The Sunday, August 9, 2026 Edition
This Week: an El-Sayed upset, Hormuz conditions, and July job losses
6 min read
The Week in Review
A Primary Upset, a Jobs Shock and a Waterway Still Closed →
Sports, Entertainment & Culture
Science & Technology
$355 million
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day's' opening weekend haul — the second-biggest of all time — en route to becoming the fastest film ever to reach $500 million domestically.
Source: Deadline
Wednesday: A solar eclipse arrives Wednesday — skywatchers (and at least one supersonic-jet nostalgist) will be looking up.
Next weekend: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' heads into its second weekend after becoming the fastest film ever to cross $500 million domestically — watch for how far the record run goes.
All week: The Women's Pro Baseball League plays on as its inaugural season continues with the Queens, Heights, Hunters and Firebells.
Ongoing: FIFA fallout watch: after president Gianni Infantino apologized for 'errors' over a failed World Cup stakes plan, expect continued scrutiny of the campaign FIFA says is trying to oust him.
Coming weeks: Myspace's would-be comeback as an 'antidote' to social media fatigue faces its skeptics — analysts will be watching whether nostalgia can translate into users.
Ongoing: Pompeii's giant lobster invasion continues: the pop art installation is the ancient city's first contemporary sculpture exhibition in three decades.
- 1854Henry David Thoreau's 'Walden,' his account of two years of simple living at Walden Pond, was published.
- 1936Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, delivering a historic rebuke to Nazi racial ideology.
- 1945The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, three days after Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands and hastening the end of World War II.
- 1965Singapore separated from Malaysia and became an independent republic.
Switzerland is a neutral nation but has more nuclear bunkers than any country in the world
Switzerland has been neutral for centuries — yet it has more nuclear bunkers than any country on Earth. A look at how a nation of peacekeepers became the world's most prepared for the apocalypse.
NPR News · Rob Schmitz
Inside the startup drone maker powering Ukraine's deep-strike campaign
Inside Fire Point, the startup drone maker powering Ukraine's deep-strike campaign against Russia — a window into how a scrappy manufacturer became central to the war's long-range fight.
CNBC
This Amazing Archive of Animal Photography Reveals 18,000 Species and Counting. Here's How Joel Sartore Built His 'Photo Ark'
Photographer Joel Sartore has captured 18,000 species and counting for his 'Photo Ark' — a stunning archive of animal portraits and a race against extinction, one shutter click at a time.
Smithsonian
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