Iranian Embassy, Alex Murdaugh, and Backflipping Pigeons

Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 2, and we're covering a fatal airstrike on Iran's embassy in Syria, sentencing in the final case against a disgraced attorney, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

You share. We listen. As always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com.

Science & Technology

> Health officials confirm human case of avian influenza A—or H5N1, also known as the bird flu—after coming in contact with infected cattle; case is the second in the US, risk to public remains low (More) | More than 82 million poultry have been infected since 2022; see stats here (More)

> Archaeologists uncover what is believed to be a 130,000-year-old stingray sculpture; artifact would be the oldest known example of humans sculpting depictions of other animals (More)

> Physical activity lengthens the time of non-REM sleep phases at night, increasing the overall quality of rest; study adds quantitative support to anecdotal link between exercise and sleep (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.1%) as investors consider last week's inflation data (More) | Gold prices retreat from record high (More)

> Trump Media and Technology Group shares close down 22% after the Truth Social owner reports $58M net loss and $4M revenue in 2023 (More) | Sam Altman removed from ownership structure of OpenAI Startup Fund, the ChatGPT maker's venture capital arm (More) 

> Microsoft to unbundle Teams and Office worldwide following scrutiny from European regulators and rival Slack over antitrust concerns (More) | Google to destroy browsing data of 136 million users to settle class-action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking users of Chrome's private mode (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

In partnership with Tangle

> Florida's Supreme Court upholds 2022 15-week abortion ban, allowing a separate 2023 six-week ban to take effect in 30 days; court also allows proposed amendment codifying the right to an abortion in the state constitution to appear on November ballot (More) | Former President Donald Trump posts $175M bond in New York civil fraud case, avoiding asset seizure during appeals process (More)

> Severe thunderstorms sweep across central and eastern US, bringing floods, hail, and tornadoes through today (More) | Section of California's Highway 1 near Big Sur remains closed after weekend storm causes part of roadway to crumble (More) 

> Germany legalizes possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use, effective yesterday; Germany becomes third European Union member to legalize recreational use of cannabis after Malta and Luxembourg (More) 

From our partners: Tired of biased, one-sided political news? We have a fresh solution. Tangle is an independent, non-partisan politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from the right, left, and center on one big debate every day. In the last week, they've covered the terrorist attack in Russia, Chuck Schumer's comments on Benjamin Netanyahu, and a potential TikTok ban. You read, then you get to make up your own mind. Sign up for free to get a 360-degree political read.

In-Depth

> Northwestern University at Stateville

Chicago Magazine | Bryan Smith. Inside a maximum security prison in Illinois, where the Northwestern Prison Education Program offers inmates the chance to earn a degree from one of the country’s top schools. (Read)

> The Pride of Augusta

Garden & Gun | Latria Graham. A look at how Augusta National’s all-Black caddies, which players were required to use during golf's annual Masters Tournament until 1982, played a pivotal part in the game. (Read)

Why parlor roller pigeons do backflips. 

How human milk could repair the gut microbiome.

Pluto is now Arizona's official state (dwarf) planet.

Fans flock to bars showing only women's sports. 

America's most popular beers by generation. 

First crushes say "I do"—70 years later. 

A "Sailor Moon" and Los Angeles Dodgers crossover. (via X)  

Some toads literally have the look of love.

Clickbait: Cicadas are very strange creatures.

Historybook: Danish author Hans Christian Andersen born (1805); Samuel Morse, inventor of Morse code, dies (1872); Walter Chrysler, founder of American Chrysler Corp., born (1875); Singer Marvin Gaye born (1939); Actor Pedro Pascal born (1975).

"Death walks faster than the wind and never returns what he has taken."

- From Hans Christian Andersen's "The Story of a Mother"

1440 Media 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 Chicago, IL 60654

Copyright © 2024, 1440 Media, All rights reserved.

J