• ☝️ A three-year-old Chihuahua named Pearl was recently named the world’s shortest living adult dog by the Guinness Book of World Records, measuring 3.59 inches tall; Pearl is descended from the previous record-holder, Miracle Milly.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💰 US markets closed mixed yesterday (S&P: -0.004%; Dow: +0.3%; Nasdaq: -0.4%).
• 📉 The International Monetary Fund cut its global growth outlook to 2.8% for 2023.
• 🪙 Bitcoin topped $30,000 yesterday for the first time since last June; the world’s largest cryptocurrency has risen more than 80% so far this year.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🦈🎧 Pinkfong, the South Korean studio behind “Baby Shark,” released eight new podcasts on Apple’s platform yesterday; three of the shows are in English and five are in Korean.
• 📺 Google launched Google TV, a new app with over 800 free, ad-supported channels, including content from Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and Haystack News.
• 🏀 The NBA Playoffs tipped off last night with play-in tournament matchups; Atlanta defeated Miami 116–105, while LA (Lakers) beat Minnesota 108–102 in OT.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌼🌸🌷 California is currently experiencing a rare “superbloom” of wildflowers following months of heavy rain and snow.
• ☀️🌌 An ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in outer space is currently exuding about 10 million times more energy than the sun, which breaks a law of physics known as the Eddington limit, per a new peer-reviewed study from NASA.
• 🇨🇳🚀💥 China’s space agency announced plans to smash a spacecraft into a near-Earth asteroid in 2025 as part of a planetary defense test similar to NASA’s DART mission. (Background)

EVERYTHING ELSE

• 🏙️ Chicago has been selected to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, party officials announced yesterday; Republicans decided last year that the party's 2024 convention will take place in Milwaukee.
• 💧 The Biden administration published an environmental analysis yesterday that proposes a plan with two options for how seven Western states can continue to share the dwindling water supply from the Colorado River. (Background)
• 📊 A new Morning Consult poll found former President Trump carries a 56% to 23% lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical GOP presidential primary matchup; the 33-point lead is Trump’s largest since Morning Consult started tracking sentiment in December.

CLICKBAIT

• 🦫 Be on the lookout for Rodents of Unusual Size with orange teeth.

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