Ukraine's sustained and sophisticated drone warfare has knocked out refineries, tilted the battlefield balance and brought the war home to some Russians for the first time in four years of fighting.
Why it matters: With Ukrainian confidence running high, and Russia struggling to provide fuel to its cities and supplies to its troops, President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's launching a "40-day influence operation" to force Moscow to sign a peace deal.
The U.S. military conducted strikes against Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
Why it matters: These are the first U.S. strikes against Iranian targets since the signing last week of the memorandum of understanding (MOU), which declared an end to the war.
Senate Republicans are elevating Colombia as a role model in their push for stricter voting rules in the U.S. — and using California as their foil.
Why it matters: Republicans don't have the votes to jam through President Trump's SAVE Act, but some conservatives are using Colombia's election system to keep the up the pressure on GOP leaders.
Volkswagen reportedly plans to lay off as many as 100,000 employees worldwide in a massive downsizing that illustrates how Chinese competition is reshaping the global automotive industry.
Why it matters: European automakers are faltering in China and on their home front as Chinese automakers like BYD deliver high-quality, low-cost electric vehicles.
A "heat dome" is forecast to bring dangerously high temperatures to much of the eastern half of the U.S. next week.
The extreme heat could last through July 4 celebrations.
Driving the news: "Widespread temperatures into the 90s to low 100s, combined with high humidity, will result in heat indices approaching or exceeding 105-110 in many places," NOAA forecasters write.
"Overnight lows will also be quite warm, with some record high minimums possible, bringing little to no relief from the heat in the nighttime hours."
Zoom in: Cities from Minneapolis and Chicago to Nashville and Atlanta will be under extreme heat risk next week, NOAA says.
Such conditions affect"anyone without cooling/hydration as well as health systems, industries, and infrastructure."
🥵 Meanwhile: The heat wave baking Europe this week wouldn't be possible without climate change, a World Weather Attribution rapid study found.
Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement on Friday after four days of negotiations in Washington, mediated by the Trump administration.
Why it matters: The signing is a significant diplomatic breakthrough, but it's unclear how much of it can be implemented as long as Hezbollah is still armed and influential in the country.
Finance social media was honking over this one: billionaire SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's latest shareholder slide deck, replete with geese and dozens of their golden eggs.
Why it matters: It's fun — plus maybe a sign of rising animal spirits during a bubbly moment — and it offers some protein-rich food for thought.
Washington is racing to sell the world on American AI just as China's cheap and capable models are becoming harder to ignore.
Why it matters: Chinese models don't have to beat OpenAI or Anthropic to reshape the global AI order. They just have to be useful, available and widely adopted.
