Good morning. It's Friday, April 24, and while 4/20 has come and gone, the new marijuana reclassification is indefinite.
Also in today's Digest: the fairy-tale story continues for the NFL's No. 1 draft pick (Sports, Ent., & Culture), Neanderthals that potentially talked (Sci. & Tech.), tips to boost your dog's mood (In-Depth), and much more.
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The Justice Department yesterday reclassified state-licensed marijuana as a less dangerous drug, easing federal limits on approved medical products while keeping recreational use illegal.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered the shift from Schedule I, alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, alongside codeine, ketamine, and testosterone. The Schedule I status implied “no accepted medical use,” hindering research even though 40 states have legalized medical marijuana (see map). The Biden administration recommended the change in 2024, but legal disputes delayed it. President Donald Trump then signed an executive order in December directing agencies to expedite the process. The change does not affect recreational marijuana’s broader classification as Schedule I, though the Drug Enforcement Administration will hold a hearing in June to consider revising it.
Advocates say the shift will expand research into medical uses, including for chronic pain, epilepsy, and chemotherapy side effects. A recent poll found 59% of US adults support full legalization and 84% support medical use. |
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders yesterday approved an $81B acquisition by Paramount Skydance—a deal that could unite two of Hollywood’s five remaining legacy studios. It would also join streaming platforms Paramount+ and HBO Max, along with leading news outlets CBS and CNN.
The transaction now faces federal antitrust review and may be challenged by California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D). Democratic lawmakers and Hollywood creatives have raised concerns that consolidation could lead to job losses and fewer choices for consumers (read open letter). In an effort to reassure skeptics, Paramount CEO David Ellison, son of billionaire Larry Ellison, last week pledged to release 30 movies annually between Paramount and Warner, while maintaining the studios as separate operations. Read about Ellison's 20-year rise in Hollywood here.
After Netflix struck a $72B deal for Warner’s film and streaming assets last year, Paramount went directly to Warner’s shareholders with a competing offer. Following months of public fighting, Netflix withdrew its bid in February. See explainer here. |
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🫶 Humankind: Watch two Boston Marathon runners join forces at mile 26 to help a struggling fellow athlete cross the finish line. |
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Silicon Valley Belt-Tightening |
Microsoft is offering 7% of its US employees (more than 8,000 people) voluntary buyouts for the first time in the company’s 51-year history. To be eligible, employees’ age and tenure at the company must add up to at least 70 years, and the workers must be at a senior director level or below.
The move allows Microsoft to avoid formal layoffs and comes as the company seeks to expand its AI investments beyond OpenAI. That includes a focus on its Copilot products, which have experienced interoperability issues. Meanwhile, OpenAI released its newest AI model yesterday, ChatGPT 5.5, roughly a month after the release of ChatGPT 5.4.
Separately, Meta announced it will be laying off 10% of its employees, impacting roughly 8,000 workers, beginning May 20. The company is also scrapping plans to hire for 6,000 open roles as it continues to move resources toward investments in AI. |
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In partnership with Spot & Tango |
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Give Your Dog Real Food, See Real Results |
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1440 readers get an exclusive 60% off + free toy when you sign up here. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Las Vegas Raiders select Indiana University's Fernando Mendoza as No. 1 overall NFL draft pick (More) | Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will miss third day of draft for counseling after vacation photos surfaced of the married father with NFL reporter Dianna Russini (More) |
> Taylor Swift tops Spotify's first most-streamed artists of all time list, followed by Bad Bunny; one of the two has held the yearly top spot since 2020 (More) |
> Grammy-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas dies at age 81 after a battle with brain cancer (More) | Darrell Sheets, star of "Storage Wars" reality TV series, dies at age 67 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound (More) |
🍺 Is beer really becoming less popular? Sign up for tomorrow's 1440 Society & Culture to find the answer, along with the history of the barley beverage, how it rewires your brain, and much more. Join 150,000+ other readers here! |
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> Food and Drug Administration approves first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss; the drugmaker said it will offer the drug for free to US patients (More) | Explore the best resources we've found on hearing loss (1440 Topics) |
> Neanderthals may have had a biological capacity for complex language, pushing back the timeline for speech development and suggesting Neanderthals were cognitively more similar to humans than long assumed (More) |
> Novel map details how Down syndrome alters brain development before birth, potentially informing future therapeutic targets (More) | Listen to the little-known story of a young female doctor who discovered the cause of Down syndrome (More) |
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In partnership with NativePath |
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A Surprising Reason Your Feet May Be Swollen |
Compression socks. Water pills. Elevating your legs. If you’ve tried it all and your legs are still puffy and painful, the issue may not be effort—it’s the wrong approach.
Research points to circulation and inflammation as key drivers behind persistent swelling. That’s where NativePath Antarctic Krill Oil stands out—krill oil has been shown to reduce inflammation by up to 30% in 30 days and be up to 50% more absorbable than standard fish oil.
Instead of masking symptoms, this targets the cause. 1440 readers: save up to 58% on krill here. |
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> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -0.9%) (More) | Tesla shares fall over 3% after missing revenue expectations, though Q1 revenue rose by 16% year over year (More) |
> Capital One to pay $425M settlement in lawsuit alleging the bank paid lower interest rates on older savings accounts while offering a higher rate on new, similarly named accounts (More) | Who qualifies and how to claim your cash (More) |
> Netflix authorizes $25B share buyback plan after failed Warner Bros. Discovery bid (More) | Why do share buybacks matter? (More) |
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> Special forces soldier arrested for allegedly making $400K bet on Polymarket related to US mission to arrest Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro (More) |
> Justice Department internal watchdog launches audit into whether DOJ complied with Congress' Epstein Files Transparency Act (More) |
> Gunfight at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge kills one person, wounds five others; officials say fight broke out between two groups of people (More) |
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> Your iPhone Started With a Cold War Secret
1440 Explores | Sony Kassam. Silicon Valley's biggest myth is that it was built by rebels in garages. The actual origin story is stranger: It starts with a Cold War military contract, a Stanford dean with a real estate scheme, and the space race. (Watch) |
Prefer audio only? Listen to "1440 Explores" on Apple or Spotify. |
> Marshall Islands Underdogs
Long Reads | Jordan P. Hickey. On a field in Arkansas, the Marshall Islands' first-ever national soccer team prepares for its international debut. Does the hodgepodge group have what it takes to become a FIFA member by 2030? (Read) |
> Key to Your Dog's Heart
Mindful Paws | Staff. Here are seven science-backed ways to raise oxytocin in your dog's brain—essentially showering them with love. At least one goes against common training advice. (Watch) |
> The Tragic Twenties
Substack | Derek Thompson. Recent polling suggests Americans are more unhappy than ever but also richer than ever. This graphic-packed essay argues the problem is that the COVID-19 pandemic never truly ended. (Read) |
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In partnership with Spot & Tango |
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The Nutrition Your Dog Deserves |
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Your dog’s food should be simple to understand and great for their health—no fillers, no mystery meals, no guesswork. Spot & Tango’s UnKibble delivers human-grade ingredients you can see, freeze dried and gently cooked to preserve nutrients and flavor while meeting AAFCO complete nutrition standards. No refrigeration needed—just scoop and serve.
Each recipe is crafted with real proteins, fresh vegetables, and whole grains to support your dog’s energy, digestion, and overall wellbeing. See what makes UnKibble special. 1440 readers get an exclusive 60% off + free toy when you sign up here. |
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Historybook: US Library of Congress founded (1800); Easter Rising begins (1916); Barbra Streisand born (1942); Hubble Space Telescope launched (1990); Estée Lauder dies (2004).
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