Good morning. It's Thursday, July 3, and we're covering America's 249th birthday, the conclusion of Diddy's trial, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
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Editor's note: The 1440 Daily Digest team will be off for the next two days for Independence Day weekend. Have a great holiday—we'll see you again Sunday. |
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Happy Birthday (Eve), America |
Tomorrow marks 249 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Founding Father and second president John Adams expected it would be celebrated on July 2—the day delegates voted to break from Great Britain—but the idea didn't catch on. Today, the Fourth of July is synonymous with fireworks and barbecues, though some celebrate in more peculiar ways.
Since July 4, 1776, the US has grown from 13 colonies with 2.5 million people to 50 states and 14 territories with over 342 million people connected by roughly 5,000 airports, 4 million miles of roads, 140,000 miles of train tracks, and 5.5 million miles of power lines.
The economy has prospered to nearly $30T. Public health advances have dwindled the child mortality rate to under 1%, and Americans live over three decades longer on average. Meanwhile, homegrown scientific achievements have delivered everything from the light bulb and modern flight to the internet and air conditioning. We’ve also sent over 300 citizen astronauts to space—the most of any country.
Since last Independence Day, an American infant was successfully treated with a novel gene-editing technique, computers are becoming exponentially faster problem solvers, and the James Webb Telescope photographed its first new planet.
America’s story is still unfolding, with new milestones to reach and new challenges to overcome. Tomorrow invites us to reflect on our progress and draw inspiration for the next 249 years.
PS–Challenge your friends and family to some patriotic trivia. |
Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty of two of five counts against him yesterday, capping his weekslong, high-profile sex crimes trial. The hip-hop mogul was acquitted of all sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which carried sentences of life in prison. He was convicted of two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution: one involving an anonymous woman and another involving his ex-girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine. Combs faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing to come at a later date.
Thirty-four witnesses testified for the prosecution, including former partners, employees, and rapper Kid Cudi—who accused Combs of breaking into his home and firebombing his Porsche. At the center of the case were allegations Combs led a criminal enterprise, with prosecutors highlighting hundreds of Combs’ “freak off” parties, where he was accused of engaging in abuse and coercion. Combs maintains all encounters were consensual.
See the evidence presented here and photos from the trial here. |
Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16M to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit with subsidiary CBS News. The deal ends the dispute over an October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview in which CBS edited then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ comments on Gaza.
Trump contends CBS edited the interview to favor Harris—then a presidential candidate—by excluding a wordy response and promoting two separate clips as responses to the same question. Trump alleges the edits amount to election interference and violate a Texas law on deceptive acts in commerce. CBS maintains it edited the interview for concision and clarity. The company did not apologize as part of yesterday’s settlement but committed to releasing transcripts of interviews with future presidential candidates after they air, and will pay the fee to Trump's presidential library. See the published interview here and the raw footage here.
The settlement comes as Paramount pursues a $8.4B merger with Skydance Media, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. |
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In partnership with Pacaso |
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From a $120M Acquisition to a $1.3T Market |
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The wealthiest companies tend to target the biggest markets. For example, NVIDIA skyrocketed nearly 200% higher last year with the $214B AI market’s tailwind. That’s why investors like Maveron are so excited about Pacaso.
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> British band Oasis' reunion tour kicks off tomorrow after nearly 16-year hiatus; band is set to play 41 dates across the UK, Ireland, and North America (More) |
> NHL to allow players to compete in 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics; will mark first time NHL players participate since 2014 (More) |
> The 112th Tour de France begins this weekend from Lille, France; see a stage-by-stage breakdown of the 23-day bicycle race (More) |
Star-Spangled Banner: Saturday's 1440 Society & Culture covers the origins of America's national anthem. Sign up here to receive! |
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> First complete human genome from Ancient Egypt sequenced; 4,800-year-old DNA reveals ancestry was 80% North African, 20% Mesopotamian (More) | Ancient Egypt explained (1440 Topics) |
> New study reveals how plants heal damage to their protective outer layer; oxygen and ethylene in the wound trigger cellular repair mechanism; findings may lead to new varieties of resilient crops (More) |
> Air pollution and other environmental factors, including some traditional herbal medicines, may lead to lung cancer in never-smokers; heavy pollution linked to 400% increase in the same mutations seen in smokers (More) | Cancer explained (1440 Topics) |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq +1.0%); S&P 500 hits new record (More) | Robinhood shares close up 6%, with stock topping $100 in intraday trading for the first time (More) |
> Tesla reports 384,122 vehicle deliveries in Q2, a 14% decline from a year ago and the second consecutive quarterly drop (More) | Rivian reports 10,661 vehicle deliveries in Q2, a 23% year-over-year drop (More) |
> Microsoft to lay off roughly 9,000 employees, or about less than 4% of its global workforce; action comes after the company eliminated 6,000 roles in May (More) |
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In partnership with Bankrate |
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> Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to one count of burglary, four counts of first-degree murder over fatal stabbing of University of Idaho students in 2022, avoiding possible death penalty; Kohberger faces up to four consecutive life sentences and maximum 10 years in prison for burglary when he is sentenced July 23 (More) |
> US Defense Department halts shipments of promised weapons to Ukraine amid reports US' overall stockpiles are too low (More) | Iran suspends cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, blocking inspectors from monitoring nuclear activities without approval (More) | Trump administration strikes tariff deal with Vietnam including 20% levy on imports of Vietnamese-made goods (More) |
> Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down 1849 abortion ban, allowing most procedures until 20 weeks of pregnancy to continue (More) | Education Department withholds over $6B for summer and after-school programs for low-income Americans (More) |
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> Evolution and Guinea Pig Toes
Nautilus | Zachary B. Hancock. What if a trait hidden deep in your DNA could suddenly reappear? An experiment with guinea pigs shows how an extra toe, once considered a genetic fluke, can be resurrected through selective breeding. (Read)
> The Betrayal of Autoimmunity
Kurzgesagt | Staff. How your immune system might mistakenly attack your body’s healthy tissues, causing various chronic and sometimes severe illnesses, often due to genetic risks and random triggers. (Watch) |
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In partnership with Pacaso |
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The Key to a $1.3T Opportunity |
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A new real estate trend makes the most expensive properties obtainable. It’s called co-ownership, and it is revolutionizing the $1.3T vacation home market.
Leading it? Pacaso. They turn underutilized luxury properties into fully-managed assets and make them accessible to the broadest possible market. The result? Over $110M in gross profits, including 41% YoY growth last year, across 2,000+ happy homeowners. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. Join investors like Maveron today for just $2.90/share.* |
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"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration." |
- John Adams, July 3, 1776 |
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*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso's Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals. |
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