Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

August 15th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! As of the writing of this newsletter, the Maui fires death toll has risen to 99 people, with search and rescue operations still underway. Find out five ways to help those affected by the fires. Check back in with us tomorrow for further updates as the story continues to develop.

In Today’s Brief

Niger: Military junta to prosecute president
Trump: Indicted by Georgia grand jury
76ers: Harden calls out team president
UBS: Agrees to pay $1.4B in civil penalties

...and more

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Montana climate ruling

A Montana state court ruled in favor of a group of 16 young climate activists who alleged that the state violated their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment.”

District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found the Montana Environmental Policy Act, the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits, does not allow agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, making it unconstitutional. The plaintiffs argued that MEPA, in its current form, violates a 1972 provision in the state’s constitution that indicates the “state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”

This marks the first time a U.S. court has ruled against a government for violating a constitutional right based on climate conditions, according to Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus. It is now up to the Montana Legislature to determine how to bring the state’s policies into compliance.

Clarence Avant dies at 92

Clarence Avant, the executive and businessman known as "The Black Godfather" of music and entertainment, has died at age 92.

Avant began as a nightclub manager in the 1950s, with such clients as singers Sarah Vaughan and Little Willie John and composer Lalo Schifrin, who wrote the theme to Mission: Impossible. He also helped broker the sale of Stax Records back in the late 1960s. 30 years later, he became chairman of the board of Motown Records, and subsequently the first African American board member at PolyGram. He also launched one of the first fully Black-owned radio stations in the U.S.

In 2021, Avant was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Lionel Richie and was honored as an Industry Icon at the Grammys. The Netflix documentary The Black Godfather details Avant’s career and experience with political and musical leaders ranging from Lionel Richie and Snoop Dogg to former presidents Clinton and Barack Obama.

‘Blind Side’ controversy

Retired NFL player Michael Oher, subject of the 2009 film The Blind Side, petitioned a Tennessee court with allegations that he was never lawfully adopted by the Tuohy family.

The petition alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them authority to make deals in his name. Oher also claims that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to earn book and film royalties, while he received nothing. He is petitioning to end the conservatorship and requested an injunction barring the Tuohys from using his name and likeness.

The Blind Side was nominated for two Oscars, with Sandra Bullock clinching Best Actress. The movie made over $300M. Oher was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Mississippi, and he spent his first five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he became a Super Bowl champion.

Note: One of our bullet points yesterday mistakenly described Lilia Vu as a “tennis player,” when she is in fact a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. Vu took home her second major championship of the year, securing the AIG Women’s Open title over the weekend.

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Around the Globe

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in what critics are calling a show of support; during his trip, he will deliver an address at the Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with defense leaders from Russia (More)
Libya’s judicial authorities have asked Lebanon for the release of Muammar Gaddafi’s son because of his deteriorating health; Hannibal Gaddafi has been held without charge in Lebanon since 2015 and his health has reportedly been deteriorating since he went on hunger strike on June 3 (More)
Niger's military junta announced plans to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for high treason and undermining national security; Bazoum has been held in the basement of his palace since the military staged a coup about three weeks ago (More)

On the Homefront

Former President Trump was indicted in Georgia by a grand jury that accused him and 18 of his allies of efforts to unlawfully overturn 2020 election results in the state; it is the fourth criminal case brought against the former president and the second to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the vote (More)
A retired Russian fighter jet flying in a Michigan air show crashed and burst into flames as spectators watched; the two people aboard ejected after noticing the jet was losing power, sustaining non-life threatening injuries (More)
Six former Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty to state charges of torturing two Black men in a racially motivated assault; all six had recently admitted their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Atlas.co

Philadelphia 76ers player James Harden called team president Daryl Morey a liar at a promotional event in China; the comments came seven weeks after he picked up his $35.6M option with the 76ers for this season and then later announced he wanted to be traded (More)
Netflix is making several of the company's video games playable on TVs and computers; starting yesterday, the company is rolling out a limited beta test to a “small number” of members in Canada and the U.K. on select TVs (More)
SAG-AFTRA will no longer grant interim agreements to independent projects that were written under a Writers Guild of America contract, according to the union; the union has already permitted 207 independent projects to continue to film during the strike (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market ended higher, with tech names in the Nasdaq leading gains (Dow +0.07%, Nasdaq +1.05%, S&P 500 +0.58%)
UBS agreed to pay a combined $1.4B in civil penalties over fraud and misconduct in its offering of residential mortgage-backed securities dating back to 2008, according to federal prosecutors (More)
U.S. Steel Corporation announced that it is rejecting a buyout offer from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and instead will be starting a formal review of its strategic options; in 2020, Cliffs purchased AK Steel Holding Corp. and the U.S. business of steelmaker ArcelorMittal (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Meet Brogan Ingram, a TikTok influencer from Canada who has built her following of over 5.5M people by cleaning homes for people facing physical and mental health challenges and asking for nothing in return
Sneak Peek: Watch Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker–aka Darth Vader–take center stage in the new teaser trailer for Ahsoka, premiering on Disney+ on August 23rd
Bump This: Up-and-coming Gen Z bedroom pop artist Katherine Li delivers another catchy sing-along in her new single “Like Me, Like Me” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: Labor Day will be here faster than we know it, which means that the days for summer gatherings are officially dwindling down - here are 20 recipes for Labor Day appetizers that will help you make the most of the last weekends of summer
Go Deep: Read up on SB1782, a first-of-its-kind law in Illinois that aims to protect child influencers and social media stars, making sure they’re paid for appearing in videos posted to platforms like TikTok and YouTube…and giving them grounds to file lawsuits against their parents
Hot Goss: Speaking of lawsuits, Fast & Furious mainstay Tyrese Gibson has filed a suit against Home Depot in which he alleges that a cashier racially profiled him and his crew members because she wouldn’t allow them to use his credit card to buy supplies in his absence
Life Hack: Inflammation is a silent and often underestimated adversary of our well-being, and our fast-paced lifestyles only tend to exacerbate the problem - here are six daily habits that can help manage chronic inflammation, based on Ayurvedic wisdom

Tip-Offs

Based on 51 factors, see the best U.S. states to live in.

Learn about the rise of high-sugar cereal in the 80s.

…and how most U.S. borrowers feel about student debt.

Examining the looming end of hedonistic rock and roll.

…and why Americans are obsessed with sparkling water.

Explore some of England’s mysterious sunken roads.

See how Taylor Swift has been a hero to food banks.

To stay well-rested, discover the best sleeping positions.

Looking Back…

On August 15th: The Taliban regains control of Kabul, Afghanistan, as U.S. troops withdraw from the country (2021); Bahrain proclaims independence from the United Kingdom (1971); Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is released in theatres (1979); actress Jennifer Lawrence is born (1990).

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