Good Morning! Today’s edition is 929 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Transcontinental rail deal

• ChatGPT “study mode”

• Illegal watermelon eating

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Big Stories

EPA Climate Rollback

• The Trump administration proposed repealing the 2009 "endangerment finding," which established that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The rollback would eliminate the legal basis for most EPA climate regulations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it the "holy grail of the climate change religion" that needs dismantling.

• The proposal would remove regulations covering 75% of US greenhouse gas emissions across transportation, power, and industrial sectors. Cars and trucks (29% of emissions), power plants (23%), and industries like steel and cement (23%) would lose federal climate limits.

• Environmental groups and Democratic states will challenge the repeal, citing decades of scientific evidence on climate dangers. Courts have repeatedly upheld the finding, with the Supreme Court declining to overturn it as recently as 2023. The proposal comes as scientists warn the world is approaching the 1.5°C warming threshold that would trigger severe climate impacts.

Transcontinental Rail Deal

• Union Pacific plans to buy Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, creating the first coast-to-coast railroad controlled by one company. The deal would combine western and eastern networks into 50,000 miles of track across 43 states. CEO Jim Vena said eliminating cargo handoffs between railroads would speed deliveries nationwide.

• Regulators will heavily scrutinize the deal after the last major rail consolidation in the 1990s caused major shipping delays and service disruptions. The largest rail union opposes the deal over safety concerns following Norfolk Southern's 2023 East Palestine derailment. Critics worry reduced competition could lead to higher prices, though the companies argue streamlined operations would lower costs.

• If approved, it could trigger mergers among America's remaining major railroads, which have shrunk from over 30 in the 1980s to just six today. Competitors BNSF and CSX could pursue their own deals in response. The railroads hope for approval by 2027.

Sleep Timing Matters

• Scientists tracked sleep patterns in nearly 90,000 people using wrist monitors over 6.8 years and found links to 172 different diseases. The study revealed that sleep timing and consistency are as important for health as total sleep duration.

• The findings show that conventional sleep advice focusing mainly on getting 7-9 hours nightly misses a key factor. Nearly half (48%) of the disease links found in the study were specific to sleep rhythm problems. Some diseases, like liver cirrhosis, were more affected by late bedtimes, while others, like gangrene, had higher risks with inconsistent sleep-wake cycles.

• Poor sleep contributed to over 20% of the risk for 92 diseases, including 37% of Parkinson's disease risk, 36% of type 2 diabetes risk, and 22% of acute kidney failure risk. Consistent bedtimes and stable sleep-wake cycles could help prevent these conditions.

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Quick Stories

US News

• Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill requiring military aircraft to use ADS-B tracking technology near airports after an Army helicopter with disabled transponders killed 67 people in a January collision. (More)

• Police identified Shane Devon Tamura, 27, as the gunman who killed four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, at an NFL office building in Manhattan. He blamed the league for brain injuries from football. (More)

• House Republicans denied immunity to Ghislaine Maxwell for congressional testimony, despite her recent nine-hour meeting with Trump's Deputy Attorney General about releasing Epstein evidence. (More)

World

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel improves Gaza's humanitarian situation and commits to peace. (More)

• Rising fuel prices triggered Angola's most widespread protests in years that resulted in four deaths and 500 arrests as taxi strikes evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations. (More)

• TEPCO announced that full-scale removal of 800 tons of melted nuclear fuel at Fukushima’s wrecked plant won't begin until 2037, pushing back Japan's 2051 decommissioning timeline. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Tuesday (S&P -0.30%, Nasdaq -0.38%, Dow -0.46%). Markets fell as progress on trade talks with China stalled and investors await the Fed’s rate decision. (More)

• JPMorgan Chase is nearing a deal to take over the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs, which has struggled with the credit card business since launching it in 2019. (More)

• United's 28,000 flight attendants voted down a contract with 26% raises, saying the deal didn't compensate for years of sacrifice since their last pay increase in 2020. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Katie Ledecky won the 1,500-meter freestyle at the swimming world championships in Singapore, extending her dominance with 25 of the top 26 times in history in the event. (More)

• Beyoncé's 32-show Cowboy Carter tour earned $407.6 million to become the highest-grossing country tour ever and the shortest tour to reach $400 million in history. (More)

• Cubs legend and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg died at 65 on Monday after his metastatic prostate cancer returned. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• OpenAI launched "study mode" in ChatGPT that guides students through problems step-by-step instead of giving direct answers, addressing educator concerns about AI-powered cheating. (More)

• Penn State researchers discovered how lightning forms, finding that cosmic rays create electron avalanches in thunderclouds that produce X-rays and trigger the chain reaction behind lightning strikes. (More)

• An Israeli research team found that blocking the Ant2 protein reprograms T cells' metabolism, making them much more effective at recognizing and killing cancer cells. (More)

Extra Credit

Southwest Airlines is now selling assigned seats.

Watch a video explaining all the different types of dogs.

It’s illegal to eat watermelon publicly in this Indiana town.

Goodbye, gentle parenting, hello FAFO.