🌎 ICE Opens Fire

Protests break out in Minneapolis over ICE shooting

The investigation is still ongoing. Tensions have continued to flare between protesters and law enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a 37-year-old woman on Wednesday.

What happened?

Video footage from the incident shows federal agents approaching a vehicle that was partially blocking a street, preventing officers from continuing their operation in the city, according to police.

Two federal agents, one next to the vehicle and one in front of it, ordered the driver to exit before the car moved forward and began to turn, prompting an officer to fire at least two shots, after which the vehicle crashed.

Watch the footage here and a former agent’s breakdown of the incident here (warning — graphic content).

What you may not know: The victim, identified as Renee Nicole Good, was originally from Colorado and moved from Kansas City to Minneapolis last year, where she worked as a legal observer documenting interactions between law enforcement and the public at protests.

Who was in the wrong?

The incident immediately garnered widespread national attention and sparked differing opinions between local and federal officials on what actually occurred and who was at fault:

• The Department of Homeland Security says the agent “defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him," and Good was attempting to weaponize her vehicle before it made contact with the officer.

• Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), rejected that claim, accusing the ICE agent involved of “recklessly using power” and causing her death.

The incident occurred after more than 2,000 federal personnel were deployed to Minneapolis this week as part of a 30-day surge tied to allegations of fraud involving day care centers and other federally funded programs. See our previous article here.

🌎 Why this matters: For young adults, especially those attending protests or public events, the incident highlights the importance of understanding how law enforcement operates, what legal protections exist, and how quickly situations can escalate; knowledge that can influence how one may interact with authorities and protect themselves in public spaces.

If you are planning on protesting, here are some important guidelines you should follow:

• People generally may protest on sidewalks, parks, and public plazas.

• Police cannot restrict speech based on viewpoint.

• Orders to disperse must be lawful and clearly communicated.

• Use of force must meet constitutional standards.

Keep in mind, your strongest legal protections exist while a protest is peaceful and before any lawful dispersal order is given. Once authorities clearly order a crowd to leave, staying can put you at legal risk.

US seizes more Venezuela-linked oil tankers

The US really puts the “oil” in “turmoil”. US forces intercepted two oil tankers linked to Venezuela this week, including one that registered under a Russian flag and was chased for over two‑weeks, according to officials.

Why fly a Russian flag?

The ship, which previously sailed as the Bella 1, tried to escape the US Coast Guard in the North Atlantic for weeks, following a reported attempt to dock in Venezuela to load up on oil. But, before being seized by the US:

• The ship received permission from the Kremlin to reflag as a Russian vessel and changed its name to the Marinera.

• Russia sent several navy ships to escort the tanker, including a submarine.

The Marinera is one of four oil tankers the US has seized in the past month, all of which are part of a “shadow fleet” of vessels trafficking millions of barrels of Venezuelan and Iranian oil.

Why is the US seizing ships in the first place? The effort is part of a larger push by the US to curb the flow of black‑market oil and enforce sanctions on nations suspected of transporting the energy source on behalf of bad actors, including those accused of aiding Iran‑linked groups.

🌎 How could this impact you? The seizures could hike up gas prices, as even small changes in supply expectations or geopolitical risk can influence oil prices, which often change how much consumers pay at the pump.

Didn’t go to Harvard? Good luck finding a job

Looks like that loaded résumé won’t take you as far anymore. After several years of broad-based hiring practices, many US companies are (once again) refocusing their recruiting efforts on a small group of elite universities, per The Wall Street Journal.

Casting a smaller net

The trend marks a return to a pre-pandemic hiring playbook, when employers prioritized a limited roster of top universities known for reliably producing job candidates who fit corporate needs:

• According to a Veris Insights survey of over 150 employers, the share of companies only recruiting from a narrow set of schools jumped to 26% last year, up from 17% in 2022.

• William Chichester III, formerly in charge of entry-level hiring at Target and Peloton, told the WSJ that most companies now hunt for entry-level talent at just 30 of the nation’s 4,000 colleges.

