Good morning. It's Friday, Feb. 20, and we're covering the US women's hockey champions, the arrest of former Prince Andrew, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.6 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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The US women’s hockey team clinched gold yesterday with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. The two nations have met in all but one Olympic women’s hockey final since the first tournament in 1998. The US women’s hockey team now has three gold medals to Canada’s five.
Team USA captain Hilary Knight scored a goal with roughly two minutes left in regulation to push the game into overtime (watch here). With that goal, Knight also broke the US Olympic hockey record for all-time points and goals scored. Her teammate Megan Keller scored another goal just over four minutes into sudden-death overtime to secure the win. Throughout the game, goalie Aerin Frankel blocked 30 of 31 shots. Earlier in the tournament, Frankel became the first woman to record three shutouts in a single Olympic appearance.
Meanwhile, Alysa Liu ended Team USA's 24-year gold medal drought in women's figure skating, and ski mountaineering—or skimo—made its Winter Olympic debut. |
Mountbatten-Windsor Arrest |
The UK’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested yesterday in Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The 66-year-old former prince was later "released under investigation," meaning he has neither been charged nor cleared.
The arrest stemmed from claims that Andrew shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011. A newly unsealed US Department of Justice email allegedly shows him forwarding sensitive trade material to the convicted sex offender. The investigation is separate from allegations by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of abusing her at 17 and who died by suicide last year. King Charles III said the law “must take its course” and pledged to continue serving the public.
Misconduct in public office carries a maximum life sentence under UK law. No senior royal has faced such a criminal process since King Charles I, who was arrested and executed in 1649. |
President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace held its inaugural meeting yesterday in Washington, DC. The body is made up of more than 20 countries planning to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, among other efforts. See the list of members here.
The US and nine other countries will contribute $17B to the board and its Gaza relief plan. The funding falls below the projected $70B needed to rebuild after an estimated 80% of Gaza's buildings were damaged or destroyed in the war with Israel (see satellite images). Five countries will contribute troops to a stabilization force including 20,000 soldiers and 12,000 police officers. Trump has said he hopes the board will work to solve other conflicts, suggesting it could oversee the United Nations.
Separately, Trump said a decision on whether to attack Iran will come within the next 10-15 days. The US has built up the most air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria" star Eric Dane dies at age 53 after announcing he was diagnosed with ALS last year (More) |
> Live Nation reports $25.2B in revenue and record concert attendance last year, reaching 159 million people worldwide; news comes as the live entertainment company faces antitrust trial next month (More) |
> Pixar releases trailer for "Toy Story 5," with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning as Woody and Buzz; "Toy Story" is Pixar's longest-running franchise (More, w/trailer) |
🎷 What we learned about jazz: From its roots in American slavery to Coltrane, Davis, and Ellington, tomorrow's Society & Culture newsletter explores the history and evolution of the musical art form. Join 140,000+ cultural aficionados here! |
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> New York drops plans to legalize robotaxis beyond New York City following safety concerns and pushback from taxi and rideshare drivers; the decision is a setback for Alphabet's Waymo, which had its sights set on a statewide expansion (More) |
> Single blood test is shown to predict the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms within a three- to four-year margin, potentially advising clinical trials and preventive treatments (More) | Everything we've learned about Alzheimer's (1440 Topics) |
> Researchers identify period roughly 2.7 million years ago when the climate flipped from warm and stable to cold and variable; the tipping point aligns with the advent of the genus Homo, suggesting climate swings contributed to human evolution (More) |
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In partnership with Incogni |
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The Scammer Who Laughed at Their Victims |
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> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -0.3%) (More) | Amazon dethrones Walmart for first time as company with largest annual revenue, reports annual revenue of $716.9B for most recent fiscal year (More) |
> OpenAI reportedly nearing record-breaking $100B funding round, potentially valuing company at up to $850B (More) | Etsy sells resale site Depop to eBay for $1.2B after buying Depop for over $1.6B in 2021 (More) |
> US average 30-year fixed mortgage rate falls to 6.01%, lowest in over three years (More) | US trade deficit hit $901.5B last year, down $2B from 2024; imports up roughly 5% year over year from record in 2024 and exports up roughly 6% (More) |
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> South Korea court sentences former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison over short-lived attempt to impose martial law in 2024 (More) |
> Kenyan intelligence report finds 1,000 Kenyan citizens were lured to Russia on false promises of employment, recruited to fight against Ukraine (More) |
> Arts commission approves $400M White House ballroom renovation plans; all six panel members who voted were appointed by Trump (More) |
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> The Secret Room that Decides Your Rights
1440 Explores | Sony Kassam. Inside the US Supreme Court, nine unelected justices make decisions that ripple across the nation. Our editor-in-chief unveils how cases reach the bench, how rulings form, and what happens behind closed doors. (Watch) |
Prefer audio only? Listen to "1440 Explores" on Apple or Spotify. |
> The Science of Mind-Wandering
The Guardian | Michael Pollan. The author takes part in a psychology experiment that requires him to record his thoughts at the random beep of an earpiece. What can our spontaneous thoughts tell us about ourselves? (Read) |
> How the Olympics Reach You
YouTube | Dallas Taylor. Roughly 4,000 miles away from Milan, Italy, a team in Stamford, Connecticut, is mixing audio and video feeds from the Winter Olympics for live broadcast in the US. Here's how. (Watch) |
> Denmark's Last Letter
The Dial | Anna Juul. PostNord, a state-owned postal service, delivered its last physical letter in Denmark on Dec. 30, 2025—a milestone underscoring the gradual demise of handwritten correspondence, an art whose absence may only be felt when it's no longer an option. (Read) |
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Historybook: Frederick Douglass dies (1895); Sidney Poitier born (1927); John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth (1962); Kurt Cobain born (1967); Rihanna born (1988); Olivia Rodrigo born (2003).
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