Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

December 22nd, 2022

Good morning, and happy Thursday! In case you didn’t know, winter weather warnings have been issued for more than 70M Americans due to a bomb cyclone that’s expected to bring blizzard conditions to the Midwest today before it heads east. Apparently, temperatures are also set to “rapidly” fall between tonight and tomorrow for many states…so, stay safe out there!

In Today’s Brief

Nepal: The Serpent released from prison
Brooklyn: Subway shooter pleads guilty
Franco Harris: Hall of Famer dies at 72
Tesla: More layoffs in 2023

...and more

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Top Tips

NASA ends InSight Mars mission

NASA announced yesterday that its InSight lander mission on Mars has ended after more than four years of conducting research and collecting data on the red planet.

Mission managers declared the program’s end yesterday after the lander failed to respond to two messages from mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. In a press release, NASA said the agency “previously decided to declare the mission over if the lander missed two communication attempts.” NASA added that it would “continue to listen for a signal” from InSight, though noted the last time the lander communicated with Earth was December 15th.

InSight–which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport–spent over four years on Mars to study its deep interior. Per NASA, data it collected helped the agency learn more about Mars’ interior by measuring seismic activity known as “marsquakes,” as well as the planet’s weather patterns.

The saga of Sam Bankman-Fried

Sam Bankman-Fried, the 30-year-old founder of the now-collapsed FTX who is colloquially known as “SBF,” agreed to be extradited to the United States yesterday.

Bahamian authorities arrested SBF last week after a U.S. criminal complaint was filed against him. He faces several federal charges stemming from the collapse of FTX, which was based in the Bahamas until its implosion last month. His decision to be transported to the U.S. follows two days of proceedings, including a hearing on Monday at which he declined to waive extradition. Bankman-Fried had been expected to reappear in court Tuesday alongside his lawyers and U.S. consulate officials, but reportedly failed to do so.

In addition to criminal charges from the Southern District of New York, Bankman-Fried faces civil lawsuits from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. If SBF is convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum of 115 years in prison.

Zelensky makes trip to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington, D.C. to meet with President Biden and addressed a joint session of Congress yesterday in his first international trip since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Before Zelensky arrived at the White House, the Biden administration announced it would provide a military aid package of $1.85B to Ukraine, including a Patriot missile defense system along with precision-guided bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets. In a joint press conference with Zelensky, President Biden pledged to continue support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Russia, meanwhile, has previously warned of “consequences” if the U.S. supplies Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

During his address to Congress, Zelensky expressed thanks to both Americans and U.S. lawmakers for “invaluable assistance.” He then urged Congress for more support, saying that aid from the U.S. “is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

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Around the Globe

Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that 78-year-old French national Charles Sobhraj, who is known as “the Serpent” and who police say is responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, will be released from prison after serving 19 years (More)
Eight teenage girls between the ages 13-16 were charged with murder in the stabbing of a 59-year-old man in downtown Toronto that occurred on Saturday evening, per local police (More)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed a plan during an end-of-the-year military conference to increase the size of the country’s armed forces from 1.15M to 1.5M and create multiple new units; Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly gave his approval at the end of the conference (More)

On the Homefront

Frank James, who prosecutors accused of wounding 10 people during a morning rush hour shooting on a Brooklyn subway in April, told a New York court through his public defenders that he intended to plead guilty to federal terrorism charges (More)
An investigation into Twitter’s internal files revealed that the company cooperated with U.S. military agencies including the Pentagon despite stating that it did not allow for state-backed operations meant to influence users on its platform (More)
The House panel investigating events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th is set to release its final report today, three days after the committee referred former President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice on four criminal charges (More)

Glitz & Games

NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris, known for his grab dubbed the “Immaculate Reception” during the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders, has passed away at 72 (More)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its shortlists for the 2023 Oscars in 10 categories, including original score, original song, animated short, live-action short, sound and visual effects (More)
The New York Yankees named Aaron Judge as captain of the team during a press conference yesterday; Judge is the 16th captain in team history and the first since Derek Jeter, who held the title from 2003-2014 (More)

Business & Markets

Major stock market indexes closed higher for the second consecutive day, with the Dow Jones leading the gains (Dow +1.60%, Nasdaq +1.54%, S&P 500 +1.49%)
Electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is reportedly planning to freeze hiring and lay off an unspecified number of employees in Q1 of 2023 (More)
Shares of Nike (NYSE: NKE) rose by as much as 15% during yesterday’s trading session after the company’s earnings report showed quarterly revenue surpassing analysts’ expectations (More)

Tip & Tricks

Bump This: For those of you traveling home for the holidays over the next day or two, listen to pop-punk band The Offspring’s take on “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” - listen on Apple Music and Spotify
Chow Down: In honor of Ali Ahmed Aslam, the chef who claimed to have invented chicken tikka masala and who passed away this week, check out this recipe for his signature dish that’s sure to spice up your holiday weekend (aside from the family drama, of course)
Good News: Read about a group of MIT scientists who created the world’s first lab-grown wood, theoretically enabling them to 3D print an unlimited amount of wood without cutting down a single tree
Go Deep: Consider yourself a cinephile? Check out this list of the 100 greatest movies of all time and let us know what you think of the rankings
Say What: “Oh how my heart aches. We miss you so much,” Alison Holker wrote in her first Instagram post since her husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ death last week
Hot Goss: H&M removed its Justin Bieber merchandise after the singer called the collection “trash” and accused the retailer of selling clothes featuring his likeness and song lyrics without consent (we guess it’s safe to say that H&M are no longer Beliebers)
Life Hack: Just because you’re running short on time doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze in a quick workout - if you want to stay moving while staying busy, watch this video of an eight-minute workout that exercises nearly every major muscle in your body

Looking Back…

On December 22nd: Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is reopened, signifying the reunification of East and West Germany (1989); U.S. President Barack Obama signs legislation to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy (2010); David Lean’s film adaptation of Doctor Zhivago has its world premiere (1965); American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is born (1960).