Morning Digest
25 stories from 6 sources, 143 more held back.
‘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.
Mali’s transitional leader, General Assimi Goita, has granted a presidential pardon to French national Yann Christian Bernard Vezilier, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence for undermining the West African country’s security. The Malian government announced the move in a decree issued on Thursday, saying it requires Vezilier’s “immediate removal” from the West African country.
Russia strikes Ukrainian Danube port rail hub – MOD. Russian forces have struck a railway hub at the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday, as Russia continues to target logistics networks in Ukraine’s Odessa Region.
Russia will destroy Western support for Kiev’s war machine – Lavrov. Russia will intensify its military campaign in Ukraine and seek to destroy every element used by the West to sustain Kiev’s war effort, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The top diplomat was commenting on actions by Ukraine and its Western supporters that they claim are intended to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations.
Ole Miss had just wrapped spring practice last year, and Lane Kiffin was feeling unsettled, so he called fellow SEC coach Kirby Smart to vent. "I think we stink," Kiffin told Smart.
We're only a couple of weeks away from the beginning of the 2026 college football season, and I'm pretty excited. We get to watch a lot of high-end prospects headed to the 2027 NFL draft class. But which colleges should NFL draft fans focus on when they turn their TVs on every Saturday?
It's the final week of the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League season, and Saturday also marks the inaugural WLL championship as the Charm and Palms face off for the ultimate prize. The host Waterdogs will play both Saturday and Sunday, with playoff positioning yet to be determined in both the East and West.
The 2026 World Cup saw plenty of new laws and directives, many of which were designed to speed up each match and improve fan experience both on TV and in stadiums. With the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season just days away, which World Cup changes will be carried over when Arsenal host Coventry City in the league opener? More importantly, are they going to work?
High-profile figures from the basketball world joined with Don Nelson's family for a celebration of life Thursday at a Dallas church to honor the second-winningest coach in NBA history, who died Sunday at the age of 86. Among those to speak at the service was Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash, who was coached by Nelson with the Dallas Mavericks for six seasons.
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.
‘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.
Mali’s transitional leader, General Assimi Goita, has granted a presidential pardon to French national Yann Christian Bernard Vezilier, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence for undermining the West African country’s security. The Malian government announced the move in a decree issued on Thursday, saying it requires Vezilier’s “immediate removal” from the West African country.
Russia strikes Ukrainian Danube port rail hub – MOD. Russian forces have struck a railway hub at the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday, as Russia continues to target logistics networks in Ukraine’s Odessa Region.
Russia will destroy Western support for Kiev’s war machine – Lavrov. Russia will intensify its military campaign in Ukraine and seek to destroy every element used by the West to sustain Kiev’s war effort, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The top diplomat was commenting on actions by Ukraine and its Western supporters that they claim are intended to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations.
Ole Miss had just wrapped spring practice last year, and Lane Kiffin was feeling unsettled, so he called fellow SEC coach Kirby Smart to vent. "I think we stink," Kiffin told Smart.
We're only a couple of weeks away from the beginning of the 2026 college football season, and I'm pretty excited. We get to watch a lot of high-end prospects headed to the 2027 NFL draft class. But which colleges should NFL draft fans focus on when they turn their TVs on every Saturday?
It's the final week of the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League season, and Saturday also marks the inaugural WLL championship as the Charm and Palms face off for the ultimate prize. The host Waterdogs will play both Saturday and Sunday, with playoff positioning yet to be determined in both the East and West.
The 2026 World Cup saw plenty of new laws and directives, many of which were designed to speed up each match and improve fan experience both on TV and in stadiums. With the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season just days away, which World Cup changes will be carried over when Arsenal host Coventry City in the league opener? More importantly, are they going to work?
High-profile figures from the basketball world joined with Don Nelson's family for a celebration of life Thursday at a Dallas church to honor the second-winningest coach in NBA history, who died Sunday at the age of 86. Among those to speak at the service was Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash, who was coached by Nelson with the Dallas Mavericks for six seasons.
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.”