Good morning. It's Monday, Aug. 25, and we're covering a drug lord's guilty plea, what to expect at this year's Burning Man, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is expected to plead guilty today in a Brooklyn courthouse to federal drug, money laundering, and weapons charges. The 77-year-old drug lord cofounded Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Prosecutors have characterized the Sinaloa cartel as the world’s largest drug trafficking organization. In the early 2010s, the group was believed to control 40% to 60% of Mexico’s drug market, earning as much as $3B annually. It is the leading exporter of cocaine and heroin to the US, largely responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. The group also engaged in kidnappings, assassinations, and torture.
Zambada was arrested in El Paso, Texas, last year after being brought to the US in a private plane. He says he was kidnapped and betrayed by one of El Chapo’s sons. The group has since devolved into factions, with violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa surging to its highest level since 2008. |
Burning Man 2025 kicked off yesterday, beginning the nine-day gathering in Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. Its name derives from the week's main event, where a 40-foot-tall wooden man atop a 30-foot structure is set ablaze.
The event, first started in 1986, draws tens of thousands of people annually to a seven-square-mile temporary city in the desert. Attendees, calling themselves “burners,” adhere to 10 community principles, including radical inclusion, self-reliance, and decommodification. Campers can opt to stay in themed villages; vending is banned. Learn more via 1440 Topics here (w/video).
This year’s theme is “Tomorrow Today,” with the venue showcasing tech-forward art installations. More than 70,000 people are estimated to attend, with participants paying a sliding scale of $550 to $3,000 per ticket. The festival did not sell out this year and operated at a loss last year, raising concerns about its financial outlook. |
The 10th test flight of SpaceX’s massive Starship space vehicle was called off last night just minutes before the launch window was set to open, with company officials citing an issue with ground systems (typically referring to the launch infrastructure, not the rocket itself). The next launch window is yet to be announced, but is expected within the week.
The flight will be the fourth of 2025 as the company seeks to accelerate its flagship space vehicle program. Each of the previous three ended in failure, and a fourth rocket exploded in June during a fueling test. Progression of the Starship, designed to carry up to 100 people on long-duration trips, is central to CEO Elon Musk’s vision to colonize Mars.
The test flight comes a few days after SpaceX successfully launched the eighth experimental mission of the US Space Force’s secretive X-37B vehicle. The uncrewed spaceplane is designed to spend multiple years in orbit and has logged 1.3 billion miles traveled to date. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
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> US immigration officials plan to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda if he rejects plea deal on human smuggling charges, refuses deportation to Costa Rica (More) | See previous write-up (More) |
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