Morning Digest
25 stories from 4 sources, 58 more held back.
Bill Gates’ daughter intentionally rigged shopping app commissions – Bloomberg. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe has been accused of knowingly using a “cookie stuffing” scheme at her shopping startup that allowed the company to collect commissions for sales it did not actually generate, according to Bloomberg.
German camera maker Leica has excluded a Russian photographer from its prestigious Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) following Ukrainian criticism over his links to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency. Valery Melnikov, a three-time World Press Photo winner, said in a social media post this week that his long-term series, ‘Mariupol.
Two Russian athletes won the first and the second places in the women’s all-around on the first day of the European Gymnastics Championship underway in Croatia. World champion Angelina Melnikova scored the gold medal, while her teammate Anna Kalmykova received the silver.
Palestinian families besieged by Israeli ‘terrorists’ – US envoy (VIDEO). US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has branded Israeli settlers besieging three Palestinian families in their West Bank homes “terrorists. The days-long siege has targeted several properties, including one owned by a dual US citizen.
CIA had ‘low confidence’ in Trump assassination plot claims – WaPo. The US intelligence community doubted reports of an Iranian plot to kill President Donald Trump by shooting down Air Force One as it departed a NATO summit in Türkiye, the Washington Post has reported.
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.
Donald Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board is openly defying a federal court order by voting to close down the complex and put Trump’s name back on the building. The Trump administration could blow up a mountain in a national park in order to build a road that nobody actually needs.
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.
LOS ANGELES -- Although Shohei Ohtani's contract contains a "key man" clause that would allow him to opt out in the event Mark Walter sells his stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, a source with knowledge of the two-way star's thinking confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that he'd be unlikely to do so in that scenario.
Michael Busch delivered the Cubs' lone hit with an opposite-field bloop single to left with two outs in the seventh. The Nationals Park crowd then applauded Cavalli, who was trying to throw Washington's first no-hitter since Max Scherzer did it twice in 2015. Cavalli (10-5), who turns 28 on Friday, retired the first 15 batters before walking Dansby Swanson to open the sixth.
Cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was released by the Detroit Lions earlier this summer after being charged with multiple felonies, plans to sign with the Seahawks, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Thursday.
The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The Cowboys then used the 2027 first-rounder (plus their own second-round pick in 2026) to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at last year's trade deadline.
The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end and the pop superstar wed July 3 at Madison Square Garden in front of 1,000 guests. The festivities included a star-studded list of attendees, including Patrick Mahomes, Ed Sheeran, Wayne Gretzky and Selena Gomez. Comedian and actor Adam Sandler officiated the ceremony.
The comments came two days after a fiery, 2½-minute monologue by White during which she defended herself after some critics contended she didn't show enough support for guard Sophie Cunningham when the player took a hit across the head and neck area last weekend at Chicago. Referees upgraded the foul from a Flagrant 1 to a Flagrant 2, resulting in an ejection of Sky guard DiJonai Carrington.
LSU cornerback DJ Pickett says he has no plans to change out of the No. 5 amid pushback from 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, with the Washington Commanders quarterback saying the situation won't distract from his focus on the NFL season. "I've worn the number my whole life, since I was 4 years old," Pickett, a sophomore, said Thursday. "It's the number I was promised [by LSU].
The NBA's schedule has plenty of intrigue in January with the highly anticipated returns of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown to their respective former homes. The league released its entire schedule Thursday. Antetokounmpo visits Milwaukee for the first time with his new team Jan. 28 when the Miami Heat play at the Fiserv Forum.
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.
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.
Bill Gates’ daughter intentionally rigged shopping app commissions – Bloomberg. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe has been accused of knowingly using a “cookie stuffing” scheme at her shopping startup that allowed the company to collect commissions for sales it did not actually generate, according to Bloomberg.
German camera maker Leica has excluded a Russian photographer from its prestigious Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) following Ukrainian criticism over his links to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency. Valery Melnikov, a three-time World Press Photo winner, said in a social media post this week that his long-term series, ‘Mariupol.
Two Russian athletes won the first and the second places in the women’s all-around on the first day of the European Gymnastics Championship underway in Croatia. World champion Angelina Melnikova scored the gold medal, while her teammate Anna Kalmykova received the silver.
Palestinian families besieged by Israeli ‘terrorists’ – US envoy (VIDEO). US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has branded Israeli settlers besieging three Palestinian families in their West Bank homes “terrorists. The days-long siege has targeted several properties, including one owned by a dual US citizen.
CIA had ‘low confidence’ in Trump assassination plot claims – WaPo. The US intelligence community doubted reports of an Iranian plot to kill President Donald Trump by shooting down Air Force One as it departed a NATO summit in Türkiye, the Washington Post has reported.
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.
LOS ANGELES -- Although Shohei Ohtani's contract contains a "key man" clause that would allow him to opt out in the event Mark Walter sells his stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, a source with knowledge of the two-way star's thinking confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that he'd be unlikely to do so in that scenario.
Michael Busch delivered the Cubs' lone hit with an opposite-field bloop single to left with two outs in the seventh. The Nationals Park crowd then applauded Cavalli, who was trying to throw Washington's first no-hitter since Max Scherzer did it twice in 2015. Cavalli (10-5), who turns 28 on Friday, retired the first 15 batters before walking Dansby Swanson to open the sixth.
Cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was released by the Detroit Lions earlier this summer after being charged with multiple felonies, plans to sign with the Seahawks, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Thursday.
The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The Cowboys then used the 2027 first-rounder (plus their own second-round pick in 2026) to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at last year's trade deadline.
The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end and the pop superstar wed July 3 at Madison Square Garden in front of 1,000 guests. The festivities included a star-studded list of attendees, including Patrick Mahomes, Ed Sheeran, Wayne Gretzky and Selena Gomez. Comedian and actor Adam Sandler officiated the ceremony.
The comments came two days after a fiery, 2½-minute monologue by White during which she defended herself after some critics contended she didn't show enough support for guard Sophie Cunningham when the player took a hit across the head and neck area last weekend at Chicago. Referees upgraded the foul from a Flagrant 1 to a Flagrant 2, resulting in an ejection of Sky guard DiJonai Carrington.
LSU cornerback DJ Pickett says he has no plans to change out of the No. 5 amid pushback from 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, with the Washington Commanders quarterback saying the situation won't distract from his focus on the NFL season. "I've worn the number my whole life, since I was 4 years old," Pickett, a sophomore, said Thursday. "It's the number I was promised [by LSU].
The NBA's schedule has plenty of intrigue in January with the highly anticipated returns of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown to their respective former homes. The league released its entire schedule Thursday. Antetokounmpo visits Milwaukee for the first time with his new team Jan. 28 when the Miami Heat play at the Fiserv Forum.
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.
Donald Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board is openly defying a federal court order by voting to close down the complex and put Trump’s name back on the building. The Trump administration could blow up a mountain in a national park in order to build a road that nobody actually needs.
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.