Good morning and welcome to Earth Day. Quick (and important) question: Why does everyone always seem so tired this time of year?

Because we just finished a March…

Have a great weekend.😎

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.01 minutes to read.

"Adventure is not outside; it is within."

–Mary Ann Evans, aka George Eliot (1819-1880)

A little over three weeks ago, outgoing WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar tweeted: “Today marks the launch of CNN+. In my opinion, CNN+ is likely to be as important to the mission of CNN as the linear channel service has been these past 42 years. It would be hard to overstate how important this moment is for CNN.”

Yesterday, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that CNN+ is shutting down.

🤔 What happened?... CNN developed the streaming platform under the guise of its former corporate parent, WarnerMedia, before its $43 billion merger with Discovery. The merger between the two officially closed on April 8, creating the new Warner Bros. Discovery.

• CNN has spent between $100 million and $300 million on CNN+ to date, and had planned to spend about $1 billion total over the next four years.
• But subscriber numbers weren’t as eye-popping. Axios reported that about 150,000 people had signed up for the $5.99-a-month service as of this week, while CNBC reported that fewer than 10,000 people were using it on a daily basis.

🍒😤 And the cherry on top… a not-so-happy new owner. Variety reports that David Zaslav, the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, was annoyed by the decision to launch CNN+ just weeks before Discovery was set to take over operations. But he was unable to communicate with WarnerMedia management, owing to legal boundaries surrounding the merger process.

🎥📰🏈 So, what’s next?... The newly combined entity hasn’t officially outlined its streaming plans and ambitions, but its stated goal is to bundle all of its in-house content, which includes HBO Max, Discovery+, and potentially live news and sports, into a Netflix competitor – aka one platform to rule them all.

🇺🇦 Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory yesterday in the besieged eastern port city of Mariupol, despite one last remaining pocket of resistance inside a local steel mill.

• Putin said he told his troops to continue sealing off the facility via blockade instead of storming in to recapture it.
• Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said yesterday that ~80% of the eastern territory is now occupied by Russian forces. Prior to the invasion, Ukraine controlled about 60% of Luhansk.
• President Biden announced $800 million in additional military aid and $500 million in economic aid for Ukraine yesterday, raising the total US assistance since the invasion began to ~$4.4 billion.

How the invasion is impacting…

🇺🇸 Immigration: Yesterday, the Biden administration announced a new humanitarian program to streamline the admittance of up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

• The US is working with third-party organizations like Airbnb to recruit 100,000 US residents to open their homes or donate to cover housing and transportation costs.

📉 Markets: Carlsberg, the world’s fourth-largest brewer, said it would take a $1.4 billion write-down and cut 2,000 jobs over its decision to exit Russia. The global brewing giant has one of the largest employee exposures in the country among Western businesses, with ~8,400 local workers.

In a formal filing with the SEC yesterday, Elon Musk said he has lined up $46.5 billion in debt and equity financing to buy Twitter.

🐦💰 The deets:

• Per the filing, the Technoking of Tesla is prepared to personally commit $21 billion towards the deal. Think: the equivalent of a down payment on a home (but, like, wayyyyyyy more).
• The additional ~$25 billion is a loan from a group of banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Barclays. About half of the debt is secured by Musk’s Tesla shares.
• Musk is also still considering bringing in potential equity partners, according to the WSJ; this could potentially lower his $21 billion personal commitment.

👀 Looking ahead… Twitter’s board is expected to reject the offer over the coming days. At which point, Musk said he’s prepared to make a tender offer to shareholders, which would allow him to sidestep the board and take his proposal directly to shareholders, who would then get to decide the future of the company.

+Dig deeper: We covered Musk’s offer for Twitter in-depth on Tuesday. Check it out here.

Whether you prefer ‘mom jeans’ or something a bit less baggy, there’s no feeling quite like a perfect-fitting pair of jeans. 👌

But it can be challenging to get cookie-cutter jeans that are comfortable. It’s frustrating when you can’t get that perfect fit just because you don’t look the same as a mannequin.

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🎓 Educate yourself… not sure what you want? Check out this Denim Guide and take the Fit Quiz to find out. 👍

No matter your look or your body shape, unspun jeans will fit perfectly – guaranteed – or your money back. Tweaks and adjustments are on them, too.

➡️ Click here to get 20% off your new favorite jeans.

We've received a lot of messages this week expressing confusion about the current state of the transportation mask mandate – and tbh, there's a lot going on. Let's dive in.

📅 A timeline...

• Last week: The CDC extended its mask mandate for airplanes, trains, buses, and other public transport until at least May 3; it was initially set to expire on April 18.
• Monday: In a 59-page decision, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the mandate was unlawful because it exceeded the CDC’s authority and violated rule-making procedures. Afterward, the US said it would stop enforcing the rule, and six plus major airlines immediately made masks optional.
• Wednesday: The DOJ filed an appeal following the CDC's conclusion that the order “remains necessary for the public health” and is “well within CDC’s legal authority.” It’s not clear whether the DOJ will also ask for an emergency stay, which, if granted, would immediately reimpose the CDC’s mask mandate for travelers.

