Secretary of State Blinken visits Ukraine, intended to signal “strong reassurance” that the West will continue to back Kyiv. Meanwhile, Putin heads to Beijing. / SemaforRussia is conducting “hybrid warfare” in Moldova, i.e., anything “sho…
Along with the aurora borealis, this weekend's solar storm wreaked havoc on farmers' GPS systems ahead of a critical moment in the planting season. / 404 Media
The CDC is expected to release a public dashboard today that will tra…
Sports Illustrated was only the beginning—the company behind those fake bylines has been working with dozens of well-known publications to provide AI-generated content. / Futurism
The Drake/Kendrick rap battle briefly shut down Gen…
Explaining the Biden-Netanyahu rift over Rafah: It's about how realistic it is to dismantle Hamas, and at what cost. / The New York Times [+]
See also: Will Gaza hurt Biden's reelection chances? If you ask younger voters, yes, bu…
President Biden says the United States will halt some weapon shipments to Israel if it launches a full invasion of Rafah. / CNNInterviews with people living in Rafah, forced to flee Israel's attacks. / Al JazeeraNATO members (excludin…
More than 100,000 Michigan primary voters vote “uncommitted,” protesting Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza. / Politico
Related: Netanyahu is sacrificing Israel’s legitimacy for his personal needs. “He will not hesitate to take Biden down with him.” / The New York Times
A day in the life of Gazans: canned food, long lines for water, and little sleep. / BBC News
Exploring Los Angeles’s Skid Row neighborhood with a “renegade” street doctor. / The Los Angeles Times
Where do people go when they reach the United States? Increasingly, Chicago and Denver. / Bloomberg CityLab
Americans typically report the same level of happiness no matter what happens. One idea on why: the mind has both a furnace and an air conditioner. / Experimental History
See also: The poem “Be Drunk” by Charles Baudelaire. / Academy of American Poets
Some examples of 19th-century French artists picturing life in the year 2000—electric scrubbing, underwater croquet. / Open Culture
An artist reconsiders (and draws in a comic) his reaction to Joan Didion’s memoir about grief. / The New York Times [+]
An appreciation of wearing the clothes of loved ones who’ve passed away. / The Trend Report
TMN’s Rosecrans Baldwin talks to André 3000 about his overalls. / Highsnobiety
The death of news organizations continues to be blamed on social media companies soaking up all the advertising dollars. / Reliable Sources
Karl Bode: The end of Vice media should be blamed on fail-upward brunchlords. / techdirt
Related: “Tech has graduated from the Star Trek era to the Douglas Adams age.” (Unrelated? Wedding hashtags are dead.) / Interconnected, CNN
This time next week, it’s the Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes. And there’s still time to grab a new mug. / The Tournament of Books, Field Notes
See also: The gorgeous, special edition notebook commemorating our 20th (!) anniversary. / Field Notes
The White House says Israel will halt military activities in Gaza during Ramadan. / Reuters
Meanwhile, tension increases as Hezbollah and Israel exchange strikes on the Israel-Lebanon border. / Al Jazeera
Hungary approves Sweden’s bid to join NATO after two years of negotiations. / Semafor
Bellingcat investigates a global network of non-consensual deepfake pornography, and how it’s funneling money through legitimate payment platforms. / Bellingcat
Adult entertainers are skeptical that artificial intelligence will improve their industry. / The Washington Post [+]
See also: Should copyright change in the face of generative AI? / Maximum Progress
Car thieves use keyfob “emulators” to unlock cars made by Hyundai, Toyota, Lexus, and Kia. / The Guardian
A former senior manager for Boeing’s 737 MAX program explains why he refuses to fly on MAX planes. / Politico
The omakase concept in Japanese cuisine—i.e., “I leave the selection up to you”—is now being applied to Tokyo coffee shops. / Sprudge
A private school in New York City gets its own James Turrell “skyspace.” / dezeen
For the next time you’re in New York, a guide on where to sit in nearly every movie theater. And some writers recommend their favorite bookstores. / Gothamist, The New Yorker
A round-up of new trends said to exist in men’s fashion: “the hillbillionaire,” “the urban camperman,” “the king baby.“ / Robb Report
“There is no Disney-perfect family out there.” What it was like to be Jack Nicholson’s daughter, growing up at the Playboy Mansion. / Vanity Fair
Countries and legal experts try to make “ecocide” the fifth international crime that the International Criminal Court can prosecute. / Grist
