Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

July 20th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Thursday! Have you heard of Nauru? Some parts of the tiny Pacific island–which has a population of about 11K people–will be evacuated today while Australian army sappers try to defuse a 500-pound bomb from the WWII era that’s reportedly still armed. Fingers crossed it goes well! Talk about the past coming back to haunt you.

In Today’s Brief

Kenya: Starvation cult deaths surpass 400
In-N-Out: Bans employee masks in 5 states
Keanu Reeves: Band dropping a new album
SKIMS: Shapewear brand now worth $4B

...and more

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Top Tips

Shooting in Auckland

Three people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at a construction site in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday.

The incident comes as soccer teams gathered in New Zealand for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Police said there were also multiple injuries during the incident, which took place near the hotel where Team Norway has been staying. Authorities said the situation was contained to a single building under construction in lower Queen Street, close to a World Cup fan zone that had not opened for the day. According to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, all FIFA personnel and teams were marked safe and accounted for. The gunman was confirmed to be one of the deceased, and of this writing, has not yet been identified.

New Zealand Prime Minster Chris Hipkins said the Women’s World Cup tournament would go ahead as planned. The opening match between New Zealand and Norway took place hours after the incident.

Russia strikes Ukraine grain

Russian missiles attacked Ukraine's Black Sea coast yesterday, destroying 60K tons of grain and damaging storage infrastructure.

The strikes marked the second consecutive night of attacks on the region and came after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Russia's defense ministry declared that any ships heading to Ukrainian ports would be viewed as potential carriers of military cargo and party to the conflict. No deaths were reported, but at least 12 civilians were wounded during the attacks, according to Ukrainian military officials.

Before the war, Ukraine was the fifth-largest wheat exporter globally, accounting for 10% of exports. The U.S. announced it will be giving Ukraine a further $250M to support its agricultural sector following the attacks. Since the war began in February 2022, the U.S. has given Ukraine more than $113B in aid.

Taco Tuesday dispute

The “Taco Tuesday” trademark dispute between Taco Bell and Taco John’s ended this week, with the latter company announcing that it would abandon its U.S. trademark registration for the term.

Taco John’s–a fast-food chain from Wyoming–had held the trademark for the term “Taco Tuesday” for more than 40 years. In May, Taco Bell filed a challenge with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, urging the agency to cancel the trademark so that it would be “available to all who make, sell, eat, and celebrate tacos.” This past Tuesday, Taco John’s CEO Jim Creel said in a statement that paying to defend the trademark didn’t “feel like the right thing to do.” Creel added: “As we've said before, we're lovers, not fighters, at Taco John’s.”

Taco John’s has about 400 locations in 23 states, while Taco Bell maintains over 7.2K locations in the U.S. and about 1K restaurants across 30 countries internationally.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry concluded talks with Chinese officials yesterday, with the countries saying additional talks will take place in the runup to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai; talks were previously suspended by China after the visit of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year (More)
The death toll from a Kenyan cult in which a pastor ordered his followers to starve themselves in order to meet Jesus has surpassed 400, per local authorities; Pastor Paul Mackenzie, who is linked to the cult, is in police custody, along with 36 other suspects (More)
Honduras plans to build an island colony to imprison gang members as part of a larger crackdown following the gang-related killings of 46 women in one prison, per remarks from Honduran President Xiomara Castro (More)

On the Homefront

In-N-Out Burger has banned employees from wearing masks in five states unless they have a valid medical note starting on August 14th; the decision involves locations in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, and Utah (More)
NBCUniversal is under investigation by the LA City Controller’s office after the company allegedly trimmed a row of trees without permits that provided shade outside its studios where members of SAG-AFTRA were demonstrating (More)
Wesleyan University said it will no longer grant preference to student applicants with family or donor ties, ending “legacy” admissions (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Xero Shoes

Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar will release their first album in 23 years called Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees on October 6th; the band is also set to embark on a headlining tour across North America and Japan starting August 10th (More)
Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend dropped a $30M lawsuit against the 15-time major champion’s estate, according to recent court documents; Erica Herman’s dismissal of the lawsuit was filed on June 29th (More)
‘Wicked: Part One’ director Jon M. Chu said the project’s release date of late 2024 won’t be affected by the temporary break in production due to the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market ended higher for the third straight day, with the Dow finishing at a 15-month high (Dow +0.31%, Nasdaq +0.03%, S&P 500 +0.24%)
Netflix stopped offering its cheapest plan without ads in the U.S. yesterday; the company’s support page now states that the $9.99/month basic plan is no longer available “for new or rejoining members” (More)
Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS is now worth $4B based on its latest round of funding; SKIMS was co-founded in 2019 by Kardashian and Jens Grede and is reportedly on track to hit net sales of $750M this year (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: In all of our experience reporting the news, we can confirm that there can never be enough whale content - watch live-stream footage of beluga whales migrating in Hudson Bay this month (you may need to click through the footage to get glimpses of the whales)
Sneak Peek: Watch the brand-new trailer for the unsettling supernatural thriller A Haunting In Venice, based on an Agatha Christie novel; the mystery movie features Kenneth Branagh as famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot, as he solves the mystery of murder at a seance
Bump This: Jared Leto’s rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars just dropped a poignant single called “Get Up Kid” as an ode to persevering through the hard times - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: When you think of a zucchini smoothie, it may not sound like the most appetizing treat…but this recipe for a zucchini smoothie made with ingredients like almond butter, dates, and zucchini will make it taste like a chocolate milkshake that could totally pass for a dessert
Nerd Out: Scientists are stumped after finding an object in space has been lighting up every 20 minutes since 1988; dive deep into the scientific mystery, the theories behind the phenomenon, and how astronomers plan to figure it out
Hot Goss: Joe Manganiello filed for divorce from his wife Sofia Vergara two days after publicly announcing their split after seven years of marriage, according to court documents citing irreconcilable differences
Life Hack: Negative intrusive thoughts can distract you from getting tasks done and take you out of a present, positive moment - here are four coping strategies to quiet intrusive thoughts when they arise, according to a licensed psychologist

Tip-Offs

Scientists discover planets that share an orbit.

How long a person can survive without water.

Ways to make outdoor grilling safer for your health.

How AI is bringing film stars back from the dead.

…and see 30 terms you need to understand AI.

Collider ranks the best 20 movies from the 1970s.

…while Matt Damon shares his funniest movie kiss.

A list of 20 of the world’s top-ranked nude beaches.

Looking Back…

On July 20th: The Arctic Circle sees its highest-ever recorded temperature at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (2020); the Pullman railroad strike in the U.S. ends after President Grover Cleveland orders federal troops to Chicago (1894); the Viking 1 lander touches down at Chryse Planitia on Mars (19760; author Cormac McCarthy is born (1933).

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