Morning Digest

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

35 stories from 8 sources, 56 more held back.

RT

Death penalty sought in ChatGPT-linked murder case

South Korean prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a woman accused of killing two men with drug-laced drinks after allegedly consulting ChatGPT about potentially lethal combinations and dosages. Kim So-young is accused of giving beverages spiked with benzodiazepines to three men between December 2025 and February this year. Two died, while the third survived, according to Yonhap.

RT 2:59 PM

Palestine envoy says Gaza desperately needs India’s artificial limb facility

Palestine envoy on where India’s help is ‘badly needed’. India has finalized the paperwork to start constructing a hospital in the West Bank, Palestine’s ambassador to New Delhi has said. But he added that it is Gaza that badly needs the artificial limb facility that his government has discussed with New Delhi about building.

RT 2:32 PM

Libya power crisis sparks fresh protests over blackouts

Protests broke out in western Libya, including in its capital Tripoli, on Tuesday after three widespread power outages in two days left residents without reliable electricity. Demonstrators took to streets and public squares, blocking roads and setting tires on fire.

RT 2:22 PM

Liberia joins Trump deportation drive with deal to take 1,200 migrants

Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country migrants deported from the US under a controversial agreement pushed by the Trump administration as part of its sweeping immigration crackdown. The transfers will take place over one year, with the first group of 20 due to arrive in the West African country on Thursday, Liberia’s Ministry of Information said in a statement on Tuesday.

RT 12:17 PM

Zimbabwe ferry death toll rises to 94 after Lake Kariba disaster

The death toll from last week’s ferry disaster on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba has risen to 94, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said on Tuesday. Search teams remain deployed in the area and recovery operations will continue as the authorities seek to locate any people still missing.

RT 10:35 AM

The Robot Report

ESPN

Sources: Giants agree to trade Daniel Faalele to Jaguars

Faalele had been taking second-team snaps at Giants training camp but lost his best chance at a starting role when New York drafted Francis Mauigoa with the 10th pick and planned to make him a guard. Faalele, 26, started all 17 games for now-Giants coach John Harbaugh with Baltimore each of the past two seasons.

ESPN 10:11 AM

Source: Saints RB Kamara out at least 1 month with MCL sprain

Kamara, 31, will play for the Saints in 2026 on a reworked contract that will pay him a base salary of $6 million this season with a chance to make up to $8.5 with incentives. Kamara had been set to make up to $11.5 million in base salary this season, although the Saints renegotiated his contract for salary cap purposes in early March.

ESPN 9:51 AM

12 biggest WNBA games that will determine the playoff race

Every WNBA team has 10 or fewer games left in the 2026 regular season. But with the schedule break for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16, key games that could determine playoff position are spread out over the next five weeks. Three teams -- the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces -- have clinched a playoff berth.

ESPN 8:26 AM

Manufacturing Dive

Nearly 60 members of Congress call for aluminum pricing investigation

Many regions across the world have physical premiums over the global benchmark price of aluminum. Despite its name, the Midwest Premium functions as the nationwide premium for aluminum in the U.S. market. Premiums are broadly viewed as surcharges to account for factors including regional transportation costs and tariffs.

Manufacturing Dive 10:14 AM

Raytheon gets $23B Navy contract to boost Tomahawk missile production

The seven-year contract follows a handful of agreements between Raytheon and DOD signed at the beginning of 2026, supporting the company’s yearly production rate of more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles. In January, Raytheon was awarded an additional $380.8 million for an existing contract for recertifying and upgrading Tomahawk missiles.

Manufacturing Dive 12:25 PM

New materials are key to manufacturing innovation: Z Polymers

It's easier to develop new manufacturing processes and equipment than to develop new materials for manufacturing that have unique chemical and other properties, according to Z Polymers CEO Mike Zimmerman. However, innovative materials are what really drives product development, he said. “These things have typically taken a long time.

Manufacturing Dive 12:03 PM

Cubs — MLB.com

Gausman exits after 4 1/3 innings with left hand cramp

CHICAGO – Kevin Gausman removed his glove and inspected his left hand, while Cubs manager Craig Counsell emerged from the dugout and made his way to the mound. It was the second time the veteran starter had to pause due to the issue and Counsell opted against pushing Gausman any further.

Cubs — MLB.com 2:21 AM

PCA, again! Cubs star follows up walk-off blast with another leadoff HR

CHICAGO – In the hours leading up to Tuesday night’s game, Pete Crow-Armstrong flipped his hat around backward and headed to the dugout wearing a vintage Cubs jersey and shorts. A group of kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago was waiting in the dugout. The Cubs star center fielder took a seat, chatted them up and had the group smiling and laughing as he answered an array of questions.

Cubs — MLB.com 1:12 AM

Cubs — Sun-Times

Alex Bregman gives Cubs another walk-off win over White Sox with ninth-inning base hit

Another night, another dramatic Crosstown finish at Wrigley Field. After center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong won the Cubs the series-opener with a walk-off homer in extra innings Monday, third baseman Alex Bregman delivered a two-out, walk-off single to give the Cubs a 4-3 win over the White Sox, the 13th walk-off win at the Friendly Confines this season.

Cubs — Sun-Times 11:38 PM

Dansby Swanson’s presence will be part of Cubs’ efforts to weather his absence: ‘He turns into another coach’

The Cubs will spend the next four weeks without their starting shortstop, no small thing in the middle of a playoff race. Dansby Swanson is a critical part of the Cubs’ championship puzzle, playing Gold Glove defense at one of the sport’s premier positions and, if at times quietly, providing ample offensive production. He came into Tuesday fourth on the roster with 18 home runs.

Cubs — Sun-Times 6:02 PM

Man charged with sucker-punching fan at Cubs-Sox game at Wrigley Field

The fight, which Chicago police say is not connected to an eighth-inning brawl in the stands captured in a widely shared video, happened outside a restroom as the game was wrapping up, according to court records. The 26-year-old victim told police that a man “sucker punched” him with his right fist, causing his nose to bleed, according to a police report.

Cubs — Sun-Times 3:09 PM

Raw America

Breaking: GOP Congressman Caught Committing Federal Felony on Camera

A far-right Florida congressman was just caught on video rifling through a voter’s mailbox, which is a textbook federal felony. A Republican congressman in South Carolina is turning on Donald Trump for endorsing his primary opponent, accusing the president of abandoning his MAGA base.

Raw America 11:03 PM

Breaking: Hegseth ‘On the Verge of Losing His Job’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could soon be out the door, as Donald Trump is in need of a scapegoat for the failed Iran war and desperate sailors on an aircraft carrier trying to jump overboard. Disney and ABC just filed a lawsuit against Trump’s FCC over what they say is a retaliation campaign against the network’s coverage of his administration.

Raw America 3:49 PM

Simon Willison

Mojo🔥 is now open source

Mojo🔥 is now open source (via) Mojo🔥 is now open source. The Mojo programming language has been promising an open source release since May 2023. Last week they shipped their 1.0 and today they have followed through on that original promise, releasing the compiler and toolchain under an Apache 2 license.

Simon Willison 9:39 PM