Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Let's rock 'n roll.🤘🎸

⏰🚀 Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.77 minutes to read.

“Knowledge is different from all other resources. It makes itself constantly obsolete, so that today’s advanced knowledge is tomorrow’s ignorance."

–Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

The first open-air US study to release genetically-modified mosquitoes, carried out by biotech firm Oxitec, has just concluded in the Florida Keys.

🤔 Why it's a big deal: Throughout human history, mosquitoes have killed hundreds of millions – if not billions – of humans through diseases like Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. 

• ​​Farmers have been sterilizing male mosquitoes to protect their crops since at least the 1930s. But the chemicals and radiation they've typically used result in adverse health effects for the insects, making them less successful in mating with females and undercutting the effectiveness of the technique.
• Oxitec’s mosquitoes are designed to be non-biting and are probably big fans of the patriarchy, since they're specifically engineered to be male and only capable of producing male offspring.

🦟 Bottom line: The intent of the experiment was to show whether these modified bugs could help reduce the number of wild, disease-spreading mosquitoes – and it was a success, according to Oxitec scientists. (The data has yet to be peer-reviewed; it will be further analyzed and published this month.)

• Researchers collected more than 22,000 Oxitec eggs and confirmed 100% of the ones that hatched became males, though the gene that killed off female eggs only appeared to last for around three generations.

🇹🇼 Taiwan's false alarm: A partly state-owned news station mistakenly broadcast a false report yesterday that said Chinese armed forces had launched an invasion, firing missiles at cities and ports surrounding the capital, Taipei. The channel issued an apology several hours later, saying the report had been created in conjunction with emergency services for upcoming security drills but had been accidentally broadcast.

🇨🇳🤝🇸🇧 There’s trouble brewing in the Pacific. High-ranking US officials are on their way to the Solomon Islands after learning earlier this week that the South Pacific nation had negotiated a security pact with Beijing. The agreement will – among other things – allow China to dock military and police vessels across the Solomon Islands and use its forces “to assist in maintaining social order.”

🇫🇷 France’s presidential election is coming to a head. President Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen met last night in their first and only televised debate before the country heads to the polls this weekend. Recent numbers give Macron the advantage, at 53 to 56 percent against 44 to 47 percent for Le Pen, who is making her third run for the presidency.

🇺🇦 An update on Russia/Ukraine: Russia continued its bombardment of the port city of Mariupol yesterday as part of Moscow’s new offensive targeting the heavily-industrialized Donbas region. Driving its moves? Ukraine's military believes Putin wants full control not just of Donbas, but also of the southern region of Kherson (to the north and west of Crimea), the BBC reports. This would give him a land bridge along the south coast to the Russian border and control of the water supply to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

🏛️ Florida’s Republican-led Senate passed a bill along party lines yesterday that would eliminate a special tax district that has allowed Disney to govern the land where its theme parks sit.

• The special district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was created in 1967 and exempts Disney from a host of regulations, taxes, and fees; a source told the WSJ that Disney saves tens of millions of dollars per year as a result.
• Florida’s move is in response to Disney coming out against a piece of GOP legislation restricting classroom instruction on gender and sexuality (which opponents call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill).
• Disney initially didn’t respond to the education law, but came under pressure from its employees to oppose it. After the measure passed, Disney pledged to push for its repeal and to fight similar bills in other states.

👀 Looking ahead… Yesterday's measure still needs to pass the GOP-led House, which is expected to approve it. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has already said he intends to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

+Dig deeper: From the Left | From the Right

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• It allows you to curate furniture perfectly for your living space.
• Expresses your personality and style.
• It’s more practical if you need extra functionality, enhanced storage, or a certain shape to fit.
• Typically utilizes higher-grade materials and craftsmanship than mass-produced furniture, even when compared with premium brands.

And these are just a couple of reasons why people in Austin, Texas, turn to Petrified Design for their custom furniture and build-out needs, both commercial and residential.

Petrified Design places a focus on creating well-executed products that are built to last, and boast exceptional aesthetic – as you can see in their project gallery. They specialize in not just preserving the characteristics of organic materials, but highlighting them with modern designs (known as Texas Modern). 👌

Whether you want custom furniture, a dream kitchen, or a build-out that perfectly suits your business, Petrified Design has you covered.

➡️ Get the furniture you actually want with Petrified Design.

It’s been nearly a year since a landmark NCAA ruling gave student-athletes the ability to earn money off their name, image, and likeness (NIL) – and players are cashing in big.

💰 A deeper dive...

• For instance: Alabama QB Bryce Young signed nearly $1 million worth of NIL deals last year before even throwing a single pass, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne has reportedly had deal offers in the seven-figures, and a class of 2023 5-star football recruit reportedly signed a record $8 million NIL deal last month.
• But there may be trouble brewing in paradise. "A number" of schools are being investigated for violating the NCAA’s only rule when it comes to NIL deals – no paying a player specifically to attend or play for a certain school.

🇺🇸 Zoom out: The brand-new NIL industry isn't the only major shake-up to college athletics within the past year. The NCAA also approved a measure allowing all student-athletes to transfer one time without having to sit out a season; over the next few months, a record 1,464 men's basketball players left for a different school.

