Tip News Daily Brief

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December 20, 2023

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Not every part of the country has cold temperatures during the holiday season and snow is increasingly sparse from coast to coast. But everyone has Christmas lights, and they can be downright spectacular when done right. Check out this list of the top-25 cities with the best light displays and see if any are within driving distance this weekend! Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

Texas: Immigration law faces legal challenge
London: Tube workers approve strike
PGA Tour: Masters champion reinstated
Rite Aid: Five-year facial recognition ban

... and more

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Trump barred from Colorado ballot

Former President Donald Trump was disqualified from Colorado's presidential primary ballot, setting the stage for a potentially monumental Supreme Court ruling.

What happened: Colorado's state supreme court banned Trump from the ballot in a 4-3 decision, ruling he is ineligible due to a 14th Amendment clause that prohibits any public official who participated in insurrection against the federal government from holding office. The court said Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot constitutes insurrection and rejected a lower court ruling that the clause does not apply to the presidency. The decision has been placed on hold so Trump can appeal to the Supreme Court; Colorado's primary ballot deadline is Jan. 5. Trump's attorneys called the ruling unconstitutional and alleged it was an attack on democracy.
Next steps: The Supreme Court is expected to hear the appeal. Similar efforts to remove Trump from the ballot have failed in other states and Colorado's 10 electoral college votes are considered safely Democratic in 2024. If the Supreme Court upholds the decision, it would only apply to Colorado. But it would open the door for renewed efforts to strike Trump from the ballot nationwide. The Supreme Court is also considering whether Trump should have presidential immunity from his pending federal election interference trial. The high court's decisions may majorly impact Trump's political fortunes in the coming months.
GOP response: Republicans rallied around Trump following the decision en masse, with even rivals like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticizing the ruling. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy called on all presidential candidates to boycott Colorado's primary and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis proposed legislation denying federal funding to states that "abuse" the 14th Amendment. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called the decision "election interference."

Jeffrey Epstein names to be released

A federal judge has ordered the release of names of court documents involving late financier Jeffrey Epstein next year, whjich will make over 150 names included in the records public.

The ruling: Judge Loretta A. Priska said all legal documents and names related to Epstein should be unsealed on Jan. 1. Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while in federal custody ahead of a trial on sex trafficking charges following a controversial plea deal on sex charges involving minors in 2008. The names are expected to include Epstein's co-conspirators, innocent associates, sex abuse victims, witnesses and others in his orbit.
The logic: Preska set a Jan. 1 release datye so individuals who will be named have time to object before it becomes public record. She said many people in the documents have already been named in court proceedings or given media interviews. The documents are connected to a 2017 civil settlement between an Epstein victim and his ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence after a sex trafficking conviction.
The fallout: The documents could provide new information about Epstein's actions. The case and the unknown names have sparked countless conspiracy theories; the reveal will be highly scrutinized. It could also have an impact in the United Kingdom, where the Royal Family is reportedly bracing for the possibility of new information about Prince Andrew's ties to Epstein. An Epstein victim has said she was forced to sleep with the prince while underage; he has denied the accusations but reached a private settlement with the woman.

UN Security Council delays Gaza vote again

The United Nations Security Council punted on a Gaza war ceasefire vote for the second time yesterday.

Try again: The vote was rescheduled for today. Council members are reportedly working to amend the resolution in an effort to secure U.S. approval or an abstention. The U.S. vetoed the council's first ceasefire resolution earlier this month. The current draft resolution is said to stop short of calling for a full ceasefire. The U.S. continues to oppose one, arguing it would hinder Israel and help Hamas. A UN mechanism to inspect aid going into Gaza is also a sticking point.
Next steps: Israel is reportedly pushing for another U.S. veto. But it is unclear if that will happen given the Biden Administration's recent frustration with the Israelis. If the U.S. allows the resolution to pass, it would be another indication that Israel's international support is waning -- as President Joe Biden has cautioned. Biden said he understands the burdens Israel faces in the war, but it must do a better job differentiating between militants and innocent civilians.
Other news: Israel has reportedly told Qatar it would agree to another week-long pause in fighting if Hamas returns 40 of the approximately 120 hostages still in the enclave. Hamas leadership will visit Egypt, another mediating state, this week. Israeli officials said military forces have come close to apprehending Hamas leader Yahwa Sinwar in recent days.

