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04.11.2025

 

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Good morning. It's Friday, April 11, and we're covering the tension between the Trump administration and universities, a cosmic snack, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

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Need To Know
 

Columbia vs. Feds

The Trump administration’s antisemitism task force aims to pursue a consent decree with Columbia University as a condition of restoring $400M in annual funding. A consent decree would give a federal judge the responsibility to oversee changes at Columbia and may last for years. The report follows a turbulent month at the school, where its interim president—who took over in August—resigned a week after conceding to administration demands.

 

The Joint Task Force on Combating Antisemitism—first created in early February by executive order—has launched over 60 investigations into major universities for alleged antisemitism and civil rights violations. This week, the administration froze $1B in grants to Cornell and $790M to Northwestern amid the probes. The State Department has also rescinded visas from nearly 400 students for their alleged involvement in campus protests.

 

The administration has also reduced federal Department of Education funding and laid off roughly half of its workers. See a tracker of administration actions on education here.

 

Luxury Marriage

Prada Group announced yesterday it will acquire Versace from Capri Holdings for just under $1.4B, uniting two of the biggest names in Italian fashion. The deal—backed by approximately $1.6B in new debt—is expected to close in late 2025 pending regulatory approval, and comes amid market volatility driven by tariffs and a broader slowdown in global luxury sales. The acquisition returns Versace to Italian ownership after seven years with US-based Capri, which originally bought the brand for $2.1B in 2018.

 

Prada said it plans to revitalize Versace by blending its minimalist style with Versace's bold designs, which have struggled to adapt to the "quiet luxury" trend. Donatella Versace, who led the brand for nearly three decades, recently stepped down as creative director and will serve as a brand ambassador. Capri Holdings said it will focus on its remaining brands, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.

 

The deal is Prada’s largest in 112 years and aligns with its strategy to build an Italian luxury powerhouse rivaling French giants like LVMH and Kering.

 

Planet-Based Diet

NASA has provided new analysis of the first observation of a planet being swallowed by a star.

 

Located 12,000 light-years from Earth, the star was observed brightening in 2020, possibly suggesting it was growing into a red giant and subsuming a Jupiter-sized planet in its orbit. This is the same process by which Earth is expected to be subsumed by our sun in 5 billion years.

 

Now, new observations from the powerful James Webb telescope indicate the planet did not brighten enough to indicate expansion into a red giant; instead, the planet’s orbit got smaller over millions of years, until it fell into the star’s atmosphere and was swallowed. Learn more about the James Webb telescope from 1440 Topics here.

 

In related news, a Senate committee is expected to vote shortly on the confirmation of Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead NASA. In his testimony, Isaacman indicated his desire to prioritize sending Americans to Mars while also making a return to the moon.

In partnership with Pendulum

The Secret To Aging May Be In Your Gut

 

Anti-aging efforts are at an all-time high lately, but there’s one area you should take a closer look at that you may not have thought of: your gut.

 

Studies show that Akkermansia—one of your body’s keystone strains—can decrease by up to 90% as you age.* That means you could be missing out on key benefits like strengthened gut lining, improved metabolic and digestive health, and even GLP-1 production. 

 

So, what can you do to fight this decrease? Simple: Supplement with Pendulum’s Akkermansia probiotic. Started by PhD scientists from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Berkeley, and Stanford, Pendulum has garnered hundreds of 5-star reviews—and 1440 readers can get 20% off their first month of Akkermansia right here. 

 

*Collado et al 2007

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In The Know
 

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> The 2025 Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24) lineup announced, headlined by films from Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater; see full festival lineup (More

> Film director James Toback ordered to pay $1.68B in damages to 40 women for alleged sexual assault that spanned 40 years (More

> All-British cast version of "Saturday Night Live" to launch in 2026 on UK broadcaster Sky; "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels will executive produce the show (More

1440 Society & Culture: Saturday's deep dive explores Coachella, from scrappy startup festival to global cultural touchstone. Sign up here for free!

In partnership with Motley Fool Money

Spring Cleaning? Move Your Credit Card Debt

These cards offer 0% interest on a balance transfer for up to 18 months—that's nearly 2027. Giving you nearly two years to pay off your balance, sans interest.

 

Balance transfers can really make a difference. Simply by transferring your existing credit card balances to one of these cards, you’ll give yourself nearly two years to pay it off, without accruing any interest at all.

