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What to know:

• Trump has said on several occasions in recent weeks that he's on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. Still, Trump is claiming this time might be different. The breakthrough comes after he threatened to escalate the conflict with more intense bombardment of Iran and by seizing control of Iran’s oil industry, including capturing Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil facility.  
  
  

• Trump told reporters that he believed the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is ready to sign off on the deal. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told state television following Trump’s comments that mediators were active but nothing had been finalized to end the conflict.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Citing fallout from Iran war, World Bank cuts forecast for global economic growth
  
  
• Where Trump has lost support with independents, according to AP-NORC polling
  
  
• Trump nominates US Attorney Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence
  
  
• US puts up $750K to evacuate an American who was aboard hantavirus cruise ship from remote island
  
  
• Opening of Canada-US bridge that Trump threatened to block is delayed over unresolved ‘issues’
  
  
• FISA spy powers are almost certain to expire after Congress fails to act
  
  
• Trump administration identifies ‘super-sponsors’ of migrant children in a possible prosecution tack
  
  
• Melania Trump unveils a spinoff of Trump Accounts for children in foster care
  
  
• Kennedy Center board seeks pause of ruling ordering removal of Trump’s name by Friday deadline
  
  
• Lights! Camera! Cage match! The White House lawn’s Octagon is ready for Trump’s 80th birthday bash
  
  
• WATCH: Previews of the upcoming UFC spectacle

WORLD NEWS

El Nino is here and scientists fear it’ll be big, bad and costly, with heat, floods, droughts, fires

Meteorologists announced Thursday the El Nino has formed. It is a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe, and it’s expected to grow to historic strength. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires. 
  
  

• Several climate scientists forecast that 2027 will be the hottest year on record because of lagging effects of this El Nino, which is expected to peak in the fall or winter.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Extreme weather can whip up anxiety. A safety plan can help
  
  
• Here’s how to avoid heat-related illnesses and stay cool this summer
  
  
• Tornadoes pummel communities outside Chicago, tearing up homes and toppling power poles
  
  
• Climate change makes once-rare coastal floods more likely, study says
   
• Wildfires are making the US smoggy again, reversing progress on cleaner air, study finds

US NEWS

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is about to make its debut on Wall Street

Investors are expected to gobble up the 555.6 million shares going up for sale at $135 apiece. Elon Musk, already the world's richest man, could become its first trillionaire. Read more.

Why this matters:

• SpaceX is likely to become the biggest IPO ever, with proceeds of around $75 billion. SpaceX hopes to become the first company to send people to Mars. In fact, part of Musk’s future compensation depends on SpaceX eventually establishing a colony of at least 1 million people on the red planet.