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Trump Has Some Charges Dropped

Trump Has Some Charges Dropped

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
March 14, 2024

Good morning and happy Thursday. At last count, UNESCO estimated there were about 105K museums worldwide. The first one dedicated to video game art is on the way; it will open in Yokohama, Japan, in 2027. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

Hunter Biden: Turns down House GOP
Netherlands: Wilders stands down
Google: AI election restrictions
Family Dollar: 1K stores to close
Aaron Rodgers: Bombshell CNN report

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Lighter load

A Georgia judge threw out a handful of charges against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, yesterday.

What happened: Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee quashed three charges against Trump in the state election interference case (and six in total; there are 14 co-defendants). McAfee ruled the charges lacked specifics.
Next steps: Trump still faces 10 felony counts for racketeering and other crimes, and McAfee said prosecutors could try to refile the dismissed charges. But the ruling was a blow to embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who could still be thrown off the case due to a romantic relationship with a colleague.
In other courtrooms ... Trump is expected to attend a hearing in his federal classified documents today in Florida. Jury selection in his New York hush money trial starts March 25.

2) Lunar harvest

A group with ties to Jeff Bezos wants to be the first company to mine on the moon.

The reveal: Interlune, a firm helmed by Apollo astronaut Harrison Schmitt and two former executives at the Amazon CEO's Blue Origin, announced itself yesterday. The company has been in stealth operation since 2022; it said it has raised $18M.
The plan: Interlune wants to extract helium-3, a rare isotope that is abundant on the moon, and return it to Earth to sell. The technology to do so remains undeveloped, but helium-3 can fuel nuclear fusion reactors and quantum computing.
Some background: Congress passed a law several years ago giving private companies the rights to resources mined in space. NASA then asked for cooperation on commercial celestial mining.

3) Doom scrolling

TikTok is on the ropes, but is not yet down for the count.

What happened: The House overwhelmingly passed a bill forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the social media app or see the platform banned in the U.S. The vote was 352-65; only 15 Republicans voted nay despite Trump speaking out against a ban.
Next steps: The bill advances to the Senate, where it may stall. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated he wants a thorough examination of the legislation. Some lawmakers have expressed concern about a law that targets one company, as well as impacts on businesses and creators.
Big picture: President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill if it got to his desk. But TikTok will continue to lobby against it, and any bill could see legal challenges on constitutional grounds.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Hunter Biden's lawyer said his client will not sit for public House testimony later this month. The president's son previously asked to testify in an open setting before his closed-door deposition as part of an impeachment inquiry (More)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has proposed sweeping pardons for those convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession in the state. The pardons would be largely automatic and could impact hundreds of thousands of people (More)
A Texas man who lived in an iron lung for over seven decades died at 78. Paul Alexander contracted polio at 6; he later became a lawyer and wrote his memoir (More)

World News

Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders will abandon his push to become prime minister. Wilders' anti-immigration Party for Freedom won the country's general election last fall, but has failed to form a governing coalition due to his views (More)
Plans for new Haitian leadership have fallen apart after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned amid gang violence. Some political parties have rejected the creation of a transitionary presidential council (More)
The UK government plans to outlaw foreign states from owning British newspapers. The new law will likely block an Abu Dhabi-backed firm's takeover bid for The Telegraph (More)

Campaign News

Google is restricting election-based questions to its artificial intelligence chatbot. The Gemini platform will only accept queries from users in countries that do not vote this year (More)
President Biden will campaign in Michigan and Wisconsin this week. He won the critical Midwestern swing states in 2020, but now trails former President Trump in recent polls (More)
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert will not run in the special election to finish retiring Rep. Ken Buck's term. Boebert will still seek the seat in this fall's general election (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Dow Jones eked out a boost (Dow +0.10%, Nasdaq -0.54%, S&P 500 -0.19%).
Dollar Tree will shutter almost 1K Family Dollar store locations in a multi-year plan. The retailer will close about 600 this year after missing sales and profit goals during the holiday season (More)
Air Canada and WestJet now account for about 80% of Canada's domestic commercial airline market. Two low-cost providers have dissolved in the last year while WestJet recently acquired Sunwing Airlines (More)

Entertainment & Sports

A CNN reporter says New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers shared conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook school shooting with her at the 2013 Kentucky Derby. Rodgers is reportedly being considered as independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate (More)
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) will debut on the Disney+ streaming service tonight. The concert film will be available starting at 9 p.m. ET (More)
Former CNN host Don Lemon's X broadcast deal was canceled by CEO Elon Musk. Musk sat for an interview on the planned debut show; he took umbrage to the line of questioning (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: They were battle buddies in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army. And after 10 years, they were recently reunited.
Be Safe: Walmart's Great Value brand honey roasted cashews have been recalled. They may contain undeclared coconut and milk allergens.
Take Note: The candle industry does over $2B in national sales annually, and scented ones are very popular. But even pleasant smells can cause health complications for some.
Love Stinks: There is a reason why breakups are so hard, even when they are expected. The end of a relationship can impact brain chemistry.
Work Class: Offices are starting to fill again, four years after the pandemic. An industry teaching workplace etiquette has followed.
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”

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