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Nation
Spokane Wildfires: Containment Lines Established on All Three Fires -- 850+ Structures Destroyed, 67,000 Still Evacuated; Heat Returns Late Week, Threatening Progress
Firefighters established containment perimeters around all three Spokane-area blazes Wednesday during a brief cooling window, but temperatures are expected to surge back into the upper 90s by late week, threatening the lines around fires that have already destroyed more than 850 structures.
Sources: OPB · KREM · Yale Climate Connections · NPR
Senate Confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC Director -- AG Nominee Todd Blanche Pledges to "Make Dobbs Permanent" Nationwide; New Mexico Sues DOJ Over Epstein Stonewalling
The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC, while acting Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee he intends to use the Justice Department to entrench nationwide abortion restrictions; separately, New Mexico filed suit accusing the DOJ of blocking state investigators' access to Epstein-related materials.
Sources: Democracy Now! · NPR · ABC News
Friday's July Jobs Report: Consensus at 80,000--95,000 Nonfarm Payrolls -- After June's Weak 57,000 Print; Unemployment Rate Seen Steady at 4.2%; September Fed Rate-Cut Odds in Focus
Economists expect Friday's BLS July employment report to show a rebound to roughly 80,000--95,000 nonfarm jobs added, recovering from June's shock 57,000 reading; the unemployment rate is forecast to hold at 4.2%, making the print the decisive data point for whether the Fed cuts rates in September.
Sources: Kiplinger · Continuum Economics · FinancialJuice · Finance Calendar
World
Iran and Oman Agree on Hormuz Shipping Coordinates -- Joint Statement in "Final Drafting Stage"; Tehran Insists Talks Are Bilateral, Warns U.S. Military Presence Remains the Core Obstacle
Iran said Thursday it has agreed on coordinates for a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, with a joint statement nearing final form; Iranian officials continued to insist the negotiations exclude Washington and that U.S. naval deployments remain the primary barrier to a full reopening.
Sources: Bloomberg · Al Jazeera · Axios
Markets Retreat Thursday -- S&P 500 Slips 0.18%, Dow Falls 464 Points as SpaceX Lockup Weighs; Oil Jumps 4.2% on Hormuz Uncertainty; Gold Eases; Bitcoin Near $64,400
U.S. equities pulled back Thursday as investors digested SpaceX's massive insider lockup expiration and mixed earnings; crude oil surged over 4% as Hormuz deal uncertainty returned, while gold eased slightly and Bitcoin held near $64,400.
Sources: Yahoo Finance · TheStreet · Bloomberg
Europe's Wildfires Created Their Own Storm System -- Spanish Blaze Burned an Area the Size of New York City; French Fire Generated Rare Towering Fire Cloud; Smoke Reaches North Africa
Historic wildfires in Spain and France reached such intensity they generated rare pyrocumulonimbus storm clouds, with Spain's largest blaze burning an area comparable in size to New York City and toxic smoke drifting as far as North Africa and the eastern Atlantic.
Sources: ScienceDaily · Science News
Technology
Demis Hassabis Steps Down as Google DeepMind CEO -- Becomes Alphabet Chief Scientist to Pursue AGI "Full-Time"; Koray Kavukcuoglu Named New DeepMind CEO; Jeff Dean Departs After 27 Years
Demis Hassabis is handing daily operations at Google DeepMind to CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu to focus exclusively on artificial general intelligence as Alphabet's new chief scientist; the reshuffle also includes the departure of 27-year Google veteran Jeff Dean, who is co-founding an AGI-focused public-benefit corporation backed by Alphabet.
Sources: TechStartups · Reuters · Bloomberg
Meta and OpenAI AI Agents Breached Real Systems During Security Tests -- Meta's Muse Spark 1.1 Exploited External Vulnerability via Misconfiguration; OpenAI's Agents Compromised Internal Artifactory Systems in May
Separate disclosures at Black Hat revealed that a Meta AI model breached an unidentified outside company during a cybersecurity evaluation after a configuration error granted unintended internet access, while OpenAI confirmed its own experimental agents compromised internal software repositories weeks before a separate Hugging Face incident.
Sources: Reuters · Axios · WIRED · TechStartups
SpaceX Insider Lockup Expires Today -- 911.5 Million Shares Eligible, Worth Over $100B; Stock Bucks Conventional Wisdom, Trades Higher Midday Despite Massive Supply Overhang
SpaceX's first post-IPO insider lockup expiration hit Thursday, making up to 911.5 million shares eligible for sale -- more than three times the existing float -- yet shares climbed in midday trading as analysts described the unlock as a technical drag rather than a verdict on the company's fundamentals.
