Good morning. In this edition:

• 💳 The US gov’t lost its perfect credit rating
• 🧑‍🏫 Alphabet is teaching Americans to be adults
• 🎭 Behind the saying: “break a leg”

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.10-minute read (1,091 words).

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Note: Due to user feedback regarding length, we’ve decided to remove our Stat of the Day section. By the Numbers, our weekly section curating five statistics that made our team say “whoa,” will remain.

“Don't spend major time on minor things.”

–Jim Rohn (1930-2009)

The US government can no longer quote the Remember the Titans “until now, this team has been perfect” speech in meetings with lenders.

Moody’s on Friday downgraded the US sovereign credit rating from the highest possible mark—a rubber stamp that had been in place since 1917—citing concerns about America's growing ~$36 trillion national debt and the associated interest costs, which are projected to become the single biggest line item in the federal budget by 2051.

• The move, which demotes US creditworthiness by one notch to Aa1, strips the government of its last remaining perfect AAA credit rating from a major firm.
• Fitch Ratings made a similar downgrade to US credit in 2023, while S&P Global Ratings did so back in 2011.

Borrow now, pay later

Moody’s says its downgrade reflects how US government debt and interest payment ratios have increased over the past decade-plus to reach “significantly higher” levels compared with similarly rated nations.

Moody's also notes that the fiscal proposals currently under consideration by the US government are unlikely to lead to a sustained, multi-year reduction in deficits.

• The firm estimates US federal deficits will widen to ~9% of GDP by 2035, up from 6.4% in 2024, driven mainly by increased interest payments on debt, rising entitlement spending, and relatively low revenue generation.

But…There is a positive element: Moody’s shifted its outlook on US debt from negative to stable, noting that America “retains exceptional credit strength such as the size, resilience and dynamism of its economy and the role of the U.S. dollar as global reserve currency.”

Looking ahead: Analysts say Moody’s credit downgrade could result in higher borrowing costs for the US government over the long-term. However, more than a dozen states—from Florida to North Carolina to Texas—will likely hold onto their AAA scores from Moody’s, largely because they’re in better fiscal shape than the federal government, per Bloomberg.

📊Flash poll: How do you feel about Moody’s decision to downgrade America’s credit rating by one notch from perfect AAA status?

• It’s a sign of trouble ahead
• It’s late to the party (where Fitch and S&P Global are already in attendance)
• It’s not really a big deal
• Unsure/other

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It’s about to get slightly more difficult to spam your bestie’s inbox with endless TikToks before bed.

The app late last week announced it’s adding a new nightly guided-meditation feature designed to interrupt scrolling. It’ll be available for all users—but turned on by default for those under 18.

How it works: At 10 pm, anyone under 18’s FYP will be overtaken by a blue screen and relaxing music, with the user guided to “inhale,” “hold,” and “exhale.” If the mediation is dismissed for more scrolling, a second full-screen prompt will appear after an hour with a message encouraging a 15-minute break from the app.

It’s probably about legal appeasement: TikTok is facing lawsuits from 13 states and the District of Columbia that accuse the platform of creating an intentionally addictive app that harms children and teenagers while making false claims to the public about its commitment to safety. The meditation feature, along with multiple other new safeguards for teens and increased funding for the company’s Mental Health Education Fund, appears to be a direct response.

Meanwhile…The TikTok ban is set to go into effect on June 19. Though it’s a bit of a déjà vu-all-over again situation: President Trump, who has extended the deadline twice since taking office, said earlier this month he would extend it once again should no deal be reached prior.

Forget mom or dad: Alphabet-owned companies are increasingly teaching Americans the ABC’s of adulting.

• Searches for things like "how to clean bathroom vent," "how to use a mop," or "how to do oil change" have reached an all-time high on Google this year, according to data newly reported by Axios.
• ~35% of all US adults say YouTube is very important for helping them figure out how to do things they’ve never done before, according to Pew Research.

From iPad kids to search-engine adults

The US-education trend over the past few decades could very well have been the inspiration for Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic.” As the percentage of Americans with a college degree has been increasing, the percentage of Americans with the necessary knowledge to maintain their cars and homes has been declining.

No more tinkering with a jalopy in shop class: Less than a third of US high schoolers are enrolled in a class that teaches practical skills (ex: managing finances, cooking healthy meals, how to change a flat tire), according to the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences.

