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 | Friday, January 3, 2025 | | | Good Morning! On this day in 2004, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed on Mars, surveying the Martian geography in one of the longest and most successful missions in the space agency's history. Welcome to 2025! Thirty years ago, a British technology television show made bold predictions about life in 2025. Read the item below to see if those predictions were accurate. Today's sponsor is World Tree, offering a hardwood investment opportunity. | | | |  New Details Emerge on U.S. Terror Attacks
Authorities shared new details on the suspects in separate New Year's Day attacks, confirming no "definitive" link between the New Orleans assault and the explosion near a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. While both suspects were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, officials said no records indicated they served in the same unit or during the same years. FBI officials said a preliminary investigation indicated Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone and was inspired by ISIS when he drove a truck into New Orleans' crowded Bourbon Street. Social media posts before the attack revealed he joined ISIS last year. In Las Vegas, authorities reported that decorated Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in the head shortly before detonating a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel. The explosion resulted in minor injuries to seven people but caused no damage to the hotel. | Mortgage Rates Spike, Demand Falls A sharp rise in mortgage rates at the end of December slowed mortgage demand during the housing market's typically quiet season. U.S. mortgage rates reached their highest level since July, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbing to 6.91%, up from 6.85% the previous week and 6.62% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac. Refinance applications, which are sensitive to rate changes, fell 36% compared to the previous month but remained 10% higher than a year ago. Purchase applications declined 13% during the same period and were 17% lower year-over-year, highlighting persistent weakness in the market despite increased housing inventory. Elevated prices and higher borrowing costs have left many properties unsold. | List: Income By State to Join the Top 1% A recent study found that Americans need an average income of $787,712 to be classified in the top 1% of salary earners nationwide. Financial site SmartAsset analyzed tax data from 2021, adjusting the figures to reflect June 2024 dollars, and determined that residents in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and California had to earn the most—over $1 million a year—to enter the 1%. West Virginia required the lowest income for the top 1%, at $420,453, followed by Mississippi at $440,744 and New Mexico at $476,196. See where your state ranks here. | |  | | ➤ The vote for House Speaker is set for today, with incumbent Rep. Mike Johnson facing resistance from a small GOP faction, despite an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump. (More) ➤ Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced his candidacy for governor in 2026, aiming to succeed the term-limited and fellow Democrat Gov. Jared Polis. He is currently polling at 8%. (More) ➤ Federal prosecutors are investigating former NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who has been suspended amid sexual misconduct allegations. Search warrants have been executed at several locations, including his home. (More) | | | Flying together with our sponsor 
A Leading Hardwood Solution for a $170B Market Demand for hardwood is soaring, and demand for lumber is set to quadruple by 2050. The problem? Traditional hardwoods take decades to mature, leaving a supply gap in the $170B American lumber market. But World Tree offers a solution. Through the 2024 Eco-Tree Program, they plant Empress Splendor trees—a species that grows three times faster than traditional hardwoods—to meet demand with premium lumber in just 10 years. And as an investor in the 2024 Eco-Tree Program, you can share in that advantage. Investors in the 2024 program earn 30% of the profits from eventual harvest, targeting up to 5X return on investment in 8 to 12 years. With over 6,000 acres planted across 300 vetted farms, World Tree already supplies lumber to booming industries like furniture, marine craft, and eco-design. With today's lumber already selling at $6 per board foot, we're working to establish the Empress Tree as the premium solution. Invest in the 2024 World Tree Eco-Tree Program to claim your share of this fast-growing opportunity. | |  | | ➤ Notre Dame beat the Georgia Bulldogs 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, a game delayed by a day due to a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (More) ➤ The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters for the NFC and AFC yesterday. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes missed the cut for the first time in his career as a starter despite leading the team to a 15-1 record. (See Rosters) ➤ The New York Jets are bringing in former head coaches Rex Ryan and Ron Rivera to interview for their head coach opening. (More) ➤ Yesterday's results: NCAAF | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | |  | | Today's Holiday section is brought to you by: 
