Good morning. It's Thursday, Dec. 18, and we're covering President Donald Trump's prime-time address, the Oscars' pivot to the small screen, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Don’t keep us a secret: Share the email with friends (copy URL here).
And, as always, send us feedback at [email protected]. |
|
|
|
|
President Donald Trump gave a prime-time address to the nation yesterday to highlight his administration's work on the economy, health care, and immigration. He also announced a $1,776 dividend to every US soldier. The speech came as a recent poll found his approval ratings had reached a two-term low.
The address also followed his announcement that the US military will impose a total blockade on sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela. The US has 11 warships operating in the Caribbean Sea—its highest naval buildup there since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. The Trump administration says it is targeting drug-trafficking boats. Trump has also threatened Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and reportedly gave him an ultimatum to step down or face further US military intervention.
Separately, the Senate voted yesterday to pass a $901B defense bill that compels Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to share unedited videos of the recent boat strikes. |
The Academy Awards will stream exclusively on YouTube from 2029 to 2033, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed yesterday. The move ends a decadeslong partnership with ABC after that contract expires in 2028.
Disney (which owns ABC) pays around $100M annually for rights to the Oscars, red carpet coverage, and behind-the-scenes content. The company had been pushing for better terms. Viewership this year stood at 18.1 million, down from a height of 57 million in 1998 following the release of “Titanic.” Over the summer, platforms including NBCUniversal and Netflix entered a bidding war. YouTube reportedly paid over nine figures for the show, besting high-eight-figure offers from competitors.
YouTube is the world’s most-watched streaming platform with no streaming time limits. The partnership may allow the Academy more flexibility to produce the show without the same restrictions imposed by ABC—and comes as viewership increasingly moves from the big to small screen. |
Tennessee Williams Radio Play |
A little-known radio play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams was published this week by a quarterly mystery magazine.
Before writing “A Streetcar Named Desire” and other acclaimed Broadway dramas, Williams penned “The Strangers” as a University of Iowa student. The 1938 play, set in a haunted manor, was intended to be performed solely with voice. Such plays gained popularity in the 1920s, with the introduction of household radios. By 1930, plays accounted for roughly 14% of radio programming. Horror was a particularly popular genre in the late 1930s, when about 80% of American households owned radios. The year Williams wrote "The Strangers," an estimated 1.7 million people listened to an adaptation of HG Wells’ “The War of the Worlds," and many were fooled into believing a Martian invasion was underway.
Radio shows lost ground to television in the mid-20th century. However, audio-first entertainment has resurged in the 21st century, with podcast monthly listenership increasing from 9% in 2008 to 42% in 2023. |
|
|
|
In partnership with RAD Intel |
|
Earnings Call Energy at an Early Stage Price |
|
RAD Intel is delivering the kind of numbers you usually hear halfway through an earnings call, not in a deal that’s still private, or this early. Recurring 7-figure contracts with Fortune 1000 brands and global agencies are in place. Sales growth is set to more than double in 2025. A reserved Nasdaq ticker $RADI was recently locked, too.
On top of all that sits a valuation that’s climbed more than 5000% in about 5 years, with over $60M raised from 14K+ investors, backed by multiple Fidelity funds, selected by the Adobe Design Fund, including operators from Google, Meta, YouTube, and Amazon.
Earnings call energy at an early stage price does not show up often. When it does, it rarely stays on the table at $0.85 per share for long. Invest Now at $0.85/share.* |
|
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
|
|
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> FIFA announces 2026 World Cup winner will win $50M, up $8M from 2022 World Cup prize, but less than half of this year's Club World Cup award (More) |
> Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz ends seven-year partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who helped him secure 24 tour-level titles (More) |
> Amazon MGM Studios drops the first trailer for Melania Trump documentary, premiering Jan. 30; directed by "Rush Hour" series director Brett Ratner, marking his first film since 2017 sexual misconduct and harassment allegations (More, w/trailer) |
|
|
|
In partnership with Motley Fool Money |
|
Experts Say: It's Time For A Balance Transfer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
> Google releases Gemini 3 Flash, which more than tripled the benchmark knowledge test score of the previous Flash AI model (More) | ... and enables Gemini web app users to build AI-powered mini apps with Opal software (More) |
> Scientists deduce Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has a slushy layer beneath its ice—not an underground ocean as long assumed; finding could help narrow the search for life on Titan (More) |
> Paleontologists exploring a cave on the Dominican Republic's island of Hispaniola discover prehistoric bee nests burrowed in bones of other animals; researchers believe the cave holds fossils of several never-before-characterized species (More) |
|
|
|
|
|
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.2%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -1.8%) (More) | Medical supply firm Medline begins trading on Nasdaq after raising around $6.3B in the year's largest initial public offering (More) |
> Warner Bros. Discovery board rejects Paramount's roughly $108B hostile takeover bid for its studios and HBO Max, citing equity credibility concerns and preferring Netflix's $72B bid instead (More) |
> Oracle shares close down over 5% as Blue Owl Capital reportedly withdraws from funding $10B data center (More) |
|
|
|
> House passes bill to lower healthcare premiums; bill does not extend enhanced, COVID-19-era subsidies, due to expire Dec. 31 (More) | ... and four Republican congressmen join House Democrats to force separate vote on the subsidies (More) |
> Dan Bongino announces he will resign as deputy director of the FBI next month (More) |
> Nick Reiner makes first court appearance to face first-degree murder charges over alleged killing of his parents, film director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner (More) | Police continue search for suspects in killing of MIT professor Nuno FG Loureiro; attack believed to be unrelated to Brown University shooting (More) |
|
|
|
> 'Scams, Schemes, and Ruthless Cons'
NY Times | Staff. An investigation into how Jeffrey Epstein—a college dropout—built his fortune through a series of financial maneuvers, revealing his rise into the elite circles of American finance and society. (Read) |
> Disney in Distress
Smithsonian | Mary Randolph. Disney was on the brink of collapse in the late 1940s, until "Cinderella" became the surprise hit that pulled the studio out of debt and into a Hollywood comeback story. (Read) |
|
|
|
In partnership with RAD Intel |
|
The 2nd AI Wave Most Investors Will Scroll Past |
|
The second wave of AI is where it gets interesting—and it’s hitting right now. RAD Intel has raised $60M+ from 14,000+ investors, with valuation compounding ~121% over 5 years and 2x sales growth heading into 2026.
Backed by multiple Fidelity funds, supported by the Adobe Design Fund, including operators from Google, Meta, YouTube, and Amazon, the AI startup is already helping Fortune 1000 brands see which ads work—before they spend. This is the kind of setup that rarely stays quiet for long. Invest now at $0.85/share.* |
|
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
|
|
Historybook: Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor (1620); 13th Amendment formally adopted into the Constitution, abolishing slavery (1865); Steven Spielberg born (1946); Singer Billie Eilish born (2001); Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor dies (2016).
|
|
|
|
"You shouldn't dream your film, you should make it!" |
|
|
Behind the Name. In 1440, the printing press sparked a knowledge revolution. We carry that spirit forward, cutting through the noise and algorithm-driven feeds, to bring fact-driven knowledge to everyone.
Want to connect with 4.5 million insatiably curious minds? Become a 1440 partner here. |
|
*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for RAD Intel made pursuant to Regulation A+ offering and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The valuation is set by the Company and there is currently no public market for the Company's Common Stock. Nasdaq ticker “RADI” has been reserved by RAD Intel and any potential listing is subject to future regulatory approval and market conditions. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.radintel.ai. |
|
1440 Media 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 Chicago, IL 60654
Copyright © 2025, 1440 Media, All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
