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Former French surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec went on trial yesterday, accused of sexually assaulting nearly 300 patients, mostly minors, in the country's largest child sex abuse case on record.
Le Scouarnec was initially arrested in 2017 following accusations that he abused or raped four girls, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. While investigating, police reportedly recovered journals with accounts written by Le Scouarnec, detailing hundreds of other incidents. The 74-year-old faces an additional 20 years behind bars if convicted.
The public has also cast blame on medical authorities—the doctor was originally convicted in 2005 on possessing child sexual abuse material charges but was allowed to continue practicing pediatric medicine until his arrest 12 years later.
The proceedings follow the conclusion of the Pelicot trial, in which a Frenchman was found guilty of repeatedly drugging his wife and inviting other men to rape her while unconscious. Both cases generated international condemnation and outrage. |
Singer Roberta Flack Dies |
Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning R&B singer and pianist known for her soulful hits like "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," passed away yesterday at age 88. No cause of death was given, though Flack was diagnosed in 2022 with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which left her unable to sing.
She rose to stardom in her early 30s after Clint Eastwood featured "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" in his 1971 directorial debut "Play Misty for Me," pushing the song to the top of the Billboard chart and earning her a Grammy for record of the year in 1973. Originally a folk song by Ewan MacColl, "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" was reinterpreted by Flack into a slower-paced romantic ballad.
Flack won record of the year again for "Killing Me Softly with His Song" in 1974, becoming the first to nab back-to-back wins in the category. A version of the song also topped the charts again in 1996 when hip-hop trio the Fugees recorded their take on the hit. Hear Flack's most popular songs here. See her life in pictures here. |
Apple Boosts US Investment |
Apple announced yesterday plans to invest more than $500B in the US over the next four years, marking its largest-ever spending commitment. The initiative includes hiring approximately 20,000 new employees across multiple states, primarily focused on research and development, silicon engineering, and artificial intelligence.
A significant portion will fund a new AI server manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. The Houston facility will produce servers supporting Apple Intelligence (the company's AI-powered personal assistant system), shifting the production of these servers from outside the US to domestic facilities. The announcement comes amid renewed pressure from the Trump administration regarding tariffs on goods imported from China, where Apple assembles most of its products.
The investment follows previous commitments by Apple. In 2021, the company pledged $430B in US investments and has since expanded domestic manufacturing, including chip production in Arizona. See our 1440 Topics page on Apple here. |
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In partnership with Pacaso |
The *Key* to a $1.3 Trillion Opportunity |
A new trend in real estate is making the most expensive properties obtainable. It’s called co-ownership, and it’s revolutionizing the $1.3T vacation home market.
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With recent additions in Paris, Cabo, and London, and 38% YOY profit increase in H1 2024, Pacaso is scaling fast to meet surging global demand. No wonder they’re backed by leading investors like SoftBank and Maveron. Join them as a Pacaso investor today for just $2.70/share by Thursday.* |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Wu-Tang Clan announce "The Final Chamber" tour, their final concert tour as a group, which will hit 27 cities across North America (More) |
> Lester Holt stepping down as anchor of "NBC Nightly News" after a decade, will move to full-time role as anchor for NBC's "Dateline" (More) |
> University of Texas tops women's college basketball AP poll for first time in 21 years (More) | ... and Auburn leads men's poll for sixth straight week (More) | Denver Broncos linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite arrested for felony assault over allegedly punching a police officer (More) |
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> AI startup Anthropic rolls out Claude 3.7 Sonnet, the field's first hybrid reasoning model; platform lets users get real-time answers or request longer, more thought out responses (More) | Everything you need to know about generative AI (1440 Topics) |
> Breast cancer analysis estimates 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime, with 1.1 million breast cancer-related deaths per year worldwide by 2050 (More) |
> Archaeologists discover fossilized footprints and tracks suggesting the oldest known use of a handcart; discovery sheds light on life at the end of the last ice age, roughly 23,000 years ago (More) |
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In partnership with Pacaso |
Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow, scaling it to a $16B valuation. But everyday investors couldn’t invest until the IPO, missing early gains.
"I wish we had done a round accessible to retail investors," Rascoff later said. Now he’s making good on that wish with Pacaso, his new company disrupting the $1.3T vacation home market. And unlike Zillow, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company. Firms like SoftBank are already on board. Now, Pacaso’s international expansion opens investors up to even more upside.
Join for $2.70/share by Thursday.* |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -1.2%) as President Donald Trump's latest trade comments continue to weigh on investor sentiment and tech stocks fall on Microsoft cutting data center spending (More) |
> DoorDash to pay New York delivery drivers nearly $17M for claims it used their tips to cover wages (More) | Energy Transfer—oil company behind Dakota Access Pipeline—begins $300M trial against Greenpeace, accusing the advocacy group of defamation and disruptions during 2016 and 2017 protests (More) |
> Starbucks to lay off 1,100 corporate workers globally this week, will eliminate several hundred unfilled positions; comes after same-store sales declined for four consecutive quarters (More) |
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> Federal judge temporarily bars Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive data from the Education Department and Office of Personnel Management related to plaintiffs who sued DOGE (More) | Federal employees sue Elon Musk for demanding to justify their jobs or risk getting fired (More) | Vivek Ramaswamy (R) launches bid for Ohio governor (More) |
> UN passes nonbinding resolution urging Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine; 93 countries vote in favor, 65 abstain, and 18 vote against, including the US (More) | President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron hold joint press conference, share diverging views on Ukraine (More) |
> Clint Hill, former Secret Service agent known for leaping onto President John F. Kennedy's car after the president was shot in 1963, dies at 93 (More) |
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> How the Internet Almost Didn’t Happen
Inc. | Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan. The birth of the internet through the eyes of the author, whose father was at the forefront of its development and became the internet's first content moderator. (Listen)
> The Runaway Hero of New Orleans
NYT | Rick Rojas. The journey of Scrim, a runaway dog who became a symbol of New Orleans. His survival against all odds won over the city, inspiring murals, tattoos, and even Mardi Gras floats. (Read) |
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In partnership with Pacaso |
Top Investors Are Buying This Unlisted Stock |
When the team that created Zillow and grew it to a $16B valuation starts a new company, people notice. No wonder SoftBank already invested in Pacaso.
Taking the industry by storm all over again, Pacaso’s platform offers co-ownership of premier properties—revamping a $1.3T market. And by handing keys to 1,500+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has made $100M+ in gross profits. Now, with global expansion underway, their current share price will change Thursday. Lock in the $2.70/share price before then.* |
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