Zohran Mamdani, the surging young progressive in New York City's mayoral race, is showing what it looks like when a Democrat taps into the energy, language and anxieties of Gen Z.
Why it matters: As national Democrats pour millions into polling and research to try towin back young voters, Mamdani is offering a real-time playbook for how to actually reach them.
Farmers may be able to keep employing undocumented workers without fear of raids, under a system where they would assume "responsibility" for them, President Trump indicated on Friday.
Why it matters: The administration has changed its position repeatedly in recent days on whether farm workers were subject to more aggressive immigration crackdowns or not.
It's been nearly three months since fashion-tech company CaaStle told investors that they'd been defrauded of more than half a billion dollars, and that law enforcement was investigating.
There hasn't yet been an arrest made nor a charge filed.
For context, Sam Bankman-Fried was cuffed just one month after FTX went bust, and the preceding narrative was that authorities were dragging their heels.
Circle Internet, the only publicly traded stablecoin issuer in the U.S., extended its extraordinary post-IPO run Friday after securing its first analyst buy rating.
Why it matters: The bullish outlook for stablecoins continues to grow, fueled by the U.S. Senate's recent passage of legislation that would establish a clear regulatory framework for domestic issuers.
Large language models across the AI industry are increasingly willing to evade safeguards, resort to deception and even attempt to steal corporate secrets in fictional test scenarios, per new research from Anthropic out Friday.
Why it matters: The findings come as models are getting more powerful and also being given both more autonomy and more computing resources to "reason" — a worrying combination as the industry races to build AI with greater-than-human capabilities.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that fuel producers have standing to challenge EPA approval of California vehicle emissions and electric vehicle policies.
Why it matters: The 7-2 decision enables more lines of attack against California officials, who are already battling GOP and Trump 2.0 efforts to thwart rules that go beyond federal standards.
The Trump administration has a new favorite talking point on the economy: That blue-collar wages are rising the most, in inflation-adjusted terms, at the start of a presidential administration in modern history.
The big picture: The data reflect solid wage growth paired with low inflation through the first five months of 2025.
Aflac, a U.S. insurance provider that covers millions of policyholders, warned some of its customers' most sensitive data may have been stolen in a recent cyberattack.
Why it matters: Aflac warned that a "sophisticated cybercrime group" was behind the intrusion and said many insurance providers are currently battling the same group.
Two hundred students in nine U.S. cities were invited to local theaters to preview Pixar's newest film, "Elio."
State of play: The young people saw the film as part of an AT&T initiative on Connected Learning Centers (CLCs), which partner with local nonprofits to offer free WiFi and tutoring resources.
Meta is in advanced talks to hire Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman as part of its new AI lab, per multiplereports. It also would take a stake in the pair's venture capital firm, NFDG.
Why it matters: This would be the second time this month that Meta has poached the top exec of an AI decacorn, as Gross currently serves as CEO of Safe Superintelligence.
CANNES, France — The doubling of global ad revenue to $1 trillion over the past decade has ushered in a new wave of companies eager to sell consumer attention.
Why it matters: This week's Cannes Lions demonstrated that the annual festival for creativity and advertising has quickly become one of the most important global convening spaces not just for brands and agencies, but for celebrities, athletes, influencers and creatives looking to tap into that growth.
Adaptation can't outrun climate change, and rich farming nations — including the U.S. — face jeopardy despite their resources, according to amajor new paper on global warming and crop production.
Why it matters: It's the first look at climate effects on staple crops to weigh farmers' "real-world adaptation measures" and fold them into projections of future damage, a summary states.
Small business leaders are beginning to embrace generative AI, but not enough to pay much for it, per a new survey of 1,000 businesses by U.S. Bank.
By the numbers: 36% of these small business owners say they're already using generative AI, and another 21% say they expect to start doing so over the coming year, the survey found.
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