May 16, 2025

Daily Edition:

The Un-American Dream

Happy Friday!

We made it—just barely, in my case. I skipped sushi last night after yesterday's rice scare. How about you?

Let me tell you about some really eyebrow-raising stories before you clock out and head to the weekend.

Today, I’ve got Eurovision acts that’ll either thrill you or traumatize you, Elon Musk’s X feed (a peek into an alternate universe you didn’t ask for), and the Supreme Court re-opening the citizenship debate—yep, again.

Let's unwrap stories you didn't know you needed, so refill your coffee and give your inbox the side eye.

Fatih Taskiran

In this issue:

U.S.

Citizenship Roulette

Internet Culture

Elon Musk's X-Ray Vision

Music

Eurovision Unplugged

Beyond the Core

Suprising Game Benefits

U.S.

Citizenship Roulette

While everyone is debating the Supreme Court drama, here at The Core, we're looking beyond the headlines to get a better sense of what's really happening. The issue: Birthright citizenship—the long-held American tradition granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.

The Supreme Court is now debating not just the order, but whether lower courts should even be able to block such presidential moves. Justice Kagan and others worry about creating a patchwork system where crossing state lines could mean gaining or losing citizenship. Trump's legal team and Justice Alito say nationwide injunctions give judges too much power. Thousands of children's futures are on the line—and a decision is due by summer. Let's keep checking.

In Context: Immigrant families once protected by Biden's administration are in a quiet crisis.

Internet Culture

Right Swipe

Have you ever wondered what Elon Musk sees on X (formerly Twitter)? The New York Times recreated Musk's personal feed and analyzed over 175,000 posts from 1,100+ accounts he follows. Musk's digital diet is a lot Musk himself, seasoned with praise from Tesla fans, and sprinkled liberally with right-wing influencers and conspiracy theorists.

This world's most influential billionaire's feed has become a flattering hall of mirrors, reflecting back his ideas, raising questions about what shapes his online bubble (or what shapes it). Talk about self-driving content.

Music

Eurovision Unplugged (Thankfully, Not Literally)

It's Eurovision again, and it's as chaotic and delightfully absurd as ever. Here's my rankings from worst to best, from questionable performances to unforgettable hits for you:

At rock bottom, Armenia’s PARG dazzled with a treadmill-infused disaster, while Finland’s Erika Vikman turned heads—and blushed cheeks—with her unabashedly explicit "Ich Komme." Sweden's Finnish import KAJ charmed everyone with their sauna-loving tune, and Austria’s JJ delivered an operatic masterpiece. "Zjerm" by Albania's Shkodra Elektronike stole hearts with its haunting beauty and striking performance.

It's still the most bizarrely brilliant music celebration on earth, love it or hate it.

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— Fatih Taskiran

💬 Beyond the Core

Game On

Game benefits you might not have known about.

Pseudohermaphroditism

Here are the longest English words ever.

Work in Progress…

There's some evidence that long work hours affect brain structure.

Let’s MeaT

Here's how some flowers smell like rotting meat.

📸 Lens to Life

Here's the famous Sycamore Gap tree—in pictures.

🗓️ Flashback

1689

Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō begins his epic 150-day journey to the island of Honshu, which he describes in "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North).

1862

Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir built the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine.

1868

The US Senate failed to impeach President Andrew Johnson by one vote.

1920

Pope Benedict XV canonized French heroine Joan of Arc as a saint.

1929

1st Academy Awards: "Wings," Emil Jannings, and Janet Gaynor win.

1944

In Operation Chastise, No. 617 Squadron RAF bombs the Möhne and Edersee dams in the Ruhr Valley.

1982

First of over 180,000 Hungarian Jews reached Auschwitz.