Good Monday morning! Iran’s president is dead after a helicopter crash; Diddy breaks silence after domestic violence video released; and 60-minute TikTok videos.

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Good morning,

K is for ‘Keep Trying’. Over the weekend, Kyle, a town in Texas, attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with one name… but sadly fell short.

• The 706 Kyles didn’t come close to a town in Bosnia that gathered 2,325 people named Ivan in 2017.

• And it was about half of the 1,490 Kyles who showed up last year! A heads up to all the Kyles out there to make early travel plans if the group tries again in 2025.

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to the Mo Newsletter. You can earn free Mo News merch and other perks — details here!

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

🇮🇷 IRAN’S PRESIDENT DEAD AFTER HELICOPTER CRASH

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials have been killed after their helicopter crashed in a remote region of the country Sunday. It took Iranian first responders more than 15 hours to locate and reach the wreckage, given heavy fog and bad weather in the mountainous area at the time of the crash.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains in charge of the country. Iran’s president is the second highest ranking official, behind the Supreme Leader.

WHAT WE KNOW
Raisi was traveling through Iran’s East Azerbaijan province after inaugurating a dam alongside Azerbaijan’s president.

• Turkish authorities helped locate the wreckage using drones. The European Union also activated its Copernicus satellite system to help with emergency mapping services.

  • Footage showed the tail of the helicopter and burnt debris all around it. Everyone is presumed dead, though there was no official death announcement as of early Monday.

  • Iran’s fleet of helicopters—many of which were made in the US—date back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the previous regime was allied with Washington. Raisi was flying in a 45 year-old chopper. It is very challenging for the country to obtain aviation parts because of international sanctions.

WHO HE IS: Raisi, 63, formerly led the country’s judiciary before becoming president in 2021. The US sanctioned him for his role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war. Called the “Butcher of Tehran,” he also led the crackdown on women’s rights and democracy protests over the past few years.

• Raisi was seen as a protege to Iran’s supreme leader and potential successor for his position. His death makes Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, the leading contender to replace his father as supreme leader.

WHAT’S NEXT
The crash comes at a delicate moment, but Iran’s domestic policies as well as positions on geopolitical issues — including its nuclear program and the Israel-Hamas war — are not expected to significantly shift with a new president.

• Upon Raisi’s official death announcement, power transfers to the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, another conservative. An election would then be called within six months. Though ultimately, presidential candidates are chosen by the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council—which also control the military.

  • 🚨 Domestic implications: We will need to closely monitor how events play out in the coming days and weeks, and whether the regime can reinforce its control over the country. This incident comes after “years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over an ailing economy and women’s rights — making the moment that much more sensitive for Tehran.”

⚠️ DIDDY BREAKS SILENCE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VIDEO

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Sean “Diddy” Combs issued an apology after 2016 footage leaked last last week showing him beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel.

The music and business mogul — worth an estimated $1 billion — is separately facing a federal investigation and numerous civil lawsuits around allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault.

THE VIDEO
Surveillance video shows Combs kicking, shoving, dragging, and throwing things at Ventura, a model and singer known for songs like “Me & U,” at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, LA on March 5, 2016. Combs and Ventura had an off-and-on relationship between 2007–2018, starting when she was 19-years-old. In a lawsuit Ventura filed in November, she alleged Combs physically and sexually abused her for years.

• The video matches allegations from the lawsuit. Ventura alleged Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security footage, which was published by CNN on Friday.

  • Combs and Ventura reached an undisclosed settlement the day after the lawsuit was filed. After the settlement, Combs denied any wrongdoing and called the accusations sickening.

• NOW: Following backlash from the video, Combs released a video apology on his Instagram account saying his "behavior on that video is inexcusable" and that he went to therapy and rehab after the “rock bottom” incident. Though he never apologizes to Ventura or mentions her in his video.

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LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS
After the security footage was released, the LA District Attorney's office issued a statement saying Combs could not be prosecuted for the 2016 incident due to the statute of limitations.

• The statute of limitations in California is one year for simple assault and three years for felony assault.

• Ventura was able to file the lawsuit in November under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which allowed accusers to file lawsuits after the statute of limitations had passed.

BEYOND THIS CASE: In late March, two of Combs’ homes were raided by Department of Homeland Security agents regarding sex trafficking accusations — he has not been charged, but agents took firearms and electronics. He faces five civil lawsuits that remain active, centering around rape and abuse. Here’s a list of the cases.

📲 TIKTOK ROLLS OUT 1 HOUR VIDEOS

Our attention spans might feel fried, but TikTok is experimenting with longer content. The social media platform is testing letting users upload 60-minute long videos— taking direct aim at YouTube, which dominates video viewing online.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
TikTok says a small number of randomly selected users have access to the trial phase.

• Flashback to the app’s launch in 2016, users could only record 15-second videos — now that’s up to 10 minutes.

• TikTok says some creators want more time for things like cooking demos, beauty tutorials, comedic sketches and more. And the increased time limit would give creators room to experiment with new content, the company says.

• On the flip side: Alphabet-owned YouTube launched Shorts in 2019 that rivals TikTok’s short form content under one minute.

  • 93% of US teens say they use YouTube, while 63% of teens ages 13 to 17 say they use TikTok.

⏳ SPEED READ

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🚨NATION

📌 Trump at NRA convention floats 3-term presidency (POLITICO)

📌 Central US braces for potential derecho packed with 'extreme' 100+ mph wind gusts, baseball-sized hail (FOX WEATHER)

📌 Rudy Giuliani gets indictment papers at birthday party after mocking Arizona attorney general (NBC NEWS)

📌 Benedictine College nuns denounce Harrison Butker's speech about women prioritizing motherhood at their school (NPR)

📌 Noncitizen voting, already illegal in federal elections, becomes a centerpiece of 2024 GOP messaging (SEATTLE TIMES)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US warns of possible Pride Month terror attacks around the world (BBC)

📌 Israeli War Cabinet member says he'll quit government June 8 unless new war plan is adopted (CBS NEWS)

📌 Brazil’s floods smashed through barriers designed to keep them out, trapping water in for weeks — and exposing social woes (CNN)

📌 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange facing pivotal moment in long fight to stay out of US court (ABC NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Social Security ‘myth’ leads too many people to claim benefits early (CNBC)

📌 Why the OpenAI team in charge of safeguarding humanity imploded (VOX)

📌 Boeing whistleblower John Barnett died by suicide, police investigation concludes (CBS NEWS)

📌 Blue Origin launches six tourists to the edge of space after nearly two-year hiatus (CNN)

📌 Microsoft set to unveil its vision for AI PCs at Build developer conference (CNBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Scottie Scheffler well back at PGA as officials say no bodycam video of arrest (YAHOO SPORTS) Charges likely to be dropped after arrest during PGA Championship (FOX NEWS)

📌 Disneyland characters vote to unionize (NPR)

📌 Country star Zac Brown sues estranged wife Kelly Yazdi over Instagram post & seeks a temporary restraining order (NBC NEWS)

📌 New biography of Carolyn Besette-Kennedy reveals a sore spot between her and husband John F. Kennedy Jr.: He never introduced her to Jackie (PEOPLE)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: MAY 20

• 1873: Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for clothing reinforced with metal rivets, creating modern-day blue jeans.

• 1961: Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, were attached by a white mob, prompting the US government to send in US marshals to restore order.

• TV finales: 1993: 'Cheers' on NBC; 2015: David Letterman as host of the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ on CBS.

• Music released: 1991: DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince ‘Summertime;’ 1997: Meredith Brooks’ ‘Bitch’