Experts question Kremlin mystery

In today’s edition:

• Ron DeSantis’ memoir could come back to bite him in the Disney legal battle.
• A visual explainer of everything that is set to happen at King Charles’ coronation.
• The “dumb phones” that Gen Zers are most obsessed with.

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Debt ceiling, Thomas, & meteors

• The White House warned a debt-ceiling crisis could be as bad as the Great Recession — and there’d be no way for the government to help anyone. More here.
• The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is going to peak today, giving you the chance to see up to 40 shooting stars an hour. How to watch.
• A conservative activist helped Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, make nearly $100,000 for “consulting,” per The Washington Post. Read more.

Kremlin drone questions

Russia on Wednesday claimed that two drones were sent over the Kremlin as a “planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life.” But in a war rife with propaganda, experts are questioning a number of things that “don’t quite add up.”

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, says “several indicators suggest that the strike was internally conducted and purposefully staged” by Russia.

The ISW added that it’s “extremely unlikely” that two drones could get close enough to explode “just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera.”

They aren’t alone in their speculation. Some experts say that Russia is using the drone incident as an excuse to scale back its Victory Day parades. Others have shared theories on what might have actually happened, based on what little is known.

AI dating, DeSantis, & more

• “AI matched me with someone based on my ‘hotness’.” Insider’s Lakshmi Varanasi tried Hot Chat 3000, a tongue-in-cheek dating website from the art collective MSCHF. She uploaded her picture, got rated by the program, and was matched with someone it said rated similarly — and the whole thing was really messed up.
• A new electric car could charge in the time it takes to fill a gas tank. Fisker, a US electric-vehicle startup, is bringing battery-swapping technology to its first model. Battery swaps will take a few minutes and cost less than getting gas, the startup says. More here.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis’ memoir could come back to bite him in the Disney lawsuit. The Happiest Place On Earth’s legal team quoted four passages of his bestselling book in their legal filing. Some of them even reference Disney by name. Read them all.
• Gen Z’s favorite “dumb phones.” Gen Zers are swapping their smartphones for pared-down flip phones in an effort to reduce their screen time. The Nokia 2780 and AT&T Cingular Flex are among the most popular devices. Get the full list.
• Silicon Valley is going sober. The “sober-curious” movement has been sweeping the country. Now, it’s reached Silicon Valley. From founders to investors, techies are abandoning alcohol to stay sharper and healthier. More on that here.
• Signs, slogans, sunscreen: On the picket line with Hollywood writers. They’re ready to strike for “as long as it takes” to combat issues like stagnating wages and AI replacing them. Insider reports from the strike’s frontlines. Check it out.
• The US Air Force practiced landing planes on a Wyoming highway. The exercise helped pilots practice using roads in case runways aren’t an option. Photos even captured one of the Air Force’s biggest planes landing on the asphalt. View the images.

Coronation prep

Satellite images

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