Good morning, it's Tuesday, July 7. President Donald Trump arrives in Turkey for a two-day NATO summit as Spain kicks off the Running of the Bulls.
Also in today's Digest: the unusual diet of ancient Hobbit-like humans (Sci. & Tech.), an over-$4.5M jewelry heist (Pol. & World Affairs), a history of America's iconic hot dog (In-Depth), the year's best astrophotography (Etc.), and much more.
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World leaders are gathering in Ankara, Turkey, today for the 36th annual NATO summit. The 32-member alliance is expected to showcase new military equipment funded by increased defense spending.
NATO is estimated to spend about $258B more on defense across 2025 and 2026 as members work to increase defense budgets from 2% to 5% of their gross domestic product by 2035. President Donald Trump pushed for the higher target last year, arguing that member states rely too heavily on the US. He threatened to reduce backing for allies that fail to meet the metric. Countries near Russia—such as Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia—are nearing the 5% goal, while Spain and Belgium previously struggled to meet the 2% benchmark. See how much NATO allies spend on defense here.
Separately, Ukraine renewed calls for NATO support yesterday after reporting that Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 drones at and around Kyiv. NATO allies have reportedly provided 99% of all military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.
Learn how NATO works in one minute. (w/video) |
Prosecutors this week are publicly unveiling their evidence in the murder case of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University last September. The preliminary hearing that began yesterday will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case to trial. Watch the first day's livestream here.
The defendant, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, is charged with aggravated murder; he has not entered a plea as of this writing. Day 1 of the hearing included testimony from former campus police officer Chris Bagley, who said authorities found what appeared to be a "sniper pad" on a campus rooftop overlooking the event. (Read more highlights.) Prosecutors also outlined evidence they plan to present over the coming days, including DNA evidence, autopsy findings, an alleged confession, and a video interview with Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner. Read the alleged confession texts and charging documents here.
See a timeline of the investigation, including aerial mapping of the shooting, here (scroll down for map). |
🫶 Humankind: An author spent six months reading hundreds of poems by young people and found a common thread: hope. |
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The annual nine-day San Fermín festival—known as the Running of the Bulls—kicked off yesterday in Pamplona, Spain. Watch the traditional rocket launch, overlooking 12,000 crowdgoers wearing white and waving red handkerchiefs, here (via YouTube).
Beginning today, thousands of people will sprint ahead of six fighting bulls and six steers each morning at 8 am local time, followed by an afternoon bullfight. The medieval-era festival honors Saint Fermín, remembered as the son of a Roman senator and Pamplona's first bishop. In the 16th century, festivities were moved from the saint's feast day in the fall to July, presumably to coincide with the peak season for cattle markets. This year, celebrations coincide with the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ernest Hemingway's “The Sun Also Rises,” which popularized the festival. Read about the novel’s enduring legacy here.
At least 16 people are believed to have died in the festivities over the past century; see photos from 1947 here. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> George Clooney to receive lifetime achievement honor at the Venice Film Festival (More) | Ranking Clooney's 25 best movies (More) |
> AI "actress" Tilly Norwood will star in her first feature film, created by a team of traditional movie professionals and AI specialists (More) | Watch the AI-generated star's debut music video (More, w/video) |
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1440 x Men in Blazers: Follow along as competition reaches a frenzied peak over the World Cup's final rounds with the most in-depth daily coverage here! |
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> Euclid space telescope discovers oldest-known quasars, luminous objects that could provide new clues to the origins of the universe (More) | Why are quasars called galaxy killers? (More, w/video) |
> Researchers identify potential solution to electrical imbalances that limit the efficiency and lifespan of next-generation batteries (More) |
> Hobbit-like human ancestors likely scavengers rather than hunters, surviving by eating Komodo dragons' leftovers (More) | See a mock-up and skeletal remains of these roughly 3-foot-tall creatures (More) |
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In partnership with hear.com |
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The Hearing Device Americans Are Switching To |
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> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.7%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq +1.1%); Dow hits record, driven by AI rally (More) | President Donald Trump rings opening bell from Oval Office to mark launch of child investment accounts (More, w/photos) |
> Microsoft's Xbox to lay off 3,200 employees, representing about 20% of the video game unit's staff as Xbox downsizes and plans to spin off four gaming studios; another 3,200 jobs will be cut at Microsoft outside Xbox (More) |
> Comcast's Sky to buy UK TV giant ITV's broadcasting and streaming unit for over $2B (More) | Versant to buy golf simulator maker Full Swing for $530M (More) | UK budget airline easyJet agrees to $7.3B US private equity takeover (More) |
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> Hamas says it has dissolved its government in Gaza, will transfer power to the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as part of ceasefire commitments; administration reiterates demands the group disarms (More) | What is the Board of Peace? (More) |
> Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Maine's Senate seat, says his campaign is taking "time to reflect" amid new sexual assault allegation; he denies the allegation (More) | Watch Platner's 2-minute address (More, via X) |
> Thieves steal 27 pieces of jewelry, worth roughly $4.5M, from the museum of French luxury glassmaker Lalique on Sunday (More) |
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> America’s Greatest Hot Dog
The Ringer | Alan Siegel. A history of—and ode to—Costco's iconic $1.50 hot dog, arguably the US' last great deal. (Read) |
> Fake News about Fake News
Nieman Lab | Joshua Benton. How a story about the dangers of AI-generated news stories tricked the internet ... and was itself AI-generated. (Read) |
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Historybook: Construction of the Hoover Dam begins (1930); Ringo Starr born (1940); Basketball legend Lisa Leslie born (1972); Sandra Day O’Connor nominated as first female US Supreme Court justice (1981); US women’s national soccer team wins World Cup for a record fourth time (2019).
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