Good morning and Happy Friday! A quick note about today’s email: In lieu of a separate Dose of Discussion section, we’ve curated op-eds about Russia/Ukraine.

The newsletter will then prompt you to:

• Cross blistering deserts and freezing mountains
• Encounter bridge trolls and answer their riddles three
• Face-off against a fire-breathing dragon to win the affection of your soulmate

On second thought, that seems like quite an adventure just to read today’s news.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s journey takes 4.16 minutes.

"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to it until you get there."

–Bob Proctor (1934-2022)

🇺🇦 A theater in Mariupol holding an estimated 1,300 Ukrainian civilians partially collapsed under Russian shelling yesterday; satellite images before the bombing showed the word “children” written twice in Russian on either side of the building.

• Roughly 130 people had been rescued from the theater as of yesterday evening, per reports.
• Russia’s Defense Ministry denied culpability for the attack, instead blaming Ukraine’s forces for blowing it up as a “bloody provocation.”
• 7,000+ Russian troops have been killed three weeks into the invasion, per the Pentagon. That’s more than the number of American troops killed over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
• The House overwhelmingly passed legislation to end normal trade ties with Russia, which could result in higher tariffs for some imports from Russia and Belarus.
• President Biden will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping later today to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other issues.

How the invasion is impacting…

⚡🛢️ Energy: Ukraine’s electrical grid was hooked up to the rest of Europe on a trial basis yesterday, ending the country’s dependence on Russian power.

• Oil jumped nearly 9% to close at more than $103 per barrel. The average price for a gallon of gas in the US has fallen slightly over the past week to $4.29.

📈 Markets: All three major US indexes closed up at least 1% for the third straight day. (Dow: +1.2% | S&P: +1.2% | Nasdaq: +1.3%)

• Russia reportedly avoided its first foreign currency debt default in more than a century, paying out $117 million in interest using US dollars – as stipulated by its contract – ahead of a midnight deadline on Wednesday.

📽🎞 Amazon officially closed its $8.45 billion deal to acquire MGM Studios yesterday after the deadline for a challenge from US regulators expired. 

• It's the second-largest deal in Amazon history, trailing only its $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods in 2017.
• The acquisition gives Amazon access to 4,000 films and 17,000 episodes of content, including James Bond, Rocky, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Addams Family and other iconic films and shows.
• In a blog post, Amazon said all MGM employees would stay with the company, which will be part of Prime Video and Amazon Studios.

✋ Not so fast… Though the deadline has passed, the FTC still has the ability to challenge Amazon’s acquisition at a later date, provided a majority of the agency is in favor. The FTC is currently split 2-2 along party lines, with one vacancy.

📺 Zoom out: Amazon’s purchase comes as other streaming giants are looking to shake things up.

• This week, AT&T revealed Discovery+ and HBO Max will eventually combine into a single streaming service after Discovery’s merger with Warner Bros., which was approved last month by US regulators.
• On top of a price increase earlier this year, Netflix is also experimenting with charging users an extra fee for sharing accounts with people outside of their households. The new option will be tested in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru in the coming weeks before potentially heading to other countries.

🏀 WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested in a Moscow airport on February 17, had her detention extended until May 19 by a Russian court.

• Griner is a seven-time All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury, who are set to open the WNBA season on May 6.
• Airport authorities said they arrested Griner after finding vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, an offense that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• Griner was returning to Russia where she plays in the offseason to make more money, like many other WNBA stars. She earns over $1 million per season in Russia – more than quadruple her US salary.
• According to reports, Griner’s family and legal team have been purposely keeping quiet regarding her arrest, hoping to avoid making it a celebrity-political cause that would harm her chances for release.

💬 What they’re saying: "Everyone's getting the strategy of say less and push more privately behind the scenes," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the AP. "It's the strategy you get from the State Department and administration. It's our No. 1 priority in talking with her agent and strategists."

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🔋🔌 The Italian carmaker will start to offer all-electric versions of its entire lineup next year, the company announced yesterday, and plans to be 100% electric by the end of the decade.

• Maserati’s first EV, the GranTurismo “Folgore”(👆), is expected to launch next year – and according to the specs, it’s a beast.
• We’re talking more than 1,200 horsepower, a top speed of nearly 190 mph and the ability to go 0-62 mph in a little over two seconds.😳
• By 2025, the company says that each of its models will have an all-electric version available for purchase. By 2030, the entire Maserati range will be electric.

