The Saturday, June 27, 2026 Edition
Iran Strikes US Targets, SpaceX Joins Nasdaq-100, and a Lost Maya City
5 min read
Sports, Entertainment & Culture
Maple Leafs draft McKenna No. 1, announced by Bieber. Toronto selected Penn State winger Gavin McKenna with the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, with Justin Bieber making the announcement. McKenna is the Leafs' first No. 1 pick since Auston Matthews.
CBS Sports
Leon Black walks out of Epstein hearing, gets subpoenaed. Apollo Global co-founder Leon Black left a voluntary House Oversight interview on the Epstein investigation, prompting Chairman James Comer to issue two subpoenas requiring Black to testify on camera and under oath.
BBC World
Hollywood actress Ann Blyth dies at 98. Blyth earned an Oscar nomination at 17 for 'Mildred Pierce' opposite Joan Crawford and later starred in MGM musicals of the 1950s. She was 98.
AP News
Cape Verde becomes smallest nation ever to reach World Cup knockouts. Cape Verde drew their third straight group-stage match Saturday to advance, becoming the smallest country in World Cup history to reach the knockout round.
AP News
Science & Technology
Placebos improved memory even when participants knew they were fake. Healthy older adults showed measurable gains in memory, physical performance, and stress levels after three weeks of open-label placebo pills, a new study found.
Science Daily
Ancient Vesuvius-charred scrolls fully unrolled digitally for the first time. A Silicon Valley-backed team digitally unrolled scrolls destroyed in the 79 C.E. eruption, revealing a 2,000-year-old philosophical treatise on ethics, knowledge, and human nature.
Scientific American
China's LineShine supercomputer tops the global TOP500 ranking. LineShine's novel chip design executes more than two quintillion calculations per second, surpassing all US systems on the industry's premier benchmark list.
Nature
A newly discovered antibiotic 'megacluster' gives scientists a new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria. Researchers identified a large cluster of antibiotic compounds that could help restock the arsenal against superbugs, scientists said.
Ars Technica
Business & Markets
SpaceX joins the Nasdaq-100. SpaceX will enter the Nasdaq-100 under Nasdaq's new fast-track framework for private companies, giving index funds direct exposure to Elon Musk's rocket company.
CNBC Top News
Kashkari projects one rate hike in 2026. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said he expects one interest rate increase this year, citing spiking inflation, uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran peace deal, and AI infrastructure spending.
CNBC Finance
Tech stocks post one of their worst weeks of the year. AI momentum stalled as Wall Street questioned returns on heavy AI spending. Oracle led declines while healthcare stocks advanced as investors rotated to defensive positions.
MarketWatch
Saks Global exits bankruptcy as Exemplar Luxury Group. The parent of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bergdorf Goodman emerged from Chapter 11 with fewer stores, reduced debt, and a new corporate name.
AP News
Politics & World
Bolton pleads guilty to classified documents charge. Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to illegally retaining classified information. He faces up to five years in prison and a $2.25 million fine -- and Trump called for him to be dealt with harshly.
BBC World
Texas mandates Bible passages in public schools. The Texas Board of Education approved required reading lists including Bible passages for public school students. Critics argue the move violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
BBC World
European heatwave breaks German temperature record. Germany provisionally recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.3°C as a deadly heatwave swept Europe. Power plants shut down and Paris museums closed amid the extreme heat.
Axios
Supreme Court strikes down Hawaii gun law 6-3. The Court ruled against Hawaii in Wolford v. Lopez. Justice Jackson's dissent referencing Black Codes drew sharp criticism from gun rights advocates, whose lawyer called the state's legal argument disgraceful.
Fox News Politics
$40M
Supergirl's opening weekend gross came in well below studio expectations, a stark contrast to Toy Story 5's projected $74M second-weekend haul at No. 1. The gap shows just how unevenly the summer box office is playing out across franchises in 2026.
Source: Deadline
The NHL Draft continues with rounds 2–7 following Toronto's selection of Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall on Friday.
Sunday, June 28
The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout round begins, with the USMNT entering as group-stage advancers and a potential clash with Belgium possible if both sides win their round-of-32 matches.
Coming days
Toy Story 5 continues its box-office run as studios track whether it can sustain momentum heading into the July 4th holiday weekend.
Next week
Inside the new political screening that's stalling NIH grants
How a new political screening process is stalling NIH grant approvals and reshaping the landscape of federally funded scientific research.
Nature · Max Kozlov
Prairieland Defendant Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines
Why a Prairieland defendant received a 30-year prison sentence for moving a box of antifascist zines during an ICE protest in Texas.
The Intercept · Matt Sledge
Heat waves mess with your brain. Scientists are trying to figure out why.
What scientists are learning about how extreme heat disrupts cognition, mood, and decision-making — and why the mechanisms remain poorly understood.
MIT Technology Review · Jessica Hamzelou
“The smallest countries can carry the biggest dreams.”
— Attributed to the Cape Verde World Cup squad, June 27, 2026
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