Good morning. It's Thursday, Jan. 29, and we're covering the latest out of Minnesota, Spotify's record-breaking payout, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.6 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here. |
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🇺🇸 Civics Thursday—As America gears up for its semiquincentennial (its 250th birthday), we're releasing new pages on 1440 Topics exploring all the things you need to know to be a good citizen. Scroll down for the latest batch, including pages on the life of George Washington, the history of the White House, and more! |
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Two federal agents who fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minnesota were placed on administrative leave Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said yesterday. The timeline marked a departure from a previous statement by CBP official Greg Bovino, suggesting the agents were working in another city to protect their safety.
The news comes as videos unearthed yesterday showed a confrontation between Pretti and federal officers at a protest 11 days before his death. Pretti was recorded spitting at agents and breaking a taillight on an SUV before he was tackled to the ground. A lawyer for Pretti’s family released a statement that nothing that happened a week before Pretti’s death could “have justified Alex’s killing.” See video here.
Separately, officials arrested the man suspected of using a syringe to spray an unidentified substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D, MN-5) Tuesday. Omar was calling for Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to step down when she was charged onstage.
See live updates here. |
Rates Hold, Dollar Wobbles |
The Federal Reserve yesterday held interest rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75% for the first time since July. US stock markets closed near the flatline (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow +0.0%, Nasdaq +0.2%) on the news.
The dollar also rebounded slightly after hitting a nearly four-year low Tuesday amid concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence and potential US military action in Greenland, Latin America, and the Middle East. The greenback’s 1.3% slide against other major currencies was its biggest one-day drop since President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April. Over the past year, the dollar's value has fallen roughly 10%, weakening Americans' purchasing power abroad. Trump has largely dismissed concerns, citing that a weaker dollar can also boost domestic manufacturing by making US goods more attractive to foreign buyers.
Meanwhile, the Swiss franc climbed to an 11-year high against the dollar Tuesday, and gold surged to a record $5.3K per ounce yesterday. Investors have historically flocked to both assets amid geopolitical instability. |
Spotify paid the music industry more than $11B in royalties last year, the company said yesterday. The payout is reportedly the largest ever to musicians, and comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the company’s handling of AI.
The streaming platform has long been accused of underpaying artists. Musicians receive an average of $0.004 per stream, with compensation varying based on their share of platformwide streams (see company's explanation). Last year’s payout exceeded 2024’s by $1B; Spotify says half of the sum went to independent artists and labels. The company also claimed there are more artists making over $100K annually on the platform today than artists who were stocked on record shelves during the CD era. Spotify says its royalties account for about 30% of the recording industry’s total revenue.
Spotify has recently sought to ward off criticism over its inclusion of AI-generated music. The company said yesterday it will roll out features this year to verify artists’ identities. |
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Exxon Has an Unlikely New Competitor |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Stephen Colbert says final episode of "The Late Show" will air May 21; Paramount cited financial reasons when it canceled the show last year, days after Colbert criticized its settlement with the Trump administration (More) |
> Bruce Springsteen releases song criticizing ICE operations in Minneapolis (More) | Late singer Jeff Buckley earns first US Hot 100 hit with a 32-year-old song after it goes viral on TikTok (More) |
> Patrick Reed leaves Saudi-funded LIV Golf, with intentions to return to the American-backed PGA Tour as early as September (More) | Cleveland Browns hire ex-Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as head coach (More) |
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> Department of Energy seeks states to host nuclear waste and reprocessing sites, supporting advanced nuclear reactors and colocated data centers (More) | Dive into the best resources we've found on nuclear power (1440 Topics) |
> Researchers discover exposure to diverse microbes and proteins early in life creates an immune memory that blocks allergies later in life (More) | Everything we've learned about allergies (1440 Topics) |
> Three-decade study finds men's heart attack risk spikes in their mid-30s—years earlier than women's—pointing to a case for earlier screenings (More) |
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> Amazon to lay off roughly 16,000 corporate employees; announcement comes a day after the tech giant said it was shutting down Amazon Fresh and Go grocery stores and after it laid off around 14,000 corporate employees in October (More) |
> Meta posts record Q4 sales and forecasts increased spending on AI in 2026 (More) | Tesla reports Q4 revenue drop for third consecutive time and annual sales drop for first time on record (More) | Microsoft tops earnings and revenue estimates, fueled by cloud business and OpenAI deal (More) |
> Police reportedly search Deutsche Bank offices in Frankfurt and Berlin as part of money-laundering probe tied to past dealings with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (More) |
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In partnership with Fisher Investments |
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You Deserve a Comfortable Retirement |
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> FBI agents search election office in Fulton County, Georgia, after Justice Department sues the county clerk to obtain access to 2020 election records (More) |
> President Donald Trump threatens Iran after USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group arrives in the Middle East, warns of potential military action if Iran does not agree to a nuclear deal (More) |
> Sicily landslide, triggered by days of heavy rain, forces more than 1,500 people to evacuate; government creates nearly 500-foot-wide "no-go zone" (More) |
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> Defeat the Troll
Inhabit | Julie Shain. A reflection on marriage that argues real commitment isn’t about enduring peak moments but cultivating the small, steady habits that keep two people from slipping into their worst selves when life inevitably gets hard. (Read) |
> Baby-Making on Mars
Pioneer Works | Darshana Narayanan. From Cold War experiments on pregnant rats to modern plans for Mars colonization, a neuroscientist looks at whether humans can reproduce in space. (Read) |
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In partnership with EnergyX |
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Lithium demand’s fueling a modern-day gold rush. Essential for EVs, robots, and AI, Elon Musk said it best: “Do you like minting money? Well, the lithium business is for you.”
Enter EnergyX. Their tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. They’ve got a strategic investment from General Motors, raised $150M, and earned a $5M DoE grant. Now, they’re preparing to commercially unlock up to 9.8M tons of Chilean lithium. Invest before EnergyX’s share price increases on 2/26.* |
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1440 Topics: Civics Thursday |
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In celebration of America's 250th birthday, each week we're sharing what we've learned about topics we should all know to become better citizens:
> We've collected more than two dozen of our favorite resources on America's first president, George Washington—check them out here.
> From a room-by-room tour to what it's like to work in the building, learn all about the history of the White House.
> With its powers enshrined in Article II of the Constitution, explore the best resources we've found explaining the American presidency.
> Why George Washington only served two terms (w/video).
What is 1440 Topics? A continuously updated ecosystem where we curate the best evergreen resources we've found on thousands of topics for you to explore. Have a suggestion for our Civics section? Let us know here. |
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Historybook: President William McKinley born (1843); Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" first published (1845); Baseball Hall of Fame announces first inductees (1936); Oprah Winfrey born (1954); Robert Frost dies (1963). |
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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." |
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Behind the Name. In 1440, the printing press sparked a knowledge revolution. We carry that spirit forward, cutting through the noise and algorithm-driven feeds, to bring fact-driven knowledge to everyone.
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*Disclosure: Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (“EnergyX”) has engaged 1440 Media to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX’s ongoing Regulation A offering. 1440 Media has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. 1440 Media and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX.
This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX’s offering materials. EnergyX’s Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/. |
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