Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

July 25th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! It’s time to keep your eyesight and your brain sharp, folks…and what better way to do that than by finding some pandas that don’t belong? In this week’s optical puzzle, three pandas aren’t wearing sunglasses, while all of the others are. See if you can spot them and let us know how long it takes you!

In Today’s Brief

Russia: 2nd alleged drone strike in Moscow
Texas: DOJ files lawsuit over river buoys
Jason Aldean: New single skyrockets
Apple: Planning price hikes for iPhones

...and more

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Top Tips

Judicial overhaul in Israel

Israel’s parliament yesterday passed a law stripping the Supreme Court of its power to block government decisions, the first part of a planned judicial overhaul led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The bill passed by a vote of 64-0 in parliament. All members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition voted in favor, while opposition lawmakers reportedly boycotted the vote and walked out of the chamber as it was taking place. The law prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable” and not in the public interest. The government will now also be able to hire and fire public servants without the intervention of the court.

The leadup to yesterday’s vote sparked mass protests throughout Israel. Critics of the law say it will enable corruption and lean toward authoritarianism by eroding checks and balances, while proponents argue that the country’s “reasonability” standard gives unelected judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials.

IRS ending home visits

In an effort to help keep its workers safe and to combat people who pose as agents, the IRS said it is ending its policy of making unannounced visits to residences and establishments.

In a statement released by the service, they stated that “effective immediately, unannounced visits will end except in a few unique circumstances and will be replaced with mailed letters to schedule meetings.” The IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel announced the change as part of a larger effort to reform IRS operations after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested $80B into IRS expansion over 10 years.

Previously, unannounced visits were “a routine part of the job” for the agency’s revenue officers. According to Werfel, there were around 100K of these cases assigned each year. The IRS currently has around 2.3K revenue officers in the U.S. and plans to hire over 7K service representatives and 15K auditors this year to help with compliance efforts.

A record soccer bid

Saudi team Al Hilal made a record transfer bid of $332M to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for French striker Kylian Mbappe, per multiple reports.

PSG has permitted Al Hilal to open negotiations directly with Mbappe, who will have the opportunity to discuss the specifics of the offer. The 24-year-old 2018 World Cup champion is currently in a contract standoff with PSG after his decision to not extend his contract. Instead, he plans to walk away as a free agent at the end of the upcoming season. If Mbappe accepts Al Hilal’s bid, it would break the current world transfer record, which is held by PSG for around $245M.

The bid comes amid a broader push by Saudi Arabia to enter the global sports market. Most recently, LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed company, announced an agreement with its competitors PGA Tour and DP World Tour to unify and merge their commercial operations into a single entity.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Wildfires across Algeria have left 34 people dead, according to the country's interior ministry; 97 wildfires were recorded across 16 provinces yesterday, affecting forests, crops, and farmland throughout the nation (More)
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was issued an arrest warrant by the nation’s Election Commission, holding him in contempt of the commission’s proceedings; Khan was removed from parliament after a vote of no-confidence in April of last year (More)
Russian authorities accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow yesterday, striking two nonresidential buildings; Russian officials reported no casualties as a result of the attack, which Kyiv didn’t immediately claim responsibility for (More)

On the Homefront

President Biden will establish a national monument dedicated to Emmett Till one year after he signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law; the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument will reportedly include three separate sites in Illinois and Mississippi (More)
The DOJ filed a lawsuit against Texas over buoys installed on the Rio Grande by the state to prevent people from unlawfully crossing into the U.S. from Mexico, saying it violates federal environmental law and threatens public safety (More)
Trader Joe’s has recalled two of its cookie products after discovering they might contain rocks; the grocery store chain is urging customers to discard or return the recalled products for a full refund (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Remi

Streams for Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” jumped 999% as it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the hot country songs chart (More)
Buffalo Bills running back Nyheim Hines was struck by a jet ski and sustained a season-ending knee injury, according to sources familiar with the matter (More)
British actor Julian Sands’ cause of death was cited as “undetermined” due to the condition of his body; Sands went missing in January and human remains found last month in the San Gabriel mountains were determined to be his (More)

From our partners: Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night – Getting a custom professional night guard from your dentist used to mean a huge hit to 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

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher during yesterday’s trading session, with the Dow leading gains (Dow +0.52%, Nasdaq +0.19%, S&P 500 +0.40%)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman launched a crypto project called Worldcoin yesterday; the project’s core offering is its World ID, which the company describes as a “digital passport” to prove that its holder is a human and not an AI bot (More)
Apple is reportedly planning to increase the prices of its upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models in a bid to increase revenue during a projected slump in the company’s smartphone sales (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Who doesn’t love getting lost in a heartwarming story to brighten their day? From comedies and coming-of-age-stories to emotionally touching reality series, here are 12 shows to check out that may help you feel a little better about the world
Bump This: One Direction alum ZAYN slips in and out of his signature falsetto on his sonically-complex new single “Love Like This” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: For a protein-packed meal that contains no gluten, try this recipe for Mediterranean lamb meatballs and chard that makes for an easy and delicious dinner any night of the week
Belly Laugh: You won’t be able to help yourself from chuckling when you see these hilarious photos of finalists in the 2023 Comedy Pet Photography competition (our favorite is the cat looking like it’s contemplating life)
Nerd Out: Read up on how astronomers recently reported the first evidence of water in the innermost part of a newborn star system about 400 light-years away - per the astronomers, the observations are an important stepping stone in understanding how planets like Earth formed and where its water came from
Hot Goss: Shark Tank personality Daymond John was granted a permanent restraining order against three former contestants: former NFL player Al "Bubba" Baker, his wife, and daughter - John sought the restraining order after the Baker family began making statements on social media about their “nightmare” experience with him
Life Hack: Whether you're feeling dissociative, anxious, or depressed, a dysregulated nervous system can leave you feeling out-of-body and out of touch with yourself - here are 25 ways to come back to your body when you’re feeling dissociative, according to psychotherapists

Tip-Offs

See every U.S. state’s most popular ice cream flavors.

…and photos of the world’s most dramatic sea pools.

Some of the unexpected headaches of owning a Tesla.

A viral video of a cat and mouse becoming buddies.

12 steps to take at any age for a comfortable retirement.

…and 8 habits that could give you an extra 24 years.

The case for overhauling your health with hypnosis.

Sharks may be attracted to certain types of swimwear.

Looking Back…

On July 25th: Puerto Rico attains its own government as a commonwealth of the U.S. (1952); Louise Brown, the first human conceived using in vitro fertilization, is born (1978); Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya becomes the first woman to walk in space (1984); football player Walter Payton is born (1954).

In partnership with Babbel

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