Love means never having to say you're 40.

Dozens are killed—mostly Palestinians—as Hamas and Israel approach war. "We have not seen this kind of violence since October 2000." / The Economist, The Washington Post

What led to the escalation? The forced expulsion of Palestinian families from an East Jerusalem neighborhood. / Al Jazeera

Ezra Klein interviews Michael Lewis about the CDC's damning failures during the pandemic. / The New York Times

Historically, the CDC struggles to quickly release guidance—but the price of so much caution can be irrelevance. / STAT

Related: "Saying that less than 10 percent of Covid transmission occurs outdoors is akin to saying that sharks attack fewer than 20,000 swimmers a year. (The actual worldwide number is around 150.) It's both true and deceiving." / The New York Times

Japan is full of local mascots, about 3,500 by one count. Koronon, a bulbous pink cat, warns against the coronavirus. / Atlas Obscura

McDonald's is changing its coffee cups to promote the vaccine. / CNN

A Covid-19 variant first identified in India has now spread to 44 other countries. A good video answers questions about how variants work. / The Guardian, The Morning News

One anti-vaccine conspiracy about vaccinated people is leading some anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers to "contemplate wearing a mask and social distance." / VICE

A quiz helps you figure out if you're experiencing vaccine side effects, or are merely a person who is older than 40. / McSweeney's Internet Tendency

Tyler Cowen: Covid will likely dominate the headlines for the rest of 2020, "but so could Russia, North Korea, and a malaria vaccine." But what about Bennifer? / Bloomberg, Slate

A map shows 838 hate groups in the United States that were active in 2020. / The Southern Poverty Law Center

As TikTok use skyrocketed over the pandemic, "style tribes" like #cottagecore and #goblincore proliferated. Meanwhile, as more people go out, business jumps for companies that sell plans to help people lose weight. / GQ, The New York Times

Bullpens—i.e., relief pitchers—are baseball's most burned-out teammates, treated as replaceable commodities. / Sports Illustrated

As part of the New Deal, President Roosevelt established the Federal Writers Project. A new bill wants to bring it back. / The Los Angeles Times

Unrelated: Sonic explorations of Japan's jazz tradition. / Open Culture


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Since 1999, your Headlines are sourced and written by Andrew Womack and Rosecrans Baldwin, and arrive in your inbox, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest Headlines at TMN.