New Apple CEO, Grand Canyon Flooding, and a Bat Nightmare

Good morning, it's Tuesday, Sept. 1. It's the first day of work for Apple's new CEO. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: death toll rises in Grand Canyon flooding (Need To Know), Lionel Messi retires from international soccer (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), waking up from a bat dream (Etc.), and much more. 

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 Need To Know 

Apple's New Era

John Ternus takes over as CEO of Apple today, succeeding Tim Cook after 15 years at the helm of the $4.6T tech giant. The 51-year-old joined Apple in 2001 and most recently led hardware engineering, overseeing products including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AirPods. 

Ternus inherits a company looking to strengthen its position in AI and develop new product categories. His first major product event comes next week when Apple is expected to unveil its latest iPhones, including its long-awaited first foldable model. Early in his Apple career, Ternus reportedly spent hours counting tiny grooves on screw heads to make sure a supplier matched Apple’s design. Get to know him here. 

Cook will remain executive chairman. Since succeeding Steve Jobs in 2011, he oversaw annual revenue growth from roughly $108B to over $400B, the launches of the Apple Watch and AirPods, and the shipment of roughly 3.1 billion iPhones. See Cook's tenure by the numbers, and explore a visual history of Apple's products here. 

Grand Canyon Flooding

Authorities discovered a second body yesterday after flash flooding hit parts of Grand Canyon National Park Saturday. About 15 people were still missing as of this writing; more than 60 people have been airlifted to safety. Watch footage of the floods.

The deluge impacted Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch, a remote area accessible by hiking, mule, or rafting (see website, scroll for photos). Four waves of rainfall set the conditions for flash flooding, including downfall on the so-called Dragon Bravo fire scar, where lightning caused a wildfire last year (why do wildfires increase flash flooding risks?). Nearly all footbridges to the creek were destroyed. The flooding also damaged the canyon's sole water pipeline, leading to water restrictions for visitors and more than 1,000 residents. 

Grand Canyon National Park is the US’ fourth-most visited national park, receiving more than 4.4 million visitors last year. Explore rankings.

Galliano Exhibit Canceled

The Metropolitan Museum of Art canceled its spring 2027 exhibit honoring British fashion designer John Galliano yesterday over his history of antisemitic and anti-Asian remarks. 

Galliano earned a reputation in the 1990s as one of high fashion’s most influential designers, known for his avant-garde and theatrical style (see runway looks). However, fashion house Christian Dior fired him in 2011 after a video surfaced of him saying, “I love Hitler.” Months later, a French court convicted Galliano of a hate crime for directing antisemitic and anti-Asian insults at patrons of a Parisian bar. Galliano later apologized, attributing the comments to alcohol and prescription drug abuse. In 2014, he was hired as the creative director of fashion house Maison Margiela.

The spring show dictates the theme and title of the Met Gala, the Costume Institute's primary fundraiser that draws hundreds of celebrities annually. The museum will announce a new exhibit for spring 2027 later this year.

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> The EU subjects ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox to stricter rules as they surpass 45 million monthly users, including annual risk assessments (More) 

> Blocking a protein in certain breast cancer cells can weaken tumors’ mitochondria, improving the efficacy of a second drug; two-pronged approach may avoid the need for chemotherapy, a new preclinical study suggests (More) 

> Researchers name new predatory spider species found in Idaho’s Rocky Mountains "Hexura vandal" after University of Idaho’s mascot (More, w/photo) | How do new species get their names? (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.7%, Nasdaq -0.1%) as renewed US-Iran fighting pushes oil prices higher; Dow finishes in positive territory for fifth straight month (More) 

> Amazon sued by FTC and 22 states, alleging it secretly inflated prices for its online ads and auction systems, costing advertisers tens of billions of dollars (More) | How Amazon allegedly misled advertisers (More) 

> Prediction market Kalshi issues first-ever lifetime ban to former Rep. George Santos (R, NY-3), who allegedly made over $17K betting on whether he would attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns, reportedly after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, including over staffing decisions (More)

> House Intelligence Committee report reviewing 9/11 Commission report treats China as the top counterintelligence threat, warns AI could pose a 9/11-level threat (More) | Revisit findings from the recent Hugging Face hack (More)

> Supreme Court rules 5-4 to allow $400M White House ballroom construction to continue as lower courts consider challenges; new ballroom is believed to be 65% completed (More) | See latest renderings (More)

In-Depth

> When California Was Russian

BBC | Eliot Stein. For nearly 30 years, Tsarist Russia controlled a small settlement in Sonoma, California—and helped spur America's wine culture. (Read) 

> What Stands Between You and Reality?

Clearer Thinking | Spencer Greenberg and Travis M. How real is the world as we experience it? By analyzing the five layers needed to perceive something like a "cat on the table," we can begin to understand our own limitations. (Read) 

See passenger jets skim a packed stadium in a dramatic flyby. (w/photos) 

Mapping six decades of US geographic renamings.

Ranking US cities that overspend the most on cars. 

Steve Jobs' 1968 science fair project sells for $34K—see it here.

Meet the Olympian ranking the world's Caesar salads. 

The science of how airplanes actually fly. (w/video)

A global shortage is coming for your party balloons.

What championship-level air guitar looks like. (w/video) 

Who stole 40,000 pounds of PBR?

Clickbait: "There's a bat in my mouth."

One more: Why all rainbows are actually rain circles. (And keep scrolling for more great content!)

Historybook: Japan's Great Kanto Earthquake kills over 140,000 (1923); Germany invades Poland, beginning World War II (1939); Masanori Murakami makes his debut as the first Japanese-born MLB player (1964); Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship (1972); Wreck of the Titanic found (1985).