US Blockade, Orbán Loses, and Roommate Gut

News for the insatiably curious. View email in browser. In partnership with  Good morning. It's Monday, April 13, and we're covering the collapse of US-Iran peace talks, a historic election in Hungary, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here. Don’t keep us a secret: Share the email with friends (copy URL here)​. And, as always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com.  Need To Know  US Blockades Hormuz President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the US would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz. The decision comes after talks with Iran collapsed Saturday over broad disagreements, including Iran's nuclear program, ending the highest-level negotiations between the two since 1979.  Iran has been selectively blockading the strait since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. Some ships have been allowed to pass, with Iran charging a toll of up to $2M each. Iran itself exported 1.9 million barrels of crude oil per day in March, reportedly up 100,000 barrels per day from the prior three months. Meanwhile, at least 22 ships have been attacked, with 10 crew members killed and 800 commercial vessels stranded (half of them oil tankers). Before the conflict, 20% of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz.  Explore how the war has impacted gas prices in your state here (w/map). Hungary Hits Polls Hungarian voters turned out in record numbers, ousting longtime leader Viktor Orbán yesterday and electing the party of center-right Péter Magyar. Turnout was over 77%, the highest in nearly four decades of post-Communist government. In his 16 years in power, Orbán's nationalist-populist Fidesz party won four consecutive elections, today holding a two-thirds majority in parliament. Orbán has been known for cracking down on migration, LGBTQ+ rights, and media access. Internationally, he’s known as a counterweight to the European Union’s pro-Ukrainian positions, using the country’s veto power to block a $104B loan to Kyiv as recently as last month. President Donald Trump has endorsed Orbán, with Vice President JD Vance stumping alongside him last week. Since breaking from Fidesz in 2024, Péter Magyar’s Tisza party has made gains in the polls, campaigning on Hungary’s sluggish economy (see GDP) and alleged corruption. Swalwell Assault Allegations New York officials opened a probe into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D, CA-14) over the weekend, following allegations by multiple women of sexual assault. Several high-profile people and organizations also withdrew endorsements from Swalwell, who currently leads Democratic candidates in the June 2 primary for governor with 13%-14% in polls.  Among the accusations is an ex-staffer who accused Swalwell of multiple unwanted advances (read report), including sexually assaulting her when she was too intoxicated to consent. Separately, three other women recounted incidents ranging from receiving explicit photos to inappropriate touching and kissing. Swalwell denied wrongdoing (watch statement) and vowed to stay in the race.  In California primaries, all candidates are listed on a single ballot, with the top two vote-getters advancing. Current polling suggests—with Democratic support split across at least eight candidates—two Republicans could face off in the Nov. 3 general election. In partnership with Incogni Unknown Number Calling? 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Please support our sponsors!  In The Know  Sports, Entertainment, & Culture > Rory McIlroy wins Masters, becoming the fourth player ever—and the first since Tiger Woods—to win consecutive green jackets (More) | Watch Shane Lowry hit a hole-in-one on No. 6 (More) | Jannik Sinner defeats Carlos Alcaraz in Monte Carlo final to reclaim world's No. 1 spot (More) > Justin Bieber headlines Coachella, revisits his classic YouTube hits from a laptop onstage (More) | See the history of one of the world's largest music festivals (More) > NBA playoff matchups are set after regular season concludes; postseason begins tomorrow with Play-In Tournament; see bracket, schedule (More) | Denver Pioneers win 2026 Frozen Four hockey championship (More) In partnership with Motley Fool Money Welcome, Here's $250 It's really that simple.   A $250 bonus after spending $500 in your first three months with this credit card. Odds are, you're going to spend $500 in the next few months anyway, so you might as well get paid to do it.   We forgot to mention: > No annual fee > 0% intro APR into 2027 > Unlimited cash back on everything else > Check it out → Limited-time $250 bonus Science & Technology > Artemis II crew greets public at welcome home ceremony in Houston following Friday return from lunar mission; astronaut Christina Koch remarks, "Planet Earth, you are a crew" (More) | Watch splashdown (More) | See the best images from the mission (More) > Newly discovered material breaks record for thermal conductivity for metals; tantalum nitride structure carries heat three times better than copper or silver (More)  > German woman's ultrarare combination of three autoimmune diseases in treatment-free remission after receiving CAR-T immunotherapy; patient shows no symptoms 14 months after treatment (More)  ☀️ Photosynthesis, neutron stars, Linux: Tomorrow's weekly Science & Technology newsletter dives deep into these topics, and much more. Join 145,000+ science enthusiasts and subscribe here! Business & Markets > US stock markets close Friday mixed (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq +0.4%), but end best week since November as fragile US-Iran ceasefire holds (More) | How is the S&P 500 actually calculated? (More, w/video) > US business adoption of AI crosses 50% for the first time in March, according to Ramp AI Index; Anthropic goes from 7% to 30% market share year-over-year, nearly equal to OpenAI (35%) (More) > Joint IMF-World Bank spring meeting begins today in Washington, DC, with officials likely to lower the economic outlook for 2026; watch curtain-raiser speech (More)  Politics & World Affairs > The UK halts transfer of Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, including joint US-UK military air base on Diego Garcia, to Mauritius after the US withdraws support (More) > Stampede at Haiti's historic Laferriere Citadel kills at least 30 people, many of them tourists (More) > Peru vote counting delayed, with election expected to head to June runoff after winner fails to emerge in 35-candidate presidential field (More)  In partnership with Incogni Keep Your SSN off the Dark Web Every day, data brokers profit from your sensitive info—phone number, DOB, SSN—selling it to the highest bidder. What happens then? Best case: companies target you with ads. Worst case: scammers and identity thieves breach those brokers, leaving your data vulnerable or on the dark web.   It's time you check out Incogni. It scrubs your personal data from the web, confronting the world’s data brokers on your behalf. And unlike other services, Incogni helps remove your sensitive information from all broker types, including those tricky People Search Sites.   Help protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls, and health insurers raising your rates. Plus, just for 1440 readers: Get 55% off Incogni using code 1440DAILY. Please support our sponsors!  Etcetera  Roommates can influence your gut microbiome.   Poll shows print books outpace audiobooks, e-books.   See 10 of the US' best small towns.   Learn the math behind those satisfying can-crushing videos.   Eiffel Tower staircase portion heads to auction.   When your kid keeps asking for a phone, reward them with a landline.   The World War II plan to develop "bat bombs." (via YouTube)   A choir for the tone-deaf.   In partnership: For a limited time, here's $250.*   Clickbait: A record-breaking shirt-wearing run.   Historybook: Sikh religion is formalized (1699); Handel's "Messiah" makes its world premiere in Dublin (1742); Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded (1870); Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov born (1963); American novelist Eudora Welty born (1909); American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon dies (1941).   *Please support our sponsors. "I am a writer who came from a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. 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