SpaceX Debut, World Cup, & Safest Swimsuit Colors

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
June 12, 2026

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SpaceX will begin trading today after pricing its IPO at $135 per share, giving the company a roughly $1.77 trillion valuation. The offering is expected to be the largest public debut in history and will push founder Elon Musk’s net worth over $1 trillion.
Investors are betting on more than rockets. Supporters view SpaceX as a combination of its launch business, Starlink satellite network, and artificial intelligence ambitions. The company generated about $19 billion in revenue last year but remains unprofitable, and some analysts argue its valuation far exceeds its financial fundamentals.
SpaceX is reserving an unusually large share allocation for individual investors, and recent exchange rule changes could allow the stock to enter major indexes within weeks. That means billions of dollars in retirement and index funds could end up owning company shares, making its debut a major test of investor appetite for high-value AI and technology firms.

Federal forecasters have officially declared the arrival of El Niño, warning the climate pattern could become one of the strongest on record. NOAA estimates a 63% chance that the event will reach "very strong" status by winter, potentially rivaling the major El Niños of 1997 and 2015.
El Niño develops when unusually warm Pacific Ocean waters disrupt weather patterns around the world. Scientists say this event could have an outsized impact because it is forming over an already unusually warm ocean, though there is no evidence that climate change increases the frequency or strength of El Niño itself.
The pattern can reshape weather across the globe, reducing Atlantic hurricane activity while increasing the likelihood of droughts, floods, heat waves, and shifting rainfall patterns in different regions. Unlike most major weather events, however, El Niño's broad effects can often be anticipated months in advance, giving communities time to prepare.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off yesterday across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking the largest tournament in the event's history. The competition has expanded from 32 to 48 teams and will feature a record 104 matches before the final in New Jersey on July 19. Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the first game.
This year's tournament introduces several firsts, including three opening ceremonies—one in each host nation—and the debut of countries such as Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Cape Verde. Soccer legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both making what could be their record sixth and final World Cup appearances.
Host nation USA enters with modest expectations. Betting markets give the Americans roughly 60-1 odds to win, with most analysts viewing a quarterfinal run as a successful tournament. Spain, France, England, and Brazil are among the favorites to lift the trophy.
The US opens its campaign tonight at 9 p.m. ET against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The Americans will then face Australia and Turkey in group play, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds.

President Trump plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the Manhattan federal prosecutor and former SEC chairman, as director of national intelligence. (More)

The Pentagon lifted a shelter-in-place order Thursday after hazmat crews investigated an air quality concern and found no hazard. (More)

Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to killing Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, avoiding the death penalty in exchange for two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years. (More)

Anti-immigration riots in Belfast continue to escalate after a stabbing, with lists of suspected immigrants' home addresses shared online and police condemning efforts to intimidate families and target their homes. (More)

Ukrainian drone strikes left Russian-held Crimea without fuel Thursday and damaged bridges in occupied Kherson, as Russia claimed to capture two more villages in eastern Ukraine. (More)

British Defense Secretary John Healey quit Keir Starmer's government Thursday, saying the prime minister failed to commit enough money to keep the country safe amid rising global threats. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Thursday (S&P +1.75%, Nasdaq +2.54%, Dow +1.86%) after Trump called off planned strikes in Iran and said both sides were finalizing a peace plan. (More)

Gold hit a six-month low of $4,046 Thursday, down 6.3% this week, as investors worry rising inflation could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. (More)

Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly subscription Thursday, giving frequent riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix priority pickup and loyalty credits on the robotaxi service. (More)

Carolina beat Las Vegas 4-2 to take a 3-2 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. (More)

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov won his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP Thursday, edging out Edmonton's Connor McDavid by 10 points in the closest vote since 2001. (More)

Phil Mickelson was kicked out of his San Diego golf club after allegedly making unwanted physical contact with a female employee earlier this spring. (More)

Scientists filmed live goblin sharks in the wild for the first time, spotting the 125-million-year-old species nearly 700 meters deeper than previously known in the central Pacific Ocean. (More)

Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna's team found a way to program a CRISPR enzyme to detect cancer-specific genetic signatures and destroy cancer cells from the inside, potentially targeting mutations previously considered untreatable. (More)

A palm-sized Japanese rover called SORA-Q autonomously explored the moon for nearly two hours in 2024, navigating loose lunar soil and transmitting photos before losing contact, scientists revealed Thursday. (More)

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