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Tuesday, 5:18 AM

May 20, 2025

Good morning news friend! Trace the stories shaping today, guiding the course of what comes next. 📰🌟

Click here to read the poll results and comments from our previous edition. Over 5,426 people gave their opinion about Biden’s cancer diagnosis, Trump’s ability to mediate peace between Russian and Ukraine and more!

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Russia and Ukraine: Immediate Ceasefire Talks

President Trump announced immediate ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine following a call with President Putin.

Putin confirmed Russia's willingness to work on a peace memorandum, but details are unclear and no deadlines were set. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy expressed readiness for talks, stressing the need for genuine compromises from Russia and urging Western allies to maintain pressure.

Previous discussions in Turkey only resulted in a limited prisoner exchange. Trump, weary of the conflict, is reluctant to impose new sanctions and suggested hosting peace talks at the Vatican.

Sources: AP News, Reuters, Bloomberg, FinancialTimes, WallStreetJournal

DOJ Investigates Coinbase Theft

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a data breach at Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, where employees in India were bribed for client data.

The breach, reported after a threatening email on May 11, may cost Coinbase between $180 million and $400 million. Attackers accessed customer names, addresses, and emails but did not obtain login credentials.

Coinbase refused a $20 million ransom demand and established a reward fund for information leading to the criminals’ arrest. Despite the breach, Coinbase's stock rose 9% following its addition to the S&P 500, with analysts raising price targets from $252 to $301.

Other exchanges like Binance and Kraken have faced similar attacks.

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, Decrypt, PYMNTS

China's Monetary Easing

China has cut its one-year loan prime rate from 3.1% to 3.0% and the five-year rate from 3.6% to 3.5%, the lowest since the LPR was revamped in 2019.

Major state-owned banks also lowered deposit rates by 5 to 25 basis points. These cuts aim to boost consumption and loan growth amid economic struggles exacerbated by the Sino-U.S. trade war.

Retail sales growth slowed to 5.1% year-on-year, and new home prices stagnated. Banking shares rose slightly, but profit margins fell to a record low of 1.43%.

Further monetary easing is anticipated, with another rate cut expected by July.

Sources: Reuters, MacauBusiness, CNBC, TradingView.

Google’s AI Search Policy

Google's new AI search policy prohibits publishers from opting out of AI training, affecting their content visibility in search results. Internal documents reveal executives deemed opting out too complex, enforcing a "hard red line" policy.

Publishers face traffic losses of 20% to 60%, with industry-wide ad revenue losses potentially reaching $2 billion annually. Smaller websites have been particularly hard hit, losing over half their traffic since AI Overviews began.

Despite claims of transparency, publishers who opt out still find their content in AI Overviews. This issue is central to an ongoing antitrust case against Google, which resists allowing publishers to opt out without losing search ranking.

Sources: Bloomberg, BMI.

How Obesity Disrupts Metabolism

Researchers at the University of Tokyo found that obesity disrupts the timing of metabolic responses in the liver during starvation, without altering its structure.

In a study comparing healthy and obese mice, key energy-regulating molecules, ATP and AMP, were present in healthy livers but absent in obese ones. This absence led to a lack of coordinated response to starvation in obese mice, indicating a functional difference.

The findings highlight the importance of considering both timing and structure in metabolic research and may influence future studies on metabolism and disease, particularly regarding food intake and adaptation to starvation.

Sources: News-Medical, SciTechDaily, NSN

Turning ‘Forever Chemicals’ into Renewable Resources

Researchers developed a new recycling method for fuel cells using sound waves to separate fluorinated polymer membranes (PFAS) from catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs).

The technique avoids harsh chemicals and enhances the recovery of valuable platinum group metals, addressing PFAS contamination concerns. This scalable process employs organic solvent soaking and water ultrasonication, allowing for efficient separation that could lower fuel cell costs.

A continuous delamination process using a bespoke sonotrode further improves efficiency by rapidly separating catalysts at room temperature.

This advancement, backed by Johnson Matthey, supports the circular economy and promotes the adoption of hydrogen energy solutions, responding to rising demand for fuel cells.

Sources: SciTechDaily, Leicester, GoodNewsNetwork

“One of the many problems with envy is that you have no real way of knowing that someone is more fortunate than you until you are both at the end of your lives—and then it is too late to matter.”

Did you know we also write in-depth deep dives? They are long, packed with insights, and have received rave reviews. If you’re up for a detailed, action-packed read, check them out:

• AI Chip Cold War

• Consumer Spending Trends

• Rare Earths and National Security

Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️