The Friday, July 31, 2026 Edition
Iran Strikes U.S. Bases, Amazon Surges 12%, and a $10 Million Ohtani Card
4 min read
Science & Technology
$10 million
The instant valuation of a one-of-one Shohei Ohtani card with a dual gold logoman autograph, pulled by a customer at a Florida card shop. That makes it the most valuable baseball card ever.
Source: Bleacher Report
Starting Saturday: Stonehenge's August lottery begins, with a winning ticket drawn almost every day granting one visitor private access inside the stone circle before the site opens.
Monday: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' plays its opening weekend after Thursday previews put it on track to top 'No Way Home's' $50 million U.S. preview record.
This weekend: MLB's trade deadline arrives Monday, Aug. 3, with Tarik Skubal talks intensifying and the Dodgers and Cubs as leading suitors.
- 1790Samuel Hopkins receives the first US patent, for a potash-making process
- 1954An Italian expedition completes the first ascent of K2, the world's second-highest peak
- 1964NASA's Ranger 7 transmits the first close-up photographs of the Moon
- 1971Apollo 15 astronauts take the first drive on the Moon in a lunar rover
Chinese Military Researchers Used US AI Models to Train Defense Systems
How Chinese military researchers used US AI models to train defense systems, raising fresh questions about export controls on the technology.
Reuters · Eduardo Baptista
How Leopold Aschenbrenner, the 'Golden Child' of the AI Trade, Was Laid Low
How Leopold Aschenbrenner, the 'golden child' of the AI trade, was laid low. (Read, paywall)
Financial Times$ Subscription
Montana's Plan to Become an Experimental Medical Hub Just Pushed Forward
How Montana's plan to become a hub for experimental medical treatments just moved a step closer to reality.
MIT Tech Review · Jessica Hamzelou$ Subscription
Get The Morning Brief free, every morning.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.