Good morning. In this edition:

• 🌍 Gaza hostage/prisoner release
• 🏀 New WNBA dynasty
• 💵 Billions in unused Starbucks cash

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.15-minute read (1,105 words).

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–Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

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All 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas and 1,900+ Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free yesterday morning, under a landmark ceasefire deal agreed to last week.

The deal, which paused two years of war in Gaza, was formally signed by President Trump and other world leaders at a summit in Egypt yesterday afternoon.

Quick background: The war began in October 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel that killed ~1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in 251 Israelis being taken hostage.

• Israel immediately launched a retaliatory offensive that has killed ~67,000 Palestinians to date, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants.
• The war has also destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced ~90% of the region’s 2+ million residents.

But for now, the conflict is over

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the new ceasefire deal has resulted in leaders from both Israel and Hamas publicly saying the two-year-long war has officially concluded.

• The exchange of hostages and prisoners on Monday marked phase two of a 20-point peace deal proposed last week by President Trump, which was agreed to by Israel.
• Hamas has conditionally agreed on the broad outline of Trump’s plan, but hasn’t accepted other specific issues within the deal.

Trump flew to the Middle East and addressed the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Monday, before heading to Egypt hours later for the summit to sign the deal and discuss postwar plans.

Looking ahead…Future negotiations between Israel and Hamas will have to tackle the remaining issues called for in Trump’s plan. These include the dismantling of all Hamas military infrastructure, the eventual full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and transferring governance of Gaza from Hamas to an interim Palestinian administration overseen by a Trump-led international council.

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Planet Earth recently experienced a historic power move in every sense of the word.

For the first time ever, renewable energy has overtaken coal as the primary source of electricity worldwide, according to a new report from energy think tank Ember.

• The report found renewables were responsible for 34.3% of all global electricity generated in the first half of 2025, boosted by growth in the solar and wind sectors.
• On the flip side, the share of electricity generated from coal fell by 0.6% year-over-year to reach 33.1% of all global production.

New faces lead the charge

Much of the momentum towards renewable energy comes from populous developing nations, with China and India—once among the world’s biggest coal consumers—now ranking as two of the top countries for renewable electricity generation, according to Ember.

• China in particular has been the largest driver, accounting for 55% of global solar generation growth in the first half of this year.

The story is different among Western nations. Electricity demand in the US and Europe has grown faster than renewable projects can come online in recent years, leading many countries to lean more heavily on coal and other fossil fuels.

Looking ahead…Experts say renewable energy’s leap into the #1 spot for electricity generation could be short lived without faster grid upgrades and increased investment, since the ongoing AI tech race will likely force more adoption of fossil fuels to keep pace with the energy-hungry tech.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏆 Nobel economics prize awarded to three scientists for their work showing how technological innovation can drive economic growth and lift global living standards.
• 💊 AstraZeneca becomes second pharma giant to reach deal with Trump admin to offer lower prices to Medicaid, and also provide some of its drugs for an upcoming DTC website called TrumpRx.
• 🏛️ President Trump announces new 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1 or sooner, as well as new export controls on “critical software”; it comes in response to China tightening control over certain critical minerals and rare earth elements. | 📊 US stocks fell sharply on Friday following Trump’s announcement, but regained 55%-65% of those losses in trading on Monday.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎶 Taylor Swift announces two upcoming projects for Disney+: a full concert film from her Eras Tour, as well as a six-episode docuseries on the tour; both will debut on December 12. | Swift also notched her 15th #1 album on the Billboard charts with The Life of a Showgirl, which broke the all-time opening-week US sales record (4+ million copies).
• 🙏 Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning actress who starred in Annie Hall, The Godfather, and many others, died at 79.
• 🏟️ MLB Playoffs: Championships Series action kicked off on Sunday, featuring the Blue Jays v. Mariners in the AL and Dodgers v. Brewers in the NL. | Las Vegas Aces win their third WNBA title in the past four years. | Penn State fires head football coach James Franklin following third straight loss; Franklin is owed the second-largest buyout in college sports history ($49+ million).

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• ⚛️ Physicists simulate what objects moving at 99.9% the speed of light would look like—an optical illusion called the Terrell-Penrose effect—in new first-of-its-kind experiment.
• 🦠 WHO warns that antibiotic-resistant infections are increasing globally by up to 15%/year, with ~1 in 6 infections in 2023 being resistant to the current roster of drugs.
• 💉 New CDC group will review childhood vaccines, including the safety of ingredients like aluminum; many mainstream scientific experts push back on the move, saying aluminum is proven to be safe and essential.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🏆 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy
• 🙏 A powerful explosion at a military munitions plant in Tennessee leaves 16 people presumed dead; the cause of the blast is still under investigation.
• 🏛️ Trump admin begins laying off 4,000+ workers as part of promised mass firings due to the ongoing US government shutdown; over half of the layoffs come from the Departments of Treasury and Health and Human Services.

☝️ Dozens of paintings by beloved TV personality Bob Ross are set to be auctioned off next month, with the proceeds going to US public television amid recent government spending cuts. The 30-painting sale represents the "largest single offering of Bob Ross original works ever brought to market,” per auction house Bonhams.

🤔 Did you know? Starbucks currently holds ~$2 billion in the form of money people keep in its app or on gift cards—and it earns ~$200 million/year from customers who never spend those Star-bucks funds.

📰 Worth a read: Why young people in China are paying companies to pretend to work

🖱️ Clickbait: How to be miserable with your money

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On Friday, we covered new year-end figures from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on the US federal budget for FY 2025, which saw the ~$1.8 trillion annual deficit remain relatively unchanged despite a historic increase in tariff revenues.

❓ Our question to you: When it comes to America’s finances, would you say the US gov’t is generally heading in the right direction, or do you think things are generally on the wrong track?

• Right direction: 17%
• Wrong track: 75%
• Unsure/other: 8%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 795 votes and 96 longform responses.

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*A message from our partners

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Ceter
2. Exter
3. Fum
4. Lacer
5. Path

🐬 A dolphin calf off Australia’s coast was recently rescued after weeks of being tangled in a fishing line. ORRCA and Sea World teams carefully freed the little swimmer and reunited it with its mom.

1. Ceter = Other (e.g., et cetera)
2. Exter = Outer (exterior)
3. Fum = Smoke (fumigate)
4. Lacer = Tear (laceration)
5. Path = Feel (pathology)

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