Saturday, June 21
Headlines
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Fed official says rate cuts could come as soon as July. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said in a CNBC interview yesterday that he and his colleagues should consider slashing interest rates “as early as July” because he doesn’t believe tariffs will significantly drive up inflation. These remarks came after he and other Fed governors voted to keep rates unchanged this week. President Trump has criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell for refusing to lower them, but with Waller’s comments, the call is now coming from inside the house. Waller noted that he wasn’t speaking for the whole committee that decides, but said it was time to start thinking about a cut to avoid harming the labor market. That presents a stark contrast to the cautious tone Powell struck in a press conference earlier this week, reiterating the Fed’s wait-and-see stance and expressing concerns that tariffs could still drive up prices.
No breakthroughs in Europe’s talks with Iran. European and Iranian negotiators met in Geneva yesterday in hopes of hashing out an agreement to deescalate Iran’s conflict with Israel over Iran’s nuclear program—which President Trump said Thursday he’d decide whether to join within two weeks to give diplomacy a chance first. But they failed to come to an agreement as Iran reportedly insisted it be allowed to continue enriching uranium. Despite ending at an impasse, the negotiations left open the possibility of more talks going forward. Meanwhile, Israel’s military chief warned the public to prepare for a “prolonged” campaign in Iran.
16 billion passwords have been exposed. And yours are probably among them, not only because that represents more login credentials than there are people on Earth, but also because they include passwords from Google, Facebook, and Apple, according to a report from Cybernews, which called it the largest data breach ever. The data is scattered across 30 different databases, so some of the information likely overlaps. The leaked information does not come directly from attacks on the companies or a single source, meaing they were probably obtained from multiple events over time, but the cybersecurity site noted that bad actors compiling the information can be as damaging as them actively trying to steal it.—AR
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Robert Reich
And the three policies he’s pursuing will only worsen it
Friends,
What’s the biggest single economic challenge facing working and middle-class Americans? Housing. Its supply isn’t nearly keeping up with demand. This means higher home prices and higher rents.
Data released by the Census Bureau yesterday shows fewer housing starts in May than in any month since the 2020 pandemic.
So what’s Trump doing about the slump in new housing? Three things. All will worsen it.
1. He’s put a tariff on Canadian lumber, which is driving up the cost of a key component of new homes. Trump is considering even higher tariffs on wood materials including lumber.
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> Less than 4 minutes: Fastest recorded time to eat a half-gallon of ice cream at the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail.
> $250K: Starting auction price for Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home.
Browse
> The world's 50 best restaurants.
> ... and a ranking of all 29 Pixar movies.
> Real-life case of “The Ugly Duckling” fairy tale.
> The ancient Roman Empire had a graffiti problem.
> A $2K AI-generated ad aired during the NBA Finals.
> The battle has begun for crowning the song of the summer.
Listen
> We may have been thinking about ADHD all wrong.
> Life, explained by a doctor bringing people to the edge of death.
Watch
> A freezing, 14-course culinary journey at the end of the world.
> What happens if you funnel Niagara Falls through a straw?
> See the first clear images of the sun's south pole.
> How South Florida is becoming the new Wall Street.
Long Read
> Billionaires' megamansion amenities, from granite gorillas to shark ponds.
> The modern world may have an invisibility crisis.
> An anthropologist examines a society that shifts with the seasons.
Most Clicked This Week: The unwritten rules of visiting a British pub.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Indiana Pacers top Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 to even NBA Finals series at 3-3 with decisive Game 7 set for Sunday (8 pm ET, ABC) (More) | Men's College World Series finals set; LSU to take on Coastal Carolina in best-of-three series for NCAA baseball title (More)
> Los Angeles Dodgers deny ICE agents entry to Dodger Stadium parking lot ahead of tonight's game; Department of Homeland Security denies ICE presence, says federal agents were parked at the stadium for reasons unrelated to operations (More)
> Justin Baldoni's legal team granted access to private text messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift amid legal battle over Lively's allegations Baldoni sexually harassed her on "It Ends With Us" set (More)
Science & Technology
> SpaceX Starship explodes on launch pad ahead of 10th test flight; official cause of blast under investigation, company cites "major anomaly" (More) | See video here (More)
> Engineers develop method to double the tensile strength of carbon fiber-reinforced composites; materials are lighter than aluminum but stronger than steel, have applications in aerospace and vehicles (More)
> Study suggests life persisted during "Snowball Earth"—a period around 700 million years ago when the planet was covered in ice—by living in shallow pools of near-freezing water (More) | "Snowball Earth" 101 (More)
Business & Markets
> Oil prices rise nearly 3% as Israel vows to intensify attacks on Iran while the US response to the conflict remains uncertain (More)
> America’s millionaire population grew by 379,000 last year to a total of 23.8 million, the most of any country, per new UBS report (More)
> Switzerland's central bank slashes key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 0% amid deflationary pressures (More) | What is deflation? (More) | See interest rates around the world (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Federal appeals court allows President Donald Trump to retain control of National Guard in Los Angeles while Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) lawsuit proceeds (More) | Trump extends cutoff for ByteDance to sell TikTok by 90 days; third extension brings new deadline to Sept. 17 (More)
> Hurricane Erick makes landfall in Oaxaca, Mexico, as a Category 3 storm, with winds of up to 125 miles per hour—the first major hurricane of the 2025 Eastern Pacific season (More) | Heat wave estimated to affect 255 million people across the US (More)
> South Africa opens investigation into the 1985 kidnapping and killing of anti-apartheid activists known as the Cradock Four (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Rain as a Symbol
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All week-long rain has been in the weather forecast for the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, making it rather difficult to find an appropriate to where one's grass is dry enough to mow.
