Good morning. It's Monday, Feb. 16, and we're covering a Winter Olympics cheating spat, galloping into the Lunar New Year, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.6 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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New forensic testing shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was likely killed with epibatidine, a powerful neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs, according to five European governments. The claim reignites scrutiny over the circumstances of Navalny's 2024 death.
The UK, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands said that independent lab analysis detected the rare toxin in preserved tissue samples from Navalny's body. They argue there is no credible natural explanation for its presence and have reported the findings to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a potential violation of international law. Scientists note epibatidine is not known to occur naturally in Russia, though lab-synthesis is possible; even tiny amounts can disrupt the nervous system, causing paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.
Navalny died Feb. 16, 2024, while serving a lengthy prison sentence in a remote Arctic penal colony (see timeline and background). Russia denies any involvement, maintaining he died of natural causes. |
Canada Curling Controversy |
Canada's men's curling team was accused of cheating Friday night, with Sweden claiming Canadian player Marc Kennedy touched the curling stone after its release. Kennedy—who responded with expletives—accused the Swedes of intentionally filming and premeditating the conflict; however, the team did not bring a formal complaint. See the disputed delivery here (via X).
Less than 24 hours later, the Canadian women's team was accused of the same violation, with officials removing the rock during an 8-7 loss to Switzerland. On Sunday, Britain's men's team faced a similar ruling when Scottish curler Bobby Lammie was judged to double‑touch his stone in a round‑robin win over Germany. Observers compared the controversy to the 2014-16 “Broomgate” scandal, in which engineered brush heads gave precise control over the stone’s trajectory (deep dive listen).
Separately, the US delegation secured five gold medals (17 total) through the first half of the Olympics. One highlight has been the women’s hockey team, which routed host Italy 6-0 and faces Sweden in the semifinals today. Competition concludes Sunday; see the full standings here. |
Lunar New Year celebrations kick off tomorrow, ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The 15-day festivities, observed by billions worldwide, start with the new moon and end with the Lantern Festival. China anticipates a record 9.5 billion trips during the 40-day travel rush around the holiday, the world’s largest annual human migration.
The horse is the seventh animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle and symbolizes energy, independence, and ambition. Those born in horse years are seen as dynamic, courageous, and charismatic. Many see the Year of the Fire Horse as a time to take bold steps, embrace change, and pursue new opportunities. The last Fire Horse year occurred in 1966; notable births include Adam Sandler, Gordon Ramsay, Halle Berry, and Helena Bonham Carter. See your zodiac animal here.
Traditions focus on family and fortune (see our overview), including gifting lai see or hóngbāo to children—red envelopes filled with "lucky money." See a guide to the holiday, closely associated with the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, here. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> "Wuthering Heights" tops Valentine’s Day weekend box office with $34.8M in domestic ticket sales, marking the year’s biggest opening so far (More) | Casey Wasserman to sell talent agency after emails linking him to Jeffrey Epstein (More) |
> FBI says glove with DNA evidence found near home of Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" coanchor Savannah Guthrie, appears to match glove worn by suspect (More) | Former CNN anchor Don Lemon pleads not guilty to federal criminal charges over coverage of immigration-related protests inside a Minnesota church (More) |
> Tyler Reddick wins 2026 Daytona 500; Reddick drives for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Michael Jordan (More) |
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> Rental marketplace Airbnb to roll out customer service AI agents globally; company says one-third of customer support in the US and Canada is now handled by a custom-built agent (More) |
> New spinal organoids—lab-grown structures that mimic real organs—allow researchers to test therapies aimed at reversing paralysis without requiring human patients (More) |
> Researchers use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to map more than 70 chemical compounds in a bottle of wine; approach could help identify high-profile cases of wine fraud (More) |
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> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 +0.1%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.2%) after cooler-than-expected inflation data (More) |
> Amazon-owned smart doorbell maker Ring ends partnership with police surveillance tech firm Flock Safety—a separate initiative from its dog-finding Super Bowl ad, which sparked privacy concerns over camera monitoring (More) |
> Wendy's to close between 5% and 6% of its US restaurants, or roughly 298 to 358 locations, in first half of the year; reports worse-than-expected global same-store sales in Q4 (More) |
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In partnership with FinanceBuzz |
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16 Secret Tips if You Have Amazon Prime |
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> US military says it struck more than 30 Islamic State targets in Syria this month in retaliation for December ambush that killed two American soldiers and a US civilian interpreter (More) |
> Israel to start land registration in the West Bank for first time since 1967, a move critics say deepens control; Israel says the move is meant to create legal certainty (More) | President Donald Trump's Board of Peace to provide $5B to rebuild Gaza; board to meet in Washington, DC, Thursday (More) |
> Seven US states miss federal deadline for second time to agree on sharing Colorado River water amid ongoing drought and shrinking water supplies (More) |
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Wegovy® In Pill Form, Now On Noom Med |
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Today marks the 147th anniversary of Presidents Day, established in 1879. Originally honoring George Washington—whose birthday was already informally celebrated nationwide—the holiday was moved to the third weekend of February in 1971, placing it between the birthdays of Washington and Abraham Lincoln (and creating a three-day weekend). Check out some of our related 1440 Topics pages for more:
> Presidential pages exploring the lives of Washington and James Madison (more Founding Fathers coming soon).
> The best resources we've found explaining the evolution of the presidency and a look at the history of the White House itself.
> Dig into the founding documents of our country, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
These pages are part of our 1440 Topics: Civics project, celebrating America's 250th birthday. New topics will be released weekly throughout the year. Have a suggestion for what to cover? Let us know here. |
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Historybook: "Reading Rainbow" host LeVar Burton born (1957); Fidel Castro assumes formal power in Cuba (1959); First 911 emergency line goes into operation in Haleyville, Alabama (1968); Singer The Weeknd born (1990); Russian activist Alexei Navalny dies in prison (2024). |
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"And the consideration that human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected, will always continue to prompt me to promote the progress of the former, by inculcating the practice of the latter." |
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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: Based on a retrospective study of self-reported data of pounds lost for active versus passive users who were offered the Noom program when being prescribed an early stage GLP-1. Wegovy is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk, A/S. Not all consumers will medically qualify for prescription medication. Noom branded medication plan includes Telehealth services, Noom’s comprehensive behavior change application, and access to branded medication prescriptions where clinically appropriate. Noom results include maintaining a healthy diet and exercise changes. Individual results vary. Cost does not include $69 Noom-branded medication plan's monthly subscription fee. Final pricing dependent on program selection.
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