📸 The big picture: Other luxury car brands have announced plans for electrification, including Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, but as a whole they’ve been comparatively slower than mass-market automakers to embrace EVs.

Maserati aims to be “the first luxury brand to complete its electric lineup by 2025.”

P.S. Later this month you can expect to hear about the Italian automaker’s unveiling of the Grecale, a brand-new electric SUV.

• ☝️ A finalist from the World Photography Organization’s 2022 Open competition.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🚫🍔👑 Burger King is moving to divest its 15% stake in the company’s Russian business after its joint venture partners refused to close 800+ Russian locations.
• 📉 Weekly unemployment claims fell slightly compared to last week, as the overall number of Americans on unemployment reached a new 52-year low.
• 🏠 The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage reached 4.16%, just over a year removed from a record low of 2.65%; that number was calculated before the Fed’s Wednesday announcement, which is likely to nudge rates even higher.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚫📱 Kanye West was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours for repeated violation of the platform’s rules on hate speech, bullying and harassment.
• ​​🐼 Jack Black will return as Po in Netflix's new series Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.
• 🏀 The first round of March Madness began yesterday; biggest upset of the day goes to No. 15 seed St. Peter's over No. 2 Kentucky. (Results | Full Bracket)

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚀🏥 SpaceX is partnering with the University of Arizona and Banner Health to host an Aerospace Surgery Fellowship.
• 🦠 The omicron variant resulted in five times as many hospitalizations of children ages 4 and younger than during the previous delta peak, per CDC data.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• ⚖️ Actor Jussie Smollett was released from jail pending an appeal of his conviction for faking a hate crime; he had served less than a week of his 150-day sentence.
• 🍀 The White House was forced to adjust its St. Paddy’s Day plans last-minute after both the Second Husband and Ireland’s Prime Minister tested positive for Covid.
• 🏛️ Jeff Zients, the head of the Biden administration's Covid response, will step down in April; he’ll be replaced by Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. (From the Left | From the Right)

💬 Quoted… "But any people, the Russian people especially, are able to distinguish true patriots from bastards and traitors, and will 'spit them out… I am certain that this necessary and natural self-cleaning of society will only strengthen our country."

• President Vladimir Putin turned his ire on dissenting Russians in a video address shared on Twitter. More than 13,000 Russians in 147 cities have been detained at anti-war rallies since Russia first invaded Ukraine around three weeks ago.

📈🏠 Stat of the Day: The increase in value of a typical US home last year ($52,667) exceeded the median income of a full-time American worker (~$50,000 before taxes) for the first time in recorded history.

🤯 Did You Know?... Almonds and peaches are so genetically similar, they can cross-fertilize and produce viable hybrids.

📖 Worth a Read: How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut → (Harvard Business Review)

We’re headed through the desert first.🏜👇

Now, let’s climb some mountains.💪🏔

Gotta. Keep. Going...

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. World's heaviest potato turns out to not be a potato after all → (UPI)
2. Doritos bags will now have 5 fewer chips thanks to inflation → (The Patriot-News)
3. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame declines Dolly Parton declining her nomination → (TODAY)
4. Green substance leaking in Ann Arbor has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day, officials say → (MLive)

You're looking at Leo, Shere Khan and Balloo – a trio with quite the story. These three beasts have spent their entire lives together, forming an unbreakable bond with no regard for the typical laws of the animal kingdom. 

🐻🦁🐯 Humble beginnings... The trio was found abused as cubs, locked in a basement together and extremely malnourished. After being rescued by the team at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, all three animals eventually made a full recovery. 

• While the zookeepers were initially unsure of their habitats, one thing was clear – the trio had no intention of separating from each other. 
• So for the past fifteen years, they've spent their days lounging in their enclosure and enjoying each other's company. 

Answer these three riddles to move on.👇

Riddle #1: Paul’s height is six feet, he’s an assistant at a butcher’s shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh?

Riddle #2: The person who makes it has no need of it; the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?

Riddle #3: Two sisters, one dark and one fair | In twin towers we're quite the pair | One from land and one from sea | Tell us truly, who are we?

(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:

#1: Paul weighs meat

#2: A coffin

#3: Salt & pepper

Congratulations, you’ve rescued your soulmate!!! It was a pleasure going on this adventure with you. 

Have a phenomenal weekend.😎