Good morning and happy Friday. We discovered yesterday that Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is actually named:

Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.

We’ll just stick with “Bangkok.”

P.S. Do you know the abbreviated name that locals use for the city? Answer at the bottom.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.64 minutes to read.

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

–John Wooden (1910-2010)

🇺🇦 The second round of peace talks yesterday afternoon ended without a cease-fire deal, though negotiators agreed to organize “humanitarian corridors" through which civilians can be evacuated, and food and medication can be delivered.

• Russian forces continued to bombard Kyiv and Kharkiv with airstrikes, along with Chernihiv in the north (pop. ~310,000). The 40-mile-long Russian convoy heading to Kyiv stalled out for a third straight day, remaining ~20 miles from the capital city.
• Several Russian warships appeared near the southern port city of Odesa, which Ukrainian officials said could be the opening stages of an amphibious assault.
• More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine over the past week, per the UN’s refugee agency; that’s over 2% of the country’s population, with a majority of them ending up in Poland.
• The US unveiled a new round of sanctions against Russian oligarchs and their family members; such measures, along with the collapse of the Russian ruble, have combined to erase ~⅓ of the wealth of Russia’s 20 richest billionaires according to Bloomberg.
• The Biden administration said it’s now seeking $10 billion in aid for Ukraine – up from $6.4 billion – as part of a fiscal 2022 spending bill that Congress aims to pass by next week.

🚨 Breaking: Russian forces "occupied" Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant earlier this morning after a fire broke out at the facility.

+The latest news: From the Left | From the Right

+Bonus: How Might the War in Ukraine End? Five Factors Will Shape the Outcome → (WSJ)

🚀🌝 Three tons of space debris is set to crash into the dark side of the moon at ~7:25 am ET this morning. It’s believed to be the first time a man-made spacecraft has unintentionally hit the moon.

• The astronomer who discovered the moon-bound space junk initially thought it was a SpaceX Falcon rocket launched in 2015.
• But, after a month of observation, he said the object was likely a Chinese rocket that sent a test sample capsule to the moon and back in 2014. Both SpaceX and China have denied responsibility for the craft.
• Traveling at 5,800 MPH, the leftover rocket is expected to carve out a crater 33 to 66 feet in diameter, sending moon dust flying hundreds of miles in every direction.
• Given its projected impact location, telescopes on Earth and in space will be unable to witness the crash. It could take weeks – or even months – to confirm its location using satellites orbiting the moon.

🛰️ Zoom out: For now, space junk isn’t a huge concern for the moon. But it’s a growing problem closer to home.

Around 5,100 of the 12,000+ Earth-orbiting satellites launched since 1957 are still operational, per the European Space Agency. There are an estimated 20,000+ pieces of debris four inches or longer currently orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 MPH.

+In the know: Since the moon has no atmosphere and effectively no weather, the crater resulting from the rocket's impact will be permanently imprinted on its surface.

Get ready to pay slightly more than other moviegoers at the same location if you're headed to an AMC, the theater chain confirmed this week. As of this writing, an adult ticket to the superhero film in LA costs $1.50 more than a ticket to another movie at the same time and same venue.

🎥 Background: Variable pricing, aka charging more for tickets to movies with higher demand, has been discussed for years as a potential strategy to help boost the struggling exhibition business, but has consistently faced widespread resistance in North America per EW.

📉 Then, the pandemic hit… and theaters saw revenues drop significantly. AMC took a $4.6 billion hit in 2020.

• The theater chain has been experimenting with new initiatives to recoup some of that loss, including accepting bitcoin for movie tickets and selling AMC-branded popcorn at mall kiosks.
• It also made up some of the difference when AMC stock jumped 300% in January 2021, thanks to a group of enthusiastic Reddit users.

🍿 Zoom out: "This is all quite novel in the United States, but actually, AMC has been doing it for years in our European theaters," according to CEO Adam Aron. "In Europe, we charge a premium for the best seats in the house, as do just about all other sellers of tickets in other industries — think sports events, concerts, and live theater, for example."

+Flash poll: Would a >$2 price increase per ticket impact your decision to see a movie in theaters?

Yes

No

🚺 Since 1987, March has been recognized as Women’s History Month in the US.

🤔 Did you know?... We have Women’s History Month in March because it began as a single day of celebration on March 8th, 1911, in several European countries.

🥳😎 Celebrate in style… Piccolina is a lifestyle brand that highlights the often-overlooked contributions of trailblazing women all year round.

💁🏻‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️💁🏾‍♀️💁🏿‍♀️ Piccolina celebrates women, not only through its designs but in all aspects of its business.

✅ Women-owned with an all-women team

✅ Gives back 1% of all sales to non-profit partners supporting women and children

✅ Collaborates with a global community of women artists

✅ Works with female-owned manufacturers

Their Trailblazer tees and pjs come in kids and grown-up sizes, and celebrate women in:

• STEM, like Mae Jemison and Amelia Earhart
• Activism, like Malala Yousafzai and Jane Goodall
• Art and Literature, like Maya Angelou and Frida Kahlo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I love my new tees. As a teacher, it is important to set an example for little people in my life. When they ask who is on my shirt, it opens the door to introduce someone new!” -Kiara

Use code DONUT20 for 20% off. Exclusions apply.

Israel's Supreme Court temporarily suspended the evictions of several Palestinian families from homes in an East Jerusalem neighborhood this week.

