Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🎓 Higher ed = higher stress
• 💥 Strait reopened, then closed again
• 🫄 Longest pregnancy on Earth

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.50-minute read (932 words).

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“Short cuts make long delays.”

–J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

Private US colleges have faced more problems than an AP Calc student in recent years, with flagging enrollment and falling revenue straining the finances of schools nationwide.

More than a quarter of private colleges in the US are at risk of closing their doors altogether, according to a new analysis from Huron Consulting Group.

By the numbers: Some 442 of America’s 1,700 private, nonprofit four-year colleges could close or merge within the next decade, with 120+ schools in the highest-risk category, Huron estimates.

• Other surveys have found 86% of college leaders say they’re concerned about long-term financial stability, and ~1 in 5 have held serious discussions about merging with another institution.
• In the worst-case scenario, some ~670,000 college students could be left scrambling to transfer, risking lost credits, disrupted timelines, and higher costs.

Driving the trend

Experts say the main problem is a shrinking admissions pipeline, with 2.3 million fewer college students today than in 2010. This is attributed to several factors:

• The price of college tuition has increased ~42% faster than the pace of inflation over the past 25 years, leading many students (and parents) to believe college isn’t worth its significant cost.
• Trade schools and specialized certification programs have skyrocketed in popularity, allowing many students to bypass the traditional university system entirely.
• There’s also growing sentiment that many colleges have become ideological echo chambers and/or corporate entities that exploit students for profit and saddle them with major debt.

Overall, the share of high school graduates going straight to college has fallen from 70% in 2016 to 61% in 2023.

But…Not everyone is skipping school. Ivy League and elite flagship schools like Stanford, MIT, the University of Virginia, and UNC have seen a record-breaking flood of applications in recent years, driving acceptance rates to new lows.

Looking ahead...US colleges are also facing a looming enrollment cliff fueled by demographic changes. A birth decline that started in 2008—falling from a US-record 4.3 million to 3.6 million last year—has effectively lit an 18-year fuse that kicks in next year.

By 2039, analysts predict there will be 650,000, or 15%, fewer 18-year-olds per year compared to today.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you think the projected closure/merging of struggling private US colleges is generally positive or negative for society?

• Generally positive
• Generally negative
• Neutral/other

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Named TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 and a CES Innovation Award winner.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 US stocks soared on Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open for commercial traffic, though the waterway later closed on Saturday. (S&P: +1.2% | Dow: +1.8% | Nasdaq: +1.5%)
• 📺 Federal judge blocks $6.2 billion merger of local-TV giants Nexstar and Tegna, ruling that an ongoing antitrust lawsuit which aims to stop the deal is likely to succeed.
• 🚀 Blue Origin successfully launches and recovers its reusable New Glenn rocket, but delivers payload—a satellite for AST SpaceMobile—to a lower orbit than expected, rendering it functionally useless.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚾ San Diego Padres reportedly nearing deal to sell to private-equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones at a record $3.9 billion valuation.
• 🎥 Super Mario Galaxy Movie continues to top the domestic box office with $35 million in its third weekend; it’s also 2026’s highest-grossing movie globally to date, at $747.7 million and counting; Lee Cronin’s The Mummy ranks third in its debut weekend with $13.5 million domestically.
• 🏀 NBA Playoffs officially tip off following the Play-In Tournament, with all eight Game 1s in the books.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 👶 Neanderthal babies grew much quicker than Homo sapiens, reaching toddler size by ~6 months, new study finds.
• 🛰️ NASA shuts off instrument onboard Voyager 1 space probe in attempt to keep the spacecraft operating while dealing with low power.
• 💊 New experimental drug doubles the one-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer, new study reports.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: Iran on Saturday said the Strait of Hormuz is again closed to traffic, and fired on a tanker in the strait; it came less than 24 hours after Iranian officials and President Trump declared the strait open to traffic on Friday; Trump on Sunday said US forces seized an Iranian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman, the first known use of force in the ongoing US blockade of the strait; Trump also said US negotiators are heading to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, though Tehran reportedly denied that it will participate.
• 🏛️ Congress approves short-term renewal of FISA Section 207, a controversial surveillance law allowing warrantless access to some foreigners’ communications, with President Trump signing it into law; Section 207 was set to expire Monday, but is now active until April 30 amid ongoing debate over its potential for abuse. (Dive deeper)
• 🇨🇺 State Dept. officials met last week in Havana with Cuban officials—including leader Raul Castro’s grandson—to urge democratic and economic freedoms in exchange for easing US sanctions, per multiple reports; it’s the first time a US gov’t plane has touched down in Cuba since former President Obama visited a decade ago.

👆 A life jacket worn by one of the survivors of the Titanic sold at auction this weekend for $906,000. Passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli wore the jacket—signed by her and other survivors—as she escaped the sinking Titanic on the ship’s lifeboat #1.

🤔 Did you know? Elephants are pregnant for ~22 months, making them the mammal with the longest gestation period on earth. The alpine salamander takes the cake for the longest of any species, with pregnancies lasting 2-3 years.

📺 Worth a watch: A look at 'super agers' and the science behind longer, sharper lives. (27 mins)

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• This is what happens when you drink beer every day
• Survivor winners need a raise
• Meet the 98-year-old 'Angel of Route 66'

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On Friday, we covered the ongoing debate in Congress over whether to renew FISA Section 702, which allows intelligence agencies to monitor the communications of foreigners living outside the US—including messages with Americans—without obtaining a court order.

❓ Our question to you: Do you think Congress should renew FISA Section 207 before its expiration deadline?

• Renew as it is: 20%
• Renew with major changes: 56%
• Let it expire: 24%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 510 votes and 46 longform responses.

Monday: Adobe Summit kicks off in Vegas (ends Wednesday)

Tuesday: Senate hearing for Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh

Wednesday: Earth Day; Google kicks off Cloud Next conference (ends Friday); Tesla reports earnings

Thursday: Weekly unemployment claims; Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 debuts on Netflix

Friday: Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic starring his nephew Jafaar, debuts in theaters; Ringo Starr releases 22nd studio album Long Long Road

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Volv
2. Fum
3. Ign
4. Anth
5. Botan

👴 A 101-year-old man earned a Guinness World Record after competing in an age-80+ croquet tournament in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Neville Sandiford didn't even start playing croquet until he was 79, living proof that it’s never too late to start something new. 

1. Volv = Roll (e.g., revolve)
2. Fum = Smoke (fumigate)
3. Ign = Fire (ignite)
4. Anth = Flower (anthology)
5. Botan = Plant (botany)

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