7 dead in San Fran shooting; Classified docs found at Pence home; migrant encounters largest ever; U.S. to finally send tanks to Ukraine; DOJ sues Google; FDA plan for annual COVID boosters
Israel-US war games; 200 million in Pakistan had no power; Maxwell calls Prince Andrew photo a fake; Live music execs hear it from Capitol Hill; new podcast creation down; Oscar nominations
Good Wednesday morning! Happy hump day!
My take: Two quick thoughts coming to me this Tuesday for your Tuesday or Wednesday. The new Amazon prescription plan will remake how medicine is prescribed. According to CNN, Amazon is expanding its push into healthcare with a $5 monthly unlimited delivery pass on 60 common generic prescription drugs treating allergies, inflammation, high blood pressure and other conditions. Amazon announced the new delivery service, RXPass, on Tuesday and it will launch immediately in most states except California, Texas, Minnesota and others with specific prescription delivery requirements. Customers who are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government health care program will not be able to sign up for the benefit. The program is likely to save customers money on low-cost generic drugs but won’t impact prices for more expensive brand-name drugs, which drive the bulk of US prescription drug spending, say health care analysts and economists. They also expect Amazon to lose money on the service but see other benefits. The $5-a-month delivery pass is an add-on to Amazon Prime, Amazon’s $139 annual program, and is available exclusively to Prime subscribers regardless of their insurance status. Amazon has long offered a Prime prescription savings benefit to get discounts on generic and brand-name medications. The company said its new generic delivery program targets customers who take multiple prescriptions to manage chronic conditions and pay out-of-pocket costs for their medications. Is Amazon getting to big. Yes, in so many cases. But healthcare and costs for prescriptions need an overhaul and tis is a great start for those who use multiple medicines. Finally, what’s with all the shootings? While so many of these have been based on personal grudges, I just think Americans are angry and they find this to be the way to settle their grudges. A congresswoman today from San Francisco said she wanted to investigate where the gun used in the latest massacre came from. Over again, an ignorant viewpoint that is based in her politics. If someone has a grudge to settle, there is a whole open market on illegal guns where you can instantly find one.
Now to your “1 to…”
Breaking: Russia-Ukraine War: The U.S. plans to send M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine, officials say.
What we care about: Amazon launches $5-a-month unlimited prescription plan.
Justice Dept. sues Google over digital advertising dominance: The Justice Department and eight states sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that its dominance in digital advertising harms competition as well as consumers and advertisers — including the U.S. government. The government alleges that Google’s plan to assert dominance has been to “neutralize or eliminate” rivals through acquisitions and to force advertisers to use its products by making it difficult to use competitors’ products. The antitrust suit was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press conference Tuesday that Google’s dominance in the ad market means fewer publishers are able to offer their products without charging subscription or other fees, because they can’t rely on competition in the advertising market to keep ad prices low.
F.D.A. outlines a plan for annual Covid boosters: In advance of a scientific meeting on Thursday, officials proposed offering new shots to Americans each fall, a strategy long employed against the flu.
7 shot dead in Half Moon Bay, a small town south of San Francisco: The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has taken a suspect into custody after two separate attacks at farms in the Northern California coastal city.
Police: No apparent motive in Yakima, Washington convenience store shooting that left 3 dead.
This is how many mass shootings there have been so far this year: There have been more shootings than days so far this year and more shootings so far this year than at this point in any year since at least 2013. CNN is tracking mass shootings in the US using data from the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit group formed in 2012 to track gun-related violence. Both CNN and GVA define a “mass shooting” as a shooting that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter. Here’s how 2023 compares with previous years.
Vice President Mike Pence discovered classified documents in Indiana home: Pence informed Congress Tuesday he found documents bearing classified markings in his Indiana home on Jan. 16
White House struggles with Biden document defense: The White House was forced to play defense once again on Monday after the FBI discovered more classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president at his Delaware home over the weekend. Biden is now facing criticism from all corners of the political world, including from some Democrats. In an interview with CNN, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin conceded Biden has lost the “high ground” in his ability to criticize former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents.
Yellen says Treasury will take additional 'extraordinary measures' on debt limit: Debt ceiling showdown in Congress prompts Treasury to take additional 'extraordinary' measures
CBP: Migrant encounters at border are highest ever recorded.
Trump dunks on FBI official after arrest over Russian Oligarch allegations: Donald Trump was overjoyed at the arrest of a former FBI official whom the former president perceives as playing a role in the investigation into collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign in the 2016 election. Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence in the FBI’s New York office, was arrested Saturday over allegations that he secretly worked for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including claims that McGongial attempted to get Putin ally Deripaska off the U.S. sanctions list. FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jonathan Moffa in 2020 said an email from McGonigal in 2016 about Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos claiming to have “political dirt” on Hillary Clinton was “the basis for the opening of the case,” referring to the collusion probe. “The FBI guy after me for the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, long before my Election as President, was just arrested for taking money from Russia, Russia, Russia,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. “May he Rot In Hell!”
