Politics & World
Hamas Agrees to Disarm Under Peace Plan
A senior Hamas official confirmed to the BBC that the group accepted phased disarmament under President Trump’s 20-point Board of Peace plan, which also calls for Israeli troops to leave Gaza.
You’re reading the edition from Friday, July 31, 2026. Read today’s
Friday, July 31, 2026 · 4-minute read
Iran Strikes U.S. Bases, Amazon Surges 12%, and a $10 Million Ohtani Card
Hamas agrees to disarm under the peace plan, Zoox scores the first paid robotaxi approval, and a 2,700-year-old sword turns up in a Polish forest.
Need to know
Politics & World
Iran Strikes U.S. Bases in Kuwait, Bahrain
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired on American military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain on Friday, one day…
Sources: Al Jazeera, CNBC Top News, Defense News
Business
Amazon Rises 12%, Apple Falls 7% After Earnings
Amazon shares rose about 12% in premarket trading Friday on strong cloud and AI results, while Apple…
Sources: CNBC Top News, TechCrunch
$10million
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
In the know
Worth a longer read
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 TimesSubscription
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 HamzelouSubscription
- 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.
Etcetera
- A microwave trick that makes french fries crispier — with far less oil
- The 2,700-year-old sword found sticking straight up in a Polish forest
- Songbirds evolved in rare explosive bursts, AI analysis finds
- The elaborate lead tablets ancient Greeks used to curse their enemies
- He built a fake Roman amphitheater and charged tourists €40 — now he’s in jail
- Eight scientist-approved tricks for sleeping through a heatwave
- How a ball of thread (and the Minotaur) gave us the word ‘clue’
Today’s clickbait, so you don’t have toMeet Jolene, the Bald Eagle Allegedly Trying to Steal Another Eagle’s Mate
On this day · July 31
The Historybook- 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
Compiled by the Desk, not linked to a source · Report an error
Quote of the day
“Make art. Make art.”
— Glen Hansard, accepting the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Once’; the Irish singer-songwriter died Thursday at 56
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