Morning Digest
35 stories from 7 sources, 20 more held back.
Hunter Biden gives me hope, ICE gets new torture devices, and Democrats finally have plans for the Supreme Court. First, to everyone who subscribes and keeps this thing running: thank you. You’re the reason we don’t have a billionaire’s thumb on the scale.
I do agree that the public has a negative view of AI (and that this is a big problem), but I don’t think it is primarily caused by me or any other AI leader warning about AI’s risks. I think it is fundamentally a crisis of trust. I think that ordinary people don’t trust companies, governments, or the tech industry and always suspect that we are cooking up some new way to screw them over.
I built this today (with GPT-5.6-Sol xhigh) to help test Qwen 3.8 27B running in LM Studio on both my M5 MacBook Pro and an NVIDIA DGX Spark. It provides a web UI for exercising an OpenAI-Responses-compatible chat endpoint. I've tried it against LM Studio with the --cors option and OpenRouter, and both work fine.
John died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, the New York Yankees said in a statement Sunday. A cause of death was not given, but he had been in hospice and had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years.
CARDIFF, Wales -- Matches between these two usually end up with Manchester City putting Arsenal in their place. The Gunners' 3-0 win in the Community Shield was the sort of schooling they had often been on the receiving end of: this was just their third win from 14 matches against the team that has become their bitter rivals at the top end of the game.
The pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev, added a jewel to his crown Saturday, cruising past Ian Machado Garry with a five-round unanimous decision victory in the main event at UFC 330. In the crowd, a pair of potential opponents for the next title shot were watching it all go down.
Mariota sprained his medial collateral ligament in the first quarter of Friday's 20-7 preseason-opening win over the Miami Dolphins and will miss the final two exhibition games. He was unlikely to play in the Aug. 28 preseason finale at Baltimore but would have played in Saturday's game at Detroit.
McVay discussed Donald's status after Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, saying he wants to give Donald as much time and space as possible to have "clarity." "He's put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no," McVay told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I think he's earned that right to have clarity on that.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced Saturday that Skenes, who initially was slated to pitch Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, instead will start Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Kelly stressed that the move was not injury-related, while Skenes indicated he supported the manager's decision.
Zhou launched his long drive on the 598-yard par-5 fifth hole at Great Northern in Kerteminde, Denmark. According to the DP World Tour's official website, Zhou's shot sailed right of the fairway on the downhill hole, which has a long cart path on its right side.
The 41-year-old, whose Al Nassr contract runs until June 2027, has previously acknowledged that retirement is approaching but has always stopped short of setting a definitive timeline for the end of his playing career. However, speaking to Vogue in an interview published Sunday, Ronaldo said: "This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy."
PROVO, Utah -- When Kalani Sitake sees another coach, he simply can't stop himself. Sitake, the BYU coach entering his 11th season at his alma mater, will beeline for his colleagues, usually with outstretched arms. He welcomes any opportunity to interact with other coaches, regardless of the stakes.
The Premier League window will open Monday, sparking a flurry of transfer activity and big spending across Europe before the rest do the same around July 1. Clubs will be looking out for the best available players and, to help set the scene, we've split them up into positions and ranked them.
It has been 2½ weeks since The Times of London broke the story that FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed to spin off the organization's commercial arm and sell a chunk of it to outside investors, led by Josh Kushner, through the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As someone who's been tasked with developing plans to ruin days for opposing quarterbacks, Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh -- a former defensive coordinator -- is well aware of when they're most effective. He saw firsthand in his previous stop as a head coach with the New York Jets how much the team relies on a quarterback playing well.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and the NFL:. With this in mind, here are five players whose performances appear to have them ascending -- or at least worthy of closer evaluation in their quest to earn a role on the team:.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is the subject of renewed interest from Liverpool, while AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit is on the radar of Real Madrid. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe. Transfers home page | Men's summer grades | Women's grades.
Islam Makhachev now holds the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history at 17, which automatically bumps him up among the greatest of all time. The onetime lightweight king defended his welterweight belt for the first time at UFC 330 on Saturday, defeating Ian Machado Garry handily.
