Politics & World
FDA Confirms First Two Deaths in Lettuce Outbreak
Federal health officials say two Michigan patients died in a cyclospora outbreak tied to recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce, and the investigation now covers 15 states.
You’re reading the edition from Thursday, August 6, 2026. Read today’s
Thursday, August 6, 2026 · 4-minute read
FDA Confirms Lettuce Deaths, Hassabis Steps Aside, and Shaq Dunks at 54
The FDA confirms the first deaths in the lettuce outbreak, Michigan Democrats pick El-Sayed, and a pygmy hippo calf debuts at the Toronto Zoo.
Need to know
Politics & World
El-Sayed Wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary
Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens 48.5 percent to 47.5 percent in Michigan’s Democratic…
Sources: Axios, The Hill, Fox News Politics
Science & Tech
Google DeepMind’s Hassabis Steps Aside, Jeff Dean Departs
Demis Hassabis is stepping aside as Google DeepMind CEO to become chair and Alphabet chief…
Sources: Ars Technica, TechCrunch, The Verge
54
Shaquille O’Neal’s age when he threw down a dunk at the Dunkman competition in a video now trending online. The Hall of Famer retired from the NBA 15 years ago.
Source: Bleacher Report
In the know
Worth a longer read
They ran tea shops and podcasts. Now they’re in the arms trade.
How tea shop owners and podcasters reinvented themselves as arms dealers amid the defense-tech gold rush.
Business Insider · Matthew Loh
The vulture capital capital: Inside private equity’s takeover of Hartford, Connecticut
Inside private equity’s takeover of Hartford, Connecticut, and what it means for the people who live there.
Fast Company · Michael Linhorst
Signal then storm: A researcher’s 50-year hunt for the source of chronic pain
How one researcher’s 50-year hunt for the source of chronic pain is reshaping what we know about suffering.
Aeon · Stephani Sutherland
- Saturday
International Cat Day arrives Saturday, August 8, with new pet-sitting data spotlighting America’s most cat-friendly cities.
- Later this season
Aaron Judge, cleared for light physical activity after re-imaging on his fractured rib, aims to rejoin the Yankees lineup later this season.
- March
The 12-state lawsuit challenging the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger heads to trial in March, keeping the deal on hold until then.
Etcetera
- How Louis Armstrong earned the nickname ‘Satchmo’
- The states keeping the drive-in movie theater dream alive
- Toronto Zoo welcomes a pygmy hippo calf, the third for mom Kindia
- Wellington’s first snow in 15 years — and skiers on the world’s steepest street
- Microsoft’s Azure CTO got Doom running inside MS Paint, one frame at a time
- The Nashville bar serving pizza — and officiating pet weddings
- Justin Bieber out-gamed a string of pro athletes to win $1 million — then gave it all away
Today’s clickbait, so you don’t have toA One-Star Review Called It the ‘Worst Aquarium Ever.’ The Museum Made It Their Brand
On this day · August 6
The Historybook- 1926Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel
- 1945The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
- 1965President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law
- 1991Tim Berners-Lee publicly announces the World Wide Web project, opening the first website
- 2012NASA’s Curiosity rover lands on Mars to explore Gale Crater
Compiled by the Desk, not linked to a source · Report an error
Quote of the day
“What we play is life.”
— Louis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter and singer
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