Good Morning. An injured colonel hid in a mountain crevice for 36 hours while the CIA ran disinformation to buy time. Is this the most daring rescue in U.S. military history?

Plus, gold's worst week in 43 years, Kanye's London fallout, and America's quiet wealth climb (forwarded this email? Join 523K readers).

A U.S. Air Force colonel whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on Friday was rescued early Sunday after evading capture for roughly 36 hours. The CIA and U.S. military coordinated on the mission, which Trump called one of the most daring in U.S. history.

The colonel hiked to a 7,000-foot ridgeline and hid in a mountain crevice, activating an emergency beacon so U.S. forces could locate him. The CIA ran a deception campaign inside Iran, spreading false information that both airmen were already recovered to buy time for the real extraction.

Satellite imagery later revealed 28 craters along roads near the extraction site in Isfahan province, evidence of precision strikes designed to block Iranian forces from reaching the airman first. Trump addresses the nation Monday at 1 p.m. ET alongside military officials. Here is how it happened.

About 31% of American families now qualify as upper middle class, up from just 10% in 1979, according to a new American Enterprise Institute report (WSJ). The AEI defines that bracket as a family of three earning $133,000 to $400,000 annually.

The shift is driven largely by wage growth outpacing inflation over five decades, especially for college-educated workers. A bachelor's degree puts 55% of holders in the upper middle class or higher, and two-income households account for more than 80% of that group.

The poor-or-near-poor share of families fell from 30% to 19% over the same period, suggesting broad upward movement across income levels. Median family income, adjusted for inflation and smaller household sizes, rose 52% from 1979 to 2024.

▲ Calculator: Are you in the American middle class?

Angels right fielder Jo Adell robbed three home runs Saturday night to preserve a 1-0 win over Seattle, believed to be the first time in MLB history a player has pulled off that feat in a single game. Nine-time Gold Glover Torii Hunter, now a special assistant with the club, called it the greatest defensive game he has ever seen.

Adell denied Cal Raleigh in the first, Josh Naylor in the eighth, then robbed J.P. Crawford in the top of the ninth to seal the game. The final catch sent him tumbling over the right-field wall and into a fan's lap, with the grab confirmed by replay review.

Adell now has 10 home run robberies since 2020, tied with Kyle Tucker for the most in baseball over that span. The Angels, who won 1-0 on a Zach Neto solo shot, improved to 4-5 on the season. See video.

John Maxwell, the world's premier leadership expert, sits down with Ed Mylett to discuss his third book on failure: How to Get a Return on Failure. This conversation goes deep into reframing failure as an asset rather than a liability.

Maxwell challenges conventional thinking by arguing that success and failure should be kept together, not separated. Failure provides humility during winning streaks, while success provides resilience during setbacks.

The discussion reveals why highly successful people often fail more (because they attempt more), the critical distinction between 'good misses' (making adjustments) and 'bad misses' (making excuses), and why getting over yourself is essential to taking risks.

Podcast | Notes

Gold's worst week in 43 years isn't about war or inflation. It's a warning sign of stress in the invisible Euro-dollar system that powers global trade. When Asian importers couldn't access credit to replace oil supplies, they were forced to liquidate gold, silver, and other commodities in overnight sessions. This mirrors 2008's credit freeze, but this time the system was already fragile before the crisis hit.

The actionable insight: audit your portfolio for assets that depend on smooth credit markets—private equity, leveraged real estate, and high-yield debt will be hit first when Euro-dollar liquidity contracts.

Podcast | Notes

▲ Artemis 2 crew reaches far side of the moon, breaking the human spaceflight distance record first time since 1972 | Glover’s viral statement

▲ Gulf Funds near $24B deal backing Paramount's $81B Warner Bros. Discovery takeover led by Saudi Arabia's PIF

▲ Iran War sends U.S. plastics stocks surging as Dow raises polyethylene prices 30 cents per pound in April

▲ Facial Recognition errors trigger at least 13 case dismissals nationwide as AI policing watchdogs warn of rising false arrests

▲ Kanye West headlines London's Wireless Festival, costing organizers Pepsi and Diageo sponsorships ahead of July dates

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