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Good morning. Without further ado, we’d like to announce the four cash prize giveaway winners from our Dollars for DONUTs Weekend.
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Billy K. from Brick, NJ; Prize Winner ($50)
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Heather L. from Sykesville, MD; Prize Winner ($50)
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Nadine J. from LaCrosse, WI; Prize Winner ($50)
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🥁…. and our Grand Prize Winner ($100): Aline N. from New York City, NY.
With your help, we managed to raise $453 for the Crisis Text Line, which provides free 24/7 assistance to individuals in crisis. Give yourself a pat on the back/round of applause/you get that doughnut on the way to work, you deserve it. 🥳
⏰🚀 Ready, Set, Go: Today’s newsletter takes 3.88 minutes to read. (With the 360° view: 8.28 minutes.)
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🍩 Daily Sprinkle
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
–Paulo Coelho (b. 1947), Brazilian lyricist and novelist.
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🗣👂 Dose of Discussion
🏛️ The State of the Senate: Is Gridlock Good?
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In an op-ed published Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he will vote against the For The People Act, a voting reform package passed by House Democrats in early March, and revealed he does not support changing the Senate filibuster.
🤿 A deeper dive…
From the AP: “Manchin reiterated he would not vote to ‘weaken or eliminate the filibuster,’ a route many Democrats see as the only realistic path forward.
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The filibuster rule requires 60 votes to pass most bills, and in today’s Senate, which is split 50-50, that means many of the Democrats’ biggest priorities, from voting rights to gun control, are dead on arrival.”
⏭️ What’s Next?
Late last month, the Senate parliamentarian issued new guidance suggesting Democrats have just one more attempt at passing a filibuster-proof legislative package this year via a process called budget reconciliation.
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👇📰 Quick Bits
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💊 First Alzheimer’s Drug in 18 Years
The FDA on Monday issued an “accelerated approval” for aducanumab, an Alzheimer’s drug produced by Biogen that will be marketed under the name Aduhelm.
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📜 Background: The FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program allows for earlier approval of drugs that treat serious conditions, and that fill an unmet need.
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Once approved under the program, companies must conduct further Phase 4 confirmatory trials to verify the anticipated clinical benefit.
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Aduhelm, an IV drug, becomes the first federally approved Alzheimer’s treatment since 2003. It will cost $56K per year.
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However, per Axios: “There is one glaring issue — there is no conclusive evidence the drug effectively treats the crippling neurological disease.”
More: Watch how Alzheimer's changes the brain.
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🌐🏡 Where The Sidewalk Begins
Amazon Sidewalk launches today. It is the tech giant’s attempt to create a shared network of interconnected devices that include its own Echo and Ring products along with those made by any participating third parties, such as Tile.
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Sidewalk-enabled devices connect to each other using Bluetooth and radio frequencies. Users share a small amount of internet bandwidth with their neighbors who also have Sidewalk activated.
Sidewalk is an opt-out service, meaning eligible device owners must proactively turn it off if they don’t want to be involved. (Find out how.)
More: Some people have raised concerns regarding the network’s level of security as it scales, along with the potential for sensitive information to be shared between the interconnected devices. Amazon has published a white paper laying out its steps for protecting customer information.
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💰 DarkSide Defunded
U.S. authorities on Monday announced the recovery of nearly all of the ransom paid to DarkSide, the hackers responsible for last month’s Colonial Pipeline shutdown.
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The Justice Department said investigators seized nearly 64 bitcoins - valued at ~$2.3M - from a virtual wallet, but declined to say precisely how they accessed the cryptocurrency.
More: The Colonial Pipeline Company president & CEO previously told the WSJ the company had paid $4.4M to the hackers in the form of 75 bitcoin (which has since declined in value, hence the disparity in the recovery vs. payment).
+DONUT 360° view: Cyberattacks & Government Policy: What’s the Move?
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DONUT Holes…
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🚀 Jeff Bezos will head to space on board the first crewed flight of New Shepard, the rocket ship built by his spaceflight company Blue Origin; Bezos will be joined on July 20th by his brother Mark and the winner of a charity auction to be announced this month (the leading bid is ~$3M).
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🛸 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told CNN Business that the space agency will launch its own probe into UFO sightings.
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🍎📱💻 See everything Apple announced at Day 1 of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
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🗽🎸 Bruce Springsteen is returning to Broadway this summer.