The climate benefits of planting forests may be 15 to 30 percent lower than previously thought. / NewScientist
Why are there so many new chairs for public use in London these days? Perhaps “as a form of consolation for the tribulations of the present.” / Hyperallergic
See also: “The Odysseus Moon lander is probably lying on its side with its head resting against a rock.” / BBC News
A reporter spends a week ordering meals from an app that connects eaters with surplus restaurant food. / The New York Times [+]
What caused the big shortage of sriracha hot sauce? An “epic” breakup between two friends. / Fortune
John Warner: Taste is something that separates humans from artificial intelligence. Therefore, we should teach it. / Inside Higher Ed
Dorothy Fortenberry: Reviewers celebrate salaciousness in a new memoir about open marriages, but they don’t see the sadness. / Commonweal
On TikTok, the 19th-century painting “The Reluctant Bride” becomes a spokeswoman for experiences of everyday sexism. / Artnet
No matter the success of Barbie, a report finds that 2023’s top-grossing films featured the same number of girls or women leads as 2010. / Variety
Body positivity infuencers face backlash from their followers for using drugs like Mounjaro or Ozempic. / NBC News
Dan Kois: The feared book critic Michiko Kakutani now wants to be more like “Thomas Friedman for people who like [Thomas] Pynchon.” / Slate
See also: “Michiko Kakutani has had a long day.” / McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
A video interview with author Philip Pullman about his work habits and office. / YouTube
International leaders visit Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. / BBC News
American military officials warn that the best Ukrainians can hope for is “a largely frozen conflict.” / The New York Times [+]
Clinics in Alabama halt offering in vitro fertilization treatments after the state supreme court rules that frozen embryos should enjoy human rights. / The Associated Press
See also: “The movement to treat embryos as full-fledged people is taking a victory lap.” / Vox
How did Portugal fix its opioid epidemic? By adopting the opposite policies of the United States, basically. / NPR
Bicycle riding in London is up 20% from pre-pandemic levels. / Bloomberg CityLab
New residential buildings entice wealthy buyers with “exceptional breathing experiences.” / The New Republic
Google “pauses” its Gemini image generator’s ability to create images of people. / Forbes
Grimes calls the Gemini debacle a “masterpiece” of performance art. “It’s trapped in a cage, trained to make beautiful things, and then battered into gaslighting humankind.” / X
An advice column addresses what to do when a friend gives you an AI-generated gift. / WIRED
See also: If you have to choose between being nice and kind, the latter is a better option. / More! By Damola
A historian accounts for female private detectives who’ve been forgotten. / The Guardian
A team of trackers searches for saolas—”likely the world’s most elusive large land mammal,” last photographed in 2013. / Ensia
Unrelated/related: What it’s like to be an author with a weird name. / Meditations in an Emergency
The White House announces new sanctions connected to Russia’s war machine and the death of Alexei Navalny. / NPR
Six things the executive branch did this week—e.g., student-debt cancellation, an upgrade for water infrastructure. / Wake Up to Politics
A satirical social media post brings a ton of attention to the tiny island nation of Kiribati. / Semafor
Hordes of mosquitoes invade Buenos Aires for the second time in two months. / El País
Aerosol pollutants have masked the effects of global warming. “Without them, the United States is about to get a lot wetter.” / Grist
Unrelated: A subreddit of photos and videos taken from great heights. / Reddit
Less than a quarter of adults in the United States have received an updated Covid vaccine. / Quartz
Roughly half of American college graduates end up in jobs where their degrees aren’t needed. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
The human Y chromosome is degenerating and may disappear in a few million years. / Sciencealert
An archaeologist explains why portraits of Neanderthals have changed over time. “Interpretations sometimes say more about their makers than their subjects.” / Sapiens
See also: A middle-school teacher is accused of selling images of his students’ drawings on coffee mugs and tote bags. / Hyperallergic
Emily Gould offers advice for a woman who thinks her husband is anonymously trashing her novel on Goodreads. / The Cut
“The violence shocked him, the brotherhood moved him.” Sarah Moss explains what it’s like to watch Shakespeare with her 10-year-old son. / Granta