Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 💥 US-Iran war heats up
• 🦒 Giraffe math
• 🎨 Average color of the universe

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.73-minute read (991 words).

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

–Margaret Mead (1901-1978)

The US-Iran conflict is escalating again, nearly two weeks after the collapse of their recent ceasefire amid tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.

The cycle of attacks and retaliatory strikes continued over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of at least three US servicemembers in Jordan and Iraq.

How we got here

Earlier this month, Iran announced it would begin restricting commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. After Iran was accused of attacking ships in the waterway, the US responded with strikes on dozens of targets in Iran, and the ceasefire later collapsed.

• As tensions rose, Iranian forces launched four attacks in less than a week, including a series of drones and missiles aimed at US forces in Jordan.
• The US responded with multiple rounds of retaliatory strikes targeting Iranian missile sites, command facilities, bridges and other military infrastructure while deploying additional fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft to the region.

Things escalated further on Friday, when Iran killed two US servicemembers and left another missing in its deadliest attack since the ceasefire. The attack targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which had already been hit just two days earlier in a strike that wounded ~20 troops.

• Another servicemember died Saturday in Iraq during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone, per US Central Command.
• The US launched another round of strikes over the weekend in response, with President Trump signaling the campaign could expand to additional Iranian infrastructure.

Jordan comes into focus

US forces on the receiving end of attacks in the Middle East have historically been located in Iraq and Syria. But Iranian airstrikes are increasingly targeting US troops stationed in Jordan, as more American aircraft, personnel, and logistics operations shift into the country amid increasingly limited regional options.

Several Middle Eastern partners have restricted how the US can use bases or airspace within their borders for offensive operations, making Jordan one of Washington's most dependable hubs for projecting military power—and a more attractive target for Iranian missiles.

Looking ahead…President Trump has signaled the ongoing US military campaign could soon expand to Iranian bridges, power plants, and electrical systems, while Iran has similarly warned of broader attacks if US strikes continue.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, when will the ongoing US-Iran conflict officially conclude?

• Within 0-3 months
• Within 3-6 months
• Within 6-12 months
• At least 1 year

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🤖 China’s Moonshot AI unveils what it says is world’s biggest open-source AI model—aka free to download and modify—that ranks just slightly behind Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol in benchmark tests.
• 🥬 Taylor Farms is voluntarily removing from the US market all of its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, after the FDA tracked a parasitic outbreak (cyclosporiasis) to a farm in the region; cases have now spread to 30 states, with 90 hospitalizations.
• 👕 EU-wide ban on destroying unsold clothes and shoes took effect Sunday, requiring large companies to instead find ways of selling or donating the products.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚽🏆 World Cup winner: Spain defeats Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win their second World Cup title, and first since 2010; first-ever halftime show featured Shakira, Madonna, BTS, and Justin Bieber. | 🏌️ British Open: Australian Ryan Fox wins tournament by one stroke with four birdies in his last six holes, including the 18th; Fox, ranked #56 in the world, had never finished top-10 at a major. | 🏃 Briton Josh Kerr runs a world record 3:42.66 mile, breaking the 27-year-old record by less than a second.
• 🎥 Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey leads box office in its opening weekend, earning $124.5 million domestically ($264.1 million worldwide).
• 🚨 Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami as part of a UK investigation into numerous alleged sexual offenses by the influencer brothers.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦒 Giraffe math: At least some members of the long-necked species can consistently remember and combine quantities in their heads, which could be a building block for more advanced math, new study shows.
• ☄️ Dinosaur-killing meteorite 66 million years ago was rare type known as a CO chondrite, study shows; meteorite’s unusual chemistry indicates planet-cooling dust and debris was mostly responsible for the resulting mass extinction.
• 🏹 Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled at using weapons they were buried with, including daggers, bows, and maces, new analysis of ~4,000-year-old remains.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🔫 US appeals court strikes down New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles and certain firearm magazines, ruling that the law was unconstitutional
• 🇬🇧 Andy Burnham, former mayor from North of England, is set to become the UK's new prime minister tomorrow, after becoming leader of the Labour Party on Friday
• 📰 NY Times report (gift link) claims FBI has told agents it will no longer investigate confrontations with ICE agents; DOJ and DHS both deny the report; it comes after two separate incidents this month where ICE agents shot and killed immigrants.

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🤔 Did you know? In 2002, astronomers Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry from Johns Hopkins University calculated the average color of the universe by analyzing light from over 200,000 galaxies. The scientists determined the exact hex value of this creamy, off-white beige hue is #FFF8E7, but fondly named the color “Cosmic Latte.”

📰 Worth a read: The truth about migraines: what causes them – and how to find relief

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• What's the oldest weapon in the world?
• The most popular candy in every state
• Why TikTok can't stop arguing about “Voice Memo Guy”

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On Friday, we covered how Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote to advance the US government’s annual defense bill, citing concerns over the Iran war and GOP-backed plans to significantly increase US military spending next fiscal year.

❓ Our question to you: In general, how do you feel about the US government’s current level of military spending?

• It’s too much: 68%
• It’s about the right amount: 19%
• It’s too little: 13%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 611 votes and 55 longform responses.

Monday: National Moon Day

Tuesday: Novartis, Capital One, Charles Schwab report earnings

Wednesday: Pompeii: Out of Time, new Tom Hiddleston-led documentary, debuts on NatGeo; Alphabet, Tesla, IBM report earnings

Thursday: Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe debuts on HBO Max; Intel, Nestlé, T-Mobile report earnings

Friday: Trump admin’s global 10% tariffs on all goods set to expire; Charli XCX debuts new album Music, Fashion, Film

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

1. Cen
2. Ecto
3. Fum
4. Insul
5. Nect

(keep scrolling for the answers)

📰 Eli Saleeby, 25, recently became one of America's youngest newspaper owners after buying The Monticello News, a local paper that's served his Georgia hometown since 1877. Eli, a reporter who acquired the paper in hopes of keeping it locally owned, promised to help the company thrive for years to come. 

1. Cen = Empty (e.g., cenotaph)
2. Ecto = Outside (ectoderm)
3. Fum = Smoke (fumigate)
4. Insul = Island (insulated)
5. Nect = Join (connect)

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