Pallister was swimming under world-record pace for much of the race and touched in 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds to erase Ledecky's championship record from 2018. Ledecky took silver in 8:07.26. Ledecky is the four-time Olympic champion in her signature event.
Makhachev (29-1) extended his win streak to 17 with a unanimous decision over Ian Machado Garry (17-2) inside Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The five-round bout was competitive throughout, but Makhachev's tenacious wrestling and a stunning head kick knockdown in the second round proved to be the difference.
Someone in the U.S. experiences a stroke every 40 seconds. For many survivors, the rehabilitation journey is extremely long and defined by physical limitations, inconsistent access to therapy, and the challenge of rebuilding neural pathways that have been disrupted or damaged. A new generation of technology that is revolutionizing stroke recovery is now augmenting traditional therapies.
Israel wants ChatGPT to push its Gaza narrative – Politico. Israel has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost its image in the US by seeking to influence how AI platforms portray the country, Politico has reported.
Germany’s governing CDU/CSU bloc has fallen to its lowest level of support in almost five years, trailing the opposition AfD by eight points, according to an INSA poll published by Bild. Approval ratings for Merz’s coalition, comprising the Christian Democratic CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party, have declined steadily since it took office in May 2025.
Local police are investigating a shooting at Charles Young Park that killed one person and injured four others in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday evening. A 4-year-old, a 14-year-old and two adults were taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, local police chief Lawrence Weathers said. The person who was killed was not immediately identified.
Luigi Mangione has admitted to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges. The 28-year-old entered the plea before US District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan on Friday, according to the Department of Justice. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for December 18.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday called on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to formally end the Korean War, which has remained unresolved for more than 70 years. The two countries have technically continued to be at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Saudi Arabia launches maritime coalition amid escalation in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has announced the formal launch of a multinational maritime defense coalition aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as escalating hostilities with Yemen’s Houthis threaten one of the world’s most important trade routes.
US-based tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have rekindled their friendship after falling out last year, with Musk preparing a major donation to Republicans for the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people who accompanied the two to China.
All season long, baseball fans can watch Minor League Baseball games for free on the Bally Sports Live app or at BallySports.com. Fans may also purchase an MLB+ subscription, which includes access to MiLB games live and on demand, live MLB audio for all 30 teams, MLB Network, and MLB Big Inning.
Joshua Báez had an MLB debut for the ages on Saturday, when the Cardinals rookie became the first player ever to launch three homers in his first big league game. He'll get a chance to show what he can do for an encore today as St. Louis goes for a series win against the rival Cubs at 3:15 p.m.
You know what they say: A division isn’t won in April. Sure, sometimes the team atop the standings in April does end up capturing the division crown, but a lot can change over the course of a baseball season -- and even over the course of the final two months.
CHICAGO -- Cubs starter Matthew Boyd watched plenty of video of Joshua Báez before the Cardinals rookie stepped into the batter’s box at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon. Boyd studied his strengths and weak spots, coming up with a game plan for facing the highly touted slugger. Boyd will now be studying up on what just happened.
CHICAGO -- The Cubs and Cardinals have one of the oldest rivalries in all of sports -- one that is filled with heroes and villains and a long list of classic games and historic moments. St. Louis rookie Joshua Báez stepped into the rivalry for the first time on Saturday and quickly added his name to the lore.
Matt Shaw, slotted as the Cubs super-utility man this season, may be nearing a return from a sprained left hand that’s sidelined him since June 28. “I think we’re basically at a point where we’re considering a rehab assignment very soon, manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday’s 8-4 loss to St. Louis. At Triple-A Iowa maybe this week?
Cubs ace left-hander Matthew Boyd came into Saturday’s game against St. Louis on a roll. Cardinals left fielder Joshua Báez, making his major-league debut, slammed the brakes on it in – in historic fashion. Báez homered in his first three at-bats in the “bigs,” becoming the first player to ever do so.
