Plus: Everything that makes the World Cup worth watching and more.

Each week, a different Vox editor curates their favorite work that Vox has published across text, audio, and video. This week’s recommendations are brought to you by Bill Carey, managing editor, Audience & Membership for Vox.

I am writing this newsletter from the Jacksonville airport, a place I’d never been to, and a place (with all due respect to Jacksonville) in which I do not wish to spend hours of my week. Weather-induced travel chaos transformed my easy direct flight from LaGuardia to O’Hare into an odyssey: hours of delay; a flight cancellation; a Lyft to Newark; four hours of sleep at a hastily booked hotel; and, ultimately, an early morning connection through Florida. (I wrote this too soon; add a diversion to Cincinnati to the list before finally making it home)

I’m choosing to look at the bright side. I’m normally catching up on Vox stories in between meetings. This unintentionally long trip has left me with uninterrupted time to read, watch, and listen to stories, and that’s been a treat. Please enjoy a few of my favorites.

—Bill Carey, Vox's managing editor for Audience and Membership

TOP PICKS THIS WEEK

📹 How the war in Iran could end affordable air travel

I’ll start with one more piece of bad travel news: Affordable airfare is at risk. In this explainer video, Ben Stephen breaks down how the Iran War has led to sky-high jet fuel costs — and how that might result in a permanent end to cheap flights, even if the war ends and fuel costs drop.

Sunscreen is about to change dramatically for the better — just in time for summer

The US just got its first new sunscreen in 30 years, and the backstory is fascinating. Read along as Dylan Scott explains why it took so long for the US to approve a new sunscreen ingredient, how it finally happened, and why this new ingredient — bemotrizinol, aka BEMT — represents a step forward.

🎧 Putin's plan to live forever

Vladimir Putin has been spending billions to extend his life. But he didn’t start his country’s interest in longevity science. I learned so much from this episode of Today, Explained.

9 reasons to watch the 2026 World Cup

The World Cup kicking off was one of the lights at the end of the tunnel for me. Everything around the event — the geopolitics, the domestic politics, the ticket prices — makes it more complicated. But there’s something indescribable about watching the game at its best. Caitlin Dewey’s story on reasons to watch gets into the messiness but also touches on the magic of underdogs taking their best shot and the joy of watching stars like Leo Messi (and the “next Messi.”)

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