Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

August 29th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! This year’s only Blue Moon rises this week, and it’s set to be the biggest and brightest Moon of the entire year. You don’t want to miss out on it! Learn more about the Blue Supermoon that will rise tomorrow and how you can see it for yourself. After tomorrow, the next time this will happen will be on October 17th, 2024.

In Today’s Brief

Libya: Foreign minister suspended
Trump: Trial date set for March 2024
R. Kelly: To pay $500K to his victims
OpenAI: Launching AI enterprise tier

...and more

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Top Tips

Shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill

A faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) was killed when a gunman opened fire in a science building yesterday, according to local police.

The shooting–which occurred just after 1 PM local time–sent the school into a lockdown for more than two hours while authorities searched for the suspect. Police reportedly arrested the suspect over three hours after the initial reports of shots fired came in from Caudill Labs. During a press conference last night, UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz confirmed that police had apprehended the suspect, though he didn’t identify the staffer who was killed and said it was too soon to offer a possible motive.

UNC is the nation’s first public university and has about 20K undergraduate students and 12K graduate students. Classes for the fall semester began one week ago. All classes and activities at the university were canceled yesterday following the shooting and will remain canceled today.

Tropical Storm Idalia strengthens

Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and bring storm surge, winds, and flooding rainfall to Florida’s Gulf Coast today as a Category 3 storm.

Hurricane forecasters said yesterday morning that the storm is likely to intensify from today straight through landfall tomorrow. Its maximum sustained winds are forecast to climb from 80 mph to 115 mph during that 24-hour period. Florida has mobilized 1.1K National Guard members to help with rescue and recovery efforts, according to Governor Ron DeSantis. 33 Florida counties are currently under a state of emergency and mandatory and voluntary evacuations were issued in multiple counties yesterday morning.

The shallow continental shelf and the coastline’s shape in Florida’s Big Bend region makes it uniquely susceptible to storm surge flooding. The current storm surge forecast would be below last year's surge from Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, which brought about a 10-to-15-foot surge.

A new gymnastics record

A decade after she achieved her first title, Simone Biles earned her eighth all-around title at the U.S. Championship with a total score of 118.40.

Biles is now the first gymnast, man or woman, to clinch eight all-around national titles. The eighth title for Biles breaks the record she shared with Alfred Jochim, who earned his seventh all-around gold medal 90 years ago in 1933. At 26, she's also the oldest woman to receive the all-around title. She led in the vault, the beam, and the floor exercise.

Biles made her return to competition this month at the U.S. Classic, which marked her first time at the elite level since the Tokyo Olympics where she withdrew from several events after dealing with the “twisties,” a phenomenon when gymnasts lose control of their bodies as they twist through the air. With 32 medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Libya’s Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush was suspended by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah after she met with her Israeli counterpart; Libya does not recognize Israel as a nation, and the meeting has sparked protests in the country (More)
France’s ambassador Sylvain Itte has remained in Niger despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country, according to officials; Ambassador Itte refused to meet Niger's new leaders after the coup, prompting the military junta to issue the deadline (More)
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Bali after forming in the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey; there were no immediate reports of casualties and no threats of a tsunami, per the U.S. Tsunami Warning System (More)

On the Homefront

Former President Donald Trump’s trial date is set for March 4, 2024, in the federal case charging the former president with allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election; a federal judge rejected a defense request to push back the case (More)
Hawaii’s electric utility acknowledged its power lines started a fire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second fire break out nearby (More)
A judge ruled that the case against the father of the Highland Park shooter can continue, overriding his attorneys' arguments that he can't be held culpable for his son killing seven and injuring 12 during a July 4th parade in 2022 (More)

Glitz & Games

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R. Kelly and Universal Music Group will pay over $500K in music royalties to Brooklyn federal prosecutors to help pay for his victim’s restitution and criminal fines (More)
Spain’s Prosecutor’s Office has opened an inquiry into the country’s soccer federation president Luis Rubiales over his kiss of player Jenni Hermoso during their Women’s World Cup celebration; FIFA has also suspended Rubiales for 90 days (More)
Visual effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board that could allow them to unionize with IATSE; the news comes as Marvel VFX workers are also currently in the midst of their own union election (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher for the second consecutive trading day (Dow +0.62%, Nasdaq +0.84%, S&P 500 +0.63%)
Spirit Airlines has agreed to pay up to $8.25M to settle a class action lawsuit by passengers who said the low-cost carrier blindsided them with surprise carry-on bag fees on tickets bought through third-party travel services (More)
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Enterprise, the AI chatbot’s tier for corporations; ChatGPT Enterprise will allow clients to input company data to train and customize ChatGPT for their own industries and use cases (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Meet Kayla Berridge, a letter carrier in a small town in New Hampshire who saved an elderly woman’s life by calling the local police department for a wellness check after she noticed that mail had piled up for three days at the resident’s home
Sneak Peek: The second trailer for the upcoming horror film It Lives Inside, from the producers of Get Out, is enough to make us leave the lights on while we sleep and get us ready for the spooky season just around the corner
Bump This: Country music elder statesman Tim McGraw brings us an uptempo singalong perfect for the end of summer in his new song “Hold On To It” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: Steak is one of the most popular dishes for adding chimichurri, but uses for this Argentinian sauce don’t end there - try out this recipe for homemade chimichurri that you can drizzle over vegetables, chicken, fish, and more for unlocking fresh, tangy flavor
Go Deep: Learn about rhodium, the world’s most expensive precious metal which is apparently 10 times more expensive than gold…and read about how you might already own some without even knowing it
Hot Goss: Sir Elton John was hospitalized after falling at his home in France on Sunday night - the 76-year-old was taken to Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, kept overnight for observation, and was released yesterday “in good health,” according to his representatives
Life Hack: We all have the power to change our brains and keep on reaching new mental heights, and a lot of it comes down to what researchers call neuroplasticity - here are seven key steps to increase your neuroplasticity and get sharper over time (hint: it’s all about keeping an open mind)

Tip-Offs

Some tips on how to make school life easier for kids.

Why so many TV shows now focus on the workplace.

…and why airlines are starting to weigh passengers.

How our brains distinguish between real and imaginary.

The history of how Silicon Valley ended up in California.

…and in California, learn about a mysterious new city.

20 dog breeds that are known for their longer lifespans.

See photos of a recent Dutch festival full of redheads.

Looking Back…

On August 29th: China signs the Treaty of Nanking, providing for the cession of Hong Kong to Great Britain (1842); Hurricane Katrina strikes the U.S. Gulf Coast (2005); Netflix is founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph (1997); singer Michael Jackson is born (1958).

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