Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 20, and we're covering the Derek Chauvin trial, a landmark otherworldly flight, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

First time reading? Sign up here.

NEED TO KNOW

Jury Deliberations

After three weeks of testimony from more than 40 witnesses, lawyers on both sides of the Derek Chauvin murder trial made closing arguments yesterday, handing the decision off to the jury. Deliberation is ongoing with the jury sequestered at a hotel; a verdict could come at any point but is likely within the next few days.

Chauvin faces three charges (see overview)—second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter—in the May death of George Floyd. The first count requires prosecutors to show Chauvin's restraint of Floyd caused his death beyond a reasonable doubt. The second count requires demonstrating Chauvin was negligent and acted with a depraved mind. The third count requires proving Chauvin was culpably negligent and took an unreasonable risk that led to Floyd's death.

The jury, so far anonymous, is composed of nine women and five men, with two acting as alternates. Nine self-identify as white, four as Black, and two as multiracial. See their backgrounds here.

Thousands of National Guard members have been activated in anticipation of the verdict. 

Ingenuity Takes Flight

NASA scientists successfully made the first-ever controlled flight attempt on another planet yesterday, as the agency's Ingenuity helicopter made a short but historic flight on Mars. The craft, which traveled to the red planet aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, reportedly reached a height of 10 meters and maintained stable hovering for almost 40 seconds. 

The foldable helicopter is primarily a technology demonstration, proving out the ability to fly aircraft on other planets, though it is hoped to be used to scout locations for its parent rover. The Martian atmosphere is 99% less dense than Earth, making it much more difficult to generate lift—the four-pound copter's four-foot blades spin five to 10 times faster than a standard passenger helicopter to lift it off the ground. See a photo snapped during the flight here.

As an ode to the history of aviation, Ingenuity is carrying a piece of fabric from the Wright brothers' 1903 plane that made the first controlled flight on Earth. 

Soccer Super League

A dozen of Europe's most well-known soccer clubs confirmed yesterday their intention to create a Super League, following press reports Sunday. The announcement sent shockwaves through the sport, with the list including franchises like England's Manchester United, Spain's Real Madrid, and Italy's Juventus. The move would free the teams from having to play lower-tier opponents, with no performance goals required to stay in the league. 

Aside from leagues operated within each country, European soccer is overseen by the Union of European Football Associations (see 1440's overview). UEFA is one of the six branches of FIFA, which oversees global soccer—the world's biggest sport by fanbase. The new league would be in direct competition with UEFA's Champions League, and UEFA responded by threatening to not only boot the clubs from the league, but also ban their players from participating in the 2022 World Cup. A number of high-profile clubs turned down the offer to join, including Germany's Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. 

Many fans panned the plan as a money grab by the sport's most valuable clubs. 

Enjoy reading? Share 1440 with your three closest friends.

JUST SPRING THINGS

Why should you compare life insurance quotes? So you can save big on your policy, of course. But the real question is: What will you do with those savings?

We think the answer is pretty clear—it's spring, after all. And for us that means flowers, accounting services to help file taxes, and (unfortunately) allergy meds. And you can buy yourself a lot of allergy meds if you use Policygenius. In fact, you may save 50% or more on life insurance with Policygenius. The licensed experts at Policygenius work for you, not the insurance companies, so you can rest assured they'll help you find your best possible rate all the way through the shopping and buying process. All while eliminating pesky processes and red tape.

It's always best to live life in the present—depending on your age, you add anywhere from 4.5% to 9.2% to your premium every year you wait to buy. So stop, smell the flowers, and compare policies with Policygenius today.

Please support our sponsors!

IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by ButcherBox

> Academy Award attendees won't be required to wear masks while on camera (More) | Taylor Swift's re-recording of 2008 album "Fearless" hits No. 1 on Billboard 200 chart; Swift becomes first woman with three new No. 1 albums in less than a year (More)

> Marvel drops trailer for “Shang-Chi,” its first movie featuring an Asian superhero; release date set for Sept. 3 (More) | “Downton Abbey” film sequel announced for December 2021 release (More)

> Quarterback Alex Smith, former No. 1 pick and three-time Pro Bowler, retires after 16 NFL seasons (More) | Deshaun Watson’s legal team files response to 22 lawsuits, reiterating Watson’s denial of the sexual misconduct allegations (More)

From our partners: FREAT?! That's right, it's our favorite (and most underused) portmanteau. Freat = Free Meat, and you can score a lot of it by signing up for ButcherBox today. For 48 hours only, new members will receive two Ribeyes, four top sirloin steaks, and $10 off their first order. That's a lot of Freat!

Science & Technology

> Facebook launches Clubhouse-style social audio platform to compete with the popular app (More) | ... and so does Reddit (More) | Apple readmits social media app Parler to the App Store (More)

> Apple holds its first event of 2021; see the lineup of anticipated products here, which is expected to focus on updated iPad offerings (More)

> Gene therapy found to be safe and effective in treating a common form of congenital childhood blindness; approach fixes a mutation in a gene that ultimately guides the development of the eye's rods and cones (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -1.0%) from record highs last week (More)

> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigating fatal Tesla crash in Texas over the weekend; reports say neither of the two men who died was behind the wheel when the car crashed (More)

> CEO of “meme stock” video game retailer GameStop to step down, shares climb 6% (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died from natural causes arising from multiple strokes the day after engaging protestors in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol building, according to the medical examiner; Sicknick collapsed at 10 pm on Jan. 6 and died at 9:30 pm on Jan. 7 (More)

> Delhi locks down as India grapples with a second wave of COVID-19 infections, with cases having risen 600% over two weeks; see data (More) | US reports 567,694 total COVID-19 deaths, averaging just over 700 per day over the past week (More) | More than 50% of US adults have received at least one vaccine dose; see how your state is doing (More)

> Former Vice President Walter Mondale dies at age 93; the two-term Minnesota senator was also known for suffering one of the worst defeats in US history during the 1984 presidential campaign against Ronald Reagan (More)

IN-DEPTH

Genetic Mapping

Maisonneuve | Emma Gilchrist. Millions of people have taken DNA tests from ancestry sites hoping to learn more about their family history. But for more than a quarter of test-takers, the results raise more questions than answers. (Read)

Google's FLoC is a Terrible Idea

EFF | Bennet Cyphers. (Op-ed) Over the coming months, Google is preparing to make a small but impactful change in the way they target internet users to sell ads—switching from cookies to a technique known as Federated Learning of Cohorts. Here's why the switch may be a missed opportunity. (Read)

WHY COMPARE?

In partnership with Policygenius

The team of licensed experts at Policygenius scan and compare all of the available life insurance policies for your preferences. They'll then pick the best option for you (you can save 50% or more!), and handle all the red tape through every step of the shopping and buying process.

Stop pushing it off—shop for your life insurance policy today. With all the savings to be had, you'll thank yourself later.

Please support our sponsors!

ETCETERA

How to get out of your geographic music bubble.

New drug may help regenerate lost teeth.

New Mexico's extinct "Godzilla" shark receives a formal name. 

The death of the family heirloom. ($$, WSJ)

Shanghai drones create an airborne QR code.  

The Las Vegas Raiders' stadium doubles as an art museum.

Genetically modified mosquitoes are coming to Florida. 

Japanese researchers discover amphibious nightmare fuel.

Clickbait: Another tearjerking grandparent-grandchild reunion.

Historybook: Thirteen people murdered in Columbine High School mass shooting (1999); Danica Patrick is first woman to win IndyCar race (2008); RIP Dorothy Height, civil and women’s rights activist (2010); Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes, killing 11 and starting monthslong oil spill (2010).

"You never teach a subject; you always teach a child."

- Dorothy Height

Enjoy reading? Forward this email to a friend.

Why 1440? The printing press was invented in the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses and changing the course of history. Guess what else? There are 1,440 minutes in a day and every one is precious. That’s why we scour hundreds of sources every day to provide a concise, comprehensive, and objective view of what's happening in the world. Reader feedback is a gift—shoot us a note at [email protected].

Interested in advertising to smart readers like you? Apply here!