Good morning. Searchers looking for the missing Titan submersible discovered a “debris field” consistent with the craft ~1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic yesterday, according to Coast Guard officials. This means all five adventurers onboard most likely passed away in an almost instantaneous and catastrophic implosion around the time of the submersible’s disappearance on Sunday.

In today’s email:

• America and India agree to a series of new deals
• SlamBall is back – and coming to a TV near you
• The quality of new cars keeps declining

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.86 minutes to read.

“Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.”

–Euripedes (480 B.C. – 406 B.C.)

A recent Stanford University study examining the ten most popular AI models in the world – including ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, and Google-backed Anthropic – found each one would be in violation of a new EU draft law governing artificial intelligence.

🇪🇺🤖 Some quick background: The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, which still needs final approval from all 27 member-nations, would impose new requirements on any firm deploying AI systems within the EU – even if said company is located outside the bloc.

Among other things, the proposed legislation would:

• Require all AI-generated content to be clearly identified as such
• Impose mandatory safeguards to prevent AI models from generating illegal content
• Order AI companies to disclose any and all copyrighted material that was used to train their models
• Outlaw the use of AI in designated “high-risk” categories like facial recognition, predictive policing, or social credit systems

📝 So, what did the study find?... The Stanford researchers determined nearly all of the world’s top AI companies are in compliance with the EU’s proposed rule regarding the identification of AI-generated content.

However, nearly all of the top AI firms are not compliant with proposed mandatory safeguards against illegal content generation, or the law that would require them to disclose any copyrighted material used to train their models.

• The study’s authors concluded the EU’s new legislation, if fully enacted and enforced, would bring about “significant positive change” for the global AI industry.

📊 Flash poll: Do you think the US should adopt the same regulatory framework for artificial intelligence as the EU?

Yes

No

Unsure/other

😪 There’s nothing like getting proper sleep. And if feeling well-rested wasn’t amazing enough, it’s also scientifically proven to help puffy eyes, wrinkles, skin, breakouts, and self-esteem.

👩‍⚕️ Recommended by doctors, Slumber's CBN/CBD gummies have been the safe way to ensure a good night's rest for thousands of happy sleepers. And the customer data backs it up…

• 82% found Slumber helped them stay asleep
• 80% found it easier to fall back asleep
• 70% preferred it over other sleep aids
• 71% felt calmer after taking Slumber
• 82% achieved more quality sleep

🔬👍 Manufactured with the best extraction methods and meticulously tested, Slumber products are guaranteed to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, or your money back (30-day guarantee).

Save 30% on Slumber with code DONUT30.

🇮🇳🤝🇺🇸 India and the US agreed to a series of new deals during PM Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to D.C. After Modi and President Biden held a private discussion for more than two hours at the White House yesterday, both leaders announced a slate of new defense and technology collaborations which Biden said are aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders also held a joint press conference yesterday afternoon, marking Modi’s first such event since becoming India’s PM in 2014.

🇨🇦🌐 Canada approved a new law forcing Meta, Google, and other internet giants to pay domestic media outlets to host links to articles. The legislation, which won’t take effect until lawmakers have consulted with industry representatives, would require all large digital platforms to either strike deals with Canadian news publishers for their content, or enter into binding arbitration to determine fair compensation. Both Meta and Google have consistently said such a law would force them to block all access to news reports for Canadian users – and yesterday, Facebook and Instagram did just that.

🇿🇲 Zambia reached a deal with China and Western creditors to restructure $6.3 billion in loans. The agreement is expected to serve as a roadmap for how China, the world’s biggest creditor to poor countries, will handle restructuring deals with other governments in distress. As part of its Belt and Road initiative, China has lent nearly $1 trillion to developing countries across the globe over the past decade – and now, many nations are struggling to repay those loans amid rising global interest rates (including Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Ethiopia).

The NBA Draft was held last night. But it wasn’t the only basketball-related sport making headlines.

Yesterday, ESPN and SlamBall – a trampoline-based form of basketball that also incorporates elements of football and hockey – announced a two-year media rights deal that’ll see games televised across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ during the sport’s 2023 and 2024 seasons.

