The suspected leaker of highly classified US intelligence reports to social media—which sparked unease from the White House to Kyiv—has been arrested. Yesterday, the FBI took into custody Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s Intelligence Wing, at his mom’s home in North Dighton, MA.

US authorities had been scrambling to find the leaker since it came to light earlier this month that hundreds of pages of sensitive military documents (some labeled top secret) were floating around social media.

The leak represented a stunning breach of security for the Pentagon. The documents contained a detailed analysis of the war in Ukraine, including a warning that Ukraine’s air defenses could soon run out, and also exposed how the US spies on countries it calls friends.

It all started on a small Discord server

What became a dramatic international incident began in the most mundane of places: a small group chat on Discord.

The group, called Thug Shaker Central, consisted of roughly 20–30 people (mostly men and boys from all over the world) who had formed an online community during the pandemic when opportunities for other social connections were cut off. They shared an interest in guns and military gear but also watched movies together or simply hung out, according to a young member of the group who spoke with the Washington Post.

The group’s ringleader was a user they called “OG,” who uploaded sensitive US government documents to keep his friends “in the loop” about world events, the member told the WaPo. The docs were never intended for widespread reading, but late in February, a teenage member of the group posted some of those docs to another Discord server affiliated with a famous Filipino YouTuber, and the cat was out of the bag—the secret documents eventually made their way to bigger platforms such as 4chan and Twitter for all to see.

While members of Thug Shaker Central who spoke with the NYT declined to identify OG, the FBI connected the dots that it was Teixeira.

Bottom line: Unlike whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Teixeira does not appear to have leaked these documents to air the US military’s dirty laundry. But the fact that a junior Air National Guard member barely old enough to drink had access to closely guarded information will cause the Pentagon to review its processes around classified material. Almost 3 million people had access to classified documents as of 2019, according to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.—NF

Tech consultant arrested in Cash App founder’s murder. A Bay Area tech entrepreneur, Nima Momeni, was arrested as the suspect in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco last week. SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said that Momeni knew Lee and criticized pundits and celebrities who suggested that Lee’s murder was a random act of violence that reflected the city’s decay. Authorities did not name a motive, though they said Momeni and Lee were reportedly driving together in the early morning Lee was stabbed.

Florida legislature passes six-week abortion ban. The state’s Republican majority approved a bill that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, making Florida one of the most restrictive states for abortions in the US. Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. Also yesterday, the DOJ asked the Supreme Court to intervene and ensure access to the abortion pill mifepristone after an appeals court upheld some restrictions on the drug.

Jury selection starts for Fox–Dominion trial. More than 1,600 notices have been sent to the good folks of New Castle County, Delaware, to establish a jury for the upcoming trial between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, the voting-machine maker suing the network for defamation. The $1.6 billion showdown is the most significant media case in years, and it’s also extremely politically charged—so, finding an impartial jury could be a challenge. Opening statements for the trial, which is set to last six weeks, start on Monday.

Yesterday, Sportico reported that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder agreed to sell the team for $6 billion to a group led by Josh Harris, co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, along with billionaire Mitchell Rales and former Starbucks franchisee/NBA legend Magic Johnson.

If the deal is completed, it would be the highest price ever paid for a sports team, beating out the $4.65 billion spent on the Denver Broncos last year.

The end of a controversial era: Since Snyder bought the team in 1999 for $800 million, the Commanders have racked up about as many investigations as playoff appearances.

In 2022, a congressional committee looked into the NFL’s handling of reports of widespread sexual harassment and financial impropriety within the franchise under Snyder’s ownership. Snyder was also reluctant to change the team’s previous name, which Native American groups called racist. He finally relented in 2020.

Meanwhile, on the field, the Commanders:

• Made the playoffs just six times since 1999.
• Have the NFL’s lowest average attendance at home (~58,000, down from 83,000 in 2010).

Not to mention that last month they were named the worst NFL team to play for in an NFL Players Association survey on workplace conditions.

Of note: Jeff Bezos, who hired an investment firm in February to consider purchasing the team, reportedly pulled out of the bidding process, clearing the way for Harris.—CC

Women earn as much as or more than their husbands in just under half of US opposite-sex marriages, a significant advancement for economic equality from past decades, according to a new Pew Research study.

• Sixteen percent of wives in opposite-sex marriages are the sole or primary breadwinners in their home (“primary” meaning they make more than 60% of the household’s income). This share is triple the 5% of women breadwinners from 50 years ago.
• In 29% of marriages, both spouses bring home about the same income.

But—and we should have known this from how many “man caves” husbands want on House Hunters—those women are probably still spending their time doing more unpaid labor than their husbands, the survey showed.

In marriages where both partners have the same income, women spend about four-and-a-half more hours per week on chores and caregiving than men.

And when women become the house’s primary income earner, little really changes about how much time either partner spends on chores, Pew found. But in this scenario, men report almost five more hours of leisure time per week than men in egalitarian households.—MM

Stat: A once-in-1,000-years rainstorm poured down on Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on Wednesday, drenching the city with 20–25 inches of rain—equivalent to more than a third of its typical annual rainfall, the Washington Post reported. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport was shut down and is scheduled to reopen this morning. Bad timing: It was one of the most-booked destinations this week, according to the website Hopper.

Quote: “It’s the right time to sell Bonobos.”

A Walmart spokesperson had the unfortunate responsibility of explaining why the company was selling the menswear brand Bonobos at a steep loss. In 2017, Walmart bought Bonobos for $310 million, but yesterday it said it was selling it for $75 million to Express and brand management firm WHP Global. Walmart’s push into fashion has not gone as planned.

Read: Meet the man behind “Dril,” an internet personality who spent the last 15 years in anonymity. (The Ringer)

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to Google Maps lowering your ETA by 20 minutes.

It’s that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

Another book list to argue about: The 50 best sci-fi books ever, according to Esquire.

Using AI to create Wes Anderson Lord of the Rings: It didn’t go well.

Geography question: How big is Mexico, really?

Screenwriting 101: Become familiar with the 36 situations that encompass every possible dramatic scenario that could occur in a story.

Explore shopper personas: For many retailers, reaching target customers can be challenging. Retail Brew’s latest on-demand event offers strategies from industry experts. Watch now.

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Jigsaw: Today’s puzzle is a giant omelette. Literally. Check it out.

Friday puzzle

In this sentence, the number of occurrences

of the digit 0 is __,

of the digit 1 is __,

of the digit 2 is __,

of the digit 3 is __,

of the digit 4 is __,

of the digit 5 is __,

of the digit 6 is __,

of the digit 7 is __,

of the digit 8 is __, and

of the digit 9 is __.

There are two solutions. Can you find one (or both)?

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Tax day is around the corner, and if you work remotely for a company located in another state, you need to understand these special tax implications.

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Solution No. 1

In this sentence, the number of occurrences

of the digit 0 is 1,

of the digit 1 is 11,

of the digit 2 is 2,

of the digit 3 is 1,

of the digit 4 is 1,

of the digit 5 is 1,

of the digit 6 is 1,

of the digit 7 is 1,

of the digit 8 is 1, and

of the digit 9 is 1.

You can find the second solution here.