Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

October 11th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Wednesday! A massive pumpkin named Michael Jordan has squashed the world record for the heaviest gourd this week. Grown by Minnesota teacher Travis Gienger, the pumpkin weighed 2,749 pounds, attributing the fruit's gigantic size to extra care and 12 waterings a day - all we can say is that that is one gourd-looking pumpkin!

In Today’s Brief

Israel: War death toll continues to climb
Tim Ballard: Sued for alleged assault
Barry Melrose: Retiring from ESPN role
EU: Warns X of possible law violations

...and more

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Top Tips

FTX founder’s ex-girlfriend testifies

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and ex-girlfriend of Sam Bankman-Fried testified in court against the FTX co-founder yesterday.

During Ellison’s testimony, she alleged that Bankman-Fried told her to steal money from FTX's customers and use it to repay firms that had lent money to Alameda Research. She claimed that Alameda took about $10B from customers who had put their money on the FTX exchange to trade digital currencies, with Bankman-Fried setting up the system that let her move the money. She also said Bankman-Fried directed her to send balance sheets to lenders that made Alameda's losses look less risky. Bankman-Fried faces seven federal charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, which could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

Ellison was also charged with a series of financial crimes in December, pleading guilty on multiple counts. She testified yesterday under a cooperation deal that could win her leniency at sentencing.

George Santos Indictment

The U.S. Attorney’s office filed a 23-count superseding indictment against Representative George Santos yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The indictment replaces one filed in May against the New York representative, including an additional 10 counts. Santos is accused of filing fraudulent fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission to obtain financial support for his campaign, per a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He allegedly also repeatedly charged the credit cards of campaign contributors without authorization. The new counts come as Santos is already under a federal indictment on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and lying to Congress. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in May.

Last week, Nancy Marks, a political bookkeeper who worked for Santos, pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge, claiming she helped her former boss trick prospective donors by submitting fake campaign finance reports.

California outlaws red dye No. 3

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that bans four food additives, marking the first time that a state has outlawed chemicals allowed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Starting in 2027, California will prohibit red dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben after Newsom signed Assembly Bill 418 into law. The chemicals have been associated with issues ranging from hyperactivity in children to cancer. According to Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, the bill will not ban any foods or products but will require food companies to make modifications to their recipes and switch to alternative ingredients. The FDA stands by the usage of the ingredients.

All four ingredients have already been outlawed in the European Union and some other parts of the world but can be found in commonly sold items in the United States, such as some brands of orange soda, icing, hamburger rolls, candies, and processed foods.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Finland is investigating suspected sabotage of the Baltic-connector gas pipeline, an underwater natural gas pipeline, with Estonia; the country says that the damage may have been deliberate and was probably caused by "external activity" (More)
Russia launched 36 drone attacks overnight on Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force, in Moscow’s latest air raid targeting the country; in a statement, Ukraine said that its defense systems had destroyed 27 of the drones (More)
As the Israel-Hamas war entered its fifth day yesterday, 830 Palestinians have so far been killed in Gaza, with the Israeli death count climbing to more than 900 people; U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged further military assistance for Israel (More)

On the Homefront

Remaining debris from the Titan submersible was recovered by the Coast Guard yesterday, according to officials; the submersible imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard (More)
Five women have sued Tim Ballard, whose life experiences rescuing children from human traffickers inspired the movie Sound of Freedom, accusing him of assault and battery (More)
Utah filed a lawsuit against TikTok yesterday, claiming the video app knowingly uses technology to keep children engaged with material despite known mental health harms that correlate to time spent engaging with social media (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Flaviar

Former NHL coach and player Barry Melrose is retiring from ESPN after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, according to an announcement made yesterday; Melrose has been a hockey analyst for ESPN since 1996 (More)
A producer on CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’ is suing the network for firing her after she was accused of harassment while turning a blind eye to what she claims was “far more egregious misconduct” by male employees (More)
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee has proposed five new sports for inclusion in the 2028 Games, including flag football, baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse, and squash (More)

From our partners: Discover Fine Drinks from Craft to Big Brands – Founded in 2012, Flaviar is the world’s largest premium spirits club, with operations in the U.S. and Europe. If you enjoy the finer things and want to refine your palate, Flaviar offers a better way to experience the finest spirits from around the world.

Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher again yesterday, with the Nasdaq leading the gains (Dow +0.40%, Nasdaq +0.58%, S&P 500 +0.52%)
General Motors reached a tentative contract agreement with the union representing Canadian auto workers yesterday, ending a strike that began just after midnight; according to the automaker the deal recognizes employee contributions with pay and benefit increases and additional job security (More)
European Union officials have warned X that the company formerly known as Twitter appears to have been hosting misinformation about the war between Hamas and Israel, in potential violation of the EU’s signature content moderation law (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: After 20 years of advocacy and court challenges, the largest dam removal in history is returning the Klamath River in California to its natural state - the demolition of four hydroelectric dams will allow wild salmon from the Pacific Ocean to run upstream and spawn again as they haven’t done for 100 years
Sneak Peak: Watch Emily Blunt play a high school dropout who ends up getting entangled with criminals when she becomes a high-flying sales representative for a pharmaceutical company in the stress-inducing official trailer for Pain Hustlers, a film hitting Netflix on October 20th
Bump This: Texas rapper and singer-songwriter Kevin Abstract–best known as a founding member of the hybrid rap group Brockhampton–channels a sound reminiscent of classic British garage rock in his new single “Blanket” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: We’re all in on soup season, and we think everyone else should be, too - try out this recipe for lemony kale basil soup if you want to add a new one to your rotation that’s packed with flavor and phytonutrients and can be made in just 30 minutes
Go Deep: Quitting can be tough, whether it’s a job or a relationship, but doing so can free our lives up and provide a much-needed mental break - dive into one reporter’s exploration of the art of quitting, including some tips on when and how to quit a job or situation…and some signs that it may be time for you to go
Hot Goss: Amber Heard reportedly told her therapist that her Aquaman 2 co-star Jason Momoa was purposely dressing like her ex Johnny Depp to harass her while filming the sequel to the 2018 film, according to court documents from her defamation trial last year that were recently made public
Life Hack: Worrying whether someone is mad at us is one of the most isolating experiences we feel as individuals, and yet also one of the most universal - here are five simple tips to stop worrying about whether someone is mad at you, according to a doctor of psychology

Tip-Offs

See the U.S. states with the hardest-to-understand slang words.

…and the world’s most popular countries to emigrate to for work.

What researchers say are the best ways to parent our parents.

Recent genetic discoveries shed light on the real first Americans.

For a quick fall food fix, five steps for roasting pumpkin seeds.

Unraveling the mystery of some of Alaska’s missing fat bears.

Stunning pictures of an Ecuadorian hotel nestled in the clouds.

…and a clip of John Lennon hearing “Imagine” for the first time.

Looking Back…

On October 11th: President Gerald R. Ford establishes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Energy Reorganization Act (1974); the TV sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live debuts on NBC (1975); Kathryn Sullivan becomes the first woman to walk in space (1984); humanitarian and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt is born (1884).

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