Morning Digest
25 stories from 6 sources, 141 more held back.
South African judges stop Shell oil search. British energy giant Shell’s plan to search for oil and gas off South Africa’s Wild Coast has come to an end after the African country’s Constitutional Court set aside its exploration rights on Friday. The ruling overturns a 2024 Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision that had upheld the exploration right.
Hundreds evacuated as French wildfires spread (VIDEO). More than 500 people have been evacuated in the southwestern French department of Landes as wildfires continue to spread and threaten nearby communities. Prefect Gilles Clavreul ordered an expansion of the evacuation zone after the blaze grew to cover around 1,100 hectares, or roughly 2,700 acres, officials said on Friday.
Romania shuts down its only nuclear power plant. The only nuclear power plant in Romania has been completely shut down due to record-low Danube River levels, state-owned energy company Nuclearelectrica announced on Thursday. River water is essential for cooling many European nuclear plants, making low levels an increasing constraint on power generation.
‘Shadow fleet’ is EU fiction to justify attacks on Russian trade – Lavrov. Western governments are using the term ‘shadow fleet’ to justify what amounts to unlawful attacks on Russian maritime trade, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Countries supporting Ukraine have sought to limit Moscow’s oil revenues by imposing a price cap on Russian crude exports.
A blaze erupted at the key Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga after a Ukrainian drone strike, Leningrad Region Aleksandr Drozdenko has said. The northwestern region, which surrounds Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg, was targeted by 54 UAVs overnight, Drozdenko wrote in a post on Telegram on Friday morning. The fire at the port of Ust-Luga was extinguished after several hours.
India has expanded a pilot scheme that uses Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to transfer welfare payments to two federally administered territories, as it races ahead with testing the digital rupee among a wider audience. The digital rupee for direct-benefit-transfers initiative was launched in the Union Territories of Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Friday.
It's crowded at the top of the leaderboard, with Michael Thorbjornsen, Jordan Spieth, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim finishing at 5 under. Seven other players are just a shot behind them, including Sam Burns and Tommy Fleetwood. Will any of these contenders pull away heading into the weekend?
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Harbaugh was admittedly nervous. He couldn't wait to address the New York Giants for the first time. It had been 77 days since he was hired as their coach.
Legendary LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman, who transformed the Tigers into a national powerhouse and later worked as the school's athletic director, died early Friday morning, the school announced. After taking over LSU's baseball program in 1984, Bertman guided the Tigers to the Men's College World Series 11 times, winning national championships in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
Ten years after legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt died, two of the greatest players in Lady Vols history -- Candace Parker and Chamique Holdsclaw -- will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. "I know Pat's smiling down that we're going to walk in together," Parker said in June at her Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction.
This year's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class is dominated by the WNBA: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw will don the coveted orange jackets during Friday's enshrinement ceremony, while six-time All-Star and 14-year veteran Amar'e Stoudemire will be the only NBA player inductee. Looking ahead, the NBA should boast deeper Hall of Fame classes over the next three years.
The company just previewed the long-awaited fruits of its Cerebras partnership, with a new ‘Ultrafast’ tier that pushes GPT-5.6 Sol to as much as 14x its normal speed — with results so fast that one OAI staffer said it feels like “genuinely cheating at my job.”
WASHINGTON -- As Michael Busch slowed down at first base in the seventh inning on Thursday, cheers began to fill Nationals Park. They were both out of respect for Nationals righty Cade Cavalli’s bid at history, but also mixed with the Cubs fans on hand who were happy to see it end.
The prospect landscape has changed a lot since we launched our first 2026 Top 100 back in January. After the Draft, a Trade Deadline and the bulk of the 2026 season, we figured it was time to update our rankings. And it’s not just a new Top 100 we’re unveiling.
Expected return: August/September. Status: Shaw has increased volume/intensity with his swinging and is nearing hitting off a high-velocity machine. If things go well over Aug. 14-16 weekend at Wrigley, a Minor League rehab assignment could be next.
This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON – Alex Bregman was deep down a rabbit hole of video archives during the Cubs’ off-day on Monday night, comparing clips from different points in this season to other moments throughout his career. That included pulling up footage from a decade ago before he even reached the Majors. “I mean, we were watching Corpus Christi, Double-A video,” Bregman said.
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.
WASHINGTON — It couldn’t have been too happy of a flight home for the Cubs after a shutout loss Thursday in the nation’s capital. But a look at the standings ought to have them feeling all right. They woke up Thursday just three games back of the division lead in the NL Central, having taken advantage of the rival Brewers getting swept this week in San Diego.
WASHINGTON — It’s been more than a month since the big 250th-anniversary celebration in the nation’s capital. But the Cubs and Nationals still provided plenty of fireworks in this week’s battle between the two highest-scoring teams in baseball.
The Cubs’ series this weekend against the Cardinals is one of those that the national networks take over. Apple TV will carry the game Friday, and ABC has the game Sunday. But if it were up to Cubs analyst Jim Deshaies, that Friday game would be on Marquee Sports Network.
You know what the White Sox-Cubs series next week needs? As recently as the late aughts, Cubs manager Lou Piniella and Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen appeared in a Chevy commercial around the time of the crosstown series, rapping to their heart’s content. Guillen: “I’m a South Side guy.”
WASHINGTON – The way Alex Bregman’s season has gone, each productive day at the plate is cautiously described as “a step in the right direction.” Those steps are adding up, none more “right” than the three-homer, seven-RBI game he had in Wednesday’s 12-6 Cubs win over the Nationals.
