Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 💥 New phase in Russia-Ukraine war
• 🦠 Hantavirus update
• 🔮 Most psychic generation yet?

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.56-minute read (948 words).

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“Whatever you are, try to be a good one.”

–William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the war in Ukraine could soon be nearing its end, remarks that contrasted with years of Kremlin messaging that Russia would continue fighting until its military goals were achieved.

Putin's remarks came during Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, an event that appeared far more restrained than previous years as security concerns and Ukrainian drone attacks spill deeper into Russian territory.

How we got here

Russia invaded Ukraine more than four years ago expecting a far quicker outcome, but the conflict has instead turned into a prolonged war of attrition where neither side has managed to secure a decisive breakthrough.

Moscow currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. But Russian forces still haven’t fully captured the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, with advances slowing considerably in recent months.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has increasingly leaned on drone warfare to offset Russia’s larger military and equipment advantages, with recent numbers suggesting the strategy may be reshaping parts of the conflict:

• Russian officials claimed they shot down 7,347 Ukrainian drones during March alone.
• Ukrainian data showed Russia launched roughly 6,600 drones and missiles during that same stretch.
• The figures marked one of the first stretches of the war where Ukraine appeared to match, or potentially surpass, Russia in cross-border drone activity.

That evolving battlefield dynamic has complicated the broader push for peace. While both countries recently agreed to a temporary three-day ceasefire surrounding Victory Day celebrations and exchanged roughly 1,000 prisoners each, reports of continued strikes and clashes quickly surfaced from both sides.

Across Europe, leaders are divided over what an eventual end to the war should actually look like. Some believe negotiations with Moscow are unavoidable, while others argue easing pressure on Putin too early could allow Russia to regroup and pose a larger threat in the future.

Looking ahead: Any realistic peace agreement still appears far off. Kremlin officials cautioned over the weekend that negotiations would likely be a “long road” due to the conflict’s complexity, with officials yet to announce a timeline for any potential peace talks.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should Ukraine push for a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible (likely with significant land concessions), or keep fighting as their drones reshape the conflict?

• Push for peace quickly
• Keep fighting for now
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 US employers added 115,000 jobs in April, far higher than the 65,000 economists had predicted, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, per the Labor Dept.’s latest jobs report.
• 🛵 Lime, the Uber-backed electric bike and scooter rental company, files for an IPO on the Nasdaq.
• 🎓 Canvas, the learning platform used by thousands of US colleges to manage assignments and share grades, shut down for several hours Thursday due to cyberattack; a hacking group known as ShinyHunters claims it stole data on ~275 million users and is threatening to release it.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 NY Knicks complete 4-0 sweep of 76ers to make their second straight Eastern Conference Finals. | Washington Wizards win #1 overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft, followed by the Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls, and Clippers (via Pacers).
• 🎥 Box office: The Devil Wears Prada 2 remains #1 domestically, bringing in $43 million in its second weekend; Mortal Kombat II's weekend debut earns $40 million at the domestic box office.
• 🎂 Sir David Attenborough, the famed English broadcaster, writer, producer, narrator, conservationist, and natural historian, turned 100 years old.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦠 Hantavirus update: Passengers onboard the cruise ship where the outbreak spread began disembarking Sunday morning after the ship docked in Spain's Canary Islands; a French passenger later started showing symptoms on their repatriation flight; the number of confirmed cases is at nine, with three deaths; WHO officials say the risk of infections globally remains low.
• 🏛️ President Trump plans to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, per multiple reports published Friday; Trump later denied the reports.
• 🦎 Mammals could have a hidden ability allowing them to partially regenerate limbs, per new mice study; though scientists say the regenerative tissue was “imperfect.”

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran responds on Sunday to the latest US draft proposal to end the war, with state media saying Iran’s new proposal seeks to have current negotiations focused exclusively on "ending the war in the region"; President Trump calls Iran’s latest offer “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” in social media post.
• 🗳️ Virginia's Supreme Court officially invalidates new Democrat-drawn congressional map, delivering a major boost to Republicans’ chances of maintaining control of Congress in November’s midterms.
• 👶 Liam and Olivia were the top baby names in America (by gender) for the seventh year in a row in 2025, per Social Security card applications submitted at birth.

👆 The 2026 Han River Nap Competition took place last weekend in Seoul, South Korea. The contest invites 170 competitors to snooze for the title of best daytime sleeper, based on live sleep data. Participants faced two rounds of interruptions during the event, like being tickled with a feather or listening to mosquito sounds.

🤔 Did you know? That tiny pocket on the front of jeans was originally designed to store pocket watches. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis designed it as part of their original “waist overalls” in 1873.

📰 Worth a read: It’s the most beautiful Taco Bell in the world. Here’s why it could never be built today.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Is Gen Z the most psychic generation yet?
• What 11 TV moms can teach all of us
• Are we more closely related to cats or dogs?

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On Friday, we covered a new proposed rule by the SEC that would allow publicly traded companies to shift from reporting earnings on a quarterly basis to instead do so twice per year.

❓ Our question to you: Do you support or oppose the SEC’s proposal to shift requirements for publicly traded companies from quarterly earnings to a frequency of 2x/year?

• Support: 33%
• Oppose: 46%
• Unsure/other: 21%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 506 votes and 48 longform responses.

Monday: Senate to vote on advancing new Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh

Tuesday: Consumer Price Index for April

Wednesday: National Apple Pie Day ; Cisco, Alibaba report earnings

Thursday: President Trump begins two-day summit in China with President Xi Jinping

Friday: Drake drops new studio album Iceman; Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey hits theaters; Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch debuts on Paramount+

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

1. Calc
2. Fallac
3. Lat
4. Pup
5. Salv

🐢 A worker at the Mississippi Aquarium was recently asked to design a wheelchair for a disabled box turtle. After a few prototypes and several 3D-printing sessions, Moses the turtle is finally up and rolling around his home.

1. Calc = Stone (e.g., calcium)
2. Fallac = False (fallacy)
3. Lat = Broad (latitude, lateral)
4. Pup = Doll (puppet)
5. Salv = Save (salvation)

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