Good morning. It's Wednesday, Dec. 17, and we're covering a looming water crisis in the US Southwest, the 250th birthday of a celebrated novelist, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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Australian authorities yesterday said Sunday’s mass shooting at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah event, which killed at least 15 people, was a terrorist attack motivated by Islamic State ideology.
Police recovered two homemade Islamic State flags from the car of the suspects, a 50-year-old Indian man and his 24-year-old Australian-born son. The son, Naveed Akram, was hospitalized with critical injuries, while his father, Sajid Akram, was fatally shot at the scene. Authorities had interviewed both men in 2019 regarding the son’s potential extremist associations but found no immediate threat. Last month, the pair traveled to the Philippines, where Islamic State militants are known to operate. The father was also a licensed firearm holder, prompting lawmakers to revisit gun control measures.
An online campaign has raised over $2.3M for Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born fruit shop owner who disarmed one gunman before being shot by the other. Meanwhile, Australian blood banks reported nearly 50,000 appointments Monday—nearly double the previous daily record. |
Negotiations kicked off yesterday in Las Vegas to determine how to divide the Colorado River basin’s shrinking water supplies. Any outcome will have implications for more than 40 million residents relying on the river to power cities, farms, and companies—including resource-heavy data centers and semiconductor businesses.
A decades-long drought (the worst in 1,200 years) has pushed Hoover Dam's Lake Mead to historic lows. The federal government aims to cut 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water usage per year to reduce strain; an acre-foot equals 1 acre covered by 12 inches of water. However, the seven states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—have repeatedly reached an impasse. Two states (Arizona and Nevada) are swing states, adding political complexity to any steps lawmakers—or the federal government—take.
The Interior Department has threatened to impose its own plan if states can’t agree on a plan to manage the river after next year, when the current arrangement expires. See previous write-up here. |
Jane Austen fans marked the English novelist’s 250th birthday yesterday, celebrating the author whose sharp wit and class satire helped redefine the modern novel. Austen published six major works, including “Emma” and “Pride and Prejudice”—the first four anonymously as “By a Lady,” and the last two after her death at 41, credited to her name for the first time.
Her books have sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide—with "Pride and Prejudice" accounting for more than 20 million—yet she earned less than £700 in her lifetime, roughly $67K today. She is often credited with popularizing the “enemies-to-lovers” trope and has inspired dozens of film and television adaptations, along with countless modern retellings, including "Bridget Jones's Diary" ("Pride and Prejudice") and "Clueless" ("Emma"). See her books in charts here.
Austen’s novels remain staples of literature curricula worldwide. Commemorative events marking her birthday took place across the globe, particularly in the UK, where Austen-related tourism generates tens of millions each year. |
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In partnership with EnergyX |
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The Surprising Element Powering the AI Boom |
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Meta is preparing to build an AI data center the size of Manhattan. Why? Because scaling AI requires massive amounts of computing power. The secret to keeping them running? Lithium. Known for powering things like EVs and smartphones, data centers depend on it for constant power. The problem is, the world needs 18X today’s lithium production to meet 2040’s potential demand.
It’s no wonder 40k+ people have already invested in EnergyX. Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. That’s already earned investment from giants like General Motors and POSCO.
Now, they’re moving toward commercial production. With 100,000+ acres of lithium deposits in Chile, that’s a potential $1.1B in annual revenue opportunity at projected market prices. Invest in this boom as an early-stage EnergyX shareholder today.* |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Rob Reiner's son faces two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of the Hollywood director and his wife; charges carry possibility of the death penalty (More) | Second doctor convicted of selling Matthew Perry ketamine is sentenced to eight months of home supervision (More) |
> New York Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs to win NBA Cup Finals (More) | Paris Saint-Germain Football Club ordered to pay former player Kylian Mbappé $70.6M in unpaid income (More) | FIFA adds $60 World Cup tickets amid price backlash (More) |
> Queen of Disco Donna Summer is posthumously inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame; Summer died in 2012 at age 63 (More) |
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> Trump administration pauses $40B technology trade deal with the UK over London's digital regulations and food standards (More) | Meta launches app that allows users to watch Instagram Reels via Amazon Fire TV (More) |
> Astronomers report evidence of the first observed superkilonova, a double explosion of stars that may have produced gravitational waves, light, and heavy elements that serve as building blocks for stars and planets (More) |
> Italian brown bears evolved to be smaller and less aggressive due to close contact with humans, per genetic analysis (More) |
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In partnership with hear.com |
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The #1 Hearing Aid Experts Keep Recommending |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq +0.2%) (More) | US unemployment rises to four-year high of 4.6% in November; employers added 64,000 jobs in November, while 105,000 jobs were lost in October (More) |
> AI coding startup Lovable reportedly valued at $6.6B after latest funding round, more than triple the Swedish company's valuation in July (More) | Jared Kushner's firm withdraws from Paramount's takeover battle of Warner Bros. Discovery (More) |
> Gas prices fall to $2.89 per gallon—lowest level since April 2021—amid higher supply and lower demand, partly due to improved vehicle fuel efficiency (More) |
👩🎓 What we learned about MBA degrees: Tomorrow's 1440 Business & Finance newsletter explores the graduate degree program with 150,000 US students enrolled per year. Sign up here for free! |
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> President Donald Trump widens travel ban to nationals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and the Palestinian territories (More) | Trump to deliver prime-time address to the nation at 9 pm ET tonight (More) | Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering Venezuela (More) |
> Police release new photos of unidentified Brown University gunman as search enters fifth day; see live updates (More) |
> Annual Arctic report finds last season was the hottest in the past 125 years; rivers are turning bright orange as warm temperatures release iron from the ground (More) |
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In partnership with EnergyX |
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Everyday Investors Can Finally Nab Unicorns |
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In 2013, “unicorn” was coined for a private startup worth $1B+. Why? Rarity.
Uber earned the title with new, exciting tech. But regular people couldn’t invest until they IPO’d at $82B, missing the biggest gains. Now a new private startup has earned the unicorn title, and this time, you can invest. EnergyX’s tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. By 2040, lithium demand will outstrip current production by 18X. With nearly 150K acres of world-class lithium assets, EnergyX could be the solution. Invest today.* |
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Historybook: Wright brothers make first successful airplane flight (1903); Pope Francis born (1936); "The Simpsons" series makes television debut (1989); American actress Jennifer Jones dies (2009); North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il dies (2011). |
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"Too often we participate in the globalization of indifference. May we strive instead to live global solidarity." |
- Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) |
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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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