Good morning. It's Friday, Sept. 29, and we're covering a likely government shutdown, no more mailings from Netflix, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.
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Federal agencies notified employees yesterday to begin preparing for a government shutdown, as an impasse in Congress over spending bills continued in the face of the midnight deadline tomorrow. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, and absent statutorily required funding legislation, nonessential federal government services will be suspended beginning Monday.
Multiple disagreements exist between both parties and across both chambers of Congress. The Senate advanced a bipartisan short-term funding bill, which may be passed at the earliest Sunday; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20) has indicated he won't bring the Senate bill up for a vote. Sticking points between the House and Senate include border security, Ukraine, and overall spending levels, while a faction of conservative lawmakers have pushed McCarthy to pass individual appropriations bills as opposed to an omnibus package.
Should the federal government shut down tomorrow night, it would be the 22nd time since 1976. Explore recent government shutdowns here. |
Netflix will ship its final DVDs today, saying goodbye to its disc rental service after 25 years as the DVD business becomes increasingly obsolete in the era of video streaming.
Founded in 1997 as a rental-by-mail platform, the company mailed its first DVD—Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice"—in 1998 and garnered over 239,000 subscribers in its first year. Over the years, Netflix has mailed nearly 5.2 billion discs in its signature red envelopes to approximately 40 million unique subscribers, competing successfully with traditional video rental outlets like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. The company allegedly currently has over 1.1 million DVD rental subscribers.
In 2007, Netflix ventured into the streaming world and is now the world's largest streaming service, with over 238 million subscribers as of July, including 2.6 million new subscribers after a crackdown on password sharing. See the timeline of the company here.
See the 50 most popular DVD rentals, including the most rented disc on the platform, "The Blind Side," here. |
Republic of Artsakh to Dissolve |
The breakaway government in the Nagorno-Karabakh region located within the UN-recognized borders of Azerbaijan announced it will disband by Jan. 1. The enclave's unrecognized leader issued a decree yesterday, formally ending more than three decades of separatist rule from ethnic Armenians in the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh.
The announcement comes roughly a week after Azerbaijan launched a 24-hour military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and shortly after took full control of the ethnic Armenian-majority enclave through a cease-fire deal. At least 70,500 people out of an estimated population of 120,000 have fled so far into neighboring Armenia through a single road known as the Lachin corridor. Azerbaijan had previously blocked the route for nine months, preventing humanitarian aid in the region.
Many of those leaving the enclave say they fear ethnic cleansing, while Azerbaijan officials claim they are not encouraging anyone to leave and would guarantee protections for ethnic Armenians who choose to stay. See photos from evacuations here.
See an overview of the decadeslong Nagorno-Karabakh conflict here. |
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It's easy to forget that our sweat isn't just water. But why is it that we only down a glass of water after a long run or a hot day? Our sweat consists of water and salt, so next time you're reaching for that glass of water ... remember to replenish electrolytes too.
After years of mixing his own homemade electrolyte blends and frustration with the lack of healthy options on the market, LMNT Co-founder Robb Wolf used his experience as a biochemist and Navy SEAL resiliency committee member to create his own product—and thus was born LMNT. With no sugar, artificial ingredients, or junk found in conventional sports drinks, LMNT is your chance for a clean electrolyte boost after a long day or intense workout. And even if you’re not an athlete, you’d be surprised how useful LMNT can be. It tastes great, which makes it the perfect cocktail mixer—or hangover cure. Plus, their popular, once-seasonal grapefruit flavor is now a mainstay and in all their sample packs! Get it while supplies last.
Ready to hydrate your body the right way? Enjoy a FREE sample pack of eight flavors today with any purchase, plus a money-back satisfaction guarantee. |
Please support our sponsors! |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
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> Sir Michael Gambon, BAFTA-, SAG-, and Olivier-winning actor recently known for role of Dumbledore in "Harry Potter" franchise, dies at 82 (More) |
> Upstart spring professional football leagues XFL and USFL announce intent to merge and will begin playing next year (More) |
> MLB regular season wraps this weekend; see latest playoff picture (More) | Golf's Ryder Cup, a team competition pitting the US against Europe, kicks off today from Rome (More) |
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> Illinois becomes latest state to identify the spotted lanternfly, a rapidly spreading invasive species that feasts on hundreds of plant varieties; officials encourage killing the insects on sight (More) | Spotted lanternfly 101 (More) |
> Engineers demonstrate flexible wearable sensor capable of continuously analyzing a user's sweat with monitoring of glucose levels, pH, and more (More) |
> Scientists recover and sequence genetic material from a Tasmanian tiger that lived 130 years ago, raising the possibility of cloning the animal; marks the first time RNA has been sequenced from an extinct species (More) |
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> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.8%); S&P 500 and Nasdaq on pace to close out worst month in 2023 despite gains (More) |
> Nike misses revenue expectations as North American sales fall 2%, but beats earnings expectations; shares up in after-hours trading (More) | Women’s volleyball organization that plans to launch a professional league next year raises $35M from venture capital firms and celebrity athletes (More) |
> Shares of Evergrande Group—China’s second-largest property developer—halted in Hong Kong; company’s chairman was placed under surveillance earlier this month (More) |
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> House Oversight Committee holds its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry into alleged illicit financial dealings by President Joe Biden when he served as vice president during the Obama administration; see highlights here (More) |
> Travis King, the US soldier who defected to North Korea but was subsequently expelled from the country, returns to the US; officials have not yet specified any disciplinary measures (More) |
> Student gunman kills at least three in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, officials have not released a motive to date (More) |
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> Claiming Domains
Rest of World | Amy Thorpe. An obscure 1974 set of postal standards allotted each country a URL suffix (like .com). Today, some tiny countries—like Tuvalu, with its .tv domain—are funding parts of their annual budgets by selling theirs to startups. (Read)
> It Takes A Village
Atlas Obscura | Dylan Thuras. (Podcast) A rural community in Virginia experiments with communal parenting, where there are 20 adults for every three children, and members must apply for approval to birth more. (Listen) |
> Guerilla Cookies
Baffler | Dave Denison. The story of a popular Wisconsin cookie in the 1970s and its enigmatic creator—and why he suddenly stopped producing it and never shared the recipe. (Read)
> Effective Altruism 101
Big Think | Peter Singer. A look at the burgeoning smart philanthropy movement from the philosopher who inspired its creation. (Watch) |
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The Trusted Way To Hydrate |
What will you find in your LMNT single-serve packets? It's simple: 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium (for the optimal hydration ratio), zero sugar, zero coloring, and zero other junk.
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Please support our sponsors! |
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