Many entrepreneurs credit strategy, timing, or gut instinct for their success. For one billionaire, a cult novel about surrendering control to a dice roll was an unlikely early influence.

A deal appears to be emerging between the United States and Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend said it had been “largely negotiated.”

It is not clear when or how the deal might be finalized and when its various parts will take effect. Trump spoke after calls with allies in the Middle East, including a separate call with Israel. Details come from two regional officials and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

Here’s what we know and don’t know.

Deep in a cavernous New York City warehouse, the artisans behind some of the world’s most beloved children’s characters have been fashioning costumes and puppets for years in relative anonymity.

Now Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the workshop founded by the legendary creator of the Muppets, is drawing back the curtain.

A damaged chemical tank in Southern California cracked over the weekend, which authorities were hopeful would relieve pressure and reduce the risk of an explosion.

Some 50,000 residents in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, have been evacuated and are waiting for a resolution. The tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors, leaving local and state officials scrambling to evade a worst possible scenario at the aerospace company site.

No injuries have been reported.

Fire officials planned to send in a team for “an all-night mission” to determine if the pressure has been relieved, which would reduce the worst-case scenario of an explosion, Orange County Fire Authority interim chief TJ McGovern said in a video posted late Sunday to the agency’s X account.

“We are not there yet,” McGovern said, urging residents to stay out of the evacuation zone while crews continued operations overnight.

In a follow-up update posted on X, the Orange County Fire Authority said there was one known crack on the tank, disputing reports circulating online of multiple cracks. Officials also said there was no active leak and that continuous atmospheric monitoring confirmed no chemicals were escaping from the tank.

Firefighters have repeatedly sprayed the tank with water in an attempt to cool the chemical inside, methyl methacrylate, which is used to make plastic parts. The tank’s interior reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) since Saturday, according to Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg.

Fire officials said a crack discovered in the tank over the weekend may have helped relieve pressure, reducing the risk of a catastrophic explosion.

Shoppers in local communities across several states may discover that they have fewer supermarkets to choose from this year.

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. 

Calling all redheads to the front! Wendy’s is honoring its roots by holding a look-alike contest for its iconic logo in New York City on May 26, World Redhead Day.

Before most of America pours its first cup of coffee, millions of workers are already hours into their shifts, and they’re tired. Overnight warehouse workers are packing orders. Early-morning bus drivers are taking kids to school. ER nurses are handing off to the day team at 7 a.m. These workers aren’t just fatigued from long hours. Many are living with a real, diagnosable medical condition that goes unrecognized and untreated, sometimes for years. And the cost of that gap doesn’t stay invisible forever.

Memorial Day contains multitudes. Most importantly, the federal holiday honors those who lost their lives while fighting for the United States. It’s also the unofficial kickoff to summer, filled with barbecues, beaches, and swimming.

Jobseekers and recruiters are at a technological standoff. 

On a field in Frayser, Tennessee, a neighborhood on the north side of Memphis, designers from the regional firm Archimania sought a clever solution for the Girls Inc. Youth Farm, a nonprofit operating an agriculture center that served as a teaching center and a hub for youth development 

Burnout is getting all the attention right now—but it’s not where the problem starts. 

When you face a challenge, how do you know how much effort to put into solving it?  How do you determine whether you’re preparing or procrastinating? 

The next frontier in drone delivery? The airspace above your community.

No one knows exactly where AI will take us beyond 12-18 months from now. Anyone who claims otherwise may have a bridge to sell you. But it’s clear that fundamental shifts in software engineering will happen within that time, and that they will transform every industry that runs on software in the process.

At last, the Jetsons are happening. Everyone’s long-held dream of having a humanoid robot at home to do all the household chores is almost here. Chinese tech firm GigaAI has announced the (allegedly) first commercial robotic butler ever. The company claims the first 100 pilot units will be deployed at the end of this month in employees’ homes. Then they will start deployment in Wuhan, for free!, in the first half 2027.

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Being penalized for using flexible working policies—remote work, hybrid work, parental leave, and more—can be subtle, or screamingly obvious. 

There is a growing body of evidence that AI is redefining white-collar work. It’s not just the endless rounds of layoffs at tech companies that herald this transformation. Entry-level jobs are disappearing in sectors like software engineering, leaving new college graduates scrambling to figure out their next move. Recent entrants to the workforce are faced with a uniquely challenging job market, one they say they are unprepared to navigate.