Wednesday, February 14, 2024

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

Good Morning! On this day in 1849, the first daguerreotype photo of a U.S. president still in office was taken of James K. Polk, the 11th president, by photographer Matthew Brady in New York. (See Photo)

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Today is also Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent, when many Christians begin a 40-day period of prayer.

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Today’s edition is sponsored by our friends at Incogni.

House Impeaches Mayorkas

The House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday evening on their second try in a week, making Mayorkas the first Cabinet official to be impeached in nearly 150 years.

The final vote was 214-213, with the one-vote difference provided by GOP Rep. Steve Scalise, just returned from cancer treatments in the hospital. The first impeachment vote last week essentially tied while Scalise was absent.

Three Republicans joined the Democrats against impeachment in the otherwise straight party-line vote. The two articles of impeachment stem from what the GOP says is Mayorkas’ failure to secure the border.

Mayorkas will now be tried in the Senate, where he’s expected to be found not guilty by the Democratic-controlled chamber.

Dow Falls 524 Points on Inflation News

The Dow Jones index fell 524 points Tuesday, erasing nearly half its gains this year in its worst plunge in 11 months. The selloff was triggered by a higher-than-expected inflation report.

The Labor Department Tuesday morning announced that prices climbed 0.3% last month, or up 3.1% from this time last year. That was higher than expected and enough to push investors to question whether the Fed might delay interest rate cuts.

The S&P 500 was hit with heavy selling too, with nearly 90% of stocks there affected as the index dropped 1.4%.

List: Ranking the Sunniest Cities for Retirees

A new report ranks the 17 sunniest and most affordable cities for retirees in America, with No. 1 being Yuma, Arizona, followed by El Paso and San Antonio in Texas.

The ranking is based on how many sunny days each city has combined with each city’s cost of living index to provide a unique score. The lowest-ranked city, No. 17, was Clearwater, Fla.

Here’s the link to the full list. One caveat: The list is lower down on the page, so if you’re interested, you’ll need to scroll. Or you can click here and go to the five top-ranked cities.

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➤ The Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday with the help of 22 GOP votes, but House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House wouldn’t take it up without border control provisions. (More)

➤ Turnout for the special election Tuesday to replace ousted Rep. George Santos was impacted by the worst snowstorm to hit New York in two years. Polls showed a tight race between the GOP’s Mazi Pilip and Democrat Tom Suozzi. (More)

➤ Donald Trump recommended his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and North Carolina GOP director Michael Whatley to serve as co-chairs of the Republican National Committee. Trump is pushing to replace current GOP chair Ronna McDaniel. (More)

➤ The Supreme Court gave Special Counsel Jack Smith one week to respond to Donald Trump’s emergency request to continue the delay of his Washington D.C. trial. Smith is urging the Court to move faster. (More)

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➤ A record 202.4 million individuals watched Sunday’s Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, making the game the most-watched event in television history. (More)

➤ Tiger Woods and TaylorMade Golf announced a new partnership Monday by launching Sun Day Red, a lifestyle brand inspired by Woods’ affinity for wearing red shirts on Sundays. (See Video)

➤ Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self drew his first career ejection Monday after arguing with the officiating crew in a 79-50 loss to Texas Tech. It was Kansas’ worst loss since 1950. (See Video)

➤ Officials for the Waste Management Phoenix Open have promised significant changes to the event after drunken and vocal golf fans disrupted tournament play over the weekend. (See Video)

▼	NASDAQ Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	15,655.60	–1.80%
▼	SPX S&P 500	4,953.17	–1.37%
▼	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	38,272.49	–1.35%
▼	BTC Bitcoin	$49,435.35	–0.6%
▲	JBLU JetBlue Airways Corporation	$7.38	+21.58%
▼	WCC WESCO International, Inc.	$132.59	–31.13%

➤ Big Stock News: Jet Blue stock climbed 22% Tuesday on news that investor Carl Icahn has taken a 10% stake in the air carrier. (More)

➤ Paramount Global is expected to lay off 800 workers, about 3% of its workforce, as part of the cutbacks promised by CEO Bob Bakish last month. (More)

➤ Thousands of Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers in Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island plan to go on strike today to protest their pay on Valentine’s Day. (More)

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➤ Columbia Sportswear is entering a new world of outer apparel: Space. The company is integrating its thermal insulating fabric, Omni-Heat Infinity, with the Nova-C lunar lander to protect it from the vacuum of space. (More)

➤ Amateur paleontologists in France discovered nearly 400 well-preserved fossils believed to be 470 million years old. The fossil site is described as “one of the world’s richest and most diverse” in the world. (More)

➤ Speaking of fossils, scientists in Alabama and Kentucky discovered three new species of ancient sharks, including one with “needle-like fangs,” that inhabited shallow seas in the region millions of years ago. (See Photos)

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➤ A Finnish philosopher says there are three tenets of living that account for Finland’s rank as one of the world’s happiest countries. He says all three need to be incorporated into people’s daily lives. (See Tenets)

➤ A millennial director won an Oscar nomination for a short documentary film about his 94- and 83-year-old grandmothers, who offer their thoughts on how to stay vibrant in old age. (See Their Story)

➤ We couldn’t let Valentine’s Day pass without offering this look at some of the best quotations about love on this day dedicated to romance. (See Quotes)

➤ A burglar at a Beverly Hills home was recorded by a police drone while attempting to enter a home atop a ladder — only to slip and fall into a pool. Police posted the video on social media and asked for the best comments. (See Video)

➤ The scaffolding is finally being removed from the Notre Dame cathedral, revealing a new spire featuring a golden rooster and cross. This is the public’s first look at the restoration process since the April 2019 fire. (See Video)

➤ Researchers found the wreckage of a 244-foot merchant ship 600 feet below the surface of Lake Superior, off the coast of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The ship sank in 1940. (See Video)