Israel wants ChatGPT to push its Gaza narrative – Politico. Israel has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost its image in the US by seeking to influence how AI platforms portray the country, Politico has reported.
Germany’s governing CDU/CSU bloc has fallen to its lowest level of support in almost five years, trailing the opposition AfD by eight points, according to an INSA poll published by Bild. Approval ratings for Merz’s coalition, comprising the Christian Democratic CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party, have declined steadily since it took office in May 2025.
Local police are investigating a shooting at Charles Young Park that killed one person and injured four others in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday evening. A 4-year-old, a 14-year-old and two adults were taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, local police chief Lawrence Weathers said. The person who was killed was not immediately identified.
Luigi Mangione has admitted to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges. The 28-year-old entered the plea before US District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan on Friday, according to the Department of Justice. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for December 18.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday called on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to formally end the Korean War, which has remained unresolved for more than 70 years. The two countries have technically continued to be at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Saudi Arabia launches maritime coalition amid escalation in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has announced the formal launch of a multinational maritime defense coalition aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as escalating hostilities with Yemen’s Houthis threaten one of the world’s most important trade routes.
US-based tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have rekindled their friendship after falling out last year, with Musk preparing a major donation to Republicans for the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people who accompanied the two to China.
John died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, the New York Yankees said in a statement Sunday. A cause of death was not given, but he had been in hospice and had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years.
CARDIFF, Wales -- Matches between these two usually end up with Manchester City putting Arsenal in their place. The Gunners' 3-0 win in the Community Shield was the sort of schooling they had often been on the receiving end of: this was just their third win from 14 matches against the team that has become their bitter rivals at the top end of the game.
The pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev, added a jewel to his crown Saturday, cruising past Ian Machado Garry with a five-round unanimous decision victory in the main event at UFC 330. In the crowd, a pair of potential opponents for the next title shot were watching it all go down.
Mariota sprained his medial collateral ligament in the first quarter of Friday's 20-7 preseason-opening win over the Miami Dolphins and will miss the final two exhibition games. He was unlikely to play in the Aug. 28 preseason finale at Baltimore but would have played in Saturday's game at Detroit.
McVay discussed Donald's status after Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, saying he wants to give Donald as much time and space as possible to have "clarity." "He's put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no," McVay told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I think he's earned that right to have clarity on that.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced Saturday that Skenes, who initially was slated to pitch Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, instead will start Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Kelly stressed that the move was not injury-related, while Skenes indicated he supported the manager's decision.
Zhou launched his long drive on the 598-yard par-5 fifth hole at Great Northern in Kerteminde, Denmark. According to the DP World Tour's official website, Zhou's shot sailed right of the fairway on the downhill hole, which has a long cart path on its right side.
The 41-year-old, whose Al Nassr contract runs until June 2027, has previously acknowledged that retirement is approaching but has always stopped short of setting a definitive timeline for the end of his playing career. However, speaking to Vogue in an interview published Sunday, Ronaldo said: "This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy."
PROVO, Utah -- When Kalani Sitake sees another coach, he simply can't stop himself. Sitake, the BYU coach entering his 11th season at his alma mater, will beeline for his colleagues, usually with outstretched arms. He welcomes any opportunity to interact with other coaches, regardless of the stakes.
The Premier League window will open Monday, sparking a flurry of transfer activity and big spending across Europe before the rest do the same around July 1. Clubs will be looking out for the best available players and, to help set the scene, we've split them up into positions and ranked them.
It has been 2½ weeks since The Times of London broke the story that FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed to spin off the organization's commercial arm and sell a chunk of it to outside investors, led by Josh Kushner, through the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As someone who's been tasked with developing plans to ruin days for opposing quarterbacks, Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh -- a former defensive coordinator -- is well aware of when they're most effective. He saw firsthand in his previous stop as a head coach with the New York Jets how much the team relies on a quarterback playing well.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and the NFL:. With this in mind, here are five players whose performances appear to have them ascending -- or at least worthy of closer evaluation in their quest to earn a role on the team:.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is the subject of renewed interest from Liverpool, while AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit is on the radar of Real Madrid. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe. Transfers home page | Men's summer grades | Women's grades.