Big picture: Alphabet isn’t the only teacher in the world’s biggest classroom (the internet); Reddit, TikTok, and ChatGPT also perform the virtual version of writing equations on a chalkboard. IRL learning solutions still exist, too—local libraries and universities often have classes for practical life skills, as do clubs like Repair Café.

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🤝 Charter agreed to buy Cox for ~$34 billion; the combined company would leapfrog Comcast to become America's largest cable TV and broadband provider. | New Jersey Transit engineers reached a deal to end a three-day strike; trains are expected to resume normal operations tomorrow.
• 💉 Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is stepping down; it comes as the drugmaker’s market cap has been taking some of its own medicine (Ozempic) and declined ~50% over the past year.
• 🛢️ US oil production is expected to decline in 2026, according to S&P Global; it would mark the first YoY decrease in roughly a decade outside of the pandemic.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

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• 🇦🇹 Austria won Eurovision 2025.
• 🎥 The Cannes film festival called wrap on its first week.
• 🏌️ Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Championship by five strokes, earning his third career major win (and a $3.4 million check). | 🏇 Journalism staged a last-minute comeback to win the Preakness Stakes.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦠 Chinese scientists discovered a new bacterial strain aboard the Tiangong space station; it’s a new variant of a known Earth bacteria.
• 🌋 An undersea volcano near Oregon is expected to erupt sometime this year.
• 🚽 Using a phone on the toilet increases people’s risk of developing hemorrhoids by ~46%, according to a new study (in other words: stop scrolling and just wipe already).

US, WORLD & POLITICS

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• 🏛️ Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
• 🙏 A Mexican navy sailing ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC on Saturday, killing two crew members and injuring 20 others onboard. | Major storms across the US Midwest and South killed at least 27 people, including 18 in Kentucky. | A car bomb near a California fertility clinic killed one person and wounded four others; the FBI identified the suspect, are calling the attack an act of terrorism linked to antinatalist ideology.
• 🌏 Russia reportedly launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine since the war started in early 2022; it comes as a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Putin is scheduled for today. | Israeli officials said Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar is likely dead following a targeted strike last week; Israel’s military also began activating troops in Gaza on Sunday as part of a larger ground operation in the region.

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☝️ Law enforcement agencies are searching for inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail on Friday; 10 men fled through a hole in the wall behind a toilet, with seven still at large.

🤔 Did You Know? The expression “Break a Leg,” often said to actors and musicians before a performance, dates as far back as 1921 to an article from Irish nationalist Robert Wilson Lynd, who wrote: “The stage is perhaps the most superstitious institution in England, after the racecourse. The latter is so superstitious that to wish a man luck when on his way to a racemeeting is considered unlucky. Instead of saying ‘Good luck!’ you should say something insulting, such as, ‘May you break your leg!”

📰 Worth a Read: The insane growth of America’s millionaire class

🖱️ Clickbait: The most bitter natural substance in the world

Monday: The first UK-EU Leaders’ Summit since Brexit

Tuesday: Both the NBA & NHL Conference Finals tip off

Wednesday: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meets with Trump at the White House

Thursday: National Vanilla Pudding Day

Friday: Start of Memorial Day weekend; Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning hits theaters alongside Lilo & Stitch

On Friday, we covered oral arguments before SCOTUS in a case seeking to limit the ability of federal district judges to issue nationwide injunctions—or orders that block presidential policies from taking effect across the US while courts hash out whether they’re legal.

❓ Our questions to you: In your opinion, should the Supreme Court place limits on lower judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions that temporarily block presidential policies from taking effect?

• Yes, there should be limits: 42%
• No, there shouldn’t be limits: 49%
• Unsure/other: 9%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 1,833 votes and 189 longform responses.

📜 Researchers found pages of a rare medieval manuscript stitched into the binding of another 13th-century book containing fantasy stories about Merlin and King Arthur.

🌊 Recreational paddleboarder Kendra Kay has an unusual bestie to share the hobby with: a wild manatee that repeatedly swims alongside her.

🥩 When Texas Roadhouse employees received an online order for a beloved dog’s last meal, they went above and beyond to make it special for the pup.

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

1. Chore
2. Insul
3. Liter
4. Par
5. Sculp

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1. Chore = Relating to dance (e.g., choreography)
2. Insul = Island (insulation)
3. Liter = Letter (literacy, literal)
4. Par = Beside (parallel)
5. Sculp = Carve (sculpture)