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05.31.2025

 

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Good morning. It's Saturday, May 31, and we're covering a ruling ending temporary protections for some migrants, an unearthed Mayan city, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

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One Big Headline
 

Humanitarian Parole Ruling

The US Supreme Court yesterday granted the Trump administration the authority to revoke temporary humanitarian parole for roughly 532,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela while legal proceedings over an effort to end the special legal protection continue.  

 

The decision overturns a lower court's ruling that blocked the mass termination of their legal status under a special Biden-era program allowing vetted migrants to live and work in the US for up to two years with domestic sponsors. Supreme Court Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, criticizing the majority for not considering the potential harm to migrants, including family separation and detention. The case is separate from other lawsuits challenging the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals. 

 

The order comes a day after the administration published a list of sanctuary cities and counties that could be targeted for not complying with federal immigration laws. 

In partnership with Babbel

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Quick Hits
 

At least 111 people dead after floods submerge market town in Nigeria. 

The deaths came after torrential rains and a dam collapse flooded Mokwa, a market town in central Nigeria, which serves as a key hub where southern traders buy food from northern farmers. Flooding routinely kills hundreds of people each year across the country, worsened by poor drainage, blocked waterways, and unregulated construction. 

 

White House acknowledges errors in "Make America Healthy Again" report.

The report (read here), led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has come under scrutiny after researchers and journalists found it cited several studies that do not exist or misrepresented the findings of actual studies. The administration attributed the errors to "formatting issues." Critics argue the errors raise questions about the report's credibility and the role of potential AI-generated content.

 

Taylor Swift regains control of her music, buys back her first six albums.

The 35-year-old bought the master recordings of her albums from Shamrock Capital, ending a yearslong dispute over the ownership of her catalog, including music videos, artwork, and unreleased tracks. The purchase price was reportedly around $360M but not officially disclosed. The milestone follows Swift's publicized conflict with record executive Scooter Braun, who previously owned her masters, leading to Swift's "Taylor's Version" rerecordings. 

 

Ancient Mayan city unearthed in Guatemala, including pyramids.

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan city called Los Abuelos in northern Guatemala, featuring pyramids, monuments, and a unique canal system. Los Abuelos means "The Grandparents" and gets its name from two human-like rock sculptures at the site. The finding suggests the city was a major ceremonial center during the Middle Preclassic period

 

Scientists pinpoint gene responsible for survival of bubonic plague.

Scientists discovered changes in a single gene, known as pla, in the plague bacterium Y. pestis allowed the plague to persist and spread over centuries. Strains with fewer copies of the gene became less deadly but more transmissible, enabling the disease to linger across Europe, Asia, and Africa long after the initial Black Death outbreak (see overview) during the 14th century. 

 

Fed's preferred inflation gauge rises lower than expected in April.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which measures costs consumers pay across a wide range of items, excluding food and energy, rose 2.5% year over year and 0.1% month over month. The annualized rate is down from 2.6% in March. The index is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure; the central bank targets 2% annual inflation. 

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Humankind
 

High schoolers returning from prom help save a family from a house fire. (More)

 

A 97-year-old man and a young woman develop an unexpected friendship after a minor car crash. (More

 

Tuscan prison island offers inmates a second chance at life by helping them learn to craft fine wine, tend gardens, and raise livestock. (More

 

Six-year-old boy in wheelchair surprises his family by walking at his graduation. (More, w/video)

 

Florida college professor leaves her life savings to her 31 favorite students. (More)

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Humankind(ness)
 

Today, we're sharing a story from reader Gina W. in Spring, Texas.

 

"I was taking my one-year-old son to his first birthday party ever—a little boy who he goes to school with was also turning one. My husband got sick at the last minute, so the two of us headed out alone. I had purchased a toy online that arrived much bigger than expected, but I figured I could handle carrying it and my son, not realizing I would have to park so far away from the home. As I was holding my son, contemplating how to do this, a woman out on a walk asked if I needed help. She grabbed the present and walked it all the way to the door. She told me my son was precious and to enjoy these times, and went on her way. It was a small gesture, but helped me out so much!"

 

What act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here.

Etcetera
 

Bookkeeping

> 10.38 carats: The size of a rare kite-shaped pink diamond ring headed to auction, with ties to Queen Marie Antoinette.

8%: The number of fake reviews detected from 31.1 million reviews submitted on Tripadvisor in 2024.

 

Browse 

> Mapping every understaffed US air traffic control tower

> The benefits of having good posture

Margarita cocktail recipes for every mood

> ... and how root beer got its name

> When a tailless alligator crosses the road

 

Listen 

> The "planet hunter" searching for alien life

> Could brain scans help us cure depression

 

Watch 

> How our age affects our decision-making on risks

Inside OpenAI's Stargate megafactory and the $500B bet on the future of AI.

An investigation into why a Stradivarius violin costs $14M.

> Six Wienermobiles compete in the inaugural Oscar Mayer Wienie 500.

 

Long Read 

> How millennials learned to sit at their desks and love the lunch bowl

> A visual deep dive into drug and alcohol abuse among music stars.

The history of how snails and oysters became luxury foods

 

Most Clicked This Week: Toddler becomes youngest-ever Mensa member.

 

Historybook: Poet Walt Whitman born (1819); London’s Big Ben ticks for the first time (1859); Clint Eastwood born (1930); Brooke Shields born (1965); Watergate secret source "Deep Throat" is revealed (2005).

"Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."

- Clint Eastwood

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