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⚖️ The Supreme Court turned away a challenge to the U.S.' men-only military draft.
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🎖️ David Dushman, the last surviving Allied soldier who liberated Auschwitz, died at 98 years old.
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🎾 Seventeen-year-old American Coco Gauff becomes the youngest female to reach a Grand Slam tennis quarterfinal in 15 years.
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📸 Pic of the Day
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Image: Yasin Akgul/AP |
‘Sea snot’, officially named marine mucilage, has built up in Turkey’s Sea of Marmara to levels some experts say have never been seen before.
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Cevahir Efe Akcelik, an environmental engineer and secretary-general of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, told AFP: "Studies show the mucilage is not only on the surface now but also goes 25 to 30 metres (80-100ft) deep."
More: Turkey plans to designate the entire Sea of Marmara a protected area, reduce pollution, and improve treatment of wastewater from coastal cities and ships which has helped the sea snot to spread.
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🔢 By the Numbers
29.7% – The current share of female directors at S&P 500 companies. Every single corporate board in the S&P now has at least one woman on it after Monolithic Power Systems added a female director last month, according to Bloomberg.
$1.3M - The price tag on a parking spot sold recently in Hong Kong, per the Japan Times.
33.2% – The percentage of 16 to 19-year-olds who are now employed, the highest level since 2008.
$268M – The fine French authorities handed down to Google yesterday for abusing its market power in the online ads industry.
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🤗 Daily Dose of Positive
🧳✈️ Mary’s Memorable Journey
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Image: Good News Network
After 77-year-old Mary O’Sallaigh was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it took five years until she began to decline to the point of needing constant care. Some of her family members suggested she be put into a senior home for treatment around the clock.
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Her son Sean had a much different idea: he wanted her to travel the world.
When they arrived in Nepal, their first destination, Sean was blown away – Mary, bound to a wheelchair and supposedly non-verbal, began to walk and talk again.
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According to a doctor in Nepal, it was the new environment and stimulation that led to Mary’s sudden improvement.
Upon hearing this news, Sean decided to turn the trip into an 18-month international adventure with his mom.
Keep reading.
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🛸🌄📲 Calling from the Future…
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🚢 Ro, Ro, Ro Your Boat…
Image: AMS Institute
Amsterdam’s renowned system of canals has been used to transport the Dutch capital’s inhabitants and tourists since the late 16th century – and engineers working on a project called Roboat are looking to level them up.
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The project is a collaboration between the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions and MIT, with the goal of introducing electric, self-driving boats to the canals.
The autonomous boats will transport human passengers throughout the city, navigating the high-traffic channels by employing a system of sensors and cameras. The crafts will be powered by electric batteries allowing them to run for 12-24 hours straight.
Keep reading.
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💡 Dose of Knowledge
🇮🇹 Sweet Talk
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Which Italian dessert literally translates to “pick me up”?
A) Gelato
B) Cannoli
C) Tiramisu
D) Panna cotta
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(keep scrolling for the answer) |
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🍩 A World We Can All Live In...
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Our mission is to positively transform culture & conversation by making impartial, trustworthy news easy & fun to consume.
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In other words, we’re trying to tone down this divisive political climate while ensuring we can still have the much-needed conversations about tough issues – but, ya know, actually make them productive instead of insult contests.
Every time you share the DONUT or purchase an item from our shop, you bring this dream closer to reality.
Shameless Plug #1: Get Your Hands on Soft, High-Quality Fashion
Whether you’re heading to bed, the grocery store, or the gym, our rad tees have got you covered.
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To sweeten the pot, all our tees are 15% off today only. Just use the code WHOGIVESASHIRT at checkout.
Shop now.
Shameless Plug #2: Share The DONUT (this one’s 100% free)
Access exclusive rewards and even an all-expenses-paid round trip to Austin, TX, just for sharing this newsletter.
Simply:
1. Copy your unique referral link.👇
2. Post said link in your favorite Reddit thread, DM it to your favorite TikToker, include it in your wedding RSVPs, etc.
3. Watch the rewards roll in.
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Ambassador Rewards and Progress → |
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💡 Dose of Knowledge Answer
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C) Tiramisu
In Italian, the word tiramisú translates to “pick me up.” There are many legends surrounding the history of tiramisu, without a single clear answer – see for yourself.
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