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Good morning, it's Friday, June 26. The US Supreme Court issued immigration-related rulings yesterday.
Also in today's Digest: child actors' "Peppa Pig" contracts (Need To Know), dating app Bumble reportedly looking for a sale (Bus. & Mkts.), a ship attacked in the Gulf of Oman (Pol. & World Affairs), World Cup players' favorite shoe color (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
SCOTUS Immigration Rulings
The Supreme Court handed down two immigration rulings yesterday, allowing the Trump administration to revive a border asylum policy and immediately move forward with ending deportation protections for migrants from Haiti and Syria.
In the first case, the court ruled migrants turned away before setting foot on US soil cannot apply for asylum. The decision restores the "metering" policy, which limits daily asylum processing at the US-Mexico border, a policy that was rescinded under President Joe Biden. In the second case, the court said the administration may immediately end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians while legal challenges continue. Created in 1990, TPS protects migrants from deportation if their home countries face war, natural disasters, or other emergencies, with protections intended to end when conditions improve.
Separately, the court struck down Hawaii's restriction on carrying firearms onto private property open to the public and limited state-law failure-to-warn lawsuits against Bayer over its Roundup weedkiller. See how SCOTUS decides its cases here.
Deadly Double Quake
Rescue crews are searching for thousands of people reported missing after powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minute apart Wednesday evening. At least 188 people are dead as of this writing, and hundreds more are injured.
The first, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, struck west of Caracas, putting stress on another fault line roughly 3 miles away and triggering a 7.5-magnitude quake 39 seconds later. The second quake was the strongest Venezuela has experienced in over a century. The nation sits on a border where the Caribbean tectonic plate slides along the South American plate (see map). The tremors were felt in Brazil's Amazon, roughly 1,050 miles from Caracas, where buildings, power, and cell service all went down. (Learn how scientists determine where a quake originated here.)
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez is reportedly coordinating aid with several countries, including the US, which has backed her since capturing former President Nicolás Maduro. The United Nations is also calling on Rodríguez to lift digital media restrictions imposed by Maduro to facilitate the flow of lifesaving information.
🫶 Humankind: Tennessee college student designs custom 3D-printed dentures for thousands of people in need, reducing turnaround time from three months to a few hours.
'Peppa Pig' Contract Doesn't Fly
Nearly 1,000 people have signed an open letter condemning contracts requiring child actors to sign over their voices to AI. The letter comes after Hasbro, which owns the “Peppa Pig” brand, reportedly updated its contracts to include the clause.
The new contracts come after Hasbro presented an AI version of Peppa Pig this year, in partnership with ElevenLabs. It’s not clear if six-year-old Harriette Cox, who began voicing the character last year, licensed her voice for the project. (See part of the demo via LinkedIn.) Child advocates say kids are too young to sign over rights to their voices or images indefinitely. If they refuse, however, they risk losing out on business opportunities.
“Peppa Pig” is a Nick Jr. show with tens of millions of YouTube subscribers. The animated series is one of dozens of entertainment projects owned by Hasbro; adaptations of Monopoly, My Little Pony, Magic: The Gathering, and Furby are currently in development.
In partnership with Half Baked
Every Great Idea Starts Half Baked
Airbnb started with air mattresses on a living room floor. Stripe began as a side project. Most of the startup stories you read today have been polished by years of success—but the most interesting part is what they looked like before anyone knew they would work. When the idea was half baked.
That’s why 130,000+ people read Half Baked, a free daily newsletter uncovering original startup ideas, emerging trends, and fascinating stories from founders. Each edition explores the ideas, industries, and opportunities that most people haven’t discovered yet—from AI and e-commerce to bioengineering and niches you never knew existed.
Whether you’re a future founder, investor, or simply someone who is entrepreneurially curious, Half Baked delivers thought-provoking ideas to your inbox before everyone else hears about it. Take 4 seconds and sign up free.
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Harvey Weinstein's New York rape charge is dropped after an overturned verdict and two deadlocked juries; his accuser says she does not want to testify at a fourth trial (More)
> David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of the Grammy-winning band Blood, Sweat & Tears, dies at age 84 (More) | Listen to "Spinning Wheel," one of the band's hits written by Clayton-Thomas (More)
> France and Norway battle at 3 pm ET for the top spot in their World Cup group, while Uruguay faces Spain at 8 pm ET with a chance to advance on the line (More, w/schedule) | See highlights from last night's USMNT vs. Turkey game; USMNT already clinched a spot in the next round, which begins Sunday (More)
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.
