Daily SumUp

The best friend of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who were found frozen in a backyard after a watch party has been arrested alongside another man more than a year after the case baffled authorities and family members. Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were last seen alive watching the final regular season Chiefs game on January 7, 2024 - a full two days before their bodies were discovered.Jordan Willis, 39, the scientist friend who owned the home, and Ivory J. Carson, 42, have finally been charged in connection with the mysterious deaths, Kansas City police said Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The James Webb Space Telescope is helping scientists study a strange mass about 20 light-years from Earth. Traveling unpredictably through the cosmos, the mass is thought to be either a rogue planet or a "failed star," also known as a brown dwarf. Only a close examination of the body's atmosphere will determine which it is.Astronomers first found SIMP 0136 back in 2003 using Sondage Infrarouge de Mouvement Propre (SIMP), a French term that translates to "infrared proper motion survey." This technique uses two telescopes on opposite hemispheres to capture the movement of a cosmic body in infrared. Strangely, SIMP 0136 appeared to be traveling freely and without a central star around which it could orbit. It also spun very quickly, despite being roughly the same size as Jupiter, making a single SIMP 0136 day only 2.4 hours on Earth.This led astronomers to believe SIMP 0136 was a rogue planet, or a planet that floats freely through space. But there's a chance the mysterious mass could be something else entirely. Brown dwarfs, otherwise known as failed stars, are the result of gas clouds that have collapsed without gaining enough mass to initiate nuclear fusion—an essential step required to become a "true" star. Brown dwarfs have a minimum mass of 13 Jupiter masses (MJ) and SIMP 0136 has 12.7. SIMP 0136 also emits very little light, though these emissions seem to fluctuate, causing astronomers to be unsure about whether it fits within the brown dwarf category. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Appearing on the Tucker Carlson Network, the renowned scientist suggested that the secrets of the universe may not just be written in the stars — but in the very fabric of mathematics itself.The Divine EquationAt the heart of Dr. Soon's theory is the "fine-tuning argument" — the idea that the universe's physical laws are so perfectly calibrated to support life that it couldn't have happened by chance. The formula, first proposed by Cambridge mathematician Paul Dirac, highlights how certain cosmic constants align with breathtaking precision — a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gene Hackman's two surviving dogs avoided the fate of a third found dead near the mummified actor and his late wife thanks to a doggy door.  The Oscar winner, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead alongside a third dog, Zinna, in their $3.8 million Santa Fe home last week. The cause of their deaths remains unknown pending toxicology reports.Authorities did not perform a necropsy on Zinna, who was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa's partially mummified remains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creatives are in uproar after a leading tech lobby group claimed it was granted an extension to the deadline for the Government’s controversial AI copyright consultation.The Government has insisted it has not made any exceptions to the consultation, which officially shut last week, but techUK told the Daily Mail it has been given extra time to file its submission.This has provoked outrage with artists saying it is another sign that Silicon Valley is receiving preferential treatment on the proposals.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk says that he believes the US Postal Service and Amtrak need to be privatized and that “we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized.”Speaking virtually at the Morgan Stanley Technology Media & Telecom conference, Musk said it’s “kind of embarrassing” how other countries have “way better passenger rail than we do,” giving the example of bullet trains in China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A federal judge on Thursday extended an order that prevented the Trump administration from freezing billions in congressionally approved funds to 22 states and the District of Columbia. The judge found that the administration had overstepped in trying to stop the agencies from using money appropriated by Congress.The ruling, which builds on the judge’s temporary order instructing the government to keep disbursing the funds, sets up a broader clash between Democratic states over the Trump administration’s efforts to align spending with the president’s agenda.In an opinion handed down on Thursday morning, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the Federal District Court for the District of Rhode Island, said the case amounted to executive overreach.“Here, the executive put itself above Congress,” he wrote. “It imposed a categorical mandate on the spending of congressionally appropriated and obligated funds without regard to Congress’s authority to control spending.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ellen Gilland, the elderly woman who fatally shot her terminally ill husband in his hospital room at AdventHealth in Daytona Beach, is expected to be sentenced this morning.Gilland, who was 76 at the time of her arrest, pleaded no contest Dec. 31 to charges related to shooting. She has been free on $150,000 bond since March 3, 2023.Gilland shot and killed her 77-year-old husband, Jerry, in his hospital room on Jan. 21, 2023, according to police. She then pointed the gun at a nurse and a hospital security officer, police said. She later fired the gun at least in the direction of police officers before she was arrested, according to testimony and reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disney has reportedly scrapped plans for a UK premiere of its upcoming Snow White remake amid fears of an “anti-woke” backlash, following a wave of criticism over the film’s casting, creative choices, and comments made by its lead actress, Rachel Zegler.The highly anticipated reimagining of the 1937 classic, set to hit cinemas later this month, has already sparked controversy for its decision to omit “the seven dwarves” from its title and replace them with “magical creatures” portrayed by live actors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A group of Burger King workers in Minnesota teamed up for a heartwarming tribute to a 91-year-old regular after his death. Jenny Olson and her brother, Leo Parkin, were stunned when employees of the fast food chain in North Branch showed up to their father Jerry Parkin's funeral with his favorite chair. 'Someone came into the kitchen at church and said, "The whole crew of Burger King is here, and they brought a chair," I said, "What?"' Olson recalled to WSAZ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government has announced a series of measures to tackle people smuggling, including a new criminal offence of endangering the lives of others at sea.Almost 37,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2024.The number of people claiming asylum in the UK during the year to December 2024 was the highest since records began, in 1979. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US President Donald Trump has issued what he called a "last warning" to Hamas to release the hostages being held in Gaza."I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say," Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.Hamas accused the US president of encouraging Israel to break the ceasefire deal currently in effect between the two sides.Trump's statement came just hours after the White House confirmed it was holding direct talks with Hamas over the remaining hostages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prominent adventurer Andrew Cross, known to his half-million YouTube followers as “Desert Drifter,” passed away on Tuesday at the age of 36 after being taken off life support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaker Johnson, Vice President Vance, the first lady of the United States, members of the United States Congress, thank you very much and to my fellow citizens: America is back. Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the Golden Age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in 4 years, 8 years — and we are just getting started. I return to this chamber tonight to report that America’s momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back. And the American Dream is surging bigger and better than ever before. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 28-year-old a PhD student at University College London has been convicted on Wednesday of drugging and raping 10 women.According to the UK daily The Guardian, he flew to China just days after a woman accused him of raping her in November 2023. He was arrested on his return to London in January 2024.A jury at Inner Crown Court found him guilty of raping three women in England and seven in China between 2019 and 2023.The man, identified as Zhenhao Zou, had filmed nine of the rapes and kept a collection of women's belongings as "souvenirs." Police have identified only two of his victims.Most of the victims in the footage were unconscious, allegedly drugged by Zou. The videos Zou filmed became key evidence in his conviction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our ancestors were making tools out of bones 1.5 million years ago, winding back the clock for this important moment in human evolution by more than a million years, a study said on Wednesday.Ancient humans — also called hominins — such as the robust Australopithecus are known to have used fragments of bones to dig up tubers from termite mounds. Even today our closest living relative, chimpanzees, use sticks in a similar way to dig out termites for a tasty treat. And more than two million years ago, hominins were using crude stone tools in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites.But there were no known examples of anyone systematically making bone tools more than 500,000 years ago — until now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On track to full recoveryIf current policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 values (before the appearance of the ozone hole) by around 2066 over the Antarctic, by 2045 over the Arctic and by 2040 for the rest of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Volodymyr Zelen­sky told British media on Sunday it would not be easy to replace him as Ukraine’s president, but repeated his offer to step down in exchange for Nato membership for his country.US Republicans had suggested he may have to resign after US President Donald Trump dramatically turned against him during a contentious Oval Office meeting about the war with Russia on Friday.“If they replace me, given what is going on, given the support, simply replacing me will not be simple,” Zelensky said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The blonde woman who went viral for a seemingly flirtatious interaction with Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Wednesday night has been identified.The mystery woman became the object of much speculation after a clip of the tech billionaire offering her a bottle of water, which she accepted, garnered nearly 5 million views on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end," China's embassy said on X, reposting a line from a government statement on Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Macron says he'll confer with allies on protecting Europe... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Several employees previously fired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been asked to come back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US president, Donald Trump, is set to introduce a “gold card” visa that would allow wealthy foreigners to buy permanent US residency – and a path to citizenship – for US$5 million (£3.9 million).Speaking at the Oval Office on February 25, Trump said: “I think it’s going to be very treasured. I think it’s going to do very well. And we’re going to start selling, hopefully, in about two weeks.”US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick has touted the plan as a way to raise revenue to bring down US national debt, which currently stands at over US$36 trillion. As Trump put it when answering questions from reporters at the White House: “We’ll be able to sell maybe a million of these cards, maybe more than that. And if you add up the numbers, they’re pretty good. As an example, a million cards would be worth US$5 trillion.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The White House on Wednesday announced a one-month North American tariff exemption for automakers after President Donald Trump spoke a day earlier with heads of General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis.Automakers have urged Trump to waive 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada on vehicles that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement's trade rules of origin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An avalanche in the Alaska backcountry buried three skiers under a layer of snow that is estimated to be up to 100 feet deep, Alaska State Troopers reported on Wednesday.The group was helicopter skiing on Tuesday afternoon near Girdwood, a resort town in Alaska, which is about 40 miles south of Anchorage. Alaska State Troopers were notified that there was an avalanche later that afternoon, and are investigating as weather and avalanche conditions allow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US Vice President JD Vance suggested that both Ukraine and its Western allies were struggling to sustain the war effort, adding, "They need to be saying to President Zelensky, ‘This can’t go on forever.’"Russia has welcomed the U.S. decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, calling it a "step toward peace." This development has sparked global debate, with reactions from Ukraine, NATO, and U.S. leaders. What does this mean for the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. foreign policy, and global security? Stay tuned for live updates, expert analysis, and international responses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said President Donald Trump is considering a deal that would offer exemptions from tariffs on Canada and Mexico, including potentially for carmakers.The possibility of a rollback, which he said could be announced on Wednesday, came as many US businesses raised concerns about Trump's decision to hit US imports from its two closest trade partners with a 25% import tax.After two days of declines, the main US stock indexes were trading slightly higher early on Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump had a special message on Tuesday night for the “incredible people of Greenland,” whose island he has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring — through a purchase or by force.“We strongly support your right to determine your own future,” he said, briefly pausing during a speech to Congress to address Greenlanders directly. Then, with a confident nod, he added, “We will make you rich.”Some members of Congress responded with a mix of applause, murmurs — and a few smiles. Greenlanders weren’t so enthused.“It is up to us whether we become rich,” said Pele Broberg, the leader of one of Greenland’s major political parties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said on Wednesday that Greenlanders do not wish to be either Danish or Americans, emphasising their desire to determine their own future.His statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his interest in taking over the vast Arctic island. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China has warned the US it is ready to fight "any type" of war after hitting back against President Donald Trump's mounting trade tariffs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prime minister has paid tribute to the "sacrifice" of the UK's armed forces after US vice president JD Vance was accused of "disrespecting" British troops Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.