And while financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, it’s the latest in a series of moves showcasing the popularity of the two-plus-decade-old sport. As LL Cool J would say: don’t call it a comeback – SlamBall has been here for years.

• SlamBall was televised in the early 2000s on channels like SpikeTV (now Paramount Network) and CSTV (CBS Sports Network) before being disbanded following a disagreement. The sport’s return was fueled in large part by a viral social media campaign that generated more than 200 million views for the hashtag #BringBackSlamBall, Front Office Sports reports.
• News of the media rights deal with ESPN also comes on the heels of a recently closed $11 million Series A funding round for the sport, which included investors like Blake Griffin, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.

🤝📺 Zoom out: Speaking of moolah – SlamBall isn’t the only upstart sport raking in that media rights dough. Over the past two years, CBS, ESPN, and Amazon Prime have all inked deals to show pickleball events on their respective networks.

New cars these days have more problems than Jay-Z. At least according to the annual 2023 Initial Quality Study published yesterday by JD Power, which found the industry-wide problems per vehicle have reached their highest level in the report’s 37-year history.

The report, which is based on responses from ~93,000 participants over their first 90 days of car ownership, identified an average of 192 problems per 100 vehicles – a 7% YOY increase (and much higher than HOV’s 99 problems). That's on top of an 11% increase the previous year, when the industry was impacted by ongoing supply-chain problems caused by the pandemic.

Some other highlights from the report:

• Stellantis brands took the top three spots in initial quality (in this order): Dodge, Ram, and Alfa Romeo.
• Bringing up the rear were Chrysler, Volvo, and four unranked EV automakers: Tesla, Rivian, Polestar, and Lucid Motors. (The last four remain unranked due to the companies only providing JD Power with customer data for 15 states, though the numbers provided look like the Cybertruck – aka not very good.)

💥📈 Bottom line: The study calls out growing quality problems with the technology features included in cars, from wireless charging pads to advanced driver assistance features like lane-departure and automatic emergency braking. But these problems also extend to basic features like door handles – which has become a “percolating problem area,” with EVs making up seven of the 10 worst offenders.

🤤 Discover the exquisite taste of DeLo-xx’s chocolate fondue, inspired by European chocolatiers. Kits include world-class dippables, melter, and all ingredients perfectly measured.

With different varieties and darkness levels, DeLo-xx is the perfect summer memory to create with loved ones. Just sit back, relax, and submit to sweet, chocolate bliss.

Get DeLo-xx’s best price on their gold kit + free delivery with code DONUT.

💬 Quoted… “I was talking to both Elon and Mark last night. Both guys are absolutely dead serious about this.”

According to UFC President Dana White, this week’s social media feud between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg is more than just hot air. The two billionaires have reportedly agreed to a cage fight match sometime in the future, after Musk called out Zuckerberg in response to a report claiming Meta is launching a new Twitter rival called Threads.

• As of last night, sports betting platform Oddspedia put the odds of 39-year-old Zuckerberg – who recently won a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition – winning a fight against 51-year-old Musk at 77%.

📈 Stat of the Day: The median age in the United States is like the opening song of Aldous Snow’s concert at The Greek: going up. It hit a record-high 38.9 last year, according to new Census Bureau data; that’s up from a median age of 35 in 2000, and 30 in 1980.

🤯 Did You Know?... 1 in every 6 American adults say they smoke marijuana, a share that eclipses the number of US cigarette smokers (1 in ~6.5) for the first time, per recent Gallup polling.

📖 Worth a Read: The incredible story of the lifeguard who won the world's biggest surf competition → (GQ Sports)

• ☝️ You’re looking at a series of images taken by a pair of satellites that flew less than 150 miles above the surface of Mercury this week; it marked the third of six planned flybys of the smallest planet in our Solar System, which is slightly larger than the Moon.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Pendulum

• 💰 US markets closed mixed yesterday (S&P: +0.4%; Dow: -0.01%; Nasdaq: +1.0%).
• ⚖️ Chemical-maker 3M will pay up to $12.5 billion to settle hundreds of lawsuits brought by cities that accuse the company of contaminating their drinking water with PFAS, aka “forever chemicals,” for decades.
• 🚀 Virgin Galactic raised $300 million via an “at the market” offering of common stock, per new SEC filings; the space tourism company also disclosed plans to sell an additional $400 million worth of new shares.

