Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🔍 SEO for AI searches
• 💊 GLP-1 pill poppin’
• 😝 “Tasting” words

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.76-minute read (1,000 words).

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"No one has ever become poor by giving."

–Anne Frank (1929-1945)

After spending decades learning how to get on Google’s good side, online businesses are now scrambling to please a new overlord: AI search results.

The issue: More internet search users are going straight to AI tools that do the digging for them, with search engines following suit and adding AI summaries that answer questions instantly—slashing clicks to some sites by as much as 60%.

The queries themselves are also in the midst of rapid change, going from a terse 4-6 words in a traditional Google search to a 40-60 word, in-depth question to an AI search engine.

Trying catch AI’s eye

A growing number of online companies are leaning into answer engine optimization (AEO), or tips and tricks to help their websites to rank well in AI tools like ChatGPT and search engine overviews.

Under this philosophy, online content should be easy for AI to grab, understand, and repeat across millions of users.

• In practice, that means a renewed focus on clean summaries, bullet points, and FAQs.
• Brands are also stacking related content like backlinks, expert bios, “training courses” to look like authorities on a certain topic, increasing their odds of getting picked up by AI searches.

Zoom out: Google still dominates the search world, with 8.9 billion daily queries, but AI is gaining ground fast. More than one-third of US consumers (37%) report starting online searches with AI, then double-checking info with traditional search engines.

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The Ozempic era just got a lot easier to swallow.

Last week, Eli Lilly received FDA approval for its once-daily obesity pill, setting up a head-to-head race with Novo Nordisk, whose own Wegovy obesity pill hit the market earlier this year.

This isn’t round one. Novo pioneered GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss shots with Ozempic and Wegovy, but Lilly came back swinging with Zepbound and Mounjaro, both of which are now outselling their Novo counterparts.

However, the new GLP-1 pills have flipped the script.

• Novo’s version, called Foundayo, currently shows stronger weight-loss results in trials compared to its rival.
• Meanwhile, Lilly is betting fewer restrictions and easier daily use will draw more users to its Wegovy pill.

Weight-loss market fattens up

GLP-1 drugs are already a $70+ billion market globally, mostly from injections. But a lot of would-be users have yet to get on board, with some preferring to avoid needles and others not seeing their weight as problematic enough to warrant an injection.

Both companies are betting there’s a large untapped market of overweight people who would favor a once-a-day pill instead. And early data backs up those assumptions.

The Wegovy pill racked up 94,000+ US prescriptions just weeks after launch in mid-January, with many of them for people who haven’t ever taken a weight-loss shot.

Big picture: GLP-1 usage in the US has increased by ~587% between 2019 and 2024, with roughly 1 in 8 US adults saying they’ve tried them at least once.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 US stocks rise significantly across the board in first trading day following recent ceasefire in Iran (S&P: +2.5% | Dow: +2.9% | Nasdaq: +2.8%). | 🛢️ US oil prices fall 16% to $94/barrel, their worst day since April 2020, while international oil prices fall 13%.
• 🎥 Paramount Skydance announces departure of President Jeff Shell to focus on lawsuit brought by a pro gambler who claims Shell disclosed private company info; Paramount says its internal investigation cleared Shell of wrongdoing.
• 🪙 NY Times investigation claims UK computer scientist Adam Black is mysterious Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto; Black promptly denies the NYT’s claim, which is based on AI-assisted analysis of their public writing styles.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏌️ 2026 Masters Tournament tees off this morning at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club; world #1 Scottie Scheffler is seeking his third green jacket in five years.
• 🚨 Jasveen Sangha, Los Angeles woman nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen,” is sentenced to 15 years in jail for her role in Friends actor Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose.
• ⚾ Pittsburgh Pirates sign 19-year-old SS Konnor Griffin (the #1 overall MLB prospect) to nine-yr deal worth $140 million.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• ♂️ Cornell scientists take major step towards developing a safe, reversible, long-acting, and 100% effective nonhormonal male contraceptive (the holy grail of male contraception).
• 🤖 Meta unveils new LLM model called Muse Spark, the tech giant’s first new AI model in over a year.
• ⚡ Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency to commit $135 million over 18 months to accelerate nuclear fusion technologies, per Axios report.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: The US, Israel, and Iran appear to contradict each other over terms of ongoing two-week ceasefire, though all parties agree a temporary halt is in effect; Iran and Pakistani mediators say the ceasefire also applies to Lebanon, contrary to US and Israeli claims, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has yet to pick back up despite President Trump framing its reopening as key to any ceasefire.
• ⚖️ 62-year-old architect pleads guilty to murdering eight women and dumping their bodies in Long Island’s Gilgo Beach over a 17-year period.
• 🏛️ Former AG Pam Bondi will not comply with a subpoena to appear before the House oversight committee next week for questioning over her handling of the Epstein files.

👆 Cambodian officials recently unveiled the world’s first statue honoring a landmine-detecting rat. Magawa, who passed away in 2022, spent five years sniffing out 100+ landmines and other explosives across 1.5 million square feet of land.

🤔 Did you know? Some people can actually “taste” words. It’s a rare condition called lexical-gustatory synesthesia, where specific words trigger consistent flavor experiences in the brain. (Ex: the word “jail” tastes of cold, hard bacon.)

📰 Worth a read: The "holy grail of fitness," according to a sports medicine doctor.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Why did childhood summers feel endless?
• Why The Great Gatsby is the world's most misunderstood novel
• Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang you might need help decoding

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Yesterday we covered the latest developments from the war in Iran, including a two-week ceasefire announced by President Trump just ahead of a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a new 10-point peace plan proposed by Iran, and a daring US rescue mission to secure a downed airman in Iranian territory.

❓ Our question to you (long-form): What are your thoughts on the recent developments in the Iran war?

• “As with everything lately, these most recent developments seem tentative at best. It remains to be seen if diplomacy can gain a foothold in such a tumultuous scenario. It feels a bit like deja vu, only with a more palpable proximity this time around.”
• “We've created yet another generation of martyrs. Unfortunately Mr. Trump cannot comprehend beyond the initial effects of his actions. If the world acts with that in mind at the present, we may undo the reciprocal damage.”
• “I think it would be a grave error to allow the current government in Iran to remain in power. They have proven many times over nearly five decades that they will not honor commitments. I also believe it would be a mistake to leave them in charge of the shipping lane. That should be controlled by an international power of some sort.”

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

+Note on sample size: We received 47 longform responses.

🧑‍🚀🚀 Grab your spacesuit: Check out what life is like for Artemis II astronauts inside the Orion capsule.

🏒 Meet the 'Zammoth': The NHL’s latest expansion team, the Utah Mammoths, unveiled a prehistoric rideable zamboni for fans.

🚨 Morality police: Which behaviors do Americans find the most (and least) moral? Pew Research has the data.

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Which country shares the most international borders with other countries?

🚛🐱 A cat hitched a 70-mile ride from a Walmart in Montreal to a warehouse in Ontario, apparently mistaking a supply truck for an Uber. The cat is now being looked after by employees who are trying to reunite the unexpected passenger with its owner.

China

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