Good morning. It's Wednesday, Dec. 18, and we're covering the assassination of Russia's weapons chief, a first-of-its-kind space discovery, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
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Russian Weapons Leader Killed |
Ukraine’s secret service assassinated Igor Kirillov—the head of Russia’s chemical and biological weapons defense program—yesterday. It marks the highest-level killing of a Russian military official inside Russia since the start of the war in 2022; Russia has vowed to retaliate.
The 54-year-old general died after a bomb detonated at 6:12 am local time on an electric scooter in Moscow, shattering windows on residential buildings nearby (see video; warning—sensitive content). Ukraine acknowledged the killing, calling it legitimate. Kyiv had charged Kirillov in absentia the day before, tying him to over 4,800 alleged cases of chemical weapons deployment in Ukrainian territory. Kirillov was separately known for publicly accusing the US of a biological weapons program in Ukraine.
Russia lost over 1,520 soldiers per day last month, according to UK estimates, and is believed to be struggling to replenish its ranks. Russia is relying in part on North Korean troops to counter Ukrainian forces in Kursk. See latest war updates here (w/maps). |
Scientists discovered the first-ever pair of binary stars in the vicinity of the black hole at the center of our galaxy, according to research released yesterday. The discovery suggests black holes are not as destructive as previously believed and sheds light on the evolution of stars in the universe.
Using spectrometers mounted on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, researchers identified a young pair of several-million-year-old stars bound together by gravity, which they dubbed D9. The pair orbit Sagittarius*, the supermassive black hole occupying the center of our Milky Way galaxy roughly 26,000 light-years away. For decades, researchers had observed clouds of dust and gas in the region called an S cluster, as well as solo stars, but believed the black hole's powerful pull would destabilize binary systems.
The researchers believe the two stars will merge within a million years—relatively soon on a cosmic level. Watch an animation of the binary stars in orbit here. |
A San Francisco jury has found tech consultant Nima Momeni guilty of second-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of 43-year-old Cash App founder Bob Lee. Yesterday's verdict came after seven days of deliberation, following a six-week trial that featured a narrative involving drugs, partying, and alleged sexual assault.
Prosecutors contended the now-40-year-old Momeni stabbed Lee three times with a kitchen knife after taking him to a secluded area on April 4, 2023 (see timeline). They argued Momeni was motivated by anger over Lee introducing Momeni's younger sister, Khazar, to a drug dealer, which allegedly led to her sexual assault. The defense claimed Lee attacked Momeni first while intoxicated, but the jury rejected the self-defense argument. However, the jury did acquit Momeni of first-degree murder, which is premeditated (see the difference).
Momeni, who is not a repeat offender, faces between 16 years to life in prison. His sentencing will be set at a later date. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> "Dirty Dancing" and "Beverly Hills Cop" are among 25 movies added to Library of Congress National Film Registry (More) | See complete list of 900 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant films on the registry (More) |
> Children's television series "Bluey" to get feature film in 2027 produced by BBC and Disney (More) | Diane Delano, actress known for roles on "Northern Exposure" and "Popular," dies at 67 (More) |
> Vermont tops Marshall 2-1 to win their first-ever NCAA men's soccer national championship (More) | The European Super League relaunches as the Unify League, will feature 96 soccer clubs across Europe (More) |
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> Alabama woman receives gene-edited pig kidney, becomes the fifth person to undergo animal-to-human gene-edited organ surgery (More) | What is xenotransplantation? (More) |
> Study suggests brain cells mature faster in microgravity environments like space compared to Earth; research used organoids—lab-grown organ-like structures—to study the effects (More) |
> Archaeologists discover evidence of systematic cannibalism in a Bronze Age burial site near Bristol, England (More) |
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In partnership with Trevi |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.3%); Dow falls for ninth straight day, its longest losing streak since 1978 (More) |
> Grammarly, maker of AI-powered writing assistant, acquires productivity startup Coda; financial terms of the deal not disclosed (More) | Databricks raises $10B in financing, valuing the data analytics company at $62B (More) |
> Japan's Honda and Nissan reportedly to begin merger talks; automakers are considering operating under a single holding company and eventually bringing in Mitsubishi (More) |
📈 1440 Business & Finance: Have a friend who works in management consulting but have no idea what they do? This Thursday's newsletter takes a deep dive into the industry. Sign up here to get it in your inbox! |
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> Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is indicted in New York on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism (More) | Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann is charged with another murder, bringing number of alleged victims to seven (More) |
> Federal Trade Commission announces rule banning junk fees—hidden charges—on hotel and event ticket prices (More) | Biden administration finalizes rule clarifying who can apply for H-1B work visas, including expanding definitions of specialty occupation positions (More) |
> President-elect Donald Trump sues The Des Moines Register for a poll in the lead-up to Election Day showing him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in Iowa by 3%; Trump ultimately won the state by 14% (More) |
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