Good Morning! Today’s edition is 937 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Chimps talk goes deep

• Soviet spacecraft crashes down

• Making quick decisions under stress

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Big Stories

Robot Pharmacists

Walgreens is betting on robots to save its struggling pharmacy business, expanding its micro-fulfillment centers to over 5,000 stores by year's end.

• The automated centers use robots, conveyor belts, and barcode scanners to fill millions of prescriptions monthly, allowing pharmacy staff to spend more face time with patients instead of counting pills. Stores using these centers administer 40% more vaccines and have generated $500 million in savings by cutting inventory waste and boosting efficiency.

• The system works by routing maintenance medications and refills to centralized facilities where robotic arms precisely dispense pills while pharmacists verify accuracy. Prescriptions are then shipped back to stores for pickup, though some customers have reported receiving partial fills or experiencing delays.

• Walgreens paused expansion in 2023 to fix early problems but now says the technology gives them a competitive edge over independent pharmacies. Future improvements could include shipping directly to patients' homes rather than through stores.

Newark Airport Dials Back Flights

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to reduce flights to fix Newark Liberty International Airport operations over the "next several weeks.”

• The airport has averaged 34 arrival cancellations daily since mid-April, with delays lasting 85 to 137 minutes on average. The problems stem from radar outages at the Philadelphia facility that controls Newark traffic, plus a nationwide shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

• Duffy's fix includes raising the mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers from 56 to 61 and offering 20% bonuses to keep experienced controllers on the job. Many controllers currently retire around age 50 after 25 years of service, contributing to the staffing crisis.

• The Trump administration also unveiled a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul the US air traffic control system with six new centers and technology upgrades.

Chimp Talk

Wild chimpanzees combine calls to create new meanings, much like early human language.

• Recent research in Ivory Coast found chimps combine grunts, barks, and screams into 16 different two-sound sequences that function like primitive sentences. Unlike other animals that use rigid sound combinations, chimps can flexibly arrange and rearrange sounds to convey entirely different meanings - the first such system discovered outside humans.

• Scientists recorded over 4,300 vocalizations from 53 adult chimpanzees in the Taï forest, discovering that chimps use at least four different linguistic methods to create meaning. They can combine sounds to create entirely new meanings, modify meanings (like adding suffixes), and change a message's meaning just by rearranging sound order.

• The finding could reshape our understanding of animal intelligence and suggests other animals might have more complex communication than we realize. Researchers now plan to study other primate species to see if this linguistic ability is more widespread than previously thought.

Quick Stories

US News

• Qatar plans to give President Trump a luxury Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One for the rest of his term, then it'll go to his library foundation. (More)

• The Southeast faces a soaking atmospheric river bringing days of heavy rain. A tornado already hit Florida on Saturday, and storms damaged Alabama and Georgia. The flooding threat continues through midweek, even in drought areas. (More)

• Trump officials announced a China trade deal after two days of talks in Geneva, but gave no details. The two-day meeting was the first since Trump imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese products. (More)

World

• Ukraine’s Zelensky called Putin's peace talks offer positive but wants him to agree to a 30-day ceasefire first. Putin suggested a meeting in Istanbul next Thursday without conditions. (More)

• Hamas says they'll release Edan Alexander, the last American hostage in Gaza, as part of ceasefire efforts that include reopening crossings and resuming aid deliveries. (More)

• South Korea's conservative party pulled another U-turn, reinstating their presidential nominee Kim Moon-soo just hours after dumping him. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Friday (S&P -0.07%, Nasdaq +0.00%, Dow -0.29%). The market remained relatively flat as investors await the outcome of China trade talks. (More)

• Billy Evans, Elizabeth Holmes' partner, is starting Haemanthus, another blood-testing startup. Holmes is serving 11 years for defrauding investors. (More)

• Google agreed to pay Texas $1.4 billion for violating residents' data privacy. It dwarfs any previous privacy settlement with Google by other states. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The Rockies fired manager Bud Black on Sunday, a day after getting demolished 21-0 by the Padres. Colorado has an MLB-worst 7-33 record. (More)

• Saints quarterback Derek Carr is retiring suddenly after 11 seasons because his shoulder injury needs surgery. (More)

• Barcelona edged Real Madrid 4-3 in a wild El Clásico, despite Mbappé's hat trick. Barça's been owning their rivals lately, winning all four matchups this season across different competitions. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Chinese researchers are exploring medicinal mushrooms for brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The fungi might boost brain function, reduce inflammation, and fight damage without side effects. (More)

• An old Soviet spacecraft from a botched Venus mission crashed to Earth Saturday. It hit the Indian Ocean area, though experts aren't sure exactly where or how much of the craft survived the fiery descent. (More)

• The FTC postponed the "click-to-cancel" rule requiring companies to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing up. The rule targets businesses like streaming services and gyms with easy signup but difficult cancellation. (More)

Extra Credit

🇳🇿 The world’s longest place name has 168 letters. 

🧠 The CIA method for making quick decisions under stress.

👃 Nose breathing is a superpower.

😃 Rare Rolex expected to fetch $1.7M at auction.