According to anonymous sources, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman encouraged the White House to attack Iran. / The Washington Post [$]

The US aerial assault includes replicas of Iranian-made one-way drones. / Defense One

An explainer for how Iran’s Shahed drones—familiar to Ukranians—sound and fly. / The Guardian

How do we understand the war? From Trump’s point of view, “the most plausible angle of view is domestic politics, not foreign policy.” / Thinking about…

Anne Applebaum: The administration’s lack of interest in the Iranian opposition adds a layer of surreality. / The Atlantic [$]

Derek Davison: It’s far from clear if there’s anyone with credibility who would turn around and do Trump’s bidding in Tehran. / Foreign Exchanges

Thomas Friedman: This is the most unpredictable moment in the Middle East since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. / The New York Times [$]

Spencer Ackerman: The tools of the War on Terror must be destroyed before Trump uses them to finish building his world order. / Forever Wars

Over eight years following Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, billionaires’ wealth grew by 49 percent. / The New York Times [$]

Mark Zuckerberg sets a record in Miami by paying $170 million for a house. / The Wall Street Journal [$]

Burger King is putting AI into its employees’ headsets to monitor their “friendliness.” / The Verge [$]

See also: The new comic book Exploit about our tech oligarchy. / Mad Cave Studios

“Biotic architecture” is said to be a form that “learns from microbes rather than resists them.” / We Make Money Not Art

In case you’re interested in what’s trending in fine art, a list of what sold (and for how much) at LA’s Frieze art fair. / Artsy

An artist in California deploys “bead bombs” to create “native feminist resistance” against ICE. / LA Taco

And now a brief chat with new sustaining member Jennifer M.!

Jennifer, hi! When did you start reading TMN and/or the Tournament of Books? I believe the early 2000s when I lived in DC. 

Wow, decades ago! Awesome. What keeps you coming back? I rediscovered TMN when I was looking at the Field Notes website and went down a rabbit hole reading about the Tournament of Books. I’d never heard of it before and it’s great! I’ve read many of the past winners and had to look into it more. 

That’s so cool—we hope you enjoy this year’s ToB! Quick question, any particular reason you decideed to support today? Well, I wanted a 2026 Rooster notebook and thought I’d do the annual subscription as well. No more roosters :( 

Oh no! Yeah, they sold out pretty fast. Well, thank you again for supporting, we really appreciate it. Thanks y’all and Hook ‘Em! (I’m an Austin native.)

In the members area, unlocked links from the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Verge ↓