News for the insatiably curious.
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Good morning, it's Saturday, June 13, and China says it has found spying fish and turtles lurking along its coastline.
Also in today's Digest: an iPad-loving contemporary artist dies (Quick Hits), the oldest flower girls to walk down the aisle (Humankind), the World Cup team that fits your personality (Etc.), and much more.
One Big Headline
Spying Sea Creatures
China’s Ministry of State Security claimed yesterday that foreign intelligence agencies are using fish, turtles, and other large sea creatures to conduct surveillance operations against the country.
The ministry said unspecified nations have been outfitting living marine animals with sensors and training them to swim to specific areas, where they collect data on water temperature, salinity, and ocean currents. Officials say they've also found buoys and a wave glider used to track maritime vessel activity. China alleges that much of the collected data is transmitted overseas via satellite, threatening China's national security. The government warned fishermen to stay vigilant and has previously awarded them up to $73K for turning in alleged maritime spy devices.
In 2023, the British military claimed Russia was training dolphins to counter enemy divers in its war with Ukraine. The US and Russia deployed dolphins, sea lions, and killer whales during the Cold War; watch how.
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Quick Hits
US beats Paraguay 4-1 in 2026 World Cup debut.
The win moves the US Men's National Team one step closer to advancing to the Round of 32. To secure automatic qualification, the US must finish first or second in its group after playing the other three teams (bracket format explained). The team's next match is against Australia on Friday, June 19, in Seattle, at 3 pm ET. (More, w/highlights)
1440 is partnering with Men in Blazers to bring you the most detailed coverage of the world’s biggest tournament this summer. Sign up here to get daily, in-depth updates.
US Park Police investigate giant "86 47" on the National Mall ahead of UFC fight.
The four-number sequence was found near the location of President Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 event tomorrow. "Eighty-six” is commonly used as slang for “get rid of,” and Trump is the nation’s 47th president. The Trump administration indicted former FBI Director James Comey in April over a social media post featuring seashells arranged to form the same numbers. (More)
Separately, crews began the process of stripping Trump's name from the exterior of the Kennedy Center after a judge denied a last-minute effort to delay the removal.
Contemporary artist David Hockney dies at age 88.
Over his seven-decade career, Hockney used sun-soaked Southern California as his muse to explore everyday life in vibrant colors. He became a prominent figure in the 1960s Pop Art movement, began playing with computer graphics as early as 1985, and later experimented with the iPad. Openly gay at a time when few public figures were, Hockney often explored the male body and homosexuality in his work. (More)
See five of Hockney's most influential pieces here.
Pentagon releases third batch of declassified UFO files.
More than 70 newly released files, spanning the 1940s through this year, contain reports from the public, Defense Department, CIA, and other agencies. Among the more recent files is a rendering depicting an alleged 2022 sighting of an object some have compared to a pale, scaly potato. The Pentagon says it is preparing to release another batch soon. (More, w/images)
Read about five of the biggest revelations here.
Jeff Bezos' physical AI startup raises $12B at $41B valuation.
Prometheus, founded by Bezos and an ex-Google scientist, is building software to automate the engineering of complex physical systems, from jet engines to drug compounds. The startup launched in November with $6.2B in funding, and its latest funding round—backed by JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock—will help expand its computing capacity. (More)
Explore what the physical AI era could look like here.
Hidden fungal network beneath Earth would stretch across the cosmos.
The first-ever global map of underground fungal networks—which nourish plants and absorb carbon—suggests that, if laid out in a straight line, these networks would span about 68 quadrillion miles. That's nearly a billion times the distance from Earth to the sun, or roughly 10% of the width of the Milky Way. The milestone map brings visibility to an overlooked ecosystem and could guide conservation efforts. (More)
Judge weighs alleged gag-order violation in Charlie Kirk murder case.
Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, yesterday asked a judge to hold prosecutors in contempt for publicly commenting on recovered bullet fragments. The judge said he would issue a ruling at a later date, and any potential penalty remains unclear. Another hearing is set for July 6, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to proceed to trial. (More)
Humankind
Couple asks their grandmothers to be flower girls; see Mimi, Grandma, and Nana's reactions. (More, w/video)
NICU nurse comes home to Post-it note dinner instructions from her husband who usually cooks after her 12-hour shifts. (More, w/video)
Ballerina who uses a wheelchair teaches other dancers with disabilities how to pirouette. (More, w/video)
Young woman promises to help an 81-year-old return to her native Puerto Rico after an impromptu conversation on the New York subway—an encounter that happened only because she took her AirPods out. (More)
Woman with brain cancer finds laughter despite her terminal diagnosis by using a "gender reveal cake" to learn if her tumor is stable or has grown. (More)
In partnership with Doroni
Keep This Stock on Your Watchlist
They’re a private company, but Doroni just reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI.
Created by a former military drone expert, Doroni is scaling in the flying car industry projected to reach $9 trillion in size by 2050. Their H1-X aircraft plugs in like an EV, fits in two-car garages, and needs just 25 hours of training to fly. And consumers love it, already committing $240M+ of potential revenue from preorders. First deliveries are planned for 2028. By 2032, Doroni is targeting $1.4B in annual revenue.
But you don’t need to wait for public markets. You can invest in Doroni for $3.10/share until June 18.*
Humankind(ness)
Dear readers— In honor of Father's Day this month, we're pausing our usual act of kindness stories to share reader submissions about dads. Enjoy!
"When my elementary teachers needed a bus driver for field trips, my dad volunteered. He'd worked as a bus driver in high school, but that was before a Commercial Driver's License was required in our state. When I was 8 years old, my dad, then 38, studied road manuals for weeks in preparation for his CDL test. He passed it and spent the next three years driving my classmates and me all over South Carolina anytime we had a field trip, including some overnights. I loved going with him to pick up the buses in the morning, and I always felt so cool being the driver's kid."
— Joey H. in Durham, North Carolina
"I grew up in the 1960s on a small island in north Florida. My dad was the editor, publisher, photographer, and reporter for the weekly newspaper. He was widely admired for his dedication to the community and for his integrity. I was a teenage daughter, and he raised me alone. I'm sure that was quite the challenge. There is one memory I have thought about a lot. In gym class, we were told to ask our mothers to embroider our names on the pocket of the white shirt given to us along with the regulation blue shorts. All the other girls' names were beautifully embroidered, but mine was special. Daddy had carefully stitched my name with blue thread in a staccato connection of short in-and-out stitches—each done with love and perseverance."
— Candy D. in Maitland, Florida
"When I was about 4 years old, we went to the airport to see my uncle, who had been visiting, leave by airplane. We walked around watching planes flying and landing. After my uncle's plane departed, we walked back to the car. My dad laughed when he let go of my hand. There was a puddle of sweat in his hand. That was because he’d never let go of my hand the whole time."
— Peg L. in Wells, Maine
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 these stories made you smile—share our email (copy URL here).
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Etcetera
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Take this quiz to see which World Cup team you should cheer for.
Watch pro chefs blind taste test store-bought vanilla ice cream.
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Why people cheat on their significant others. (w/audio)
Are you a bad person if you love steakhouses?
Most Clicked This Week: Three optical illusions that will drive you nuts.
Historybook: Miranda rights are established (1966); Thurgood Marshall becomes first African American nominated to Supreme Court (1967); Pioneer 10 is first human-made object to exit our solar system (1983); Actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen born (1986).
"The legal system can force open doors and sometimes even knock down walls. But it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me."
- Thurgood Marshall
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