The US Navy began blockading the Strait of Hormuz yesterday after peace talks with Iran collapsed over the weekend, adding new uncertainty to the fragile two-week ceasefire reached last week.

According to officials, Iran rejected US demands to scrap its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without charging illegal transit fees of up to $2 million per ship.

In response, President Trump decided to turn the tables on Iran:

Could this bring Iran back to the negotiating table? It’s possible, especially since oil shipments have been a main source of revenue for the country. Iran exported about 1.9 million barrels of crude oil per day in March, up roughly 100,000 barrels per day compared to the previous three months.

It comes as the US and Iran look to maintain their ceasefire: Traffic through the strait basically slowed to a crawl last week as ships stayed away due to safety concerns. Now, a US blockade could raise the chances of a direct confrontation with Iran’s naval forces. Both sides are already trading stark warnings about potential escalation.

We’re tracking this issue live on NextGen+. Click the button below to see its status, momentum, and other key developments.

Last week, AI company Anthropic introduced a new model called Mythos, which it describes as a potential “cybersecurity reckoning” because it can detect cybersecurity flaws in complex software systems at a scale far beyond any human capability.

Shortly after, top officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Fed Chair Jerome Powell, quickly met with leaders from the biggest banks in the US, amid concerns that the tool (which is meant to stop hackers) could actually be used by them to target the global financial system.

Anthropic reportedly only gave Mythos to about 40 organizations, many of them major banks, because it says the tech is too powerful for the public. The company also briefed government officials on the full extent of its capabilities before it was launched.

But that begs the question: just how powerful is it?

So, is it good or bad to have? Mythos can both detect and exploit system vulnerabilities, giving attackers a short-term advantage, experts told Business Insider. However, as adoption becomes more widespread, that advantage is expected to shift toward defenders.

Last year, the US fertility rate fell to another record low, with the number of births per 1,000 women of reproductive age dropping by about 1%, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The trend continues a nearly two-decade decline as the US experiences a cultural shift that increasingly emphasizes having children later in life and smaller families. According to new federal data:

The typical age to have children has reversed: A major driver of the decline is a sharp drop in births among teenagers and women in their 20s, groups that historically accounted for a large share of births, while birth rates for women in their 30s and early 40s have increased.

This isn’t unique to the US: The news follows a global trend in declining fertility, as younger adults are increasingly prioritizing careers, financial stability, and personal freedom amid economic pressures.

They optimized for LLMs, not just Google.

FAQs. Comparison pages. Transparent pricing. LinkedIn presence. These aren't vanity plays. They're what gets you cited in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude when your buyers are researching, your investors are looking, and your future hires are deciding where to work.

Download the free AEO Playbook for Startups from HubSpot and get the exact checklist. Five minutes to read.

Unlock the playbook

Late last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy backed the company’s massive spending plans, which are set to outpace other tech giants in areas like AI, data centers, chips, robotics, and satellites.

Jassy described AI as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity that could reshape nearly every part of Amazon’s business... but that’s not the only reason why he pledged to spend over $200 billion on the tech this year.

According to Jassy’s letter to investors:

Is $200 billion too much to commit? Jassy doesn’t think so. The CEO said, “We’re not going to be conservative in how we play this,” and warned that Amazon is willing to take a hit on cash flow now, betting that its AI investments will pay off big down the line.

Where’s all that money going? Jassy said it will mostly go to expanded warehouse automation, a satellite network that will attempt to rival Starlink’s, and the scaling of rural and drone-based delivery.

An El Niño is expected to bring unusually warm global temperatures and a below-average Atlantic hurricane season, according to meteorological reports released over the weekend.

According to climate experts, the Earth is transitioning out of La Niña conditions and likely heading toward El Niño later in the year, which is part of a natural cycle called the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.

The transition from La Niña to El Niño can significantly reshape weather across the US and typically brings:

There also won’t be as many hurricanes: A separate Colorado State University model is projecting a calmer hurricane season, with six hurricanes expected, including two that could reach Category 3 strength or higher. That’s a step down from last year, which had five hurricanes, three of them Category 5 and one Category 4.

This one will be a doozie: Some forecasts suggest the incoming El Niño could be especially strong, with ocean temperatures rising 2°C or more above average, potentially making 2027 the warmest year on record.

> Scientists have documented the first-ever “civil war” within a single chimpanzee community, as the world’s largest group split into rival factions that have spent years carrying out coordinated, deadly attacks.

> A 300-million-year-old fossil that was once crowned the “world’s oldest octopus” was stripped of its title after new scans revealed it was actually a nautilus-like animal, not an octopus.

> A warehouse employee in California was charged with multiple counts of felony arson after allegedly starting a massive fire that destroyed a 1.2-million-square-foot facility warehouse with toilet paper products.

> The unveiling of a statue honoring Ichiro Suzuki took an unexpected turn when the bronze bat snapped during the reveal, drawing laughs from the Hall of Famer and the crowd.

> New research suggests the people you live with may quietly influence your microbiome, as close contact and shared environments allow gut bacteria to spread between individuals.