Good morning. In this edition:

• 🏡 “Pool premiums” for US homes take a dive
• 📱 Trump Mobile
• 🐋 Speaking whale

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.15-minute read (1,104 words).

"You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated."

–Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

How to enter (it’s free): Click here + put in your email.

Want better odds?

• ✅ +1 entry for each participating newsletter to which you’re subscribed (you’ll get one entry automatically since you’re subscribed to The DONUT already👊). They’re all created by the DONUT Press Media newsroom, aka they’re awesome.
  
• ✅ +5 entries for every friend you refer who signs up

Enter to win here. Then start daydreaming about hammocks, hot tubs, and stress-free weekends🏝️.

The annual meeting of the Group of 7 nations is in full swing at a resort town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where many of the world’s most powerful leaders aim to hash out their differences surrounded by more natural beauty than at a Hemsworth family reunion.

Quick background: The G7 summit is a forum where the US and many of its traditional partner nations meet to find common ground on critical issues. The summit is attended by leaders from the seven member countries—Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US—alongside EU officials, with leaders of other important global allies also typically invited.

A world trade center

Some global leaders used the G7 summit, which concludes later today, to talk trade with President Trump and his administration.

• Canadian PM Mark Carney met with Trump yesterday to discuss both countries’ tariff situation, after which both sides pledged to work towards a deal within the next 30 days.
• Hours later, UK PM Keir Starmer held similar talks with Trump that led to both countries announcing a new trade deal that slashes tariffs.

But the timing didn’t work out for others. Leaders from Mexico, Japan, and the EU were also looking to negotiate face-to-face with Trump over reducing US tariffs in exchange for concessions like higher military spending, action against China, and/or cuts to trade barriers for US companies.

However, Trump’s presence at the G7 summit was cut short last night when he left early “because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” per the White House press secretary.

Looking ahead…The White House has pledged to complete dozens of new trade deals by a July 9 deadline, when Trump’s global “reciprocal” tariffs are set to take effect following a 90-day pause (though another delay in enforcement is widely expected).

Half of us have a gene that makes caffeine metabolism slower—a LOT slower. So if coffee leaves you unfocused, anxious, or sleepless, it's not your fault.

When a UC Berkeley PhD discovered this was ruining not only his work productivity but also his mental and physical health, he developed Rarebird—the first (and only) coffee that replaces caffeine with paraxanthine (what your body naturally turns caffeine into anyway).

The result?

• ❌No mid-morning jitters and anxiety
• ❌No mid-afternoon scatterbrainedness or crash
• ❌No mid-night tossing and turning
• ❌No caffeine-related stomach discomfort

After making waves during the pandemic, in-ground backyard pools have increasingly fallen out of style for US homeowners, according to a new Realtor.com report.

While homes with pools still command a significantly higher amount than comparable homes sold without them, the typical asking price boost is now ~21%—down from a peak of 26% in 2022.

The pool party is getting crowded

Analysts say the dip is tied to a model that all high-school economics students are familiar with: supply and demand.

• In 2022, in a housing market with fewer available listings and intense competition, more buyers were willing to pay top-dollar for amenities like outdoor pools.
• Today, however, buyers have far more options from which to choose. The US housing market boasted a record ~500,000 more sellers than buyers in April, while a record 24.4% of overall home listings offered a pool.

Big picture: Backyard pools still remain a hot commodity. The median listing price for US homes with a pool stood at $599,000 in April, compared to $389,000 for a pool-free home, Realtor.com found—though houses with pools tend to be larger and sit in pricier neighborhoods across US states with hotter climates, like California, Florida, and Texas.

Prediction markets operator Kalshi recently aired a fully AI-generated ad during the NBA Finals, the culmination of a goal to create “the most unhinged…commercial possible," according to its prompter-in-chief, YouTuber and filmmaker PJ Ace.

The commercial spot—which features a shirtless older man draped in an American flag, a farmer floating in an inflatable pool filled with eggs, an alien chugging a pitcher of beer, and a lady in a sparkly pink tracksuit driving a Zamboni—marks yet another example of how AI could upend the advertising industry.

• The aired ad cost just $2,000, and only took two days to make.
• For comparison, the process of creating a similar commercial for Kalshi pre-AI could have boasted a seven-figure price tag and took months to complete.

Dr. Squatch’s next spokesperson could actually be Bigfoot

Last month’s release of Veo 3, Google's AI video generation tool responsible for all the cryptid and historical vlogs flooding your feed (as well as the Kalshi ad), promises brands the ability to generate realistic spots at a fraction of the cost of shooting a traditional TV commercial.

And more AI-powered creation options are in the works. Meta is reportedly developing AI tools to allow brands to create ads from scratch and target users on its social media platforms, while Amazon and Netflix also plan to provide similar tools to their advertisers.

Put it on your bingo card: High-dopamine Veo 3 videos will be the ad trend of 2025, according to Ace.

+Note: Kalshi is a sponsor of DONUT Press Media. Our newsroom is kept 100% separate from our advertising operations.

