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Sunday, July 26

Daily Briefing

NYTTrump Seems Trapped by Iran War, Even as He Wields the World’s Biggest Hammer

David E. Sanger

President Trump is reportedly experiencing increased frustration and erratic behavior as the Iran war extends into its fifth month, demonstrating unforeseen limits to his perceived boundless power.
Trump has temporarily scaled back planned attacks on Iran, influenced by concerns regarding the expansion of the conflict, the depletion of defense stockpiles, potential alienation of Persian Gulf allies, and adverse effects on global energy supplies and the economy.

New York Times

WSJPalestinians Stream Back to Northern Gaza on Foot

Displaced Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza on foot, following an agreement between Israel and Hamas regarding the release of additional hostages.
Israel permitted the crossing of a military zone bisecting the enclave after a deadlock over hostage releases was resolved.

Wall Street Journal

FTUS pauses Iran strikes as Oman pursues Hormuz transit deal

The United States has paused its airstrikes against Iran for a second consecutive night.
Omani officials are engaged in talks with Iran in Tehran, attempting to broker a provisional agreement for the transit of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Financial Times

WSJLeading China Property Developer Reports Huge loss, in Sign of Widening Real-Estate Woes

Leading Chinese property developer Vanke has reported a significant loss, signaling a deepening crisis within the country's real-estate sector.
The troubles at Vanke are raising concerns about the potential for the property crisis to spread further.

Wall Street Journal

NYTInside the Rushed Effort to Get Trump His New Air Force One

Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Maggie Haberman

President Trump's urgency to accelerate the delivery of his new Air Force One resulted in increased costs and compromises in safety features.
The administration utilized funds from the Sentinel nuclear modernization program, among other sources, to finance the project, though overall financing details were not fully disclosed.

New York Times

FTIran says Ukrainian attack on vessel in Caspian Sea killed sailor

Iran's Foreign Ministry reported that a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.
Tehran condemned the strike as an act of aggression and a violation of international law, accusing Ukraine of attempting to expand the Russia-Ukraine war.

Financial Times

WSJFreed Israeli Hostages Still Had Shrapnel in Their Bodies From Oct. 7 Attack

Some freed Israeli women hostages were found to still have shrapnel in their bodies, a consequence of the October 7 attack.
An Israeli medical official reported that some of the women had been held alone for extended periods during their captivity.

Wall Street Journal

NYTTrump Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum

Robin Pogrebin and Zachary Small

President Trump ordered the installation of warning signs outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, alleging its exhibits contained "inaccurate" information.
The executive order directs the placement of temporary signage along public walkways leading to the museum, cautioning visitors that the institution does not accurately reflect American history.

New York Times

FTIndia’s Gen Z protesters puncture Modi’s aura of invincibility

India's Gen Z protesters, notably the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), have successfully challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, leading to the resignation of the education minister.
The protests were initially sparked by widespread leaks of national exam results, including a medical entrance exam that forced over two million candidates to retest, but expanded to address broader frustrations like youth unemployment and a lack of quality jobs.

Financial Times

WSJSuspected Sabotage of Deep-Sea Cable Triggers First NATO-Led Response

NATO launched its first coordinated response to a suspected sabotage campaign targeting critical infrastructure.
The response was initiated after another deep-sea cable was severed in the Baltic Sea.

Wall Street Journal

NYTNolan’s Zero-Eros ‘Odyssey’

Maureen Dowd

The New York Times article criticizes Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of Homer's "Odyssey" for its "zero-eros" approach, which reportedly neuters the original epic by excising its sensuality and erotic power.
The review highlights that Nolan's film diminishes the role of female characters, making them mere vehicles for an anti-war message, and removes the moral ambiguity present in Homer's original Odysseus.

New York Times

FTWhy wages and productivity look set to diverge further

Artificial intelligence (AI) and a declining labor share of GDP are poised to accelerate the decoupling of wages and productivity in wealthy nations.
While economic theory suggests real wages and productivity should rise together, countries like the US, Europe, and Japan have seen pay growth diverge, with productivity gains outpacing wage increases.

