The Friday, June 26, 2026 Edition

›WNBA suspends Alyssa Thomas one game for hit to Caitlin Clark's throat. Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was handed a one-game suspension after making contact with her fist to Indiana's Caitlin Clark's throat during Wednesday night's game.

AP News

›DGA ratifies four-year deal with studios and streamers. The Directors Guild of America voted to approve a new four-year contract, completing a full round of Hollywood guild deals -- a sharp contrast to the industry-wide strikes of three years ago.

Deadline

›Phoebe Bridgers announces new album 'Lost Weekend,' due August 14. Bridgers unveiled her follow-up to Punisher alongside lead single 'Lost Boys,' featuring Jack Antonoff, Alex G, and her boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.

Pitchfork

›Turkey eliminates the U.S. from the World Cup on a last-second goal. After two strong group-stage performances, the United States bowed out on a last-kick winner for Turkey, ending their World Cup run in the group stage with an erratic final showing.

ESPN

›Base editing of human embryos identifies key development gene. Scientists used base editing -- a precise gene-editing technique -- on human embryos to confirm NANOG as a master regulator of early development. The result is advancing science and sharpening ethical debate over embryo research.

Nature

›Open-label placebos improved memory in older adults. Healthy older adults showed measurable gains in memory, physical performance, and stress levels after three weeks of placebo pills — even knowing the pills contained no active ingredient, a new study found.

Science Daily

›A planet's magnetic field merges with its host star's. Astronomers found a planet orbiting so close to its star that their magnetic fields directly connect. The connection causes the star's surface to brighten at specific orbital positions. First confirmed case of its kind.

Ars Technica

›White House asks OpenAI to restrict its next model release. The Trump administration asked OpenAI to limit release of its next model to government-approved partners before any public launch, citing national security concerns.

Axios

›NYC freezes rents on one million apartments. New York City's Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 to freeze regulated rents for up to two years, fulfilling a central campaign promise of Mayor Zohran Mamdani weeks into his term.

Reuters

›ON Semiconductor acquires Synaptics for $7 billion. The deal expands ON Semi's total addressable market by $30 billion. The chipmaker is positioning itself for physical AI applications in robotics and edge computing.

CNBC Top News

›John Bolton to plead guilty to mishandling classified documents. The former national security adviser will enter a guilty plea in federal court in Maryland under a plea deal, prosecutors said Friday.

Washington Examiner

›Elon Musk ordered to give deposition in vote-buying case. A federal judge ordered Musk to testify under oath in two lawsuits accusing him of defrauding swing-state voters through America PAC before the 2024 election.

The Hill

›South Korea targets 500,000 drone warriors. South Korea announced plans to train all military branches as drone operators and acquire more than 20,000 low-cost expendable drones, citing escalating weapons tests by North Korea.

The Guardian World

›Middle powers court Beijing over Washington. Xi Jinping has hosted more than a dozen heads of state in 2026. Middle-power nations are seeking alternatives to U.S.-led international arrangements as American foreign policy grows less predictable.

The Guardian World

›Sanders releases RFK Jr. vaccine pressure emails. Sen. Bernie Sanders published HHS emails he said show Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the CDC to alter its vaccine messaging -- a direct challenge to the agency's scientific independence.

The Hill

›Courts stall Trump voter fraud push. Federal courts have blocked key provisions of Trump's mail-in voting executive order. The SAVE Act remains stalled in Congress. Both setbacks are limiting the administration's election-integrity agenda ahead of November's midterms.

Axios

›Trump requests billions for Iran war costs. President Trump asked Congress to approve billions in new spending tied to military operations against Iran, a request that faces resistance from some Republican lawmakers over cost and scope.

BBC World