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Murder Fugitive Nabbed After Chicago Standoff

Murder Fugitive Nabbed After Chicago Standoff

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
August 22, 2024

Good Thursday morning. The average American knows if they are doomed to have a bad day by 8:36 a.m., according to a new study. So have a great one and/or get ‘em tomorrow!

In Today’s Brief

Baby food: Concerning study
Australia: Massive solar farm
Alaska: House primary
Ford: EV changes
Travis Kelce: Going Hollywood

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Back in custody

A national search for an alleged murderer came to a dramatic conclusion.

What happened: Joshua Zimmerman was detained yesterday morning after a standoff at a restaurant in Chicago. U.S. Marshals cornered him at the eatery on Tuesday night; he then barricaded himself in the ceiling before being captured to end over two months on the run.
Catch up: Zimmerman was accused of killing a woman in Houston last September. He was then arrested in Mississippi several weeks later on attempted murder and robbery charges. He was jailed there until he escaped from a courthouse in mid-June, sparking a manhunt that generated significant attention and included an appearance by celebrity bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman.
Next steps: Zimmerman, who also faces felony sexual assault charges in Connecticut, was known for using aliases and fake IDs. He reportedly may have been working at the restaurant. Local officials in Mississippi are seeking his extradition.

2) Cut to the chase

The Federal Reserve took yet another step toward an interest rate cut.

What happened: The central bank further signaled it expects to ease policy in September when it released its July meeting minutes. The notes revealed a "vast majority" of the Fed officials anticipated a cut would be "appropriate" as long as economic data trended as expected. The minutes said the cut could be as large as a quarter-percentage point.
Some foreshadowing: The minutes also noted officials anticipated "reported payroll gains might be overstated." That came to pass when job growth was revised downward by over 800K positions from last April to this March. It was the most significant alteration in 15 years, but did not spark recession fears on Wall Street.
The reaction: Major indexes closed higher on the news (Dow +0.14%, Nasdaq +0.57%, S&P 500 +0.42%). Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak Friday at the bank's annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, retreat; he will likely use the soft payroll data to make the case for a cut further.

3) Speed racer

Astronomers and citizen scientists have identified an object moving so fast, it might escape the Milky Way.

The news: Researchers say the object -- likely a faint red star -- is going 1.3M miles per hour. That is three times the speed which the sun orbits our galaxy, and it may be fast enough to break the Milky Way's gravity and exit into intergalactic space.
Historic find: This could be the first confirmed very low-mass star to achieve "hypervelocity." Some scientists believe it may be a brown dwarf, which is more like a planet. Regardless: Hypervelocity objects are rare; the concept has only been accepted as scientific fact for about 20 years.
Big picture: The object was found in conjunction with a project seeking evidence of undiscovered objects, and potentially a ninth planet, in the so-called "backyard" of the solar system. Its discovery opens the door to a host of potential breakthroughs, according to researchers.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Most baby food sold in U.S. stores is unhealthy, according to a new study. Researchers found 60% of products contain too much salt and sugar and fail to meet World Health Organization recommendations (More)
Federal prosecutors said they thwarted a drone smuggling scheme at state prisons in Georgia. Over 20 current and former inmates were charged with allegedly plotting to fly in drugs and contraband cell phones (More)
New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell died at 97. The veteran Democratic lawmaker had been in and out of the hospital in recent weeks; he would have been the oldest member of Congress if re-elected (More)

World News

Australia approved plans to build the world's largest solar farm. The massive $24B project would power 3M homes and provide energy to Singapore through undersea cables; the plan still needs sign off from the Asian nation-state, nearby Indonesia and Australia's Indigenous communities (More)
Over 100 Jewish institutions across Canada were targeted with bomb threats. Community centers, hospitals and synagogues in several cities received an identical email threatening an attack at 5 a.m. ET yesterday; no explosives were found at any of the locations (More)
At least 10 Sinaloa Cartel members have been murdered in Mexico since the arrest of two top leaders in the U.S. The wave of violence suggests an anticipated power struggle has broken out following the apprehension of Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ismael "El Mayo" Zampada (More)

Campaign News

Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola received just over 50% of the vote in the state's nonpartisan House primary. The results suggest the Democrat is a slight favorite to hold her seat this fall; she will likely face three Republicans in the ranked-choice race (More)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to end his presidential bid tomorrow at an event in Arizona. The independent candidate reportedly plans to endorse former President Donald Trump and could appear at a Trump rally in the Phoenix area tomorrow (More)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed the Democratic National Convention to cap its third night in Chicago. Former President Bill Clinton headlined the undercard before the vice presidential candidate took the stage (More)

Business & Markets

Ford is pushing back plans to produce a next-generation, all-electric pickup truck at a new plant in Tennessee. The automaker is also canceling plans for a three-row electric SUV; it still plans to begin battery cell production at the site next year (More)
The Biden Administration's ban on noncompete agreements was blocked indefinitely. A federal judge in Texas said the Federal Trade Commission does not have the authority to enact the policy, which was set to take effect Sept. 4 (More)
Walmart sold its $3.7B stake in Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com, ending an eight-year investment. The retail giant will continue a partnership with the company, but plans to focus on existing internal operations in China (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce will have a cameo role in Happy Gilmore 2. Taylor Swift's boyfriend is also expected to star in Loose Cannons, an upcoming buddy cop action-comedy (More | More)
Chick-fil-A will reportedly launch a streaming entertainment platform with original content. The fast-food giant is working with major production companies on "family-friendly" programming with an emphasis on unscripted shows (More)
Basketball Hall of Famer Al Attles died at 87. Nicknamed "The Destroyer," he spent his entire professional career with the Golden State Warriors' franchise as a player, coach and general manager; Attles was one of the league's first Black coaches (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: These 30 quotes about kindness can lift spirits and help spread positivity. The words of a diverse range of people, from Plato to Fred Rogers, are cited.
Real Hero: A UPS driver was working his route in Georgia when he saw a woman lying on her driveway, surrounded by groceries. He jumped out of his truck, began rendering aid and saved her life.
Go Deep: Scientists accidentally discovered Teflon in 1938. The indestructible product has found numerous uses since, and nothing seems to ever stick to it.
New Idea: The Food and Drug Administration has approved a plant-based hemostatic gel designed to control significant bleeding in seconds. Cresilon believes its Traumagel could be a game-changer for emergency services and the U.S. military.
Life Hack: The best offense is a good defense. Avoiding common financial mistakes will often help you save more money than get-rich-quick schemes.

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