Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

December 11, 2023

Good morning and happy Monday! McDonald's has been in the news recently thanks to the intrigue surrounding its spinoff CosMc's restaurant chain. But the fast food giant is also quietly overhauling the crown jewel of its empire. Franchises nationwide are gradually phasing in new protocols to improve hamburger quality, including thicker bottom buns and a new grilling approach. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

Trump: Last-second reversal on testifying
South America: Guyana, Venezuela to meet
Shohei Ohtani: Historic deal with Dodgers
Cigna: Humana merger plan is scuttled

... and more

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Biden, Zelensky to meet tomorrow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with President Joe Biden tomorrow at the White House as Congress remains at odds about more aid for his country.

Time running out: Lawmakers are in talks to hammer out a supplemental spending bill to send about $60B to Ukraine for its ongoing war with Russia. Republicans have tied Ukrainian aid to their push for stricter border security restrictions. Biden has stressed the importance of a deal and said he is open to compromise; Democrats say Republicans are being unreasonable while the GOP has criticized a lack of flexibility. The House and Senate are scheduled to recess for the holidays at the end of the week.
More meetings: Zelensky will meet with senators from both parties and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson while in Washington. The meeting with Johnson will have high stakes. Johnson has expressed support for more Ukraine aid, but there is strong resistance among House Republicans. Biden and Zelensky have expressed fear Ukraine will lose to Russia if it does not receive more aid; the White House has said it is close to running out of money to send the Ukrainians.
Big week: Zelensky will travel to Washington after attending the inauguration of Argentina President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires. He was seen speaking with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban there, days before this week's European Union summit in Brussels. The EU has recommended beginning formal membership talks with Ukraine there, but Orban opposes the required unanimous consent among existing members.

Penn president resigns after antisemitism testimony

One of the three university leaders engulfed in controversy after a House hearing on campus antisemitism has stepped down.

Magill out: Penn President Elizabeth Magill resigned over the weekend after failing to say calls for Jewish genocide violated the school's code of conduct while testifying before the House's education committee. The school's board of trustee's chairman also stepped down. Magill's resignation came after a donor revoked a $100M gift to the school.
Outrage continues: Calls continue for Harvard's Claudine Gay and MIT's Sally Kornbluth, the other participating university leaders, to resign. Gay has apologized, but remains under significant pressure. Kornbluth has received a vote of confidence from her governing board. New York Rep. Elise Stefanink, who grilled the trio, said she will open an investigation into their schools and other institutions.
SNL sketch: The controversy was spotlighted during Saturday Night Live's cold open. The NBC program mocked the campus leaders and Stefanik. But critics accused SNL of going easy on the presidents and directing too much ire toward Stefanik.

Netanyahu to Hamas: Surrender now

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the beginning of the end of Hamas" has commenced amid the war in Gaza.

Surrender push: Netanyahu urged militants to put down their weapons as Israeli forces continued their offensive in the enclave, saying they should not die for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Israel said dozens of Hamas fighters have already surrendered. Israeli Defense Forces officials have said they are observing signs suggesting Hamas' military control in Gaza is beginning to break down.
Sinwar hunt: Israel is reportedly focused on capturing or killing Sinwar. The IDF is said to believe eliminating him and his close associates would expedite Hamas' collapse and bring a quicker end to the war. Israel encircled Sinwar's house in Khan Younis, but he was not there. The IDF believes he is hiding in an underground tunnel below the city.
Ceasefire unlikely: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he doubts Israel and Hamas will agree to another pause in fighting. The U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire last Friday, saying the measure was rushed and did not address humanitarian issues.

