Good morning, and a warm welcome to all our new subscribers. In today’s edition:

• 🌍 Gaza peace plan
• ⚽ FIFA abandons World Cup sale
• 🧬 DNA evidence at risk of tampering

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.73-minute read (993 words).

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"The one who boasts does so only out of a feeling of inferiority."

–Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Late Thursday, President Trump announced that negotiators had reached what he called a "historic agreement" on the next phase of his Gaza peace plan, laying out a path for Hamas to relinquish its governing role and military capabilities.

The latest proposal builds on Trump's original 20-point peace plan, which called for:

• Ending the war through a phased ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
• Replacing Hamas with a temporary Palestinian technocratic government, backed by an international "Board of Peace," until a long-term governing authority is established.
• Demilitarizing Gaza by dismantling Hamas' military infrastructure, with the US and international partners to oversee humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and long-term economic redevelopment.

The next phase is here

Last week’s agreement calls for Hamas to begin a staged disarmament process, beginning with police weapons before moving on to heavy weapons and stockpiles once officials confirm both sides are following through on their commitments.

• As Hamas steps aside, a newly trained Palestinian police force, backed by an International Stabilization Force, would gradually take over security responsibilities.
• Israeli troops would then withdraw from Gaza in phases tied to those disarmament milestones.

However, conflict still remains

The proposal is built on the assumption that neither side trusts the other, with each phase only moving forward if both sides uphold their commitments. However, disagreement currently stems from who should make the first move.

Israeli officials say they won't withdraw troops until Hamas has genuinely disarmed, arguing the group must prove it's given up its military capabilities before Israel relinquishes territory.

On the flip side: Hamas says Israel must stop its military operations and begin withdrawing before it takes further steps toward disarmament. The group also said it had only agreed to surrender heavy weapons, not lighter firearms such as assault rifles carried by individual fighters.

Looking ahead... The US and Board of Peace officials say implementation of the new plan could begin within the next month or two. But with replacement security forces still being assembled and both sides waiting for the other to move first, analysts say the proposal still faces significant hurdles before it can move from paper to reality.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support or oppose the US-proposed peace plan aimed at permanently ending fighting in the Gaza Strip?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛢️ OPEC+ member countries agree to increase oil production for the sixth straight month, though planned hikes might not fully materialize due to supply disruptions from the Iran war.
• 🏦 Capital One Financial says it decided to close the Trump Organization’s bank accounts in March 2021 following a review by anti-money laundering experts; disclosure comes as part of a lawsuit by President Trump alleging his accounts were closed for political reasons.
• 💊 UK pharma giant AstraZeneca is reportedly considering a deal to merge with US competitor Bristol Myers Squibb; mega deal would be one of the largest mergers ever, creating a combined company valued at ~$400 billion.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🕸️ Spider-Man: Brand New Day earns $355 million at domestic box office; it’s the second-highest domestic opening ever, behind 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($357 million).
• ⚾ Detroit Tigers trade ace SP Tarik Skubal, the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a package of three prospects.
• ⚽ FIFA abandons controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors after facing major backlash, especially from European nations

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🧬🚨 Researchers discover security flaw in technology used by most US crime labs that likely exposed DNA files to the risk of tampering dating back to 1995; researchers say they haven’t found a way to detect if DNA evidence tampering occurred in the past; it’s unclear whether the security weakness will affect past or pending prosecutions.
• 🚀 Defunct SpaceX rocket set to crash into the Moon at ~5,400 MPH on Wednesday, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble; it will mark the second known case of a rocket unintentionally hitting the Moon.
• 🤱 More than one in 10 mothers who gave birth in 2024 had high blood pressure during pregnancy (aka gestational hypertension), marking a 73% jump from 2016, when ~1 in 17 mothers had it, new CDC data shows.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Iran war: President Trump early Sunday announced that he canceled planned military strikes on Iran, writing on social media that “the perimeters of a deal had been agreed to” that would open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic and end Iran’s nuclear threat; Iran’s state news agency says Trump’s demands amount to a “wish list.”
• 🏛️ US Attorney’s Office in D.C. is dropping its criminal indictment against David Hearns, a former three-time US Olympian canoe racer charged with allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for D.C., cited Interior Dept. documents that show the pool’s problems come from a “botched installation not vandalism"; Trump later posts that he disagrees “100%” with Pirro’s assessment.
• 🏛️ Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) calls for Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), his son-in-law, to resign and seek “serious psychological help” amid allegations of domestic and child abuse; Rep. Miller denies the allegations and says he’ll remain in his reelection race.

☝️ A 25-foot teddy bear sculpture has found a home in Queens, New York, where it'll remain on display for more than two years as part of artist Precious Okoyomon's new exhibition. The outdoor installation features a living forest of plants, an immersive soundscape, and an interactive bear sculpture visitors can walk through.

🤔 Did you know? The average golf ball has 336 dimples. The tiny dimples reduce aerodynamic drag while creating lift, allowing a dimpled golf ball to travel nearly twice as far as a smooth one. While there's no rule requiring exactly 336 dimples, it became the industry standard after the popularity of the original Titleist Pro V1.

📰 Worth a read: How Savannah Guthrie lost her mother Nancy—and investigators lost the case

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• ‘Airport divorce’ helps some couples travel better
• 32-y.o. doctor returns to hospital where she was a janitor
• Is the death of Millennial wedding culture upon us?

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On Friday, we covered how recent reports from federal agencies paint a conflicting story of how the US economy is doing, with strong consumer spending and stock growth paired with slower hiring and stubbornly high inflation.

❓ Our question to you: To all working professionals: would you consider the growth outlook in your industry/sector of the economy to be positive or negative over the next 12 months?

• Positive: 28%
• Negative: 53%
• Unsure/other: 19%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 424 votes and 37 longform responses.

Guess the definitions of these Greek/Latin root words:

1. Anim
2. Ceter
3. Ject
4. Oct
5. Sumpt

(keep scrolling for the answers)

🌏 Russell Mumper, a dad from Indiana, has walked the equivalent of the entire world’s circumference over the past 14 years, spread across 5,900 separate walks and ~55 million steps. He crossed the “finish line" in late June with his dogs in his driveway.

1. Anim = Breath (e.g., animate)
2. Ceter = Other (et cetera)
3. Ject = Throw (eject)
4. Oct = Eight (octagon)
5. Sumpt = Take (consumption)

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