QUOTE OF THE DAY

'Israel comes up with a new plan every day — one day it's displacement, another day it's playing with our minds. A person doesn't even know what kind of life he's living in his own country.'

Gaza local Issam Zakkout on Israel's alleged plan for a major ground invasion to fully occupy the territory that he says amounts to "psychological warfare," to NPR

TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

How will the Myanmar earthquake affect the junta?

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on Friday killed more than 2,700 people, causing a major issue to loom over the country already besieged by civil war: how this natural disaster will impact Myanmar's ruling junta. Its autocratic tendencies appear to be creating even more problems following the temblor, but some analysts say it could pave the way for the military junta's downfall.

Ruling Myanmar since seizing power from the country's democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2021, the junta has reportedly not stopped fighting against pro-democracy rebel forces despite the disaster. U.N. officials told the BBC the junta has continued bombing rebel territories, even as rebels declared a two-week pause in the fighting.

What did the commentators say?
How the junta's generals "handle the emerging catastrophe could make or break their grip on power," said Feliz Solomon at The Wall Street Journal. Mandalay and the capital, Naypyidaw, two of the most damaged cities in the nation, are "important power centers for the junta." There is precedent: A 2008 cyclone in Myanmar pushed the junta in power to "engage with the United Nations" and is "considered a watershed moment" that helped lead to democratic elections.

But observers are "worried the junta that has been losing swathes of territory to ethnic armed groups may continue a push to reverse its fortunes on the battlefield," said Philip Heijmans at Bloomberg. There are also "concerns that international aid may not get to where it's needed," as was the case during the deadly cyclone in 2008.

"Omens and rumors," such as those predicting the downfall of junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, have "long been prized in an authoritarian country with little free flow of information," said Hannah Beech at The New York Times. The junta's leaders are "hanging on even more to faith as their grip on the country diminishes."

What next?
Many believe the earthquake is an "ominous sign for the general," said the Times. However, reports have emerged that the junta has indeed been "blocking aid to earthquake survivors, as international agencies urged 'unfettered access' to humanitarian aid," said The Guardian.

The earthquake also comes as the junta has been "consistently losing ground," said The Guardian. The pro-democracy rebels have also said they intend to continue the fight after earthquake recovery efforts.

Statistic of the day

35%: The probability that the U.S. economy will have a recession in the next 12 months, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis, up from its previous assessment of 20%. It has also increased its year-end unemployment estimate by 0.3% to 4.5% and additionally warned of rising inflation.

the explainer

Torpedo bats could transform baseball

The New York Yankees smashed 15 home runs in their first three games of the 2025 Major League Baseball season last week, largely thanks to a brand new tool: torpedo bats. These revolutionary new bats, which alter the design of the bat's wooden barrel, have other teams around the league taking notice and wondering if this could have a lasting impact on baseball.

Lower barrel
Unlike a traditional bat, on torpedo bats the wooden portion starts further down the barrel, moving the wood "toward the sweet spot of the bat, where players try to make contact and where the bat will produce optimal results," said USA Today. The theory is that this redistribution allows batters to hit the denser, sweet spot of the bat more often, which in turn creates more hits. So the torpedo bat "isn't an automatic cheat code for a home run like the Yankees have made it seem, but it could be the tweak some hitters need to improve their performance at the plate," said Sports Illustrated.

'Other teams can do it too'
The bat was created because players "wanted to make more contact with pitches and they wanted to strike the ball more often," Aaron Leanhardt, an MIT physicist turned baseball coach who invented the torpedo bat, said to The Athletic. "You can get some gains without actually making sacrifices."

The Yankees have been the breakout users of the torpedo bat so far, but other clubs could follow, making the bats the norm. "Other teams can do it too. It's not just us," Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez said to Fox Sports. But the opinion among major league players seems to be split.

"It's terrible — I feel like it's something used in slow-pitch softball," Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill said to Yahoo Sports. "It might be bush league. It might not be." Nevertheless, the trend is slowly creeping into other clubs. The Twins' catcher Ryan Jeffers and the Rays' Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz were "also spotted using torpedo bats in spring training and over opening weekend," said CNN.

