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Morning Briefing #80 — June 25, 2026
Morning Briefing #80 — June 25, 2026
Your daily briefing connecting world events, technology, and education.
No political slant. Just facts.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📋 IN TODAY'S EPISODE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌍 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD
────────────────────────────────
Here's what's shaping the world today.
Twin Earthquakes Devastate Northern Venezuela, Killing at Least 164
Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening within a minute of each other — a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5, the strongest quake to hit the country since 1900. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at least 164 people were killed and 971 injured as buildings collapsed in and around the capital, Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey described the pair as a "doublet" centered near Yumare, and its modeling warns the death toll could ultimately reach into the thousands, with economic losses in the billions. Rescue crews are still digging through rubble as the scale of the disaster comes into focus.
Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Becomes the Second-Largest on Record
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Health Ministry has now confirmed more than 1,090 cases and 277 deaths in an Ebola outbreak driven by the Bundibugyo virus, making it the second-largest in the disease's history. Ituri province is hardest hit with nearly 1,000 cases, while infections have spread into North Kivu, South Kivu, and across the border into Uganda. The World Health Organization says cases have climbed faster in this outbreak than in any previous one, and the risk level remains "very high." It is the 17th Ebola outbreak DRC has faced, and responders are racing to contain it as it reaches new health zones.
Mamdani-Backed Progressives Sweep New York City Primaries
All three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday, a notable show of strength for the party's progressive wing. The winners — Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — defeated more established rivals, several of them long-tenured incumbents. Supporters frame the results as proof of surging grassroots energy, while some party leaders worry the leftward push could complicate Democrats' positioning ahead of November's midterms. The outcome sets up a closely watched test of how far the party's base wants to move.
_Before we move on, here's one to hold onto._
A new study out of England found something quietly remarkable: not a single woman aged 20 to 24 has died of cervical cancer there between 2020 and 2024 — the first time on record the country has seen zero deaths in that age group. Researchers credit the HPV vaccination program introduced in 2008, which reached close to 90 percent of early cohorts. They estimate the program has already prevented around 200 cervical cancer deaths, and that roughly 23 young women in that age band would have died over those years without it. It's a powerful reminder that a vaccine given to twelve-year-olds two decades ago is now showing up as lives that simply weren't lost. The one caveat worth watching: coverage has slipped to about 76 percent, below the level health officials want to keep that progress going.
_Okay. Now, the tech._
---
💻 THE TECH CONNECTION
────────────────────────────────
What's moving in AI and emerging tech.
World Models Become AI's Next Funding Frontier
(continued in YouTube show notes)
Your daily briefing connecting world events, technology, and education.
No political slant. Just facts.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📋 IN TODAY'S EPISODE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌍 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD
────────────────────────────────
Here's what's shaping the world today.
Twin Earthquakes Devastate Northern Venezuela, Killing at Least 164
Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening within a minute of each other — a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5, the strongest quake to hit the country since 1900. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at least 164 people were killed and 971 injured as buildings collapsed in and around the capital, Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey described the pair as a "doublet" centered near Yumare, and its modeling warns the death toll could ultimately reach into the thousands, with economic losses in the billions. Rescue crews are still digging through rubble as the scale of the disaster comes into focus.
Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Becomes the Second-Largest on Record
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Health Ministry has now confirmed more than 1,090 cases and 277 deaths in an Ebola outbreak driven by the Bundibugyo virus, making it the second-largest in the disease's history. Ituri province is hardest hit with nearly 1,000 cases, while infections have spread into North Kivu, South Kivu, and across the border into Uganda. The World Health Organization says cases have climbed faster in this outbreak than in any previous one, and the risk level remains "very high." It is the 17th Ebola outbreak DRC has faced, and responders are racing to contain it as it reaches new health zones.
Mamdani-Backed Progressives Sweep New York City Primaries
All three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday, a notable show of strength for the party's progressive wing. The winners — Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — defeated more established rivals, several of them long-tenured incumbents. Supporters frame the results as proof of surging grassroots energy, while some party leaders worry the leftward push could complicate Democrats' positioning ahead of November's midterms. The outcome sets up a closely watched test of how far the party's base wants to move.
_Before we move on, here's one to hold onto._
A new study out of England found something quietly remarkable: not a single woman aged 20 to 24 has died of cervical cancer there between 2020 and 2024 — the first time on record the country has seen zero deaths in that age group. Researchers credit the HPV vaccination program introduced in 2008, which reached close to 90 percent of early cohorts. They estimate the program has already prevented around 200 cervical cancer deaths, and that roughly 23 young women in that age band would have died over those years without it. It's a powerful reminder that a vaccine given to twelve-year-olds two decades ago is now showing up as lives that simply weren't lost. The one caveat worth watching: coverage has slipped to about 76 percent, below the level health officials want to keep that progress going.
_Okay. Now, the tech._
---
💻 THE TECH CONNECTION
────────────────────────────────
What's moving in AI and emerging tech.
