Morning Digest
25 stories from 4 sources, 45 more held back.
Released in early August, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s latest white paper signals that Tokyo, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is converting years of incremental modernization into a more integrated and far-reaching national-security architecture – one that is altering the strategic landscape along China’s eastern periphery.
The US military lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, or a quarter of its entire supply of the reconnaissance craft, during its war on Iran, the Washington Post has reported. The loss cost the US taxpayer an estimated $1.3 billion. The loss figures were revealed by the Washington Post on Thursday, citing three unnamed US officials.
France’s ambassador to the Central African Republic has been disciplined for sexual misconduct with around 30 local women at his official residence in Bangui, according to French media. Ambassador Bruno Foucher brought around 30 women between the ages of 20 and 30 into his residence between January 2024 and March 2026, French magazine Le Canard Enchaine reported on Wednesday.
Collapsing ceilings, asbestos, and holes in walls: Pentagon watchdog sounds alarm over condition of US bases in Pacific. US military installations across the Pacific are in an alarming state of decay, a new Pentagon inspector general’s report has found, calling for “immediate attention” to fix crumbling infrastructure.
Castro at 100: WATCH the story of Cuba’s revolutionary leader. Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who ruled Cuba for nearly five decades, was one of the defining figures of the Cold War, defying successive US administrations and surviving hundreds of reported assassination attempts.
Vladimir Zelensky has made an unusually specific claim about what Ukraine needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.
The defense team of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September, has argued that the defendant should be spared the death penalty, as he only “hit the intended target. The defense attorneys insist that the prosecution has been unable to prove the alleged shooter put other people’s lives at risk, thus committing aggravated murder.
Iran can fight on for years to defeat US – senior IRGC commander. Iran can stay in the fight in a prolonged armed conflict with the US, even if it lasts the rest of Donald Trump’s term in office, a senior Iranian general has said.
The US State Department reportedly ordered Israel to stick to its word and pull its troops out of Lebanon after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his forces were “here to stay” in the south of the country.
Spain will not discuss the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said after Rabat publicly renewed its claim to the North African enclaves. The exchange comes nearly two weeks after tens of thousands of people crossed the border of Ceuta in an unprecedented influx that overwhelmed the city.
German opposition slams spy agency ‘revolution’. A sweeping overhaul of Germany’s intelligence services proposed by the government could infringe on police powers in violation of constitutional safeguards, opposition politicians have warned.
An exclusive report by Raw America White House reporter Brian Karem. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., August 7, 2026. President Donald Trump’s secret ploy to escape an Iranian missile attack is drawing fire from both a former White House press secretary and even senior members of his own White House staff, Raw America can reveal.
Senate Republicans are loudly warning Trump that voters are exhausted with his endless war in Iran as gas prices become a real problem for the GOP heading into the midterms. CNN employees are pushing back on MAGA billionaire David Ellison’s plan for an “independent” editorial board, calling it a toothless PR move.
Trump’s company is selling paying customers early access to his official posts. Now, a new lawsuit claims that’s unconstitutional. Sailors on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln have reportedly tried to jump overboard as Trump’s Iran war drags on with no end in sight.
The regular season begins on Oct. 20 with a triple-header. The Boston Celtics will face the Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock) before the Philadelphia 76ers head to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks (7 p.m.
A source told EPSN the transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days, with Torres due to fly to Paris to complete a medical exam before signing for the French side. ESPN revealed earlier this week that Barça had rejected an opening offer of €40m from PSG but that negotiations remained ongoing.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears will not change their name if they build a stadium across state lines in Indiana. During his annual address at training camp on Thursday, chairman George H. McCaskey said the team will not be renamed the "Hammond" Bears if they break ground on a fixed-roof stadium some 30 minutes southeast of Solider Field.
Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck won't play in Thursday night's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a rib injury sustained in last Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The injury is not considered serious, the source told Rapoport. A team source told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss that there is "zero long-term worry" about the injury.
Busch died in May at the age of 41 due to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Busch's widow, Samantha, announced on social media Thursday that Gibbs would drive in the classic M&M's paint scheme on "one of Kyle's favorite tracks." "Going back without him will be heartbreaking.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who has missed 14 games with a right hip impingement, has been activated off the injured list prior to the Field of Dreams game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night in Iowa.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady said that he is planning on everyone who is healthy playing in Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. That includes quarterback Josh Allen. "Things can change after today's practice, but right now, everybody that's healthy is going to be playing out there on Saturday," Brady said Thursday.
It feels like just yesterday that Arsenal were lifting the Premier League trophy, ending their 22-year drought. Since then, we had a memorable World Cup (for both good and bad reasons), along with a ton of transactions from PL clubs as they continue to flex their financial might. This upcoming season could be chock-full of excitement.
The dust-up started during team drills Thursday when Ojomo took exception to a late shove by Johnson and squared up, looking ready to fight. The coaches decided to keep both players in for the next play. Tempers flared as Johnson blocked Ojomo to the ground and then landed on him with his full weight.
Hours after the procedure to repair the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Pearsall took to Instagram to post a series of photos of him surrounded by family and Bible verses along with a message about what's to come. "Now it's time," Pearsall wrote. "Time to completely shift my mind.
Calling Grok a frontier model might have sounded ridiculous a year ago, but SpaceXAI’s latest model is paving a trajectory that likely doesn’t have rivals laughing anymore.
