Good morning. Huge congrats to the winner of our March contest giveaway, who chose a $1,000 gift card to Lululemon and $1,000 to Alo. Cool!

Now get this: we went through three other winners before finding someone who would actually accept the money. *Rodney Dangerfield voice* Whadda we gotta do to get someone to take this money off our hands? No respect… tell ya what… no respect at all. (Be honest – how long did you watch that before having to turn it off?)

And now in other news, THE NEWS.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.86 minutes to read.

"Our greatest glory is, not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

–Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)

So far this year, 16 US states have enacted new laws restricting gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors, while 11 states have passed new laws protecting healthcare for all trans residents. This marks a record-setting year for such legislation.

📝 A deeper dive… Since January, lawmakers in mostly GOP-controlled states have introduced 106 bills to restrict one or both of the main forms of gender-affirming care for minors: a) medication that blocks the release of puberty-related hormones, and b) surgery that helps transition a person’s gender. That’s up from 52 similar bills introduced last year, per data from the reproductive research group Guttmacher Institute.

On the flip side, Democratic lawmakers in 21 states are working on “trans refugee” bills that would allow out-of-state minors to seek gender-affirming care within their borders to avoid criminal prosecution. Such laws are already on the books in four other states, per advocacy group LGBTQ Victory Institute.

What are the arguments?

• Republican lawmakers supporting the restrictions express concern over the long-term effects of gender-based procedures for minors, with many saying that any minor experiencing gender dysphoria should have to wait until they’re adults before deciding to transition.
• Democratic lawmakers supporting the protections say scientific research has consistently shown that providing gender-affirming healthcare leads to improved mental health outcomes for minors, while denying such care is linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm or suicide.

📸 Big picture: ~1.4% of the US population between the ages of 13 and 17 is transgender, including a total of 62,000 minors living in the 19 states that currently restrict gender-affirming care.

📊 Flash poll: Which political party’s stance on gender-affirming healthcare for minors do you most agree with?

Republicans

Democrats

Unsure/other

🇲🇽🌋 Mexico’s government warned 3.5 million residents to prepare for evacuation ahead of a potential volcanic eruption. The Popocatépetl volcano, nicknamed “El Popo,” had been dormant for decades prior to an eruption in 1994. Ever since then, though, it’s been a constant source of rumblings, smoke, and ashes for the ~25 million people in central Mexico who live within a 60-mile radius. And starting earlier this month, scientists began detecting even greater amounts of ash and fumes coming from El Popo, signaling a possible eruption is imminent.

🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Fighting in the Russian region of Belgorod continued for a second straight day, following a cross-border attack originating in Ukraine. The incursion, which represents the most serious attack on Russian soil since the ongoing war began, was initially blamed on Ukraine’s military by the Kremlin, while Ukraine’s intelligence service said a volunteer group of anti-Putin Russian citizens had launched the attack. News orgs have been unable to independently confirm either side’s claims, including Russia’s announcement yesterday that it had killed all 70 enemy fighters.

🇫🇷✈️ France’s nationwide ban on short domestic flights took effect yesterday. The measure, which was initially passed in 2021, bans all flights within the country that can also be traveled by train in under 2.5 hours via widely available routes. France’s government said the move is aimed at reducing emissions from airlines, citing research that shows planes emit 77x more CO2 per passenger than trains over the same route.

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To all the Dunkers still mooching off their parents’, ex’s, or friend’s dad’s colleague’s Netflix account, we’ve got…news.

Netflix began notifying its US and UK customers yesterday that, moving forward, password sharing with anyone outside of your household is a no-no. Meaning now, if you’re the one fronting the bill for any non-roommate moochers, you’ve got two options:

• Say goodbye: You can transfer any user’s profile, including their viewing history, to a standalone membership that they will pay for moving forward ($6.99/mo for ad-supported tier, $9.99/mo+ for ad-free).
• Cover the cost: You can pay a monthly fee of $7.99/mo for any account member outside of the household. A max of one user is allowed per Standard plan ($15.49/mo), or two users per Premium plan ($19.99/mo).

Notably, any subsidized users are subject to a similar set of restrictions as someone on the Basic plan – meaning they can only use one profile, and can’t view/download content on more than one device at a time. Also, both parties must be in the same country, so no overseas sharing allowed.

📸 Big picture: Netflix began its password sharing crackdown in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain earlier this year. After one month, the streamer had lost over 1 million subscribers in Spain alone.

But, according to Netflix, this is to be expected. The company said on last month’s earnings call that it predicts a “cancel reaction,” followed by “increased acquisition and revenue.”

How would humanity respond if, someday, we received a message from an extraterrestrial civilization? Well over the next few weeks, a first-of-its-kind project called A Sign in Space aims to answer that question irl.

Its goal is to simulate what would happen if a theoretical alien species living on Mars sent a transmission to Earth. So like a fire drill, but for aliens.

📡👽 Here’s how it’ll go down: At 3 pm ET today, the European Space Agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter Mars probe will begin to send a coded message specially designed by SETI Institute artist Daniela de Paulis. It’ll then be received by three big radio telescopes on Earth.