World Models Become AI's Next Funding Frontier
(continued in YouTube show notes)
View all episodes
By Steven MojicaMorning Briefing #80 — June 25, 2026
Your daily briefing connecting world events, technology, and education.
No political slant. Just facts.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📋 IN TODAY'S EPISODE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌍 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD
────────────────────────────────
Here's what's shaping the world today.
Twin Earthquakes Devastate Northern Venezuela, Killing at Least 164
Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening within a minute of each other — a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5, the strongest quake to hit the country since 1900. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at least 164 people were killed and 971 injured as buildings collapsed in and around the capital, Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey described the pair as a "doublet" centered near Yumare, and its modeling warns the death toll could ultimately reach into the thousands, with economic losses in the billions. Rescue crews are still digging through rubble as the scale of the disaster comes into focus.
Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Becomes the Second-Largest on Record
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Health Ministry has now confirmed more than 1,090 cases and 277 deaths in an Ebola outbreak driven by the Bundibugyo virus, making it the second-largest in the disease's history. Ituri province is hardest hit with nearly 1,000 cases, while infections have spread into North Kivu, South Kivu, and across the border into Uganda. The World Health Organization says cases have climbed faster in this outbreak than in any previous one, and the risk level remains "very high." It is the 17th Ebola outbreak DRC has faced, and responders are racing to contain it as it reaches new health zones.
Mamdani-Backed Progressives Sweep New York City Primaries
All three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday, a notable show of strength for the party's progressive wing. The winners — Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — defeated more established rivals, several of them long-tenured incumbents. Supporters frame the results as proof of surging grassroots energy, while some party leaders worry the leftward push could complicate Democrats' positioning ahead of November's midterms. The outcome sets up a closely watched test of how far the party's base wants to move.
_Before we move on, here's one to hold onto._
A new study out of England found something quietly remarkable: not a single woman aged 20 to 24 has died of cervical cancer there between 2020 and 2024 — the first time on record the country has seen zero deaths in that age group. Researchers credit the HPV vaccination program introduced in 2008, which reached close to 90 percent of early cohorts. They estimate the program has already prevented around 200 cervical cancer deaths, and that roughly 23 young women in that age band would have died over those years without it. It's a powerful reminder that a vaccine given to twelve-year-olds two decades ago is now showing up as lives that simply weren't lost. The one caveat worth watching: coverage has slipped to about 76 percent, below the level health officials want to keep that progress going.
_Okay. Now, the tech._
---
💻 THE TECH CONNECTION
────────────────────────────────
What's moving in AI and emerging tech.
World Models Become AI's Next Funding Frontier
(continued in YouTube show notes)
Your daily briefing connecting world events, technology, and education.
No political slant. Just facts.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📋 IN TODAY'S EPISODE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌍 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD
────────────────────────────────
Here's what's shaping the world today.
Twin Earthquakes Devastate Northern Venezuela, Killing at Least 164
Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening within a minute of each other — a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5, the strongest quake to hit the country since 1900. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at least 164 people were killed and 971 injured as buildings collapsed in and around the capital, Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey described the pair as a "doublet" centered near Yumare, and its modeling warns the death toll could ultimately reach into the thousands, with economic losses in the billions. Rescue crews are still digging through rubble as the scale of the disaster comes into focus.
Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Becomes the Second-Largest on Record
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Health Ministry has now confirmed more than 1,090 cases and 277 deaths in an Ebola outbreak driven by the Bundibugyo virus, making it the second-largest in the disease's history. Ituri province is hardest hit with nearly 1,000 cases, while infections have spread into North Kivu, South Kivu, and across the border into Uganda. The World Health Organization says cases have climbed faster in this outbreak than in any previous one, and the risk level remains "very high." It is the 17th Ebola outbreak DRC has faced, and responders are racing to contain it as it reaches new health zones.
Mamdani-Backed Progressives Sweep New York City Primaries
All three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday, a notable show of strength for the party's progressive wing. The winners — Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — defeated more established rivals, several of them long-tenured incumbents. Supporters frame the results as proof of surging grassroots energy, while some party leaders worry the leftward push could complicate Democrats' positioning ahead of November's midterms. The outcome sets up a closely watched test of how far the party's base wants to move.
_Before we move on, here's one to hold onto._
A new study out of England found something quietly remarkable: not a single woman aged 20 to 24 has died of cervical cancer there between 2020 and 2024 — the first time on record the country has seen zero deaths in that age group. Researchers credit the HPV vaccination program introduced in 2008, which reached close to 90 percent of early cohorts. They estimate the program has already prevented around 200 cervical cancer deaths, and that roughly 23 young women in that age band would have died over those years without it. It's a powerful reminder that a vaccine given to twelve-year-olds two decades ago is now showing up as lives that simply weren't lost. The one caveat worth watching: coverage has slipped to about 76 percent, below the level health officials want to keep that progress going.
_Okay. Now, the tech._
---
💻 THE TECH CONNECTION
────────────────────────────────
What's moving in AI and emerging tech.
World Models Become AI's Next Funding Frontier
(continued in YouTube show notes)