FBI May Reopen Infamous Cold Case

Good Wednesday morning. Australia's national dictionary is working a little blue with its word of the year award. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• Lake Tahoe: Cables removed

• Wales: Fugitive caught

• AI: Cabinet consideration

• Markets: Record closes

• Vanderpump Rules: Reboot coming

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Big break?

The mystery of D.B. Cooper may finally be solved.

• Catch up: Cooper, an alias, is the unidentified man who hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight from Portland to Seattle in 1971. He told a flight attendant he had a bomb and demanded $200K in ransom and four parachutes when the flight landed. After allowing the passengers to deplane, he ordered the crew to refuel and fly to Mexico City via Reno before opening a door mid-flight and parachuting over Washington state at night.

• The fallout: A small portion of the ransom cash was found along the Columbia River in 1980. The FBI actively worked the case until 2016 and presumed Cooper had died in his jump, but never reached any definitive conclusions. The incident -- and copycats -- led to major security upgrades in the commercial aviation industry while the mystery has spawned books, movies and documentaries.

• The news: A retired pilot and skydiver who now works as a content creator believes he has evidence that could break the case open and implicate a longtime suspect -- Richard McCoy, who pulled off a similar hijacking months after Cooper's and later broke out of federal prison before being killed in a shootout by police. YouTuber Dan Gryder has contacted the FBI about a modified parachute that McCoy's children found in their late mother's belongings, as well as other evidence that could prove McCoy is Cooper.

• Next steps: The FBI is officially signaling that it has no update on its announcement to close the case. But agents have reportedly searched the McCoy estate and followed up on Gryder's claims.

2) Tariff tizzy

President-elect Donald Trump's surprise tariff salvo sent shockwaves through North America and China.

• Catch up: Trump announced late Monday night on Truth Social that he planned to slap a 25% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico the moment he takes office. The president-elect said the measure -- which would violate the trilateral free trade deal between the nations -- was due to the countries' inability to keep "drugs and crime" from crossing their borders into the U.S. Trump also announced new additional 10% tariffs on China. 

• The backlash: Officials from the three nations condemned the statements, as did industry groups and other economic experts. The announcement sparked concerns about inflation, price spikes and damage to job markets. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Trump; Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signaled she would also seek an audience.

• The caveat: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley downplayed Trump's comments, indicating he believed the president-elect was using the tariff threat as a negotiating tactic to be taken seriously, but not necessarily literally. Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, Trump's Commerce Secretary nominee, has repeatedly said the president-elect wants to use tariffs to force concessions on immigration and trade from other nations.

3) Toxic brew

Police in Laos arrested eight men in connection to the deaths of several tourists in the Southeast Asian nation.

• Catch up: Six backpackers hostel visitors, including an American, died after falling ill following a night out in Nana. Authorities believe they drank alcohol tainted with methanol. At least two more backpackers got sick but are recovering.

• Key context: Methanol is an industrial compound that can be illegally added to booze to increase the volume of drinks; it is also common in counterfeit replicas of well-known spirits. Exposure can cause nausea, vomiting and heart or respiratory failure.

• The news: Cops have detained the hostel's manager and seven staff members; all are reportedly Vietnamese nationals. Investigations into the deaths remain ongoing; officials have vowed justice.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• AT&T has removed eight miles of lead telecommunications cable from Lake Tahoe. The cable was installed in 1929 and has long been inactive; crews removed over 75T of total material from the body of water, which straddles California and Nevada (More)

• A new federal rule will allow HIV-positive patients to receive kidney and liver transplants from HIV-positive donors. Such procedures were previously only permitted for research purposes; the move should expedite waiting periods for all by widening donor pools (More)

• A Florida man is accused of murder on a West Palm Beach golf course. Police believe it was a random violent act; the suspect allegedly attacked the victim with his own clubs and assaulted him in a pond (More)

World News

• The FBI nabbed an alleged American terrorist in Wales after over 20 years on the run. Daniel Andreas San Diego is accused in a series of 2003 animal rights-related pipe bomb attacks in San Francisco; he has been on the bureau's most-wanted list since 2009 (More)

• Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire effective today. President Joe Biden said it is intended to be a permanent measure; Israeli forces and the Lebanon-based terror group have been in conflict for over a year (More)

• Nine people remain missing after a Red Sea tourist boat capsized off Egypt. Thirty-one of the 44 crew members and passengers have been rescued with four confirmed deaths; the fate of the Americans aboard the ship is unclear (More)

Political News

• President-elect Trump is reportedly considering naming an artificial intelligence czar to his cabinet. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not a candidate, but is expected to influence the eventual pick; the president-elect is also contemplating a cryptocurrency czar (More)

• Whitney Tilson will challenge embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams in next year's Democratic primary, joining a crowded field. The former hedge fund manager is a longtime party donor; he said he was motivated to run by Trump's presidential victory (More)

• President Joe Biden will attend Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, a White House spokesperson confirmed. First Lady Jill Biden also plans to attend; Vice President Kamala Harris' plans have not yet been announced (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher yesterday amid tariff speculation. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 had record closes (Dow+0.26%, Nasdaq +0.63%, S&P 500 +0.57%).

• T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink can provide supplemental internet coverage from space to remote areas. It is the first time the Federal Communications Commission has licensed a satellite operator/wireless carrier collaboration using infrastructure allocated to terrestrial service (More)

• A trial on federal proposals to diminish Google's online search dominance remains scheduled for April. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta will not delay it to give the incoming Trump Administration more time to prepare potential revisions; the Biden Administration has suggested a forced sale of the Chrome web browser (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Vanderpump Rules is getting rebooted. The popular Bravo reality show will have an entirely new cast for its 12th season, save SUR restauranteur Lisa Vanderpump; production will begin next year in Los Angeles (More)

• North Carolina fired football coach Mack Brown, the first coaching change by a Power Four conference school this season. The 73-year-old College Football Hall of Famer previously won a national title at Texas; he will coach Saturday's regular-season finale against N.C. State (More)

• Disney will pay $43.25M to settle a class-action pay discrimination lawsuit. Over 9K female employees in California alleged they were compensated less than male counterparts who performed similar work; the plaintiffs initially sought up to $300M (More)

Quick Hitters

• Feel Good: Allan Wylie, a student at Rowan University in New Jersey, works as a broadcaster for the nearby NBA G-League team in Delaware. He is also blind.

• Take Note: Everyone knows having a dog can be incredibly fulfilling, but there is now scientific proof that owning one provides mental health benefits.

• Go Deep: New research indicates children have become more rude and prone to interruptions and outbursts following the pandemic. Experts and teachers are working to correct the trends.

• Wild Find: A man lost his high school ring during a wedding reception in Texas. It was discovered 56 years later on a beach in Scotland. How it got there remains a mystery.

• Life Hack: Are you about to head out the door for Thanksgiving like 80M other Americans? If you have some schedule flexibility, these are the best times to travel this week.

Watch This

The lost emperor penguin that stumbled into Australia is headed back home.

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Looking Ahead …

These are the U.S. cities most likely to enjoy a White Christmas this year.

Question of the Day — Wednesday Trivia

Yesterday’s results:

Have you ever bought or received a Cameo video from a celebrity?

• No (96%)

• Yes (4%)