Guantanamo 2.0

Good morning, clever minds!

Ready for another round of "Wait, what?" stories? Today, we explore the surprise plan to repurpose Guantánamo, the latest (not-so-rosy) test scores on kids' reading and math, and much more. Let's dive right in!

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Your roadmap to today’s key stories:

Remember when Guantanamo Bay was synonymous with horror stories and indefinite detentions? Well, it's back in the spotlight. The president just ordered the navy base's migrant center to hold so-called "high-priority criminal aliens"—separate from the old prison that still houses a handful of terror suspects. They're talking about 30,000 people (there's even talk of repurposing a golf course).

In other news, the White House quietly canceled the big freeze on government funds we discussed a few days ago after 45 hours of behind-closed-doors drama. Sometimes, even executive orders are like tweets in DC.

Bonus: The history of Guantanamo Bay under US control.

Grade Down

Looks like elementary school students are still grappling with that pandemic whiplash: Fourth-grade reading scores are down, and eighth-grade math scores aren't much better (though 4th-grade math did improve).

The biggest heartbreak? Even as high performers inch back toward normal, low-performing students keep falling further behind. Everyone is suffering from "complex challenges" (including chronic absenteeism and less reading practice). There is hope in places like Louisiana, where the "science of reading" helped scores rebound. So no, it's not a total fail—but the red ink is real.

Rocking Our World

Apparently, the famous Bennu asteroid sample contains the building blocks of life: 14 of the 20 amino acids, five nucleobases, and salty water from ancient times. Translation? Bennu formed billions of years ago on a bigger, watery parent body, which could explain how Earth acquired its own life-friendly ingredients.

Interestingly, these amino acids make it unclear how our planet has only the left-handed version. Bennu's discovery of new minerals and its "brine" environment supports the long-held hunch that space rocks can seed worlds with biochemicals for life.

AI Telenovela

This week was dominated by the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which sent markets into panic mode and erased $600 billion from Nvidia's value. Why the fuss? Using downgraded Nvidia chips, DeepSeek built a ChatGPT rival for just $5.6 million.

Now, OpenAI is crying foul, hinting that DeepSeek "distilled" (a fancy word for copied) ChatGPT's code. Adding fuel to the fire, Alibaba just unveiled Qwen2.5-Max, claiming it's even stronger than DeepSeek or Meta's Llama. In other words, the AI arms race got cheaper, spicier, and more complicated.

💬 Beyond the Core

Live updates from American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter collide near Washington: AP / CNN / NPR / BBC / FOX

💡 Core Wisdom

📸 Lens to Life

Here's a look back at 1975, 50 years ago, in photos.

🧮 Core Count: 5,580

The number of creatures that inhabit the seabed targeted for strip mining. Only about 8% of them have been identified.

🗓️ Flashback:

1661 - After two years of being dead, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed.

1815 - The burned US Library of Congress was reopened with 6,500 books from Thomas Jefferson.

1902 - After months of negotiation, Britain and Japan signed a treaty committing each country to supporting an independent China and Korea.

1933 - Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor of Germany, and he formed a government with Franz von Papen.

1939 - Hitler threatens Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament).

1948 - Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse assassinates Mahatma Gandhi in the garden of the home he's visiting in New Delhi.

1965 - Winston Churchill's state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in London was, at the time, the biggest state funeral ever.

1972 - On Bloody Sunday, the British Army shoots 27 unarmed civilians (14 are killed) during a civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland.

I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Fatih Taskiran