Mike Pompeo criticizes journalist Jamal Khashoggi as an 'activist' who received too much media sympathy: The former secretary of state writes in his book that people "need to be clear" Khashoggi wasn't "a Saudi Arabian Bob Woodward" — but adds that he "didn't deserve to die."
Pandemic jobless benefits fraud likely tops $60 billion. House GOP to start investigating next week: More than $60 billion may have been paid out in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the US Government Accountability Office. The watchdog agency, however, warned that the estimate has limitations and should be interpreted with caution. The actual amount of pandemic unemployment benefits fraud may be “substantially higher.” At least $4.3 billion in jobless benefits fraud has been formally determined by state unemployment agencies, while at least $45 billion in payments have been flagged for potential fraud by the US Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the GAO said. But this cannot be interpreted as the extent of the problem, it continued.
Democratic House whip's daughter arraigned on assault charge: The daughter of U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark flailed her arms and struck a police officer trying to arrest her for defacing a bandstand in Boston with anti-police slogans over the weekend, a prosecutor said at her arraignment Monday. Riley Dowell, 23, of Melrose, was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of assault and battery on a police officer, vandalizing property, tagging property, vandalizing a historic marker/monument, and resisting arrest. Police also found a spray paint can in her backpack and saw paint on her hands and jacket, prosecutors said.
Not guilty pleas were entered on Dowell's behalf and she was released on the $500 bail she posted after her arrest Saturday.
Biden’s human rights pick withdraws: Sarah Margon pulled out amid opposition from a top Republican.
Thin-skinned NYC Mayor wants to write his own news stories: New York City Mayor Eric Adams is so fed up with the way he is covered in the press, he’s starting a newsletter to give the public his side—at a cost of $75,000 to taxpayers. “All the great stuff we are doing is being distorted or not being reported at all,” Adams said in announcing the new initiative, “Hear From Eric.” A spokesman for Adams could not say how often the newsletter would be published, the New York Daily News reported.
Chase closes some New York ATMs early because of ‘rising crime’: Citing “rising crime and vagrancy,” Chase Bank has shuttered 24-hour access to some of its New York ATMs. Select ATM vestibules are closing at 5 pm or 6 pm, aligning more closely with normal branch hours, the bank tweeted in response to a complaint last week. A JPMorgan Chase (JPM) spokesperson said some other ATMs are closing at 10 pm.
Murdaugh goes on trial over murder of wife and son: The trial of Alex Murdaugh begins on Monday, the centerpiece of a twisted tale of two fatal shootings and the downfall of a South Carolina legal dynasty.
Nearly 220 million people in Pakistan without power after countrywide outage: A nationwide power outage in Pakistan left nearly 220 million people without electricity on Monday, threatening to cause havoc in the South Asian nation already grappling with fuel shortages in the winter months. The country’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement the country’s National Grid went down at 7.34 a.m local time, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system,” according to initial reports. “System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” the statement added.
Israel, US kick off massive war games in apparent message to Iran: Exercise, dubbed Juniper Oak 2023, involves over 140 aircraft, 12 naval vessels, and artillery systems from both nations drilling in Israel and Eastern Mediterranean
What Gen Z wants to be when they grow up: Despite the rise of social media and the ubiquity of the creator economy, most Gen Z-ers are interested in the same traditional careers as generations before them. Young people today are more likely to job-hop, but they are also looking for stability by pursuing careers as CEOs, doctors and engineers, according to a new Axios/Generation Lab study.
By the numbers: Gen Z-ers surveyed said their top career goals were businessperson, doctor and engineer. Artist took the fourth spot. Gen Z-ers also tend to prefer larger companies — with 58% saying they’d prefer a big or mid-sized corporation over a startup or a government job. Just 14% aspire to work for the government. Young people’s leading motivator as they advance in their careers is personal fulfillment (49%), followed by wealth (25%). Contrary to polling that indicates Gen Z cares more about their employers’ stances on social issues more than previous generations, just 9% of respondents said societal impact is their top driver when it comes to work.
M&M’s replaces cartoon ‘spokescandies’ with Maya Rudolph after ‘woke’ backlash from Fox News: Rudolph told TODAY.com she is “thrilled” to represent the brand in a Super Bowl ad Feb. 12.
CNET's AI Journalist Appears to Have Committed Extensive Plagiarism: CNET's AI-written articles aren't just riddled with errors. They also appear to be substantially plagiarized.