Good day ⛏️

… for archaeology. A team of Egyptian and American archaeologists have unearthed a massive tomb of an unknown pharaoh at an Egyptian necropolis, in the "second discovery of a king's tomb this year," said The New York Times. Researchers estimate the tomb is 3,600 years old and almost 23 feet underground at Abydos, "one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt."

Bad day 🎙️

… for Kanye West. The rapper and producer now known as Ye tops "do-not-play lists" at weddings, according to The Times. DJs say he's the most commonly named no-go musician for couples planning playlists for their nuptials. Other artists frequently banned from receptions include Diddy and R. Kelly.

Puzzles

Daily crossword

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The Week recommends

Dreamy desert escapes around the world

For the adventurous, few things are as thrilling as a trip to one of the world's vast, open deserts. From starlit wild camping to exhilarating dune-trekking, exploring these dramatic landscapes is a memorable way to disconnect and unwind. Here are some of the best to add to your list of sandy destinations.

Atacama, Chile
Stretching across northern Chile and southern Peru, the Atacama (pictured above) is the driest nonpolar desert on the planet. With its "Martian landscapes" and sprawling salt flats, the arid "geographical eccentricity" has become a "bucket-list favorite" among South American travelers, said The Telegraph. Soaking up the views is "serene and spiritually uplifting." All you need is a "not-too-talkative" guide and a pair of sunglasses.

Kalahari, Botswana
At first glance, the Kalahari Desert might seem "lifeless and uninhabited," but look closer and there's much to discover, said Lonely Planet. With its "endless salt pans," "islands of baobab trees" and "ephemeral lakes," the sandy savannah plays host to an array of "unusual delights." Head to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve for an unforgettable safari adventure. Among the animals to look out for are black-maned lions, blue wildebeest and "comical" ground squirrels.

Wadi Rum, Jordan
From Petra, it takes just over two hours along the Desert Highway to reach Wadi Rum. "Fringed by granite mesas" and dusted with "ochre sand," it's the perfect place to spend an adventure-packed few days, said National Geographic. The desert is dotted with camps, ranging from "traditional black goat's skin tents" to "luxe geodesic domes." Start at Rum Village and spend a day on a Jeep safari "rolling through the dunes" to Lawrence's House, where, legend has it, T.E. Lawrence stayed during the Arab Revolt.

Poll watch

Over half of Americans (54%) say they have owned a gun or lived in a house with a gun owner, according to a YouGov survey. The poll of 1,137 adults found that rural dwellers (73%), Republicans (63%) and white Americans (62%) are the largest demographics to have owned a gun.

INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'America needs to have a heart-to-heart about money'
Suze Orman at Newsweek
Many people are "living in financial denial, pretending they can't afford to save while spending on things they don't need," says Suze Orman. If you are "not saving at least 10% of your income, after taxes, for your future, you are making a dangerous choice." If we "don't change course, we are going to see a generation of elders struggling to survive, not because they were lazy or careless, but because they didn't get the truth early enough."

'African workers are taking on Meta and the world should pay attention'
Mercy Mutemi at Al Jazeera
Meta has "taken a defiant new tone on the question of whether and to what extent it accepts responsibility for the real-world harm that its platforms enable," says Mercy Mutemi. In African countries, the "post-independence constitution differs from those in the U.S. and Western Europe with its explicit prioritization of fundamental human rights and freedoms." We are "now beginning to see how these constitutions can be brought to bear in the global technology industry."

'The Roman Empire loved by Elon Musk and Steve Bannon never existed'
Honor Cargill-Martin at The New York Times
The "ascendant right-wing loves ancient Rome," says Honor Cargill-Martin. Apart from the "problem of comparing modern America with a Mediterranean empire that flourished before the advent of Christianity, capitalism and mass media," archaeology has "undermined the idea that there was a consistent pattern of population decline in the late republic or the late empire." What the right has "captured is a tradition established by the Romans themselves, creating an uncanny hall of populist mirrors that reflects millenniums-old contortions."

WORD OF THE DAY

holobiont

An organism and its microbiome as a single ecological unit. Charles Darwin was the "first to wonder" how coral reefs could "possibly create so much from so little," said The Guardian. But we now know that as holobionts they "don't weave their magic alone." Invisible microbes help to "allow burgeoning reefs to prosper in watery deserts."

Bombs or talks: What's next in the US-Iran showdown?