Cheesy does it

Two months into a supposed ceasefire, Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran is said to be settling into a gray zone “that is neither war nor peace.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]

Despite playing mediator, Pakistan reportedly shielded Iranian airplanes from attack—an accusation it rejects. / CBS News, Al Jazeera

Some details on what Trump’s defeat in Iran may look like. “At the very least America’s allies in East Asia and Europe must wonder about American staying power in the event of future conflicts.” / The Atlantic [$]

The United States is reportedly increasing surveillance missions over Cuba. / CNN

Unrelated: A satirical 1990’s style video game about the war in Iran. “Burn Epstein files, liberate Iran’s oil, and call upon the advice of top administration officials.” / MetaFilter

The sexual assault of Palestinians in captivity is now practiced widely enough in Israel to be “organized state policy.” / The New York Times [$]

A report says Hamas sexually assaulted its victims after Oct. 7 “to maximize pain and suffering.” / CNN

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China exported more electric and plug-in vehicles than gasoline or diesel cars for the first time in April. / The Wall Street Journal [$]

In the US, Iowa, South Dakota, and New Mexico rely the most on wind and solar power. / Canary Media

A reporter moves into Mark Zuckerberg’s old house with a bunch of young people who love artificial intelligence. “Other things are just not as cool.” / rest of world

Podcasts, sports forums, dating-app flirtations: why everything now sounds like AI-generated text (because it is). / 404 Media

Related: “It is funny, and tragic, how much some of you are still obsessed with writing and publishing ‘papers.’” / Marginal Revolution

An occasional reminder: TMN continues to be entirely human-crafted and heres some tiepohs to pruuuuuuv it

Hollywood’s new hunting ground for source material: subreddits for short fiction. / LA Material

Big studio films are largely skipping the Cannes Film Festival this year, for fear of being snubbed. / The Guardian

After Mardi Gras, crews collected 1,363 tons of beaded necklaces, beer cans, and other garbage—a 24% increase from the year before. / Grist

The Guardian has sent two people on a blind date every week since 2009, and “24.9% of dates had no awkward moment at all.” / Guardian Blind Dates

In health news, coffee is said to be “one of the best reasons to be alive in the year 2026.” / Vox [$]

Some notes on what it’s like to encounter nachos while taking Ozempic. “Is this, I asked my friends, how it feels to be normal?” / Longreads