📅 A brief timeline… The disagreement over property in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is often described as a microcosm of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Pre-1948: The houses in question were built on land in East Jerusalem owned by a Jewish community trust.
• Post-1948: Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, East Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan, which settled Palestinian refugees in houses on the property.
• 1967: Israel took control of East Jerusalem and annexed it in the Six-Day War (a move not recognized by most of the international community). The Palestinian residents in Sheikh Jarrah were allowed to stay on as protected tenants if they paid rent to its new Jewish owners, but many families refused on principle.
• 1972–2021: The property dispute played out in the Israeli courts on a house-by-house basis, with dozens of Palestinians evicted starting in 2002.
• May 2021: Palestinian protests ahead of an expected Supreme Court decision on Sheikh Jarrah wound up escalating into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza; as a result, Israel’s Supreme Court postponed its ruling until this week.

👀 Looking ahead… The stay of eviction is in effect while Israel's government further assesses the property’s ownership – a process that could take years, if it gets settled at all. In the meantime, the families will pay a largely symbolic rent amounting to $62 per month.

• ☝️ A 512-foot superyacht belonging to Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov was seized by German authorities this week as part of sanctions against Russia.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💰💊 The Sackler family reached a deal to pay as much as $6 billion to end litigation against OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma regarding its role in America’s ongoing opioid epidemic.
• 🏢 Google will require its employees in the Bay Area and several other US locations to return to the office at least part time starting the week of April 4.
• 🛻 EV-maker Rivian apologized to customers for applying a price increase retroactively and said it’ll keep the original prices for those who have already placed orders.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈 The NFL and its Players Association agreed to drop all Covid protocols at team facilities and league events, including the upcoming draft combine.
• ❓ Netflix is launching a daily interactive trivia series called Trivia Quest.
• 🎓 The Dropout, a Hulu original mini-series based on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, released its first three episodes yesterday.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚂🔋 Fortescue Future Industries, an Australian mining company, announced a project to create an electric “Infinity Train” that charges itself using gravity.
• 🛰️ Russia’s Roscosmos space agency will stop selling rocket engines to the US; it also said Russian astronauts will no longer cooperate with Germany on science experiments aboard the ISS.

BEST OF THE REST

• ✍️ President Biden signed a workplace law forbidding companies from forcing sexual harassment and assault claims into arbitration. (Read more | Background from the DONUT)
• ⚖️ The ex-Louisville police officer who shot multiple rounds into Breonna Taylor's apartment in a March 2020 raid that led to her death was acquitted on charges of wanton endangerment by a jury yesterday. (From the Left | From the Right)
• 🚫 A Texas judge blocked a new state law that would investigate the parents of transgender minors for child abuse if the child undergoes gender-affirming treatment. (From the Left | From the Right)

+Tweet of the day:

💬 Quoted… "As I said, it's not one thing, it was many things. But I did not like that he'd had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no."

Melinda French Gates, when asked if convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was the reason for her divorce from Bill Gates during an exclusive CBS interview. She also revealed that she met Epstein one time because she wanted to “see who this man was.” Her quote on that interaction.👇

• "I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. So, you know, my heart breaks for these young women, because that's how I felt, and here I'm an older woman.”

🔢 Stat of the Day... New Covid cases in the US have fallen more than 93% from their recent peak in mid-January.

🤯 Did You Know?… Children in Wisconsin are legally allowed to drink alcohol in bars and restaurants (or at home), as long as they're with a parent or guardian.

📖 Worth a Read… For These Millennial Homeowners, the Vacation House Is the New Starter Home → (Money Magazine)

DONUT HQ is located in the city of Austin, which has a motto: “Keep Austin Weird.” In celebration of that sentiment, we bring you the most unusual, off-the-wall and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week…

1. Oblivious winner dodged lottery's phone calls for days → (The Lott Media Center)
2. 'Udderly' confused cow strolls popular Coast beach → (MyGC)
3. Very hungry bear 'Hank the Tank' is in fact three bears, DNA shows → (The Guardian)
4. Big ol’ treehouse creates backyard battle royale → (AP)

Emotional support animals (ESAs) can change people's lives, often helping ease symptoms of anxiety and other mental illnesses. 

ESAs are typically paired with human counterparts. But golden retriever Horlicks is learning the amazing benefits an animal can bring first-hand, thanks to his emotional support cat Hero. 

🐶🐱 Best Buds... Horlicks suffers from extreme separation anxiety when he's away from his human, and had gone through years of panic attacks until little Hero was brought home as a kitten. 

• The two are completely inseparable, spending their days cuddling, playing and going on walks together.

🏷 The Price is Right: DONUT Edition… Can you name the price of each of the following items?

1. Ninja Air Fryer Max XL from Best Buy; it can fit 3 lbs of fries, chicken wings, or Cadbury creme eggs
2. Franklin Sports Pickleball Starter Set from Walmart; it’s the official starter set of the US Open and includes a net, 2 paddles, and X-40 Pickleball
3. John Deere riding mower from Home Depot; it has cruise control and a V-twin 22 horsepower engine
4. 3-pack of Chapsticks from Amazon; hopefully you know what these are

🤔 Daily Trivia... Fill in the blank: According to several recent studies, people with ___-colored eyes have the highest alcohol tolerance.

(keep scrolling for the answers)

Check out our referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to this newsletter. 👇

Here’s your unique link to copy & send to anyone you think would like the DONUT:

Price is Right:

1. $149.99
2. $71.70
3. $2,299
4. $3.49

Trivia: Blue; researchers found that more melanin (the pigment that darkens eye color) makes people more susceptible to the effects of alcohol

Bangkok: The Thai city is referred to by locals as “Krung Thep” – or more officially as “Krung Thep Mahanakhon”