New Pandemic Record, Cancer Settlement, and the Curse of Genius
The US hits a new record for daily COVID-19 cases, Bayer agrees to pay more than $10B in Roundup lawsuit, and the downside of being a child prodigy.
Good morning. It's Thursday, June 25, and we're covering the resurgence of the coronavirus, a bombshell legal settlement, and a facial recognition failure. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected]. First time reading? Sign up here. NEED TO KNOW
Daily COVID-19 Cases Hit New RecordNew York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will require a 14-day quarantine for travelers from Florida, Texas, Arizona, and other regions where coronavirus infection rates are rising. The decision came as the US reported more than 38,600 cases yesterday—the highest since the pandemic began, breaking the previous record set in April when daily cases peaked at 38,000. While testing has grown, the percentage of tests returning as positive has risen since early June (see data). Unlike April, when roughly one-third of new cases were concentrated in New York, infections are spread across the country. The average daily death toll, which hit 2,700 in April, has dropped significantly, currently at about 600 per day. Still, officials in many states have issued warnings; in Texas, where hospitalizations have doubled in two weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) urged residents to stay home. The US has reported 2.38 million total cases, with 121,979 deaths, as of this morning. Some public health officials have faced death threats over preventative measures, such as requiring facemasks in public. Bayer Pays Billions Pharmaceutical and life sciences giant Bayer has agreed to pay more than $10B to settle almost 100,000 lawsuits claiming its weedkiller Roundup increases cancer risk. At the center of the claims is the chemical glyphosate, which at least one study has linked to significantly higher rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A number of groups maintain its safety when used according to the label, though an independent agency labeled glyphosate a probable carcinogen in 2015; however, its status has not been fully determined. See a scientific review here. The settlement follows three lawsuits that ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Without determining whether the weedkiller caused cancer, they found Monsanto—acquired by Bayer just weeks before the first judgment—failed to adequately warn consumers or investigate health concerns. Facial MisrecognitionA Michigan man was arrested after being misidentified as a burglary suspect by facial recognition software, according to a complaint filed yesterday, the first known instance of a wrongful arrest in the US arising from such platforms. Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, a Black man, was taken into custody in January after software matched his driver's license image to footage from a robbery at a luxury goods store in October 2018. Williams spent one day in jail before officers determined the match was false. The news comes amid increasing calls to curtail the emerging, AI-based technology. At least one federal study showed existing platforms may misidentify Black and Asian faces at rates 10-100 times that of white faces, while an early study of Amazon's platform revealed it misidentified dark-skinned women as men at least 30% of the time. Separately, a backlash is growing over an algorithm claiming ($$, Wired) to predict criminality based solely on facial features. Enjoy reading? Share 1440 with your three closest friends. THE CABLE-KILLER?
Notice how everyone seems to be cutting cable lately in favor of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Hulu? The shift is happening without a doubt, and things could look pretty bleak for cable. But who do you pick to be the biggest winner? With so many programs and offerings, it seems daunting to predict who's coming out on top in the Netflix-versus-all battle royale. Our friends at The Motley Fool have been scouring the investment world for the stock most likely to capitalize on this shift, and shockingly, both of The Motley Fool’s cofounders, David and Tom, independently arrived at the same company. This has only happened 25 times over the entire history of The Motley Fool Stock Advisor, and when it does, the average return has been an astounding 931%! The company they’re featuring today could stand to grow immensely within the multitrillion-dollar media and entertainment industry, sitting nicely in the middle of the advertising market. And the best part is most investors have never even heard of it. Check out the report now. *Returns as of June 23, 2020 Please support our sponsors! IN THE KNOW
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture> New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon originally scheduled for Nov. 1, is canceled due to the coronavirus (More) > Angela Madsen, US medal-winning Paralympian, dies at 60 while attempting to row solo across the Pacific Ocean (More) > “Gone With the Wind” returns to HBO Max with disclaimer on its historical context (More) | CrossFit founder Greg Glassman sells the fitness brand following backlash over Glassman’s tweets about George Floyd (More) Science & Technology> New studies suggest the coronavirus can attack insulin-producing cells, triggering the onset of diabetes in some patients (More) > Astronomers discover a mysterious object in the "mass gap," between 2.5 and 5 times the size of the sun; object is either the heaviest neutron star or the lightest black hole ever found (More) > Detection of neutrinos confirms nuclear fusion reaction inside the sun involving carbon and nitrogen atoms; reaction, which accounts for 1% of the sun's power, had been hypothesized but never observed (More) Business & Markets> US stock markets sink (S&P 500 -2.6%, Dow -2.7%, Nasdaq -2.2%) as International Monetary Fund projects global output will shrink 4.9% this year, worse than its April prediction of a 3% drop (More) > Fiat Chrysler receives $7B crisis loan backed by Italian government, one of the largest crisis loans to an automaker in Europe (More) > Supplement retailer GNC files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, to close up to 1,200 stores (More) Politics & World Affairs> Three suspects indicted in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, with charges including felony murder; the trio, all white, are accused of confronting and shooting the 25-year-old Black male in February (More) | Wisconsin activates National Guard to protect state property during protests (More) > Federal appeals court panel orders lower court to dismiss charges against Michael Flynn; decision may still be heard by full DC Circuit Court (More) | Attorney General William Barr to testify to House Judiciary Committee July 28 during general oversight hearing (More) > Democrats block Republican-led police reform bill, calling for negotiation on amendments before the procedural vote (More) | Tucson, Arizona police chief offers resignation after man dies in custody from cardiac arrest (More) IN-DEPTH
The Curse of Genius1843 | Maggie Fergusson. Society, led by parents with unrealistically high hopes for their offspring, places a premium on exceptional intelligence. But if genius is so widely sought after, why do so many brilliant children experience such awful childhoods? (Read) The Liberation of RNAWNYC/Radiolab | Jad Abumrad. (Podcast) A humorous and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Brandon Ogbunu. The Ivy League professor of ecology and evolutionary biology accidentally discovered he was scientifically linked to James Watson, an eminent scientist notorious for championing a racist theory of genetics. (Listen) EXCELLENT HISTORICAL RETURNS, NO JARGON
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What analysts think are the biggest post-pandemic risks. What to look for in a face mask, according to science. NASA names DC headquarters after "hidden figure" Mary Jackson. From our partners: Are you looking for a meaningful domain name for your store? A .store domain name brands your site and tells your customers you actually sell something. Click here to know more and use code STORE499 at checkout to get an 80% discount. #Ad Mapping each continent's Pole of Inaccessibility. Rest in peace Segway, we hardly knew ye. What it's like to get married in the age of the coronavirus. Inside a training mission with the eternal B-52 bomber. Beethoven probably wasn't Black, but here are some unsung composers who were. Clickbait: This year's must-have product lets you bring your own urinal. Historybook: Battle of Little Bighorn (1876); Korean War begins (1950); Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain born (1956); RIP actress and model Farrah Fawcett (2009); Michael Jackson dies (2009). 
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