Iran Response, Healthcare Reform, & Brave Ducklings

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
June 24, 2025

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Iran has attacked a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for American nuclear strikes.

Iran launched 14 missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and struck a second US base in Iraq on Monday in retaliation for American nuclear strikes. The attack targeted the largest US installation in the Middle East, home to 10,000 troops and Central Command's forward headquarters. Qatar intercepted all but one missile, which struck an empty building with no casualties.
Both sides took steps that limited the damage. The US had evacuated most aircraft from Al Udeid last week while Iran gave advance warning to both American and Qatari officials. Iran matched the number of missiles to bombs used in Saturday's strikes, which officials called proportional retaliation.
Hours after the attack, Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' beginning Tuesday night. However, Iran's foreign minister posted 'there is NO agreement on any ceasefire,' while saying Iran would halt attacks only if Israel stopped strikes by 4 a.m. Tehran time. Israel has not acknowledged any ceasefire agreement, though no Israeli strikes were reported after the 4 a.m. deadline.

French police have arrested 12 suspects after 145 syringe attacks during a music festival.

The attacks occurred in multiple cities, including Paris, where 13 cases were reported, and Angoulême, where four suspects allegedly targeted about 50 victims. In Metz, one suspect was caught with a syringe after a victim recognized him.
Several victims were hospitalized for toxicological testing after feeling unwell, though officials haven't confirmed whether the syringes contained date-rape drugs. Victims reported needle marks on arms, buttocks, and backs, but didn’t see their attackers.
The incidents mirror a 2022 wave of similar syringe attacks at French clubs and music events that prompted hundreds of complaints nationwide. Authorities are urging victims to immediately seek police help and medical testing as concerns mount ahead of the busy summer festival season.

Penn researchers have developed a promising cancer treatment from an unexpected source.

Scientists isolated molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus, and modified them to create compounds that performed as well as FDA-approved leukemia drugs cytarabine and daunorubicin in laboratory tests. The new molecules, called asperigimycins, work by disrupting cell division in cancer cells.
The treatment showed precise targeting, effectively killing leukemia cells while having little to no effect on breast, liver, or lung cancer cells. This specificity is crucial for reducing side effects, as the compounds don't appear to harm healthy cells or other types of cancer cells.
The findings, published in Nature Chemical Biology, suggest fungi could be a major untapped source for new medicines, since researchers have identified similar compounds in other fungal species. The team plans animal testing next, potentially leading to human clinical trials if results prove successful.

The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without giving them a chance to explain the dangers they might face there. (More)

Major US health insurers, including UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health, and Cigna, voluntarily agreed to speed up prior authorization approvals, reducing delays for patients needing medical treatments and easing administrative burdens on providers. (More)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation that would ban intoxicating hemp products, saving the state's $4 billion industry with over 8,000 retailers. The state will instead seek regulatory reform through a special session. (More)

Wealthy Americans dominate applications for New Zealand's newly relaxed "golden visa" investment program. Americans submitted 85 of 189 total applications, followed by China and Hong Kong. (More)

Sixteen giant statues will return to Notre Dame's reconstructed spire as part of the €700m restoration effort. The statues weren’t destroyed because they were taken down for restoration just before the fire in 2019. (More)

Ukraine and the UK will jointly produce long-range drones following talks between President Zelenskyy and Starmer, aimed at forcing Russia to consider peace through enhanced defense cooperation. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Monday (S&P +0.96%, Nasdaq +0.94%, Dow +0.89%). Stocks rose as Iran’s response to the US weekend attacks was more restrained than expected. (More)

Oil prices fell over 6% on Monday after Iran's missile strike on a US airbase in Qatar caused no reported casualties, raising investor hopes for Middle East conflict de-escalation. (More)

Real estate brokerage Compass sued Zillow in federal court over antitrust violations, claiming Zillow bans home listings from its platform if sellers market properties elsewhere for more than one day. (More)

The Pac-12 extended its CBS Sports media deal through 2030-31 and is in advanced talks with Texas State to become the eighth football-playing member. (More)

The Indiana Pacers confirmed their star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City and will likely miss the entire 2025-26 season. (More)

Pixar's Elio set a new record as the studio's worst-performing opening weekend, earning $21 million domestically and $35 million globally, falling short of $25-30 million domestic expectations. (More)

Max Planck Institute scientists found gorillas spend much more time in trees than previously thought, with large adults averaging 20-30% of time off the ground. (More)

University of Edinburgh researchers discovered that E. coli bacteria can convert plastic bottle waste into paracetamol (Tylenol) painkillers, offering a much more sustainable alternative to current oil-based pharmaceutical production methods worldwide. (More)

Leaked code suggests xAI is developing an advanced file editor for Grok with spreadsheet support, directly aiming to compete with Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI in AI-powered productivity tools. (More)

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