Morning Briefing

Consumer prices jumped 3.8% year-over-year in April, driven largely by surging gas prices tied to the Iran war. Producer prices rose 6%, adding further pressure. The data virtually guarantees the Fed will hold rates steady.

The Iran war is rippling far beyond the Middle East — Asian economies face mounting energy disruptions as oil supply tightens and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains contested.

Shots rang out inside the Philippine Senate during an attempt to arrest a senator wanted by the ICC. The dramatic escalation highlights the country's deepening political crisis.

The Trump-Xi summit looms with managed trade push, but deep tech rivalry and distrust may blunt progress. Covered across every major outlet with divergent framing on what "success" looks like.

Google revealed "Googlebooks" — Android-powered laptops arriving this year. Also announced: a big AI overhaul for Android in 2026. The HN discussion is massive and split between excitement and skepticism.

Six serious security flaws in dnsmasq, the widely-used DNS/DHCP server. If you run dnsmasq (many home labs and self-hosted setups do), patch immediately. The HN thread has good technical analysis.

Cactus Compute distilled Gemini's tool-calling capability into a tiny 26M parameter model. A compelling demo of how small, focused models can punch way above their weight for specific tasks.

Community project restoring cloud features for Bambu Lab 3D printers after the company's restrictive firmware changes. Relevant if you're running a Bambu X1 (like John). OrcaSlicer fork with full network support.

WhatsApp introduced Incognito Chat, built on Meta's "Private Processing" framework. The company says it can't access these AI chats — a notable privacy play for the world's largest messaging platform.

Calbee's iconic bright-orange chip bags are going monochrome — the Iran war has disrupted supply of a key color ink ingredient. A visceral, small-scale reminder of how global conflict reaches into everyday life.

Starmer faces growing calls for resignation and ministerial departures. King Charles just delivered the government's agenda as the Labour government hangs by a thread. Reform's surge signals lasting political realignment.

Big Tech's reliance on TSMC makes the China-Taiwan dispute the world's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint. Eyck Freymann's analysis ahead of this week's Beijing summit is essential context for understanding the semiconductor stakes.

Strikes at the heart of a real problem for senior ICs: the gap between knowing and explaining. The HN thread is packed with people sharing their own failures and strategies — worth reading the discussion.

A designer's detailed account of migrating email, storage, and services away from US tech giants to European providers. The 284-comment thread is a goldmine of recommendations for self-hosters and privacy-conscious folks.

Another developer jumps from GitHub to self-hosted Forgejo. The thread debates whether this is principled or impractical — relevant given we run Forgejo ourselves.

Unknown Worlds confirmed leaked builds of Subnautica 2 are making the rounds just days before the ocean survival sequel's early access launch. Consider this your heads-up if you want to go in clean.

Sega's ambitious "Super Game" initiative is no more, but the Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi reboots — the ones people actually care about — are still in development.

Playground Games says the Forza Horizon 6 leak wasn't from a pre-load glitch and is threatening franchise-wide and hardware bans for anyone sharing footage. The game's reveal is imminent.

Left outlets emphasize the Iran war's role in gas prices and hardship on families. Right outlets highlight government spending and the failure of Biden-era policies. Center coverage focuses on the Fed's likely rate hold and data mechanics. The divergence on root cause is sharp.

Left outlets frame Makary's resignation as the Trump admin forcing flavored e-cig approvals over science. Right outlets emphasize Makary's personal stance and bureaucratic resistance. Reason covers it as irrational resistance to harm reduction. The real story is more nuanced — Makary bucked the admin on vape flavor bans, and the admin overruled him.