Good morning. It's Monday, Dec. 29, and we're covering the latest allegations of fraud in Minnesota, the death of Brigitte Bardot, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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FBI Director Kash Patel said yesterday the agency was reallocating resources to Minnesota to continue investigating allegations of widespread fraud linked to federally funded programs.
The update came after investigative YouTuber Nick Shirley last week released a 42-minute documentary visiting the addresses of day care centers, adult home care companies, and other businesses. Many appeared to be inactive despite claiming millions of dollars in state-distributed taxpayer funds, including from the Education Department and Medicaid. In yesterday’s announcement, Patel noted the FBI’s work dismantling a $250M scheme to siphon pandemic-era food assistance via the Feeding Our Future network (see explainer). The amount of stolen taxpayer money—from the food aid scheme and others—reportedly exceeds $1B.
More than 90 people have been indicted and more than 50 convicted to date, many of them of Somali descent. Gov. Tim Walz (D) has criticized President Donald Trump's language toward Somali Americans in Minnesota and has sought to defend his administration, which oversaw the distribution of the funds. |
French actress Brigitte Bardot died yesterday at age 91. The former sex symbol was hospitalized last month; no cause of death was given.
Bardot’s breakout role came in 1956 when, at 23, she starred in “And God Created Woman,” directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim. Bardot would go on to act in more than two dozen films, including “The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful” (1956), “Babette Goes to War” (1959), and “The Vixen” (1969). Some films involved nudity, and one—“Viva Maria!” (1965)—earned her a BAFTA nomination for best foreign actress. She became the first celebrity whose facial features inspired Marianne, France’s national symbol.
After retiring from acting, Bardot founded an animal rights organization. She was convicted and fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred, largely for comments criticizing Muslim approaches to slaughter rituals. She became an outspoken supporter of France's National Front (now National Rally), marrying an adviser to nationalist-populist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. |
Bomb Cyclone Hits Midwest |
Tens of millions of people across the Upper Midwest are under winter weather alerts this morning, as an arctic storm swept down from Canada yesterday. Residents around the Great Lakes are expected to see near-hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions through today, with some areas on track for up to 2 feet of snow and 50 mph gusts.
The arrival of the arctic blast came on the busiest travel day of the year, with an estimated 2.8 million air travelers returning home after the holiday. As of this writing, more than 3,200 flights have been delayed and another 350 canceled (see current status). Driven by a bomb cyclone weather pattern (see 101), temperatures will stay below average throughout much of the week in the region.
Despite the frigid conditions, last week saw unseasonably elevated temperatures, with the contiguous US notching the warmest Christmas Day on record with an average high of nearly 58 degrees. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Kennedy Center president vows to sue musician who canceled a performance after the center added President Donald Trump's name to the building (More) |
> Former University of Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham signs five-year deal to coach Michigan Wolverines (More) |
> Actor accuses Tyler Perry of sexual assault, seeks $77M in damages in second lawsuit against the director in recent months (More) |
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> China releases draft rules governing human-like AI; models must reinforce "core socialist values," notify users at login and two-hour intervals they are using AI (More) |
> Scientists begin latest expedition to Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier; known as the "Doomsday glacier," the region is shedding 50 billion tons of ice per year and helps support the West Antarctic ice sheet (More) | What we learned studying climatology (1440 Topics) |
> Famous Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England, to be insured for roughly $1B upon its transfer from France to the British Museum next year (More) | Explore our favorite resources on medieval Europe (1440 Topics) |
⌛ The physics of time: Tomorrow's 1440 Science & Technology newsletter explores what we know about the fourth dimension, why we seem to only move forward through it, and much more. Join 110,000+ science enthusiasts here! |
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> US stock markets close mostly flat Friday (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq -0.1%); S&P 500 ends week up 1.4% after hitting record high Wednesday (More) |
> Nvidia announces nonexclusive licensing agreement with AI chip startup Groq, shareholders will receive distributions valuing the company at $20B; around 90% of Groq employees, including CEO Jonathan Ross, will join Nvidia, remaining employees will operate as a standalone entity (More) | What we learned researching Nvidia (1440 Topics) |
> Global dealmaking totaled around $4.5T in 2025, up 50% from last year and the second-highest total on record; Netflix bidding war, Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger top biggest deals (More) |
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> President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war (More) |
> Israel becomes first country to recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991; decision precedes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Donald Trump today (More) | See explainer (More) |
> Thailand and Cambodia sign new ceasefire agreement in bid to end recent border clashes that have killed dozens of people (More) | Myanmar completes first phase of voting in country's first general election since 2021 military coup (More) |
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Everything we've learned researching end-of-year traditions: |
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> From ancient Babylon to Times Square, the history of New Year's Eve. |
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In partnership: The "It Card" of the New Year has arrived.*
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Historybook: President Andrew Johnson born (1808); Texas becomes the 28th US state (1845); US Army kills over 250 Lakota people at Wounded Knee (1890); Actress Mary Tyler Moore born (1936); Soccer legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) dies (2022).
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"A penalty is a cowardly way to score." |
- Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) |
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