Ghislaine Maxwell claims in jailhouse interview that Prince Andrew photo with Virginia Giuffre is ‘fake’: Convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has said a decades-old photograph of Prince Andrew with his sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre is “fake,” in a series of interviews from prison. The disgraced British socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence in US federal prison for carrying out a years-long scheme with her longtime confidante Jeffrey Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. Speaking from a Florida jail to UK broadcaster TalkTV, which aired a special program on Monday night, the 61-year-old – who also appears in the photograph – said she doesn’t “believe it happened.”
“I don’t believe it is real for a second, in fact, I’m sure it’s not. There has never been an original. I don’t believe it happened and certainly, the way it’s described would have been impossible. I don’t have any memory of going to Tramp [nightclub],” Maxwell said.
Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank expecting second child:
The baby will be born 13th in line to the throne and will be the first royal child to arrive since the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Yellen pushes for China to address Zambia’s big debt burden: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, on the second leg of an African tour aimed at promoting American investment and ties, said on Monday it’s crucial to immediately address Zambia’s heavy debt burden with China. Yellen was in Lusaka, a capital city that’s visibly dominated by Chinese financing. Visitors to Lusaka arriving at the renovated Kenneth Kaunda International Airport see a facility expanded in 2015 with Chinese money. A ride into the city passes billboards and newly built firms bearing Chinese signage, more evidence of Beijing’s influence and increasing competition with the United States. But the growth that the country has experienced has come with a heavier debt burden. Zambia became Africa’s first coronavirus pandemic-era sovereign nation to default when it failed to make a $42.5 million bond payment in November 2020. Negotiations over how to deal with the debt load have been ongoing.
China tells US to fix its own debt problems after Yellen Africa remarks: fter U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called China a "barrier" to debt reform in Africa this week, Chinese officials in Zambia had a pointed response - get your own house in order. The Chinese Embassy in Zambia said on its website Tuesday "the biggest contribution that the U.S. can make to the debt issues outside the country is to act on responsible monetary policies, cope with its own debt problem, and stop sabotaging other sovereign countries' active efforts to solve their debt issues."
Microsoft announces new multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI: Microsoft announced a new multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment with the artificial intelligence lab OpenAI. The investment is the third phase of the partnership, following Microsoft's previous investments in 2019 and 2021.
Microsoft said the renewed partnership will accelerate breakthroughs in AI and help both companies commercialize advanced technologies.
How pickup trucks became so imposing: Sales of huge pickups are sustaining carmakers, bringing in record profits — yet pedestrian and road safety advocates say today's massive trucks are a hazard, given their size, weight, and driver blind spots. In a new Axios Visuals special project, we looked back over the past 50 years to examine the societal and lifestyle changes behind pickups' ever-increasing size. America has a unique love affair with pickup trucks — the Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for more than 40 years. But during that time, pickups have become bigger, bulkier, and more high-tech.
In the 1980s, about half of pickup trucks were categorized as small or midsize. But by the 2010s, small pickups had nearly vanished as Americans increasingly bought into the big truck lifestyle. As pickups transitioned from workhorses to lifestyle vehicles, their design shifted accordingly: Cabs expanded to accommodate more passengers, while beds shrank. The first generation of F-150s was 36% cab and 64% bed by length. By 2021, the ratio flipped, with 63% cab and 37% bed.
Mattress maker Serta Simmons goes bankrupt: Serta Simmons Bedding, the Georgia-based mattress maker owned by private equity firm Advent International, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. There's no niche industry that's caused private equity more pain than have mattresses, going all the way back to the infamous "burning bed" deal in the 1980s. Somehow, it doesn't feel like Advent will be the last PE firm that tries (and fails) to find money stuffed inside. The prepackaged bankruptcy filing includes $125 million of debtor-in-possession financing and another $125 million once it exits Chapter 11.
Backstory: Advent bought the company in 2012 via a $3 billion deal, and later added DTC mattress seller Tuft & Needle. It later restructured some of its debt, via a transaction that led to credit lawsuits. Per Bloomberg: "Serta's fiscal woes were exacerbated during the pandemic. More recently decades-high inflation has weighed on the mattress retailer, which has a sizeable debt load maturing this year."
Live music execs grilled on Capitol Hill after Taylor Swift tour mess: Ticketmaster is in the spotlight on Capitol Hill following its Taylor Swift tour debacle, which saw droves of fans unable to secure tickets to her wildly popular upcoming tour. It took an artist as big as Taylor Swift to get the conversation about why Ticketmaster controls so much of the live event industry going again, and now lawmakers have their sights on Live Nation, the site's parent company.
