the weekend at his home in Wisconsin, the university confirmed yesterday; Ince was 23 and the cause of the “unexpected” death has not been revealed at this time (More)
Authorities in Nevada reopened Tupac Shakur’s murder case and served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago, per Las Vegas PD (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher for the second straight day, with the Dow leading gains (Dow +1.06%, Nasdaq +0.76%, S&P 500 +0.71%)
An emergency request to block the Microsoft & Activision Blizzard merger was rejected yesterday by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan (More)
Babies R Us is set to open its new U.S. flagship store today at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey; parent company WHP Global first opened a new 20K-square-foot Toys R Us flagship store at the same mall in December 2021 (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Hear the story of a Texas boy who went to a neighbor’s house asking if they knew any kids in the area because he felt he needed some new friends - the interaction between 11-year-old Shayden Walker and his neighbor Brennan Ray was caught via a doorbell security camera and trigged a viral storm of offers for friendship on social media
Sneak Peek: The doors to Disney’s Haunted Mansion open on July 28th, when the film spooks its way into theaters - check out the new trailer that’s full of frights, fights, and some nice moments of levity, too
Bump This: Dreamy vocalist Birdy has captured summer in a song in her new indie-pop single “Paradise Calling” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: Looking for an easy way to make a delicious steak that is still tender and juicy? Learn how to reverse-sear a steak in this recipe for a hands-off method for a perfectly done steak
Nerd Out: If you’re looking for an excuse to nap during the day, science has found one; a recent study suggests that short naps might help to protect the brain against age-related shrinkage, which is associated with cognitive decline in old age
Hot Goss: Model Gigi Hadid was arrested in the Cayman Islands for marijuana possession and fined after customs and border patrol found it in her luggage after her arrival yesterday
Life Hack: Soaring temperatures in the U.S. and Europe may pose a serious threat to our health if we’re exposed to it for too long - read up on scientist-recommended ways to stay cool and get through a heatwave

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… and what it’s like to be an American living in Paris.

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Looking Back…

On July 19th: The women’s suffrage movement in the U.S. is launched with the opening of the Seneca Falls Convention (1848); Maurice Garin takes first place in the first Tour de France (1902); the first episode of Mad Men starring Jon Hamm airs on TV (2007); entrepreneur Howard Schultz is born (1953).

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