The missing piece of VR just got solved. Virtuix's omni-directional treadmills let players walk, run, and jump in 360 degrees inside virtual worlds—and many, including the US Air Force, are taking notice.

• 📈 $18M+ in sales with 3,000+ Omni One preorders worth $7M+
• 🌱 Quarterly revenue grew 4x in the past fiscal year
• 🏆 32 patents (24 issued, 8 pending) protecting their breakthrough motion technology
• 🤝 $40M+ raised from investors including Mark Cuban, Scout Ventures, and Maveron

"Omni is a key piece of VR that's been missing." —Mark Cuban

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🤖 Microsoft and OpenAI at odds about the future of their AI partnership, per WSJ. | OpenAI secures $200 million US defense contract.
• 📱 Trump Organization announces mobile-phone service called Trump Mobile; will offer a $47.45/month plan and US-built smartphone for $499.
• 👀 Meta to start showing ads on WhatsApp.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Beam

• 🏀 NBA Finals: The Thunder beat the Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead; OKC has a chance to clinch in Game 6 on Thursday.
• ⚾ Sho-time: Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani pitches in MLB game for the first time in 663 days. | Arkansas SP Gage Woods throws third no-hitter in Men's College World Series history (and first in 65 yrs); also records 19 strikeouts. 
• 🧑‍⚖️ Judge in Sean “Diddy” Combs trial dismisses juror over “lack of candor” about where he lives.

*From our partners: ✨ Wellness that’s comprehensive but not complicated… Jenn Todryk teamed up with Beam to create Glow— a refreshing drink formulated with vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants to support balanced hormone health, metabolism, and immune function. Plus electrolytes for added hydration. Use code DONUT for up to 40% off.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🩸 Researchers develop first-of-its-kind device to profile immune function of newborns; can diagnose life-threatening inflammatory conditions from a single drop of blood.
• 🌌 Astronomers say they’ve solved the origin of missing “ordinary” matter; this mysterious category comprises 5% of the known universe, but its location was largely unknown.
• ⚛️ Physicists move one step closer to identifying fifth force of nature; this theoretical force is found deep within atoms.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Virtuix

• 💥 Israel and Iran traded airstrikes yesterday for a fourth straight day; an Israeli strike hit the HQ of Iranian state media during a live broadcast.
• ⚖️ Man accused of killing Minnesota state legislator and wounding another lawmaker appeared in court on federal stalking, murder, and firearms charges; suspect allegedly visited two other MN lawmakers the night of the shootings, but they weren't home.
• 🏛️ Senate reveals key details of proposed Trump-backed tax and spending package; it features a $10,000 SALT deduction cap, down from $40,000 approved by House Republicans.

*From our partners: 🤯 The company innovating VR full-body movement…Virtuix's omni-directional treadmills enable 360-degree walking/running in VR. $40M invested by Mark Cuban and venture funds, and quarterly revenue grew 4x in the past fiscal year. US Air Force collaboration secured and consumer product shipping now. Offering Closes Soon. Invest In Virtuix Today.**

☝️ Scientists from the SETI Institute recently captured first-of-its-kind photographs showing how humpback whales can blow bubble rings to communicate with humans.

🤔 Did You Know? Frogs will, in fact, try to escape a slowly boiling pot of water once it grows too hot, according to modern biologists. The popular saying/myth is based on 19th-century experiments where the frogs had their brains removed before being placed in the water.

📰 Worth a Read: How to stop living on auto-pilot

🖱️ Clickbait: Is it safe to microdose Ozempic?

Yesterday, we covered how the Trump admin recently carved out an exception to its plan to deport all migrants in the US illegally, allowing those working in the agriculture or hospitality industries to remain for the time being.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, which of the following is the best strategy regarding the potential deportation of unauthorized migrants in America?

• All should be deported: 17%
• Deport everyone but workers in critical industries: 10%
• Deport only those convicted of additional crimes: 41%
• Don’t actively seek to deport: 20%
• Other: 7%
• Unsure: 5%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 2,565 votes and 281 longform responses.

❓ Trivia: Which popular snack was once used as jewelry by ancient Aztecs?

🎓 True or False? William Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words.

🤡 Riddle Me This: A man and his boss have the same parents but are not siblings. How is this possible?

📚 Fifty-eight year old Ted Midgely had never learned to read due to his dyslexia. But last year, the UK man signed up for lessons—and managed to finally read a magazine that he kept for 40 years.

🎉 When Doug Turner walked over to his neighbor’s house to invite her to his annual party he had no idea it would quickly make him a worldwide sensation.

😍 Meet Milo and Tina, the official mascots for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The stoats are part of the weasel family, and utterly adorable.

+Note: These stories previously appeared in a February 2025 edition of Positive DONUT, our weekly newsletter delivering awe (and awww) inspiring stories you won't hear in the news. Sign up for free here.

❓ Trivia: Popcorn

🎓 T/F: True

🤡 Riddle: He’s self-employed

**HISTORICAL GROWTH & PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.