Good morning. In this edition:

• 📖 Landmark ruling says AI can read copyrighted books
• 📝 More Iranian strike assessments
• 🌕 Moon mirrors

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.31-minute read (1,146 words).

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"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."

–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

AI models can also experience the joy of curling up with a new book, according to a decision filed late Monday by a federal judge, who ruled that Anthropic is allowed to train its chatbots on published books without the authors’ permission.

It marks the first-ever decision on whether using copyrighted materials for AI training is legal, but does come with some fine print.

• Namely, the AI startup is still on the hook for how they acquire those books.
• That’s because Judge William Alsup’s ruling distinguishes between legally obtained books, which he says are legal for AI to train on, and pirated books, which are not.

AI learns like humans do, judge says

“The court treats the AI as akin to a human learning from copyrighted material,” University of Miami law professor Christina Frohock told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s fair use if you and I pick up a book and read it and develop our own thoughts,” and the court concluded the same is true for AI systems, Frohock said.

It has a far-reaching impact: This week’s ruling strikes a blow to the hundreds of authors, artists, and publishers who have brought dozens of lawsuits against major AI companies—including Meta, Google, Midjourney, Stability AI, etc.—accusing them of illegally training their models on copyrighted work.

• While this week’s ruling doesn’t guarantee that other judges will follow the same lead, it does set a precedent making it more likely for courts to side with AI companies over creatives.

The dust won’t settle for a while. Analysts widely expect the Supreme Court to make a final decision on the matter at some point in the next few years, given the vast number of AI copyright cases working their way through the US legal system.

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2008 called, and it wants that second job back.

The share of US workers who hold multiple paying gigs rose to between 5.3%-5.6% over the first five months of this year, a range last hit during the Great Recession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data from other sources show an even higher rate of side-hustling:

• Roughly 4 in 10 millennials and Gen Zers have side jobs, according to new research by Deloitte.
• 52% of respondents to a recent Indeed survey said they have side hustles, though the poll counted those who occasionally freelance for Doordash, Uber, etc.
• Around one third of Americans make extra money outside of their main job, according to a 2024 Bankrate survey.

The type of side-hustle is changing, too. Passion projects in the spirit of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (where everything’s made up and the money doesn’t matter) are falling by the wayside, as more Americans turn to second jobs to make ends meet, according to experts.

• Many who work multiple jobs also say they’re bracing for a potential upcoming economic downturn by padding their finances, and ensuring they’ll still have a source of income in the event of a layoff.

Zoom out: The US job market has shown remarkable strength in recent years, with consistently low unemployment. But some economists say data beyond the headline numbers reveal that it’s become “drastically harder to find a job” over the past six months.

The MLB’s Oakland Sacramento Athletics this week broke ground on a new 33,000-seat, $1.75 billion stadium in Las Vegas, in a ceremony featuring club, city, and league officials.

The event, more than four years in the making (somewhat surprising given Las Vegas’ marriage laws), follows a saga that included securing MLB approval to move from Oakland to Vegas, a tearful departure from Oakland for a stint in Sacramento, and an initially unveiled stadium designed used to secure Nevada state funds that was later walked back and replaced with the current plan.

But…The project, which has a target completion date of Opening Day 2028, isn’t quite a done deal. A’s owner John Fisher, heir to the Gap fortune, still needs to scrounge up additional funding (apparently he hasn’t checked the banana stand…or in his case, the Banana Republic stand).

• Experts also say the early-2028 completion date may be aggressive, given the often-optimistic nature of construction timelines, as anyone who’s ever done a kitchen remodel can back up.

It’s not just the A’s: At least 39 major sports venues are currently being built or renovated across North America. An academic paper published in 2023 argues pro sports is in the midst of its “fourth wave” of stadium construction, as teams look to upgrade or replace aging venues built in the 1990s, the busiest stretch of pro sports stadium construction on record.

+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.

You may have seen the headlines: the tech IPO market is finally showing signs of life. Chime just went public, following strong IPOs from Circle and eToro.¹

And that could be great news, not just for Wall Street, but for investors like you. Why? StartEngine.

• This alternative investing platform doesn't just offer exposure to pre-IPO companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Databricks.² StartEngine (and its investors) can potentially benefit when these companies succeed, thanks to 20% carried interest in some of the platform's pre-IPO offerings.³
• Investors are paying attention. In a quieter market, StartEngine pulled off $30M in revenue in Q1 2025, its biggest quarter ever (based on unaudited financials).⁴

Now StartEngine is preparing to close its current fundraise this week. If you want to tap into pre-IPO value while supporting the future of fintech, join more than 5K+ investors who have already committed $12.8M in this round.**

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• ✈️ Southwest Airlines CEO says airport lounges, Europe, and premium class are on the table.
• 🛢️ Shell in early talks to acquire rival BP, according to the Wall Street Journal; the company that shares a name with the term baseball players use for hitting practice currently has a market value of ~$80 billion; Shell denies active talks are happening.
• 📱 Bumble to cut 30% of its workforce, or ~240 employees; shares rise 25% on the news.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Arro

• 🍿 Social Network sequel reportedly greenlit by Sony; Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the original, is set to write and direct.
• 🥩 Social media influencer Liver King arrested in Austin for an alleged domestic terrorism threat against podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan.
• 🏀 The Dallas Mavericks take Duke F Cooper Flagg with the #1-overall pick in the NBA Draft; see a full Round 1 recap; Round 2 takes place tonight.

