A woman of interest
President Trump is expected to lift Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. / Semafor
Two bombs explode near a Four Seasons in Damascus where France’s Macron spent the night. / Reuters
If Europe is expected to carry more of the security burden in NATO 3.0, will it also get more of the authority? / Interruptrr
Unrelated: Analysts blame the last decade of chaos in British politics on smartphones. / Politico
Solar power is set to generate more electricity than coal on Texas’s grid this year. / Canary Media
Insurance companies are reinvesting profits into weather and climate science in hopes of reducing damage from hail. / The New York Times [$]
Among people who still use BitTorrent, Russia is the biggest market, the United States is the second. / The Verge [$]
In San Francisco, some “hacker houses” now provide laundry, meal preparation, and maid services. “That’s 20 hours a week to dedicate to your company.” / The Atlantic [$]
How to talk about artificial intelligence without adding to the anthropomorphization. / Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
Casey Newton: What AI is delivering at an unprecedented scale is annoyance. / Platformer
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A portion of midtown Manhattan is under an evacuation order after a building being converted to apartments shows signs of collapsing. / Gothamist
A cyclist relates attempting to climb a million feet in a year. / The Radavist
As demonstrated by World Cup visitors, grocery tourism is trending, providing “the uncurated ordinary.” / The Freeman
A history of Canada told through objects like bagged milk and Cheezies. / Maclean’s
Did you know? A lot of ice cream isn’t ice cream, and its most profitable ingredient is air. / Dap Science
“It’s insane how good it tastes.” What it’s like to care for a 52-year-old pot of soup. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
A service in New York City will send an unfamiliar woman to your funeral where she “says nothing to anyone, mourns quietly from a distance, and leaves early.” / Uncrate