Good morning, it's Saturday, May 2, and a key legal deadline for Congress to decide whether to continue or end military operations in Iran came and went.
Also in today's Digest: the Oscars tackle AI in film (Quick Hits), what our readers admire about their mothers (Humankindness), and Pluto might be a planet again (Etc.), and much more. |
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Yesterday marked 60 days since President Donald Trump notified Congress of military action in Iran—a deadline many lawmakers and legal experts say requires him to either end the operation or secure explicit congressional approval.
The War Powers Resolution—which says Congress must approve hostilities that continue beyond 60 days—was enacted in the aftermath of the Vietnam War to reaffirm the legislative branch's exclusive constitutional power to declare war (watch 101). While Trump could seek one 30-day extension to withdraw forces, he has not done so. Instead, his administration argues the ongoing ceasefire pauses or stops the 60-day clock. Republicans have largely deferred to Trump; Congress went into recess Thursday after Senate Republicans rejected a Democrat-led effort to force the withdrawal of US forces from Iran for the sixth time.
Presidents have largely sidestepped the War Powers Act since its passage over five decades ago, including Bill Clinton during a 78-day bombing campaign in Kosovo and Barack Obama during a 222-day UN and NATO operation in Libya. |
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Jury convicts ex-Florida congressman of secretly lobbying for Venezuela.
Former US Representative David Rivera (R, FL-25) faces roughly 10 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy and five other crimes yesterday. Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013, was covertly hired by Venezuela's state-run oil company for $50M to convince the first Trump administration to ease sanctions. The five-week trial included testimony against Rivera from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had been a longtime friend. |
Mexico City is quickly sinking, according to NASA satellite imagery.
Mexico's capital city is sinking by nearly 10 inches every year—a shift so dramatic it's visible from space. NASA says the city has subsided more than 39 feet in less than a century. The city was built on an ancient lake bed, and decades of intensive groundwater pumping to supply its roughly 22 million residents have caused the underlying aquifer to collapse. |
See how the iconic Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is sinking here. |
Pentagon inks AI deals with several tech giants.
OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon are among the top AI firms whose systems the US military will now use for classified work. The Pentagon yesterday touted the deals as a step toward making the military an "AI-first fighting force." Anthropic, which the government labeled a supply chain risk earlier this year over reservations about AI use in warfare, was notably excluded from the list. |
Worldwide May Day protests call for higher wages, better working conditions.
Activists held rallies yesterday in cities on every continent except Antarctica to call for better working conditions and higher wages as incomes largely stagnate and the cost of living rises. Many demonstrations in the US and elsewhere also condemned the war in Iran, which has driven up oil prices and, in turn, fueled inflation. |
Also known as International Workers' Day, May 1 is a public holiday in over 160 countries. See photos from France, the Philippines, South Korea, and more here. |
Oscars organization tackles eligibility rules for films that use AI.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday released new rules for the 2027 Academy Awards, requiring humans to be at the center of creative processes. Only performances by humans will be considered for acting awards, and only human-authored scripts can receive screenplay awards. Separately, the rules expand eligibility for international films as membership has become more diverse. |
Trump threatens EU with higher tariffs on cars and trucks.
President Donald Trump yesterday said he will raise tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union from 15% to 25% next week. He is accusing the EU of not complying with a trade deal negotiated in July that incentivizes European automakers—such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW—to move production to the US. The levies will not apply to European cars made in the US. |
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Inside the 48-year romance that yielded Kentucky Derby contender So Happy. (More) |
Watch the reaction of a 12-year-old hearing clearly for the first time with a cochlear implant. (More) |
Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum tosses ball to young boy, who gives it to his sister wearing a Mangum jersey. (More, w/video) |
A 62-year-old Texas father films himself trying new cuisines for the first time, finding an appreciation for new cultures along the way. (More, w/video) |
Sportscaster Dick Vitale continues raising funds for pediatric cancer despite facing his fifth cancer diagnosis; his foundation has raised over $100M in 20 years. (More) |
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In partnership with Half Baked |
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Dear readers— In honor of Mother's Day, we're pausing our usual act of kindness stories this month to share a sampling of submissions about mothers. |
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"My mother modeled the idea of celebrating everyday joys. Anything that could be close to construed as a holiday was an occasion for a card from her with a tiny little note in her tiny little handwriting. Her ability to observe and celebrate the little moments in life brought great joy and was a wonderful model of creating happiness for those around her, which fed her own joy and contentment with life. My memory of her caring and kindness will forever be with me." |
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— Martha A.B. in Edmore, Michigan |
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"My mother was heading to GW Hospital to give birth. She had blood dripping down her legs, and yet stopped to braid my hair. She sat on the edge of the tub in her bathroom and patiently did my hair with love and patience. I have never forgotten her act of selflessness." |
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— Nancy K. in Vero Beach, Florida |
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"In 1959, my parents married. My mother was only 16 and was prohibited from attending high school and obtaining a diploma. Fast-forward 20 years, when I was graduating in 1980, she valiantly completed her GED diploma so we could attend nursing school together. As we were retiring from our 30-year nursing careers, my daughter (and her future husband) graduated from the same nursing school! Three generations of nursing service—all from the grit and determination of my mother." |
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— Tarri V. in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma |
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"One thing I’ve learned about being a mom is that it’s more about presence than anything else. It’s not about doing things right or better. It’s not about knowing all the answers. It’s not about wishing we could have bought our kids all the cool stuff, or wishing we’d done things differently. It’s about showing up as we are today, in this moment, and being with our kids fully. It’s not about wanting to change anything; it’s just about being 'here' now." |
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— Lora P. in Seattle, Washington |
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Humankind(ness) is a reader-built corner of joy. So, what act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here. And if this story made you smile—share our email (copy URL here). |
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Bookkeeping
> 7 feet 9 inches: Height of the world's tallest basketball player, Olivier Rioux, who this week signed with UC Irvine.
> $303.4K: Average cost to raise a child in the US through age 18.
Browse
> NASA chief says Pluto may be a planet after all.
> How an African lake seemingly turns animals to stone. (w/photos)
> Confirmed: Birds are largely more afraid of women than men.
> Banksy just dropped a new statue in central London—see it here.
Listen
> Could boredom be secretly good for us?
Watch
> Can one man get his money's worth at America's priciest buffet.
> Why kids around the world love peek-a-boo.
> Dinosaurs may be to blame for human aging.
Long Read
> Icelanders don't want you to know about these pools.
> Blue antelopes might be coming back from extinction.
Most Clicked This Week: "Big Bang Theory" spinoff reveals first-look photos.
Historybook: Leonardo da Vinci dies (1519); Playwright Tennessee Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955); Fashion designer Donatella Versace born (1955); Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson born (1972); Osama bin Laden is killed by US special forces (2011). |
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"When something is festering in your memory or your imagination, laws of silence don't work, it's just like shutting a door and locking it on a house on fire in hope of forgetting that the house is burning." |
- Tennessee Williams from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" |
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