Good morning, it's Saturday, Sept. 19. Warren Buffett's eldest son is replacing him as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: authorities investigate Philadelphia "house of horrors" (Quick Hits), astronomers find a baby planet (Quick Hits), a surprise ballpark day for young Red Sox fans (Humankind), a looming beer shortage in Germany (Etc.), and much more.
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Warren Buffett Steps Down |
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway yesterday, with his eldest son, Howard Buffett, succeeding him. Shares closed up 0.1% with the news. Read Buffett's announcement letter here.
The 96-year-old investor will serve as chairman emeritus and a board member of the conglomerate he led for over six decades. Buffett began buying shares of Berkshire Hathaway, then a struggling textile manufacturer, in 1962. He became its chairman and CEO in 1970 and turned it into an investment holding company (Buffett 101). In 2024, Berkshire Hathaway became the first US non-tech company valued at more than $1T. Business partner Greg Abel took over as CEO in January, but Buffett reportedly continued to come into the office daily; it's unclear whether this will change.
Buffett has donated roughly $66B worth of stock to charity since 2006, and his three children are responsible for distributing the remainder of his roughly $150B fortune by the end of 2034. |
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President Donald Trump to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from White House.
Trump said yesterday that the outlets were being banned for reporting what he characterized as fake news. He warned bans on other outlets would follow, but did not specify which or when. Trump has previously attempted to take legal action against the BBC, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other events. (More) |
Pentagon releases sixth batch of UFO files, details secret military program.
Yesterday's drop comprises 71 files dating from 1952 to 2025 (see here). Several documents examine a secretive military initiative that ran from 2008 to 2012 to anticipate future aerospace threats. The memos explore the possibility of warp drives, wormholes, antigravity, negative mass propulsion, and invisibility cloaking. Another document details unintended injury to humans by anomalous advanced aerospace systems, including hair loss and signs of cancerous cell growth. (More) |
Russia begins voting in first wartime parliamentary elections.
Russia yesterday began voting in parliamentary elections that are all but assured to keep the country's ruling United Russia party in power. The election includes residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began, as well as Crimea. The only political entity that opposes the invasion of Ukraine—the Yabloko party—was removed from the ballot last month by Russia's Supreme Court. (More) |
Three dead, several wounded in Philippine high school shooting.
A 16-year-old killed two peers, both 14, before taking his own life yesterday; at least eight others were wounded. The shooter was reportedly part of an online "true crimes community," and the gun belonged to his father. This is the third school shooting since June in the Philippines, where such attacks had previously been rare. Experts cite a rise in depression among youth and relaxing gun laws. (More) |
Philadelphia police and FBI investigate serial murders at "house of horrors."
Officials this week tied a Philadelphia home to at least seven missing women, five of whom are presumed dead. Police began investigating the home this summer after arresting its owner, 44-year-old Eugene Horsch, on drug, firearm, and forged document charges. The property search uncovered over 1 million digital images, including many of women reported missing for over a decade. (More) |
Tony- and Grammy-winning composer Duncan Sheik dies at age 56.
Sheik died in Manhattan of heart failure leading to cardiac arrest, his representatives said yesterday. The composer is best known for his 1996 debut song, "Barely Breathing" (listen here). He went on to write the music for the coming-of-age rock musical "Spring Awakening," which premiered on Broadway in 2006. He won the Grammy for best musical theater album and two music-related Tonys. (More) |
Scientists discover a new "baby" planet.
Astronomers this week confirmed the existence of a planet 450 light-years from Earth that is less than 1 million years old, the youngest planet on record. The planet, Elias 2-24 b, was discovered in old data archives and is nearly the size of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The previous youngest known planet was over 5 million years old. (More) |
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A 31-year-old moves in with a 77-year-old woman to save money; now they're friends who hike, watch "Jeopardy," and swim in a nearby lake together. (More) |
Kauai man focuses on helping neighbors after a river swept away his home during Hurricane Lowell. (More) |
Flower girl, age 2, falls asleep before the wedding, so her grandmother carries her down the aisle while her grandfather scatters petals. (More) |
Wildlife center rescues rare cave bat trapped in an Omaha office building hundreds of miles away from home. (More) |
North Carolina mother surprises her young Red Sox fans with a day trip to Atlanta to watch their favorite team play. (More, w/video) |
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Today, we're sharing a story from reader Rita D. in Walnut Creek, California.
"I’m a 68-year-old retired woman and have been traveling through Latin America for a year now. Yesterday I crossed the border from Belize into Guatemala in Central America. I needed to spend one night in Melchor de Mencos at the border before continuing my trip. The closest hotel to the border was the Rio Mopan Lodge; however, it does not accept credit cards, and I had no cash at all. I had just entered the country and needed to find an ATM to withdraw. (There was none nearby, and it was getting dark.) I’d have to cross a long bridge to the next (and only other nearby) hotel, with no guarantees it would accept credit cards. The owners' daughter let me stay the night for free. I asked her for the bank account info to send the money later. She said it was fine; I didn’t have to pay. She even helped me carry my bags to where I needed to go. I’m beyond grateful."
Humankind(ness) is a reader-built corner of joy. So, what act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here. And if this story made you smile—share our email (copy URL here). |
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Coffee's Sacred Beginnings |
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Long before coffee became a morning ritual, it was a religious one. Sufi mystics used it to stay awake through nights of prayer, helping coffee spread through Islamic religious networks before reaching coffeehouses and everyday life. Our latest "1440 Explores" podcast episode traces how coffee went from religious ritual to global phenomenon. Watch the wild story here or click below. |
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"If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should not grow old." |
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