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Good morning, it's Friday, June 12. SpaceX is set to launch over 4,400 millionaires today after pricing the world's largest-ever IPO.
Also in today's Digest: Steven Spielberg's return to alien sci-fi (Need To Know), the biological mechanism for cocaine addiction (Sci. & Tech.), Waymo subscriptions in San Francisco (Bus. & Finance), vintage cereal boxes (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
SpaceX’s Moonshot IPO
Elon Musk’s SpaceX priced the largest-ever initial public offering, raising $75B at a roughly $1.77T valuation. Shares are set to start trading today, potentially making Musk the world’s first trillionaire and turning over 4,400 current and former employees into millionaires.
Founded in 2002 with the goal of colonizing Mars, SpaceX now generates over 61% of its revenue from its satellite internet service, Starlink (watch 3-minute company overview). The decision to go public is largely driven by a need for capital to deploy AI data centers in space using Starlink infrastructure, which Musk says will overcome power constraints on Earth. Much of SpaceX’s success hinges on designing a reusable Starship rocket to reduce launch costs and increase launch cadence. Starship is also a leading contender to carry NASA astronauts to the moon in 2028.
Previously, the largest IPO of all time was the 2019 listing of Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, which raised today’s equivalent of $38B. Visualize how SpaceX's IPO stacks up here.
US-Iran Negotiations
President Donald Trump canceled plans yesterday to strike Iran, citing progress in diplomatic negotiations. The announcement came hours after Trump said the US would soon be “taking” Kharg Island, likening the plan to the US operation in Venezuela.
Kharg Island is a coral outcrop roughly 20 miles off the coast of Iran, measuring eight square miles (around one-third the size of Manhattan). The island is critical to Iran’s oil infrastructure: around 90% of its oil exports travel through it, mostly via underwater pipelines. Because Kharg Island is surrounded by deep waters, supertankers are able to dock there—in contrast to Iran’s coastline, most of which is too shallow. The island exports up to 7 million barrels of oil per day, most of it to China. Explore Iranian islands in the Strait of Hormuz here.
Unlike most other islands in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is composed of porous limestone, allowing it to maintain its own freshwater and even sustain a population of gazelles. Learn about the island’s history here.
🫶 Humankind: A World War I soldier's long-lost postcard connects distant family members over a century after his death.
Spielberg's Alien Disclosure
Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” premieres in theaters today, centering on a global extraterrestrial revelation and starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo. Watch the trailer here.
The premiere marks Spielberg’s first return to alien sci-fi since “War of the Worlds” (2005) and his first major summer release in a decade. Set on a planet teetering on the edge of global conflict, the story follows leaders, scientists, broadcasters, and religious figures as they wrestle with whether humanity is ready to learn the truth about aliens’ existence. The story draws on real-world intrigue, including 2023 congressional hearings on unidentified anomalous phenomena and a 2017 New York Times report detailing a secret Pentagon program. See what critics are saying.
Spielberg’s decadeslong fascination with extraterrestrials—including “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)—often leans on the familiar “gray” alien archetype: pale, large-headed beings with almond-shaped eyes. What might aliens actually look like?
