1. IRAN CEASE-FIRE TALKS STALL

Iran responded to a U.S. proposal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and roll back Iran’s nuclear program, but President Trump quickly rejected the response as unacceptable. Iranian officials said the U.S. plan sounded like surrender and instead demanded war reparations, an end to sanctions, control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the release of seized assets. The failed exchange came as the cease-fire remained fragile, with drone activity reported near Gulf Arab nations and continued threats from both sides. The conflict has disrupted shipping through one of the world’s most important energy routes, raising prices for oil, natural gas, and fertilizer. At the same time, Iran’s enriched uranium remains a central issue, with Israel and the United States arguing that the material must be removed or controlled before the war can truly end. Draft a diplomatic risk memo explaining why this cease-fire is difficult to turn into a lasting peace agreement. Your memo should identify three major obstacles from the story, such as control of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, nuclear material, attacks on ships, or distrust between the countries. End by explaining which issue seems most likely to restart fighting and why.

2. MINORITY DISTRICTS AND SOUTHERN POLITICAL POWER

The Supreme Court’s decision striking down certain majority-minority districts has reopened a long debate over race, representation, and political power in the South. After changes to the Voting Rights Act in the 1980s, new congressional maps helped elect more Black and Hispanic lawmakers, including South Carolina’s James Clyburn and many members of the Congressional Black Caucus. But those same districts also helped Republicans gain power by concentrating Democratic-leaning minority voters into fewer seats, making surrounding districts easier for Republicans to win. Now that Republicans dominate much of the South, some see a chance to eliminate those districts and strengthen their hold on Congress. The fight raises a difficult question: whether districts designed to protect minority representation also reshape party power in ways that can later be used against the communities they were meant to help. Create a historical cause-and-effect timeline tracing how majority-minority districts changed Southern politics. Include the 1982 Voting Rights Act changes, the 1992 election results, the Republican rise in the South, and the current Supreme Court ruling. After the timeline, write a short reflection on why a policy meant to increase fairness can still have complicated political consequences.

3. A.I. NOTE TAKERS MAKE LAWYERS NERVOUS

A.I. note-taking tools are becoming common in workplace meetings, but many corporate lawyers see them as a serious legal risk. These tools can record and summarize every comment, including jokes, mistakes, quick corrections, and informal remarks that would normally never appear in official meeting notes. If a company is later sued or investigated, those transcripts could become discoverable evidence. Lawyers are especially worried that allowing an A.I. bot into a legal meeting might weaken attorney-client privilege, since the transcript or data could be stored or accessed by outside companies. Courts have only begun to consider similar questions, and different judges have reached different conclusions about whether A.I. conversations should remain private. Write a best-practices policy for a company deciding when A.I. note takers should be allowed in meetings. Your policy should include rules for legal meetings, board meetings, employee consent, transcript storage, and accuracy checks. Finish by explaining why convenience should not be the only factor in deciding whether to record a meeting.

4. HANTAVIRUS RESEARCH GETS NEW ATTENTION

A deadly hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius has drawn attention to how few tools doctors have for treating or preventing these rare viruses. Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, and the Andes virus linked to this outbreak is the only known type that can spread between people. There are no widely available vaccines for New World hantaviruses and no targeted treatments, so doctors mostly rely on supportive care such as oxygen or heart-lung machines. Scientists have been working on possible vaccines, antiviral drugs, and antibody treatments, but research has been slowed by limited funding, rare case numbers, and little commercial interest. The outbreak has reminded experts that diseases do not have to be common to be dangerous. Design a research funding pitch for hantavirus vaccines or treatments. In your pitch, explain why the disease has not attracted much attention, what promising scientific work is already underway, and why public health agencies might still choose to invest before a larger crisis happens.

5. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEEKS DENATURALIZATION

The Trump administration has asked federal courts to revoke the citizenship of 12 naturalized Americans accused of fraud, serious crimes, or support for terrorist groups. Denaturalization has been used before, but rarely, because citizenship is considered a serious and secure legal status, and the government must meet a high burden of proof in court. Officials argue that people who lied during the naturalization process or concealed disqualifying acts should never have become citizens. Critics say the sudden wave of cases could frighten naturalized citizens and make them feel less secure than Americans who were citizens at birth. The cases reflect a broader push to use denaturalization as part of immigration enforcement, rather than as an extraordinary remedy. Prepare a legal explainer for high school civics students about denaturalization. Explain what it means, why the government says it is pursuing these cases, what burden of proof it must meet, and why critics see expanded denaturalization as a threat to equal security under citizenship.