Tuesday, April 1
Robert Reich
Did you miss last night’s executive order?
Friends,
Today is actually April 2. Your calendar may show April 1 but late last night President Trump issued an executive order making all months 30 days long. That means March actually ended Sunday, March 30, and yesterday was April 1. “This will give dangerous aliens one fewer day each month to cross our borders illegally” Trump said.
“It’s more efficient to do away with the 31st’s,” added Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has been cutting days out of the calendar for months.
But scientists are criticizing the move. “It leaves the earth six days short of a full cycle around the sun each year,” said Dr. Earnest Won, a Nobel Prize-winning geophysicist at the Berkeley Geodesic Laboratory.
In a second executive order issued late last night seemingly in response to Dr. Won, Trump mandated that the six extra days be devoted to himself.
At A Glance
Are you a hostile punctuator?
Why dogs love to play with trash.
See what the Hubble telescope saw on your birthday.
What it's like to retire in America at age 55 or younger.
Photographer captures rare orange snowy owl.
A tool to calculate when your baby might arrive.
Pennsylvania's apple-snatching "Little Bigfoot."
Japanese chain temporarily closes after rat found in soup.
Clickbait: The world's longest tongue plays Jenga.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Richard Chamberlain, longtime stage, film, and TV actor who also charted as a singer, dies of a stroke at age 90 (More) | Rapper Young Scooter dies at age 39 after severely injuring leg while fleeing from police (More)
> "A Working Man" upsets "Snow White" to lead slow box office with $15M over the weekend; Disney's "Snow White" dropped 66% from its first to second weekend (More)
> "Beautiful Girls" singer Sean Kingston and his mother found guilty of federal wire fraud charges; each faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at July sentencing (More)
Science & Technology
> Top vaccine scientist resigns from Food and Drug Administration, accuses agency officials of misleading public on the topic; Peter Marks helped lead previous Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed during the pandemic (More)
> NASA's Curiosity rover discovers the longest-chain carbon molecules on Mars found to date; such molecules are key ingredients in organic life on Earth (More)
> AI startup Anthropic releases two papers investigating how large language models reason to produce answers; how the models arrive at realistic outputs using billions of parameters remains an open question (More) | Generative AI 101 (1440 Topics)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets drop sharply Friday (S&P 500 -2.0%, Dow -1.7%, Nasdaq -2.7%), driven by increased core consumer prices and trade policy uncertainty (More) | Athleisure brand Lululemon falls 15% after lowering 2025 expectations (More)
> Frank founder Charlie Javice found guilty of defrauding JPMorgan Chase of $175M; student loan assistance startup allegedly fabricated millions of user profiles to facilitate its acquisition by the bank (More)
> China to issue a reported $72B in capital injections to four of the country's largest banks in an effort to shore up their lending capacity (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Federal judges block executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting two law firms, Jenner & Block and WilmerHale, calling the directives retaliatory in nature (More) | Separate firm, Skadden, agrees to provide $100M in pro bono work to administration-aligned causes during Trump's term to avoid executive order (More)
> Columbia University's interim president resigns; move comes a week after the university agreed to a raft of policy changes over Trump administration's threat to pull $400M in federal funding (More)
> French court to deliver verdict against nationalist-populist opposition leader Marie Le Pen on embezzlement charges today; guilty verdict would bar Le Pen from elections for five years (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Animals: Cats... Dogs...
When I was growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, we grew up around dogs, specifically dachshunds and always a male. His name was Rebel, and he lived to be over 20 years old when our father finally had to put him down due to the old age pain he was feeling. Our father said that was the hardest thing he ever had to do and refused to have another animal after that - and he did not.
During my first marriage we did not have any animals for the first 15 years, then a friend of mine could not take care of this lab due to the apartment complex rules; he had been forced to take the dog as a result of a divorce. So, my wife and I agreed to take him. Eight years later, we got a divorce, and my ex-wife kept the dog.
Five years later when I got married for a second time, we took in stray cats right after we got married, a mother and her son. They were outside/inside cats but primarily outside. The son died after 12 years; the mother died after fifteen. She was blind and had caught pneumonia, so we had to put her down. Her son had a heart attack while playing with my wife.
Right before the mother died, my wife needed a replaced for the son to whom she had grown very attached. As a result, we got a stray from the animal pound, the a few weeks later we got a rescue cat from a animal rescue organization, then a few weeks after that, we got a Siamese cat that we had been tricked into believing was still a kitten.
