THURSday, August 17, 2023

Good morning! On this date in 1957, outfielder Richie Ashburn set a painful baseball record: He hit the same woman twice with foul balls. The first broke her nose. The second hit her while she was on a stretcher. The two became longtime friends.

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Scientists Record Song From Brain Waves

In a breakthrough, scientists have reconstructed a Pink Floyd song from the recorded brain waves of patients undergoing surgery while listening to the song, “Another Brick in the Wall.”

The team said that while the brain-wave reconstruction is rough, the lyric “All in all, it was just a brick in the wall” is recognizable, as is the general rhythm. You can hear the odd, dreamy recreation here or here.

Researchers say the ability to decode the brain’s electric activity could help people who have lost the ability to speak, such as stroke victims, get their voice back.

Target Sales Down in Wake of Pride Backlash

Target sales dropped 5.4% in the second quarter from last year due at least partly to negative reaction over its Pride Month merchandise and promotions, CEO Brian Cornell said.

Overall revenue was 4.9% lower than last year. Target was hit by a backlash this spring over items such as a transgender bathing suit and various “gender-fluid” clothing, books, and home furnishing.

Cornell said he couldn’t separate the impact of the backlash from other factors affecting the sales decline, including reduced consumer spending and increased shoplifting. But, he said, “We are applying what we learned.”

Meadows Files to Move Trump Case To Fed Court

Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows—a fellow defendant in the Georgia indictment—has petitioned to move the case to federal court, where he plans to ask a judge to dismiss the charges.

In a move some think Trump will also make, Meadows claims the charges amount to “state interference in a federal official’s duties,” which violates the Constitution. Meadows says he was indicted for doing his White House job.

Meadows is one of 19 defendants in a sweeping 41-count indictment in Georgia state court. Prosecutors proposed a March 4 start date for the trial.

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➤ A new AP poll shows that support for Donald Trump splits almost 50-50 along party lines, despite his indictments. However, only 17% of all Americans say they have confidence in the Justice Department. (More)

➤ Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is leading a border-state outcry over the amount of federal relief money going to New York City to help with migrants at the expense of states like Arizona. She publicly blames top Democratic congressional leaders. (More)

➤ On that topic, Danny Meyer, famed NY restaurant owner and creator of “Shake Shack,” is closing two of his eateries because the landmark hotel they’re housed in has become a migrant shelter. (More)

➤ Prosecutors in Marion County, Kansas, withdrew a search warrant that led to a controversial raid on a local newspaper. After heavy national criticism, the police will return the computers and cell phones confiscated in the raid. (More)

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➤ England will face Spain in the World Cup championship match this Sunday. It marks the first time the British women’s team has reached the World Cup finals. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, in U.S. soccer, Lionel Messi has now scored nine goals in six matches and led Inter Miami to its first Leagues Cup finals. The team will face Nashville SC on Saturday night. (More)

➤ The Tuohy family from “The Blind Side” movie, accused by former NFL player Michael Oher of tricking him into a contract that he thought meant adoption, says that Oher threatened to go public if they didn’t pay him $15 million. (More)

Market Report 8/16/23

▼	NASDAQ Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	13,474.63	–1.15%
▼	SPX S&P 500	4,404.33	–0.76%
▼	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	34,765.64	–0.52%
▼	BTC Bitcoin	$28,621.0	–0.38%
▼	COHR Coherent Corp.	$32.97	–29.87%

➤ Big Stock Move: Coherent stock plummeted 30% Wednesday despite a good quarter because its guidance for the year showed sales significantly missing analysts’ expectations. (More)

➤ Dunkin Brands will be release alcohol-laced packaged drinks in 12 states. To be sold in supermarkets and package stores, the Spiked Iced Coffees and Teas have an alcohol volume of 5%-6% and come in four flavors. (More)

➤ “Barbie’s” $1.2 billion ticket bonanza means that star Margot Robbie stands to make roughly $50 million in salary and bonuses. The movie’s revenue is second only to the final Harry Potter film in the history of Warner Bros. (More)

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➤ CATL, a Chinese battery giant and a major supplier to Tesla, has unveiled a new battery able to recharge 250 miles of range in 10 minutes. The battery is named Shenxing, or “god-like movement.” (More)

➤ Array Labs plans to map the Earth in 3-D by flying clusters of radar satellites in low orbit to image the same place at the same time. This high-resolution record could be used by driverless vehicles, AR headsets, and for national security. (More)

➤ A new review of DNA shows that Oetzi the Iceman, the glacier mummy discovered in the Alps, was a balding, dark-skinned farmer from present-day Turkey who lived more than 5,000 years ago. (More)

➤ Alec Baldwin could be charged again for the accidental killing of a cinematographer in the independent film “Rust.” A second test of the gun showed that the trigger had been pulled despite Baldwin claiming he never fired the gun. (More)

➤ Harrison Ford, famous for his Indiana Jones character who hates snakes, has had a new Peruvian snake species named after him. The species is named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi, which Ford called “humbling.” (More)

➤ Speaking of snakes, a zoo in Waco, Texas, has brought back a rare two-headed snake with two names, one for each head: Pancho and Lefty. The popular snake was out of the spotlight for two years while recovering from an injury. (Photos)