Good morning. It's Friday, Feb. 7, and we're covering a federal lawsuit targeting sanctuary cities, the lead-up to Super Bowl weekend, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here. |
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The Justice Department sued Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County yesterday over their laws limiting the involvement of local police in the enforcement of federal immigration policies, areas commonly known as "sanctuary" jurisdictions. The lawsuit came a day after newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi called for such regions to be federally defunded.
At least a dozen states and hundreds of cities—including New York and California—have statutes prohibiting local law enforcement, to some degree, from cooperating with federal requests to detain migrants or provide information on noncitizens (see map). Such laws ostensibly serve to cultivate trust between immigrant communities and authorities, though critics claim they allow cities and states to flout federal authority.
The tensions hinge on legal questions around whether the federal government can commandeer states to fulfill its obligations, known as the anticommandeering doctrine. The Trump administration argues federal power preempts such state laws. See an overview of the debate here. |
Super Bowl festivities kick into high gear today in New Orleans, ahead of Sunday’s title game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles (6:30 pm ET, Fox). The pair faced off in a dramatic championship matchup two years ago, with Kansas City winning 38-35 on a last-second field goal.
Led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs look to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls (the Green Bay Packers won three straight NFL championships leading into the Super Bowl era). They'll face a dual threat in Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, who combined for seven touchdowns in a rout of Washington two weeks ago. See top position matchups here.
Hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar, fresh off winning five Grammys, will perform at halftime, with an appearance from R&B singer SZA. Check out previews of the best commercial spots here.
Not a die-hard fan but want to get up to speed? Check out 1440's history of the NFL here. |
Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Shen Yun, a New York-based Chinese dance group run by the Falun Gong religious movement, for potential visa fraud and labor violations, according to The New York Times yesterday.
The investigation follows a report in 2024 alleging Shen Yun exploited young dancers by subjecting them to extensive work hours for below minimum wage. A former dancer filed a lawsuit in November, accusing the company of trafficking children, confiscating passports, and exploiting performers. The group says labor laws don't apply to their student performers as they are not working employees. Part of the investigation is also whether the group arranged romantic relationships for its performers.
Shen Yun, known for its anticommunist stance and connection to The Epoch Times, had assets totaling $266M at the end of 2023. Authorities have allegedly sought information about the group's financial and labor practices, including possible directions for performers to smuggle cash into the US. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen edges Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson to win NFL’s Most Valuable Player award (More) | NCAA bans transgender athletes from competing in women's sports a day after President Donald Trump's executive order (More) |
> Irv Gotti, music producer and founder of record label for major acts like Ashanti and Ja Rule, dies at age 54 (More) | Virginia Halas McCaskey, longtime owner of the Chicago Bears, dies at age 102 (More) |
> Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter sentenced to 57 months in prison after admitting to stealing nearly $17M from Ohtani to cover gambling debts (More) |
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> AI researchers train a reasoning model for under $50 in computing credits using a technique known as distillation on an earlier version of Google's Gemini (More) | How distillation works (More) |
> Humpback whale songs follow the same basic structure as human language; vocalizations obey Zipf's law, which states the most common words follow a power distribution (More) |
> Personalized cancer vaccine shows promising results in early study in patients with kidney cancer; genetic material from each person's individual tumor was used to develop their treatments (More) |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq +0.5%) (More) | Peloton shares close up 12% after beating sales forecasts (More) | Coach parent Tapestry shares close up 12% to all-time high after topping sales estimates (More) |
> Honeywell to split into three companies, separating its aerospace unit from its automation business and spinning off its advanced materials arm (More) | Amazon tops Q4 earnings estimates; shares fall after hours on lowered Q1 guidance (More) |
> Bank of England cuts key interest rate by quarter-point to 4.5%—the lowest level since mid-2023—and halves 2025 economic growth outlook to 0.75% (More) |
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Love & Money: In anticipation of Valentine's Day, the next 1440 Business & Finance newsletter examines the wedding industrial complex—from the history of diamond rings to tax-deductible wedding expenses. Sign up here for free! |
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> Federal judge extends deadline for Trump administration's buyout offer to government workers to at least Monday, pending court hearing (More) | Federal workers union sues to block shutdown of US Agency for International Development (More) | Russell Vought, coauthor of Project 2025 policy roadmap, confirmed to lead Office of Management and Budget (More) |
> "60 Minutes" releases unedited transcripts of October interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, which triggered a $10B lawsuit from President Donald Trump, who claims CBS doctored the interview and should be terminated (More) |
> US Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines jet and led to deaths of 67 people last week had key surveillance system turned off, officials say (More) |
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> Unpacking the Iced Coffee Craze
CNBC | Staff. From 2016 to 2023, American consumers more than doubled their spending on cold coffee. An investigation finds the trend stems from factors like Starbucks’ marketing practices and taste preferences of younger generations. (Watch)
> Mastering the Art of Small Talk
The Atlantic | Staff. Small talk, an often-dreaded form of interaction, is an important step in building rapport and nurturing relationships with new people. Hear from extroverted hairstylists and self-described socially anxious people on how to improve the skill of conversation with strangers. (Listen) |
> Sustainable Architecture in Trinidad
BBC | Amy Li Baksh. A Caribbean farmer is embracing old Trinidadian ways of building by shying away from concrete and prioritizing local and upcycled materials to combat the rising threat of climate change. (Read)
> How Cinema’s Past is Defining Its Future
The Ringer | Abe Beame. Revival movie screenings have unexpectedly seen an uptick in demand since the pandemic, indicating the audiences' desire for communal experience and dissatisfaction with today's big blockbuster films. (Read) |
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Curiosity Is a Superpower… |
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