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Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 1, and we're covering pivotal races in Wisconsin and Florida, a guilty verdict against a French politician, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
PS—Trust nothing today except this read on the murky origins of April Fools' Day ... and relive the all-time best 100 April Fools' pranks.
And, as always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com. |
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Wisconsin voters cast ballots today in a closely watched election to determine the ideological balance of the state’s Supreme Court. The swing-state race has become a proxy for the national political mood, with more than $75M in ad spending poured in—the most ever for a state-level judicial contest.
The court currently has a 4-3 left-leaning composition, with liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring. Recent polls have Democratic candidate Susan Crawford with an eight-point lead over Republican Brad Schimel (though data has been limited). Crawford has outspent Schimel, though a number of influential figures have publicly supported the Trump-endorsed Schimel—including Elon Musk, who gave out two $1M checks to voters during a Sunday rally.
Separately, Republicans look to defend two Florida House seats in special elections, with candidates vying to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1) and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (FL-6). President Donald Trump won both districts by more than 30 points, though the contest to replace Waltz has become closer than expected. |
French Embezzlement Ruling |
Marine Le Pen, a leader of France's nationalist-populist National Rally party, was convicted yesterday of embezzling millions in European Union funds. A Paris court sentenced the 56-year-old to four years in prison—two years under house arrest and two years suspended—and imposed an approximately $108K fine. She was also barred from holding public office for five years, effective immediately, likely disqualifying her from the 2027 presidential election.
The court found Le Pen and 24 other party officials misappropriated roughly $4.8M in funds intended for EU parliamentary aides, instead diverting the money to fictitious assistants to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016, violating EU regulations. National Rally was fined more than $2.1M for its role.
Le Pen, who was the runner-up in France's 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, plans to appeal the ruling, though a final decision before the next election is unlikely. Her political protégé, Jordan Bardella, is expected to replace Le Pen on the ballot in the 2027 election. |
Researchers have developed a blood test that diagnoses Alzheimer's disease and measures its progression with 92% accuracy. The breakthrough offers a potential tool to accurately diagnose the disease while tailoring treatments to an individual's specific disease stage.
Unlike existing blood tests that only aid in diagnosis, the new test can distinguish between early- and late-stage Alzheimer's and differentiate it from other causes of cognitive impairment. The test identifies levels of MTBR-tau243, a protein that indicates toxic tau accumulation in the brain, correlating with Alzheimer's severity. Researchers found patients with non-Alzheimer's cognitive impairment showed normal levels of the protein, while patients with mild cognitive symptoms from Alzheimer's showed elevated tau protein levels, and those in the dementia phase showed levels up to 200 times higher.
Alzheimer's affects nearly 7 million Americans. Accumulations of molecules known as amyloid beta plaques and misfolded tau proteins are believed to play a key role. See the best Alzheimer's resources on 1440 Topics here. |
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In partnership with SmartAsset |
Working with a financial advisor can be a crucial part of any healthy retirement plan.
Research suggests that people who work with a financial advisor feel more at ease about their finances and could end up with about 15% more money to spend in retirement.* But choosing the wrong one could wreak havoc. Avoiding these 7 mistakes people make when hiring an advisor could potentially help reduce financial stress.
Interested in finding a vetted financial advisor? SmartAsset's no-cost tool can help you find and compare vetted fiduciary advisors serving your area, each legally bound to work in your best interest. You may even be able to instantly connect for a free introductory consultation. Take the free advisor match quiz. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> NCAA women's Final Four set as UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, and Connecticut advance from the Elite Eight; see updated bracket (More) |
> Kendrick Lamar live-action comedy film from the creators of "South Park" sets March 2026 release date (More) |
> NFL adds United Arab Emirates to slate of new international markets as the league looks to play up to 10 international games in 2026 (More) | NFL owners meeting this week to discuss potential for 18-game regular season (More) |
Stephen King: This week's Society & Culture newsletter takes a look at the six-decade career of the master of horror. Sign up here to join! |
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> Amazon unveils AI agent that can take control of a web browser and perform simple tasks as well as a tool kit for developers to build personalized agents (More) | The history of Amazon (1440 Topics) |
> Engineers develop brain-computer interface that converts thoughts to speech in near real time; device may allow patients with severe paralysis to regain verbal communication (More) |
> Fecal transplants from elite athletes into mice improve insulin sensitivity and help muscles store more energy (More) | Explore the best resources on the gut microbiome (1440 Topics) |
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In partnership with hear.com |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq -0.1%); Nasdaq, S&P 500 post worst quarters since 2022 as investors await new US tariffs to take effect tomorrow (More) | Conservative cable channel Newsmax shares surge over 700% in first trading day on NYSE (More) |
> Google DeepMind’s drug discovery spin-off Isomorphic Labs raises $600M (More) | Mortgage company Rocket to buy competitor Mr. Cooper Group in all-stock deal valued at $9.4B; comes three weeks after Rocket bought Redfin (More) |
> CEO of fast-fashion brand Primark, Paul Marchant, resigns over allegations of improper behavior; Marchant had led the company since 2009 (More) |
Retail Investors: This week's 1440 Business & Finance newsletter explores individual investing, from day trading to short squeezes. Sign up here for free! |
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> Death toll from earthquake that struck Myanmar Friday surpasses 2,000, with more than 3,000 injured; at least 20 people dead in Bangkok, Thailand, which also felt the quake (More) |
> Trump administration says it is reviewing roughly $9B in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, claiming the school failed to address issues of antisemitism on campus; review comes after similar probe into Columbia (More) |
> Israeli military orders evacuation of Gaza’s southern border city of Rafah as it seeks to reoccupy 25% of the enclave (More) | Three US Army soldiers found dead in Lithuania after their armored vehicle sank in a bog during training; search for fourth soldier continues (More) |
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> Why Is Dining Alone So Difficult?
NY Times | Priya Krishna. Solo dining is on the rise, but some patrons report feeling unwelcome. See why solo diners might experience stigma—and what it feels like to eat alone in high-end US restaurants. (Read)
> Musical Family Trees
The Pudding | Staff. How did orchestral music from the 1870s form the basis for a 1990s rap song? Explore how beats, melodies, and lyrics are sampled over decades, forming complex family trees. (Read) |
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In partnership with SmartAsset |
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"If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else." |
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*Disclosure: "Journal of Retirement Study Winter" (2020). The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of your future results. Please follow the link to see the methodologies employed in the Journal of Retirement study. |
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