Good morning. It's Monday, May 24, and we're covering a fragile truce in Israel, testimony from Apple's CEO, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Truce Holds in Israel

A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip held over the weekend, despite clashes between police and Palestinian protesters inside Israel at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. One of Islam's holiest structures, the mosque sits on the Temple Mount (known as the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims), a site also revered in Judaism and Christianity. 

International groups have shifted focus to the challenge of rebuilding Gaza's infrastructure and disbursing aid. Hamas—an Islamist political and militant group that has governed Gaza since 2006 (see 101)—wants aid routed through its organization. Israeli officials argue funding would be used to rebuild the group's arsenal. Compounding difficulties is a blockade around the region (see map), which is meant to prevent smuggling but also slows down the import of aid and building materials. 

In spite of the violence, Hamas appears to have gained support among Palestinians relative to the rival Palestinian Authority, which exerts partial authority over the West Bank. 

Tim Cook Testifies

Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stand Friday, answering questions in a case pitting the tech giant versus Epic Games, maker of the popular Fortnite video game. Cook, facing allegations of anticompetitive practices around its App Store, argued the company's strict control over how and which apps may be downloaded on iPhones is a privacy and security issue.

Apple's iPhone makes up more than half of the US smartphone market, and reaches roughly 1.4 billion worldwide users—but apps can only be downloaded through the company's App Store, a concept known as its "walled garden." Among other policies, Apple requires all financial transactions made by user-downloaded apps to be processed by Apple—from which it takes up to a 30% cut. Epic argues Apple has used its dominance in one market (phones) to take unfair advantage in a second market (apps). See a deeper dive here.

Cook is the last witness to testify—both sides will make their final arguments today.

Mount Nyiragongo Erupts

At least 15 people were killed and thousands evacuated from their homes Saturday after Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lava flows took villages by surprise but stopped short of reaching the city of Goma, home to almost 700,000 people. 

One of Africa's most active volcanoes, the eruption was the latest in what has become a roughly every-two-decade occurrence. A 2002 eruption killed an estimated 245 people while destroying more than 10% of Goma. A 1977 eruption killed at least 600 people while recording some of the fastest lava flows on record at 37 mph. Officials fear the death toll will rise as the search for survivors—including more than 170 children—continues. 

See photos from the eruption here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Phil Mickelson wins PGA Championship at age 50, becoming golf’s oldest major champion in history (More) |  European Soccer: Liverpool and Chelsea qualify for Champions League in final day of English Premier League play (More) | Atlético Madrid wins its first La Liga title since 2013-14 (More)

>  The Weeknd wins Top Artist at Billboard Music Awards; see full list of winners (More) | South Korean boy band BTS sets YouTube 24-hour record with 108 million views for new single "Butter" (More)

> Prince Harry reveals alcohol and drug use after death of his mother Princess Diana in new Oprah Winfrey interview in "The Me You Can't See" documentary (More)

Science & Technology

> Scientists discover TMAO, a protein that helps animals cope with stressful conditions, in plants for the first time (More)

> Researchers achieve the highest-resolution images of individual atoms ever recorded, reaching the limit set by the natural vibrations of the atoms themselves (More)

> Heavy prenatal exposure to tiny air pollution particles—less than the width of a human hair—more than doubles the risk of early childhood asthma (More)

Business & Markets

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> Sales of existing US homes drop for third straight month by 2.7% in April; median April home price of $341K up 19% over last year (More)

> Kansas City Southern cancels $25B merger with Canadian Pacific Railway; will merge with Canadian National Railway in deal worth $33B (More)

> Bitcoin falls over 10% Sunday to lowest level since February, dragging other cryptocurrencies down, after China announces restrictions on cryptocurrency mining and trading behavior (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Three researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology had COVID-19 symptoms as early as November 2019, according to reports (More) | Ohio health officials report COVID-19 vaccinations jump almost 30% week-over-week after announcement of $1M vaccine lottery (More) | Average US cases drop to around 25,000 per day, with 61% of adults having received at least one shot (More)

> Tropical Storm Ana becomes the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, unlikely to make US landfall; marks the seventh straight year the first named storm has developed ahead of the season's official June 1 start date (More)

> Biden administration makes counterproposal on infrastructure package, drops price tag from $2.3T to $1.7T; cost is still well above current GOP proposal of $570B (More)

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ETCETERA

Simone Biles makes history (again).

Early entries from our favorite photography contest.

Old records shed light on 18th-century smallpox outbreaks. 

Optical illusion leaves the Eiffel Tower spanning a canyon.

Deepfake Robert De Niro speaks flawless German.

Americans, please stop snuggling with your chickens.

Happy birthday, Cheez-Its!

Photography is the new big-game hunting. 

A fascinating interactive of a cicada's life. ($$, WashPo)

Clickbait: ... and crunchy and delicious tree shrimp tacos.

Historybook: Samuel Morse sends first commercial telegraph message (1844); The Brooklyn Bridge is opened in NYC (1883); HBD Bob Dylan (1941); HBD musician Patti LaBelle (1944); RIP jazz legend Duke Ellington (1974).

"A problem is a chance for you to do your best."

- Duke Ellington

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