Financial Times

FTDefence giants provide record backing for military start-ups

Traditional defence companies are increasingly acting like venture capitalists by providing record backing for military start-ups.
This surge in investment is a direct response to the battlefield being transformed by advancements in drones and autonomous systems.

Financial Times

WSJRwanda-Backed Rebels Enter Congo's Safe-Haven City

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have entered Goma, a key city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Residents reported gunfire and shelling as the rebels overran Congolese troops during their advance into the city.

Wall Street Journal

NYTMore Than 500 Howard University Students Are Bumped From Enrollment

Mark Walker and Emmett Lindner

More than 500 incoming freshmen at Howard University were unenrolled from the Class of 2030, weeks before they were scheduled to move into campus housing.
The university cited the students' failure to meet payment requirements by a July 10 deadline as the reason for their removal from enrollment.

New York Times

WSJCocaine-Funded Gangs Shake Colombia Years After Peace Pact

Eight years after Colombia's peace accord, powerful cocaine-funded militias are escalating attacks against civilians, signaling the state's continued inaction in many areas.
Colombia's cocaine production has tripled in the decade following the 2016 peace agreement, with new armed groups driven primarily by financial gain, unlike the FARC's previous ideological motivations.

Wall Street Journal

FTChina pours funding into green energy deals as Iran war hits oil demand

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) recorded a record $20.1 billion in green energy financing during the first half of 2026, exceeding the total for all of 2025.
The surge in green energy funding is attributed to the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has fueled demand for more affordable renewable power and created volatility in oil and gas prices.

Financial Times

Friday, March 13

Weekly Top 40 — AI on X

The White House

@WhiteHouse

UNDEFEATED. https://t.co/Jt69bcag5y

♥ 193.2k↺ 23.6k

Om Patel

@om_patel5

stop spending money on Claude Code. Chipotle's support bot is free: https://t.co/0NQU4a79T1

♥ 147.4k↺ 9.3k

Andrej Karpathy

@karpathy

I packaged up the "autoresearch" project into a new self-contained minimal repo if people would like to play over the weekend. It's basically nanochat LLM training core stripped down to a single-GPU, one file version of ~630 lines of code, then: - the human iterates on the https://t.co/3tyOq2P9c6

Thursday, March 12

Weekly Top 40 — AI on X

The White House

@WhiteHouse

UNDEFEATED. https://t.co/Jt69bcag5y

♥ 124.7k↺ 14.4k

Andrej Karpathy

@karpathy

♥ 27.7k↺ 3.5k

Claude

@claudeai

Wednesday, March 11

Weekly Top 40 — AI on X

Andrej Karpathy

@karpathy

♥ 27.4k↺ 3.5k

Claude

@claudeai

Introducing Code Review, a new feature for Claude Code. When a PR opens, Claude dispatches a team of agents to hunt for bugs. https://t.co/AL2J4efxPw

♥ 62.7k↺ 5.2k

Saturday, March 7

Weekly Top 40 — AI on X

Ben Stiller

@BenStiller

Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie. https://t.co/dMQqRxxVCa

♥ 736.7k↺ 83.0k

The White House

@WhiteHouse

JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY. 🇺🇸🔥 https://t.co/0502N6a3rL

♥ 129.4k↺ 20.6k

Barack Obama

@BarackObama

Friday, March 6

Weekly Top 40 — AI on X

Brian Allen

@allenanalysis

🚨 BREAKING: Rep. Ted Lieu says the full Epstein files contain information that Donald Trump RAPED minors. So he started a war to distract us from his crimes. Never stop speaking about Epstein. https://t.co/18HuhEucoG

♥ 272.8k↺ 76.4k

The White House

@WhiteHouse

JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY. 🇺🇸🔥 https://t.co/0502N6a3rL

♥ 105.0k↺ 16.7k

Elon Musk

@elonmusk