Good morning. It’s official: The DONUT is a 2024 Webby Award winner🥳. We were nominated for excellence on the Internet in the category of “Best Email Newsletter from an Independent Publisher,” and got news yesterday that we ended up winning both the judges’ award and the people’s choice award – something not seen in the category since at least 2022.

And, while our team is pretty awesome, we have no one to thank for this feat other than you, our readers. THANK YOU for your support. It means the world to us❤️.

Now, time to bask in the glow. Off to play “Independent” by Webby Webbie on repeat.

In today’s edition:

• ⚖️ SCOTUS weighs in on homeless encampment bans
• 🗳️ The FTC voted to ban noncompete agreements
• 💻 Inside the war to keep bots off the internet

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~5.28-minute read (1,406 words).

P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.”

–Earl Nightingale (1921-1989)

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that will decide whether US cities can prevent homeless individuals from sleeping outside on public property, even when shelter space is lacking.

The case dates back to 2013, when the rural Oregon town of Grants Pass approved a law establishing a $295 fine for sleeping outside in response to a growing number of tents springing up in the city’s public parks.

• The law was struck down in 2022 by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which deemed it a violation of the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment for cities to clear homeless camps – unless they also offer the residents adequate housing.
• The decision was later appealed to the Supreme Court, resulting in Monday’s hearing.

The arguments: Homeless rights advocates contend that laws like the one in Grants Pass are unconstitutional and only serve to worsen the ongoing US homelessness crisis, since such individuals will further lack the ability to get back on their feet. They also argue that local governments should focus on solving the root causes of homelessness, instead of penalizing its victims.

• On the flip side, a majority of SCOTUS Justices appear partial to arguments from city leaders and civic organizations across the political spectrum, who say laws like the one in Grants Pass would help them address homeless encampments that often place local residents and businesses in danger.

Big picture: An estimated 650,000+ Americans are currently experiencing homelessness, representing the highest figure since the US government began using a yearly point-in-time survey in 2007. Roughly 40% of homeless individuals in the US sleep outside, per federal data.

👀 Looking ahead… The Court’s final decision is expected in late June or early July.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should local governments be allowed to clear homeless camps without also offering alternative housing to all homeless residents?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

Want to keep your boss happy and be the envy of your coworkers? Read The Assist in just 5 minutes every morning for the latest tips/resources that make your work life easier.

✅ Clever memes that will brighten everyone’s day? Check. Informative articles on the latest trends? Check. Tips and tricks to transform your life as a professional? Check and check.

The best part? It’s FREE, so join 76,000+ bright professionals 4x weekly who are working smarter and achieving more thanks to The Assist.👍

Subscribe to The Assist today for free and skyrocket your professional growth.

🌍 The European Space Agency welcomed five new astronauts. The new cadets, who were chosen out of 22,500 applicants, represent the ESA’s fourth new astronaut class since 1978. The five astronauts graduated from their year-long basic training on Monday, making them eligible for missions to the International Space Station. The latest recruits bring the ESA’s total roster of astronauts to 11, not including an additional candidate who also completed the training process.

🇨🇳 Apple recorded its worst quarter for iPhone sales in China since 2020. iPhone sales in China – where Apple earns one-fifth of its overall revenue – fell 19% during the March quarter, causing Apple’s market share in the country to fall from first to third, per new data from Counterpoint Research. Apple’s top spot was taken by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo, while fellow local player Huawei rose from fifth to fourth following a 70% bump in domestic sales.

🇬🇧 UK lawmakers approved a controversial bill to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda. The legislation, which is intended to deter irregular migration, was previously struck down by the UK Supreme Court due to the possibility that Rwanda may forcibly return asylum-seekers to places where they face danger. However, yesterday’s vote in the UK Parliament overrides the Supreme Court’s objections, clearing the way for the bill to become law in the coming days.

High-school football coaches will be happy – there’s about to be a whole lot more competing going on.

Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 for a nationwide ban against noncompete agreements, which prevent workers from taking positions with competitors for a period of time after they leave a job.

The impact: The rule bans new noncompete agreements across the nation, and breaks the proverbial chains of any workers currently bound by one – an estimated 30 million Americans, or ~18% of the workforce. However, there is one exception: senior execs who earn over $151,164 annually and are in policy-making roles.

The arguments: The FTC claims that noncompetes unfairly limit competition and worker mobility. When the agency first proposed the rule in January 2023, it estimated the measure would lead to ~8,500 new startups per year, and increase earnings by ~$300 billion each year.

• Business groups argue the ban will increase business costs, while also putting trade secrets into jeopardy.

Many states have already taken a similar action to the FTC. California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and North Dakota currently ban noncompete agreements, while at least a dozen other states have passed laws limiting their use.

👀 Looking ahead… The federal noncompete ban is slated to go into effect In ~120 days, though it’s sure to be challenged in court prior to implementation. The US Chamber of Commerce has already said it plans to sue the FTC over the rule.

Slumber’s Deep Zzzs CBN gummies are the real deal, and the stats prove it. In a third-party sleep study, 87% of participants reported that Deep Zzzs performed better than any other sleep aid they’ve tried.

Why is quality sleep so important?

• 🧠 Improves memory and cognitive function
• ❤️‍🩹 Restores and repairs the body and brain
• 💪 Supports the immune system and helps fight off infections
• ✨ Helps with wrinkles, breakouts, and puffiness

As seen in Forbes and WebMD, Slumber’s Deep Zzzs don’t leave you feeling groggy. Instead, wake up refreshed and ready-to go.

Enjoy 35% off Slumber orders over $30 with code DONUT35.

