Good Morning. Oil hit $111 a barrel and Iran still won't budge. We break down tonight’s make-or-break deadline.
And, Wolverines win big, Zendaya's 2026 takeover, and a billionaire trying to save newspapers (forwarded this email? Join 523K readers).
TOP STORY TODAY
Iran’s Deadline
Iran formally rejected a temporary ceasefire Monday, countering with a 10-point demand for a permanent end to hostilities as a U.S. deadline set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET approached.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since the war began five weeks ago, cutting off roughly 20% of the world's oil supply. Crude is trading around $111 a barrel -- more than double its pre-war level. Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey have been working as intermediaries to broker a deal (real-time market reaction).
Even a ceasefire won't fix prices quickly. Analysts say damaged regional infrastructure and spooked shipping companies could delay a full resumption of oil flows by two months or more. Iran's 10-point counteroffer here.
OpenAI vs Anthropi IPO
Confidential financial documents show OpenAI and Anthropic are both racing toward IPOs by year's end (WSJ) while burning through cash at a historic pace (driven almost entirely by the skyrocketing cost of training new AI models).
OpenAI expects to spend $121 billion on computing power in 2028 alone, projecting losses that would dwarf nearly any public company in history. Anthropic's burn is lower in absolute terms but follows the same pattern. Both report two versions of profitability: one that strips out training costs, one that doesn't (More).
Neither company expects to break even (including training costs) anytime soon. OpenAI pushes that target to the 2030s. Anthropic projects it happens sooner. And is eyeing a valuation north of $300 billion when it lists, potentially as early as October. How this runaway spending effects customers.
NCAA: Wolverine’s Win
Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 Monday night in Indianapolis to win the 2026 NCAA championship, the program's first national title since 1989 and the Big Ten's first men's basketball crown in 26 years.
The Wolverines won despite shooting just 2-for-13 from three and leaning heavily on free throws, converting 25 of 28 attempts. Guard Elliot Cadeau led all scorers with 19 points, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. UConn fell short of a third title in four seasons.
The win capped a historic tournament run for Michigan, which became the first team ever to score 90-plus points in five straight NCAA Tournament games before a grinding title game reset the script. Key highlights (Video).
TOGETHER WITH MODE MOBILE
Investors are watching this fast-growing tech company
No, it's not Nvidia… It's Mode Mobile, 2023’s fastest-growing software company according to Deloitte.
Their EarnPhone has helped users earn and save over $1B, driving $115M+ in revenue and an eye-popping 32,481% revenue growth. And having secured partnerships with Walmart and Best Buy, Mode’s not stopping there…
Like Uber turned vehicles into income-generating assets, Mode is turning smartphones into an easy passive income source. The difference is, investors like you still have a chance to invest in Mode’s pre-IPO offering at $0.50/share.
They’ve just been granted the stock ticker $MODE by the Nasdaq and over 59,000 investors participated in their previous rounds.
*Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering.
Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.
The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.
Pro forma revenue and EBITDA, includes full year numbers of the businesses acquired throughout 2025.
TODAY’S LIFE ADVICE
This Workout Protects Your Brain For Years
Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose were swapping notes on cognitive longevity, and lactate came up as the real brain protector, not VO2 max.
"If you do it three times a week for 6 months,” says Ferriss, “you can observe the beneficial effects for like 5 years afterward."
20-rep slow squats or high-rep leg presses generate lactate fast
5 seconds up, 5 seconds down cuts injury risk
Norwegian 4x4 is the gold standard, but high-rep weight training could be the travel-friendly alternative
One workout protocol. Years of brain protection.
The Terrible Paradox of Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is both our greatest curse and our greatest gift. We're trapped in a cosmic paradox where consciousness allows us to experience both the terror of existence and its beauty. The key isn't to escape this tension but to move forward through it.
You can't return to naivety once questions arise. You can only push through the tunnel. Regret is an illusion. You couldn't have done differently with the same brain, circumstances, and information. Instead of regretting, recognize that you're always limited by constraints in any moment, and you made the best decision possible then.
TRENDING
5 Stories
▲ Retirement age splinters as Americans work into their 80s or quit in their 30s, abandoning the 65-year standard
▲ Amazon USPS reach deal cutting package volume 20%, saving 1 billion annual deliveries worth $6 billion
▲ Billionaire Hoffmann bets $105M estate and 131 newspapers on hyperlocal strategy to reverse industry collapse (here’s how)
▲ Artemis II crew returns to Earth after becoming first humans in 50 years to fly behind the Moon
▲ Zendaya dominates 2026 with four blockbuster films plus Euphoria return at age 29 (Spider-Man, Avengers, Dune, The Odyssey)
Fun Links
From -$13 Million to +$1.6 Billion [Video]
5 poems by Charles Bukowski [Read]
Guinness Record: 1,000 Dolly Partons [Photos]
Where the term “footage” comes from [Post]
10-second trick to end sibling fight [Video]
Create your own constellations [Resource]
Most comfortable beach chair [Gear*]