Good morning. In this edition:

• 🤔 More Russia sanctions?
• 🪙 Bitcoin checkout
• 🌋 Hawaii volcano action

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.37-minute read (1,163 words).

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Thank you, we love you. Time for the NEWS.

"The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us."

–Voltaire (1694-1778)

President Trump is strongly considering new sanctions on Russia in the coming days as his frustration with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine continues to mount, according to multiple reports.

• In a Truth Social post yesterday, Trump said the Russian leader is “playing with fire” by continuing to launch attacks on Ukraine despite US-led efforts for peace.

The current sanction situation

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US has implemented a series of sanctions focused on isolating Russia from the global financial system, cutting the profitability of its energy sector, and reducing its military capabilities.

These sanctions have all remained in place during the first months of the Trump admin.

• Financial: Seven Russian banks are blocked from the Swift international payment system—though others, including Russia’s biggest lender, Sberbank, are not.
• Energy: The US has banned all imports of Russian oil products, restricted American investments in most Russian energy companies, and tried to cap how much other countries pay for Russian energy.
• Military: America has restricted Russia from receiving any exports of US technology that can be used for military applications, including drones and semiconductors.

Potential future actions on the docket: Treasury officials are reportedly preparing sanctions that would ban more Russian banks from the Swift international payment system, while 80+ US senators are backing a proposal to implement new secondary sanctions on countries doing business with Russia.

• The Senate’s bill would set 500% tariffs for all US imports from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, and other products, in an attempt to stop Moscow from funding its military through energy sales to friendly nations like China and India.

Big picture: It’s unclear how much current US sanctions on Russia have impacted the country, according to Western observers. At times, Russia’s economy has appeared to buckle under the strain of sanctions—but it has also shown unexpected strength. Russia’s GDP grew 4.1% in 2023 and another 4.3% in 2024, though some experts question whether to trust Moscow’s data.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, how should the US approach the Russia-Ukraine war?

• Mostly or fully support Ukraine
• Try to reach a middle ground peace deal
• Mostly or fully support Russia
• Stay out of it entirely
• Other
• Unsure

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NYC hot dog vendors will soon start moving glizzies in cryptocurrency, if Jack Dorsey has anything to say about it.

Square, Dorsey’s point-of-sale system company, yesterday launched a pilot of real-time bitcoin payments at the Bitcoin 25 conference in Las Vegas, allowing attendees to spend crypto on merch at a pop-up store.

How it works: Instead of swiping or tapping, customers scan a QR code at checkout. The Lightning Network, a bitcoin payment protocol developed by startup Lightning Labs, enables near-instant settlement, while Square's integration handles real-time exchange rate calculations and confirmation notifications.

On the merchant side: The feature will start rolling out later this year, and be available to all of Square’s 4 million sellers by the end of 2026, according to the company.

Credit card companies rn:👀

The move is part of Square and Lightning Lab’s push to make bitcoin, widely thought of as just a store of value, something that can be used to buy things you value at a store.

• If widely adopted, it could disrupt the payment processing industry, a market dominated by Visa and Mastercard, who together process ~90% of all global transactions outside of China.
• Fast-food chain Steak n’ Shake, which began accepting bitcoin payments earlier this month, is seeing 50% lower processing fees on the crypto transactions vs. traditional credit card payments, according to its COO.

Zoom out: ~50 million Americans currently own bitcoin—a number higher than those who own gold—according to a new report from investment firm River.

Get ready for a spunky new wizarding trio to rule your TV screens for the next decade. HBO has officially selected three Muggles to lead its upcoming Harry Potter series.

The titular Boy Who Lived will be played by Dominic McLaughlin, with Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, the streaming giant announced yesterday. The three actors beat out ~32,000 other kids who auditioned for the roles.

What’s in store for the Wizarding World

HBO describes the series as “a faithful adaptation” of the book series by J.K. Rowling, who is signed on as an executive producer.

• The show will run for “10 consecutive years,” according to HBO CEO Casey Bloys—which appears to contradict earlier reports that said each season would focus on a single book, adding up to seven in total.

Between the lines—production hasn’t been smooth flying sailing so far: J.K. Rowling’s involvement in the show has drawn criticism from celebrities and fans for her views on transgender issues, while some fans have argued that casting Black actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape deviates too far from the source material.

Looking ahead…The first round of casting was announced in April; the show is now searching for other young characters like Draco Malfoy and additional Weasley siblings. Filming is set to begin this summer at Leavesden Studios, where the original Warner Bros. movies were filmed, with the series expected to debut in late 2026 or early 2027.

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💪 US consumer confidence came in above analysts’ estimates; recorded its largest monthly gain in four years.
• 🤖 Salesforce is buying data-management software firm Informatica for ~$8 billion in a bid to bolster its AI capabilities.
• 📝 McDonald’s is shuttering CosMc’s, its drinks-focused, alien-themed spin-off, amid slumping sales; the chain plans to work some of the drinks into its menu. | Southwest’s policy of allowing every flyer to check two bags for free ends today. | JPMorgan Chase is making a bigger push into money management; will soon unveil 14 branches with a new format aimed at wooing customers with $750,000+ in deposits and investments.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with MorningSave

• 🏆 The 2025 American Music Awards were held Sunday night; Billie Eillish, Beyoncé, SZA, and Janet Jackson were among the major winners.
• 📺 Adolescence is on track to become Netflix‘s second most-watched English-language series of all time.
• 🎮 Apple is reportedly planning a dedicated app for video games that would come preinstalled across its products. | EA Sports College Football 26 will feature Alabama WR Ryan Williams and Ohio St. WR Jeremiah Smith as its cover athletes; the game is slated for a July 10 release.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚀 SpaceX conducted the ninth uncrewed test of its Starship rocket last night; the craft made it through more milestones than earlier this year, though SpaceX lost control on reentry to Earth.
• 🐧 Penguin poop contains aerosols that help trigger cloud formation and cool the local Antarctic climate, according to new research.
• 🎨 Scientists in Spain say they’ve discovered the oldest full human fingerprint (~43,000 years old); it also represents evidence that Neanderthals made art. | 🖐️ People’s fingers wrinkle in the exact same patterns every time they go for a swim, per a new study.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Autio

• 🏛️ Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), a former Auburn head football coach, announced plans to run for governor of Alabama.
• 🎓 The Trump admin moved to cancel all of the federal government’s remaining contracts with Harvard (worth ~$100 million). | Trump officials have reportedly halted all student visa interviews as the admin considers whether to add social media vetting for foreign students.
• 🧑‍⚖️ NPR sued the Trump admin over its order seeking to end the federal funding of public media. | A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump admin’s effort to eliminate New York City’s congestion pricing plan while a legal challenge plays out.

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🦈 Trivia: Who wrote the novel Jaws?

🎓 True or false? Roadrunners are part of the cuckoo family

🤔 Riddle me this: What do you buy to eat, but never consume?

🐶 Marc Jacobs launched Bark Jacobs, a monthlong initiative where you can get a custom bag with your pet's portrait painted on it.

📺 Apple TV+ is releasing the first new Peanuts musical special in 35 years, called Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical.

🍾 Two young boys discovered a handwritten love letter from 1959 in a bottle while walking near the beach in Poland.

🦈 Trivia: Peter Benchley

🎓 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: Cutlery