Biden and his sharp Brain based Cognitive Abilities. Recently folks have mentioned that Donald Trump is starting to resemble Joe Biden when it comes to Cognitive abilities. Trump has been tested. Biden refuses to mention if he has. Below is the definition of Cognitive abilities.
Joe Biden just wished Kamala Harris a happy birthday and said she’s a great president. I can’t believe I’m giving Democrats advice, but hide him in his beach house. Every time he speaks the red wave gets higher. pic.twitter.com/fyCUwdM20b
Biden, in remarks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, thanks "the prime minister for Colombia" for his "leadership as ASEAN chair."
News Headlines you may have missed. Below are articles you may have missed. Feel free to comment on them or any other article that made the news.
Inflation Ticks Up
Annual inflation in the US rose 3.4% in December, a 0.3% rise from November and slightly higher than analysts’ expectations, according to new government data released yesterday. Inflation peaked in June 2022 at 9.1% and has remained under 4% since May.
The consumer price index, which measures price changes for a basket of goods and services, rose 3.9% year-over-year when excluding volatile food and energy prices. Over half of the increase stemmed from rising shelter costs, which rose 0.5% from November and 6.2% year-over-year. Analysts claim elevated mortgage rates have reduced supply and pushed up housing prices. See a detailed breakout of prices for various commodities here.
The Federal Reserve, responsible for maintaining inflation at 2%, has held the federal funds rate between 5.25% and 5.5% three times after 11 raises since March 2022. The Fed is expected to reduce rates this year, possibly as soon as March.
A Weekend Blizzard
A winter storm is sweeping across the country today and is poised to become a bomb cyclone, bringing blizzard conditions and flooding across much of the country’s eastern half. The storm will be followed by a blast of arctic cold air, with as much as 88% of the contiguous US expected to experience temperatures dropping below freezing by Monday.
Dubbed Winter Storm Gerri, it comes days after a separate winter storm hit the central US and parts of the Plains (Why so many?). Gerri is forecast to make its way from the Four Corners region toward the central and eastern US, with 1-2 feet of snow projected in portions of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Meteorologists say temperatures in Wyoming and Montana could reach between 20 and 30 degrees below zero and potentially below 50 degrees in the Northern Plains. The Southern Plains and Midwest could see temperatures dip into the minus 20s, while the South could see temperatures in the 20s.
The cold air pattern is projected to stay until at least the week of Jan. 22; see detailed forecasts for regions across the US here (w/clickable map).
Lost Cities Revealed
Archaeologists have discovered a constellation of ancient Amazonian structures in what is now modern-day Ecuador, according to new research published yesterday. Flourishing for roughly 1,000 years about two millennia ago, the settlements are believed to have been populated by 30,000 residents at their peak—roughly equal to London under the Roman Empire at the same time.
The complex was discovered using LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a technique in which variations in surface height are measured using airborne laser mapping. The approach allows researchers to penetrate dense forest canopies or layers of Earth, revealing what lies underneath without labor-intensive fieldwork and digs. Learn more about how LiDAR—also used in many self-driving vehicles to “see” the road—has revolutionized archaeology.
The find follows a number of similar discoveries in recent years, including a sprawling urban network in the Bolivian Amazon two years ago.
In partnership with Autonomix
Countdown to A New Age of Medical Treatment
Autonomix is on a mission to treat medical disorders at their root in the nervous system, and the deadline for their private investment opportunity is just a few days away. Electrophysiology represents the cutting-edge of medicine, with companies being acquired for $900M+ even before receiving FDA approval. With Autonomix’s planned Nasdaq listing ahead, they’re providing a unique opportunity to invest before a potential exit.
The startup also joins an all-star list of names like Elon Musk and Google in studying how a variety of health issues can be traced to the nervous system. Their patented microchip-based technology is being developed to detect neuronal signals to find nerve bundles that cause pain and other ailments. With $100B+ in potential treatment markets worldwide and 100+ patents issued and pending, the company is attempting to take the world by storm.
>New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick to depart after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots; Belichick has racked up 333 wins across his 29 seasons as an NFL head coach (More)
>ESPN reportedly forced to return 37 Emmy Awards for using fake names to win awards for “College Gameday” program (More) | Michael Jackson biopic film set for April 2025 release (More)
>NFL postseason begins tomorrow with the Wild Card round; see preview and predictions (More) | NFL’s 2024 four International Games to include Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and the Carolina Panthers in Munich; opponents to be named (More)
>Researchers release open source program to model the increasing density of space debris orbiting the Earth (More) | The emerging problem of space trash (More)
>Study suggests the largest ape to ever live died off around 250,000 years ago because it failed to adapt its diet as the landscape shifted from dense forest to grasslands (More) | Meet Gigantopithecus blacki (More)
>Paleontologists discover oldest-known fossilized reptile skin; 289-million-year-old specimen predates dinosaurs, was from a now-extinct iguana-like lizard (More)
>Markets close roughly flat Thursday (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow 0%, Nasdaq 0%) following higher-than-expected inflation data (More) | Spot bitcoin ETFs begin trading, see $4.6B in trading volume on first day (More)
>Chesapeake Energy to buy Southwestern Energy for $7.4B in all-stock deal; acquisition would make Chesapeake the largest US natural gas producer (More)
>Google lays off hundreds of employees in Google Assistant division as company explores integrating AI chatbots into products; company also planning to restructure its 30,000-person ad sales department (More)
Politics & World Affairs
>Israel defends against charges of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice; claims introduced by South Africa (More) | US, UK lead airstrikes against Houthi rebel sites in Yemen (More) | Jewish students sue Harvard, claiming antisemitism on campus violates civil rights (More)
>Closing arguments held in civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump; proceedings held despite early morning bomb threat made at the home of Judge Arthur Engoron (More)
>Federal Aviation Officials launch probe into whether Boeing followed safety protocols when securing door plugs on 737 MAX-9 models (More) | Everything you need to know about Boeing’s blown-out door plugs, visualized (More)
In-Depth
> A Knife Forged in Fire
Chicago Magazine | Laurence Gonzales. The technical process of forging steel knives by hand opens a spectator to mystical reflections on danger, beauty, and transformation. (Read)
> The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
WSJ | Staff. A look at one of the world’s most dangerous shipping lanes where Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched drone attacks against commercial vessels. (Watch)
> Baby Brokers
Guardian | Rachel Nolan. Amid ballooning adoptions in Guatemala during its civil war in the 1980s, a shadowy role arose: the jaladora, a supplier of babies hired by adoption lawyers. (Read)
> How Cranes Work
Stuff You Should Know | Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant. (Podcast) Everything you didn’t know about construction cranes, the massive tools towering over cityscapes piecing together commercial buildings. (Listen)
Historybook: Author Jack London born (1876); Hattie Caraway becomes first woman elected to US Senate (1932); Howard Stern born (1954); Mystery novelist Agatha Christie dies (1976); Earthquake in Haiti kills more than 100,000 (2010).