After 14 years we still have these three cats who are primarily indoor cats and have grown into becoming part of the family. When we go on vacation, we arrange for someone to come by and feed them once a day while we are gone. Cats are easier to take care of than dogs and do not have to be house broken or walked. However, these three cats present attention issues and the Siamese knows when it is time to go to the vet.
After these we will have no more animals.
Ranked: The World’s Fastest Growing Economies in 2025
Oil Powering Economic Growth
The top economies in this ranking are heavily tied to the oil sector, meaning fluctuations in production can have a drastic effect on GDP.
Let’s take a closer look at the top two.
South Sudan (+27.2%)
South Sudan’s GDP has fluctuated up and down in recent years due to an ongoing civil war that has thrown its population into extreme poverty.
As a landlocked country, South Sudan also relies on pipelines that run through its northern neighbor, Sudan, to transport its oil to the Red Sea.
In 2024, South Sudan’s most important pipeline ruptured, putting massive strain on government revenue. Repairing the pipeline is difficult because parts of it lie in active conflict zones.
According to Bloomberg, South Sudan has been seeking alternative routes to export its oil, as well as cash bailouts from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to stay afloat.
South Sudan’s GDP has fluctuated up and down in recent years due to an ongoing civil war that has thrown its population into extreme poverty.
As a landlocked country, South Sudan also relies on pipelines that run through its northern neighbor, Sudan, to transport its oil to the Red Sea.
In 2024, South Sudan’s most important pipeline ruptured, putting massive strain on government revenue. Repairing the pipeline is difficult because parts of it lie in active conflict zones.
According to Bloomberg, South Sudan has been seeking alternative routes to export its oil, as well as cash bailouts from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to stay afloat.
Monday, March 31
Robert Reich
Why Trump opponents can’t find a lawyer
His campaign of vengeance against lawyers and law firms is chilling opposition to his regime, which is exactly what he wants.
Friends,
Last week I wrote to you about Trump’s crackdown on the pillars of civil society — the universities, the scientific community, the media, the legal profession, and the arts — with the clear intent of intimidating them into silence.
Today I want to take a deeper dive into what Trump’s crackdown on the legal community — especially large law firms in Washington — actually means.
Frankly, I couldn’t give a sh*t about large law firms in Washington. They make boatloads of money for their partners. Even those whose partners are active Democrats push the party rightward as they round up campaign donations from corporate C-suites and Wall Street and urge Democratic members of Congress to move to the “center.”
But Trump’s bullying of Washington law firms is cutting off the litigation lifeline for nonprofit public-interest groups to challenge his policies — which is exactly why he’s doing it.
At A Glance
When you should aim for major life milestones.
Livestream the northern lights.
Did Bob Dylan steal a song from a high schooler? (via YouTube)
Even $14K can't get South Koreans to marry each other.
The man responsible for 1,000 Time covers.
... and the best of the 2025 World Press Photos.
Watch US figure skater Ilia Malinin land six quads and a backflip. (via YouTube)
Always relocate your rhinos upside-down.
Clickbait: The icy stare of a swine showwoman transfixes a nation.
Exploring Nuclear Power
Take a turn with the nuclear reactor simulator
Do you have what it takes to operate a nuclear plant? This simulator, developed by the University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute, takes you on a tour of a virtual plant before handing you the keys to the control room. Challenge yourself to produce enough energy to meet demand while avoiding a nuclear meltdown. Play here.
Detailing the promise of nuclear power
Isabelle Boemeke is the world's first nuclear energy influencer. The young Brazilian fashion model’s assumptions about nuclear power were challenged by a tweet in 2015. Now, she debunks common objections to it through her TikTok persona, Isodope—which has 34,000 followers. Watch Boemeke’s TED Talk to find out why she’s so excited about nuclear power.
Would Oppenheimer support nuclear power today?
What would J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, think of recent efforts to expand nuclear power? Oppenheimer's grandson Charles says his grandfather would support it. While Oppenheimer referred to the bombs as “an evil thing” after the Manhattan Project, he also described nuclear energy’s potential for good. Read more here.
A virtual tour of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the site of the world's most recent nuclear meltdown, is being decommissioned. It’s a decadeslong process with lots of safety precautions. See what the Japanese plant looks like in the aftermath of the accident in this virtual tour hosted by the company in charge of shutting it down. Take the tour here.