*From our partners: 🍩🙅‍♀️ “66% of our customers taking Akkermansia report fewer sugar cravings.” – Colleen Cutcliffe, Pendulum Co-Founder & CEO. Use code THEDONUT to save 20% on Akkermansia, a keystone probiotic strain for gut health, available exclusively from Pendulum.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 The San Antonio Spurs selected French superstar Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft; Brandon Miller (Charlotte) and Scoot Henderson (Portland) rounded out the top three. | 🤝 The Golden State Warriors will trade guard Jordan Poole and two future draft picks to the Washington Wizards for guard Chris Paul, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
• 💰 Vice Media was acquired out of bankruptcy by Fortress Investment Group for $350 million; Vice was valued at $5.7 billion in 2017.
• 📺 Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to license some of its premium HBO shows – including the Issa Rae comedy Insecure – to Netflix, per a new Deadline report.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Upway

• 🦋 The white spots on monarch butterflies' wings help them complete annual long-distance migrations by altering the air flow around their wings, per a new peer-reviewed study published in PLOS One.
• 🚁⚡ The Paris region is planning to use a small fleet of electric flying taxis to ferry some passengers when the city hosts the 2024 Summer Olympic Games; unless regulators in China beat Paris to the punch, this would represent the world’s first flying taxis approved for commercial use.
• 🧠 The largest study to date regarding chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) found cumulative force to the head is the best predictor of future brain disease; the research involved analyzing the brains of 631 deceased football players.

*From our partners: 🏆 The #1 certified e-bike provider. Get your Upway pre-owned E-bike in new or like-new condition; they’re certified by a professional mechanic and guaranteed for one year. Use code DONUT to save $100 (purchases of $500+).

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🍍 Bags of Sunrise Growers frozen fruit sold at major US retailers including Walmart, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s are being recalled over possible listeria contamination; it’s the second major US recall of frozen fruit this month.
• 📰🇷🇺 WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich lost an appeal against the extension of his pretrial detention on spying charges yesterday; Gershkovich will now be held until his August 30 trial, where he’ll face charges carrying a max sentence of 20 years in jail.
• ⚖️💊 A Wyoming judge temporarily blocked the state’s first-in-the-nation abortion pill ban from taking effect on July 1 while a lawsuit challenging the law proceeds in court. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🐶 Why do some dogs look like their owners?

*Sponsored post

Rex Colubra and Elvis are best friends. The pair initially met in 2021, and have been sharing their summers together ever since. 

This story wouldn't be out of the ordinary – except Elvis just so happens to be a freshwater smallmouth bass in the wild.

🐟 How it all started... From their very first meeting, the pair knew they had something special. "It was like any other dive," Rex told the South West News Service. "I was checking out a new spot, and all these fish were coming up to me. I noticed one was sticking closer than the rest. He wasn’t scared even when I got out. He stuck close to the surface in the shallows.”

• For over two years, Rex has returned to the lake where Elvis lives to visit his friend. He even has a special call the fish recognize, which lets them know he's there.
• “Elvis will literally just fight other fish if they get too close to me to keep them away," Rex said of his finned friend. “He’s completely obsessed with me. He follows me around and just stares me in the eyes.”

Below are three lists of ingredients. All you have to do is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Garlic
• Scallion
• Red pepper flakes
• Toasted white sesame seeds
• Garlic powder
• Sugar
• Salt
• Tahini
• White miso baste
• Toasted sesame oil
• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Chinese black vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Wide Taiwanese or Chinese wheat noodles
• Chili crisp

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Butter
• Large leeks
• Garlic
• Yukon gold potatoes
• Chicken/vegetable broth
• Bay leaves
• Fresh thyme
• Salt & pepper
• Heavy cream
• Chives

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Red onion
• Lime juice
• Watermelon cubes
• Feta cheese
• Mint leaves
• Parlsley leaves

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize. (Pro tip: there's no need to ration points, you're entitled to a prize at each tier.)

Start referring.👇

☝️ Recipe #1: Garlicky miso-tahini noodles

✌️ Recipe #2: Potato leek soup

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Watermelon feta salad with mint