Conflict and control dominate as war, elections and crime spur blackouts, crackdowns and uneasy power shifts.
America wrestles with covert cyberwar, violent immigration clashes and fights over ICE power and political betting.
Markets stay buoyant as giants like BlackRock swell, UBS eyes successors and private credit accepts higher risk.
Science eyes human burnout and AI email helpers as researchers relearn rest and Gmail embeds generative tools.
Culture lingers on memory, music and anger, from Dachau sketches to rock finales and feminist screen stories.
Ledecky dominates again, posting the second-fastest 1500m freestyle in history at the Pro Swim Series.
New research finds near-Earth asteroids shed and refresh their surfaces as rapid shadow cycles fracture and expose fresh rock.