Today's A1 👩🏾‍💻

Big up, Uncle Ian Wright for speaking up, and he's 100% correct. Look how Qatar got dragged when they were hosting the World Cup.

After months of escalating pressure on Cuba, President Donald Trump appears intent on choking its Communist-run government into political and economic capitulation. Our latest on Cuba. Reporting by @khjelmgaard and me: usatoday.com/story/news/worl…

Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen: There is a total established link between power, political power, capital, tech giants and AI. And the purpose of this is undermining democracy. That's the goal because the people who are developing this stuff are against democracy. I met Sam Altman a couple of years ago. I spent hours with him and at the end of the discussion I said to him, "You have created a monster." And he said, "Yes, and now it's up to you to find out how to deal with it."

usatoday.com/story/news/worl… Strong story from my colleagues @fran_chambers @MrRJervis. @USATODAY continues to break the most important news on Cuba and what the Trump administration may be planning there.

"[Trump] remains unwilling to provide the Iranians the kinds of concessions that could actually end the war and continues to believe that coercion will eventually compel Iran to sign a settlement on U.S. terms." @DanDePetris in @USATODAY by @khjelmgaard: usatoday.com/story/news/poli…

Exclusive audio reveals prisoners faced ultimatum after US-Cuba meeting usatoday.com/story/news/worl… via @usatoday @MrRJervis @khjelmgaard @fran_chambers @Ramon_Padilla

With data from @nytimes API, I analyzed all national local coverage since 2000—224K articles— to see which topics in each state get covered out of proportion to the rest of the country. A portrait of how the paper of record sees America, one state per tweet, alphabetical. 👇

NEW: Pope Leo XIV has named Salvadoran immigrant Evelio Menijar-Ayala to be West Virginia’s lone Catholic bishop. As a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally. He finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego. Over the next several years, Menjivar-Ayala worked janitorial and construction jobs in California before deciding to become a priest. It’s a remarkable choice in a state that is over 90% white and voted for President Trump by 42 points.

Few people have done more to advance how the field of economics approaches the study of sanctioned countries than @frrodriguezc. In this new piece, he challenges a recent paper that downplays the negative impact of the U.S. embargo on the Cuban economy. thesanctionsage.com/p/measur…

Pope Leo XIV was asked who he’d root for between the United States and Peru in the World Cup. His answer? “Probably Peru.”

Iran’s latest AI Lego video marks a significant pivot. Instead of taunting the US military, it reflects a new chapter in which Tehran will seek peace by reaching out directly to the American people, bypassing the US government. It's a mirror image of the US strategy of the past decades. Some of the lines are quite noteworthy and will likely resonate with the anti-establishment sentiments prevailing among American youth in particular: "I love the constitution, the way it was meant. But not the way your leaders bypass consent..."

The public feud between Pope Leo and Trump is emblematic of the religious and secular worlds pushing against each other. I talked about what I learned on the ground at the Vatican and what this war of words actually means on @USATODAY's The Excerpt. art19.com/shows/5-things/epi…

Our story on Pentagon planning for a possible military operation in Cuba that prompted the question to President Trump: @khjelmgaard @MrRJervis @USATODAY usatoday.com/story/news/worl…

A big, big shoutout to @panyiszabolcs for his incredible work, which made a critical difference. Hope to see him in Budapest soon.

▫ China, Pakistan emerge as unlikely, potent mediators ▫Why Pakistan and China brokered a fragile Iran ceasefire ▫@khjelmgaard ▫is.gd/gEgkWI @USATODAY #frontpagestoday #USA 🇺🇸

In Thursday’s paper: Why Pakistan and China brokered a fragile Iran ceasefire. ​​usatoday.com/story/news/worl…

#BREAKING Diplomatic and indirect channels of talks with the US are not CLOSED.

Pakistan positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage ... Stay Tuned for more

1 The defining deliberations of this war aren't between the US and Iran, but Trump and himself. He’s vacillated between walking away and promising to bomb Iran to the Stone Age. Iran has been consistent: Its ideology is resistance, its strategy is chaos, its endgame is survival.