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Good Tuesday morning. There is a new theory about the origin of the moon. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
Indiana: Murder verdict in
Kremlin: Denies Trump call
Adams: Speedy trial request
Cigna: No Humana merger
BBC: Soccer pundit out
... and more
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Top Tips
1) In the wind
Police believe a Wisconsin man faked his own death this summer and is now in Europe.
The backstory: Ryan Borgwardt, a 45-year-old married father of three, was reported missing on Aug. 12. Cops found his car, trailer and belongings at the edge of a rural lake, as well as a capsized kayak. But an eight-week search for his body in the water came up empty.
The updates: Police revealed they recently learned Borgwardt's name and passport were checked by Canadian border officials on Aug. 13, a day after he went missing, although the circumstances remain unclear. Cops then analyzed the man's laptop and discovered he had taken out a $375K life insurance policy before disappearing, put funds in a foreign bank and was communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan.
Big picture: Police said they believe Borgwardt is somewhere in Europe and implored him to contact them or his family. "We understand that things can happen but there is a family that wants their daddy back," Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said. It is undetermined whether Borgwardt or any collaborators would face criminal charges.
2) Team building
President-elect Donald Trump is beginning to form his cabinet.
The picks: Trump has pegged New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to be Ambassador to the United Nations and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as head of the Environmental Protective Agency. He also named Stephen Miller, an immigration hawk, as a deputy chief of staff for policy and announced that Tom Homan, the former acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be the "border czar." Florida Rep. Mike Waltz is also expected to be the National Security Advisor.
Worth noting: Waltz and Stefanik were just re-elected to comfortably Republican seats in landslides. But there would be a lag between their resignations and special elections, cutting into the GOP's narrow projected majority in the House.
Pressure game: Trump is pushing for Senate Republicans to allow him to make recess appointments, which allowpresidents to bypass the traditional process and make unilateral but temporary appointments when the Senate is not in session.
Key context: While Trump is expected to have a 53-47 GOP majority in the Senate, some of his more controversial perspective picks could still struggle to win approval. Utilizing recess appointments would allow him to eliminate the long-standing "advice and consent" variable.
Potential shakeup: NBC reported that FBI Director Christopher Wray is preparing to be fired or forced out by Trump. His 10-year term running the bureau runs through 2027, but he serves at the pleasure of the president. Trump has repeatedly criticized Wray, who he appointed after firing ex-FBI head James Comey.
3) More mayhem
It was a very chaotic day in Haiti as the Caribbean nation remains in disarray amid gang violence.
Shots fired: A Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale came under fire yesterday while trying to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. A flight attendant suffered a gunshot wound in the incident. The flight was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic while other air traffic was grounded.
New leader: Haiti's transitionary government swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime as the new prime minister. He replaces Garry Conille, a longtime civil servant fired by the council after just six months. Haiti's last vote was in 2016, when it elected late President Jovenel Moise. That office has been vacant since his 2021 assassination; ex-Prime Minister Ariel Henry led the country until earlier this year when he resigned after effectively being overthrown by the nation's gangs.
Big picture: Conille claimed his removal by the council was illegal and unconstitutional. The U.S. has backed a Kenya-led police force in the country, but has been unable to get China and Russia to agree to a traditional United Nations peacekeeping operation. It is unknown how President-elect Trump will approach the conflict.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Richard Allen was convicted of the 2017 double-murder of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana. The case drew national attention after police went five years before making an arrest; Allen faces life in prison (More)
Tuskegee University in Alabama has closed its campus to visitors after a weekend mass shooting. A man was killedand 16 people were injured at an unsanctioned homecoming event; the school's security chief was fired and one arrest has been made (More)
America's pandemic-era alcohol intake spike continued for years, according to new data. Researchers found high levels of drinking continued into 2022, saying the findings highlight an "alarming public health issue" given alcohol is a leading cause of death and illness in the U.S. (More)
World News
The Kremlin denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with President-elect Trump. Ukraine said it was "unaware" of the call and cast doubt on the Washington Post report; Trump has not commented publicly yet (More | More)
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba survived a confidence vote and will work to form a minority government. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth conceded his political alliance lost the Indian Ocean island nation's elections, paving the way for ex-PM Navin Ramgoolam to grab the officer for a third time (More | More)
The head of the Church of England faces internal pressure to resign. An investigation found Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican Community, failed to immediately report serial child abuse at summer camps to police (More)
Political News
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has requested an expedited trial in his federal corruption case. His attorney argued the current late April start date would hinder his re-election effort and prevent him from campaigning during the Democratic primary (More)
Elon Musk has reportedly spent significant time with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the last week. CNN reported the Tesla CEO is advising with cabinet picks but is unlikely to receive a formal government appointment (More)
The balance of power in the House remains too close to call. Republicans need four more seats to reach a 218-member majority; GOP candidates currently lead in eight uncalled races, but some by less than 1% (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Dow Jones closed over 44K points for the first time while the S&P 500 crossed the 6K closing threshold (Dow +0.69%, Nasdaq +0.06%, S&P 500 +0.10%).
Cigna said it is not pursuing a merger with Humana. Bloomberg had reported the health insurance companies were rekindling talks; the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more lenient on antitrust concerns (More)
Adeia is suing Disney, alleging its intellectual property rights were violated. The claim also includes ESPN and Hulu as defendants; it alleges Disney and its entities breached six separate patents in making improvements to its various streaming platforms (More)
Entertainment & Sports
Soccer analyst Gary Lineker will leave the BBC after the 2026 World Cup. The controversial commentator and former star player has been the broadcaster's highest-paid on-air talent for almost a decade (More)
Art Garfunkel said he and Paul Simon recently reconciled after their most recent falling out. The musicians last performed together in 2010; they have not made any new music together since their 1970 split (More)
Clayton McCullough is the Miami Marlins' new manager. The former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach is the big league club's third skipper in four seasons; he previously managed in the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league system (More)
Quick Hitters
Feel Good: The Pittsburgh Steelers' 7-2 record has pushed the team atop the AFC North standings. It has also wiped out $700K of debt for local veterans.
Cooking Hack: No one likes watery eyes while cutting onions. Here are some tips on protecting yourself in the kitchen.
Go Deep: The polygraph was considered a scientific marvel when it was invented. But its creator eventually grew to regret his innovation.
Take Note: Good may be better than perfect, according to a new study. Researchers found that missing deadlines -- or going right up to them -- often leads to work being judged more harshly.
Life Hack: Do you really need a good night's sleep? Changing your frame of mind and how you approach your rest may pay off.
Watch This
The initial moments of presidential victory over the years.
Links
The South Carolina monkeys are gradually being rounded up 🙊
FTX is suing Binance for $1.8B 💰
Germany's snap election may happen sooner than expected 🇩🇪
How you can help veterans every day 🪖
Where Americans want to move after the election 🛩️
Why some babies absolutely hate grass 👶
Raygun is not completely done yet 🦘
Italian cops busted a Bansky forgery ring 🚨
The benefits and science of taking 'fart walks' 💨
Leonardo DiCaprio had a heck of a 50th birthday party 🥳
Looking Ahead …
Negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association and United States Maritime Alliance are still underway as the specter of another dockworkers strike looms next year. Can the ILA win its war against automation? And can it do so without wreaking havoc on the economy?