Why only hire Ivy Leaguers? Recruiters told the WSJ they’re narrowing their hiring search to elite campuses for several reasons, ranging from placing more weight on academic pedigree (now that tools like ChatGPT exist), to favoring in-person recruiting over virtual events, to the rollback of DEI policies.

🌎 Why this matters: The change comes amid an already tight labor market for entry-level hires, as the unemployment rate for recent grads increased to over 9% late last year, and is likely to make the job search for the vast majority of recent graduates an even greater challenge.

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Americans aren’t buying pizza… and chains are panicking

Que the rooftop scene from Breaking Bad. Once a cultural staple and historically the second‑most common type of chain restaurant in the US, pizza is losing ground in the American dining scene… and chains are scrambling to adapt.

We’ve got a pizza problem

For the past two years, pizza chains have had relatively flat sales growth and now rank far lower compared with other restaurant categories in the category. According to industry data cited by The Wall Street Journal:

• Pizzerias have dropped from the second to the sixth-most popular type of chain restaurant in the US since the 1990s, according to research firm Technomic.

• Pizza shop locations peaked in 2019 but have since declined, with coffee shops and Mexican eateries now outnumbering them.

Why the drop? Analysts say the reason for pizza’s cooling appeal is because rising menu prices have made delivery and dine-in less attractive, while third-party apps (like Uber Eats) now offer more variety and healthier options, eroding pizza’s convenience advantage.

And if people do get pizza… they get less of it. Consumers’ tightening budgets have led diners to choose smaller pies with fewer toppings.

🌎 Why is this a big deal? Mainly because pizza has been a cheap, go-to staple for people, well… forever. Its fading value reflects how easily younger consumers’ preferences can shift when more convenient or appealing options are available, and how the rising cost of living can put pressure on even traditionally affordable food choices.

Say hello to the new food pyramid

TLDR: more protein, less Doritos. The Trump administration released new federal dietary guidelines this week that encourage higher protein and dairy intake and, for the first time ever, explicitly warn against the consumption of highly processed foods.

What else is different about it?

The updated guidance is illustrated with an inverted food pyramid (see full interactive report) that places proteins, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats like avocados at the top, while pushing whole grains to a less prominent position at the bottom.

On top of the flipped food priorities, the new advice urges Americans to:

• Eat more whole, minimally processed foods, like fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy, and protein-rich foods.

• Avoid highly processed foods and added sugars, which have been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.

Perhaps what’s most striking about the new advice is that it no longer caps fats or alcohol strictly, instead stressing healthy fat choices, moderate drinking, and doubling protein intake (from previous guidelines).

Learn more about how US federal nutrition advice has changed since the mid 1900s here.

🌎 What will actually change? Since federal dietary guidelines influence school lunch programs, military rations, and nutrition education, the update will directly affect around one in four Americans.

Catch up on this week’s weird news

 > HyperX debuted the world’s first brain tracking headset, which catalogs neural activity in real time to give players insights into focus and cognitive performance. Initial results showed performance gains in both pro esports players and everyday gamers.

 > LEGO introduced the Smart Brick this week, a 2×4 piece packed with a tiny chip that can interact with other smart components to add lights, sounds, and responsive behavior to builds.

 > The mastermind accused of running a “pig butchering” crypto fraud network that stole $11 billion and used forced-labor scam centers has been arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, after previously being indicted in the US.

 > A French court has convicted 10 people of cyberbullying for spreading allegations that First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man, as she separately pursues a defamation case against US podcaster Candace Owens.

 > New research shows jellyfish sleep the same as humans, as their sleep cycle takes up about a third of each day and is heavily influenced by melatonin. The finding suggests that the origin of sleep may go back more than a billion years to early animal life.

 > Astronomers found that galaxies “grow up” much faster than previously thought after examining highly detailed images of 18 galaxies located about 12.5 billion light-years away.