🇺🇸🦠 Zoom out: As of today, only one major US city has mask mandates still in effect: New York City, where it applies to all subways, airports, and taxis/Ubers/Lyfts. Philly, which had reinstated its mask mandate on Monday, pulled an about-face and announced last night that it's ending the measure effective today.

• Covid cases in the US have increased slightly in recent weeks, but still remain at their lowest level since last summer – as do hospitalizations and deaths, both of which are trending slightly downwards.

• ☝️ A Lake Tahoe compound with a private beach and marina just went on the market for $100 million; it’s the most expensive listing in Nevada and would break a state record if sold at or near the asking price.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📉 US stocks closed down across the board yesterday after climbing more than 1% in intraday trading. (Dow: -1.1% | S&P: -1.5% | Nasdaq: -2.1%)
• 🏦 The Fed indicated it’s likely to raise interest rates by half a point at its policy meeting in two weeks, its first such move in 22 years.
• 💰🔨 Toshiba put itself up for auction yesterday due to pressure from foreign shareholders; the Japanese multinational said it hopes to make initial assessments of bids by June.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🍿💰 The 50 most-watched movies of last year generated a combined $2.7 billion in advertising value across 1,200 different brands, per entertainment research firm Concave Brand Tracking.
• ⚾ Truck stick, engaged: A Texas junior college baseball pitcher was suspended for four games after he absolutely leveled a batter who had hit a go-ahead home run and was rounding the bases; the batter was also suspended two games for taunting.
• 🏀 Villanova head coach Jay Wright made a surprise retirement announcement late Wednesday; he's been with the school for 21 years and won two national titles; Fordham’s Kyle Neptune will be the next head coach.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 📱 Pokémon Go and other location-based games may help alleviate mild depression, according to a new peer-reviewed study from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
• 🏙️ An eco-architect is attempting to build lighter-than-air buildings that combat climate change by floating above city streets and cooling the area below.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• ✋👍 Zoom introduced a gesture recognition feature that can recognize when you raise your hand or give a thumbs-up and automatically flash the correlating emoji in the app.
• ⚖️ France issued an international arrest warrant for former Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn and four others accused of stealing millions of dollars from the French automaker, the WSJ first reported.
• 🏛️ Florida’s GOP-led House passed a bill that would eliminate a special tax district that has allowed Disney to govern the land where its theme parks sit; Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law soon. (From the Left | From the Right | Background from the DONUT)

💬 Quoted… “If the deaths could be ascribed to underlying disease, they will always report it as such and will not count it as a COVID-related death.”

• Public health officials around the world are raising questions about Shanghai's reported Covid death toll, which currently stands at 25 despite a major outbreak in China’s most-populous city over the past two months.

⚡ Stat of the Day: Renewable energy plants produced 97.6% of California's electricity on April 3, a new daily record.

🤯 Did You Know?... The first-ever Earth Day – held 52 years ago today – had a quantifiable impact on America’s priorities as a nation.

• When polled in May 1971, a full quarter of the US population said protecting the environment was an important goal – up 2,500% from when that same question was asked in 1969.
• In the months and years after the first Earth Day, the federal government established the Environmental Protection Agency and passed several key pieces of environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

📖 Worth a Read: The First Video-Game 'Easter Eggs' Were an Act of Corporate Rebellion → (The Hustle)

The world's most unusual, off-the-wall, and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week…

1. Crash spills 500 pounds of marijuana onto Missouri highway on 4/20 (KSDK)
2. Dublin Airport got 12,272 noise complaints last year from a single person (The Independent)
3. Man who paid $2.9m for NFT of Jack Dorsey's first tweet set to lose almost $2.9m (The Guardian)
4. Man inhales drill bit during dental visit (AP News)

👋 Say hello to Corbin the Great Dane, a 150-pound pup who's taken on a big responsibility: fatherhood. 

Corbin is absolutely massive, so his owners were understandably nervous when they brought home a litter of foster kittens a few years ago. But to their surprise, the gentle giant took to the kittens incredibly well, cuddling and caring for them as if they were his very own. 

• The family has been fostering for years now, and Corbin steps into his role like a pro every time. 

🐕‍🦺🐈 Too cute for words... “When we have new kittens he’ll run into the room and look for them," shared Corbin's owner Karen. "If he sees one that is standing still, he’ll nudge it with his nose... he knows enough to lie down and be patient... He’s very patient!" 

The rules are simple. We give you a list of ingredients. You give us the recipe they make. Ready??

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Chicken thighs
• Paprika
• Salt & pepper
• Unsalted butter
• Garlic
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese
• Lemon
• Baby Spinach
• Dried thyme
• Chicken broth

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Chicken breasts
• Onion
• Lime
• Bell peppers
• Olive oil
• Chili powder
• Smoked paprika
• Onion powder
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Tortillas

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Milk
• White vinegar
• Flour
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Egg
• Melted butter
• Fresh blueberries
• Butter

(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.

☝️ Recipe #1: Creamy lemon butter chicken

✌️ Recipe #2: Chicken fajitas

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Blueberry pancakes