Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 29, and we're covering Israel's advancement in Rafah, the consolidation of wireless carriers, and much more. First time reading? Join over 3.5 million readers. Sign up here. |
|
|
|
Israeli tanks reportedly entered the center of Gaza's southern city of Rafah yesterday for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Israeli shelling and airstrikes also reportedly hit a tent camp west of Rafah, killing at least 37 people.
Israel's advances come after a United Nations court ordered it to halt military operations that could lead to the loss of further civilian lives. The latest expansion into Rafah follows Israeli strikes and secondary explosions Sunday that killed at least 45 people.
Meanwhile, aid deliveries via a sea route have been suspended after a temporary US-built pier was damaged by rough seas. The pier, which will take roughly a week to rebuild, is one of the few ways for food to reach Palestinians, whom the UN says face famine conditions.
Separately, Ireland, Norway, and Spain yesterday formally recognized a Palestinian state based on borders established before an Arab-Israel war in 1967—a diplomatic move that observers say attempts to put pressure on Israel to end the Gaza conflict. |
A New York jury will begin deliberating today on whether former President Donald Trump is guilty of falsifying business records in 2016 to cover up an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with adult film star Stormy Daniels. A guilty verdict would mark the first-ever criminal conviction of a former US president.
Closing arguments extended into the evening yesterday with the prosecution defending the credibility of key witness Michael Cohen, Trump's one-time personal attorney. Cohen previously testified Trump requested he pay Daniels $130K to not reveal their alleged affair to protect his chances of election, and that Trump reimbursed him the amount as legal fees. The defense argued Cohen was not a trustworthy witness, pointing to his tax fraud conviction and alleged history of lying.
Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted, though a legal analysis of similar convictions found roughly one in 10 went to jail. New York grants judges broad leeway in sentencing, and trial judge Juan Merchan has repeatedly said he would try to avoid interfering with Trump's ability to campaign. |
T-Mobile Buys US Cellular |
T-Mobile announced yesterday it will acquire most of US Cellular's wireless operations, including around 4.5 million customers and 620 stores, in a $4.4B deal. The transaction, which combines cash and up to $2B in debt, aims to improve coverage and speed in rural areas by providing US Cellular customers with access to T-Mobile’s 5G network.
The deal includes US Cellular retaining 70% of its spectrum (the invisible radio frequencies that wireless signals travel over) and 4,400 telecom towers, while leasing about 2,100 towers to T-Mobile. The transaction has been approved by US Cellular's board and is expected to close by mid-2025, pending regulatory approval.
The deal comes after T-Mobile purchased Mint Mobile owner Ka'ena Corporation earlier this month and merged with Sprint in 2020. The acquisition is unlikely to face significant regulatory challenges, unlike AT&T's failed $39B merger attempt with T-Mobile in 2011. |
|
|
|
|
In partnership with Pendulum |
Meet this 'Un-Hunger Hormone' |
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
|
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
|
|
|
> Minnesota Timberwolves beat Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals; Game 5 is tomorrow in Minnesota (More) | Boston Celtics sweep the Indiana Pacers 4-0 to win the Eastern Conference Finals, advance to the NBA Finals (More) |
> Albert Ruddy, two-time Oscar-winning film producer known for "The Godfather" and "Million Dollar Baby," dies at 94 (More) | "Beautiful Girls" singer Sean Kingston faces 10 charges in Florida related to fraud and theft (More) |
> Two albums pass 300,000 units sold in a single week for first time in eight years as both Taylor Swift's and Billie Eilish's latest albums haul in more than 300,000 units sold (More) |
|
> OpenAI begins training its next generation large language model to replace current GPT-4, may take up to a year before it is available; CEO Sam Altman to lead safety and security committee (More) |
> New mRNA vaccine shown to be effective in preventing lab animal deaths from H5N1 avian flu currently spreading across the US (More) | See current status of the outbreak (More) |
> Engineered CAR-T cells, typically used in cancer immunotherapy, shown to treat chronic asthma in mouse studies (More) | How CAR-T works, in pictures (More) |
|
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.02%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq +0.6%); Nasdaq closes above the 17,000 level for the first time ever, boosted by a 7% rise in shares of chipmaker Nvidia (More) |
> Adam Neumann drops $500M bid to buy back WeWork; US judge overseeing WeWork's bankruptcy proceedings instead sign off on a restructuring deal approving $450M in funding from SoftBank (More) |
> Former FTX executive Ryan Salame sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to make illegal political contributions and operate an unlicensed money-transmission business (More) |
|
> Storms in North Texas with baseball-sized hail leave almost 800,000 residents without power, including across Dallas and Fort Worth (More) |
> Georgia's parliament overrules president's veto of the "foreign agents" bill that sparked weekslong protests; bill requires media and nonprofits to register as foreign agents if over 20% of funding comes from outside the country (More) |
> Tens of thousands of people protest in Armenian capital of Yerevan after Armenia's prime minister agrees to hand over four border villages to Azerbaijan (More) |
|
In partnership with Pendulum |
What’s the Buzz About GLP-1? |
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
"We can have faith in the future only if we have faith in ourselves." |
|
Why 1440? The printing press was invented around the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses and changing the course of history. More facts: In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. We’re here to make each one count.
Send us your feedback at [email protected] and help us stay as unbiased as humanly possible. We’re ready to listen.
Interested in reaching smart readers like you? To become a 1440 partner, apply here. |
*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX's Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.energyx.com/. |
1440 Media 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 Chicago, IL 60654
Copyright © 2024, 1440 Media, All rights reserved.
J |
|
|
|
|
|
