9.23.2024

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Good morning. It's Monday, Sept. 23, and we're covering new life at an infamous nuclear plant, escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, and much more. First time reading? Join over 3.9 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

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Need To Know
 

Three Mile Island to Restart

A Pennsylvania power plant home to the worst nuclear accident in US history will be restarted by early 2028, according to reports. The lone undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island plant will fuel the rapidly growing AI efforts by Microsoft, which signed a 20-year power-purchasing agreement with Constellation Energy.

 

In 1979, the plant’s second reactor suffered a partial nuclear meltdown after a coolant loop failed, causing the reactor core to overheat (see overview). No injuries or deaths were caused by the incident, though a small amount of radioactive gas and iodine was released into the atmosphere. No public health effects were identified, and the first reactor—the one to be restarted—continued to operate until 2019 before being shut down due to cost. 

 

Energy-intensive generative AI applications are expected to consume 1.5% of global electricity generation by 2029. 

 

See a deep dive into the power and water demands of AI here.

 

French Government Unveiled 

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his new cabinet over the weekend, revealing an administration with a number of centrists and conservatives in key posts. The makeup marks a distinct shift toward the right for the center-left Macron, who is seeking to break through a political impasse following summer elections in which a left-wing alliance led in seats but failed to gain an outright majority (see previous write-up). 

 

The news comes roughly two weeks after Macron appointed center-right lawmaker Michel Barnier (see other postings). Notably, the lineup left out any representatives from the party of leading opposition figure Marine Le Pen, despite the group finishing with the second-most parliamentary seats. 

 

France faces a number of domestic challenges, including a total federal debt load that stands at more than $3.3T, or 110% of the country's gross domestic product—a violation of the European Union's guideline of 60% and the EU's third-highest behind Greece and Italy. 

 

Israel-Lebanon Escalation

Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah exchanged hundreds of cross-border missile and rocket attacks Sunday, with leaders signaling the nearly yearlong conflict has entered a new stage.

 

The escalation in the conflict—initiated by Lebanon in October in support of Hamas in Gaza—comes after Israel is suspected of detonating thousands of mobile communications devices across Lebanon and launched a direct strike Friday in Beirut, killing 45 people, including a Hezbollah commander. In response, Hezbollah launched several direct hits in the coastal city of Haifa amid a barrage of 115 missiles. At least four projectiles were also intercepted from Iran-backed militias in Iraq. 

 

Israeli officials say the attacks will continue until Israelis can return to the border near Lebanon. Lebanon has claimed its attacks on Israel will stop once the war in Gaza ends—a scenario reports claim is less likely before 2025. New reports also suggest Israel may soon deploy siege tactics in northern Gaza. 

 

Separately, Israeli troops shut down news outlet Al Jazeera in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank Sunday.

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In The Know
 

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson named 2024 WNBA MVP; Wilson becomes the second player to be unanimously selected as the league's MVP (More

> Mercury Morris, three-time NFL Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, dies at age 77 (More) | Kathryn Crosby, actress and wife of Bing Crosby, dies at age 90 (More)

> Catherine, Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance since announcing she's completed her cancer treatment (More

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Science & Technology

> Social media platform X could return to Brazil as soon as this week after complying with a judge's demand to censor certain posts, appoint a legal representative in the country (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> US health regulators approve the first self-administered, at-home influenza vaccine; treatment is delivered via nasal spray (More

> Engineers demonstrate 3D-printed glass bricks with similar strength to concrete blocks; interlocking structures can be used many times over and repurposed at the end of a building’s life (More

 

Business & Markets

> Markets end mixed following the Fed's first rate cut in four years Wednesday (Dow +0.1%, S&P 500 -0.2%, Nasdaq -0.4%); Dow finishes at record high (More) | The history of stock markets (More, w/video)

> US officials to propose ban on Chinese-made software and hardware in self-driving cars as soon as today, according to reports; follows a recent tariff of 100% on imported Chinese electric vehicles (More)

> Indian hotel chain Oyo acquires G6 Hospitality, owner of Motel 6, from private equity firm Blackstone for $525M (More) | Qualcomm reportedly considering an acquisition bid for rival chipmaker Intel (More)

 

Politics & World Affairs

> At least four people killed, 17 wounded in late-night mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama; officials suggest the incident stemmed from a personal dispute (More)

> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Scranton, Pennsylvania, ammunition plant to thank workers ahead of this week’s United Nations General Assembly (More) | See updates on war (More)

> Leftist candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake wins Sri Lankan presidential election; results come with the country stuck in a yearslong economic crisis (More) | See an overview of the economic challenges (More)

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How Long Will $1M Last in Retirement?

 

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Etcetera
 

Rare Bryde's whale tops the year’s best ocean photos (Editor's note: Today we learned the name of this species is pronounced "BROO-dus")

 

How hijackers became the biggest threat to global commerce.

 

Charting the stunning progress in reducing child mortality.

 

Comparing retirement ages in countries across the world.

 

How AI-powered deepfakes are reshaping our perception of reality. (via YouTube)

 

Visualizing the rise of corn in America.

 

… and see this year’s theme for the world’s biggest corn maze.

 

Meet the forest’s creepiest fungus—dead man’s fingers.

 

Clickbait: Can flamethrowers combat a deadly raccoon parasite?

 

Historybook: American civil rights activist Victoria Woodhull born (1838); Nintendo is founded as a playing card company (1889); Musician Ray Charles born (1930); Neurologist Sigmund Freud dies (1939); Hurricane Jeanne kills more than 3,000 people in Haiti (2004).

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*Disclosure: "Journal of Retirement Study Winter" (2020). The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of your future results. Please follow the link to see the methodologies employed in the Journal of Retirement study.

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