• And the SEC recently accepted two new members – Oklahoma and Texas – who'll join the conference in all sports beginning in 2025, while the Big 12 snagged four replacement schools to join as soon as next year (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF).

• ☝️ The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 32nd birthday by capturing this image of five galaxies slowly merging together into a single star group.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏘️📈 The median price of an existing home sold in March was $375,300 – a 15% year-over-year increase that’s also the highest price ever recorded by the National Association of Realtors.
• 💰 Tesla reported a $3.3 billion profit last quarter on $18.7 billion in sales; its revenue increased 81% year-over-year. | Netflix stock fell 35% yesterday, wiping $54 billion in market value; it was the company's worst trading day since 2004.
• 🥡 Just Eat Takeaway, the European food delivery giant, is exploring a sale of Grubhub around 12 months after paying $7.3 billion to buy the US-based company.
• 🗳️ Apple Store employees in Atlanta filed to hold a union election, the first of its kind at the company's stores.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎾 Wimbledon banned players from Russia and Belarus from participating in this year's tournament; the move prevents the men’s world #2 and #8 players from competing, along with the women’s world #4, #15, and #18.
• 🎬 New Mexico fined the production company behind Rust a maximum penalty of $136,793 for ignoring firearm safety procedures; actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set by accident last October.
• 🎤 Rapper A$AP Rocky was arrested at LAX yesterday in connection with a November 2021 shooting.
• 🍿 The Kardashians is Hulu’s most-watched series premiere in US history, a company spokesperson told Variety.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦕 A new peer-reviewed study found that pterosaurs – giant flying reptiles during the age of the dinosaurs – were able to control the color of their feathers using melanin pigments.
• ⚕️ University of Michigan scientists used ultrasound waves to eliminate up to 75% of liver tumors in rats; the animals’ immune systems were then able to remove the leftover cancerous tissue and prevent reemergence.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• 🐕 A 21-year-old Chihuahua named TobyKeith is officially the world's oldest living dog, according to Guinness World Records; the oldest dog in recorded history lived for 29 years and 5 months.
• ⚖️ The DOJ charged 21 people yesterday with fraud schemes connected to pandemic aid programs; the scammers reportedly received $150+ million in inappropriate payments.
• 🇺🇦 More than five million refugees have fled Ukraine in less than two months of war, according to the UN’s latest figures.
• 😷 The DOJ filed an appeal seeking to overturn a federal ruling that struck down its nationwide mask mandate on public transportation after the CDC said the order "remains necessary for the public health." (From the Left | From the Right)

💬 Quoted… “This truly unique weapon will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice.”

• Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the first test-launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile yesterday. It can deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the world and evade any existing anti-missile defense systems.
• Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Russia had given the US an advance notice about the launch in line with the New START nuclear arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington.

+Dig deeper: From the Left | From the Right

📱 Stat of the Day: Seven out of the top 10 most-played mobile games – including Words With Friends – have admitted they use bots to ensure players always have an opponent to compete against.

🤯 Did You Know?... Buildings so large they need their own zip code are a real thing in America. This is not due to their size – though some are immense – but the sheer volume of mail they receive.

• A few notable examples include the White House, Chicago’s Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and Dodger Stadium.

📖 Worth a Read: How To Build Healthy Habits When You're Truly Exhausted → Harvard Business Review

👍 Yes (66%) – “In addition to the potential for reduced mental acuity, a person over a certain age relates to the average American differently and can be more resistant to change. Elderly politicians probably shouldn’t be shaping public policy and laws for the younger generation that’s actually going to live through them.”

👎 No (20%) – “It would be to our detriment to push people out of office simply due to the year on their birth certificate. Perhaps a better option would be to require our leaders to undergo yearly screenings for mental acuity, which would help us rule out candidates with dementia and Alzheimer’s.”

❓ Unsure/Other (14%) – “I feel like a maximum age limit would be considered unconstitutional and stand no chance of passing in Congress, but I do believe there should be a greater push to get younger politicians elected.”

+Bonus: We asked those who voted "yes" what they thought the cut-off age should be...

• 5% said 60 or below
• 30% said 65
• 38% said 70
• 22% said 75
• 5% said 80 or above

Seven-year-old Nicholas Perrin has carefully saved up his money over the past two years, hoping to eventually have enough for a trip to Disney World. 

• The determined Pennsylvania boy had already put away $250 towards his dream vacation when he found out about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

🏰 ➡️ 🇺🇦 Breaking the bank... After learning about the millions of displaced kids in Ukraine, Nicholas decided to donate every last penny of his savings to the relief effort, along with some additional supplies. 

• Nicholas said he hopes the money will help Ukrainian children get some new toys. But more than anything, he wishes them a lot of luck.

Name the numbered Canadian Provinces.

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to little old us. Just copy your unique link below, and then send to anyone you think would like the DONUT.

1. British Columbia
2. Alberta
3. Saskatchewan
4. Manitoba
5. Quebec