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Thailand’s prime minister is suspended over a sycophantic call with Cambodia’s former strongman leader. / CNN
The White House’s cuts to foreign aid may lead to approximately 14 million preventable deaths by 2030. / The Lancet
A prosecutor quits the International Criminal Court’s Gaza inquiry, citing threats from the United States to sanction him. / The Observer
Regarding recent attacks on Iran and the collapse of its proxies: “Attacks by foreigners tend to consolidate rather than weaken the ruling powers.” / Noema
California cities are canceling plans for July 4th events for fear of immigration raids. / SFGate
Barcelona records its hottest June since records started being kept over a century ago. / ABC News
Wimbledon opens to its hottest day on record. / The Guardian
Watch: American Taylor Fritz returns the fastest serve ever hit at the Championships. / X
Customer service for many companies is now deliberately full of “sludge,” and that’ll get worse when artificial intelligence takes over. / The Atlantic [$]
Apple is considering using tech from OpenAI or Anthropic to power its iPhones, which “would represent a monumental reversal.” / Bloomberg [$]
Two safety experts explain what large language models have in common with HP Lovecraft’s Shoggoth monsters. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
See also: A new AI bedside device replays your dreams as short videos. / dezeen
Some digital models of Frank Lloyd Wright’s unrealized buildings. / Colossal
Amazon now employs nearly as many robots in its warehouses as humans. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Footage of China’s first fully autonomous three-on-three AI robot soccer match. / The Associated Press
Ford’s CEO admits China's electric vehicles are "far superior" to what the US and Europe are building. / yahoo!finance
Remembrances of early 2000s indie rock in Beijing. / Sixth Tone
And now a brief chat with new supporter Grace G.!
Hi, Grace! Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions about your support? I would be more than happy to do the mini-interview.
Awesome. When did you start reading TMN? Twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago! Twenty years ago, my high school gave everyone a laptop computer. Many sites, understandably, were blocked in an effort to keep our focus on school. We, understandably, did everything possible to break through those limits. I gradually built a daily routine for when I was bored in class: Tetris on some random French website, USA Today's sudoku, and The Morning News. The way the headlines were written—almost like a conversation—has kept my attention for 20+ years.
One of my absolute favorite parts about TMN back in the day were the photo essays—they opened up a world for me. I've shown the phone sex operators photo essay to countless friends. And another—the name is lost to time, but I remember being so fascinated by the artist who took self-portraits midway through falls.
Wow, you’ve really been with us through all of our eras? What keeps you coming back? I keep coming back because the quality of the site has never diminished. It's still that same friendly voice offering me a set of news that informs without overwhelming. It's a silver thread reaching all the way back to my first relationship with the internet. How could I not come back?
Well, we’re so glad you’re here. Any particular reason you decided to support today? Very few things on the internet stand the test of time and money. This site has been a friend, a lens to the world around me, and a reminder that some things can stick around and maintain their sense of who they are. I feel happy to support something like that. Cheers, and thank you for all the wonderful years of news.
In the members area, unlocked links from the Atlantic, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal ↓