• Once the coded signal is received, teams at each of the three observatories across the globe will process it and make it publicly available.
• Over the following six to eight weeks, scientists around the world – as well as any interested members of the public – will attempt to decode the transmission to figure out exactly what the “aliens” are trying to communicate. Any answers are to be submitted via the project’s website.

👀 Looking ahead… We’ve already submitted “E.T. phone Earth'' as our guess. Though for the real answer, you can tune in as the global project hosts a series of public Zoom meetings in the coming months to discuss the societal implications of spotting a signal from an alien civilization.

💬 Quoted… "What kids are experiencing today on social media is unlike anything prior generations have had to contend with."

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy yesterday issued a public advisory warning that widespread social media use poses a significant mental health risk to American kids and teens, based on “a substantial review of the available evidence.”

• Murthy acknowledged that social media can have a positive effect on kids, but said the US needs to urgently take action to create safe and healthy digital environments aimed at minimizing harm to adolescents.

📲📉 Stat of the Day: The use of QR-code menus in US restaurants is down 27% so far this year compared to the same period in 2021, according to new data from MustHaveMenus, which manages thousands of digital menus.

🤯 Did You Know?... Ocean waters around the world contain an estimated 20 million tons of dissolved gold, worth about $1.1 quadrillion at today’s prices. Though recovering any of it isn’t exactly easy; would-be prospectors would have to filter about 110 million tons of water to obtain one single gram of gold.

📖 Worth a Read: Future space food could be made from astronaut breath → (MIT Technology Review)

• ☝️ A suspected meteor lit up the night sky above Queensland, Australia, on Saturday night; dozens of local space enthusiasts are currently searching for possible remnants.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💰 US markets closed down across the board yesterday (S&P: -1.1%; Dow: -0.7%; Nasdaq: -1.3%).
• 🐭 Disney began laying off around 2,500 workers on Monday; the company has cut ~7,000 total jobs since late March, or about 3% of its workforce.
• 🚗🤖 Uber and autonomous vehicle-maker Waymo announced a new partnership that will make Waymo self-driving vehicles available to Uber passengers in Phoenix later this year.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🤝 Tom Brady agreed yesterday to purchase a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, pending NFL approval; Brady also owns a minority share of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. | 🏈 NFL owners yesterday approved a resolution that any fair catch on a kickoff will place the ball on at least the 25-yard line, instead of the 20-yard line (and there’s still no word back on our Super Bowl ring proposal).
• 🤝🍿 Netflix has won an all-night auction at Cannes for May December starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore; the streamer will pay ~$11 million for the melodrama.
• 🎥🪦 Ray Stevenson, the actor best known for his roles in Rome and Thor, died on Sunday; he was 58.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with CariFree

• 📉 Annual new HIV infections in the US fell 12% between 2017 and 2020 to reach a total of 32,100, per new CDC data published yesterday; a large portion of the decline came from a 34% drop among the 13-24 age group.
• 🦕 Some species of dinosaurs may have been the first animal to understand that other animals hold different viewpoints than their own (i.e., that others can see objects they themselves cannot), per a new peer-reviewed study published in Science Advances.
• ⭐ Astronomers may have discovered the first-ever example of a “boson star” made entirely of invisible dark matter, per new research that has yet to be peer-reviewed.

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MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with myBalto

• 🏛️🚚 A U-Haul rental truck crashed into barriers surrounding the White House yesterday, in what authorities are investigating as an intentional incident; the driver, a 19-year-old male, was arrested on multiple charges including threatening to kill or harm the president; images from the scene showed a Nazi flag near the crashed vehicle.
• ⛪ More than 450 credibly accused child sex abusers have ministered in the Catholic Church in Illinois over the past seven decades, per an investigative report from the state’s attorney general published yesterday; that figure is over 4x higher than the number the Church had publicly disclosed before 2018, when the state began its investigation.
• 🗳️ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce his 2024 presidential candidacy tonight during a Twitter Spaces event hosted by CEO Elon Musk, per multiple reports. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

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CLICKBAIT

• 📱 An influencer agency is offering people $1,000 to scroll TikTok for 10 hours straight.

*Sponsored post

Rugby player Kevin Sinfield has become known for his "superhuman" physical achievements, such as running seven ultramarathons in seven days. 

• The athlete recently completed the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon by pushing his former teammate, Rob Burrow, in an adaptive wheelchair for all 26.2 miles. 

🏃‍♂️ True friendship... Rob announced his motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis in 2020. Shortly after, Kevin began competing and running to raise awareness and funds for everyone fighting the disease. He's since raised more than $10 million in Rob's honor. 

• There wasn't a dry eye in sight when, as the men approached the end of the marathon, Kevin lifted Rob from the chair and walked him across the finish line. 
• "While it’s difficult for him to communicate, I know when he’s laughing, and you can see it. We’ll have some fun, I promise you that,” Kevin shared with The Guardian.

❓ Trivia: Which member of ZZ Top didn’t sport a long beard?

🔥 True or False?... Lighters were invented before matches.

🤔 Riddle Me This: A person pushes their car. They keep pushing until they stop in front of a hotel, at which point they go bankrupt. Why?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize. (Pro tip: there's no need to ration points, you're entitled to a prize at each tier.)

Start referring.👇

❓ Trivia: Frank Beard

🔥 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: The person is playing Monopoly