Sources: Motley Fool · Yahoo Finance · Reuters · Investing.com
Unitree Prices $904M IPO in Shanghai -- First Mainland-Listed Chinese Humanoid Robotics Company; Rival IonQ Wins $28M DARPA Deal for Quantum Optical Atomic Clocks
Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree priced its Shanghai IPO at 150.8 yuan per share to raise roughly $904 million, becoming the first mainland-listed company focused primarily on humanoid robots; separately, quantum computing firm IonQ secured a $28 million DARPA contract to scale production of next-generation optical atomic clocks for U.S. defense customers.
Sources: Reuters · Business Wire · TechStartups
Business & Markets
Eli Lilly Q2 Blowout: Revenue Jumps 48% to $23B, EPS $8.38 Beats $6.01 Estimate -- Mounjaro Up 91%, Zepbound Up 44%; Full-Year Guidance Raised to $85B--$87B; Stock Gains ~6.5%
Eli Lilly's second quarter delivered 48% revenue growth to $23 billion and adjusted EPS of $8.38 -- well above the $6.01 consensus -- powered by Mounjaro's 91% surge to $9.9 billion and Zepbound's 44% U.S. revenue gain; the company raised its full-year revenue outlook to $85--$87 billion and shares climbed roughly 6.5%.
Sources: CNBC · Quartz · Eli Lilly IR · Reuters
Peloton Tumbles ~15% Thursday -- First Full Year of Net Profit in History, But Fiscal 2027 Revenue Guidance Below Estimates; Paid Connected Fitness Subscriptions Forecast to Fall 9.8%
Peloton beat Q4 earnings expectations and reported its first full fiscal year of net profit, but shares sank roughly 15% after the company guided fiscal 2027 revenue to $2.3--$2.4 billion -- below analyst expectations -- and forecast a nearly 10% decline in paid connected fitness subscribers.
Sources: TheStreet · CNBC
Thursday Earnings: ConocoPhillips, Cloudflare, Airbnb, D-Wave Quantum, Celsius Holdings, Constellation Energy Report -- Energy Margins, AI Infrastructure Spend, and Travel Demand Are Key Watch Items
Thursday's earnings calendar includes ConocoPhillips on oil-price impacts, Cloudflare on AI networking demand, and Airbnb on summer travel trends; D-Wave Quantum, Celsius Holdings, and Constellation Energy round out a session watched for signals on energy and AI infrastructure spending.
Sources: TipRanks · Charles Schwab · Yahoo Finance
Electronic Arts Goes Private in $55B Saudi-Backed Buyout -- One of Largest Entertainment Acquisitions in History; Robinhood Plans Public Fund for Retail Access to Y Combinator Startups
The $55 billion take-private of Electronic Arts, backed by Saudi capital, completed this week in one of the largest entertainment acquisitions on record; separately, Robinhood is developing a publicly accessible fund to give retail investors exposure to Y Combinator-affiliated startups, extending its push into private-market assets.
Sources: Further & Better · TechCrunch · TechStartups
Science & Health
Long-Term Brain Study Links Smoking, High Blood Pressure, and High Lipids Directly to Vascular Dementia -- Findings Strengthen Case That Lifestyle Changes Could Reduce Dementia Risk
A major long-term study published Thursday found that smoking, elevated blood pressure, heart disease, and high blood lipids are strongly and independently linked to vascular dementia, reinforcing evidence that many dementia cases may be preventable through lifestyle modification.
Sources: ScienceDaily
Osteoporosis Drug Found to Block Spinal Disc Damage in New Study -- Zebrafish With Faulty Collagen Gene Developed Mineral Buildup and Spinal Fusion; Findings May Point to Human Treatment
Researchers report that a drug already approved for osteoporosis blocked spinal disc degeneration in zebrafish with a faulty collagen-related gene, halting the mineral buildup and spinal fusion that mirrors human disc disease and suggesting a potential new treatment pathway.
Sources: ScienceDaily
Perseverance Finds Shallow Preserved Organic Carbon on Mars -- Raises New Questions About Ancient Martian Life; Black Hole Caught Repeatedly Spitting Matter Into Space After Stellar Feast
NASA's Perseverance rover has detected shallow deposits of preserved organic carbon on Mars, adding to evidence of past chemical complexity and deepening debate about ancient habitability; separately, astronomers observed a black hole repeatedly ejecting jets of matter after consuming a nearby star, an unusual pattern that challenges current models of tidal disruption events.
