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Good morning, it's Thursday, June 11. The biggest event in soccer kicks off today in North America.
Also in today's Digest: the human instinct to turn left (Need To Know), galaxy-killing wind in the early universe (Sci. & Tech.), the geometry of US highways (Civics Thursdays), were the Founding Fathers drunk? (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
World Cup Begins
The FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off today and runs through July 19 across the US, Mexico, and Canada. Host nation Mexico opens the tournament against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at 3 pm ET. See the full schedule.
Spain and France enter as favorites to lift the iconic 18-karat gold trophy, though the winning team does not keep it (eight more trophy facts here). The US national team is fielded by a so-called “golden generation” of young players developed at top European clubs and is predicted by many to reach the Round of 16, as it has in its last three World Cup appearances. (See more predictions.)
FIFA launched the World Cup in 1930 as an alternative to the Olympics, which barred professional athletes from competing. Join 1440’s editor-in-chief Sony Kassam as she chronicles how FIFA became one of the most powerful and controversial organizations in sports here (w/video).
PS: 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 throughout the competition.
Belfast Violence Continues
After anti-immigrant violence overtook the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland for a second night yesterday. Nationalist-populist influencers have called for unrest over an attack described online as an attempted beheading.
The attack took place Monday, when a Sudanese-born suspect was filmed using what is believed to be a kitchen knife to hack at a white man in Belfast. The victim lost his eye and was hospitalized with serious injuries as of this writing. Anti-immigrant protests have since erupted, amplified by nationalist-populists including Tommy Robinson and billionaire Elon Musk. The protests turned violent, with people setting fire to buses, cars, and homes in immigrant neighborhoods (see footage). The family of the victim has denounced the riots, calling for any demonstrations to be peaceful.
The unrest comes days after the sentencing of a Sikh man over the murder of white teenager Henry Nowak. That attack has also sparked ethnic tensions, after police initially took the attacker’s allegations at face value; see background here.
🫶 Humankind: Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes makes an impromptu visit to a local Little League practice, spending two hours taking pictures and playing catch.
We Are Not Ambiturners
Humans consistently show a preference toward moving counterclockwise, a study published yesterday reveals. The phenomenon is not yet understood but holds true across variations in environment, age, gender, culture, and handedness.
The inclination was first observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when researchers in Spain considered how to maintain social distancing in crowds. In 32 out of 33 experiments, pedestrians ended up veering left and moving counterclockwise. Since most animals walk without directional preference (exceptions include temnothorax ants), researchers were puzzled. They conducted further experiments in Spain and Japan, corroborating the findings, including with teenagers, toddlers, and adults in various settings and crowd sizes. That preference was especially pronounced in a nursery school, suggesting the phenomenon may have biological roots.
Researchers hope to conduct further studies in virtual reality spaces. The findings could help inform how airports, malls, and other public spaces are designed. (How do crowd engineers do it? See considerations, via YouTube.)
In partnership with Doroni
A Drone Expert Is Making Flying Cars Real
After years working on military drones, Doron Merdinger began sketching a flying car in 2016. He saw how quickly the tech had advanced. Soon, people would fly from driveways. So he built Doroni.
It’s great timing, too. The urban air mobility market is worth $4B today. By 2040, Morgan Stanley puts it at $1 trillion. By 2050, $9 trillion. And with 600+ reservations for Doroni’s aircraft and $240M+ in potential revenue already, the demand for this innovation is undeniable. With commercial deliveries planned for 2028 and $1.4B+ in annual revenue targeted by 2032, Doroni’s scaling fast.
