Good morning, it's Saturday, May 9, and we’re digging through a newly opened vault of UFO files.
Also in today's Digest: a possible break in a 1996 murder case (Quick Hits), why our readers love their mothers (Humankindness), the pill that could make your dog live longer (Etc.), and much more. |
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The Pentagon yesterday released "never-before-seen" files on unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. The database includes FBI case files dating to the 1940s, Apollo mission footage, and roughly two dozen videos recorded between 2020 and 2026. Explore here; new files will be added on a rolling basis.
The military formally began gathering information on UFOs in 1947 after a wave of supposed flying saucer sightings. The effort ended in 1969 with no significant discoveries. Then, in 2017, media outlets reported that the Defense Department spent roughly $22M annually from late 2008 through 2011 on a secret program investigating alleged encounters between unknown objects and the military. The revelation fueled calls to declassify related documents, with former President Joe Biden signing a law compelling agencies to release UFO records, and President Donald Trump ordering yesterday's release.
The Trump administration gave no analysis of the files, saying Americans can draw their own conclusions. Experts say the files are unlikely to reveal aliens. |
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Virginia Supreme Court strikes down voter-approved redistricting plan.
Democrats hoped to win as many as four additional US House seats after Virginia voters approved a new congressional map last month. But yesterday, the state's high court ruled the referendum results were meaningless, saying the Democrat-led legislature violated procedure by putting the revised map on the ballot. The Virginia effort is part of a nationwide redistricting battle between Democrats and Republicans. |
Four people convicted of conspiracy in 2021 assassination of Haitian president.
A federal jury yesterday found four men tied to a Miami-based security firm guilty of plotting to kill Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Prosecutors allege the men intended to cash in on future contracts with a new Haitian government; defense lawyers say the men thought they were providing security for Haitian officials to arrest Moïse, who was highly unpopular at the time. The men face up to life in prison; six others have already pleaded guilty, with all but one receiving a life sentence. |
Uber-backed Lime files for IPO.
The electric bike and scooter rental company yesterday filed for an initial public offering on the Nasdaq composite index. Founded in 2017 and led by a former Uber executive, Lime reported 29.1% revenue growth to $886.7M last year and positive free cash flow for the third consecutive year. It is currently operating in 230 cities across 29 countries. |
How Lime took over urban streets—and why some love it and others hate it, here. |
US adds 115,000 jobs in April, and unemployment rate is steady at 4.3%.
The new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the economy added more than double the 55,000 jobs economists had expected last month. The unemployment rate aligned with expectations. Overall, experts say the report signals a resilient labor market amid the Iran war and rising oil prices. |
Evidence of possible human remains found in Kristin Smart case.
Authorities said yesterday that soil tests indicated the possible presence of human remains at a property belonging to the mother of the man convicted in the 1996 killing of California college student Kristin Smart. She was declared legally dead in 2002, but her remains were never found. In 2022, fellow student Paul Flores was convicted of first-degree murder. Authorities say his mother is a person of interest. |
The podcast series "Your Own Backyard" is credited with helping lead to the 2022 murder conviction. Listen here. |
Dinosaurs likely cared for their young much like birds do today.
Dental fossils of a duck-billed herbivorous dinosaur suggest parents likely fed their young softer, higher-protein food than they ate themselves—a behavior common in birds that raise nest-bound chicks. It likely helped young dinosaurs grow particularly fast in their first year of life. The study suggests high levels of parental care originated in dinosaurs and endured throughout evolutionary history. |
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11-year-old artist and 85-year-old widower create greeting cards together; it helps pay for her dance lessons and soothe his grieving heart. (More) |
Watch a father witness his son record his first Major League Baseball strikeout. (More, via Instagram) |
Orphaned baby hippo will be raised by keepers in Kenya. (More) |
Taiwanese grandmothers, aged 89 and 91, train at the gym so they can continue caring for themselves and others. (More, w/video) |
Young woman will celebrate her first Mother's Day with triplets born from a 1 in 100,000 pregnancy. (More) |
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Dear readers— In honor of Mother's Day, we're pausing our usual act of kindness stories this month to share a sampling of submissions about mothers. |
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"My mother has watched me walk through fire more times than any parent should have to. Through addiction and the long road to sobriety, through a cancer diagnosis that shook me, through raising two special needs boys while pursuing graduate school, she never wavered. She never flinched. She just kept showing up, cheering louder than anyone in the room, loving me before I knew how to love myself. She didn’t just believe I could do hard things. She made me believe it, too. Everything I am becoming, I owe, in large part, to her steady, relentless faith in me." |
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— Ashley P. in Canfield, Ohio |
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"At 5 feet, 2 inches tall, my mother looked up at everyone, but never backed down from anybody. The fifth child of a traveling salesman, survivor of the Great Depression, Bette was tough. When I struggled to write with my right hand, she boldly confronted my teacher and principal (both men), 'If the boy wants to use his left hand, let him.' Bette dispensed decades of counseling as a ‘beautician’ with honest compassion. My senior year of high school she encouraged me, her last baby, to follow my dreams, 'Go explore the world and love your life.' Truly, the greatest woman I’ve ever known." |
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— Wendell L. in Ventura, California |
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"One of my childhood memories of my mother's love and patience was of me getting angry with my mother and throwing every insult and 'I would leave this family when I could' at her, only to be calmly replied to with 'And I'll love you anyways.' I remember it stopping my argument so hard that I could not reply, due largely to the fact I could not deny it was true. She feels that for all nine of her children." |
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— Stephen K. in Provo, Utah |
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Humankind(ness) is a reader-built corner of joy. So, what act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here. And if this story made you smile—share our email (copy URL here). |
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"The good ole days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems." |
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*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.modemobile.com/. Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period. |
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