Good morning. It's Tuesday, June 1, and we're covering a fragile partnership in Israel, a new policy in China, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Netanyahu Opponents Unite

The tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may come to an end after a number of smaller opposition parties said Sunday they would seek to form a coalition government together. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, having held the office for the past 12 years, as well as from 1996-99. 

Israel has been mired in political gridlock for more than two years, having held four national elections since April 2019. Netanyahu leads Likud, the country's biggest political party, which has fallen just short each election of capturing a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, the country's legislative body. 

Naftali Bennett, a religious conservative, announced he would lead his party into a partnership with Yair Lapid, who heads the secular centrist Yesh Atid party. The power-sharing agreement would have Bennett serve as prime minister, followed by Lapid at a later date. Six other parties would be involved in the bloc, and its success may potentially rely on the support of one of two smaller Arab-Israeli parties.

The diverse coalition would have 61 parliamentary seats—even a single defection may prevent its formation. Negotiations are still ongoing, and the parties must present a proposal to President Reuven Rivlin by tomorrow.

China's Three-Child Policy

China announced yesterday it will allow families to have up to three children, following census data revealing the country's population growth fell about 0.5% over the past decade. The figure is the slowest pace on record and has sparked concern that aging demographics and a low birth rate will stunt the Chinese economy.

Originally fearing its population was growing too fast, the country's Communist Party implemented a one-child policy in 1980. One lasting consequence was a skewed sex ratio as rural parents favored boys, leading to a current deficit of women of child-bearing age. Despite switching to a two-child policy in 2016, the country's birth rate continued to fall. 

Analysts say the update may have limited impact—the country's rapid economic growth has led many young people to delay having children in lieu of educational and professional opportunities. 

Lung Cancer Breakthrough

US regulators have approved a drug to treat one of the most common mutations found in lung cancers, according to reports. Scientists have long known about the specific mutation, which causes overactive cell growth, but have been unable to target it directly—leading some to call it "undruggable." 

KRAS (pronounced as "K-raz") mutations appear in roughly 13% of non-small-cell lung cancers (see overview), or about 25,000 cases per year in the US. Biotech giant Amgen won approval after demonstrating 80% of patients receiving the drug saw an average of 10 months without tumor progression after other treatments had failed. Roughly 36% saw a significant decrease in tumor size. 

Analysts say the drug may become a blockbuster—one that brings in at least $1B in annual revenue. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Chelsea tops Manchester City 1-0 to win its second UEFA Champions League title (More) | Chelsea's Christian Pulisic becomes first American man to play in Champions League final (More) | World tennis No. 2 Naomi Osaka drops out of French Open, citing mental health concerns (More) | Toronto Maple Leafs blow 3-1 series lead to rival Montreal Canadiens, lose in Game 7 of NHL playoffs (More)

> US airports saw nearly 2 million travelers Friday, the most since the pandemic began and six times more than 2020 (More) | "A Quiet Place Part II" hauls in $57M at weekend box office, a pandemic-era record (More)

> Gavin MacLeod, actor best known as the captain on “The Love Boat,” dies at 90 (More) | Mark Eaton, former Utah Jazz center and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, dies at 64 after bicycle crash (More) | Oscar-winning producer Jerome Hellman dies at 92 (More)

Science & Technology

> Cosmologists produce the most detailed 3D map of the universe to date; study shows dark energy, the unidentified driver of the universe's expansion, has been constant throughout history (More) | What do we know about dark energy? (More, w/video)

> Analysis of "medical mystery" cases reveals a new form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; unlike other types of ALS, the symptoms arise during early childhood and progress more slowly (More)

> Amazon set to launch trials of its Sidewalk wireless mesh network in select US cities June 8; users of Amazon devices will have a slice of bandwidth available for neighbors unless they explicitly opt-out (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up Friday (S&P 500 +0.1%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.1%); S&P 500 and Dow see fourth straight month of gains, while Nasdaq slides for first time in seven months (More)

> US federal government provides guidance on vaccinations, stating it is legal for companies to require worker vaccinations (More)

> Figs—maker of scrubs used by medical professionals—sees stock surge another 13% Friday to $7B valuation; company soared more than 30% on first day of trading Thursday (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Reported COVID-19 cases in the US fall to around 20,000 per day, the lowest since March 2020 (More) | Almost 60% of people aged 12 and older in the US have received at least one vaccination dose (More)

> Senate vote on 9/11-style commission into the Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol falls short of a 60-vote threshold to break filibuster in 54-35 vote; marks first GOP filibuster this session (More)

> President Joe Biden visits Tulsa, Oklahoma, to mark the 100th anniversary of the city's race massacre (More) | See background on the massacre here (More)

IN-DEPTH

How DC Learned to Love UFOs

Politico | Bryan Bender. An inside look at how a former senator, a CIA operative, a rock star, and others helped take ufology from the fringe to the mainstream in the nation's capital. (Read)

Editor's note: ... and take a look back at DC's infamous 1952 UFO incident.

Hard Bargains

New Yorker | Isaac Chotiner. How Rich Paul, LeBron James' sports agent, is redefining the business of basketball—and giving athletes control over their careers. (Read, $$)

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ETCETERA

Americans reflecting on Memorial Day, in photos.

The highest railway in the US has reopened on Pikes Peak.

Ranking America's best barbecue joints.

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... and the country's top 10 beaches.

The upper limit on normal human life is around 150 years old.

When the perfect shot reveals a unicorn.

Hot tubs are the new long runs.

Rogue killer drones have arrived.

Clickbait: No one knows why planes stay in the air.

Historybook: Marilyn Monroe born (1926); HBD Morgan Freeman (1937); RIP Helen Keller (1968); CNN debuts as world’s first 24-hours news network (1980); General Motors Corp. files for bankruptcy, fourth-largest US bankruptcy in history (2009).

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

- Helen Keller

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