If you’ve recently had to solve an Einstein-level physics problem to log into social media or input your info on a website, it’s not just you – Captchas, the technology first created at the turn of the millennium to prevent bots from disrupting websites, are getting harder.

This is due to a couple large-scale issues:

• Technology, as former political candidate Jimmy McMillan might say, is too damn smart. Image recognition has progressed to the point where machines can easily solve the more rudimentary problems, like picking out photos of buses or reading distorted text/numbers.
• An industry of third-party Captcha-solving firms – where humans are hired to solve the puzzles all day – has also emerged, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The fix? Design something challenging… but not too challenging. Arkose Labs, a company that designs Captchas, employs a staff of artists, former game designers, and cybersecurity experts to craft the tests, which have grown to encompass prompts like: “Please click on the raccoon’s bow tie.”

Not every idea makes the cut. The Arkose team once designed a Space Invaders-style challenge, but it was too hard for human users to complete. The ones that end up hitting the internet have a first-time solve rate of ~95%.

👀 Looking ahead… “Things are going to get even stranger, to be honest…,” Kevin Gosschalk, founder and CEO of Arkose Labs, told the WSJ. “Otherwise, large multimodal models will be able to understand.”

💬 Quoted: “We’ve got to be innovating, trying things differently, trying to match where the media world is in 2024.”

• Whose heart is under more stress: an Olympic athlete in the midst of an event or their dad in the stands watching them compete? We’ll be one step closer to finding out this summer, thanks to NBCUniversal’s plan to hand out heart-rate monitors to the parents of Olympic athletes and capture their reactions as they watch their children compete. In addition to on-screen heart rate monitors, NBCU is introducing several other new measures in an attempt to peacock its Olympic coverage and draw viewers. All events will be streamed in real-time on…Peacock, while a range of celebrities – including Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, and Alex Cooper – will be involved in primetime and streaming broadcasts.

🚗 Stat of the Day: More than 20% of all cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks sold globally this year are expected to be fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, up from ~15% in 2023, the International Energy Agency said in a report published yesterday.

🤔 Did You Know? Someone who weighs 200 pounds at the North or South Pole would weigh ~198 pounds when measured near the equator, due to the slight difference in gravity stemming from the Earth’s rotation.

📰 Worth a Read: Billions in Dirty Money Flies Under the Radar at World’s Busiest Airports → (WSJ)

• ☝️ The winners of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards were announced last week; French photographer Juliette Pavy was named the overall winner for her series entitled “Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women.”

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Headway

• 💰 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +1.2%; Dow: +0.7%; Nasdaq: +1.6%).
• 🚘 Tesla reported a 9% drop in revenue last quarter, marking its largest year-over-year decline since 2012; the EV maker also said it would accelerate the launch of new models, including more affordable ones; Tesla shares rose 10+% in after-hours trading.
• 🏢 The Biden administration announced a new law that will increase the threshold at which executive, administrative, and professional employees are exempt from overtime pay starting July 1.

*From our partners: ☕ Make self-development laidback and leisurely... Headway, the book summary app, lets you grasp key ideas of nonfiction best-sellers in 15 minutes. Save 50% on your first month of Headway PLUS get a free personal development plan.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 👟🏀 Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will sign a $28 million deal with Nike that spans eight years and includes her own signature shoe, per multiple reports.
• 🕵️ The board game Clue has new film and TV adaptations in the works, after Hasbro reached a new rights deal with Sony.
• 🏙️ Metropolis, a 135-minute epic from director Francis Ford Coppola (who made The Godfather trilogy), is on track to sell to French distributor Le Pacte, per Variety.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Flume

• 🥽 Meta announced plans to partner with external hardware companies – including Lenovo, Microsoft, and Asus – to build mixed-reality headsets using the company’s Horizon operating system.
• 🏥 Hospitalized older women are slightly less likely to die or be readmitted to the hospital if they’re treated by female doctors, according to a new study.
• 🏃 Transgender female athletes exhibit greater handgrip strength – an indicator of overall muscle strength – but lower jumping ability, lung function, and relative cardiovascular fitness compared to women assigned female at birth, per a new study funded by the International Olympic Committee.

*From our partners: 🌎💧 Save in celebration of Earth Day… Get $50 off Flume Water Monitor and Leak Alert until the 27th. Easy to install, gives a clear view of usage on your smart device, and detects leaks immediately. Click here and save $50 on Flume.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🎓 Columbia University announced that classes at its Morningside main campus will remain virtual for the rest of the semester (through next Monday), citing student safety amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
• 📰🇷🇺 WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal against his detention in Russia was rejected by a Moscow court, meaning Gershkovich, a US citizen, will remain behind bars through at least June 30.
• ✅ The Senate voted 79– 18 last night to pass a package that combines $95 billion of foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan with other national security measures, including a potential TikTok ban; it now heads to President Biden's desk for signature.

CLICKBAIT

• 🏆🚘 The best electric and hybrid vehicles in 2024.

It looks like this little one was a bit late to all the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. 

The Golden Retriever puppy, born in Florida last month, came out a surprising shade of lime green. This rare condition is caused by the fur being dyed by biliverdin, a green bile sometimes found in the wombs of mother dogs.

• The green has mostly faded in the month since the puppy's birth, but the little one was still given a fitting name: Shamrock.

How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Then you guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

• 💪 250: Number of known anatomical functions of the liver.
• 🪰 2: How many stomachs a moth has.
• ⛈️ 10,000: Amount of thunderstorms that occur each day globally.

👆 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.

Start referring.👇

1. 💪 Over, 500+ functions
2. 🪰 Under, 0
3. ⛈️ Over, up to 40,000