Good morning. In this edition:

• 📝 The Epstein saga concludes, but mysteries abound
• 👟 TSA says no more shoes off at the airport
• 🌎 Unusually shorter days

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.02-minute read (1,068 words).

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In yesterday’s trivia section, we wrote that the land animal with the strongest bite is a hippo…when, in fact, it’s the Nile crocodile. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know about the error.

“Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own. Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality.”

–James Cameron (b. 1954)

On Monday, the US government officially concluded they have no evidence that convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein ever blackmailed powerful figures or kept a secret "client list."

The DOJ and FBI also released a video—in both raw and "enhanced" versions—that officials say indicates no one entered the area where Epstein was held on the night when he died in prison, supporting the medical examiner's finding that Epstein killed himself.

Quick background

Epstein ran own financial consulting firm for decades leading up to the early 2000s. He counted many influential figures and billionaires as friends, including former President Bill Clinton, President Trump, Prince Andrew, and more.

• Epstein also orchestrated a yearslong sex trafficking ring—alongside his assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell—through which underage girls were sexually abused across his properties, including the US Virgin Islands.
• His actions came to light in the mid-2000s, resulting in a controversial 2008 deal where Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution in exchange for a relatively short 13-month prison term.
• Years later, investigative journalism and renewed public interest prompted the launch of a new federal investigation that also covered new actions since his 2008 sentencing.

Epstein was ultimately arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges—but died mysteriously just over one month later.

The situation still hasn’t cleared up

Monday’s disclosure by the US government runs counter to the belief among many conservative influencers that Epstein’s crimes also implicated some of the world’s most influential people, and that someone killed him to cover it up.

It also contradicts previous public claims about Epstein’s client list made by AG Pam Bondi. When asked in a February Fox News interview whether the Justice Department would release such a document, she replied: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”

Other questions also remain: The DOJ also said Monday that it has in its possession more than 10,000 “downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography” related to the Epstein case, which it won’t be releasing.

• But multiple people who participated in Epstein and Maxwell’s criminal cases told the AP they hadn’t seen and didn’t know about a trove of such videos and images along the lines of what federal officials referenced.
• Additionally, the video purporting to show that no one came near Epstein the night he died is missing a minute, which AG Bondi explained is standard resetting procedure.

But it’s the end of the road for now: No "further disclosure" of Epstein-related material "would be appropriate or warranted," according to the DOJ and FBI.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you agree with the federal government’s conclusions regarding the Jeffrey Epstein situation?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

In Costa Rica's threatened paradise, four extraordinary conservationists refuse to let endangered species disappear. Your Everyday Heroes followed these dedicated individuals who represent the true spirit of "Pura Vida."

• 🐒 Jeremy Levine operates Wild Sun Rescue, saving howler monkeys from habitat destruction
• 🦜 Vernon Arias leads ASOPROLAPA's successful scarlet macaw breeding program
• 🐢 Tracey Lemon protects sea turtles through Tambor Bay Turtles
• ♻️ Alejandro Morales recycles ocean plastic into sustainable products

These everyday heroes demonstrate how individual action creates lasting environmental change.

Airport security is embarking on a makeover that ensures the smell of feet won’t permeate throughout the building—and that you’ll have more time at the gate to grab snacks.

The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) shoes-off policy for all travelers will soon be coming to an end, according to multiple sources, who cite a memo the TSA sent out to employees last week regarding the policy change.

• Airports have already started a phased rollout of the policy, which is expected to be live at all US airports shortly, per the memo.

It marks a departure from a nearly two-decade travel staple. The agency, which cites technological improvements as the reason behind the change, implemented the no-shoes rule in 2006. It followed an incident where a British man attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe in December 2001.

But the move leaves a looming question

What will happen to TSA PreCheck?

• ~41 million Americans currently have access to PreCheck, which, for ~$80 over five years, grants the holder expedited screening where shoes, belts, and jackets don’t have to be removed.
• However, now that its biggest perk is now available to the general public, the program has been devalued. 

This means...Changes are likely coming to the list of PreCheck benefits, according to analysts. But other change could also be in the air: A recent bill from two Republican senators calls for the abolishment of the TSA.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🖱️ FTC's "click to cancel" rule struck down by federal appeals court; it was set to go into effect July 14.
• 💼 Apple COO Jeff Williams retiring after 27 years; will be replaced by Sabih Khan, currently the company’s senior vice president of operations. | Meta poaches Apple's top AI executive, Ruoming Pang, with a compensation package reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars annually; becomes one of the latest hirings for Meta's new Superintelligence Lab.
• 📝 President Trump to impose a 50% tariff on copper; also threatens 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Arro

• 🥁 Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron is leaving band after nearly 30 years.
• 🏒 Gavin McKenna, the projected #1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, commits to Penn St.; 17-year-old hockey star is considered “the most high-profile recruit in college hockey history.”
• 🧑‍⚖️ Sean “Diddy” Combs to be sentenced on two prostitution charges on October 3, per new court filings. (More: Diddy do it? Jury delivers split verdict)

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• ⏲️ Today will be unusually short—by a margin of ~1.4 milliseconds—due to Earth spinning much faster than normal; it’s one of three such days over the coming month.
• 🦧 The commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates is challenged in new research, which claims power dynamics are more nuanced.
• 🧊 Most ice found in space exhibits different characteristics compared to the crystalline form of ice found on Earth, study shows.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Surfshark

• 🇺🇦 President Trump says US will resume supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons after a reported pause last week.
• ⛪ IRS court filing states that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates from the pulpit; it carves out an exemption to a decades-old ban on activity by tax-exempt nonprofits.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Supreme Court lifts halt on Trump admin’s plan to shrink the federal workforce; move clears the way for potential mass government layoffs.

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☝️ A new species of pterosaur named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, or "ash-winged dawn goddess," was just discovered using next-gen technology to scan a fossilized jawbone found in Arizona over a decade ago.

🤔 Did You Know? The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was born to parents Homer and Marge, and also had two sisters named Lisa and Maggie. The last remaining Simpson, Bart, was inspired by his brother Mark.

📰 Worth a Read: The scourge of ‘spot-fixing’ is coming for American sports

🖱️ Clickbait: The #1 domestic US airline for 2025: Travelers call it “almost like flying private”

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👟 Police officials in Southwest Japan were baffled when shoes started disappearing en masse from a local kindergarten. After setting up cameras by the shoe rack to catch the clumsy thief, they found the culprit: a sneaky weasel.

🦝 Carl the Collector is a cartoon that recently premiered on PBS Kids. The show follows Carl, a friendly raccoon who adventures with his friends in their imaginary town of Fuzzytown. He's also one of the first autistic protagonists of any children’s show on air.

📚 A 911 dispatcher in Wisconsin received an adorable surprise mid-shift when she received a call from a 10-year-old looking for help on his math homework.

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

Can you name the three longest-charting songs of all time on the Billboard Hot 100? (Hint: They were all released in 2020 or later)

✍️ DashPass: Why the em dash is a sign of a seasoned writer, not ChatGPT.

🎶 That’s cool: This Spotify playlist contains one song from every genre (6,430+ and counting).

🤖 Interesting: How a big shift in training LLMs led to a capability explosion.

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*A message from our partners

1. "Lose Control" –Teddy Swims (92 weeks)
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3. "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd (90 weeks)

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