 

Check them out → 2025 is your year to declutter your finances

 
 

Science & Technology

> OpenAI adds feature allowing ChatGPT to use past conversations to inform answers, framing the capability as referencing "memories" (More) | DoorDash launches robot delivery in Chicago and Los Angeles (More)

> La Niña, the weather phenomenon driven by cold water in the Pacific Ocean, disappears after a short-lived three months (More) | How El Niño and La Niña influence global climate patterns (More)

> Scientists develop brain cell graft that can be applied without triggering rejection by the immune system; approach may enable new treatments for neurological diseases like Parkinson's (More

 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets tumble (S&P 500 -3.5%, Dow -2.5%, Nasdaq -4.3%) after White House confirms cumulative tariffs on Chinese imports will total 145% (More

> US consumer price index falls to 2.4% year over year in March from 2.8% in February; excluding food and energy, core inflation rose 2.8% year over year—the lowest rate for core inflation since March 2021 (More) | Egg prices rise to record-high of $6.23 per dozen in March, up roughly 60% from a year ago (More

> Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, reportedly aiming for $2B fundraising target for her generative AI startup, Thinking Machines Labs, in what could be the largest seed round in history (More) | How generative AI works (1440 Topics)

1440 Business & Finance: Next week's deep dive explores Nvidia, from its origins in video games to billion-dollar AI behemoth. Sign up here for free!

 

Politics & World Affairs

> Supreme Court rules Trump administration must begin process of returning Maryland man wrongfully sent to El Salvador prison (More) | See overview of case (More

> Six people dead after a helicopter crashes into the Hudson River, with rescue crews recovering the bodies of all three adults and three children; authorities are investigating the crash (More)

> House lawmakers, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4), adopt Senate's budget resolution in a 216-214 vote to begin carrying out President Donald Trump's agenda on taxes, energy, and immigration (More)

 

In-Depth

> The Art of 'Too Much'

misfits’ architecture | Graham McKay. Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti mastered the art of “too much,” bringing striking patterns and grandeur to his ceramics, furniture, and interiors with a lightness of touch. (Read)

 

> The Value of Interjections

Sapiens | Bob Holmes. Short utterances like “huh" and “mm-hmm” are ubiquitous in everyday conversation, and linguists argue they can be critical for conversation flow and mutual understanding—creating a unique obstacle for AI. (Read)

> How to Identify Quality in Clothing

Bernadette Banner | Staff. The rise of fast fashion has led to a significant decline in clothing quality in recent years. This video provides tips for assessing the quality of garment materials and construction when shopping for new items. (Watch)

 

> What to Know Before Retiring Early

WSJ | Anne Tergesen, Jacob Passy. Retiring before the age of 65 is common in the US, but without adequate preparation, the decision can lead to significant financial and psychological consequences. (Listen)

In partnership with Pendulum

'The Best Probiotic I've Ever Found'

 

This quote—plus hundreds and hundreds of 5-star reviews—make it clear that people are loving the Akkermansia probiotic from Pendulum. Not only does it supercharge your gut health, improve gut lining*, boost metabolism and digestive health, and increase GLP-1 production*, but it’s been shown to decrease significantly as you age … meaning additional supplementation can make a huge difference.

 

Join the countless world-class health care providers, scientists, and everyday people who trust Akkermansia to boost their gut health by saving 20% on your first month right here. 

 

*Based on preclinical studies

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Etcetera
 

An interactive history of coffee.

 

Ranking the world's wealthiest cities in 2025

 

... and 15 US restaurants worth planning a trip around.

 

What would happen if an asteroid hit Earth? (via YouTube)

 

Editor's note: 1440 has been nominated for a Webby Award, highlighting the best content on the internet. If you enjoy the Digest, you can support us by voting here!

 

Visualizing the spring migration of songbirds.

 

Original stock photo from "The Shining" recovered after 45 years.  

 

This comedian wants to cure your fear of flying.

 

The 16 steps to cooking the perfect egg.

 

Clickbait: Physicists optimize the humble urinal

 

Historybook: Ethel Kennedy, philanthropist and widow of Bobby Kennedy, born (1928); Civil Rights Act of 1968 is signed (1968); Apollo 13 launches (1970); American novelist Kurt Vonnegut dies (2007).

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

- Kurt Vonnegut

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