“We never know the whole man, though sometimes, in quick flashes, we know the true man.”
Headlines making the news. Today we have a very long list of what’s happened and is happening around the world. See if any of the topics peaks your interest, and feel free to comment.
North Carolina is suing HCA Healthcareopens in a new tab or window, alleging that it breached terms of the takeover agreement with Mission Health and has “degraded” care at the former nonprofit. (STAT)
Emergency contraception useopens in a new tab or window among American women more than doubled since the morning-after pill was approved to be sold without a prescription (from 10.8% in 2006-2010 to 26.6% in 2015-2019), according to CDC data.
Sen. Joe Manchin won’t run for reelection in 2024. The moderate Democrat from West Virginia made his intentions known in a video posted on X. Instead of running for a fourth term, the 76-year-old said he will travel the US “to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.” Manchin, who was the deciding vote for last year’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, has refused to rule out a third-party run for president in 2024 as the nominee for No Labels, a centrist political group for the “politically homeless.” Manchin’s decision likely hurts Democrats’ chances of maintaining their narrow majority in the Senate.
Israel agrees to four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in fighting. The pauses started Thursday in northern Gaza, according to the White House, which said Israel would announce each four-hour window at least three hours in advance to allow civilians to flee from its military assault on Hamas. In a rare criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Biden told reporters that the pauses should have come sooner. He also pushed for multiday stoppages instead of hourslong ones and said there’s currently “no possibility” for a formal cease-fire.
Biden backs unionization efforts at Tesla and Toyota. Following the historic contracts between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three automakers, President Biden said he supports the group’s attempt to unionize workers at the two companies. UAW President Shawn Fain wants to parlay the gains made from UAW’s strike against the Big Three to target nonunion manufacturers, including Tesla and Toyota. Biden met with Fain last night at an event in Illinois to celebrate the reopening of a Stellantis plant and the union’s new contracts.
Stealing a sign from mile marker 420? Tired. Stealing a sign at a college football game? Wired.
Tomorrow, Michigan will face Penn State in the Wolverines’ biggest game of the season so far. But the real intrigue is off the field, where the NCAA is investigating former Michigan recruiting analyst Connor Stalions for allegedly traveling around the country to scout future opponents at games.
Why is this a scandal? Unlike in the NFL, college football players can’t have radios in their helmets to receive the plays from their coaches. So, in order to relay calls, coaches hold up what are essentially giant poster boards with secret meanings. While it’s common for teams to research their opponents’ signs by watching publicly available game footage, it’s illegal to scout them live and in person thanks to a 1994 NCAA bylaw intended to prevent an advantage to wealthier schools with larger staffs.
For Michigan’s alleged tomfoolery—believed to be committed mostly by Stalions and a group of budget 007s with iPhones—there’s a price to pay: The Big Ten Conference could move to suspend head coach Jim Harbaugh or withhold lucrative TV and bowl game revenue from the school, per CBS Sports.
Going forward…it’s still unclear what action the NCAA will take when it finishes its investigation. But the fiasco has resurfaced questions about allowing college football to use radio systems, which would eliminate the use of signs altogether. Michigan alleged that other teams cheat, and warned that punishing the school or its staff would set a precedent the NCAA doesn’t want.—CC
We will be subjected to the Wonka press tour. The actors union reached a tentative deal Wednesday night with the studios to end the 118-day strike—the longest in the union’s history, which shut down Hollywood for months alongside a writers strike that ended in September. What little we know about the deal so far hints that the actors are getting significant pay bumps and AI regulation.
But entertainment CEOs weren’t the only ones facing walkouts this year. Here’s what workers won during hot strike summer:
The United Auto Workers reached a deal with carmakers that included 30% pay bumps for most workers.
The largest healthcare strike in US history got Kaiser Permanente workers a 21% pay increase over four years and a $25/hour minimum wage in California and $23 elsewhere in the US.
Workers didn’t even have to walk off the job: Justthe threat of strikes also led to pay and benefit bumps.
UPS delivered $175,000 salary and benefit packages to avoid a massive service disruption.
American Airlines agreed to increase pilot pay by over 46%.
And 25,400 members of the Culinary Union will receive pay raises from MGM Resorts in Las Vegas.