Tip News Daily Brief

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September 27th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Wednesday! Feel as though you don’t have the time to tackle big housecleaning projects? Sometimes all it takes is one small decluttering project to make a space feel tidier. Whether it’s tackling a single junk drawer or organizing craft supplies, here are 12 manageable organizing projects that will bring you one step closer to home organization bliss.

In Today’s Brief

Canada: House of Commons speaker resigns
Trump: Judge rules assets were overvalued
Shakira: Charged with tax evasion for 2nd time
Target: To close stores due to theft and crime

...and more

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Amazon vs the United States

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon in one of the most significant challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.

In a complaint filed in federal court in Seattle yesterday, the FTC and attorneys general from 17 states accused Amazon of wielding its “monopoly power” to inflate prices, degrade quality for shoppers, and unlawfully exclude rivals, thereby undermining competition. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they claim would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its allegedly unlawful conduct and restore competition. Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. said the FTC is “wrong on the facts and the law.”

The federal complaint follows other actions the FTC has taken against Amazon in the past few months. In June, the agency sued the company, alleging it was using deceptive practices to enroll consumers into Amazon Prime and making it challenging for them to cancel their subscriptions, which Amazon has disputed.

Writer’s strike officially ends

Leaders of the WGA screenwriters union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over after board members approved a contract agreement with studios.

The Writers Guild of America board unanimously voted yesterday to affirm the strike-ending deal. The writers still have to vote to ratify the contract themselves, but lifting the strike will allow them to work during that process, according to the Writers Guild. The ratification vote will be held from October 2nd to October 9th. The three-year writers' contract agreement includes gains in compensation, a new requirement for minimum staff levels in TV writers' rooms, improvement payment terms for screenwriters, and protections for the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process.

The news brings to an end one-half of a double strike, which has not been seen in over 60 years in Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA still remains out on strike, and neither that union nor the AMPTP have announced any new bargaining dates for the parties yet.

Biden joins the picket line

President Joe Biden walked the picket line with the United Auto Workers who are striking against the nation's three largest automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

The president's visit marks the first time a sitting president has appeared on a picket line. In a speech to the autoworkers, Biden said “Folks, stick with it because you deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits." The visit followed a public invitation from UAW President Shawn Fain to Biden last Friday, as UAW expanded its strike to 38 sites across 20 states. The UAW wants 40% pay raises over four years for autoworkers, a four-day work week, the elimination of a multi-tiered wage system, and the restoration of a pension plan.

The move comes ahead of Former President Donald Trump’s planned rally at an automotive supplier facility in Clinton Township, Michigan tonight, for which he will be skipping the second Republican primary debate.

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Around the Globe

The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons resigned yesterday for inviting a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II to Parliament to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president (More)
An explosion at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh killed 20 people and injured 300 others, according to local ethnic-Armenian authorities; it comes as more than 28K refugees had crossed into Armenia since local forces surrendered to Azerbaijan (More)
The first Saudi ambassador to Palestine, Nayef al-Sudairi, has presented his credentials to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; the appointment of al-Sudairi comes amid reports that the nation is mulling official diplomatic relations with Israel (More)

On the Homefront

Hunter Biden sued Rudy Giuliani and attorney Robert Costello yesterday for allegedly sharing his private digital data in what his lawyers claim is a violation of federal law (More)
A judge ruled that former President Trump overvalued his assets and exaggerated his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing debt in his New York real estate enterprise (More)
JPMorgan will pay $75M to the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle a lawsuit accusing the institution of alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein; the bank said $55M of the settlement will go toward local charities and victim assistance, while the rest will go to fees (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Earth Conscious Life

SAG-AFTRA members have voted to authorize a strike against 10 major video game companies; the vote comes almost a year after the guild’s video game contract was extended beyond its original expiration date (More)
Singer Shakira has been charged with tax evasion for the second time by the Spanish government; prosecutors in Spain allege that the singer defrauded the state of $7.1M in 2018 (More)
Haley Van Voorhis has become the first female football player to appear in an NCAA football game outside of the kicker position; Van Voorhis plays safety at Shenandoah University, a Division III school (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed lower yesterday, with the Nasdaq leading the losses (Dow -1.14%, Nasdaq -1.57%, S&P 500 -1.47% )
Target announced that it will close nine stores in major cities across the country, citing violence, theft, and organized retail crime; the retail store has previously claimed that theft has driven higher levels of losses from goods that were damaged, misplaced, or stolen (More)
3M has agreed to pay almost $10M to settle apparent violations of Iranian sanctions, according to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control; The agency alleges that the company had 54 apparent violations of OFAC sanctions on Iran (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: The Norwegian government recently completed the largest re-wilding project in its history, allowing for polar bears, reindeer, Arctic fox, sea birds, and other species to move back into the mining town of Sveagruva, where the depths of the island were plumbed for coal for 100 years
Sneak Peek: Take a look into a fictional world where love can be quantified in the official trailer for Fingernails, an upcoming science-fiction film on AppleTV+ starring Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, and Jessie Buckley as three people caught in a love triangle that defies all the laws of logic
Bump This: Powerhouse singer TALK is back with the guitar-heavy single “Wasteland” that will get stuck in your head as soon as the first chorus hits your ears - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: If you love macaroni and cheese as comfort food, be sure to step up your game with this recipe for butternut squash mac and cheese that makes for a great side dish for weeknight meals or even upcoming holiday get-togethers
Go Deep: Math skills are on the decline in our country, with young Americans consistently notching poorer math scores on standardized tests - read up on why some employers see this growing trend as a threat to not only our nation’s global economic competitiveness but also our national security
Hot Goss: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s jersey sales reportedly spiked by as much as 400% after Taylor Swift attended this past weekend’s game at Arrowhead Stadium alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna
Life Hack: A cup of coffee in the morning is seen by many as a brain-aiding beverage that starts off our engines in a satisfying way - check out the most optimal way to prepare coffee to boost your brain health, according to a nutritional psychiatrist

Tip-Offs

See the U.S. states & cities with the most hidden wonders.

…and get a pulse on how Americans feel about flying cars.

One man’s account of surviving a wreck on the ocean floor.

Comparing the eyesight capabilities of 90 different animals.

An abandoned rural school gets turned into a massive house.

From Trump to Burning Man, this year’s most striking images.

…and eight iconic Western photos taken by Ansel Adams.

Meet California’s secret weapon for fighting wildfires: goats.

Looking Back…

On September 27th: British forces attack the Hindenburg Line in the final offensive on the Western Front during World War I (1918); Rachel Carson’s environmental science book Silent Spring is published (1962); the Taliban seize Kabul, declaring all of Afghanistan an Islamic state (1996); Founding Father Samuel Adams is born (1722).

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