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U.S. News

The ACLU and other civil rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Texas' new state immigration law. The legislation, which goes into effect in March, gives law enforcement and judges more authority to arrest and deport illegal migrants (More)
The U.S. Senate will head home for the holidays after failing to strike a deal on a supplemental spending deal that would have sent aid to Ukraine and strengthened border security. Talks are expected to resume in the new year (More)
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville ended his remaining holds on military promotion candidates. The chamber approved 11 four-star general candidates by unanimous consent (More)

World News

London Underground workers have voted to approve a strike over a pay dispute. Rail, Maritime and Transit union officials will meet today to discuss their next steps (More)
France's houses of parliament have passed a strict new immigration bill. The legislation was approved after President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government compromised with conservative opposition (More)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is confident the U.S. and other Western nations will continue to support his country in its war against Russia. Zelensky indicated Ukraine may aim to mobilize another 500K soldiers (More)

Entertainment & Sports

The PGA Tour has reinstated major tournament winner Angel Cabrera after his release from an Argentina prison on gender violence charges. Augusta National has not yet said whether the former Masters champion will be invited to next year's event (More)
Jason Oppenheimer of Selling Sunset fame is the listing agent for Kanye West's $53M beachfront mansion in Malibu. Oppenheimer said he does not know if the process will be featured on the Netflix reality show's next season (More)
FX announced What We Do in the Shadows will end after its upcoming sixth season. The award-winning comedy is about a group of vampires living in the modern world (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed higher yesterday and are on pace for a winning December. The Dow Jones led the gains (Dow +0.68%, Nasdaq +0.66%, S&P 500 +0.59%).
Rite Aid cannot use facial recognition technology for five years, according to the terms of an FTC settlement. The pharmacy chain was sued for misusing the technology in a faulty attempt to identify shoplifters (More)
Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative five-year, $12B deal with its pilots' union. The agreement comes after several months of tense talks and ends fears of a potential work stoppage (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: When you run a laundromat, you are bound to find a lot of lost socks. So Amanda Sidell, who owns The Laundry Basket in Bangor, Maine, decided to make something good come of it. Every time her business discovers a rogue sock, they donate a new pair to a local charity. They have donated almost 1K socks so far.
Go Deep: Javier Milei has made waves at home and abroad since being inaugurated as Argentina's new president following a shocking election victory. Here is an in-depth look at the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist, a former college economics professor with little political experience and many controversial ideas, and how his country's history helped set the stage for his ascension.
List Season: Here is a look at the top-10 television acting performances in 2023. This list does not go bold and rank them; instead, it opts to organize the honorees alphabetically. Among the names: Keri Russell for her work on The Diplomat.
Sneak Peek: Adam Sandler is going serious again in Spaceman, a Netflix film scheduled to be released next March. The streamer has released a first look at the movie, which stars Sandler as an astronaut with marital issues who encounters an otherworldly force while on a distant mission.
Gold Star: It has been a big year for Nvidia. And the tech company now has another accollade to hang its hat on: CEO Jensen Huang is America's most popular corporate leader, according to data compiled by Blind, a professional social network. The runner-up? Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
Honest Mistake: One family's long-awaited trip to Disney World hit an unexpected snag earlier this week. The issue? They had purchased $10K in gift cards to use on the trip to save money. But the gift cards were for Disney's streaming service and not its theme parks. All is well though! After a family member posted about the predicament on TikTok, Disney got in touch and transferred the funds.
Life Hack: You put your head down on your bed pillows every night, and it stays there for eight hours (we hope, at least). Yet many people do not wash their pillows frequently, or at all. So here are some helpful tips on how to properly clean and disinfect your pillows.

Tip-Offs

Researchers have finally recorded the song of a rare night parrot.

... and a woman bought a rare $107K glass vase at Goodwill for $4.

Dishing out some superlatives for Hollywood's 2023 yearbook.

Watch a documentary about Nickleodeon's now-abandoned studios.

Cardi B and Offset will have dueling NYE concerts at a Miami hotel.

Universal Studios has bought land in the UK for a new theme park.

... while Minnesota has finalized its highly-debated new state flag.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito has made amends with a N.J. pizzeria.

Looking Ahead …

The minimum wage will increase for almost half the country on Jan. 1. Twenty-two states will have a hike go into effect, including in 13 states where minimum wage is tied to an inflation index. Wages are scheduled to go up in three more states and Washington D.C. later in 2024. The last time a federal minimum wage increase occurred was in 2009; it remains $7.25 an hour despite most states establishing rates that are over double the federal standard.

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