Good morning. In this edition:

• 🧑‍⚖️ SCOTUS considers executive power
• 🏈 CFP field is set
• 🏙️ Most sinful US cities

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.59-minute read (955 words).

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“Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness but it is greatness.”

–George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments later today in a case that could expand presidential power and remove protections for the heads of independent agencies.

• The case, known as Trump v. Slaughter, centers around President Trump's move to fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a Democrat on the five-person Federal Trade Commission, without cause back in March.
• The decision runs counter to a 90-year-old SCOTUS precedent that only allows FTC commissioners to be fired for instances of inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

Background: In the 1935 SCOTUS ruling, which centered around President Franklin Roosevelt's attempt to fire a FTC commissioner, the Court allowed Congress to shield certain independent agency members from being removed by the president at will.

But that precedent has been chipped away in several recent SCOTUS decisions, which ended such protections for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2020, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency in 2021.

Since Trump returned to the White House for his second term, he has moved to fire a wide range of Democratic-appointed members of independent boards and commissions, including FTC Commissioner Slaughter.

The arguments

On one side of the case, proponents of a conservative legal doctrine called the "unitary executive" theory claim the president should possess sole authority over the executive branch—including the power to fire heads of independent agencies at will, and also to pick their replacements.

• They argue that Article II of the Constitution—“The executive Power shall be vested in a President”—is clear as day, and that the alternative to a unitary executive is rule by bureaucrats, who aren’t accountable to voters.

On the flip side…Critics of the unitary executive theory—who mostly lean left—note that Congress enacted the protections for independent agency heads to keep those offices free from political interference. They argue that making such officials removable at the president's whim would threaten the regulatory stability relied upon by businesses, consumers and the American public.

Looking ahead…The Court’s decision is expected sometime before late June. SCOTUS is also set to hear another case regarding the unitary executive next month, with arguments centered around Trump's attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you agree or disagree with the unitary executive theory?

• Agree
• Disagree
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🍿 Netflix announces plans to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and streaming services—including DC Studios and HBO Max—in a cash-and-stock deal valuing the enterprise at $82.7 billion; the deal still needs regulatory approval in the US and abroad.
• 📈 US projected for 3% GDP growth in 2025 due to a “very strong” holiday season for the economy, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
• 🌏 China, Hong Kong, and Korea now supply ~50% of America’s imported manufacturing goods, down from ~90% a decade ago, per analysis from Wells Fargo Supply Chain Finance.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚽🏆 2026 World Cup draw finalized in star-studded event on Friday; the USMNT will face Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of Türkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo.
• 🎭 Kennedy Center lifetime achievement in the arts presented to country music star George Strait, iconic rock band KISS, Tony-winning actor Michael Crawford, Grammy-winning disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor, and Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone.
• 🏟️ College Football Playoffs are set: The field is led by #1 Indiana and #2 Ohio State, while Alabama and Miami were the last two teams in, and Notre Dame was left out. NFL: See a full Week 14 recap (link). | McLaren’s Lando Norris wins first-ever 2025 F1 drivers championship, defeating 4x reigning champ Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 💉 CDC advisory panel appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. votes 8-3 to end a universal recommendation that infants receive a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth; it reverses 30+ years of federal guidance.
• 🦕 Scientists discover ~18,000 dinosaur tracks and swimprints at a site in Bolivia; the “dinosaur freeway” contains the most tracks ever found at a single site.
• 🌋 Medieval volcanic eruption likely triggered series of events that led to the Black Death, the global plague that killed ~50% of Europe’s population in the mid-14th century, new study reveals.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🧑‍⚖️ SCOTUS agrees to hear case over the constitutionality of President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship; arguments are expected in several months.
• 🌏 Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to India to meet with PM Narendra Modi and finalize an agreement aimed at significantly increasing annual trade between the countries.
• 🚁 French military forces intercept unknown drones flying over a military base that hosts nuclear-armed submarines; it marks the latest in a string of mysterious incursions into high-security European airspace.

☝️ You’re looking at some of the top news photos of 2025 from around the world, as ranked by The Atlantic (gift link).

🤔 Did you know? While tornadoes occur all across the world, an estimated 75% of them occur in the United States, which experiences ~1,200 tornadoes/year.

📰 Worth a read: The surprisingly secular history of Christmas carols

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Here’s what it took to create the AI actress freaking out Hollywood
• Married millennials, here comes the crypto divorce cliff
• Ranking the most and least sinful cities in America

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On Friday, we covered a pair of recent reports about how grade inflation is rampant at high schools and colleges across the country, and could represent a major academic issue.

❓ Our question to you: How would you best describe the issue of grade inflation at US high schools and colleges?

• A major problem: 72%
• A minor problem: 15%
• Not a problem: 7%
• Unsure/other: 6%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 647 votes and 97 longform responses.

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

1. Arist
2. Ceram
3. Fug
4. Mim
5. Sci

❤️ Aley Clark founded the Black Girl Playground in Chicago after difficult financial times that prevented her from meeting with friends. Her new social wellness club offers low or no-cost activities—like free walks and exercise classes—to encourage women to get out and make new friendships.

+Note: This story previously appeared in Positive DONUT, our weekly newsletter surfacing all the good things you don't hear about in the news.

1. Arist = Excellence (e.g., aristocracy)
2. Ceram = Clay (ceramic)
3. Fug = Flee (fugitive)
4. Mim = Repeat (mimic)
5. Sci = Know (science)

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