School Shooting In Nashville

Good Thursday morning. The old saying is that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And then sometimes you find an ancient statue next to a garbage can in Greece. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• California: New wildfire

• Australia: Antisemitic crimes

• Congress: Big deal

• Amazon: Canadian cuts

• Prince Harry: Lawsuit settled

... and more

First time reading? Sign up here

Top Tips

1) New tragedy

A student was killed and another wounded when a classmate opened fire at a Tennessee school.

• The news: A 17-year-old male murdered a 16-year-old female at Antioch High School in Nashville. He also wounded another 17-year-old male in the incident, which occurred in a cafeteria at the school. The gunman then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

• More details: Police said they had not established a connection between the gunman and the victims; the gunfire may have been random. The male student was grazed by a bullet and was quickly released from a local hospital. A second student was injured in a fall, officials said, but was not shot.

• Big picture: Cops said they swept the school for additional victims and there was no ongoing threat. The shooter's motive remains undetermined, but it appears he praised mass shooters in online postings and expressed extremist far-right views.

2) Palace intrigue

The First Buddy has caused another ruckus.

• The news: Billionaire Elon Musk publicly criticized the $500B Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project -- an initiative backed by President Donald Trump. The Tesla CEO questioned whether the tech firms behind the joint venture have the funding they claim and clashed with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on social media.

• Catch up: Trump announced ChatGPT parent company OpenAI would work with Oracle and SoftBank to build data centers and generate the electricity needed for AI development. The Stargate rollout occurred at a White House event earlier this week; Trump claimed the project would immediately create 100K jobs.

• Key context: Altman and Musk helped launch OpenAI and have feuded over its direction and leadership for years. Musk is suing to block its plans to become a for-profit entity and has argued it is betraying its founding plans. Musk also has his own AI firm, xAI. Altman disputed Musk's skepticism and told the Trump advisor and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, "I realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role, I hope you'll mostly put [the country] first."

• Big picture: Observers have been predicting a Musk-Trump breakup ever since the two became political allies. It has not happened yet. But the billionaire's high-profile comments -- on the heels of his controversial gestures on Inauguration Day -- will generate even more speculation.

3) Opening round

President Trump's most controversial Week 1 move will see its initial court test.

• The news: A federal judge will hear a temporary restraining order request against an executive order ending birthright citizenship today in Seattle. The hearing regards a case filed by the attorneys general of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington; almost two dozen Democratic-led states have sued over the decree.

• Catch up: Trump's executive order said birthright citizenship should only be bestowed when at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at birth. He is seeking to re-interpret the language of the 14th Amendment and argues people who are not "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" of the U.S. have never been eligible for birthright citizenship.

• Big picture: This hearing is expected to start a long legal battle that could culminate at the Supreme Court. The order is part of Trump's crackdown on immigration, as it would prevent the children of undocumented migrants from securing citizenship. The opposing states argue Trump is distorting the Constitution and does not have the authority to nullify an amendment through executive action.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A new wildfire broke out in southern California, engulfing almost 10K acres as of last night. The Hughes Fire was sitting about 45 minutes north of Los Angeles with no containment; over 50K people were under evacuation orders (More)

• About 1.5K active duty troops will head to the southern border as part of the Trump Administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. As many as 10K could reportedly be deployed; military bases could potentially be used to hold migrants (More | More)

• The alleged University of Idaho murderer is bidding to have most evidence in his case tossed. Bryan Kohberger's attorneys claim search warrants were tainted and the genetic investigation process was unconstitutional; he is accused of a gruesome quadruple slaying at an off-campus house in 2022 (More)

World News

• Australia is investigating whether foreign actors are paying criminals to commit antisemitic crimes. There has been a wave of recent incidents in the country, including an attempted synagogue burning in Sydney; officials have refused to identify potential culprits (More)

• Ireland's parliament failed to appoint the country's new prime minister after a day of chaotic gridlock. Micheal Martin could be approved today after a row involving a group of independent legislators who have entered the governing coalition (More)

• Dozens of Indonesian schoolchildren suffered food poisoning following the launch of a nationwide free meal initiative. The program was central to President Prabowo Subianto's election campaign; his spokesman said the kids are OK and the tainted food source was identified (More)

Political News

• Congressional Republicans are considering a major debt-and-funding deal with Democrats. The massive package would reportedly tie together government funding, border security and wildfire aid funds and address the debt ceiling (More)

• Trump said Sean Curran will be the next Secret Service Director. The veteran agent was guarding the president during the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and has led his detail for several years (More)

• Trump also nominated Andrew Puzder to be Ambassador to the European Union. The former CKE Restaurants CEO was nominated for Labor Secretary during the president's first term but withdrew amid allegations of personal misconduct (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Nasdaq was up over 250 points while the S&P 500 is approaching its record high (Dow +0.30%, Nasdaq +1.28%, S&P 500 +0.61%).

• Amazon will close seven warehouses in Canada, all in Quebec. About 1.7K full-time jobs and 250 temporary employees will be laid off; labor leaders alleged the move was retaliation for unionization pushes in the province (More)

• Frontier and Spirit Airlines face congressional scrutiny over pricing practices. A bipartisan group of senators asked the budget carriers to disclose whether they use personal information to manipulate individual seat fees (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Prince Harry settled his lawsuit with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, which alleged unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators. The royal received a lengthy public apology and a reported $12M payout, mostly for legal fees (More)

• Academy Awards nominations are announced today. Emilia Perez could break the record for nominations; A Complete Unknown and Wicked are expected to be featured prominently (More)

• HBO has renewed The White Lotus for a fourth season. The popular dramedy's third season will debut next month; filming for the next installments is expected to begin next year (More)

Quick Hitters

• Real Hero: A Wisconsin man heard a loud noise outside his apartment and went to investigate. He ended up pulling two people out of a fiery car wreck in subzero conditions.

• Be Safe: Vornado has recalled close to 8K heating units as temperatures plummet nationally. The devices' power cords could detach, leading to electric shock and fire hazards.

• Go Deep: Every human's body contains cells with thousands of genetic mistakes that begin at birth and never stop occurring. Here is a closer look at what that means for a person's lifespan.

• Take Note: Some people claim they can smell when snow is coming. Scientists say there is something to that, but it is more about what you are not smelling before the storm begins.

• Life Hack: It is a never-ending question: What time is the best for dinner? Here is a rundown of when longevity experts believe you should sit down for your last meal each day.

Watch This

Examining why Congress has become largely dysfunctional and ineffective.

Links

• Cops busted a cockfighting ring near Los Angeles 🐓

• A wellness fad that may actually work 🏋️

• The remains of a pilot lost over Vietnam in 1967 have been ID'd 🪖

• Incredibly inspiring pet stories 🐶

• Ex-ballplayers are launching a TopGolf-esque baseball competition ⚾️

• Abandoned train stations are getting a new lease on life 🚂

• Be careful with black ice 🧊

• Go back in time in Yosemite National Park 🏞️

• Desk jobs can lead to decades-long sleep problems 🛌

• It looks like we are getting some sort of When Harry Met Sally reunion 🍿

Looking Ahead …

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Panama next week as part of his first foreign trip amid President Trump's repeated claims he will try to retake control of the Panama Canal. Rubio is scheduled to visit several Central American nations.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Will you buy Girl Scout cookies this year?

• No (65%)

• Yes (35%)