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Serena Williams exits HSBC Championship, her first professional tournament since 2022, after her doubles partner withdraws due to a knee injury (More)
> "24 Jump Street" is in development, with Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Ice Cube in talks to return for the third installment of the "Jump Street" franchise; plus why "23 Jump Street" was never made (More)
> FIFA World Cup: Mexico's Julián Quiñones scores tournament's first goal, nutmegging South Africa's goalkeeper (Watch) | Bosnia-Herzegovina faces Canada at 3 pm ET today, while the US faces Paraguay in Los Angeles at 9 pm ET (More, w/schedule)
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
> Physicists introduce phase contrast to electron microscopes, enabling scientists to observe how molecules function inside living cells, potentially transforming our understanding of diseases (More)
> Researchers discover biological driver of cocaine addiction in the liver, suggesting how the body metabolizes cocaine may predict addiction; most prior research has focused on the brain (More) | Why does cocaine feel so good? (More, w/video)
> Genes inherited from now-extinct hominins strengthened ancient humans' immunity to viruses and bacteria and continue to influence skeletal development, according to a large-scale study of genomes from Oceania (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.8%, Dow +1.9%, Nasdaq +2.5%) after President Donald Trump calls off Iran strikes (More)
> US wholesale prices rise 1.1% in May, putting annual rate at 6.5%, the highest since November 2022 (More) | European Central Bank raises interest rates for first time since 2023 amid Iran war, becomes first major central bank to do so (More)
> Waymo launches premier subscription tier for $29.99 a month in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix; perks include priority rides and 10% back in loyalty credits per trip (More)
In partnership with Motley Fool Money
The 4 Best Free Brokerages for SpaceX IPO Day
The largest IPO of all time is happening today, and our friends at The Motley Fool Money have found the four best (free!) online brokerages you can use to invest in SpaceX.
The Motley Fool Money has been investors since 1993, so we trust them when they say their team has combed through the options. These brokerage accounts aren't just good—they think they're the best, and use them all.
Shares start trading today. Open a free brokerage account in minutes and be ready.
Politics & World Affairs
> Pentagon resumes operations after a hazardous materials sensor set off a false alarm, triggering lockdown and partial evacuation, per spokesperson (More)
> Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is expected to expire today after Congress did not pass a three-week extension; critics largely cited Bill Pulte's appointment as acting director of national intelligence (More) | What is the warrantless spying program? (More)
> President Donald Trump nominates former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence (More)
In-Depth
> American Soccer Awakening
WSJ | Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. How $5M from the World Cup organizing committee, David Beckham, and Lionel Messi helped transform the US into a soccer nation. (Read)
> Fruit Is Sweeter Than Ever
The Atlantic | Ellen Cushing. The Sumo Citrus, a mandarin-satsuma-orange hybrid that flies off the shelves at Trader Joe's, is roughly twice as sweet as the average grocery-store mandarin. Has fruit become too sugary and designer? (Read)
> The World's Sole Venomous Primate
TED-Ed | Stephanie A. Poindexter. The slow loris lurks in the jungles of Southeast Asia, armed with a lethal cocktail of saliva and oily fluid secreted from glands near its armpits. Learn about these tiny primates from the safety of your screen—you don't want to encounter one in the wild. (Watch)
> Science of Self-Talk
NPR | Staff. Do you hear a running narration in your head when you're alone, or do you see a silent stream of images? Not everyone thinks the same way, and scientists are exploring why. (Listen)
Etcetera
How to actually visualize $1T.
Air Canada pilot allegedly flew over 900 flights without a valid license.
Six of the most valuable vintage cereal boxes.
Pew identifies nine political sub-identities in the US.
Students discover ancient Roman home beneath their high school gym.
Australia's tiniest town is on sale for roughly $281K.
Chatbots' favorite fictional character is lighthouse keeper Elias Thorne.
One in five Americans believes aliens have already made contact.
Clickbait: The war between Japan and its bears continues.
Historybook: Former President George HW Bush born (1924); Anne Frank born (1929); Nelson Mandela sentenced to life in prison in South Africa (1964); President Ronald Reagan delivers famous "Tear Down This Wall" speech (1987); 49 killed in mass shooting at nightclub in Orlando (2016).
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The Steaks Have Never Been Higher
Food labels can feel like alphabet soup. ButcherBox cuts through it: They source exclusively from farmers and fishermen that follow the highest quality welfare standards in the industry—so what lands on your family's table is independently verified, not just marketed.
This June, new members pick what's free for a year—an 18-oz ribeye, four 6-oz top sirloins, or ground beef and bacon—in every box. Code 1440JUNE adds $60 off your first three boxes.
Please support our sponsors!
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