Good morning. In this edition:

• 🤝 US-China trade deal
• ⚾ MLB finally joins the creator economy
• 🥸 The great ship disguise in history?

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.39-minute read (1,169 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

"Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."

–William James (1842-1910)

Following a brief timeout, the world’s two biggest economies shook hands and are playing nice again.

American and Chinese negotiators agreed after trade negotiations in London to revive a trade truce from last month and de-escalate recent economic tensions over alleged violations of that deal, President Trump announced yesterday.

How we got here: Last month, US and Chinese leaders reached a trade deal reducing most of the tit-for-tat tariffs they had imposed on each other in the previous weeks. But both sides said the other was violating that deal by using nontariff means to throttle exports.

• The US accused China of slow-walking export licenses for rare-earth minerals and magnets, causing delays and shortages for US manufacturers of advanced tech like cars, laptops, cellphones, and military aircraft.
• China took issue with new US restrictions on certain tech exports to China—including jet engines and chip-design software—as well as the Trump admin’s plan to revoke all Chinese students’ visas.

Back to square one

US and Chinese officials say the new framework essentially restores the trade deal they agreed to last month. This means US tariffs on China will fall to 55% from 145% previously (~20% pre-trade war), while Beijing’s tariffs will fall to 10% from 125% (~20%), according to Trump.

• The new agreement also calls for Beijing to ease its restrictions on rare-earth minerals and magnets for six months.
• On the flip side, the US will relax its restrictions on the sale of jet engines and ethane to China, and rescind restrictions on Chinese student visas—though export controls on advanced chips will remain.

Looking ahead…The deal still requires final approval from President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping before it takes effect. Under its terms, reduced tariffs would remain for 90 days while both sides work towards a broader trade deal.

Wild's refillable deodorants are the glow-up your routine deserves. These aluminum-free formulas work harder than your morning coffee while their gorgeous, engravable cases make plastic waste history. From boardroom presentations to bootcamp classes, they pass every sweat test with flying colors.

• 🌸 Switch between seasonal scents in compostable refill pods
• ⭐ Join the 50,000+ customers obsessed with the body care collection: body wash, lip balm, hand soap
• 🐰 Feel good with certified vegan and cruelty-free formulations

Sam Altman wants to gaze deeply into your eyes: World (formerly Worldcoin), an ID verification project from Altman that aims to scan the eyeballs of every human on Earth, went live in the UK this morning amid an ongoing global expansion.

Eyes are the prize

The project uses retina-scanning “Orb” devices to create a unique user ID for each human who undergoes the scan. This World ID allows users to verify that they’re a real human and not a bot when using online apps, with participants offered payouts in the project’s WLD cryptocurrency for having their eyes scanned.

It aims to solve an issue Altman partially created: Determining whether online users are human has become a growing issue in the age of AI, making World an essential service according to Altman (who appears a bit like Tim Robinson).

• The company’s goal is to eventually profit from fees paid by apps to ensure their users are verified humans.
• Tinder, Reddit, Discord, Shopify, Telegram, and Minecraft have already integrated World’s technology.

But…At least a dozen jurisdictions across the globe have suspended or investigated World’s local operations due to privacy concerns, per the Wall Street Journal. The startup says its tech is secure.

Big picture: World has scanned the irises of ~13 million people across 40+ countries—including the US—since first launching in summer 2023.

Lip readings of closed-door offseason meetings are about to go crazy: Major League Baseball has acquired an equity stake in Jomboy Media, the pair announced this week, in what’s believed to be the league’s first direct investment in a creator-led content company.

Deal terms: MLB receives a minority stake with no editorial control or oversight, while Jomboy gets access to league and team IP for content, sponsorship, and merch purposes.

• The size of the investment was undisclosed, though Jomboy says no new capital was pumped into the company, just used to buy out existing investors.
• The media brand, which last year generated 93 million content engagements and $10M in revenue, previously raised a funding round of $5 million led by Connect Ventures, whose cofounder was instrumental in getting this most-recent deal done, Sportico reports.

The move marks a 180 for the league, which has been criticized for being more restrictive with its digital rights compared to peer sports like the NBA. It wasn’t until 2019 that MLB players were allowed to post their own highlights on social media.

Meanwhile…MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said this week that he wants to reach a deal on reselling the league's media rights that were abandoned by ESPN before July's All-Star Game. TV ratings are up so far this year, according to data from broadcast partners.

While the pros hit insane clutch-time shots, you could be scoring epic wins of your own with PrizePicks—America’s #1 Daily Fantasy Sports app.

