Good Thursday morning! Earth hit a climate warming threshold last year, now what?; Biden joins WWII vets for 80th anniversary of D-Day; and Spotify hikes rates for second time in a year.

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Good morning,

80 years ago today, Allied forces shifted the trajectory of WWII when they stormed the beaches of Normandy in northern France. Known as D-Day, the military operation sent over 156,000 Allied troops by sea on five beaches – code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – to fight Nazi Germany.

• Codenamed Operation Overlord, the invasion was planned for more than a year.

  • The term ‘D-Day’ was military code for the beginning of an important operation, with the first ‘D’ being short for ‘Day.

• Around 11,000 Allied aircraft, 7,000 ships and boats, and thousands of other vehicles were involved.

• On that day alone, there were approximately 10,000 Allied casualties and an estimated 4,000 to 9,000 for the Germans.

• To mark the anniversary, some World War II veterans have returned to France this week. The average age of the veterans from D-Day is over 100. Fewer than 200 D-Day vets are still alive. 

We’ll be thinking of them today!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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

🌎 EARTH’S RECORD BREAKING HEAT FOR A FULL YEAR — WHAT IT MEANS

For the 12th month in a row, earth broke monthly heat records, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced yesterday. It comes as much of the Southwest US is experiencing a massive heat wave, bringing heat warnings and triple digit temperatures.

May’s high temperatures made it the 11th consecutive month where the global average temperature was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average — a record — which nations have pledged to stay below under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

THE NUMBERS
Global temperatures averaged 1.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the 12 months.

• “For the past year, every turn of the calendar has turned up the heat,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said. “Our planet is trying to tell us something. But we don’t seem to be listening.”

  • The UN has called for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and encouraged the public to decrease/stop consumption.

• What do the numbers mean? While scientists have expressed astonishment over the length and degree of this heatwave, it has been linked to the El Niño climate pattern and human-caused climate change.

  • A separate study published yesterday by a group of 57 scientists found that human activities were responsible for 92% of the warming observed in 2023.

WHAT’S NEXT
The World Meteorological Organization predicts we will again see temperatures above the 1.5 degrees C threshold for a calendar year again within this decade.

• Our planet has seen over 550 consecutive months with temperatures above the 20th-century average.

• There’s at least one reason to believe some temporary relief is on its way. El Niño, the natural climate phenomenon, is fading. During periodic El Niño events, tremendous amounts of heat are redistributed in the Pacific Ocean, leading to shifts in global weather patterns that typically cause the planet as a whole to be warmer. This contributed at least in part to 2023’s record temperatures.

• But, long term, without major changes, scientists believe we will consistently begin to surpass the 1.5 degrees C mark in the next decade. That is when we will start to see even worse impacts from climate change.

📲 STREAMERS GAMBLE WITH PRICE HIKES

We’ve talked about the rise in food and housing costs, but entertainment companies are also boosting their prices. On average, from their launch to now, major streaming companies have increased the cost of their most basic, ad-free tiers by more than 40%.

• Taking the lead: Disney+ and Apple TV+. Prices for both video streaming services have more than doubled since they first launched.

It comes as Spotify announced price hikes for the second time in less than a year — the only instance since its founding in 2011.

THE BREAKDOWN
Spotify’s Premium plans will increase by $1 to $11.99 and the Premium Family by $3 to $19.99/month.

• Also this week, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that prices of its ad-free tier on HBO Max jumped $1 to $16.99/month.

  • It comes days before season two of its record-breaking show “House of the Dragon” is set to premiere.

• Over the past year, Amazon’s ad-free Prime Video ($12/month), Disney’s Hulu ($18/month), and Netflix’s four device plan ($23/month) all rose $3/month.

  • In total, people can easily be spending $70/month on streaming subscriptions. Cable TV, when paired with internet bundles, are about the same cost.

COST-BENEFIT
At this time, companies are shifting from new customer acquisition to making more money.

• Among the major video or audio streamers in the US, Spotify listeners are the least likely to cancel, research firm Antenna found. Netflix is close behind.

  • Why? Music streaming has less turn-over than video. Nearly all of users’ audio content — from music to podcasts and audiobooks — is in one spot. Plus, users create playlists and the app’s algorithm is customized.

• Who did not perform as well? Max. The company is appearing to try to maximize profits in the coming months with “House of the Dragon.” But executives will need to weigh the cost-benefit ratio of the $1 increase, which could force some customers to cancel the service.

Old-school media giants like Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global continue to spend heavily on original content and sports programming to retain viewers, despite declining numbers.

• But, streamers are also trying to keep customers paying with their own live events while some are pushing to bundle their services.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Trump asks to have gag order lifted in New York criminal trial (AP NEWS)

📌 Anti-Israel protesters arrested and suspended after barricading inside Stanford University president's office (NBC NEWS)

📌 Controversial Congestion pricing in New York City indefinitely postponed (ABC 7)

📌 Trump suggests political enemies could face prosecution: “Very possible” (AXIOS)

📌 Trump team asks VP contenders Burgum, Vance, Rubio for documents (ABC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 A gunman was captured after a shootout near the US Embassy in Lebanon (NPR)

📌 Georgia’s ruling party introduces draft legislation curtailing LGBTQ+ rights (AP NEWS)

📌 US and allies warn China is intensifying its efforts to recruit Western military pilots (CNN)

📌 CIA chief returns to region to push hostage deal as Israel vows not to budge further (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Boeing spacecraft carrying two astronauts lifts off on historic voyage (MO NEWS)

📌 How broken are Apple’s parental controls? It took three years to fix an X-rated loophole (WSJ)

📌 First case of rare, sexually transmitted form of ringworm reported in the US (NBC NEWS)

📌 Dollar Tree is exploring sale of Family Dollar brand (FOX NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Actor Wendell Pierce claims he was denied Harlem apartment: 'Racism and bigots are real' (USA TODAY)

📌 Travis Kelce says Secret Service warned he might get tased at White House if he touched podium (PEOPLE)

📌 Taylor Swift defends Lady Gaga amid pregnancy rumors, slams 'invasive & irresponsible' comments (NBC NEWS)

📌 WNBA rescinds second technical foul against Sky's Angel Reese (ESPN)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: JUNE 6

• 1946: The NBA was founded.
  

• 1984: The video game Tetris is published.
  

• 1998: Sex and the City’ premiered.

• 2013: Edward Snowden discloses U.S. government operations to a journalist. He escaped to Russia, where he is now a citizen.