A timeline of the Chernobyl disaster
It started as a safety test so routine the Chernobyl nuclear plant’s director didn’t attend. It ended with a series of radioactive explosions that left the surrounding area uninhabitable. The 1986 meltdown is the worst nuclear accident in history, killing dozens and impacting thousands more. This timeline gives a play-by-play of what went wrong.
Which energy sources are the safest and cleanest?
There are many different power sources out there: coal, natural gas, solar, wind and, of course, nuclear. What is the best for human health and the environment? This article asks a few tough and uncommon questions to figure it out. How many deaths are caused per unit of electricity produced, for example? Explore the answers in these charts.
Do you have what it takes to operate a nuclear plant? This simulator, developed by the University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute, takes you on a tour of a virtual plant before handing you the keys to the control room. Challenge yourself to produce enough energy to meet demand while avoiding a nuclear meltdown. Play here.
Detailing the promise of nuclear power
Isabelle Boemeke is the world's first nuclear energy influencer. The young Brazilian fashion model’s assumptions about nuclear power were challenged by a tweet in 2015. Now, she debunks common objections to it through her TikTok persona, Isodope—which has 34,000 followers. Watch Boemeke’s TED Talk to find out why she’s so excited about nuclear power.
Would Oppenheimer support nuclear power today?
What would J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, think of recent efforts to expand nuclear power? Oppenheimer's grandson Charles says his grandfather would support it. While Oppenheimer referred to the bombs as “an evil thing” after the Manhattan Project, he also described nuclear energy’s potential for good. Read more here.
A virtual tour of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the site of the world's most recent nuclear meltdown, is being decommissioned. It’s a decadeslong process with lots of safety precautions. See what the Japanese plant looks like in the aftermath of the accident in this virtual tour hosted by the company in charge of shutting it down. Take the tour here.
A timeline of the Chernobyl disaster
It started as a safety test so routine the Chernobyl nuclear plant’s director didn’t attend. It ended with a series of radioactive explosions that left the surrounding area uninhabitable. The 1986 meltdown is the worst nuclear accident in history, killing dozens and impacting thousands more. This timeline gives a play-by-play of what went wrong.
Which energy sources are the safest and cleanest?
There are many different power sources out there: coal, natural gas, solar, wind and, of course, nuclear. What is the best for human health and the environment? This article asks a few tough and uncommon questions to figure it out. How many deaths are caused per unit of electricity produced, for example? Explore the answers in these charts.
Time, Age, Health, Beauty
When males or females go to college and graduate from college, they perceive themselves as knowing everything, when in reality they know very little.
This lack of knowledge is worse these days because most college students memorize for the grade, retaining very little because of the perception that grades will get them a better job.
That is INCORRECT...
During my 45-year career from 1970 to 2015, not one employer hired me on the basis of my college grades or GPA. This included colleges and universities that hired me to teach.
But the main issue about age, health, and beauty is that all three deteriorate faster than you realize. That is to say that AGE moves by faster than one realizes even though it seems like life takes its sweet ass time passing by.
Everyone who I have ever talked to who is 60 years of age or older, swears they had no idea that time would move by so quickly... or that they took for granted the passing of time while they were trying to live life.
I am in my seventies now, been retired for ten years, and fully understand and appreciate how quickly time has passed by me. I am in relatively good health but there are many people my age, who did not take care of themselves and who are paying the price for that lifestyle now.
Whether you believe the old people or not, do yourself a favor and start thinking right now that time is flying by and that you need to take advantage of every minute you have from a variety of standpoints.
The universe doesn't care about your precious standard model
This week, ALMA researchers reported the discovery of oxygen in the most distant known galaxy. Geologists believe unusual structures in rock in the desert regions of Namibia, Oman and Saudia Arabia may be evidence of an unknown microorganism. And a group of physicists may have generated a tiny charge of electricity using the Earth's rotational energy. But the biggest story by far is the second release of data from the DESI survey of the universe, which could upend the standard model:
DESI is coming for the standard model
An emerging generation of cosmological surveys launched this week with the second release of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, which is mapping an unprecedentedly huge number of galaxies spanning 11 billion years of cosmic history in order to better understand dark energy.
Astronomers have known for many decades that the universe is expanding; in the 1990s, the first image of the cosmic microwave background—the echo of the big bang—revealed that this expansion is accelerating for unknown reasons. Astronomers call this expansion "dark energy," which translates to "we don't understand what this energy is."
Sunday, March 30
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