Good morning. It's Friday, Dec. 5, and we're covering snags in the Amazon-Postal Service partnership, a climate explanation for the Black Death plague, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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Federal agents yesterday arrested Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old Virginia resident, on charges related to the use of an explosive device. He is suspected of planting two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol.
The arrest marks a breakthrough in a nearly five-year probe that puzzled investigators and fueled conspiracy theories. The bombs—viable devices about a foot long and filled with gunpowder and metal—were placed between 7:30 and 8:30 pm on Jan. 5. They never detonated and were discovered roughly 15 hours later, as the Capitol riot unfolded, diverting some law enforcement resources.
Officials say the investigation involved reviewing tens of thousands of video files, over a thousand interviews, hundreds of tips, cell tower data, and subpoenas to tech companies. Investigators also traced purchases of bomb components and flagged the suspect’s distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes. A motive has not yet been released. |
Amazon is considering launching a competitor to the US Postal Service, according to the Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The revelation comes as negotiations between the two reportedly stagnated over their multibillion-dollar partnership, set to expire Oct. 1, 2026.
Amazon has an extensive logistics network, delivering over 9 billion same- or next-day items last year and 6.3 billion parcels total, second only to the Postal Service’s 6.9 billion. However, the company often relies on the Postal Service—and private carriers UPS and FedEx—for the so-called “last mile,” getting products to customers’ doorsteps (see more, w/video). The USPS is the only delivery service reaching nearly 167 million US addresses, including post office boxes.
The two entered a partnership in 2013, bringing the USPS a cash influx: $6B this year, accounting for 7.5% of the Postal Service’s total revenue. President Donald Trump's effort to privatize the USPS is reportedly a sticking point in the negotiations. |
Volcanic activity in the mid-14th century may have sparked a climate shock, paving the way for Europe’s Black Death pandemic, according to new clues preserved in tree rings.
Scientists have widely accepted that the bacterium behind the bubonic plague originated from Central Asian wild rodents. But why the plague reached and spread so quickly through Europe—where it killed millions of people in the late 1340s and early 1350s, with mortality rates approaching 60% in some regions—has been less clear. Now, an analysis of tree rings has revealed that the summers before the pandemic were atypically cold, and historical records describe unusual cloudiness and dark lunar eclipses. Taken together, the evidence suggests ash and gases from an unidentified eruption—or eruptions—blocked sunlight, cooling temperatures, and triggering crop failures. Italian city-states likely traded across the Black Sea to avert famine, unwittingly bringing plague-carrying fleas home.
Researchers say the discovery underscores how climate change and globalization can increase the risk of zoonotic diseases. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw begins at noon ET in Washington, DC's Kennedy Center; live coverage begins at 11:30 am ET on Fox (More) | Ralph Lauren unveils Team USA uniforms for 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics (More) |
> Public broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia announce they will boycott 2026 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation (More) |
> New "Men in Black" film in development at Sony Pictures, with "Bad Boys for Life" Chris Bremner set to write the script (More) |
📰 Everything we've learned about New Journalism: Tomorrow's 1440 Society & Culture newsletter examines the rise of the style that combines reporting and narrative writing. We're also learning about pickleball, Shakespeare, and more. Subscribe here for free! |
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In partnership with Pendulum |
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> CDC vaccine advisory panel to vote today on hepatitis B vaccines after yesterday's scheduled vote was postponed; vote originally delayed in September (More) |
> Scientists identify previously unknown organization patterns in a brain region critical to learning and memory, offering insights into why some cells are more vulnerable to conditions like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy (More) |
> Researchers discover a robust population of critically endangered Sumatran tigers in Indonesian forest, signaling that habitat conservation efforts are working (More) |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.1%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.2%) as investors await latest inflation data today (More) |
> US weekly jobless claims fall to 191,000 for week ending Nov. 29, the lowest since September 2022 (More) | Layoffs top 1.1 million for the year so far, the most since 2020, new report finds (More) | World's billionaires rise to record 2,919 people, with collective wealth of nearly $16T; 91 became billionaires through inheritance (More) |
> Legal AI startup Harvey raises $160M at $8B valuation, more than double its valuation in February (More) |
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> The Supreme Court clears the way for Texas to use newly redistricted map for the 2026 midterm elections as litigation continues in the lower courts; new map could potentially deliver as many as five seats to Republican candidates (More) |
> Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo sign US-mediated peace deal despite ongoing clashes in eastern Congo (More) |
> Vatican commission finds women should not be ordained as deacons—ministers who can preside over weddings, baptisms, and funerals (More) |
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> Tea Stall Boy
The New Yorker | Daniyal Mueenuddin. A former Pulitzer Prize finalist reads his short story about a young orphan in post-Partition Pakistan caught between the street vendor who raised him and the elite schoolboys he befriends. (Listen) |
> How 'Wicked: For Good' Rebuilt Oz
Architectural Digest | Staff. Production designer Nathan Crowley reveals the industry secrets behind bringing the Yellow Brick Road, Glinda’s Tower, and more to the big screen for a new generation. (Watch) |
> Exclusionary Elephants
Aeon | Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell. Elephant families are known for being caring and close-knit. But a dwindling food supply and drying waterholes in Namibia are leading some families to turn against their own. (Read) |
> Flirting with Fame
Dirt | Mike Nagel. A self-described "unfamous" person goes from sitting in the back of a plane to a weekend of VIP treatment and mingling with celebrities. Here's what he learned. (Read) |
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In partnership with RAD Intel |
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Clickbait: What "bird theory" means for your relationship.
Historybook: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dies (1791); Walt Disney born (1901); 21st Amendment ratified in the US, repealing the nationwide ban on alcohol (1933); Montgomery Bus Boycott begins (1955); Nelson Mandela dies (2013).
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1440 Trivia: Who did Salvador Dalí believe he'd been reincarnated as? Check back Monday (or dig for it here) to see if you were correct.
... and vote for next week's Trivia topic: Machu Picchu or Stonehenge.
PS: Yesterday's answer was ... Nvidia controls more than four-fifths of the graphics processing units market. |
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"Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak–and speak in such a way that people will remember it." |
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
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*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for RAD Intel made pursuant to Regulation A+ offering and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Nasdaq ticker “RADI” has been reserved by RAD Intel and any potential listing is subject to future regulatory approval and market conditions. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.radintel.ai. |
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