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Your Daily BriefAugust 2nd, 2022 |
Good morning, and welcome to your Tuesday! We’ve got a lot to cover today, from conjoined twins in Brazil who shared a fused brain to a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan–so in the spirit of getting to it, here’s what we have for you:
In Today’s Brief
- Nancy Pelosi: Visits Taiwan despite warnings from China
- Kentucky Floods: Death toll rises to 35 with more thunderstorms occurring overnight
- Deshaun Watson: Suspended for six games without pay amid sexual assault allegations
- PepsiCo: Takes $500 million stake in Celsius Holdings
- Beyoncé: Changing a line in her song “Heated” after backlash from disability advocates
- Top Tips: Leader of Al-Qaeda killed in a U.S. drone strike, first defendant to go to trial over January 6th sentenced to seven years in prison, SEC charges 11 people in a $300 million crypto Ponzi scheme
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President Biden confirms leader of Al-Qaeda was killed by a U.S. drone strike
President Biden announced last night that a CIA counterterrorism drone strike in Afghanistan killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri over the weekend.
When speaking to reporters prior to the announcement, a Biden administration official said that “over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted a separate statement on Twitter, in which he stated that “an air strike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city,” but didn’t mention whether al-Zawahiri was killed or not.
An Egyptian doctor and surgeon, al-Zawahiri is believed to help orchestrate the September 11, 2001 attacks alongside former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whom he succeeded as the group’s leader after bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011.
First defendant convicted for January 6th events sentenced to seven years in prison
The first defendant to go to trial over events on January 6th, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol building rather than take a plea agreement has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
In March, a federal jury convicted Guy Wesley Reffitt of Wylie, Texas of five felony counts, including transport of a firearm in support of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. After a federal judge denied the Justice Department's request for a "terrorism enhancement" that would have resulted in a lengthier incarceration term, Reffitt received his sentence of 87 months. Reffitt’s sentence is the longest term thus far for a defendant in the Justice Department's investigation of the events of January 6th.
As part of his sentence, Reffitt also received three years of probation, a fine of $2,000 in restitution, and mandatory mental health treatment.
SEC charges 11 people in a $300 million cryptocurrency pyramid scheme
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged 11 individuals over their roles in creating and promoting a cryptocurrency pyramid and Ponzi scheme that raised over $300 million from retail investors.
The scheme, called Forsage, claimed to be a decentralized smart contract platform, according to a formal complaint from the SEC. The complaint states that while Forsage allowed millions of retail investors to enter into transactions via smart contracts that operated on the Ethereum, Tron, and Binance blockchains, it operated like a “textbook pyramid and Ponzi scheme” while not selling “any actual, consumable product.” The SEC also said in its complaint that investors primarily made money from Forsage by recruiting others into the scheme.
Per a press release from the SEC, two of the 11 defendants have “agreed to settle the charges and to be permanently enjoined from future violations of the charged provisions and certain other activity.”
Around the Globe
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan today despite warnings from the Chinese government, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in decades
- The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine in February left the port of Odesa yesterday under a safe passage agreement between Russia and Ukraine brokered by Turkey
- A pair of conjoined twins in Brazil who shared fused brains were successfully separated after a total of seven surgeries with over 27 hours of operating time
On the Homefront
- Death toll from floods in Kentucky increases to at least 35, with the National Weather Service forecasting more thunderstorms in the eastern part of the state overnight
- Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico are preparing to roll out direct payments to help residents with inflation pressures this month
- Three batches of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen are being recalled after tests detected trace levels of the carcinogen benzene, according to a press release from Edgewell Personal Care; read the press release here
Glitz and Games
- The National Football League has suspended Deshaun Watson for six games without pay amid sexual assault allegations against the Cleveland Browns quarterback from 24 different women
- Rapper Travis Scott announced a residency dubbed “Road to Utopia” at Resort World Las Vegas’ Zouk nightclub starting in September
- PGA Tour announced its 2022-2023 schedule that includes a record $428.6 million in prize money in official events and another $145 million in bonuses; it will be the last tour with a wraparound format before moving back to a calendar-year schedule starting in 2024
Money Moves
- Stocks were choppy throughout the day to end yesterday’s trading session slightly below where they opened (Dow -0.14%, Nasdaq -0.18%, S&P 500 -0.28%)
- PepsiCo has taken a $550 million stake in Celsius Holdings as part of a distribution deal with the energy drink maker
- Pinterest stock (NYSE: PINS) rose over 20% in after-hours trading after Elliott Investment Management disclosed itself as the company’s largest shareholder
Tip & Tricks
- Bump This: Space out with Labrinth’s new track “Lift Off” - listen on Apple Music and Spotify (and take a minute to appreciate the cover art)
- Nerd Out: Check out this British biohacker named Lepht Anonym who has implanted over 50 chips and magnets into her body
- Go Deep: Read about the link between eating ultra-processed foods and cognitive decline
- Cash Grab: Spotify rolled out separate “Play” and “Shuffle” buttons at the top of albums and playlists, but only made them available for Spotify Premium subscribers (this is what the kids call “savage”)
- Say What: “I am truly devastated to say that I tested positive for Covid and the Young Money reunion show scheduled for tonight is being rescheduled to the SOONEST date possible. I will keep the city posted and share the new date whenever we have it locked,” Drake said in an Instagram story announcing the postponement of the Young Money reunion performance featuring Micki Minaj and Lil Wayne originally scheduled for last night
- Hot Goss: Beyoncé will amend a line in her song “Heated” off her new album Renaissance after receiving backlash from disability advocates who found the lyrics offensive
- Life Hack: Committing five minutes to daily meditation helps relieve stress, deepen sleep, and improve immune function; it’s especially helpful to meditate at the start of the week to gather your energy and go into the week with a calm intention
Looking Back…
On August 2nd: 56 delegates formally sign the Declaration of Independence (1776); Iraq invades Kuwait (1990); Apple becomes the first American publicly-traded company to reach $1 trillion in total market value (2018); American author James Baldwin is born (1924).
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