The Underdog: “What will happen in the ensuing days is, as ever, hard to predict. But the assumption is that Ukraine has taken advantage of redeployments by Russia away from the north and east of the vast frontline to launch its surprise attack, making clear that it is willing to be flexible and opportunistic – and that anybody who is sure of Kyiv’s strategy should instead be willing to be surprised.” Ukraine counterattack takes Russia – and everyone else – by surprise.

+ Pregnant Prison: “The medical community calls this legal approach harmful and counterproductive. But it’s a strategy many legal experts say is likely to become more common now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, making it easier for states to pass laws that give fetuses and embryos the same rights as children or their mothers.” The Marshall Project: Dozens of women who used drugs while pregnant have faced criminal charges. Experts expect even more cases now that Roe has been overturned. In Alabama, Pregnant women are held for months in one Alabama jail to protect fetuses from drugs. (It’s only gonna get crazier. Vote.)

+ When Your Fax is Offline: “The telegram, a form of communication associated more with the Roaring ’20s than the 2020s, has kept a foothold in Japan, where millions of the messages still crisscross the nation every year, carrying articulations of celebration, mourning and thanks. Old friends send them for funerals. Politicians deliver them to constituents. And businesses use them to commemorate the retirement of valued employees.” NYT: How Do Japanese Show They Care? By Sending a Telegram.

+ Forensic Burn: “A new forensic analysis of controversial Donkey Kong world records claims those records were scored on an emulator and not on original hardware, essentially accusing the record holder of cheating.” Forensic Analysts Accuse Billy Mitchell of Cheating. (This has been the subject of a documentary and scandalous stories for years and years!)

+ Over Troubled Water: “Sharply-suited dignitaries gathered to inaugurate a footbridge in the Congolese capital on Monday only for the structure to collapse beneath their feet to the barely concealed delight of onlookers.” Bridge collapses during ribbon-cutting ceremony in Congo. (Maybe the ribbon was structural…)