Upside-(Touch)Down

Good morning, everyone!

Set yourself up for another five-minute rundown of today's headlines. We've got the Pope's latest health woes, a mayor in hot water, and more twists and turns. Ready? Let’s dive in and make sense of the madness—together.

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The pulse of today, in just minutes:

We’re kicking off the day with another plane crash—because, apparently, 2025 decided daily air disasters would be a thing. It's a Delta flight that flipped upside down on a snowy Toronto runway. Miraculously, all 80 people aboard made it out with no major injuries.

It's the fourth big aviation accident in North America in the past few weeks, but hey, "we flipped the plane" didn't end in tragedy. Even so, we can be grateful that it ended well.

Bonus: Here are the deadliest plane crashes in history.

Quid Pro Whoa

Ah, the Big Apple—never a dull moment. Federal prosecutors dropped their corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams, but the drama's not over yet. Critics say Adams cut a deal with Trump's border czar over immigration, leading to resignations both at the Justice Department and at City Hall.

Governor now weighing her options, as everyone from the city council speaker to the lieutenant governor insists Adams has gotta go. Whether he steps down, gets kicked out, or keeps going, one thing's for sure: New York's political theater is never-ending.

Papal Watch

The Pope is hunkered down in a Roman hospital in what the Vatican calls a "complex clinical situation." The bronchitis turned out to be a polymicrobial infection that required extra treatment. Despite his health scare, the 88-year-old pontiff is still doing some light work (and reading) and even FaceTiming parishioners in Gaza.

Right now, his weekly gatherings are off the table, and 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide are praying for him. The Vatican says the Pope's spirits are high, but nobody knows how long he'll stay.

Toxic Tides

South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron died this week at just 24 years old, shocking a nation that watched her grow up on screen. A viral YouTube video has magnified the backlash against her. After facing unrelenting criticism for a drunk driving incident last year, she was found by a friend in her Seoul apartment. K-pop idols and K-drama stars dying recently have raised mental health concerns in South Korea.

In a world where people often face unfiltered harassment, the tragedy has reignited calls for more compassion on social media. It's time to rethink how we talk about public figures, reminding everyone that there's a real person behind every trending topic.

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💬 Beyond the Core

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Ask the Kid: We've got some lessons to learn from an 8-year-old who can climb.

💡 Core Wisdom

📸 Lens to Life

The beauty of Christo's works comes from realizing the impossible.

🧮 Core Count: 4

There are always the same number of babies and the same-sex of armadillos.

.🗓️ Flashback:

1519 - Hernán Cortés leaves Cuba for the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, with 11 ships and 500 men.

1678 - John Bunyan's Christian novel "The Pilgrim's Progress" is published in London.

1685 - A Frenchman established Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay, which formed the basis for France's claim to Texas.

1735 - The first opera was performed in America, "Flora," in Charleston, South Carolina.

1885 - Mark Twain publishes "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the US.

1917 - The first major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the Putilov factory in Petrograd.

2014 - Ukraine's Revolution of 2014 began with violent events in the capital, Kyiv, involving protesters, riot police, and unknown shooters.

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

Fatih Taskiran