Bogus Botox Is A Big Problem

Good morning and happy Thursday. June’s Champions League final will be at London’s Wembley Stadium, but the Premier League will not be there. Arsenal and Manchester City were both knocked out of the tournament for Europe’s elite professional soccer clubs yesterday. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are the final four teams left standing. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• House: Speaker makes his stand

• Qatar: Second-guessing Gaza role

• Trump: Wants fundraising tributes

• Boeing: Mea culpa to United

• Taylor Swift: Ready for it?

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Dangerous botch

Officials are sounding the alarm about a rash of poisonings that appear to be the result of a counterfeit cosmetic product.

• The news: At least 19 women across nine states in different regions of the U.S. appear to have become ill after receiving fake Botox injections, according to the CDC. Almost half the cases resulted in hospitalizations; about a quarter required botulinum anti-toxin treatment due to concerns the toxin had spread in their bloodstream.

• What happened? The FDA said fake, toxic Botox was identified in several states. The product was administered by unlicensed, untrained people in non-medical settings, such as homes or spas, and comes from unspecified sources that are deemed unsafe.

• What you need to know: Botulism is a rare but serious illness in which toxins released by bacteria attack the nervous system. The purified form of the toxin can be used for cosmetic purposes. The CDC said patients should make sure providers are licensed and trained and confirm the product is FDA-approved.

2) Water world

Dubai's busy international airport was thrown into chaos by historic rainfall.

• What happened: The United Arab Emirates was hit with its biggest deluge in at least 75 years. Over five inches of rain soaked Dubai in a 24-hour span, almost double what the city gets in an average year. Passengers could not reach terminals (or were stranded in them) and planes were grounded amid heavy floods. Conditions began to improve yesterday, but operations were still struggling.

• The speculation: Some theorized cloud seeding -- a controversial weather modification technique to spur rain or snow -- was to blame. Experts said the method would not produce such dramatic precipitation. Climate change was named a more likely culprit; the rain was forecast days in advance.

• Impact elsewhere: The rain impacted everyday life across the UAE as well. Other countries in the region -- Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia -- dealt with heavy rains. Flooding killed close to 20 people in Oman.

3) Cardinal sin

The NBA banned a player for life after a probe concluded he bet on games, as well as committed other gambling-related transgressions.

• What happened: The league said Jontay Porter, a role player most recently with the Toronto Raptors, bet on NBA games while he was in its developmental G League. Porter also disclosed information to bettors and limited his participation in at least one game to manipulate a wager involving his performance.

• Go deeper: The NBA began investigating Porter in March after sportsbooks detected unusual betting activity on prop bets regarding how many minutes he would play in a pair of games. Porter allegedly left a game early after telling a bettor prior to its start that he was injured; another bettor wagered $80K successfully on Porter's availability and won over $1M. Porter also bet on NBA games using an associate's account, even betting on the Raptors to lose.

• Big picture: Porter is the first professional athlete to receive a lifetime ban for gambling since sports betting was legalized nationally in 2018. The NBA said its probe is ongoing and it is sharing information with federal law enforcement authorities.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson posted three of four planned foreign aid bills, setting up Saturday votes. President Biden said he supports the packages, increasing the odds House Democrats will protect Johnson from any Republican effort to oust him (More)

• The Senate dismissed both articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The vote was 51-49 on party lines after GOP members failed to sustain a trial (More)

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it successfully cloned two black-footed ferrets last year. The creature is one of North America's most endangered mammals (More)

World News

• Qatar is reconsidering its role as a mediator in ongoing Gaza war negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said the country's work is being exploited by unnamed politicians (More)

• The Biden Administration reinstated heavy oil sanctions on Venezuela, six months after easing them. U.S. officials said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro fell short of pledges to hold free and fair elections this year (More)

• A right-wing political conference in Belgium has resumed after a Brussels court overturned local officials' decision to shutter it. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Brexiteer Nigel Farage were among the speakers; Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo criticized the shutdown on free speech grounds (More)

Campaign News

• Former President Trump wants down-ballot GOP candidates to give his campaign a cut of donations obtained using his name, image and likeness. The campaign wants at least 5% if Trump is featured in fundraising appeals (More)

• A top political handicapper rates Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego as the favorite to win the state's upcoming Senate race. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said the state's recent abortion ban decision has the seat leaning Democrat (More)

• Democrats regained the majority in the Michigan House and have full control of the battleground state's government. The party defeated Republican incumbents in a pair of special elections on Tuesday (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed down yesterday. Wall Street is beginning to show signs it believes interest rates may remain unchanged into 2025 (Dow -0.12%, Nasdaq -1.15%, S&P 500 -0.58%).

• Boeing will compensate United Airlines after the latter lost $125M in Q1 after 737 Max 9 aircraft were grounded. The aerospace company will give the commercial airline credits for future purchases (More)

• Tesla has asked shareholders to re-approve CEO Elon Musk's $56B compensation package. The 2018 agreement was voided by a Delaware judge earlier this year after a shareholder lawsuit; Musk would still need to appeal the decision if he wins the re-vote (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Taylor Swift's new album will be released at midnight. The Tortured Poets Department is the pop star's 11th studio album; Swift will resume her Eras Tour next month in Europe (More)

• Victims of disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reportedly reached a $100M settlement with the Department of Justice. The FBI failed to investigate sexual assault claims against Nassar properly; his victims have received close to $1B total in various settlements (More)

• The Sundance Film Festival is considering relocation. It has opened a bidding process for a new permanent home and could leave Park City, Utah, after almost 50 years in 2027 (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: Firefighters in England recently saved a cat. The cat was seemingly unimpressed with their efforts.

• Be Safe: Toyota has recalled over 55K U.S. vehicles and over 200K worldwide due to a rear door defect. Water may cause latches to short-circuit and open the doors unexpectedly.

• Deep Dive: About half of Antarctica's ice loss is caused by massive icebergs. Scientists are working to understand why these city-sized pieces break off.

• Chow Down: Admit it, you have thought about it. What if chocolate chip cookies didn't have the chocolate chips? Give it a try.

• Travel Hack: It's never easy, or fun, to rush for a connecting flight. So enlist a sidekick to help out from afar.

• OPTIMIZE ME: Researchers “found convincing evidence that higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48% to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes”

Want more health and wellness news? Subscribe to our brand new newsletter, Optimize Me, and start living a healthier life through diet, exercise, sleep, and mindfulness:

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Looking Ahead …

Martin Scorsese is not slowing down at 81. The Academy Award-winning director is reportedly planning to helm a Frank Sinatra biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the legendary crooner. Scorcese is also expected to self-finance a film about Jesus Christ.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

How interested are you in Trump's trial?

• I am interested, but not in incremental play-by-play (34%)

• Call me when the verdict is in (27%)

• I will likely follow daily updates (24%)

• Not interested at all (15%)