Science & Technology
> IBM unveils world's first sub-1-nanometer chip technology, expected to enable significantly more powerful computers without a corresponding energy increase (More) | How small is a nanometer? (More)
> Gene editing enables scientists to see an early human embryo in detail, revealing a master gene crucial to development; finding may improve IVF outcomes and reduce pregnancy loss (More) | Understand the gene-editing technique (More, w/video)
> Astronomers discover two planets the size of Jupiter but lighter than cotton candy; they are likely composed primarily of helium and hydrogen (More)
In partnership with EnergyX
The Lithium Boom Is Heating Up
Lithium stock prices have more than doubled in the past year in response to ballooning costs and shortages. $ALB climbed 165%. $SQM, 136%.
But the real winner may be a $1B private stock, EnergyX. This unicorn’s tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods at speeds 500X faster. Now, after opening America’s largest lithium facility of its kind and announcing a new potential $600M/year project in Utah, they’re preparing to unlock up to 13M tons of lithium.
Industry leaders like General Motors and POSCO have already invested. Join them as an EnergyX investor before the 7/16 deadline.*
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.5%) (More) | US Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index—key inflation metric monitored by the Fed—rose 4.1% year over year in May, highest level in three years (More)
> Apple shares drop 6% after it raises prices for MacBooks and iPads due to higher memory chip and storage costs (More, w/price hikes) | Microsoft raises Xbox console prices for third time in 13 months due to higher component costs (More)
> Dating app Bumble reportedly exploring sale amid slow growth (More) | Inside the dramatic story behind Bumble's founding—including a Russian billionaire and a Tinder cofounder (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> UN agency pauses plan to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf after Iran allegedly attacks a Singaporean-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman with a drone (More)
> Great American State Fair kicks off in DC's National Mall; will be open through July 10 (More) | See photos (More) | National Park Service says the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a knife or razor this month (More)
> North Korean soldier defects to South Korea, becoming the latest of more than 34,000 North Koreans who have defected since 1998, per South Korean data (More)
In-Depth
> Your Gut Has a Story to Tell
1440 Explores | Dina Fine Maron. What do trillions of gut microbes, a medieval court jester, and Bluetooth sensors have in common? They're all part of the surprising story of flatulence and what emerging science may reveal about your digestive health. (Listen)
> America's Earliest Menus
The Pudding | Stephen Lurie. Travel back in time with a virtual 10-course meal inspired by menu items from some of the United States' first fine dining restaurants. A Horse's Neck and vol-au-vent, anyone? (Read)
... and after you read, explore 5,000 historic menus here.
> The English Language Isn't Smelly
Storied | Staff. Our eyes have only three types of color receptors, while our noses have roughly 400 types of odor receptors. So why is it so much easier for us to find words for how something looks than for how it smells? (Watch)
> The Passive American Dream
WSJ | Joe Pinsker**.** As US job satisfaction hits a record low, a growing number of younger Americans are eager to become their own bosses and get their time back with businesses that practically run themselves. (Read)
In partnership with Half Baked
The Best Ideas and Stories In Business
You don’t need to be starting a company to appreciate a brilliant idea. Some of the most fascinating stories in business begin with an unusual observation, an overlooked problem, or a market hiding in plain sight.
Half Baked is a free daily newsletter covering new and original startup ideas, sourced from the world's best founders. Join 130,000+ readers and get one fascinating startup idea, emerging trend and business story delivered to your inbox every morning. It’s free, quick to read, and guaranteed to make you think differently.
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Etcetera
See the Colonial-era bars that are still open for business.
Learn the names of islands you aren't welcome to visit.
Why more than one in five dogs attempt to flee on July 4.
Guess what World Cup players' favorite shoe color is?
Woman who falls 120 feet down a mountain is saved via helicopter.
Meet Gus, the 40-foot-tall T. rex headed for auction.
Can elevator music before work reduce conflict in the workplace?
"Shrek" spinoff "Donkey" sets 2028 release date.
In partnership: The lithium gold rush just minted a $1B+ private unicorn, and 50k+ investors are tapping in.*
Clickbait: See the modern-day Noah's Ark of genetic samples.
Historybook: Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro is assassinated (1541); Sports great Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias born (1911); Berlin Airlift begins (1948); JFK delivers famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech (1963); Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage in the US (2015).
*Please support our sponsors.
"All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"
- John F. Kennedy
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*Disclosure: Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (“EnergyX”) has engaged 1440 Media to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX’s ongoing Regulation A offering. 1440 Media has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. 1440 Media and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX. This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX’s offering materials. EnergyX’s Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/. Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only and should not imply similar results. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Market shortfall are forward‑looking estimates and are subject to substantial uncertainty.
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