Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🌍 US kills Iran’s leader
• 🚀 NASA’s updated Artemis program
• 🐶 Why dogs are one-of-a-kind

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.82-minute read (1,016 words).

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"In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

The US and Israel launched a massive joint military offensive against Iran on Saturday morning that killed several top officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, who’s ruled the country since 1989.

How it went down: US and Israeli forces launched nearly 900 strikes over a 12-hour period at high-value military, governmental, and leadership sites across Iran. The attack, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” involved US Tomahawk missiles, HIMARS launchers, and ~200 Israeli fighter jets.

Israel says its opening strikes targeted 30 top Iranian military and civilian leaders overall, including Supreme Leader Khamenei’s compound in Tehran.

• Other high-level Iranian officials confirmed killed include the country’s top security adviser, defense minister, head of military intelligence, and chair of Iran’s nuclear weapons research org.
• Iran’s Red Crescent (a version of the Red Cross) reported a total of 201 deaths and 700+ injuries in the joint attacks, with Iran’s president claiming 80+ schoolchildren were killed in a strike at a girls’ elementary school.

Why did the US attack?

In an eight-minute video posted shortly after the joint strikes began, President Trump said the operation is intended to eliminate Iran’s capabilities of building a nuclear weapon, destroy its missile industry, and provide the Iranian people with an opportunity for regime change.

• In a later interview, Trump cited two main reasons for launching the strikes: the failure of US-Iran negotiations last week, and Iran's historical conduct over the past several decades.
• He also suggested the military operation could “go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days” with new ultimatums directed at Iran.

It’s the second time the US military has struck Iran in less than a year, following missile strikes last June that caused significant damage to three key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran responds

On Saturday, Iran’s military began launching an ongoing series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases located across the Middle East, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Jordan.

• Three US service members were confirmed killed in action and five others seriously wounded as of Sunday morning.
• Israel said at least 10 people have been killed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, while the UAE and Kuwait also reported fatalities.

Within Iran, reactions were mixed. Several cities across the country saw residents host celebrations in response to Supreme Leader Khamenei’s death, while others saw Iranians gather in the streets to mourn Khamenei’s death.

Iran’s government said a three-man council will temporarily assume Khamenei’s duties until a new leader is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of senior Shiite clerics.

Looking ahead…Trump over the weekend posted on social media saying that "heavy and pinpoint bombing" of Iran will continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary.”

Trump also said Iran reached out to resume negotiations with the US one day after Khamenei’s death, with Trump agreeing to hold new talks.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support or oppose President Trump’s move to launch a joint military strike with Israel against Iran’s government?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛢️ Oil prices open 12%-14% higher following US-Israel joint strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes over the weekend; oil tanker traffic has essentially paused through the Strait of Hormuz (off Iran’s southern coast), which carries over 20% of the world’s oil and gas.
• 🤖 OpenAI announces $110 billion in new funding from Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank at a $730 billion pre-money valuation.
• 🥣 Target to stop selling cereals with synthetic colors by end of May; it’s the most aggressive timeline among similar initiatives by Walmart, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and others in response to the Trump admin’s crackdown on artificial dyes.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎥 Scream 7 tops domestic box office with $64.1 million in its weekend debut, setting a new franchise record.
• 🏆 32nd Actor Awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, were held last night in Los Angeles.
• 🏈 NFL Scouting Combine wraps up in Indianapolis; see this year’s biggest winners and losers.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚀 NASA changes its Artemis Moon landing program after independent safety report found its previous plans relied on too many untried technologies; upcoming Artemis II mission remains unchanged, while Artemis III is now a lunar lander test flight in low-Earth orbit (ETA: 2027), before astronauts finally land on the Moon in the Artemis IV mission (ETA: 2028).
• 🌓 First lunar eclipse of this year set for the early hours of Tuesday morning for skywatchers across North America, resulting in a coppery red "blood moon."
• 🤕 Pain may last longer in women compared to men due to differences in their immune systems, new research suggests.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🙏 Two people were killed and 14 others wounded when a gunman opened fire at a bar in Austin, Texas; the 53-year-old gunman, who was shot and killed, reportedly wore a shirt with the Iranian flag and a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah”; FBI is investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism.
• 🤖 President Trump orders all federal agencies to phase out all Anthropic technology, including its AI chatbot Claude; move follows Anthropic's refusal to grant the Pentagon unrestricted access to its AI models without assurances they wouldn’t be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons; OpenAI later agrees to deal with Pentagon allowing its AI models to be used on classified work, which CEO Sam Altman claims has the same guardrails that Anthropic asked for.
• 🌏 Pakistan says it's in "open war" with Afghanistan's Taliban government after neighboring nations exchange airstrikes overnight Thursday, with strikes continuing through the weekend.

👆You’re looking at some of the winners from the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards, which drew thousands of entries from 48 countries.

🤔 Did you know? A dog’s nose is as unique as a human fingerprint. The ridges, creases, and pores on their snout (aka the rhinarium) form a one-of-a-kind pattern that stays stable over time. Or in other words: your golden retriever is rocking a built-in biometric security system at the end of their adorable face.

📰 Worth a read: Women’s History Month 2026: How women claimed their place in America’s history

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Which famous movie scene(s) were filmed in your state?
• How to network when you’re socially anxious
• What to eat when it’s freezing outside, according to a professional chef

🌊 When your emotions feel heavy… Mindful provides simple, science-informed practices to help regulate stress, calm your mind, and support better sleep. Accessible practices for any schedule. Sign up today and get one year free of Mindful Foundations.

On Friday, we covered President Trump’s State of the Union address, alongside a recap of the current state of the nation after the first year-plus of Trump’s second term.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you have a positive or negative opinion of President Trump’s job performance just over a year into his second term?

• Positive: 31%
• Negative: 66%
• Unsure/other: 3%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 874 votes and 145 longform responses.

Monday: Jewish holiday of Purim begins at sundown

Tuesday: National Pancake Day (featuring free hotcakes at IHOP)

Wednesday: Holi, or Hindu “Festival of Colors,” is observed

Thursday: Weekly US unemployment claims

Friday: Labor Dept.’s February jobs report; Pixar’s Hoppers hits theaters; so does The Bride! starring Christian Bale; Harry Styles drops latest album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.

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

1. Cac
2. Contra
3. Dub
4. Ign
5. Ont

✈️ United Airlines crew members recently donated 15,000+Pokémon cards to a 7-year-old after he lost his personal collection in the Denver International Airport. Crew members from Hawaii to Ireland sent cards in for the young passenger, who plans to donate a large chunk of them in turn to other players.

1. Cac = Bad (e.g., cacophony)
2. Contra = Against (contradiction)
3. Dub = Doubtful (dubious)
4. Ign = Fire (ignite)
5. Ont = Existing (ontology)

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