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Anna's Daybreak News

_{Just facts, you think for yourself}

Friday, 5:24 AM

January 24, 2025

Good morning news friend! Uncover the moments shaping today and paving the way for tomorrow. 📰🌟

Purdue Pharma’s $7.4 Billion Settlement

Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family have agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement for their role in the opioid crisis. The terms include a $6.5 billion payment from the Sacklers over 15 years and an upfront contribution of nearly $900 million from Purdue.

This settlement resolves lawsuits from a bipartisan coalition of 15 states. Funds will go to addiction treatment and recovery programs. The Sacklers can no longer control Purdue and will not sell opioids in the US.

This new settlement requires the Sacklers to set aside funds for potential future litigation. This is in contrast with a previous settlement rejected by the Supreme Court, which would have granted immunity from future lawsuits.

More than 70,000 opioid overdose deaths have occurred annually since 2020.

Sources: AP News, CBS, WallStreetJournal, NYTimes, BBC

Jobless Claims Surge

Last week, initial jobless claims rose by 6,000 to 223,000, exceeding analysts' expectations of 219,000.

Continuing claims increased by 46,000 to 1.899 million. The highest total since November 2021. The four-week moving average of continuing claims also rose by 500 to 1.866 million.

Unadjusted claims dropped by 68,135 to 284,222. The insured unemployment rate held steady at 1.2%.

Analysts note that layoffs remain low overall. In December, US employers added 256,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate decreased to 4.1%.

Sources: AP News, Reuters, FXStreet, Breaking the News, Bloomberg, ActionForex

Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Money Laundering Law

The US Supreme Court allowed the enforcement of an anti-money laundering law that would require corporations to identify their real beneficial owners to the US Treasury Department.

The justices reversed a nationwide injunction from December. A Texas judge had argued that Congress exceeded its constitutional authority with the Corporate Transparency Act.

Small businesses had challenged the law with support from the National Federation of Independent Business. Supporters of the law assert it helps combat money laundering, tax fraud, and terrorism financing.

Companies must submit their initial reports to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Sources: Reuters, NYTimes, Investing.com

Judge Halts Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship. Judge John Coughenour called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.”

The order would deny citizenship to children born in the US if neither parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident. The temporary restraining order results from a lawsuit filed by Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon.

The order will annually affect 153,000 newborns who would no longer be considered US citizens under this rule. Trump signed the executive order on January 20, asserting that children of noncitizens are not subject to US jurisdiction.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the US. The judge's decision pauses the order for 14 days while further litigation is expected.

Sources: AP News, Reuters, Bloomberg, NYTimes, Forbes

OpenAI Launches Operator

OpenAI introduced Operator, a new AI agent that streamlines online tasks like booking flights and ordering groceries. This tool is now part of OpenAI's ChatGPT Pro subscription, available for $200 per month to select US customers.

Operator uses a model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA), which combines advanced reasoning with vision capabilities. It can interact with web pages by typing, clicking, and scrolling.

Users can start tasks by simply describing them, while the AI will ask for user control during sensitive actions, such as entering payment details. Collaboration with DoorDash and Instacart aims to enhance Operator’s functionality across various platforms.

Operator is still in the research phase, and early users may face limitations with complex tasks, which currently have a 60% success rate.

Sources: Bloomberg, OpenAI, The Verge, TechCrunch

Cosmic Chirps

NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites discovered high-pitched “chirping” plasma waves, known as chorus waves, detected over 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) from Earth.

This detection occurred in a region previously assumed silent. Chorus waves mimic bird calls when converted to sound. They travel along Earth's magnetic field lines and can accelerate electrons to near-light speeds.

Chorus waves have long been known, but this new finding at 100,000 kilometers expands their known presence threefold. Researchers believe Earth’s magnetic field influences these waves.

This discovery opens new questions about the significance of chorus waves in space weather dynamics and their potential to disrupt satellite communications.

Sources: AP News, DailyGalaxy, Inkl, BlueWin, NewsWeek, The Albertan

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Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️