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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 The State Department has also rescinded visas from nearly 400 students for their alleged involvement in campus protests.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. |
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. |
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. |
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The Secret To Aging May Be In Your Gut |
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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! |
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> 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) |
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> 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! |
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> 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) |
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> 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) |
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