Good Morning! Today’s edition is 917 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Natural disasters costly in 2025

• Beyond Meat meme stock frenzy

• What makes a place seem “haunted”

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Big Stories

US Sanctions Russian Oil

• The Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two biggest oil producers, along with dozens of subsidiaries accused of helping the Kremlin evade existing export bans. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move aims to “cut off the financial lifeline fueling Putin’s war.”

• The announcement came as Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least six civilians and damaged schools, homes, and power plants across Ukraine. One barrage hit a kindergarten in Kharkiv, but no children were physically harmed. Kyiv said it hit weapons factories and depots inside Russia in response.

• Meanwhile, Ukraine signed a deal Wednesday to acquire up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, which are designed specifically for war with Russia and can operate from roadways if airfields are destroyed.

North Carolina Redraw

• North Carolina’s GOP-led Legislature approved a new congressional map designed to add one more Republican-held seat before the 2026 elections. The measure passed the state House 66–48 after clearing the Senate, and Democratic Gov. Josh Stein can’t veto it.

• The redrawn 1st District, currently held by Democrat Don Davis, would shift rightward, while nearby districts absorb Democratic areas. Protesters and Democrats accused Republicans of racial gerrymandering, saying the map weakens Black and Latino voting power.

• The move is part of a broader Republican redistricting push encouraged by Donald Trump, with similar efforts in Texas, Missouri, and Ohio. Democrats are responding with ballot initiatives and map proposals in California, Maryland, and Illinois.

$100B Disaster Year

• The first six months of 2025 brought $101 billion in damage from 14 major US disasters, the most expensive start to any year since 1980, according to Climate Central, which revived NOAA’s discontinued tracking project. The Los Angeles wildfires alone caused $61 billion in damage and about 400 indirect deaths.

• Former NOAA analyst Adam Smith relaunched the dataset after the Trump administration ended it in May. Smith said the data show disasters have intensified sharply since 2017, with climate change “supercharging” extreme weather.

• FEMA’s staff cuts and slower response times have raised concerns that the US is unprepared for future crises. Experts warn that while 2025 has so far avoided major hurricanes, the nation remains “sitting ducks” for the next big disaster as federal disaster infrastructure weakens.

Quick Stories

US News

• The Trump administration plans to deploy Border Patrol agents to San Francisco as early as this week for immigration raids despite local officials' protests. (More)

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military killed two people in its eighth strike on an alleged drug vessel, bringing the death toll to at least 34 people. (More)

• Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin said Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's old Reddit posts endorsing violence and dismissing rape were offensive but not disqualifying. (More)

World

• Cuba arrested alleged Chinese fentanyl trafficker Zhi Dong Zhang, who escaped Mexican custody in July while awaiting extradition to the US on money laundering charges. (More)

• The UN's top court ruled Israel must allow aid into Gaza, finding Israel's restrictions violated international law by using starvation as warfare. (More)

• Britain removed Syrian rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from its terrorist list to work with the new government led by the former jihadist group that toppled Assad in December. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Wednesday (S&P -0.53%, Nasdaq -0.93%, Dow -0.71%). Stocks dropped on renewed China trade tensions and weak earnings from Texas Instruments and Netflix. (More)

• Tesla's stock fell 3% after reporting revenue rose 12% but profit dropped 37%, hurt by lower vehicle prices and higher AI spending. (More)

• Beyond Meat shares briefly doubled on Wednesday after joining a meme stock fund and expanding Walmart distribution, but closed down 1% as the struggling plant-based meat company faces weak demand. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• "Inside the NBA" debuted on ESPN on Wednesday with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson after TNT lost NBA rights. (More)

• Bon Jovi will play four Madison Square Garden shows in July and three European dates in August and September, their first concerts since 2022 following Jon Bon Jovi's vocal surgery. (More)

• The NHL became the first major sports league to partner with prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, a deal their CEO called validation that could spread to other leagues. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Scientists finally figured out why reptiles pee crystals: they package excess nitrogen into tiny uric acid spheres that help them survive in dry climates without kidney problems. (More)

• NASA confirmed asteroid 2025 PN7 is a quasi-moon that has traveled near Earth for 60 years and will stay until 2083, one of only eight such companions ever discovered. (More)

• Samsung launched a $1,800 mixed-reality headset to challenge Apple's Vision Pro, betting it can succeed in a market where high prices have kept most consumers away from the technology. (More)

Extra Credit

Mapping the median age in every country.

Why are train tracks built on rocks?

What makes a place seem “haunted”?

ChatGPT helps woman win the lottery.