Good morning. In this edition:

• 🚛 Autonomous semi-trucks are here
• 🏈 Irrelevant relevance
• 🤔 The country where adult diapers outsell baby ones

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.60-minute read (1,223 words).

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"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great."

–Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924)

Drivers in Texas will soon encounter a novel sight on highways across the state: semi-trucks without a human being in the cab.

Autonomous trucking startup Aurora Innovation is set to roll out its first completely driverless vehicle on Texas’ I-45 sometime in the next few days, marking a key milestone for a sector aiming to reshape America’s trucking industry.

• Companies have tested self-driving semi-truck fleets in Texas since 2021—though they always had a backup safety operator riding in the cab, able to take control of the vehicle if needed.

The drive to thrive

Aurora’s plan is to launch fully driverless operations on a popular freight route between Dallas and Houston, beginning with just a single truck and slowly expanding to their whole fleet.

• The company's self-driving tractor-trailers—equipped with 25 laser, radar, camera, and lidar sensors—can carry loads for companies like FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner, and others at a cruising speed of 65 MPH.

Critics warn the tech is moving too quickly. Some opponents of Aurora’s transition to fully driverless operations say the company needs to be more transparent with its testing and data, as it hasn’t yet proven the vehicles’ safety without a human operator.

Others note that human drivers could face major psychological challenges over the idea of sharing the road with massive semi-trucks that lack drivers. At least 10 companies are developing driverless technology for trucks, with most expecting to go fully autonomous on public roads later this year or in 2026.

Big picture: Automation is coming at a key time for America’s trucking industry, aka the backbone of the US economy, which moves 70+% of all freight in the country. In recent years, trucking companies have faced a series of driver shortages and high turnover rates that forced delays, raised transportation costs, and increased prices for consumers.

Experts love this rare credit card offer for its long no-interest period on purchases and balance transfers, incredible cash-back rewards, and no annual fee. But act fast—this deal won’t last forever.

A watchdog has accused tech giant Apple of using false advertising in its campaigns promoting the latest iPhone.

After reviewing Apple’s promotional materials, including an “available now” label on Apple Intelligence’s webpage, the National Advertising Division (NAD)—a nonprofit that reviews ad campaigns for truthfulness/transparency—recommended the company discontinue or modify that specific claim because many of its AI-powered features weren’t available with the iPhone 16’s September launch.

• Some features, like Priority Notifications, Genmoji, Image Playground, and a ChatGPT integration, became available in recent months.
• But one of Apple’s biggest claims—a major Siri update showcased in a Bella Ramsey-led ad campaign—still has yet to be released.

The response: After receiving the NAD’s critiques, Apple discontinued its Bella Ramsey ad campaign and removed the “available now” headline from its website (among other changes), per a press release published this week.

Big picture: The situation marks the latest blow to Apple’s reputation with AI technology. In addition to facing multiple class-action lawsuits over Apple Intelligence ads, the tech giant was forced to turn off its AI news summary feature earlier this year after users and the BBC discovered it sometimes twisted headlines to display false information.

Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay tonight. Which means a new Mr. Irrelevant—potentially the most-beloved underdog in all of sports—will soon be crowned.

Since its introduction, the moniker, given to the last player taken in the draft each year, has ironically grown to become very relevant. The fanfare surrounding the pick has sparked an official rule to prevent teams choosing second-to-last from passing on their pick, and even spawned a beer named after it.

The relevance of irrelevance

In 1976, Paul Salata, a former NFL wide receiver, secured approval from then-commissioner Pete Rozelle for the Mr. Irrelevant concept.

Salata, a late-round pick in the 1949 NFL Draft, liked the idea of celebrating the underdog—the idea wasn’t designed as a cutting Kill Tony-style roast, but meant to be endearing, ESPN reports.

• Every year, the new Mr. Irrelevant gets invited to Newport Beach, California, for Irrelevant Week, which culminates with a banquet where the Lowsman Trophy, a spoof of the Heisman Trophy that portrays a player fumbling the ball, is awarded.

On the field: Mr. Irrelevants have generally performed as you’d expect from the last pick in the draft. Though exceptions include QB Brock Purdy (taken by San Francisco) and K Ryan Succop (Kansas City).

Zoom out: In preparation for Round 1, check out an NFL insider’s mock draft, or put on your Kevin Costner Draft Day-GM hat and use this free simulator to make picks yourself.

+Editor's note: Want more stories like this? Sign up for Press Sports, our sister newsletter delivering smart, witty sports news to inboxes 2x/week. It’s free.

The two men featured in this photo are leading the race for Time’s Person of the Year 2025. And the third-place candidate might just be implanted in Elon’s brain…

• 🔮 According to Kalshi, Musk leads the race at 25%, and Trump trails at 23%
• 🤖 In 3rd? AI— currently projected at 19%, followed by Sam Altman at 7%

Feel one way or another? Make your predictions count for more than bragging rights with Kalshi, the first CFTC-regulated prediction market. Earn 3.75% APY on cash and positions.

