Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🍽️ GLP-1 era hits restaurants
• ⚖️ Musk loses major OpenAI trial
• 🤥 How to spot a liar

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.91-minute read (1,040 words).

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“It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

Long gone are the days when restaurants tried to convince Americans to “supersize” everything. Now, the trend may be swinging the other way: tiny plates for everyone.

The rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound is starting to reshape how Americans eat, drink, and dine out.

In turn, restaurants across the industry are racing to adjust as more customers start splitting entrées and skipping dessert.

How we got here: The popularity of GLP-1 drugs has exploded over the past two years.

• More than 12% of Americans reported taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss last fall, up from 6% in early 2024, according to Gallup.
• Women and adults aged 50 to 64 reported the highest usage rates.

While waist sizes are shrinking…available tables are growing across the restaurant industry, as GLP-1 appetite suppressants cause a growing number of Americans to eat less frequently, order smaller portions, and cut back on alcohol.

Families with at least one GLP-1 user reduced spending at fast-food chains, coffee shops, and quick-service restaurants by 8% within six months of starting the drugs, per recent Cornell study of ~150,000 households.

From supersize to minimize: Major restaurant chains have responded by pushing high-protein menu items and smaller portion sizes to better align with changing eating habits (think: a “half sandwich” option or expanded salad menu).

• Thus far, data shows fast-casual brands have gained customers from the recent trend of Americans consuming fewer calories overall.
• On the flip side, traditional fast-food chains that are heavy on fried foods appear to be losing some ground.

Looking ahead: Pill versions of GLP-1s, which were first approved by the FDA for weight loss ~6 months ago, are expected to dramatically expand access as they continue to spread. Analysts estimate 30+ million Americans could be taking GLP-1s by 2030, up from ~10 million this year.

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Singles across the country are ditching dating-app bios in favor of actual bars, run clubs, dinner parties, and other places where people can confirm you’re at least 5'11" in person before matching.

• Singles events doubled nationwide from 2022 to 2025, according to Eventbrite data shared with Axios.
• The trend really hit its stride in 2024, when the number of events climbed 30% and attendance surged 85%.

These aren’t your parents’ speed-dating nights

Singles are showing up to beer pong tournaments, wrestling-themed speed dating, and even giving PowerPoint presentations to pitch other single friends.

Other examples:

• Kansas City is home to live matchmaking shows where hosts pair eligible singles in front of an audience.
• In Miami, a nonprofit is pairing people through volunteer events and community service.
• Comedians in Portland recently launched a dog-focused dating series—because who wouldn’t want their pooch as a wingmate.

Dating apps are also leaning into the IRL trend. Bumble and Hinge are both pushing faster in-person meetups, while newer startups like Breeze, Timeleft, and Stitch are built around getting users off the app and onto actual dates. Some plan the first date for you, while others go one step further and limit in-app messaging unless users make plans to meet.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• ⚖️ Elon Musk loses major court battle against OpenAI and its top executives, with a federal jury unanimously ruling that Musk waited too long to bring his lawsuit; Musk plans to appeal the ruling, which clears the way for OpenAI to IPO in the near future.
• 💵 Yield for 30-year Treasury bond reaches 5.13%, the highest such figure since 2007; that number is effectively the US government’s interest rate on new debt.
• ⚡🤝 NextEra officially agrees to buy Dominion Energy for ~$67 billion; the deal to combine two of America’s largest utilities still needs approval from state and federal regulators.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏌️ LIV Golf is seeking to raise up to $250 million from new investors after losing support from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, per Axios report.
• 💰 Shakira acquitted of tax fraud by Spanish court, with authorities ordered to repay ~$64 million they improperly collected from the Colombian pop star in dispute over her 2011 taxes.
• 🏀 New Orleans Pelicans hire head coach Jamahl Mosley two weeks after he was fired by the Magic.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 📜 Irish researchers discover copy of the earliest surviving English poem while flipping through a ninth-century manuscript, new study reveals.
• 💪💦 Just 30 mins of high-intensity exercise per week—broken into ~5 min daily bursts that leave you out of breath—can dramatically improve cardio fitness, lower the risk of many diseases, and help protect the brain from aging, new study suggests.
• 🥕 Kids exposed to certain vegetables through their mothers’ diet before birth are less likely to react negatively to their smell at three years old, new study finds.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💰 Trump admin creates $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate people who claim the federal government weaponized the legal system against them; Trump allies and supporters—including many charged in for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, and later pardoned by Trump—are expected to seek money from the fund.
• 🇨🇺 Cuba has acquired 300+ military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the US base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels, and possibly Key West, FL, per Axios report citing classified intelligence.
• 💥 President Trump says he’s calling off a plan to attack Iran on Tuesday at the request of three Middle East leaders, who seek more time for negotiations. | 🙏 Two teenage suspects open fire at a San Diego mosque, killing three adult men; the suspects were later found dead with self-inflicted wounds; authorities say the incident is being treated as a hate crime.

👆 You’re looking at some of the winners from the 2026 Environmental Photography Award, which received ~10,000 submissions from photographers using their cameras to spotlight urgent environmental issues around the world.

🤔 Did you know? Babies who live with dogs are ~90% less likely to develop allergies, according to a 2019 study of 1,300+ infants. The effect also seems to scale, with none of the 49 infants living with 2+ dogs developing any allergies.

📰 Worth a read: 'It's felt like homework': Why Star Wars went so wrong

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Listen and learn: the hidden secret to spotting a liar
• The tiger mom era is over. Enter the beta mom
• How to ‘reclaim the floor’ when someone interrupts you

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Yesterday we covered how many Americans are becoming increasingly uneasy about the technology’s growing role in daily life, even as the technology becomes more embedded in nearly every corner of daily life.

❓ Our question to you: In general, what is your personal sentiment towards AI products and companies?

• Positive: 18%
• Negative: 67%
• Unsure/other: 15%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 603 votes and 113 longform responses.

❓ Trivia: Which popular tropical fruit can take up to three years to fully grow?

🗣️ True or false?… Your voice sounds deeper to you than it does in recordings, since sound vibrations travel through the bones in your skull.

🤔 Riddle me this: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, while Michael J. Fox has a small one. Rihanna doesn’t have one, while The Pope has one but never uses it. What is it?

🎓 Jericho High School in Long Island, NY, is sending off a graduating class with not one valedictorian, but 21 students tied with perfect GPAs. The group set a new school record at a district already known for academic overachievement. 

The only remaining mystery: does graduation now come with 21 speeches?

❓ Trivia: A pineapple

🎓 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: A last name

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