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Your Daily BriefAugust 31st, 2022 |
Good morning, and happy Wednesday! Did you know that Sudan has twice as many pyramids as Egypt? Sudan has a total of 255 pyramids, while Egypt only has 118–but we’re willing to bet that when you think of pyramids, you probably don’t think of Sudan! Anyways, while you get ready to attack the day, here’s what we have for you:
In Today’s Brief
- India: Gautam Adani becomes the world’s third-richest person
- I-80: Truck crash in California covers several lanes of the interstate in tomatoes
- Cameron Smith: Leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf
- Snap Inc: Laying off 20% of its workforce
- James Webb: New image of the Phantom Galaxy taken in tandem with the Hubble Telescope
- Top Tips: Over 150,000 residents in Jackson, MS, left without access to safe drinking water; former Soviet leader Gorbachev dies in Moscow at 91; Department of Education cancels $1.5B in student loans for Westwood College attendees
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Jackson, Mississippi has no drinking water for an indefinite amount of time
Over 150,000 residents in Jackson, Mississippi were left without access to safe drinking water yesterday as the city’s largest water treatment plant underwent failure from flood damage.
According to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, recent flooding of the Pearl River from rainfall caused complications at the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant, which is located next to a reservoir that drains into the river. After the plant’s backup pumps failed on Monday, Reeves declared a state of emergency and warned residents not to drink any tap water. Meanwhile, city and state officials began distributing bottled water to residents.
This latest occurrence isn’t the only issue Jackson has recently faced with its water system. Some residents were left without running water after pipes froze in 2021, and the city has been under a boil-water notice since late July due to its tap water containing a cloudy quality.
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies at 91
Mikhail Gorbachev, who assumed leadership of the Soviet Union in 1985 and oversaw its dissolution in 1991, died yesterday in Moscow at age 91.
As the last Soviet president, Gorbachev worked to liberalize the USSR and modernize its economy through his policies of perestroika and glasnost (translating to “transparency” and “openness”). He entered into an arms reduction agreement with the United States, formed alliances with Western countries to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War II, and allowed the different republics of the Soviet Union to break apart peacefully.
Despite being lauded abroad for his policies and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, Gorbachev faced criticism at home for failing to live up to the promise of economic change and for the collapse of the USSR. Per Russia’s Tass news agency, he will be buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999.
Education Department cancels $1.5B in loans for Westwood College students
The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday that it would cancel $1.5B in debt for 79,000 students who took out loans to attend the now-defunct Westwood College.
In a statement, the Department said that Westwood, a for-profit academic institution, “engaged in widespread misrepresentations about the value of its credentials for attendees' and graduates' employment prospects such that all borrowers who attended during the period described above are entitled to a full loan discharge.”
The decision is a part of a broader effort to relieve borrowers of student loans and comes less than a week after the Biden administration said it would forgive $10K in student loans for any individual earning below $125K per year. It also follows a similar move from the Education Department to cancel $3.9B in debt for over 200,000 borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institute, another for-profit institution that is now closed.
Around the Globe
- Indian businessman Guatum Adani has become the third-richest person in the world behind Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos with a fortune of $137.4B; it is the first time an Asian person has reached the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index
- Taiwan’s military fired warning shots at a Chinese drone that approached an islet controlled by Taiwan near China’s coast, according to a military spokesperson; it was the first time warning shots were fired in such an event
- Portugal's health minister Dr. Marta Temido resigned after reports emerged that a pregnant tourist had died after being turned away from a full maternity ward in Lisbon
On the Homefront
- Several lanes of Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento, California became covered in tomatoes when a truck carrying the fruit crashed into the center divider; the incident caused traffic but no injuries
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they discovered and seized $11.8M worth of cocaine in a trailer truck claiming to be carrying only baby wipes at the US-Mexico border, according to news release; read the release here
- A vegan woman convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect in the malnutrition death of her 18-month-old son received a life sentence in prison yesterday
Glitz & Games
- Cameron Smith, the No. 2 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, is leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, according to an announcement from LIV yesterday
- South African actress Charlbi Dean–known for her roles in the CW series Black Lightning and upcoming film Triangle of Sadness–passed away in New York City at 32 after what was described as an unexpected sudden illness, according to her representatives
- Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez is undergoing surgery after suffering an accident, according to an announcement from his wife Alessandra Rosaldo yesterday evening; no details on his accident were provided
Business & Markets
- Stocks continued their selloff, extending to three consecutive days of losses (Dow -0.96%, Nasdaq -1.12%, S&P 500 -1.10%)
- Google has barred former President Trump’s social media platform Truth Social from the Google Play store, saying that the app violates the Play store’s standards for content moderation
- Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) is planning to lay off roughly 20% of its more than 6,400 employees beginning today, according to sources familiar with the matter
Tip & Tricks
- Bump This: In honor of Avril Lavigne’s debut album Let Go being released 20 years ago, we’re playing it front to back (and trying not to think about our age) - listen on Apple Music and Spotify
- Chow Down: Browse through these 23 fancy sandwich recipes that you can get away with serving for dinner (whoever said sandwiches are only appropriate for lunch definitely doesn’t get our newsletters)
- Nerd Out: Read about how “immortal jellyfish” may hold the key to preventing human aging, according to new findings from a team of Spanish researchers
- Look Up: Check out this photo of the heart of the Phantom Galaxy created from data from both the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope that is sure to leave you breathless
- Say What: “I got the call and I obviously couldn’t tell anyone and I just kind of like sank to the ground. I asked my friend if he had any wine and I couldn’t really tell him why. I couldn’t tell anyone for so long,” actress Milly Alcock said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter about being cast as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series House of the Dragon
- Hot Goss: Rachel DeLoache Williams has filed a lawsuit against Netflix for the way she was portrayed in the show Inventing Anna centered on fake German heiress Anna Sorokin
- Life Hack: Running bacon under cold water before cooking helps reduce the amount it shrinks by up to 50%
Looking Back…
On August 31st: The body of Jack the Ripper's first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found in Whitechapel in London's East End (1888); Confederates evacuate Atlanta during the American Civil War (1864); Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan declare independence from the Soviet Union (1991); Diana, Princess of Wales is born (1961).
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