The merch awakens
President Trump says the United States will destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. / Al Jazeera
Scholars say the US-Israel war on Iran is fated to be a frozen conflict: “an unresolved war that continues at a low level below the threshold of full-scale combat.” / The Conversation
Thanks to the war, officials say fully replacing our stockpile of munitions may take up to six years. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Japan amends its postwar pacifist policy to begin exporting lethal weapons. / The Associated Press
A roundtable discussion about the evolution of war-gaming. “Is there something particularly German about that? Yeah, probably.” / Asterisk Magazine
Unrelated: Palantir is now selling merch that rips off Virgil Abloh. / GQ
Thanks to rising sea temperatures, ancient bacteria are reemerging, increasing the risk of infection for beachgoers and shellfish. / Rhode Island Current
What’s driving the wildfires in south Georgia and northern Florida? Exceptional drought conditions worsened by climate change. / Grist
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A witness to the unsolved death of a rap star laments the case now being stuck in a loop of internet speculation. / POW
Cocaine use in the US among 18- to 25-year-olds fell from 2.1 million in 2017 to 811,000 in 2024. / The Guardian
A 24-year-old reporter attends her first party without a phone. “My conversations with strangers start to feel easier.” / USA Today
A reporter reflects on her 20 years of “ambivalently watching, practicing, loving, and hating boxing.” / Recurrent Concussion
“Real life felt too hard. In the virtual world, I felt better.” Life as an aspiring pro gamer in China. / Sixth Tone
Related: The poem “Anyone Who Is Still Trying” by David Hernandez. / Reflections
A couple reasons why it’s not unreasonable to hope your soul “will be able to outlast your body’s death.” / aeon
Some photographs of women urinating while standing in the streets of 1990s London. / Flashbak
A round-up of hotels inside or near national parks. Also, a round-up of independent outdoors-y publications. / AFAR, Indie Outdoors
Illustrations by Daniele Castellano recall Tim Burton and Carl Jung. / It’s Nice That
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