Thursday, June 26
Headlines
Shell, BP
Shell denied a report it’s in talks to acquire BP. According to the Wall Street Journal, Shell is “holding early-stage talks” to buy its rival in what would be the biggest oil deal since the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999. CNBC, however, reported that it’s unlikely Shell would purchase all of BP in any potential deal, and Shell denied that talks were happening at all, calling the WSJ report “market speculation.” If a deal eventually goes through, it would combine Shell and its $210 billion market cap with some or all of BP’s $82 billion, creating another energy juggernaut to compete with Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. Shell’s stock dropped on the news, while BP’s ticked up.
NATO allies agree to increase defense spending. Under the new agreement, each nation in the Western military alliance will more than double their defense spending from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035, the group announced at its summit in the Netherlands yesterday. The move is seen as a bulwark against the threat from Russia, as well as a response to growing tensions in the Middle East. It’s also considered a win for President Trump, who has long pressured NATO allies to spend more on defense. Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull the US out of NATO, but this week appeared to affirm the country’s continued involvement. He also said the US will meet with Iran next week amid its fragile ceasefire with Israel.
Monster and CareerBuilder filed for bankruptcy. The sites that people used to find jobs in the late 1990s filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday, saying they will sell off parts of their businesses to different buyers. Monster was once one of the most popular sites for job seekers, going as far as airing a highly memorable Super Bowl commercial in which kids sarcastically dreamed of “climbing up to middle management” and “being replaced on a whim.” But the company struggled to stay relevant amid the growth of platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, eventually merging with CareerBuilder last year.—AE
Robert Reich
Harvard should not negotiate
Friends,
Despite a series of legal wins against the Trump administration, Harvard officials have concluded that those victories alone might be insufficient to protect the university. So Harvard is reentering negotiations with Trump.
Among the sticking points with the Trump White House are issues of admissions, hiring, and viewpoint diversity.
Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president, suggested in an interview with The New York Times on Monday that a deal, in and of itself, should not be seen as a surrender. “I don’t hear anyone at Harvard saying Harvard doesn’t need to work at diversity of perspective,” he said.
Hello? What the hell does “diversity of perspective” mean? More professors and students who believe in authoritarianism and fewer who believe in democracy? More courses emphasizing biblical views and fewer based on science? More students who are racist and xenophobic and fewer who are tolerant?
At A Glance
Pizza appears to be the meal of choice for US military officials.
Meet the Jimmy Award winners, honoring high school theater stars.
The monsters that ruled the Earth before dinosaurs.
How scientists calculate the chances of an asteroid hitting Earth.
Dolphins lead lost humpback whale into deeper waters. (w/video)
Can eating certain foods before bed boost your metabolism?
The $250M mystery unfolding in Palm Beach, Florida.
"Jeopardy!" contestant wins thanks to familial tie coincidence.
Clickbait: Escaped bears found napping after eating week's worth of honey.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2025 NBA Draft kicks off tonight (8 pm ET, ABC/ESPN) with Round 1 from Brooklyn, New York; see full preview and mock draft (More) | NBA Finals Game 7 hauled in 16 million viewers, the most for a finals game since 2019 (More)
> Bobby Sherman, singer, TV actor, and 1960s and 1970s teen idol, dies of cancer at age 81 (More) | Mick Ralphs, founding member of influential rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at age 81 (More)
> R&B stars Brandy and Monica announce coheadlining "The Boy Is Mine" tour, a 24-city arena tour named after their 1998 chart-topping hit (More)
Science & Technology
> Federal judge rules AI startup Anthropic may train its large language models on published books without authors' permission; marks first legal ruling supporting AI companies' use of copyrighted material (More) | Large language models explained (1440 Topics)
> Problems with cholesterol metabolism implicated in the development of macular degeneration; discovery may lead to a treatment for the age-related vision disease that affects around 20 million Americans (More)
> Scientists capture the structure of explosive molecules in the moments after detonation; technique simulates explosions by using X-rays to excite molecules under cryogenic conditions (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.1%, Dow +1.2%, Nasdaq +1.4%); oil prices fall over 5% amid shaky Israel-Iran truce (More) | Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says interest rate cuts can wait in congressional testimony (More)
> CareerBuilder + Monster, a merger of two pioneers in online job recruiting, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to facilitate the sale of its operations (More) | Amazon to expand same- or next-day delivery to over 4,000 smaller US communities (More) | Tesla shares fall over 2% as robotaxis appear to violate traffic laws (More)
> Chipmaker Nano Labs shares close up 36% amid plans to purchase $1B of Binance Coin (More) | Stablecoin company Circle shares drop more than 15% as Wall Street flags risk of increasing competition (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> New York City mayoral primary heads to ranked-choice count after no Democratic candidate earns more than 50% of the vote; Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leads with nearly 44% of the votes, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo concedes after receiving 36% of the votes (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> Florida's Operation Dragon Eye rescues 60 missing children ages 9 to 17, leads to eight arrests; operation is the largest rescue of missing children in US history (More)
> Sudan's army accused of attack on hospital in West Kordofan state killing more than 40 people; army has not commented on the allegation as of this writing (More) | The US authorizes $30M to Israeli-backed group distributing food in Gaza (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Generational Change
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- The Civil War Generation: Born 1845–1864
- The Gilded Age Generation: Born 1865–1882
- The Progressive Era Generation: Born 1883–1900
- The Greatest Generation: Born 1901–1927
- The Silent Generation: Born 1928–1945
- Baby Boomers: Born 1946–1964
- Generation X: Born 1965–1980
- Millennials (Gen Y): Born 1981–1996
- Generation Z: Born 1997–2012
- Generation Alpha: Born 2013–2024
- Generation Beta: Born 2025–2039
Right now, The Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers are pretty much controlling the USA. There might be a few Gen X'ers in Congress but not enough to exercise control.