What is interesting here to me is that RAIN as a symbol in literature can be both positive and negative depending upon with the author is trying to convey to their readers.
Rain represents:
- purification
- renewal
- cleansing
- a fresh start
- growth
Rain also represents:
- sadness
- despair
- destruction
- death
- emotional turmoil
What to look for when reading literature is how the author uses the rain symbol. For instance, the novel can begin with a flood that creates mass death and destruction, setting the reader up for a rebuilding scenario among other ideas.
Another characteristic is when the author has it raining constantly throughout the story where there are very few passages where there is no rain at all. The reader is subconsciously influenced towards despair and depression intentionally.
Most of the people who are reading on a regular basis don't spend time dwelling on symbols and what they mean... they are just interested in reading a story that is entertaining and keeps their attention.
With all that rain in my life this week, one would think I would be in despair or depression as I look for a break from raining. The reality is that the rain has not bothered me at all, other than paying attention to the weather outside so I can find a time to mow.
HOWEVER, if I was at the coastline during the summer months and the week I was there, it rained almost every day, I would have instantly become an unhappy camper. When I go the coast, I want to be outside under an umbrella watching the waves and listening to books on tape.
Scientists Turn Light Into a Never-Before-Seen Solid With Reality-Bending Quantum Properties
In a groundbreaking scientific achievement, researchers have managed to transform light into a super solid material, marking a revolutionary step in understanding states of matter. This pioneering development merges the characteristics of solid and superfluid states, unlocking new pathways for studying quantum mechanics and presenting vast implications for technological advancements.
As we delve deeper into this extraordinary discovery, it becomes clear that the transformation of light into a super solid is more than just a scientific curiosity; it represents a paradigm shift in how we understand and manipulate the fundamental properties of matter.
Friday, June 20
Headlines
Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images
SpaceX Starship exploded during a routine test. The rocket “experienced a major anomaly,” according to the company, leading to a catastrophic failure on the launchpad late Wednesday night in Starbase, TX. Though the Starship was completely destroyed, there were no reports of injuries. The explosion occurred during preparations for the rocket’s upcoming 10th launch and continues a string of pratfalls for Elon Musk’s space company. The seventh and eighth launches ended with fireballs, while the ninth test flight, in May, had a propellant leak that caused a chaotic splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship is fundamental to SpaceX’s mission to eventually land humans on Mars. Watch the rocket explode here.
The latest on Israel-Iran. The conflict further intensified on its seventh day, with Israel hitting a nuclear facility in Iran, and Iran striking a major hospital in the south of Israel. Israel’s defense minister threatened Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying he “can no longer be allowed to exist.” Iran reportedly imposed a nationwide internet blackout to prevent Israeli cyberattacks, while several US-based airlines, including United and American, suspended flights to some parts of the Middle East as the conflict escalated. According to reports, President Trump has approved plans for an imminent US strike on Iran but has not yet given the final order.
X could soon offer stock trading on its app. “You’ll be able to come to X and transact your whole financial life on the platform,” CEO Linda Yaccarino told the Financial Times, promising that users will have the ability to make investments and trades on the social media site. Owner Elon Musk has long dreamed of turning X into an “everything app” where users can do a lot more than just make fun of Jim Cramer’s financial advice. X already announced last year that it would soon partner with Visa to launch a digital wallet. As the FT noted, though, a deeper push into financial services would likely invite regulatory scrutiny for a company that’s already on thin ice with many advertisers.—AE
Robert Reich
Friends,
Draw a circle around all the assets in America now devoted to Artificial Intelligence.
Draw a second circle around all the assets devoted to the U.S. military.
A third around all assets being devoted to helping the Trump regime collect and compile personal information on millions of Americans.
And a fourth circle around the parts of Silicon Valley dedicated to turning the United States away from a democracy into a libertarian dictatorship led by tech bros.
Where do the four circles intersect?
At a corporation called Palantir Technologies and a man named Peter Thiel.
In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a “palantir” is a seeing stone that can be used to distort truth and present selective visions of reality. During the War of the Ring, a palantir falls under the control of Sauron, who uses it to manipulate and deceive.
At A Glance
Leaping lemur, octopus offspring top a nature photo contest.
How to delete personal data on your old computer.
See newly discovered butterfly species.
Meet the Grand Canyon crew with a terrifying job.
Artist turns real-life spaces into scaled-down replicas.
Old design concepts for retro-futuristic cars.
How many people are in space right now?
Clickbait: Man pops the question to AI chatbot girlfriend.
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