Islam Makhachev now holds the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history at 17, which automatically bumps him up among the greatest of all time. The onetime lightweight king defended his welterweight belt for the first time at UFC 330 on Saturday, defeating Ian Machado Garry handily.
Pallister was swimming under world-record pace for much of the race and touched in 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds to erase Ledecky's championship record from 2018. Ledecky took silver in 8:07.26. Ledecky is the four-time Olympic champion in her signature event.
Makhachev (29-1) extended his win streak to 17 with a unanimous decision over Ian Machado Garry (17-2) inside Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The five-round bout was competitive throughout, but Makhachev's tenacious wrestling and a stunning head kick knockdown in the second round proved to be the difference.
Hunter Biden gives me hope, ICE gets new torture devices, and Democrats finally have plans for the Supreme Court. First, to everyone who subscribes and keeps this thing running: thank you. You’re the reason we don’t have a billionaire’s thumb on the scale.
All season long, baseball fans can watch Minor League Baseball games for free on the Bally Sports Live app or at BallySports.com. Fans may also purchase an MLB+ subscription, which includes access to MiLB games live and on demand, live MLB audio for all 30 teams, MLB Network, and MLB Big Inning.
Joshua Báez had an MLB debut for the ages on Saturday, when the Cardinals rookie became the first player ever to launch three homers in his first big league game. He'll get a chance to show what he can do for an encore today as St. Louis goes for a series win against the rival Cubs at 3:15 p.m.
You know what they say: A division isn’t won in April. Sure, sometimes the team atop the standings in April does end up capturing the division crown, but a lot can change over the course of a baseball season -- and even over the course of the final two months.
CHICAGO -- Cubs starter Matthew Boyd watched plenty of video of Joshua Báez before the Cardinals rookie stepped into the batter’s box at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon. Boyd studied his strengths and weak spots, coming up with a game plan for facing the highly touted slugger. Boyd will now be studying up on what just happened.
CHICAGO -- The Cubs and Cardinals have one of the oldest rivalries in all of sports -- one that is filled with heroes and villains and a long list of classic games and historic moments. St. Louis rookie Joshua Báez stepped into the rivalry for the first time on Saturday and quickly added his name to the lore.
Matt Shaw, slotted as the Cubs super-utility man this season, may be nearing a return from a sprained left hand that’s sidelined him since June 28. “I think we’re basically at a point where we’re considering a rehab assignment very soon, manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday’s 8-4 loss to St. Louis. At Triple-A Iowa maybe this week?
Cubs ace left-hander Matthew Boyd came into Saturday’s game against St. Louis on a roll. Cardinals left fielder Joshua Báez, making his major-league debut, slammed the brakes on it in – in historic fashion. Báez homered in his first three at-bats in the “bigs,” becoming the first player to ever do so.
Someone in the U.S. experiences a stroke every 40 seconds. For many survivors, the rehabilitation journey is extremely long and defined by physical limitations, inconsistent access to therapy, and the challenge of rebuilding neural pathways that have been disrupted or damaged. A new generation of technology that is revolutionizing stroke recovery is now augmenting traditional therapies.
I do agree that the public has a negative view of AI (and that this is a big problem), but I don’t think it is primarily caused by me or any other AI leader warning about AI’s risks. I think it is fundamentally a crisis of trust. I think that ordinary people don’t trust companies, governments, or the tech industry and always suspect that we are cooking up some new way to screw them over.
I built this today (with GPT-5.6-Sol xhigh) to help test Qwen 3.8 27B running in LM Studio on both my M5 MacBook Pro and an NVIDIA DGX Spark. It provides a web UI for exercising an OpenAI-Responses-compatible chat endpoint. I've tried it against LM Studio with the --cors option and OpenRouter, and both work fine.