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Quick Tips

U.S. News

Former President Donald Trump announced last night he will not testify again in his civil business fraud trial in New York. Trump was scheduled to take the stand again today as a defense witness (More)
The FDA has approved therapeutic gene editing to treat patients with sickle cell disease. The costly technology could eventually be used to treat other blood disorders, as well as certain cancer and infectious diseases (More)
A series of tornadoes rocked Clarksville, Tennessee, and surrounding areas on Saturday. Six people were killed in the state during the storms, with dozens injured and hundreds of homes damaged (More)

World News

The presidents of Guyana and Venezuela will meet on Thursday to discuss the disputed Essequibo region. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will also attend the summit as a mediator (More)
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed he will seek a fifth term in next March's elections, extending his rule through at least 2030. Putin has been in office longer than any Russian leader since Joseph Stalin (More)
Vessels representing China and the Phillippines collided in the South China Sea yesterday, sparking a wave of accusations by both sides. The Phillippines said China rammed its ship and fired water cannons; the Chinese said the Phillippine ship purposely initiated contact (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Shohei Ohtani has agreed to a historic 10-year, $700M contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Japanese star and two-time AL MVP is now the world's highest-paid athlete (More)
Actor Ryan O'Neal died Friday at 82. He was known for roles in Paper Moon, Love Story and Peyton Place and his tumultuous relationship with late actress Farrah Fawcett (More)
The PGA Tour announced it has entered talks with a investing consortium of U.S. team sports owners as it approaches a Dec. 31 deadline to strike a deal with Saudi Arabia's PIF and rival LIV Golf. PGA and LIV leaders will meet this week (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed higher on Friday, ending the week on a high note after a rough start (Dow + 0.36%, Nasdaq +0.45%, S&P 500 +0.41%).
Cigna has scrapped a $140B merger plan with health insurance rival Humana. Cigna will instead initiate $10B in stock buybacks and focus on smaller acquisitions (More)
Starbucks wants to resume labor talks with Workers United International, which represents its organized baristas, in January. The sides have been in a stalemate for two years (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: A group of quick-thinking Utah teenagers provided a potentially life-saving assist. Students outside Layton Christian Academy rushed into action after a member of the high school's staff and her two young children became trapped under a car. The teens raced to lift the car up and pulled the woman and one of her children out while the other kid managed to crawl out. Everyone is OK.
Take Note: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin continues to tease a third-party presidential run. The veteran lawmaker joked at Washington's annual Gridiron Club dinner that America needs a "slightly younger" president who is around 76, or Manchin's current age. But remember: A recent poll of Tip News readers said only 38% would consider a bipartisan third-party ticket including someone like Manchin.
Go Deep: The political success of far-right parties across Europe is shining an increasing spotlight on Alice Weidel, the 45-year-old leader of the rising Alternative for Germany party. Weidel is likely to run for chancellor in 2025. If the underdog candidate wins, the former Goldman Sachs analyst would be the first far-right politician to lead Germany since the end of World War II.
Guessing Game: Mysterious billboards depicting a man wearing a mask have begun popping up in Ghana's major cities, promising "leadership for the next generation." The West African country will hold a presidential election in 2024, and speculation is Nana Kwame Bediako, a businessman nicknamed "Cheddar," will attempt to launch a new party. But no one knows for sure.
Sneak Peek: Jake Johnson pulls triple duty -- writer, director and lead actor -- in Self Reliance, an upcoming Hulu comedy. Johnson plays a man who agrees to participate in a reality show where he wins a cash prize if he can evade hunters trying to kill him. He finds a loophole, but he has a hard time convincing people to believe he is actually playing. Watch the trailer here.
Can Confirm: Actress and singer Selena Gomez announced she is dating music producer Benny Blanco the old-fashioned way -- via an Instagram comment. She has been with Blanco, a good friend of her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, for six months.
Life Hack: The standing desk is no longer the trendiest way to work. Many people have embraced floor sitting whenever possible, as it reduces stress on joints, stretches your muscles and helps posture and range of motion.

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Tip-Offs

Will tamarind be the breakthrough seasoning spice of 2024?

Elon Musk let conspiracy theorist Alex Jones back on X.

... while Brexiteer Nigel Farage may launch a comeback.

... and Jimmy Kimmel has some fun with George Santos.

OpenAI's Sam Altman faces accusations of abusive leadership.

A man tried to steal a NYC cathedral's religious statue.

An arson attempt at MLK's childhood home was thwarted.

Picking Hollywood's biggest winners and losers this year.

Looking Ahead …

Presidential campaigns will slow down during the holiday season. But once the calendar flips to 2024, we will officially be in an election year, and it will be full steam ahead to November. Here is a handy rundown of important dates and events on the road to Election Day.

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