Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🗽 City-owned grocery stores
• 💥 Trump extends ceasefire
• 🤔 How to define colors

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.53-minute read (938 words).

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"Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."

–Michael Jordan (b. 1963)

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week announced the first location for his plan to construct city-owned grocery stores across the Big Apple, as local food prices continue to soar.

What’s in store for NYC

The first location, La Marqueta, will be a ~9,000-sq-ft grocery store built on city land in Harlem at an estimated cost of ~$30 million.

• A private operator will be selected to manage daily operations, with a contractual requirement to pass savings directly to customers on a core basket of everyday staples.
• In addition to Harlem, Mayor Mamdani says he aims to open city-owned grocery stores in each of NYC’s five boroughs by the end of his first term, at a projected overall cost of ~$70 million.

The push comes as grocery prices in NYC have risen by ~66% over the past decade, well above the national average. Mamdani’s plan aims to lower those prices by offering goods at as close to wholesale value as possible in city-owned stores, with public ownership meaning they can operate as a non-profit or a "break-even" entity.

NYC officials also frame the city-owned stores as a way to boost access to fresh groceries in low-income neighborhoods, which are typically avoided by private grocery chains due to lower profit margins.

Not everyone is sold

Critics, including GOP officials along with local bodega owners and grocery stores, argue the plan represents an attempt at government price controls over groceries, which history and economic theory show are bad in practice, and lead to the inefficient allocation of goods.

• They also contend that Mamdani’s plan gives city-owned stores an unfair advantage over private companies, especially small businesses.
• Because the city absorbs certain costs, opponents say these locations could undercut small grocery stores and bodegas that don’t have the same financial backing.

There are also broader concerns about timing. The proposal comes as NYC faces a significant budget crunch—including ~$78 billion needed for public housing repairs, and another ~$69 billion for the MTA—which has pushed the mayor to consider higher taxes.

Looking ahead…NYC officials say a smaller city-owned pilot store could open as early as 2027, though details have yet to be finalized. Mamdani’s overall plan still requires City Council approval before moving forward.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support or oppose the idea of government-owned grocery stores?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏦 Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh testifies before Senate committee, with questions focused on his independence from President Trump; GOP Sen. Thom Tillis reiterates he won’t approve Walsh until the DOJ ends its “bogus” investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, leaving the nomination in limbo.
• 🪙 New York AG sues crypto exchanges Coinbase and Gemini over allegations that the prediction markets they offer violate state gambling laws.
• 💰 Gates Foundation is reportedly cutting up to 20% of its workforce (500 jobs) over the next several years, and has also opened an external review of the philanthropic giant’s engagement with Jeffrey Epstein.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 Billy Donovan steps down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons, despite the org saying they wanted him to remain in Chicago.
• 🚨Harvey Weinstein begins his third New York sexual abuse trial over claims that he raped an aspiring female actor 13 years ago; he was previously found guilty in 2020, but the verdict was overturned due to procedural error in 2024.
• 📺 New series ESPN Jeopardy! confirmed by Sony Pictures Television; the show, hosted by famed sportscaster Joe Buck, will stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖 Florida AG launches criminal investigation into ChatGPT and parent company OpenAI, saying the chatbot offered “significant advice” to the gunman in a mass shooting that left two people dead and five others injured last April.
• 🧑‍🚀 Astronauts’ brains struggle to adapt to the absence of gravity while in space—and upon returning home, they also struggle to re-adapt to normal gravity, per new study of 11 ISS astronauts.
• 🐀 Naked mole rat colonies can see peaceful succession from one queen/matriarch to another, contrary to conventional wisdom that such changes only occur via all-out warfare, new study finds.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: President Trump says US will extend its cease-fire with Iran—previously set to expire today—and continue blockade of Iran’s ports indefinitely until its leaders present “a unified proposal” to end the war; announcement comes hours after VP JD Vance pauses plans to travel to Pakistan for renewed negotiations with Iran; US forces board an oil tanker in the Indo-Pacific region that was previously sanctioned for working with Iran, in first such move outside the Middle East related to the war.
• 🎓 Michael Dell, billionaire founder of Dell Technologies, and his wife Susan announce new $750 million donation to UT Austin; funds will go towards a new hospital and research campus.
• 🏛️ Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) resigns from Congress amid federal charges that she stole ~$5 million in Covid relief funds; she’s the third House lawmaker to resign under fire this month, after Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX) exited over sexual misconduct allegations.

👆 You’re looking at some previous finalists from the Mangrove Photography Awards, spotlighting the best shots of the unique coastal zone where land meets sea. The 2026 Awards is now open for submissions, with winners set to drop later this year.

🤔 Did you know? Blue from Blue’s Clues was originally an orange cat named “Mr. Orange.” That cat later turned blue and became “Mr. Blue” before Nickelodeon pushed the team to rethink the character as a different animal. The result: Blue the puppy.

📰 Worth a read: The strange and spectacular quest to define colors

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Behind Gen Z’s sudden obsession with silverware
• 10 science-backed ways to feel more 'at home' in your own house
• Your smartwatch may be getting 6 key health metrics wrong

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Can you guess the group term for the following animals?

1. Apes
2. Penguins
3. Ravens
4. Giraffes
5. Rhinos

🏃 Boston Marathon runner Ajay Haridasse made it to mile 26 before his legs collapsed underneath him. He was preparing to crawl to the finish line when two fellow runners gave up their potential personal-best times to carry him the rest of the way. 

1. A shrewdness of apes
2. A colony of penguins
3. An unkindness of ravens
4. A tower of giraffes
5. A crash of rhinos

Source

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