What do Uber rides and alcohol have in common? There’s usually a 12-step process for power users when it comes time to quit.

^That’s according to a lawsuit filed by the FTC on Monday, which alleges the ~30 million subscribers to Uber One—a $10/month offering with deals and perks for regular Uber passengers—are forced to take a minimum of 12 different actions before Uber lets them cancel.

The FTC also accused Uber of enrolling customers in Uber One without their consent, charging users for the service before a free trial period was over, and even charging someone who didn’t have an Uber account in one case.

On the flip side: Uber denied the FTC’s claims in a statement, saying its sign-up and cancellation processes are clear, simple, lawful, and “take most people 20 seconds or less.”

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📝 President Trump is reportedly considering reducing tariffs on Chinese imports to de-escalate trade tensions. | US markets rose across the board (S&P: +1.7%; Dow: +1.1%; Nasdaq: +2.5%).
• ⚖️ Apple and Meta were both issued fines by the European Commission (~$570 million and ~$230 million, respectively); it marks the first two penalties for breaching the EU's Digital Markets Act.
• 🌯 Chipotle's Q1 same-store sales declined for the first time since 2020; execs cited a slowdown in consumer spending and adverse weather.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with MorningSave

• 🧑‍⚖️ A federal judge delayed approval of the multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement between the NCAA and college athletes (House v. NCAA) until a proposed policy for limiting roster sizes is changed.
• 🎮 Nintendo Switch 2 preorders open today after a two-week delay due to tariff uncertainty.
• 🎭 Stranger Things: The First Shadow celebrated its opening night on Broadway. | Former NFL star Mel Owens will be the next Golden Bachelor.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌁 Nearly half of Americans (~156 million people) are living in areas with unhealthy air pollution levels, per the American Lung Association; that’s 25 million more people than last year.
• 🪐 MIT astronomers discovered a rapidly disintegrating planet that produces a comet-like tail; the Mercury-sized planet loses a Mount Everest-sized amount of material every 30 hours.
• ⚠️ The FDA published a warning about side effects from popular hair-loss drugs that major telehealth companies—like Hims, Keeps, and Ro—aren’t required by law to report in their ads.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Your Everyday Heroes

• 🏛️ Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), 80, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, said he won’t seek reelection in 2026. | Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) lost her retrial of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.
• 🇺🇦🇷🇺 The White House has reportedly offered a Russia-Ukraine peace deal that allows Russia to keep control of nearly all occupied Ukrainian territory, and includes US recognition of Crimea as part of Russia.
• 🩸 Eight artificial dyes will be eliminated from US food and medications by the end of 2026, Health Secretary RFK Jr. announced. (Dive deeper: Support for food dye is dying across the US)

*From our partners: 🌴🐒 Jungle Guardian….Your Everyday Heroes presents Jeremy Levine, who defines heroism as "someone that does good for the sake of doing good." At Wild Sun Rescue, he rehabilitates howler monkeys, preparing them for return to the Costa Rican jungle. See the full story here at Your Everyday Heroes.

☝️You’re looking at the most expensive home for sale in NYC, which hit the market earlier this month; the 11,480-square-foot listing features five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a 618-square-foot terrace with panoramic views of Central Park and both Manhattan rivers—and an asking price of $110 million.

🤔 Did You Know? In Japan, more diapers are sold for adults than babies due to the country’s unique aging population. Japan’s fertility rate stood at a record-low 1.2 births per woman in 2023, or roughly half the global average (2.3).

📰 Worth a Read: The colorful history of why girls traditionally wear pink and boys wear blue

🖱️ Clickbait: When squirrels were one of America’s most popular pets

Yesterday we covered the death of Pope Francis, the head of the global Catholic Church and its ~1.4 billion global followers, who passed away early Monday at the age of 88 due to a stroke and heart failure.

❓ Our question to you: In general, how would you describe your opinion of Pope Francis?

• Positive: 61%
• Neutral: 17%
• Negative: 14%
• Unsure/other: 8%

❓ Follow-up question: Do you consider yourself a Catholic?

• Catholics’ opinion of Pope Francis: 56% Positive | 19% Neutral | 20% Negative | 5% Unsure/other
• Non-Catholics’ opinion of Pope Francis: 64% Positive | 16% Neutral | 10% Negative | 10% Unsure/other

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

+Note on sample size: We received 1,859 votes and 208 longform responses.

🧂 Three Indian teenagers invented a salt-powered refrigerator that doesn't need electricity to run, taking home the 2025 Earth Day Prize for their region. The boys are now building 200 of the small fridges for hospitals to use in transport to rural areas without electricity.

🚲 Ed McLaughlin bought his first electric bike two years ago—just months after undergoing a hip replacement. Since then, the 96-year-old has cycled 2,000+ miles.

🖼️ The Frick Collection, known as “the world’s favorite museum,” has reopened after a five-year closure.

Bohemian Switzerland National Park is located in which country? (Hint: It’s not Switzerland)

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The Czech Republic