In a time of unprecedented antitrust scrutiny over big companies, especially tech, LiveNation is set to be grilled by lawmakers eager to notch wins for consumers. "LiveNation is so powerful that it doesn't even need to exert pressure, it doesn't need to threaten, because people just fall in line," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who during her opening remarks said young people should have the opportunities to go to concerts like she did when she was young.
"Restoring competition to our markets is about making sure that fans get fair prices and better service," she said. Joe Berchtold, president and CFO of LiveNation, which owns Ticketmaster, is testifying Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the state of competition in the ticketing industry.
Rita Moreno recounts flirty locker room story from ‘80 for Brady’ set for Kelly Clarkson: n case you were wondering, Rita Moreno very much has still got her groove. The Oscar winner, 91, appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday with her “80 for Brady” co-stars Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Lily Tomlin, where Moreno told a story from the set that had everyone howling. It began with Moreno shedding light on a private conversation with Fonda, where her co-star asked her how she felt about sex while they were waiting for a scene to be lit.
“Oh god, no! I’m done,” Moreno recalled saying. Fonda, for her part, told Clarkson earlier in the interview that Moreno was the flirtiest on set – and Field quickly agreed.
‘Accused’ puts a smart spin on crime with a different trial every week: At a time when roughly half of crime-movie ideas seemingly get stretched out to seven or eight episodes, “Accused” smartly goes in the opposite direction, presenting crisp little yarns in a single hour. While there’s a hit-miss element to that, the best entries in this Fox anthology series sustain suspense from beginning to end, while attracting top stars with its one-and-done approach. Based on an award-winning BBC crime series, each episode starts with the defendant in a criminal trial, while gradually providing the backstory on what they’re accused of doing and what really happened, including the identity of the victim. Those flashbacks unfold from the accused’s point of view, concluding with a verdict. In an old-fashioned scheduling maneuver, Fox introduced the show – with an episode starring Michael Chiklis as a father concerned that his teenage son might act out on violent, disturbing tendencies – after the NFL playoffs on Sunday night, and was rewarded with the biggest audience for a broadcast or cable series debut in three years. Moving to its regular Tuesday slot, the second episode, subtitled “Ava’s Story,” is among the strongest previewed, featuring a deaf woman (Stephanie Nogueras) serving as a surrogate mother to a wealthy couple, directed by Marlee Matlin.
New podcast creation has fallen off a cliff: The number of new shows that debuted in 2022 was down 80 percent since 2020.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ leads Oscar nominations with 11: The strange and sentimental film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” led among the films nominated for the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday, scoring 11 nominations. “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” followed with nine nominations each. Blockbusters “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” each landed nominations for best film, and there is plenty of star power among the nominees. Both Rihanna and Lady Gaga were nominated in the original song category (for tunes from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” respectively), as veterans in the industry were recognized as well.
John Williams beats his own record as most Oscar-nominated living person: The legendary composer received his 53rd Academy Award nomination for his work on Steven Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans' on Tuesday.
Steven Spielberg confirms a documentary on film music legend John Williams is coming: The acclaimed director is thanking his friend and long-term collaborator in the way that only Spielberg can: by casting him in the starring role. John Williams and Steven Spielberg have spent five decades creating some of the greatest and most significant movies and soundtracks of the 20th and 21st centuries – from Indiana Jones to E.T., Jurassic Park to Schindler’s List.
Their next collaboration could be one of their most individual creations yet, as Steven Spielberg has confirmed plans for a documentary on John Williams’ life.
2022 marked 50 years since the pair’s first meeting, on a blind date to a swanky Beverly Hills restaurant, and it’s an anniversary they have marked with Spielberg’s ‘most personal film to date’, The Fabelmans.
Shauna Rae's love interest says criticism of their relationship is 'absolutely disgusting': "Who are you to take away her right to have a friendship and connection with someone? How dare you?" Dan Swygart said of his love interest, TLC star Shauna Rae, on Instagram
Tom Brady drops agitated F bombs when asked about retirement, admits he 'tried to trip' Cowboys S Malik Hooker: Let the incessant retirement speculation begin.
Or continue, really, if we're being honest. Tom Brady's season is over, so it's time to wonder what if until he makes the call on his NFL future. The 45-year-old future Hall of Famer addressed the topic on his "Let's Go!" podcast alongside interviewer Jim Gray on Monday. Even though he apparently didn't want to.
Around 12:30 into Monday's episode, Gray asked Brady if he had a timetable for deciding on whether or not to retire from football. Here's Brady's response.
US has most buildings on list of world’s 10 ugliest: According to Twitter users, The Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh, Scotland is the ugliest in the world.
Routines are great, But spontaneity is the key to brain expansion — here's why.
Have a great Wednesday!