World's Largest Gathering Begins In India

Good Tuesday morning. When firefighters battling blazes in the Pacific Palisades realized they could not save a home, they began racing to carry out photo albums and other belongings for the owner before it was too late. Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

• FBI: Attack warning

• Gaza: Ceasefire deal

• Cuomo: NYC poll

• U.S. Steel: Domestic bid

• Disney: Moana lawsuit

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Gathering crowds

A six-week religious festival that will attract over 400M people began in India.

• What's happening: The Maha Kumbh Mela is considered the world's largest public gathering. The Hindu pilgrimage occurs roughly every 12 years based on a celestial calendar, but this year's event only occurs every 144 years due to the alignment of the moon, sun and Jupiter. Only about 2M Muslims make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia every year for comparison.

• More details: Attendees bathe in sacred waters near the city of Prayagraj, where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers are in confluence with the mythical Saraswati River. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which promotes Hindu religiosity, has effectively built a pop-up city for pilgrims with 145K bathrooms, 3K kitchens and almost 500K electrical connections.

• Also of note: Western researchers are on hand to study the festival's infrastructure, as it serves as a test case in crowd management. Past festivals were found to operate much safer and smoother than other mass events like World Cups.

2) Scary situation

A Texas man allegedly menaced one of the nation's highest-profile athletes.

• The news: Police said Michael Lewis, 55, stalked WNBA star Caitlin Clark in a manner "that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized." The Denton resident allegedly sent Clark a series of sexually charged comments and threats on social media over a roughly three-week period.

• More details: Lewis was arrested in Indianapolis -- where Clark's Indiana Fever is located -- after police traced his most recent messages. Cops said the man claimed to be on vacation in the city and in an "imaginary relationship" with Clark. When he did not heed a request to stop harassing Clark, he was arrested on a felony charge.

• Big picture: Police said Clark altered her public appearance and patterns of movement due to fear for her safety. Lewis faces up to six years in prison and a $10K fine. Cops praised her for coming forward and said prosecutors are moving to ban the man from the Fever's home games.

3) Cosmetic coup

A nose job may finally trip up a scandal-plagued South American leader.

• Catch up: Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is no stranger to controversy. She has an almost 95% disapproval rating and is being investigated for alleged bribes and protest crackdowns that led to over 50 deaths.

• The news: Prosecutors now allege Boluarte "abandoned her post" for two weeks to receive plastic surgery in 2023, failing to appoint a caretaker president while she recovered. Boluarte contends the rhinoplasty was medically necessary, and she was never incapacitated.

• Big picture: Some lawmakers want to remove Boluarte from office. But if she leaves, Peru would be on its seventh president in less than a decade. Boluarte only took office because her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached and imprisoned (she was the vice president).

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• Federal law enforcement issued a formal warning for copycat incidents or reprisals following the ISIS-inspired New Orleans terrorist attack. The FBI and Homeland Security Department cautioned against "the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers" (More)

• Nine suspected looters and an alleged arsonist face charges in connection to the Los Angeles wildfires, with some facing potential life sentences. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested unspecified "conditions" could be tied to federal aid for the region (More | More)

• The White House named two future nuclear-powered aircraft carriers after living former presidents. The USS William J. Clinton and USS George W. Bush will enter service in the mid-2030s (More)

World News

• President Joe Biden said a Gaza ceasefire deal is imminent. Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages to Israel as part of the first stage of the agreement (More | More)

• Russia accused Ukraine of a failed drone attack on the TurkStream pipeline, which feeds gas into Turkey and can further flow into Europe. The Kremlin and Iran will sign a partnership treaty similar to the one Russia inked with North Korea (More | More)

• Over 100 people may be dead inside an illegal gold mine in South Africa. Government officials have started a rescue operation after blocking food, medicine and water supplies last year to force the miners to return to the surface; there may be hundreds more still alive (More)

Political News

• Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would win New York City's Democratic mayoral primary handily, according to a new poll. Cuomo has not yet entered the race; incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is seeking re-election despite facing federal corruption charges (More)

• House Republicans introduced a bill allowing President-elect Trump to enter negotiations to buy Greenland. The legislation allows him to open talks with Denmark once he is sworn in; another proposed bill authorizes talks to reclaim the Panama Canal (More)

• The Justice Department can publish some of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump. Special Counsel David Weiss blasted President Biden in his final report on First Son Hunter Biden, who was pardoned by his father (More | More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Dow Jones was up over 350 points after last Friday's swoon (Dow +0.86%, Nasdaq -0.38%, S&P 500 +0.16%).

• Cleveland Cliffs and Nucor are considering a joint bid for U.S. Steel. The domestic rivals' offer would reportedly be worth about half of Nippon Steel's $15B takeover bid for the steelmaker, which President Joe Biden blocked on national security grounds (More)

• China's government is considering a plan for billionaire Elon Musk to buy TikTok's U.S. operations, according to Bloomberg. The social media platform called the report "pure fiction" ahead of a Jan. 19 ban if parent company ByteDance does not divest (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• An animator filed a $10B lawsuit against Disney, alleging its Moana franchise is a knockoff of his work. The man claims his content was secretly passed to the entertainment giant, violating copyright (More)

• The Los Angeles Rams rolled past the Minnesota Vikings to finish the first round of the NFL playoffs. The game was played in Arizona due to the LA wildfires; the tournament resumes on Saturday with the divisional round (More)

• Actress Leslie Charleson died at 79 after a long illness. She played the Monica Quartermaine character on General Hospital for over 40 years, earning several Daytime Emmy Award nominations (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Facts: Canada will almost assuredly not become the 51st state. But here is how the Great White North would rank in some key areas if it did join the union.

• Take Note: If you are cold this winter, veterinarians say your dog is likely colder. Here are some tips for keeping pooches safe when temperatures drop and bad weather arrives.

• Go Deep: Gorizia and Nova Gorica -- adjoining towns on each side of the Italian-Slovenian border -- were one city before being split after World War II. They eventually reunited when Slovenia joined the European Union, but a new projectaims to push them even closer together.

• History Lesson: It seems ridiculous in hindsight. But many Americans were shocked when the Surgeon General announced smoking was dangerous in 1964.

• Real Hero: A Brazilian kite surfer who competed in the Olympics was testing a new camera. He ended up capturing video of his rescue of a drowning woman.

Watch This

A look at the test that every skyscraper must pass.

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• Staying hydrated can be the key to a long life 💧

Looking Ahead …

Another InfoWars auction is expected after the families of victims in the Sandy Hook school shooting reached an agreement on how to divvy up conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' assets. A group connected to Jones has doubled its bid for his media empire; a federal judge previously rejected a deal for satire site The Onion to buy it.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

What is your preferred breakfast cake/pastry?

• Croissant (20%)

• Muffin (18%)

• Danish (17%)

• Scone (16%)

• Donut (15%)

• Other (14%)