Good morning. In today’s edition:

• ✈️ Airlines face bumpy ride
• ⛪ Religious revival
• 🍎 Apple CEO to step down

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.95-minute read (1,051 words).

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“Be not glad at the misfortune of another, though [they] may be your enemy. ”

–George Washington (1732-1799)

That cheap flight you bookmarked a few months ago? It might not be so in-budget anymore.

Major US airlines are raising fares, tacking on extra fees, and rethinking whether some routes are even worth flying in the face of soaring fuel and labor costs.

Tightening their seatbelts: In recent weeks, several airlines have warned of financial hardship due to rising operational costs, as energy price spikes wreak havoc on the industry.

• Spirit Airlines is staring down a possible liquidation after filing for its second bankruptcy in under a year.
• United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently floated a potential mega-merger with American Airlines (though the offer was rejected).
• Delta CEO Ed Bastian last week said the airline will need to “find ways” to pass rising fuel costs onto customers.
• Southwest recently cut dozens of routes, while other airlines are trimming less profitable services.

What’s causing the turbulence?

The price of fuel in the US has surged more than 30% since the US-Iran conflict began at the end of February, adding billions of extra dollars to airlines’ operational costs.

• In a recent memo to staff, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said jet fuel prices remaining elevated would mean an additional $11 billion/year in costs, or more than 2x what United earned in its most profitable year.
• Historically, surging oil prices have been a catalyst for consolidation within the industry, since bigger airlines have more flexibility to absorb price shocks and manage operational costs.

Zoom out: The upheaval within the airline industry comes as the spring travel season is on pace to be the busiest in US history, with a projected 171 million airline passengers from March 1 through April 30.

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Over the past year, a growing number of Gen Z men have taken a page from Hozier and gone back to church, according to new Gallup polling.

It’s been enough to flip a decades-long trend: for the first time in 50+ years, young men are now more likely than young women to prioritize religion.

By the numbers

Gallup found 42% of young men in the US now say religion is very important to them, up sharply from 28% in 2022-2023, while young women held steady at ~30% over the same period.

• With the jump, young men have returned to the high point of their expressed religiosity so far this century, roughly tying the 43% found in 2000-2001.
• On the flip side, older men and women of all age groups are at or near their historical lows.

Politics is part of the story: When it comes to Americans’ religious beliefs, Gallup found no strong differences by education or region of the country. But there was a clear contrast when it came to political identity:

• More than half of young Republicans (~55%) say they attend religious services at least monthly, with attendance rising by 7+ percentage points since 2022-23.
• But young Democrats’ religious attendance has remained mostly unchanged over that period, hovering around 30%.

Big picture: The religiosity of Americans as a whole across all age groups remains at or near an all-time low, based on Gallup’s long-term trends dating back 30+ years.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📱 Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO on September 1, the tech giant announced; he’ll be replaced by John Ternus, longtime Apple hardware executive, while Cook will become Apple’s executive chairman.
• 🥩 DOJ’s antitrust division is reportedly investigating whether large meatpackers—Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—engaged in criminal anticompetitive conduct related to beef prices.
• 🏛️ Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns from the Trump admin; her deputy Keith Sonderling will take over on an interim basis, per the White House.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 Singer D4vid (real name David Anthony Burke) charged with murder of 14-year-old girl whose body was discovered in the singer’s Tesla; the charges, including first-degree murder, sexual acts with a minor, and mutilation of a body, could make him eligible for the death penalty if found guilty.
• 🏃 John Korir of Kenya breaks Boston Marathon course record, riding a tailwind to finish in 2 hours, 1 minute, 52 seconds—the fifth-fastest marathon of all time.
• 🏀 Spurs' Victor Wembanyama earns NBA Defensive Player of the Year award; he’s the first-ever unanimous winner, and also the youngest in history at 22 years old.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚀 FAA grounds Blue Origin’s New Glenn reusable rocket while regulators investigate its failure to put a payload into the correct orbit during Sunday’s launch.
• 🏆 2026 Breakthrough Prizes, aka the “Oscars of Science,” awarded for outstanding discoveries in life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics; a total of six $3 million prizes were handed out by the group, whose co-founders include Sergey Brin and Mark Zuckerberg.
• 🍄 President Trump signs executive order directing FDA to expedite review of psychedelic drugs including LSD and ibogaine, which veteran groups have said can help treat PTSD; order came in response to text from podcaster Joe Rogan to Trump.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: Despite recent public comments to the contrary, Iran plans to send a team to negotiate with US officials in Pakistan this week, per multiple reports; the current two-week ceasefire between the US/Israel and Iran is set to expire Wednesday evening.
• 📰 FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic and one of its reporters for $250 million, alleging they defamed him in a story alleging he has an excessive drinking habit and a pattern of "erratic" behavior.
• 🧾 Trump admin launches new online portal where businesses can apply for tariff refunds, after recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed most Trump tariffs illegal.

👆 Lightning, a 5-foot-5 humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, beat the fastest human time ever for a half-marathon on Sunday, crossing the finish line in 50 mins and 26 secs—even after falling on the home stretch. The current human world record was set last month by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, at 57 mins and 20 secs.

🤔 Did you know? Nearly 70% of runners get a side stitch in a given year, with swimmers and horseback riders seeing similarly high rates. But scientists and doctors are still unsure what exactly causes the mysterious ailment, or what the best treatment option is.

📰 Worth a read: How cybercrime became a leading industry in ‘Scambodia’

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• The 'bizarre' story of the world's first LSD trip
• 5 amazing tech innovations to expect by 2050
• Skydiver crashes into scoreboard at CFB spring game

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Yesterday we covered a new analysis that found more than a quarter of private colleges in the US are at risk of closing or merging, with the vast majority of college leaders also voicing concerns about long-term financial stability.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you think the projected closure/merging of struggling private US colleges is generally positive or negative for society?

• Generally positive: 35%
• Generally negative: 42%
• Neutral/other: 23%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 573 votes and 43 longform responses.

🌊 Pretty deep: Explore where ocean creatures spend their time swimming.

🌍 Around the world in 80 seconds: See what it’s like to walk through 130+ different cities and countries.

✉️ That’s cool: This website lets you write a letter to your future self. Options include delivery from six months to 10 years from now.

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❓ Trivia: What’s the official name for a group of flamingos?

🎓 True or false?…The first mammal to be cloned was a goat.

🤔 Riddle me this: What gets bigger the more you take away?

🎮 A recent welfare check in Ohio turned out all fun and games after police found a missing 91-year-old woman safe, sound—and completely locked into her video game. 

The woman said she missed calls from her family and authorities because she was too busy chasing her top score in a bubble-popping game.

❓ Trivia: A flamboyance

🎓 T/F: False, it was a sheep.

🤔 Riddle: A hole

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