If you voted in the 2024 election, you had to have been born in 2006 or earlier. So, the 2024 voters were:
- Silent Gen
- Baby Boomers
- Gen X
- Millennials
- Some of Gen Z
Regardless of who voted or who didn't vote, I would submit to you that the BABY BOOMERS are CONTROLLING THE GAME.
While I am not wealthy nor a politician, I am a Baby Boomer, and I personally believe that it is time to turn the control of the USA over to the next generation or GEN X.
Not that they know better than US but because it is their time for LEADERSHIP...
Neither Biden nor Trump should have ever been president. In time, I believe that we will discover electing those two OLD MEN was a mistake... a mistake that will take years to correct.
Partly because Trump undid what Obama did, Biden undid what Trump did, and Trump is now undoing what Biden did. Partly because Biden allowed all these illegal immigrants to enter the USA and partly because Trump wants to achieve peace through strength.
Strength can sometimes set us back a few years especially if you are dealing with religious fanatics and lunatics.
The HUMANITIES brings cultures together.
Professional sports bring cultures together.
Equality & acceptance brings cultures together.
Controlled freedom brings cultures together.
The younger generations know this because they have not yet been tainted.
US Navy’s secret SONGBOW laser packs 400kW punch to fry drones, missiles mid-air
The US Navy has taken a significant step forward in the race to develop next-generation laser weaponry by launching its highly classified ‘SONGBOW’ program.
This week, the Department of Defense confirmed that a $29.9 million contract has been awarded to Coherent Aerospace & Defense to develop advanced directed-energy systems, including a powerful 400-kilowatt laser capable of destroying drones, missiles, and other aerial threats.
Wednesday, June 25
Headlines
Jim Watson, Tasos Katopodis, Office of the Supreme
Leader of Iran/Getty Images
President Trump criticizes Israel and Iran amid fragile ceasefire. Hours after Trump announced that Israel and Iran agreed to end hostilities after 12 days, both countries reportedly launched attacks against the other—though they each denied violating the truce. Trump then told reporters on the White House lawn that the countries have been fighting for so long that “they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” Trump later posted on social media that the ceasefire was still in effect despite the breaches. Neither side has yet provided details on the terms of the agreement. In related news, a preliminary classified report said that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites failed to destroy their underground buildings and may have only set its nuclear program back by a few months, per the New York Times.
Mamdani upset Cuomo in the NYC Dem mayoral primary. As expected, no candidate earned 50% of the vote in the Democratic primary yesterday, but Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, emerged as the No. 1 pick, accounting for 43.5% of the vote with 92% of the ballots in. After 10pm, former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded the primary and congratulated Mamdani, saying, “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.” Cuomo then confirmed to the New York Times that he is still considering whether to run as an independent in the general election in November. Final results of the Democratic primary are due next week. If Mamdani wins it, he will be the heavy front-runner to become NYC’s new mayor.
McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme called it quits. Fast food’s hottest power couple ended their partnership yesterday, saying it was not profitable for Krispy Kreme. Under the arrangement, McDonald’s sold Krispy Kreme donuts in 2,400 of its stores, which was a moneymaker for the burger chain, but sadly less so for its dessert counterpart. “Efforts to bring our costs in line with unit demand were unsuccessful,” Krispy Kreme CEO Josh Charlesworth said, calling the relationship “unsustainable.” The union had been part of a plan to boost sales as cash-strapped customers reduce spending on dining. No word on who gets the coffee in the divorce.—AE
Robert Reich
As Trump siphons away their power, how do congressional Republicans justify to themselves their total abdication of responsibility?
Friends,
Trump’s decision to strike Iran without congressional authorization has renewed debate over Congress’s constitutional role in the use of American forces.
At almost every turn, Trump is usurping powers that the Constitution reserves to Congress — not just the power to go to war but also the power to set tariffs, the power to appropriate and spend public funds, and the power to create and oversee the many independent agencies that exist to serve the public good.
Yet Republicans, who hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, won’t defend their constitutional prerogatives. America is becoming a dictatorship because there are not even 4 Republican senators out of 53, nor 3 Republican representatives out of 220, with enough courage and integrity to stand up for Congress’s constitutional responsibilities.
At A Glance
See design for memorial honoring Queen Elizabeth II.
Study finds hope may outrank gratitude as key to meaningful life.
States with a view of the northern lights this week.
Unsolved mystery of sharks freezing when upside down.
Will AI end the résumé?
Girl's ancestors mapped over 400 years.
Hotel ordered to stop using red pandas to wake guests.
Clickbait: Why turtles do the Superman pose.
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