The rise and fall of Ziggy chatbot
The United States military completes its 12th straight night of strikes on Iran. / Al-Monitor
Surprising no one, President Trump is really upset that his war isn’t over yet. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
If the White House decides to bomb Mali, it’ll be the eighth nation Trump has attacked since he began his second term. / The New Republic
Related: The US would be aiming to do to Mali what it’s doing for Nigeria, which is killing people, mostly civilians, “with no discernible effect on any actual counterterrorism mission.” / Foreign Exchanges
Japan’s prime minister claims to barely sleep, constantly read, and routinely do her own housework. / The New York Times [$]
Most countries in South and Southeast Asia should see their populations grow for several more decades, but not Thailand. / By the Numbers
Monaco, Malta, and Iceland lead a list of countries with more tourists than residents. / Visual Capitalist
Unrelated: Mexico’s Francisco Leyva is the fourth journalist to be murdered in the country since June. Fourteen mayors have been killed since 2024. / Proximities, Semafor
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The White House plans to defer more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to punish Minnesota and California. / STAT
The median American who died between 2006 and 2022 spent $19,179 (out of pocket) in their final decade on healthcare. / The Washington Post [$]
A student journalist upsets some of the adults in his wealthy California community by uncovering links to Jeffrey Epstein. / WIRED
See also: What it’s like to be a college student studying to become an influencer. / The Hollywood Reporter
Meta uses David Bowie’s “Five Years,” a song about Earth’s impending doom, to soundtrack an ad boosting artificial intelligence. / TechCrunch
China passes new regulations to limit any AI services designed to foster emotional connection and interaction. / Sixth Tone
The 419 scam, referencing a desperate situation in an exotic location, dates back to at least the 19th century. / The MIT Press Reader
See also: “How four farmers faked a drought and stole millions in crop insurance.” / AG Web
Did you know? To enjoy Disneyland these days, at least one person in every party “needs to be the theme-park equivalent of a designated driver.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]
And now a chat with a new sustaining member, Mary H.!
Hi, Mary! When did you start reading TMN? I think I’ve been reading TMN for a couple of years—I can’t remember when I started, it’s something I check every day I’m in the office, usually over a cup of tea 🙂
We love to hear it. What keeps you reading? I really like the range and serendipity of the links—there’s always something (or many somethings) that pique my interest and I want to learn more about. In the past, Twitter provided that serendipity but I don’t check it these days.
We know how you feel! If we may ask, what made you decide to support today? I wanted access to the entire newsletter and to be able to access the articles more easily. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. There are so many things that I would like to subscribe to, however I don’t have the money or time to get everything. I see TMN as value for money because it’s broad and it links to published articles as well as other sources. The digest format really suits me.