South African judges stop Shell oil search. British energy giant Shell’s plan to search for oil and gas off South Africa’s Wild Coast has come to an end after the African country’s Constitutional Court set aside its exploration rights on Friday. The ruling overturns a 2024 Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision that had upheld the exploration right.
Hundreds evacuated as French wildfires spread (VIDEO). More than 500 people have been evacuated in the southwestern French department of Landes as wildfires continue to spread and threaten nearby communities. Prefect Gilles Clavreul ordered an expansion of the evacuation zone after the blaze grew to cover around 1,100 hectares, or roughly 2,700 acres, officials said on Friday.
Romania shuts down its only nuclear power plant. The only nuclear power plant in Romania has been completely shut down due to record-low Danube River levels, state-owned energy company Nuclearelectrica announced on Thursday. River water is essential for cooling many European nuclear plants, making low levels an increasing constraint on power generation.
‘Shadow fleet’ is EU fiction to justify attacks on Russian trade – Lavrov. Western governments are using the term ‘shadow fleet’ to justify what amounts to unlawful attacks on Russian maritime trade, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Countries supporting Ukraine have sought to limit Moscow’s oil revenues by imposing a price cap on Russian crude exports.
A blaze erupted at the key Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga after a Ukrainian drone strike, Leningrad Region Aleksandr Drozdenko has said. The northwestern region, which surrounds Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg, was targeted by 54 UAVs overnight, Drozdenko wrote in a post on Telegram on Friday morning. The fire at the port of Ust-Luga was extinguished after several hours.
India has expanded a pilot scheme that uses Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to transfer welfare payments to two federally administered territories, as it races ahead with testing the digital rupee among a wider audience. The digital rupee for direct-benefit-transfers initiative was launched in the Union Territories of Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Friday.
It's crowded at the top of the leaderboard, with Michael Thorbjornsen, Jordan Spieth, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim finishing at 5 under. Seven other players are just a shot behind them, including Sam Burns and Tommy Fleetwood. Will any of these contenders pull away heading into the weekend?
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Harbaugh was admittedly nervous. He couldn't wait to address the New York Giants for the first time. It had been 77 days since he was hired as their coach.
Legendary LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman, who transformed the Tigers into a national powerhouse and later worked as the school's athletic director, died early Friday morning, the school announced. After taking over LSU's baseball program in 1984, Bertman guided the Tigers to the Men's College World Series 11 times, winning national championships in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
Ten years after legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt died, two of the greatest players in Lady Vols history -- Candace Parker and Chamique Holdsclaw -- will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. "I know Pat's smiling down that we're going to walk in together," Parker said in June at her Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction.
This year's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class is dominated by the WNBA: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw will don the coveted orange jackets during Friday's enshrinement ceremony, while six-time All-Star and 14-year veteran Amar'e Stoudemire will be the only NBA player inductee. Looking ahead, the NBA should boast deeper Hall of Fame classes over the next three years.
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.
WASHINGTON -- As Michael Busch slowed down at first base in the seventh inning on Thursday, cheers began to fill Nationals Park. They were both out of respect for Nationals righty Cade Cavalli’s bid at history, but also mixed with the Cubs fans on hand who were happy to see it end.
The prospect landscape has changed a lot since we launched our first 2026 Top 100 back in January. After the Draft, a Trade Deadline and the bulk of the 2026 season, we figured it was time to update our rankings. And it’s not just a new Top 100 we’re unveiling.
Expected return: August/September. Status: Shaw has increased volume/intensity with his swinging and is nearing hitting off a high-velocity machine. If things go well over Aug. 14-16 weekend at Wrigley, a Minor League rehab assignment could be next.
This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON – Alex Bregman was deep down a rabbit hole of video archives during the Cubs’ off-day on Monday night, comparing clips from different points in this season to other moments throughout his career. That included pulling up footage from a decade ago before he even reached the Majors. “I mean, we were watching Corpus Christi, Double-A video,” Bregman said.
WASHINGTON — It couldn’t have been too happy of a flight home for the Cubs after a shutout loss Thursday in the nation’s capital. But a look at the standings ought to have them feeling all right. They woke up Thursday just three games back of the division lead in the NL Central, having taken advantage of the rival Brewers getting swept this week in San Diego.
WASHINGTON — It’s been more than a month since the big 250th-anniversary celebration in the nation’s capital. But the Cubs and Nationals still provided plenty of fireworks in this week’s battle between the two highest-scoring teams in baseball.
The Cubs’ series this weekend against the Cardinals is one of those that the national networks take over. Apple TV will carry the game Friday, and ABC has the game Sunday. But if it were up to Cubs analyst Jim Deshaies, that Friday game would be on Marquee Sports Network.
You know what the White Sox-Cubs series next week needs? As recently as the late aughts, Cubs manager Lou Piniella and Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen appeared in a Chevy commercial around the time of the crosstown series, rapping to their heart’s content. Guillen: “I’m a South Side guy.”
WASHINGTON – The way Alex Bregman’s season has gone, each productive day at the plate is cautiously described as “a step in the right direction.” Those steps are adding up, none more “right” than the three-homer, seven-RBI game he had in Wednesday’s 12-6 Cubs win over the Nationals.
The company just previewed the long-awaited fruits of its Cerebras partnership, with a new ‘Ultrafast’ tier that pushes GPT-5.6 Sol to as much as 14x its normal speed — with results so fast that one OAI staffer said it feels like “genuinely cheating at my job.”