Nepalese Election, Baby Brain, and Civics Thursday

 Need To Know 

Gen Z on the Ballot

Nepal will elect its new government today, the first vote since last year’s youth-led protests toppled the government. Many candidates are running as independents, with the lead candidate supporting a new technocratic coalition over established communist and center-left parties.

The frontrunner among young people is 36-year-old Balendra Shah, a millennial rapper and former Kathmandu mayor, running against ousted Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli (see more, w/music). Nearly 160 Gen Z candidates are running across the country, about half as independents. Many joined cause with the National Independent Party, a centrist coalition emphasizing government reform and digital fluency. A top consideration for voters is the economy; youth unemployment stands at over 20%, and roughly one-fourth of gross domestic product comes from remittances.

When Gen Z Nepalis protested a social media ban last year, the crackdown left nearly 80 people dead and forced Oli to resign in two days. The protests were part of a wider trend of youth uprisings, including in Madagascar, Bulgaria, Morocco, and Iran.

War Powers Resolution

The US Senate failed to advance a war powers resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to wage war with Iran, with 53 voting in favor, short of the 60 votes needed.

The vote came after Turkey said NATO forces shot down an Iranian missile headed into its airspace. Earlier in the day, the Pentagon confirmed the US Navy had torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka. The attack late Tuesday marked the first time a US submarine has downed an enemy ship since World War II (see more, w/video). There were more than 170 people aboard the ship named IRIS Dena and nicknamed “Soleimani”—after the late Iranian general killed by the US in 2020. Sri Lankan authorities reportedly rescued 32 survivors; roughly 140 are still missing as of this writing. 

Separately, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, emerged as the leading contender to succeed his father. Learn about the operation that killed Khamenei here.

The Maternal Mind

Women’s brains lose nearly 5% of their gray matter on average during pregnancy, according to the largest-ever study of pregnancy-related brain changes published yesterday. Researchers say the change—which is partially reversible after six months—may be preparing women for motherhood.

Brain scans from 127 women before, during, and after pregnancy revealed that most of the gray matter loss occurs in a brain network associated with self-reflection, empathy, and rest. Women who shed more gray matter were more likely to report bonding well with their newborns, suggesting an evolutionary adaptation to childbirth. The study authors hope their findings will contribute to a detailed map of how the brain transitions into motherhood, which could help treat conditions like postpartum depression and improve attachment between infants and caregivers.

Another study published last month found that women pregnant with a second child experience unique changes in brain networks tied to paying attention and responding to stimuli, skills useful when caring for multiple children.

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Football coach Lou Holtz, known for rebuilding struggling teams, dies at age 89 (More) | English golfer Luke Donald named European captain for 2027 Ryder Cup, becoming the first captain in 30 years to lead three straight Cups and potentially the first ever to win all three (More) 

> Gayle King signs new deal with "CBS Mornings," ending months of speculation about a potential exit following Skydance's acquisition of CBS last year; King has cohosted the morning show since 2012 (More) 

> Sean "Diddy" Combs shaves over one month off his 50-month prison sentence after completing a rehab program; his new release date is April 25, 2028 (More) 

Science & Technology

> Father files the first wrongful-death lawsuit tied to Google Gemini, accusing chatbot maker Alphabet of fueling delusions that led his son to die by suicide (More) 

> Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor in Wyoming becomes the first commercial reactor approved for construction by the federal government in eight years (More) | Everything we've learned about nuclear power (1440 Topics)

> Fertilizer byproduct nitrous oxide, known to be a potent greenhouse gas, may harm microbial communities that impact plant growth; finding could inform optimal farming practices (More) | Learn more about greenhouse gases (1440 Topics)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.8%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.3%) (More) | President Donald Trump formally nominates Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve Board (More)

> Morgan Stanley reportedly lays off 2,500 people, 3% of its workforce, over the past week; cuts are spread across the bank's three major divisions (More)

> Elon Musk testifies in shareholder trial over claims he made false and misleading statements to sink Twitter's stock before purchasing it for $44B in 2022 (More) | Coinbase shares rise 14.6% after Trump expresses support for bill enabling interest-like returns on stablecoins (More)

📉 What we learned about the Dot-Com Bubble: Today's 1440 Business & Finance newsletter revisits the hype and subsequent crash at the dawn of the internet era. We're also exploring how companies go public, the history of Coca-Cola, and much more. Join 285,000+ other curious learners here!

Politics & World Affairs

> House Ethics Committee launches ethics probe into Tony Gonzales (R, TX-23) after congressional investigators find substantial evidence Gonzales had an affair with a female staffer; news comes as Gonzales faces a runoff in May (More) 

> Greek court upholds ruling convicting 42 leaders of neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party of acting as a criminal organization; party was once Greece's third-most popular (More) 

> Independent researcher claims she has found a marble bust by Michelangelo in a Roman church; Renaissance scholars await verification (More) 

In-Depth

> When the Secretary Vanished

Rowland's Newsletter | Rowland Manthorpe. In 1984, roughly one in six US workers were in clerical or secretarial roles—positions expected to be wiped out by the computer revolution. Reality was more nuanced and may have lessons for the era of AI. (Read) 

> Trapped in Chinese Mafia Crypto Slavery

WIRED | Andy Greenberg. See whistleblower footage from inside a crypto scam factory where trapped workers are forced to toil 15 hours a day, carrying out "pig butchering" romance schemes. (Watch) 

 1440 Topics: Civics Thursday 

Mapping 100,000 moments of human happiness.

How US satellites helped rescue 300 people last year.

The states taxing you the most (and least).

A look at this year’s Women’s History Month.

See February’s best science images, including raining iguanas.

The world’s 100 greatest cinemas right now.

Chimpanzees share humans’ fascination with crystals.

The best wines to match your dog’s personality.

Clickbait: Mr. Clean comes out of retirement.

Historybook: Five American colonists shot by British troops in Boston Massacre (1770); Josef Stalin dies (1953); Singer Patsy Cline dies (1963); Actress Eva Mendes born (1974); Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez dies (2013).