 An anonymous donor dropped a gold coin worth over $2,700, wrapped in a $1 bill, into a Salvation Army bucket on Christmas Eve in Pennsylvania. (More)
Starbucks unveiled its 2025 winter menu featuring the Cortado, Pistachio Latte, and Spicy Falafel Pocket. (More)
Thinking about cutting back on alcohol? Dry January offers a chance to improve sleep, health, and focus, with many participants reducing their alcohol consumption long-term. (See Benefit) Flying together with our sponsor Most backup systems are WAY too complicated for the average user… which results in a lot of tragic mistakes. Not only do backups take a LONG time, but one little mistake can cause all those precious memories to be erased. Digging through your folders to find all those files is always a nightmare… you'll never know if you missed an important photo or video until it's too late. 65% of people or their family members have lost their files as a result of accidental deletion, hardware failure, or software problems. Get ThePhotoStick OMNI, your memories are too important! | |  |  Daily Market Report 01/02/2025
| ▼ | NASDAQ
National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations | 19,280.79 | -0.16% | | ▼ | SPX
S&P 500 | 5,868.55 | -0.22% | | ▼ | DJI
Dow Jones Industrial Average | 42,392.27 | -0.36% | | ▲ | BTC
Bitcoin | $97,032.64 | 2.77% | | ▲ | GOLD
Per Ounce | $2,671.60 | 1.61% | | ▲ | RGTI
Rigetti Computing Inc. | $20.00 | +31.06% | Gold and Bitcoin are traded 24 hours a day. ➤ Big Stock Move: Rigetti Computing stock shot up 31% Thursday on news that investment firm State Street Corp. had increased its stake in the quantum computing firm. (More) ➤ Ukraine has stopped Russian gas flows to Europe, ending a decades-long energy transit agreement and prompting energy security concerns for Slovakia, Austria, and Moldova. (More) ➤ U.S. jobless claims dropped to 211,000 for the week ending Dec. 28, an eight-month low, reflecting low layoffs and consistent hiring trends. (See Details) ➤ X, formerly Twitter, will launch a payment platform, X Money, in 2025, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced. (More) | | | Flying together with our sponsor Potential 5X return on this investment Lumber demand is skyrocketing – set to quadruple by 2050. Set yourself up to potentially profit from this boom while supporting sustainability with World Tree's 2024 Eco-Tree Program. -
Invest in innovation; World Tree grows lumber 3X faster than competitors -
Tap into the booming $170B US lumber market for eco-friendly, sustainable -
Receive 30% of the profits when the trees are harvested, with up to 5X return potential Grow forests. Grow profits. Grow the future. Invest in the Eco-Tree Program today. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. World Tree has filed a Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its offering, a copy of which may be obtained here: invest.ecotreeprogram.com | |  | | ➤ A "dinosaur highway" of nearly 200 tracks, featuring a mix of long-necked herbivores and triple-clawed predators, was discovered in an English quarry, offering researchers new insights into England's Middle Jurassic period. (See Highway) ➤ Kenyan officials are investigating an 8-foot metallic ring, likely space junk, that crashed in a village last month, with preliminary findings identifying it as part of a launch vehicle. (See Ring) ➤ "Tomorrow's World," a BBC science show, predicted 2025 back in 1995. From robotic surgeries to VR, see what came true—and what remains a dream. (More) | |  |  | | ➤ Thousands of iconic creative works entered the public domain for free use and adaptation on Jan. 1, including Popeye, early Mickey Mouse animations, and Arthur Freed's "Singin' in the Rain." (See List) ➤ Tom Cruise's eighth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, along with reboots of Superman and The Running Man, headlines a list of the most anticipated movies of 2025. (See Movies) ➤ The editor of the popular online word game Wordle has revealed the most difficult puzzle of 2024, ending over 5.5 million winning streaks last October. (See Word) Flying together with our sponsor ➤ Make Your Microwaved Food Taste Better (And So Much More!) Duo Cover is a next-generation microwave food cover that gives you better-tasting leftovers, a splatter-free microwave, and finger protection from hot dishes — all in one convenient plastic-free device. Turn your leftovers into tasty chef-like dishes with Duo Cover. | | |  | | ➤ Jimmy Carter encountered a color-changing UFO in Georgia in 1969, later filing a report but withholding UFO files as president over security concerns. (More) ➤ FBI agents discovered 150 homemade bombs in Virginia, marking the largest seizure of explosive devices in bureau history, during a December firearms investigation. (See Photo) ➤ Agnes Keleti, the world's oldest living Olympic gold medalist and a Holocaust survivor, died at the age of 103. The former gymnast won her first gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. (See Photo) Flying together with our sponsor ➤ Protect Your Eyes and Eliminate Sun Glare Instantly. Tired of squinting through blinding sunlight while driving? Glare Guard slides easily onto your car's visor, giving you instant, adjustable sun protection. (See It Here) | |  Daily Quote |  | "(He) picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack."
— Tesla CEO Elon Musk on his company's Cybertruck containing the blast from a New Year's Day explosion. | | | |
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