Starship, Weight Loss Drugs, and an Explosive Whale

 Need To Know 

Starship Test Flight

SpaceX today will attempt to launch an uncrewed test flight of Starship Version 3, its largest and most powerful rocket yet. The announcement comes after the company canceled a planned test flight yesterday at the last minute.

The Elon Musk-owned company is competing with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to create the spacecraft that will carry NASA astronauts to the moon's surface—a mission currently planned for 2028. SpaceX launched a combined 11 test flights of its first and second Starship versions from April 2023 to October 2025, with mixed results. Version 3, which features lighter engines, will deploy 22 mock satellites and relight an engine in space before splashing into the Indian Ocean. Musk ultimately aims to make Starship fully reusable and catch it with mechanical arms—a feat that would dramatically reduce launch costs. Watch the first successful test of the arms here.

The test flight comes days after SpaceX confirmed plans to go public next month, with a potentially record-setting valuation between $1.75T and $2T. See the numbers behind the IPO here.

Minnesota Fraud Sentencing

The ringleader of a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme in Minnesota, Aimee Bock, was sentenced to over 41 years in prison yesterday. Bock siphoned more than $240M in pandemic-era food assistance via her Feeding Our Future network. 

Officials have called the scheme the US’ largest case of pandemic-era fraud; collectively, the amount of stolen taxpayer money—including Bock’s food aid scheme, daycares, and other social service programs—reportedly exceeds $1B. Citing the fact that most of the defendants are of Somali descent, President Donald Trump launched an immigration enforcement operation this year that led to the deaths of two US citizens. He also froze roughly $10B in federal funding to Minnesota and four other Democratic-led states. See an explainer on the fraud and fallout here.

More than 100 people have been indicted in ongoing investigations. That includes 15 people charged yesterday for allegedly defrauding more than $90M, much of it from Medicaid, via autism and home health clinics.

New Weight-Loss Drug

Eli Lilly said its experimental obesity drug retatrutide helped patients lose up to 30% of their body weight after 80 weeks in a Phase 3 trial, results approaching those seen with bariatric surgery.

In the study of 2,339 adults with obesity or overweight-related conditions, patients receiving the highest dose lost an average of 28% of their body weight, or about 70 pounds. About 65% taking the highest dose achieved a body mass index below 30, the threshold for obesity. The intervention may prove helpful in severe cases of obesity, surpassing what can be treated by existing weight-loss drugs. However, some participants dropped out, citing severe gastrointestinal side effects—about one-third experienced nausea or diarrhea—or feeling they had lost too much weight.

Unlike existing obesity injections, retatrutide targets three hormone pathways: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. The study has not been peer-reviewed or approved by the FDA. See how Phase 3 trials can make or break FDA approval.

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dies at age 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness; no cause of death had been given as of this writing (More)

> Banksy painting sells for $18M in first major auction since Reuters claims to have divulged his identity this spring (More) | Legal records indicate he goes by one of England's most common names: David Jones (More)

> "Emily in Paris" to end after Season 6, now filming in Greece (More) | Watch video from Lily Collins (More) | Netflix to launch first live morning show next month, hosted by TV and radio personality Charlamagne tha God (More)

Science & Technology

> President Donald Trump postpones executive order on AI oversight hours before planned signing, citing worries the measure could stifle US innovation (More) 

> Rare exoplanet with earthlike temperatures revealed to have an atmosphere rich in methane, a finding that could deepen astronomers' understanding of Earth’s atmosphere (More) 

> Smartwatch and phone data on moods and daily habits help researchers personalize interventions for depression; 55% of participants no longer met depression criteria after six weeks (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq +0.1%) on reports of promising peace talks between the US and Iran (More) 

> Spotify shares rise 13% on news of AI-generated music deal with Universal, ticket reservation system for artists' top fans, and more (More) | Walmart shares fall 7.3% after retailer warns it may raise prices to offset rising fuel costs (More)

> Quantum shares soar—some by over 20%—after US government pledges over $2B to nine firms in exchange for minority stakes (More) | Samsung to distribute average $340K bonus to chip employees after labor union deal averts strike (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Federal arts commission approves President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall, white-and-gold Triumphal Arch near Washington, DC (More) | See designs (More)

> Democratic National Committee releases unfinished, 192-page autopsy report it commissioned analyzing the 2024 presidential election failure amid pressure from party members; DNC chair says report includes unverified information (More) | Read the report (More)

> Turkish court unseats the leader of Turkey's opposition; Özgür Özel stands accused of corruption, including vote buying and securing kickbacks (More) 

In-Depth

> The Monastery That Built an NBA Legend

ESPN | Ramona Shelburne. NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent time at a Chinese monastery, meditating, learning kung fu, and (kind of) eating a vegetarian diet. His mentors say the transformation shows on the court. (Read) 

> $100K Weddings 

Vox | Staff. Americans once held backyard weddings with little fanfare. Could reality TV shows help explain today's wedding industrial complex? (Listen) 

> Creative Ruts Antidotes

It's Nice That | Danielle Pender. Next time your ideas feel stale, use one of three strategies to fend off social media echo chambers and spark original thinking. (Read) 

> The City on the Lagoon

TedEd | Stephanie H. Smith. How 126 human-made islands, propped up by wood, water, and mud, became a powerful trading empire—and have endured for some 1,500 years. (Watch) 

The history of poppies and Memorial Day.

Over 65% of species change their behavior when humans are present. 

Newly discovered green spider has a smiley face on its back. (w/photo)

Hot-dog-eating champion will be on probation while defending his title.

Sex dates back up to 10 million years earlier than thought.

How Egypt's Great Pyramid was designed to survive earthquakes.

Record 274 people climb Mt. Everest in a single day.

The world's first robot arguably came from Oz.

Clickbait: What does one do with an explosive whale?

Historybook: (First) first lady of the US Martha Washington dies (1802); The Associated Press is founded (1846); Poet Langston Hughes dies (1967); Supermodel Naomi Campbell born (1970); Manchester Arena bombing kills 22 following Ariana Grande concert (2017).