Shooter Charged, Omicron Strains, and Billionaire Rihanna

Your Daily Brief

July 6th, 2022

Good morning, and welcome to your Wednesday! Today is National Fried Chicken Day, and before you hit your local KFC (or Popeyes), here’s what we have for you:

Today’s Highlights

Suspect in Highland Park shooting charged with seven counts of first-degree murder
Omicron subvariant B.A. 5 now accounts for the majority of US Covid-19 cases
Rihanna is the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire

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Suspect in Highland Park shooting charged with seven counts of first-degree murder

Robert “Bobby” Crimo III–the person of interest in the Highland Park parade shooting that occurred Monday–has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, according to Illinois state prosecutors.

One day after what Lake Country State’s Attorney Eric Rineheart called a "premeditated and calculated attack,” Rineheart said that Crimo had been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder–one for each of the seven people who died from the shooting–and said those charges were “the first of many” that will be filed.

New details emerged yesterday in regards to Crimo’s background before the charges were announced, such as the fact that he legally purchased a rifle and dressed up as a woman to disguise himself on the day of the shooting. Police officials also referenced an incident in 2019 when they were called to Crimo’s home after he had reportedly threatened to kill his family members. While no action was taken, police seized 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword at the scene.

Crimo is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. While he doesn’t currently face federal charges, U.S. attorneys have suggested those charges might be a possibility at a later time. If convicted, Crimo faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.

Omicron subvariant B.A. 5 now accounts for the majority of US Covid-19 cases

The new Omicron subvariant BA.5 now accounts for the majority of Covid-19 cases in the United States, according to data released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infectious disease experts have warned that BA.5 and BA.4–another earlier subvariant of Omicron–both have mutations that evade protection from vaccines as well as from previous infections. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease expert at NYU, tweeted that “BA.4 and BA.5 are even more mutated than the original Omicron, which means that our immune systems are having a harder time recognizing these new subvariants, regardless of whether we've previously been vaccinated or infected.”

As of June 25th, the CDC estimated the two newest subvariants of the Omicron strain to make up a combined 52% of coronavirus cases in the country. That week, CDC estimates showed that BA.4 accounted for 14.7% of cases in the U.S, with BA.5 making up 36.6%. Less than two weeks later, BA.5 now makes up 53.6% of all cases, per the CDC, while BA.4 makes up another 16.5%.

Together, the two Omicron subvariants currently account for around 70% of all Covid-19 infections in the United States.

Rihanna is the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire

According to Forbes, Rihanna has become the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.

Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, and first came to musical prominence at the age of 17. Now, at age 34, Forbes estimates her net worth to be $1.4 billion. Outside of her career in music, Rihanna has earned the majority of her wealth through her cosmetics line Fenty Beauty, per the Forbes website.

“The cosmetics company, which she co-owns with French luxury retailer LVMH, generated more than $550 million in revenue in 2020,” Forbes wrote in Rihanna’s profile on its website. Her profile also shows that she holds a 30% equity stake in the lingerie line Savage x Fenty, which raised money at a $1 billion valuation last year–making her position worth around $300 million.

During a 2019 interview with the New York Times, Rihanna shared her philosophy on wealth when she said: “My money is not for me, it’s always the thought that I can help someone else. The world can really make you believe that the wrong things are priority, and it makes you really miss the core of life, what it means to be alive.”

Around the Globe

UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid both resigned from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet, citing improper handling of misconduct allegations against a Conservative party member
The euro fell yesterday to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in 20 years
50,000 people in Australia were warned to potentially evacuate their homes due to flooding after days of torrential rain; it is the city’s fourth flood emergency in 16 months

On the Homefront

A grand jury in Georgia investigating former President Donald Trump subpoenaed members of his circle, including lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham
NASA lost contact with its CAPSTONE satellite when it was en route to the moon after successfully deploying on July 4th
The Biden administration sued the state of Arizona over a law that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship to cast a ballot for presidential candidates

Glitz and Games

Netflix’s Stranger Things passed a total of 1 billion hours viewed; it is the second show to ever do so on the platform, behind Squid Game
Novak Djokovic beat Jannik Sinner and will face Cam Norrie in Wimbledon’s semifinals round
Box office ticket sales in China shrank 38% year-over-year in the first half of 2022 due to Covid-related lockdowns, bringing in $2.6 billion over the last six months

Money Moves

Stocks were mixed yesterday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq rebounding, the S&P 500 closing slightly higher, and the Dow closing lower (Dow -0.42%, Nasdaq +1.75%, S&P 500 +0.16%)
The price of U.S. oil closed below $100 per barrel for the first time since early May due to reduced demand
London-based Nexo will acquire up to 100% of cryptocurrency lender Vauld one day after the latter company halted all withdrawals on its platform

Tip & Tricks

Bump This: Close your eyes and pretend you’re rich with the funk/rap track “New Money” from Calvin Harris and 21 Savage - listen on Apple Music and Spotify
Chow Down: Subway announces it will give away 1 million free sandwiches on July 12th to celebrate the launch of its new “Subway Series” menu
Cash Grab: The world’s thinnest watch–the RM UP-01 Ferrari from Richard Mille–can be yours for just $1,888,000 (doesn’t your phone have a clock, though?)
Nerd Out: The Large Hadron Collider–the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world–was turned on today to help scientists look for dark matter and uncover more secrets of the universe
Say What: "During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe life-threatening pancreatitis. I am so very very grateful that with intensive treatment I am currently much better," blink-182 drummer Travis Barker said over the weekend when addressing his recent hospital visit
Hot Goss: R. Kelly was removed from suicide watch in a Brooklyn jail after the convicted singer’s attorneys filed a civil lawsuit claiming the status was “cruel and unconstitutional”
Life Hack: Taking your bananas apart as soon as you get home from the store will help them ripen slower and last longer

Question of the day

Would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak? Tell us what you think here:

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Looking Back…

On July 6th, 1957, Paul McCartney met John Lennon at a church event in Liverpool, England, where Lennon’s band was performing; the two would later form the Beatles, who many consider the most influential band in history.