• 📱 Easy to play—just pick MORE or LESS on a few player stat projections
• 🙌 Available in 40+ states, including TX, CA, and GA
• 💰 Win big— up to 2000x your cash
• 🤝 Join 600k+ member Discord sharing playoff picks and big wins
• 🥳 Start with $50 INSTANTLY in promo funds using code PRESS50 on your first $5 lineup

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📝 Inflation stood at 2.4% YoY in May, in-line with economists' forecasts; the figure is slightly up from April's 2.3%.
• 🏪 Amazon is integrating Whole Foods into its corporate structure, according to Business Insider; the grocery chain had largely operated independently since Amazon acquired it eight years ago. | Whole Foods warned yesterday of shortages following a recent cyberattack at its primary distributor.
• 🚗 GM is investing $4 billion to expand US manufacturing output + reshore some production from Mexico; the move comes amid tariff uncertainty.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Meru Health

• 👍 The Women's Tennis Association announced it will protect rankings for players who undergo fertility procedures. | Boise State reportedly expects to accept private-equity investment “within the next six months.”
• 🎮 Nintendo sold 3.5 million Switch 2s in the first four days following its launch; makes it the fastest-selling game console of all time.
• 🤝 The Screen Actors Guild is set to end nearly yearlong strike with video game companies as two sides reach tentative agreement over use of AI replicas. | SmartLess podcast hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes launched SmartLess Mobile, a direct-to-consumer phone company, joining the actor → phone-plan salesman pipeline created by Ryan Reynolds.

*From our partners: 💚 Burned out or overwhelmed?...Meru Health’s 12-week program offers daily practices, biofeedback tech, and unlimited chat with a licensed therapist. Shown to be 67% more effective than traditional therapy. Get back to feeling like you today.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚢 The world’s richest shipwreck was discovered a decade ago off the coast of Colombia, new research confirms; the ship in question is a Spanish galleon carrying ~$17 billion in treasure that sank in a 1708 battle with Britain.
• 🏥 Scientists developed a new device that fits inside a menstrual pad and can test period blood for signs of disease.
• 🦖 Archaeologists discovered a new dinosaur species they say rewrites the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs (a group including the iconic T. rex).

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with the Make More Money newsletter

• 🌍 Hamas’ third leader in the past seven months is Ezzedin al-Haddad, a veteran fighter known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam”; his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli strike last month.
• 🇺🇸 The US is evacuating nonessential staff and military family members from several Middle East bases amid growing security concerns related to Iran, per Axios.
• 🏛️ President Trump said he plans to begin “phasing out” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after this year’s hurricane season, and his admin will do disaster response “much differently.”

*From our partners: 💰 Practical, no-BS advice to ‘Make More Money’ in 2025…Travis Chappell has hosted podcast guests including Shaq, Dr. John Delony, and more. His newsletter “Make More Money” curates wisdom and actionable advice from people who’ve figured it out to help YOU build wealth. Subscribe free here.

☝️ The European Space Agency yesterday published humanity’s first-ever photographs of the Sun’s elusive south pole, captured by its Solar Orbiter.

🤔 Did You Know? During World War II, a Dutch warship stranded in Japanese territory managed to escape the enemy’s navy and travel to Australia by disguising itself as a tropical island and only moving during night hours.

📰 Worth a Read: Silicon Valley wants to help me make a superbaby. Should I let it?

🖱️ Clickbait: 5 of the Worst Fathers In the Animal Kingdom

Yesterday we covered a new GOP-backed investment plan that would give newborn US citizens $1,000 in a tax-deferred account that tracks the overall stock market.

❓ Our question to you: In general, how do you feel about the White House and Congress’ plan to give newborn US citizens $1,000 in a tax-deferred index fund account?

• Support: 35%
• Oppose: 41%
• Unsure/other: 24%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 1,935 votes and 219 longform responses.

How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Then you guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

• 🤯 70 days: Fastest world record to count by one to 1 million.
• 🐝 3: The max number bees can count up to (with an 80% success rate).
• 🔍 20%: The percentage of Google searches that have never been searched before.

🏊‍♀️ Maya Merhige is a California teen who has swam the Catalina Channel, English Channel, Cook Straight, and circumnavigated 20 miles around Manhattan. All of her swims are to raise money for children’s cancer research; so far she’s raised $125,000.

🐶 A win for dog lovers everywhere…A new small study by researchers at Chiang Mai University in Thailand found that petting a dog may be the easiest way to reduce stress without medication.

🏠 Claire Cao was a senior in high school when she created ShelterBridge, an app that connects users in need to highly reviewed shelters and homeless services in their area.

+Note: These stories previously appeared in Positive DONUT, a weekly newsletter delivering awe (and awww) inspiring stories you won't hear in the news. Sign up for free here.

1. 🤯 Over; 89 days.
2. 🐝 Over; 4
3. 🔍 Under; 15%.