Good morning readers. The Federal Reserve opted for a more cautious approach amidst challenges in meeting its 2% inflation target, opting to maintain current interest rates at 5.25% - 5.5%. Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized the Fed's commitment to keeping rates steady, signaling a willingness to prolong things as needed. Despite these moves, expectations around future rate cuts only shifted slightly post-Powell's press conference, aligning closely with investors' predictions. Interest-rate futures indicate a modest increase in the likelihood of rate cuts in September and November, with a 42.4% probability for the first cut in September.

Let’s jump into today’s storylines.

In today’s digest:

• Deciding where to go to college this year is increasingly difficult for students

• Headline Hustle: UnitedHealth CEO gets grilled by Congress over how it dealt with cyberattack, Tesla lays off the entire team building its charging network, Arizona lawmakers vote to undo near-total abortion ban

• LinkedIn introduces gaming as way to network better

• Pulse Points: What’s Trending

EDUCATION

When choosing a college becomes a crisis management drill

Deciding on a college used to be about academic prestige, campus amenities, and perhaps the distance from home. Now, it's increasingly about assessing the campus climate amid national and global tensions.

With rising tensions and campus protests making headlines, students are reassessing where they feel safest and most supported. Families are scrutinizing university responses to these incidents as much as they are assessing academics, knowing that the atmosphere at a school could make or break the student experience.

A difficult decision to make

The decision-making process has become more challenging as students and families weigh the risks and rewards of each institution.

• May 1st, traditionally known as College Decision Day, has passed us by, yet many families are still uncertain of where they want to go.

• The choice isn't just about prestige or academics anymore; it's about where students will find a supportive community amidst escalating tensions.

Weighing out all the options. Protests at schools like the University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University have captured national attention, prompting some students to avoid these schools entirely. For others, the unrest has even prompted them to reconsider going to school altogether, deciding to wait until things settle down across the country.

The result is that campus visits and "revisit days" have become more important than ever, but they're also becoming more complicated due to heightened security measures and restricted access, adding another layer of stress to the already fraught decision-making process.

Big picture: Ultimately, today’s college decision is about more than just academics—it's about finding a community where every student can feel safe, supported, and thrive, regardless of broader societal issues.

IN THE KNOW

Headline Hustle

⚖️ UnitedHealth gets grilled by Congress on how it dealt with cyberattack. UnitedHealth Group faces intense scrutiny following the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit, with Congress questioning its cybersecurity measures and the impact on the healthcare sector. CEO Andrew Witty defended the company, but concerns linger over data compromise and national security risks. The attack has underscored UnitedHealth's vast influence in healthcare, prompting debates on its dominance and whether its too big to fail. With estimated costs soaring and ongoing fallout, the incident highlights vulnerabilities in the healthcare system and raises broader antitrust concerns surrounding UnitedHealth's extensive holdings.

⚡️ Tesla lays off the entire team building its charging network. Tesla's sudden dismissal of its electric vehicle charging team has cast uncertainty over the future of its extensive charging network, a vital component in EV adoption. The move, confirmed by Tesla employees on social media, raises questions about the company's commitment to supporting non-Tesla vehicles, despite recent pledges from major automakers to utilize Tesla's charging technology. As competitors gear up to integrate with the North American Charging Standard, Tesla's shift in focus towards other priorities, such as autonomous driving, reflects broader industry challenges and softer EV demand.

💊 Arizona lawmakers vote to undo near-total abortion ban. The Arizona Legislature's approval of a repeal on nearly all abortions signals a significant shift in the state's abortion laws. With Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs expected to sign the bill, the move comes amid a resurgence of reproductive rights debates nationwide. The repeal, aimed at overturning a Civil War-era ban on abortions, underscores the ongoing battle over women's healthcare choices. While advocates celebrate this step forward, challenges remain, including potential delays in the repeal's implementation and ongoing efforts to restrict abortion access.

TECH

LinkedIn tries to level up networking with games

Who said networking had to be all business suits and spreadsheets? LinkedIn is shaking up the professional networking game, quite literally, by adding a splash of fun with brain-teasing puzzles.

The Microsoft-owned platform is rolling out three free “thinking-oriented” games to its users worldwide in a move that takes inspiration from the New York Times' puzzle craze. But this isn't just about wasting time on your lunch break. LinkedIn aims to leverage the social power of games to strengthen bonds between co-workers, alumni, and even rivals.

So, what are these games all about?

They’re quick to play—each taking less than five minutes—and refresh daily:

1. Pinpoint: A word association game where players guess the common category in five tries.

2. Queens: A logic game where you place crown emojis on a grid without letting them touch each other.

3. Crossclimb: A blend of crossword and word ladder that challenges players to guess words based on trivia and then change them one letter at a time.

These puzzles aim to make LinkedIn more than just a place for job updates and work anniversaries, tapping into the trend of people using the platform for casual, social interactions. “It’s all about helping you stretch and exercise your mind, but more importantly how this helps you really connect,” said Laura Lorenzetti, executive editor for LinkedIn News.

Looking ahead…while this fun addition might be a new twist for LinkedIn, it's rooted in a long history of news and puzzles teaming up to engage readers. Whether this innovation will fully integrate into LinkedIn’s culture remains to be seen, but the platform certainly hopes these games will help users build relationships and spend more time engaging with their network.

SNIPPETS

Pulse Points

• Google laid off over 200 employees from its "Core" teams before its impressive first-quarter earnings report, with plans to relocate some positions to India and Mexico, according to CNBC.

• Emails from Microsoft executives, revealed in the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google and reported by Business Insider, show that fear, jealousy, and intense capitalist ambition over Google's AI lead spurred Microsoft's initial billion-dollar investment in its now-indispensable partner, OpenAI.

• Domino's has launched a promotion offering customers $3 off a future online delivery order for every $3 or more tipped to their delivery drivers, tapping into the frustration Americans feel about the pervasive digital tipping culture

• The government is thinking about putting warning labels on your food.

• Anthropic introduced its first enterprise offering and launched a free iPhone app on Wednesday.

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