Good morning. It's Saturday, Jan. 10, and in this weekend edition, we're covering the aftermath of two shootings involving federal agents, the latest jobs report, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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Oregon's attorney general has opened an investigation into whether federal immigration agents exceeded their authority when they shot and wounded two people at a targeted traffic stop in Portland Thursday.
Federal officials claim the agents acted in self-defense after one of the wounded individuals allegedly weaponized their car. Authorities identified the wounded as Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, Venezuelan nationals who reportedly entered the US illegally. Federal officials allege both have ties to Tren de Aragua (see 101), though they have not publicly provided evidence supporting that claim. Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras are expected to be taken into FBI custody upon release from the hospital.
In Minneapolis, the Trump administration has barred state and local officials from assisting in a federal probe into the fatal shooting of US citizen Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent Wednesday. Federal officials claim this officer also acted in self-defense, while state and local officials expressed skepticism. See street-view video here and see cell phone footage from the agent here (warning—graphic).
See a legal analysis of the Minneapolis incident here. |
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In partnership with Incogni |
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Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random |
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The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.
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Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY. |
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Iran cuts off phone and internet access amid anti-government protests.
Iran imposed a communications blackout Thursday as the country's exiled crown prince called for continued protests. Civilians began taking to the streets Dec. 28 over Iran's ailing economy; the rial is currently trading at a record low of about 1.4M to $1. Violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 62 people, including 48 protesters and 14 security personnel, according to an Iranian rights group. |
US adds 50,000 jobs in December, capping worst hiring year since pandemic.
The US gained 50,000 nonfarm jobs last month, less than the 73,000 jobs economists projected. In all, the economy added an average of 49,000 jobs per month in 2025, compared to an average of 168,000 jobs per month in 2024. Last year was the worst year for job creation since 2009, excluding the 2020 pandemic year. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, from 4.5% in November. |
Russia uses powerful ballistic missile in major attack on Ukraine.
For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, Russia attacked Ukraine overnight Thursday with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including an Oreshnik missile that can reportedly travel 10 times the speed of sound. Ukrainian officials said at least four people were killed and 25 were wounded in Kyiv. Russian officials said the attack was a response to an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences last month. |
US to provide $45M to support Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire.
A new ceasefire took hold Dec. 27 after a July truce unraveled in early December. The State Department yesterday pledged $15M for displaced people and communities, $10M to remove leftover munitions, and $20M to combat scam operations and drug trafficking. China is also vying to assert influence, reportedly giving Cambodia $2.8M in humanitarian aid and offering the same to Thailand. |
Elon Musk's Grok AI image generator faces deepfake backlash.
Three Democratic senators are urging Apple and Google to remove Elon Musk’s Grok and social media platform X from their app stores, following a surge of Grok-generated explicit images depicting women and children without consent. X has since limited its in-app Grok chatbot to paying users and tightened image creation guardrails. As of this writing, the stand-alone Grok app reportedly still creates sexualized deepfakes. |
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz raises over $15B.
The haul represents over 18% of all venture capital dollars allocated in the US last year, according to fund cofounder Ben Horowitz. The firm, widely referred to as a16z, will funnel the money into new funds with focuses ranging from infrastructure to health. Fundraising for US venture capital firms dropped to $66.1B last year, down 35% from 2024 and 70% from record levels in 2022. |
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Man carries shelter dogs on his back to help them get adopted. (More, via YouTube) |
... and firefighters rescue a golden retriever that fell through a frozen pond on a morning walk. (More, w/video) |
Mother and three children surprise their 80-year-old neighbor, who lives alone, with a birthday cake. (More, w/video) |
Bodega owner encourages students to excel in school by offering free food in exchange for good grades. (More) |
Man documents days working as a DoorDash delivery driver to save up for an engagement ring. (More, w/video) |
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In partnership with FinanceBuzz |
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16 Secret Tips if You Have Amazon Prime |
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Today, we're sharing a story from reader Darlene G. in New York.
"Taking the [Long Island Rail Road] is something I do not do often, but when weather made it safer than driving, I rode it to be with my sick grandson. I realized I did not have my phone, and the connecting train was not scheduled. I shared my anxiety with a young man trying to get to his school, and he was so kind and helpful. After sharing my situation, he offered his phone and helped me navigate the train station to successfully transfer to my destination. He even sat next to me until we both arrived."
What act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here. |
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📞 1440 Explores ... The Birth of the Mobile Phone |
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A battle with a telecom giant. A stunt call on a New York sidewalk. A forgotten memo that rewired the world. Our latest episode of "1440 Explores," uncovers the origin story of the mobile phone with Marty Cooper, the father of the cell phone, and Arlene Harris, the first lady of wireless. |
We'll unpack:
> How a major city could once handle only 24 phone lines total.
> The creation of the first cell phone and how mobile calls travel through the air.
> How AT&T's Bell System nearly kept handheld phones from happening.
> The one Oval Office moment that changed the future of wireless. |
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"Heroes always have their scars. Some you can see, some you read about later on." |
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