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| All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below. |
| Need To Know. |
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| Trump Heads to G-20. |
Leaders of the world's largest economies descended on the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires yesterday to attend the annual G-20 summit. The meeting brings together the world's 19 richest countries plus the European Union, and the members represent two-thirds of the world's population and 85% of its economic activity (see 101). The summit offers opportunities for world leaders to have one-on-one discussions outside of the main agenda - President Trump announced he would cancel a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. The escalating trade war between the US and China will also be a focus of talks, with Trump scheduled to have dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the week. Separately, the summit is a diplomatic test for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who continues to navigate questions (paywall) over his involvement in the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Separately, President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen admitted to lying to Congress about Trump's knowledge of Russian real estate deal - an accusation the President strongly denied. |
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| China Pulls Plug on Gene-Editing Study. |
The Chinese government halted a controversial project focused on developing gene-edited human embryos, according to reports yesterday. The lead scientist, He Jiankui, made a bombshell announcement this week that he had artificially impregnated at least two women with embryos that had been modified to be resistant to HIV using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR. The work had been performed nine months ago, and healthy twin girls had been born to at least one set of parents. The announcement provoked international outrage - most countries, including China, have banned human gene-editing due to unanswered health and ethical questions. The work was reportedly unknown to Chinese officials, with few people outside He's lab aware of the project.
Heard a lot about CRISPR but not exactly sure what it is? Start here. |
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| Life Expectancy Falls Again. |
US life expectancy from birth declined in 2017 to an overall average of 78.6 years, according to stats released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday. While the drop was small, falling just 0.1 years from 2016, it represented the third straight year that the average lifespan of Americans had declined. Experts said the numbers were significantly impacted by suicides, which reached a 50-year peak last year, as well as a rising number of drug overdoses. The 3-year streak represents the longest continuous decline in average US life expectancy from birth since 1915-1918, a period that included both the Spanish Influenza (see background) and World War I.
See a demographic breakdown of the stats here. |
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| In The Know. |
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| Sports, Entertainment & Culture. |
| > Boxer Floyd Mayweather and musician DJ Khaled are facing charges for failing to disclose fraudulent cryptocurrency promotional payments (More) |
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| > Hugh Jackman announces world tour featuring performances from The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables, and other shows; see full tour lineup (More) |
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| > Chef Dominique Crenn becomes first American woman to win 3 Michelin stars (More) | What is a Michelin star? (More) |
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| Science & Technology. |
| > Microsoft wins $480M Army contract to supply augmented reality technology to up to 100,000 soldiers (More) |
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| > Scientists can predict where a rat will go next based on the sequence of neurons firing in its brain (More) |
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| > New injectable material filled with nanoscale drug delivery particles prevents cartilage breakdown in joints, may help treat arthritis (More) |
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| Business & Markets. |
| > Police raid Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany regarding money laundering allegations linked to the Panama Papers (More) |
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| > U.S. consumer spending increased in October by the most in seven months (More) |
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| > General Motors President Dan Ammann to take reins as CEO of Cruise autonomous vehicle unit (More) |
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| Politics & World Affairs. |
| > Former FBI director James Comey challenges subpoena to testify before US House in federal court (More) |
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| > Escalating tensions between the two countries, Ukraine places travel ban on Russian males entering the country (More) |
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| > Migrant women in caravan at US-Mexico border reportedly launch hunger strike in bid to pressure US to speed asylum process (More) |
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| Weekend Reads. |
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| A Boundless Battlefield. |
| Intercept | Danielle Mackey. After 10 years in the brutal Salvadoran gang Barrio 18, 21-year-old Benjamin was finished with the gang life - but sometimes deciding to walk away is much easier than leaving. (Read) |
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| How Automation is Changing Work. |
| Nature | Michael Segal. As more and more jobs become automated, workers are anxiously hoping to avoid becoming redundant. Here's why more robotics and AI in the workplace doesn't have to mean losing your job. (Read) |
| Breast Implant Injuries Kept Hidden. |
| ICIJ | Sasha Chavkin. In the last ten years, over 10 million people have received breast implants - but more and more patients are reporting rare cancers and autoimmune disorders. (Read) |
| The Hidden Struggle to Save the Coffee Industry From Disaster. |
| Medium | Elizabeth G. Dunn. Last year, an orange fungus caused over $1 billion worth of damage to Latin America's coffee farms. See how the extremely aggressive spread of leaf rust could make mornings worse for us all. (Read) |
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| Etcetera - Best of November '18 |
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| Editor's Note: Today we're bringing a roundup of our most clicked stories in November. Enjoy! |
| (11/8) You may have seen the viral video of a cute baby bear climbing up a mountain... |
| (11/8)...but scientists say you should be outraged by what the footage actually was. |
| (11/7) A young man ate a slug on a dare - he died from it eight years later. |
| (11/6) 30 trips that you need to book at least one year in advance. |
| (11/19) 50 strange-but-true facts about America - including a typo on the Liberty Bell. |
| (11/5) The rise of the four-letter baby name. |
| (11/13) An emu and a donkey fell in love, and now this North Carolina animal shelter has problems. |
| (11/21) Four bears pile into a Prius to eat a pile of chocolate. |
(11/28) The best craft breweries in each state (via Thrillist).
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(11/1) Ugh Millennials: Inside the new industry of teaching you how to be an adult.
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(11/2) The best farm-to-table restaurants across the country.
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(11/16) Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year is...
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(11/27) National Geographic's 100 best images of the year.
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| (11/28) The most popular baby names of 2018. |
| Historybook: HBD Mark Twain (1835); HBD Winston Churchill (1874); Michael Jackson’s Thriller is released, the best-selling album in history (1982); HBD Chrissy Teigen (1985); RIP James Baldwin (1987). |
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- James Baldwin |
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