Now they’ve reserved the Nasdaq ticker DRNI in preparation for a potential public listing. And you can claim an early-stage stake in Doroni at $3.10/share today. But hurry; June 18 is the last day to invest at the current share price. Become a Doroni investor today.*
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> New York Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, rallying from a 29 point deficit (More) | ... and watch the game-winning tip shot by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left (More)
> Stanley Cup Final between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 tonight at 8 pm ET (More)
> Sean "Diddy" Combs accused of sexually assaulting an unidentified child actor in 2007; Combs denies the allegations filed in California this week (More)
Science & Technology
> Waymo develops a computer model to predict how people behave in crash and near-crash scenarios, helping its robotaxis better avoid potential collisions (More)
> Galaxy-killing wind that blows away fuel for new stars may explain why astronomers have found an unexpectedly large number of dead galaxies in the early universe (More)
> Novel ultrasound system with a virtual-reality headset lets medical professionals see a 3D augmented-reality image of the scanned tissue, making it easier to identify and analyze (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.6%, Dow -1.9%, Nasdaq -2.0%) following latest inflation reading (More) | Consumer price index rose 4.2% year over year in May; figure is the fastest pace in three years but in line with expectations (More)
> SpaceX to begin publicly trading tomorrow, with its price set for $135 per share, valuing the company at around $1.8T (More) | A glossary to help understand initial public offerings (More)
> Amazon to expand its trucking and freight services to third-party shipping, triggering sell-off in major trucking and freight stocks (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> US military says it began striking multiple targets in Iran after President Donald Trump says ceasefire negotiations have stalled (More)
> House Oversight Committee questions Bill Gates about his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein from 2011 to 2014 in closed hearing; Gates says Epstein sought to blackmail him over his affairs with Russian women but denies illicit conduct (More) | Who's in the Epstein files? (More)
> President Donald Trump signs bill allocating $70B toward immigration enforcement through the end of his term, capping partisan fight over the future of Department of Homeland Security funding (More)
In partnership with USAFacts
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Public data is one of America’s most important resources, but our data infrastructure is falling behind. USAFacts is asking Congress to fix that, and they need you—the voters—to show them it matters.
Data should be a standard part of policymaking. Lawmakers can use it to define problems, compare options, allocate resources, and measure outcomes. When data is slow, fragmented, or inaccessible, it’s a failure of public infrastructure. Decision-making suffers. So does public trust.
Support public data and sign the open letter.
In-Depth
> Are Memories Transferable or Edible?
Quanta Magazine | Claire L. Evans. Scientists are revisiting a once-ridiculed claim—that eating trained worms could pass on learned behaviors—as new evidence suggests memory may exist beyond neural connections. (Read)
> Inside the World of Epstein's Assistant
The Guardian | Sophie Elmhirst. When Jeffrey Epstein's assistant got pregnant, he bought her a Mercedes and a nanny so she wouldn't quit. She spent nearly 20 years at his side, appeared over 150,000 times in DOJ files, and just testified before Congress. (Read)
1440 Civics: Infrastructure
Experts forecast $5.4T will be spent on public and private infrastructure in the United States between 2024 and 2033—but engineers estimate the country needs $3.7T in spending beyond that to bring its infrastructure up to good repair.
> What would happen if the US electrical grid stopped functioning properly—and why might that risk be growing?
... and with demand expected to double by 2050, explore how the grid is being rebuilt for the AI era.
> See how the American Society of Civil Engineers graded every corner of US infrastructure in 2025.
> How US highways are designed—and the geometry behind what makes them safe and efficient.
Want to learn more about science and technology? Sign up for our weekly newsletter, which covers everything from quantum mechanics to dark energy.
Etcetera
What's the safest swimsuit color? It isn't blue.
America's top staycation destinations, ranked.
See the custom sports cars inspired by "Toy Story 5."
Is your dog right-pawed or left-pawed?
Photos of an 85-million-year-old fossil a boy found in Kansas.
Why fewer kids are picking up books for fun.
Scientists think a giant kraken-like creature once ruled the seas.
The first official Mister Rogers YouTube channel is here.
In partnership: This fast-growing startup’s share price is set to change after June 18.*
Clickbait: SCOTUS is debating whether the Founding Fathers were drunk.
Historybook: Politician and suffragist Jeannette Rankin born (1880); President John F. Kennedy uses the Alabama National Guard to integrate University of Alabama (1963); Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington are first two women to become generals in the US Armed Forces (1970); Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee dies (2014).
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In partnership with Doroni
$DRNI Prepares for Potential Nasdaq Listing
But the real opportunity is now, before Doroni takes to the skies.
They just unveiled the showroom model of their flying car after nearly a decade of R&D. It’s already been preordered by 600+ people, good for $240M in potential revenue for Doroni. And with commercial deliveries targeted for 2028, this futuristic promise is nearly a modern-day reality. They’ve just officially reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI. By 2032, Doroni projects $1.4B/year in revenue. Invest in Doroni at $3.10/share by 6/18.*
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- Jeannette Rankin
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