Released in early August, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s latest white paper signals that Tokyo, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is converting years of incremental modernization into a more integrated and far-reaching national-security architecture – one that is altering the strategic landscape along China’s eastern periphery.
The US military lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, or a quarter of its entire supply of the reconnaissance craft, during its war on Iran, the Washington Post has reported. The loss cost the US taxpayer an estimated $1.3 billion. The loss figures were revealed by the Washington Post on Thursday, citing three unnamed US officials.
France’s ambassador to the Central African Republic has been disciplined for sexual misconduct with around 30 local women at his official residence in Bangui, according to French media. Ambassador Bruno Foucher brought around 30 women between the ages of 20 and 30 into his residence between January 2024 and March 2026, French magazine Le Canard Enchaine reported on Wednesday.
Collapsing ceilings, asbestos, and holes in walls: Pentagon watchdog sounds alarm over condition of US bases in Pacific. US military installations across the Pacific are in an alarming state of decay, a new Pentagon inspector general’s report has found, calling for “immediate attention” to fix crumbling infrastructure.
Castro at 100: WATCH the story of Cuba’s revolutionary leader. Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who ruled Cuba for nearly five decades, was one of the defining figures of the Cold War, defying successive US administrations and surviving hundreds of reported assassination attempts.
Vladimir Zelensky has made an unusually specific claim about what Ukraine needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.
The defense team of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September, has argued that the defendant should be spared the death penalty, as he only “hit the intended target. The defense attorneys insist that the prosecution has been unable to prove the alleged shooter put other people’s lives at risk, thus committing aggravated murder.
Iran can fight on for years to defeat US – senior IRGC commander. Iran can stay in the fight in a prolonged armed conflict with the US, even if it lasts the rest of Donald Trump’s term in office, a senior Iranian general has said.
The US State Department reportedly ordered Israel to stick to its word and pull its troops out of Lebanon after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his forces were “here to stay” in the south of the country.
Spain will not discuss the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said after Rabat publicly renewed its claim to the North African enclaves. The exchange comes nearly two weeks after tens of thousands of people crossed the border of Ceuta in an unprecedented influx that overwhelmed the city.
German opposition slams spy agency ‘revolution’. A sweeping overhaul of Germany’s intelligence services proposed by the government could infringe on police powers in violation of constitutional safeguards, opposition politicians have warned.
The regular season begins on Oct. 20 with a triple-header. The Boston Celtics will face the Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock) before the Philadelphia 76ers head to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks (7 p.m.
A source told EPSN the transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days, with Torres due to fly to Paris to complete a medical exam before signing for the French side. ESPN revealed earlier this week that Barça had rejected an opening offer of €40m from PSG but that negotiations remained ongoing.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears will not change their name if they build a stadium across state lines in Indiana. During his annual address at training camp on Thursday, chairman George H. McCaskey said the team will not be renamed the "Hammond" Bears if they break ground on a fixed-roof stadium some 30 minutes southeast of Solider Field.
Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck won't play in Thursday night's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a rib injury sustained in last Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The injury is not considered serious, the source told Rapoport. A team source told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss that there is "zero long-term worry" about the injury.
Busch died in May at the age of 41 due to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Busch's widow, Samantha, announced on social media Thursday that Gibbs would drive in the classic M&M's paint scheme on "one of Kyle's favorite tracks." "Going back without him will be heartbreaking.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who has missed 14 games with a right hip impingement, has been activated off the injured list prior to the Field of Dreams game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night in Iowa.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady said that he is planning on everyone who is healthy playing in Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. That includes quarterback Josh Allen. "Things can change after today's practice, but right now, everybody that's healthy is going to be playing out there on Saturday," Brady said Thursday.
It feels like just yesterday that Arsenal were lifting the Premier League trophy, ending their 22-year drought. Since then, we had a memorable World Cup (for both good and bad reasons), along with a ton of transactions from PL clubs as they continue to flex their financial might. This upcoming season could be chock-full of excitement.
The dust-up started during team drills Thursday when Ojomo took exception to a late shove by Johnson and squared up, looking ready to fight. The coaches decided to keep both players in for the next play. Tempers flared as Johnson blocked Ojomo to the ground and then landed on him with his full weight.
Hours after the procedure to repair the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Pearsall took to Instagram to post a series of photos of him surrounded by family and Bible verses along with a message about what's to come. "Now it's time," Pearsall wrote. "Time to completely shift my mind.
An exclusive report by Raw America White House reporter Brian Karem. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., August 7, 2026. President Donald Trump’s secret ploy to escape an Iranian missile attack is drawing fire from both a former White House press secretary and even senior members of his own White House staff, Raw America can reveal.
Senate Republicans are loudly warning Trump that voters are exhausted with his endless war in Iran as gas prices become a real problem for the GOP heading into the midterms. CNN employees are pushing back on MAGA billionaire David Ellison’s plan for an “independent” editorial board, calling it a toothless PR move.
Trump’s company is selling paying customers early access to his official posts. Now, a new lawsuit claims that’s unconstitutional. Sailors on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln have reportedly tried to jump overboard as Trump’s Iran war drags on with no end in sight.
Calling Grok a frontier model might have sounded ridiculous a year ago, but SpaceXAI’s latest model is paving a trajectory that likely doesn’t have rivals laughing anymore.