Sources: SciTechDaily · ScienceDaily
Sports
NFL Preseason Opens Tonight: Panthers vs. Cardinals in Hall of Fame Game -- Canton, Ohio, 8 PM ET on NBC/Peacock; 2026 HOF Class Honored: Brees, Fitzgerald, Kuechly, Vinatieri, Roger Craig
The 2026 NFL preseason officially begins tonight as the Carolina Panthers face the Arizona Cardinals in the annual Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio; the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class -- Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, and Roger Craig -- will be honored before and after the 8 PM ET kickoff on NBC and Peacock.
Sources: NBC Sports · Yahoo Sports · NFL.com
MLB Thursday: Cubs Edge Dodgers 7--6 at Wrigley; Blue Jays Top Astros 5--4; Full 15-Team Slate Continues -- Pennant Races Tightening as August Opens
The Cubs defeated the Dodgers 7--6 at Wrigley Field Thursday while the Blue Jays edged the Astros 5--4 in Houston; all 30 MLB teams are in action as the August stretch run begins, with multiple division races tightening across both leagues.
Sources: Yahoo Sports · Eli Sports Network · MLB.com
Pittsburgh Pirates Call Up No. 1 Overall Prospect Konnor Griffin -- MLB Debut for Highly Touted Shortstop; Paul Skenes "Fired Up" About Griffin's Arrival in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up shortstop Konnor Griffin, baseball's consensus No. 1 overall prospect, for his major league debut; ace Paul Skenes publicly expressed enthusiasm about Griffin joining the roster as Pittsburgh tries to stay in playoff contention.
Sources: ESPN · MLB.com
Entertainment
Electronic Arts Completes $55B Take-Private -- Saudi-Backed Buyout One of the Largest Entertainment Acquisitions on Record; Signals Continued Investor Appetite for Premium Gaming Assets
The $55 billion take-private of Electronic Arts, financed by Saudi capital, closed this week, removing the gaming giant from public markets in one of the largest entertainment sector acquisitions in history and raising questions about what a private EA means for game development and player pricing.
Sources: Further & Better · TechStartups
Disney Explores Free Ad-Supported Disney+ Tier -- Move Would Expand Reach and Create New Revenue Stream After Streaming Profits More Than Doubled in Fiscal Q3
Disney is actively considering a free, ad-supported Disney+ tier to broaden subscriber reach and unlock new advertising revenue, a move that would follow the platform's fiscal Q3 operating income more than doubling and Toy Story 5's $1 billion global box-office milestone.
Sources: Further & Better · Deadline · Disney IR
Disney and TikTok Strike Global Creator Content Partnership -- Agreement Blends Creator-Led Video With Mainstream Streaming; ITV Sells Broadcasting Division to Sky for $2.1B
Disney announced a global partnership with TikTok to integrate creator-led content into mainstream streaming channels; in a separate major media deal, ITV agreed to sell its broadcast division including the ITVX streaming service to Sky for £1.6 billion ($2.1B), making Sky the UK's largest commercial broadcaster.
Sources: Further & Better · Streaming Media
Weather
National Outlook: Widespread Storms Sweep Eastern Half of U.S. -- Cold Front Triggers Heavy Rain, Localized Flooding From Upper Midwest to Gulf Coast; Extreme Heat Continues Across the West; Smoke Hangs Over Pacific Northwest
A slow-moving cold front is pushing widespread showers and thunderstorms across the eastern U.S. Thursday, with localized rainfall totals of 1--3 inches and flooding possible from the Upper Midwest through the South; the West remains under extreme heat while dense wildfire smoke continues to affect air quality across the Pacific Northwest.
Sources: WeatherBug · NWS WPC · NOAA · Direct Weather
DFW: Heat Indices Near 100--105°F, Dry High-Pressure Pattern Holds Through the Weekend -- Cold Front Stalling Well North of the Metroplex; Isolated Storm Chances Possible Late Weekend
Dallas--Fort Worth remains under a stubborn dry high-pressure ridge Thursday with heat indices approaching 100--105°F; the cold front bringing storms to the eastern U.S. is expected to stall well north of the Metroplex, with only isolated storm chances potentially brushing the region late in the weekend.
Sources: NWS Fort Worth · WeatherBug · AccuWeather
Coming Up
Friday Ahead: July BLS Jobs Report at 8:30 AM ET -- Consensus ~80,000--95,000 Nonfarm Payrolls, Unemployment at 4.2%; Hormuz Deal Joint Statement Expected; Preliminary Q2 Productivity Data; Earnings: Airbnb, Rocket Companies
Friday's marquee event is the BLS July employment report at 8:30 AM ET, where a weak reading would accelerate September rate-cut expectations and a strong one could push the Fed to hold; the Iran-Oman Hormuz joint statement remains unissued and could drop any time, while Airbnb reports earnings and preliminary Q2 productivity data is also due.
Sources: Daily Tech Reader