*From our partners: 💳😕 Navigating credit alone? Arro gives you personalized financial coaching 24/7 with Artie, your AI guide. Quickly build credit and earn 1% cash back on gas and groceries at Target, Walmart, and more. No hard inquiries, and accepted everywhere Mastercard is welcome. Apply for Arro here.***

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌌 Scientists discover method to build structures from the regolith found on Mars, which includes dust, sand, and rocks; discovery has the potential to transform extraterrestrial construction. | NASA's James Webb captures its first direct image of an exoplanet; the Saturn-sized TWA 7 b is located ~100 light years from Earth.
• 🛶 Researchers reenact an 140-mile, 30,000-year-old ocean voyage using a boat constructed with stone tools from the period.
• 💉 CDC vaccine advisory panel put together by HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to review the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Autio

• 💥 Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says “new intelligence” confirms Iran’s nuclear facilities would take years to rebuild after US strike; Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission gives similar assessment.
• 📜 Group of families and faith leaders sue to block Texas’ new law requiring Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom.
• 🇺🇸 Florida breaks ground on “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new immigration detention center deep in the Everglades. | Trump admin sues all 15 federal judges in Maryland over order blocking immediate deportation of migrants who challenge their removals.

*From our partners: 🌞🛣️ It’s not summer without a road trip…Let Autio be your tour guide as you embrace adventure, hit open roads, and explore scenic highways. Features 23k+ location-dependent stories that uncover fascinating histories, narrated by famous voices like co-founder Kevin Costner. Download Autio today and start listening.

☝️ The National Park Foundation unveiled the winners of its annual Share the Experience photo contest, which invites amateur photographers to submit images taken on federal land across the US.

🤔 Did You Know? NASA astronauts who visited the Moon left behind a series of mirrors on the lunar surface so that scientists on Earth could bounce lasers off them.

📰 Worth a Read: Megalodon sharks were prehistoric nightmares. Why did they go extinct?

🖱️ Clickbait: Hotel ordered to stop using endangered red pandas for guest wake-up calls

Yesterday, we covered how President Trump is pushing NATO to spend more on defense as he attends the annual summit of leaders from the military alliance this week.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you agree with President Trump’s push to have NATO nations spend at least 5% of their GDP on defense?

• Yes: 61%
• No: 31%
• Unsure/other: 8%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 2,078 votes and 226 longform responses.

Lake Hillier, pictured above, has a distinct pinkish hue due to the presence of a specific algae. In which country is it located?

🌊 The Natonal Geographic Pristine Seas team found the world’s largest coral colony during an expedition in the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

🍠 Duke Energy, a North Carolina organization, last year joined Mill Village Farms, WYFF, and Bon Secours Wellness Arena in hosting a “Yam Jam” in Greenville, SC, where 170 volunteers bagged ~50,000 lbs of sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving food boxes.

🦸‍♀️ Relive the story of CNN's 2024 Hero of the Year, Stephen Knight, who provides foster homes for dogs while their owners seek addiction treatment.

+Note: These stories appeared in a November 2024 edition of Positive DONUT, our weekly newsletter surfacing all the good things you don't hear about in the news.

Australia

**This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. No broker-dealer or intermediary involved in offering. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. For more information, please see the most recent Offering Circular and Supplements and Risks related to this offering. In addition, as described in the Offering Circular, the Company retains the right to continue the offering beyond the Termination Date, in its sole discretion.

1. Source: Ron Shevlin, “The Chime IPO May Kickstart A Fintech Investment Comeback,” Forbes, June 14, 2025

2. The underlying companies held by StartEngine Private Funds LLC, and StartEngine Private LLC (together, “StartEngine Private”) are not participating or involved in the offering. The availability of company information does not indicate that the company has endorsed, supports or otherwise participates with StartEngine Private or any of its affiliates. StartEngine Crowdfunding LLC purchases shares from current and former employees, early investors, and advisors of the companies and sells the shares to StartEngine Private for each offering. When you make an investment in a company on StartEngine Private, you are purchasing an interest in a series of StartEngine Private Funds LLC or StartEngine Private LLC, each a Delaware limited liability company (together the “Series LLCs”), which were created to hold shares of privately held companies. An investor will not directly own or hold shares of the private company but instead will own member interests in a series of the Series LLCs, which either directly or indirectly, will hold shares in the company. There may not be a one-to-one economic parity on the value of the Series LLCs interests and the underlying shares.

3. StartEngine receives 1% equity in fees from many of our crowdfunding offerings, and 20% carried interest in some of our Private pre-IPO offerings. There is no guarantee that the 20% carried interest or equity received as compensation will have value, that they will generate income for StartEngine, or that the company will be profitable.

4. Based on our Q1 2025 Form 10-Q/A. This revenue growth has been driven by StartEngine Private, a new product line that offers funds in late stage companies. This product line has driven over $24.6 million of the $30 million in revenue from Q1 2025. To understand the impact on margins, see financials.

***DISCLAIMER: The Arro Card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International.

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