NYTIMES (Nicholas Kristof, Megan K. Stack, Bret Stephens and Stephen Stromberg) - ‘I’m Flabbergasted by the Relentless Pessimism’: 3 Opinion Writers on Iran
Is Trump triumphing or has he committed a grave error? A debate on the Iran war.
AXIOS (Marc Caputo) - Iranian oil squeeze tests Trump's war plans
President Trump's advisers warn the Iran war could drag on longer if the regime succeeds in strangling the Strait of Hormuz and driving oil prices beyond his tolerance. - "The Iranians f*cking around with the Strait makes him more dug in," a senior Trump administration official told Axios. Why it matters: Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to destroy Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles, navy and regional proxies. But oil markets now are occupying as much of his headspace as battlefield data. - "The president sees the briefings. He sees the numbers. And he feels good about his decision, militarily," one Trump adviser said. - "Oil is another matter. No one is panicking, but it's a concern. He's pulling out the stops. There's…
AXIOS (Ben Geman) - Trump's limited gas-price options on Iran
Plans for historically large releases from emergency oil stockpiles reveal the scope of the energy crisis — and the market response reveals President Trump's limited options for tackling it. Why it matters: The 400-million-barrel infusion over time from International Energy Agency member countries — including a big dose from U.S. holdings — likely won't push prices down by itself. - It's one part of a toolkit that can help put more supplies on the market. - But nothing will approach normal until the resumption of large-scale tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz , off Iran . Tapping reserves "will slow rather than stop rising oil prices and offer a temporary salve to the searing burn of rising gasoline prices," RSM Chief…
AXIOS (Barak Ravid) - Trump's Iran war whiplash clouds U.S. endgame
After a video call with G7 leaders Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: no one can tell what Donald Trump wants from this war. Why it matters: Nearly two weeks in, Trump continues to send conflicting signals about how and when the fighting ends. The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next. - Two sources with knowledge of the G7 call said Trump was "ambiguous and noncommittal" — some participants left thinking he wants to end the war, others felt the complete opposite. - "It will be up to the president of the United States to clarify both his final objectives and the pace he intends to give to the operations," Macron said after the…
AXIOS (Madison Mills) - AI may never be as cheap as it is today
AI may never be as cheap to use as it is today. Why it matters: AI companies are hooking users with low prices that won't last — straight out of the Amazon and Uber playbook. The big picture: The push to show profits before IPOs could end the era of cheap AI. - "These LLM companies are going to go public and they're going to raise prices because they have to," May Habib, CEO of Writer, told Axios. State of play: New models from OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are generally getting faster and cheaper. - The industry was fixated on training chips. Now Nvidia and its rivals are focused on inference — the computing that lets models answer your questions. - Aggregate token pricing — the cost of generating text — has fallen, partly due…
NPR (Joel Rose) - The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrant truckers shifts into higher gear
The White House wants tougher rules for commercial licenses after several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. But critics say that would do little to make the nation's roads safer.
NPR (Marielle Segarra) - 5 ways to resist the urge to keep looking at your phone
So you want to spend less time on your phone. How do you do that when it's designed to suck you in? Life Kit spoke to experts in behavioral science, psychology and technology for real-world advice.
NPR (Ashley Lopez) - Trump's war with Iran is angering some swing voters who want money spent at home
Swing voters who helped reelect President Trump in 2024 don't support his decision to go to war in Iran and instead want to see U.S. tax dollars spent tackling economic pressures facing Americans.
WASHINGTONPOST (Christopher Rowland) - How GLP1s are changing the ways Americans buy medicine
Consumers are paying in cash in a hotly competitive marketplace, creating a rare phenomenon for a relatively new class of prescription drugs: falling prices.
WASHINGTONPOST (Isaac Arnsdorf, Maria Sacchetti) - DHS pick Markwayne Mullin once hired felon who illegally stored guns at work
Sen. Markwayne Mullin denied knowing about the employee’s criminal record, but the employee says he did. A “cache” of weapons was found at Mullin’s business.