Good morning! The weekend edition is 727 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• NYC mayoral debate

• Helicopter crash good Samaritans

• Oldest female Ironman finisher

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Today’s Big Story

Car Bomb Targets Journalist

• A car bomb destroyed investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci's vehicle outside his home near Rome Thursday night, hours after he announced investigations into the 'Ndrangheta and Sicilian Mafia for his RAI3 program Report. The blast was powerful enough to kill anyone nearby, and Ranucci's daughter had walked past 30 minutes earlier.

• Ranucci has been under police protection since 2021 for exposing ties between organized crime, politics, and far-right groups. Two bullets were recently left outside his house as a warning. The bombing occurred on the eighth anniversary of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia's car bomb murder after she investigated corruption in Malta.

• Italy ranks 49th worldwide in press freedom, with about 20 journalists under permanent police protection. Reporters Without Borders reported 81 Italian journalists faced intimidation in early 2025, including 16 physical assaults. Ranucci vowed the attack wouldn't silence his work.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• Prince Andrew gave up his Duke of York title on Friday as his Jeffrey Epstein ties resurfaced. A posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre details claims Epstein trafficked her and she had sex with Andrew at 17. Giuffre died by suicide in April at 41. Andrew denies the accusations but said that with King Charles's agreement, he must step further back. Giuffre sued him in 2021, and they settled the next year. (More)

• Maritime nations delayed voting on a global shipping emissions fee on Friday after the US and Saudi Arabia fought the plan. President Trump threatened retaliation against supporting countries and called it a "global green new scam tax." Over half the nations voted for a year-long delay. The proposed rules would have been the first global tax on greenhouse gases, pushing the shipping industry away from fossil fuels that produce 3% of worldwide emissions. (More)

• New York City's mayoral candidates clashed Thursday over crime, Gaza, and Trump. Democrat Zohran Mamdani was attacked by Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo said the job needs experience, while Mamdani said Cuomo lacks integrity. The biggest fight was over Israel, with Cuomo saying Mamdani won't affirm its right to exist as a Jewish state and Mamdani accusing Israel of genocide. Mandani leads the polls. (More)

• Formula 1 signed a five-year US broadcast deal Friday with Apple, replacing ESPN starting next season. Apple will stream all races on Apple TV, with some free. The partnership followed Apple's "F1 The Movie" with Brad Pitt, which made $630 million globally. F1 hopes Apple's reach across a billion screens will grow American audiences beyond the three yearly U.S. races in Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin. (More)

• China expelled nine senior military officials on Friday, including its second-highest general, for suspected corruption. General He Weidong served on the Central Military Commission under President Xi Jinping and vanished from public view months ago. The Defense Ministry said the nine committed crimes involving extremely large amounts of money, but gave no details. (More)

• President Trump freed former Rep. George Santos from prison Friday by commuting his sentence. Santos was serving over seven years for wire fraud and identity theft after admitting he stole from campaign donors and family members. Trump said Santos faced solitary confinement and was "horribly mistreated." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lobbied for his release, arguing the punishment was excessive. Santos served less than four months of his sentence. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• Chinese researchers created strong biodegradable plastic from bamboo that matches traditional plastic's durability but decomposes in soil within 50 days instead of centuries. (More)

• Fifty volunteers rebuilt trails damaged by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, reopening 35 miles using a $60,000 grant for supplies and materials. (More)

• Since 2018, Morocco has increased preschool enrollment from 45% to 80% nationwide and from 33% to 91% in rural areas, nearing its 2028 universal access to learning goal. (More)

• Over a dozen drivers stopped on a California highway and together lifted a crashed medical helicopter to free three trapped crew members before paramedics arrived. (More)

Extra Credit

See the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners.

Customers sue On over squeaky shoes.

America’s most budget-friendly tourist destinations.

80-year-old becomes oldest woman to finish Ironman World Championship.