Tip News
Posts
America's Surprise Election Consensus

America's Surprise Election Consensus

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
February 12, 2024

Good morning and happy Monday. An Alabama radio station is no longer on the air because someone stole its radio tower. That is 200 feet tall. Without a trace. WJLX and the local police are still scratching their heads days later. We will let you know if they find it. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

Austin: Sec Def back in hospital
Trump: Russia comments spark fury
Maryland: Surprise Senate candidate
AI: Workers concerned about future
Sony: Historic Michael Jackson deal

... and more

First time reading? Sign up here

Top Tips

1) Voters on voting

There is overwhelming bipartisan support for voter ID laws, according to a new national survey.

The results: Pew Research Center found that 81% of voters surveyed across the political spectrum think people should have to show government-issued photo IDs at the polls. The survey found 95% of voters who lean Republican agree with voter ID laws compared to 69% of Democratic-lean voters.
Other notes: The survey found 82% of voters think electric voting machines should print paper backup ballots. Seventy-six percent are in favor of in-person early voting and 72% think Election Day should be a national holiday.
Polarizing topics: Vote-by-mail is supported by 57% of voters, but 84% of Democrats advocate for it compared to 28% of Republicans. Same-day registration and automatic registration are other issues divided on partisan lines.

2) FTX payback surprise

Former FTX customers may actually recoup the money they lost when the failed crypto exchange collapsed.

New update: Lawyers handling the FTX bankruptcy estate told a Delaware judge last week they expect to repay customers and creditors with legitimate claims in full. The attorneys said there remains work and risk to making all clients whole, but they believe they can achieve the goal.
Good break: Roughly $10B in customer funds went missing when disgraced CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's exchange fell apart. But over $7B has already been recovered; some of the company's investments have experienced a significant rise in value.
Big picture: SBF will be sentenced in late March after being convicted of fraud. The more money that is recovered, the better for his sentencing. But he is still expected to face significant time in prison.

3) Super ending

The Kansas City Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII and repeat as NFL champions.

In regulation: The Niners led 10-0 in the first half before Kansas City took a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter after San Francisco muffed a punt. The Niners then scored a go-ahead touchdown, but the extra point was blocked, allowing the Chiefs to force overtime with seconds left after Harrison Butker's field goal tied the game at 16.
Extra period: San Francisco got the ball first and kicked a field goal after a long drive to make it 19-16. Patrick Mahomes then led the Chiefs down the field, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time.
The history: Kansas City is the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots in 2003-04. No team has ever won three straight.

In partnership with Hear.com

German engineering at its finest

In a groundbreaking development, German entrepreneurs Dr. Marco Vietor and Paul Crusius have unveiled a virtually invisible hearing aid that is taking the US by storm. It’s called Horizon by hear.com. Bluetooth-enabled, audiologist-backed, and smaller than a coffee bean. Start your no-risk trial today by clicking here.

Please support our sponsors!

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for a possible "emergent bladder issue." Austin recently had prostate cancer surgery and a urinary tract infection; The Pentagon said he will transfer his duties to his deputy (More)
Hospitals along the U.S.-Mexico border saw a spike in patients who suffered injuries attempting to enter the country last year. Costs have also surged; many migrants fall from heights of up to 30 feet scaling border walls (More)
Alaska health officials have recorded the first known death from the Alaskapox virus. The rare was identified in 2015; the state said the victim was immunocompromised and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission (More)

World News

European and NATO leaders criticized former Donald Trump after his controversial comments at a campaign rally. Trump suggested he would encourage Russia to attack alliance members that did not meet defense spending targets (More)
Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if the Israelis send troops into the Gaza border town of Rafah. Egypt and Israel agreed to the Camp David Accords in 1978 (More)
Imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's supporters captured the most assembly seats in the country's contentious elections. But a power-sharing agreement between the second- and third-place parties could block Khan's movement (More)

Campaign News

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will run for Senate in the state. The moderate Republican gives the GOP a shot at flipping a seat vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (More)
A new ABC News/Ipso poll said 86% of Americans believe President Joe Biden is too old to serve another term. Sixty-two percent of respondents believe former President Trump is too old to return to office (More)
Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher will retire. The Republican was likely to face a primary challenge this year after voting against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' impeachment (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed mixed on Friday. The S&P 500 closed above 5K points for the first time (Dow -0.14%, Nasdaq +1.25%, S&P 500 +0.57%).
About one-third of American workers are concerned artificial intelligence will make their jobs obsolete. About half of the respondents to a Washington State University survey fear they will not advance without AI education (More)
Barclays will no longer directly finance new oil and gas projects. The bank will support companies working on de-carbonization after facing criticism for its involvement with fossil fuels (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Sony reportedly bought a 50% share in Michael Jackson's songbook for $600B. The deal with the late pop singer's estate is believed to be the biggest-ever for a single musician's work (More)
Saturday Night Live's Colin Just will host this year's White House Correspondents Dinner. The event is April 27 in Washington; Jost has anchored the sketch show's Weekend Update segment since 2014 (More)
Ivory Coast's men's soccer team beat Nigeria, 2-1, in the Africa Cup of Nations final. It is the Elephants' third AFCON championship; they scored two second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 victory (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: Actor Christian Bale broke ground on an ambitious $22M project to help children in foster care. He is helping build 12 homes and a community center to help siblings stay together in California.
Be Safe: Frigidaire has recalled over 380K refrigerators due to safety concerns. There have been reports of plastic pieces inside the machines breaking and falling into the ice bucket.
New Idea: Australia plans to introduce "right to disconnect" laws. The proposed measures would make it illegal to penalize workers if they do not respond to messages and requests made when they are not working.
Deep Dive: The U.S. -- and many other nations -- have either sent landers to the moon in recent months or are planning to do so. How do you practice a lunar arrival on Earth? Here's how.
Go Figure: Blueberries are not as blue as we think they are. The color does not exist in the natural world, but the fruit has found a life hack of sorts.
Be Well: Pop quiz: What’s the body’s most abundant protein? The answer: Collagen. NativePath's Certified Grass-Fed Collagen Powder is made from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows and contains 18 grams of protein per suggested serving. Start incorporating it daily to support skin elasticity, joint health, bone strength, and muscle growth and maintenance.*

_*Sponsored

Watch This

Universal Studios will open a new theme park, Universal Epic Universe, in 2025. The Orlando park will have sections dedicated to Harry Potter and Super Mario, among others.