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Good morning, it's Thursday, July 23. The US is striking a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: OpenAI models' startup hack (Need To Know), Elon Musk's AI competitor to Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), an Epstein-linked modeling scout found dead near Paris (Pol. & World Affairs), toilet shoes (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
US-Saudi Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump yesterday announced a multibillion-dollar deal to provide Saudi Arabia with a civilian nuclear program—and a potential pathway to enrich its own uranium.
Under the deal, US companies can transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia for up to 30 years. Unlike a 2009 deal with the United Arab Emirates, this deal allows for domestic uranium enrichment if a two-year study deems it warranted; US firms would be tasked with building and overseeing the enrichment facility. If the US declines to proceed with enrichment after the study, the kingdom must wait 10 years before building a facility independently or with another partner. The agreement exempts Saudi Arabia from snap inspections by the United Nations**'** nuclear watchdog, relying instead on direct US oversight.
The deal now goes to Congress, where some lawmakers fear it could open the door for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. Blocking it would require a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers.
Learn why and how uranium is enriched here (w/video).
Contagious Catfish Cancer
Scientists have identified a rare form of skin cancer spreading among catfish, a study published yesterday reveals. The discovery was made in Lake Memphremagog between Vermont and Quebec.
Transmissible cancers are rare and have to date been identified in dogs, clams, shellfish, and Tasmanian devils—bringing the latter to the brink of extinction. In the 2010s, anglers began documenting black spots on the fins and gills of brown bullhead catfish. Researchers identified them as melanoma—a strange diagnosis given the fish's propensity to stay away from the surface and limited UV exposure. Now, scientists studying the tumors’ DNA have discovered they are genetically identical, suggesting they were not caused by UV rays or a viral illness but instead spread among the fish in freshwater. The cancer is so contagious that more than one-quarter of sampled fish have contracted the illness.
Did a similar illness spread among Massachusetts catfish in 1858? Writings from Henry David Thoreau describe an “inky-black kind of leprosy” (see excerpt on p. 87).
🫶 Humankind: Inspired by his grandparents, a high schooler invents an adaptive traffic light system that adjusts signal changes to pedestrians' walking speeds.
AI Goes Rogue
OpenAI revealed its AI models went rogue last week during security tests and hacked into a startup. The security breach is believed to be the first of its kind by an autonomous AI agent.
The incident occurred when OpenAI tested two of its models—GPT‑5.6 Sol and an unreleased model—to see how well they could expose online vulnerabilities. The models were supposed to be confined to a “sandbox,” a closed system where they could not access the internet. However, in an effort to answer the prompt, the models skirted company safeguards and hacked into Hugging Face, an open-source platform for AI technology. The models gained access to internal company systems; Hugging Face said last week it was still investigating whether customer data was compromised. Read OpenAI’s blog post confirming the hack here.
AI agents have become increasingly popular, especially among programmers. But what are the risks? Watch agents create virtual societies, run radio stations, leak documents, and spam people.
In partnership with Frontieras
Unlocking $2.1 Trillion in Energy Potential
One company has developed a technology that extracts valuable resources from coal without burning it. From hydrogen to diesel, fertilizer, and more, Frontieras has the potential to address $2.1T worth of markets.
It’s similar to when John D. Rockefeller commercialized oil refining technology. If Frontieras captures just 2% of the global coal market, they have a roadmap to achieve a $1T valuation.
They just broke ground on their $850M flagship facility and reserved their Nasdaq ticker (FASF). Invest in Frontieras at $9.01/share before their share price increases after 8/6.*
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Terrorism trial begins in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie during a public lecture; Rushdie is expected to testify this week about the attack that left him blind in one eye (More) | Why is there an Iranian edict calling for Rushdie's death? (More)
> YouTuber creator Gossip Goblin to release AI-generated feature film in theaters on Oct. 30 (More) | Watch his 28-minute short film (More) | Elon Musk says Grok will make a "historically accurate" AI version of "The Odyssey" by year's end (More)
> Author Charles Gaines, who popularized bodybuilding with "Pumping Iron" and helped launch Arnold Schwarzenegger's career, dies at age 84 (More) | Watch the trailer for the "Pumping Iron" documentary based on Gaines' book (More)
Science & Technology
> Energy Department announces nearly 300 federally funded projects exploring how AI can accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security (More) | Scroll for the identified challenges AI may help address (More)
> Vision-restoring chip for people with age-related macular degeneration gains EU approval; company is on track for an expedited regulatory review in the US (More) | See what macular degeneration does to the eye (More, w/video)
> Newly discovered point in sun's 11-year cycle could enable scientists to predict extreme space weather up to seven years in advance, giving more time to prepare for disruptions to GPS, satellites, electrical infrastructure, and more (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq -0.6%) (More) | App-based gig companies and Amazon see jump in workers receiving food stamps and Medicaid (More)
> Alphabet earnings top expectations with 24% year-over-year revenue growth; Google Cloud revenue jumps 82%, fueled by AI demand (More) | Tesla reports quarterly profit decline as operating expenses jump nearly 50% (More)
> EU antitrust regulators approve Paramount's roughly $110B bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery days after a California judge temporarily blocked the deal in the US (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in Louisiana, threatening to bring storm surge up to 3 feet; see storm's path toward Texas by Friday (More, scroll for map) | What are the names for 2026 storms? (More)
> French authorities are investigating the death of a 69-year-old modeling scout who worked to introduce women and girls to Jeffrey Epstein; at least five women had accused Daniel Siad of rape and human trafficking before his death (More)
> President Donald Trump threatens to strike an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz (More) | See chart of ship traffic since January (More, scroll for graph)
In partnership with USAFacts
Why You Need to Care About Public Data
What's our best tool to know where health challenges are emerging? Public data.
Public health data helps us understand the health of our communities—from tracking infectious diseases to identifying emerging health risks and measuring the impact of public health programs.
When government data is timely and reliable, public health officials, researchers, and policymakers can make better informed decisions. That's why investing in better public data matters. Support public data and sign the open letter.
1440 Civics: Reconstruction
The period of rebuilding and reconciliation after the Civil War brought unprecedented Black participation in government, alongside racial violence and political upheaval from 1865 to 1877:
> The manhunt and power struggle that gripped the US after Lincoln's assassination, told in a widely lauded historical fiction podcast. (More)
> Read an annotated 1866 essay by abolitionist Frederick Douglass, laying out his vision for reshaping America after the Civil War. (More)
> The greatest Civil War story you've never heard: Robert Smalls' daring escape from slavery and his rise to political power during Reconstruction. (More)
> How a paperwork mistake meant that Mississippi didn't officially ratify the Thirteenth Amendment banning slavery until 2013. (More)
Explore the rest of our favorites at 1440 Civics.
In partnership with Frontieras
The 'Clean' Coal Comeback Just Passed $30M
Call it coal's “clean” comeback: a way to convert coal into fuel without burning it. The innovation has already drawn more than $30M from 12,000+ investors. That's how far Frontieras has come. But how far can they go?
The company projects that capturing just 2% of the global coal market could lead to a trillion-dollar valuation. Their first commercial plant, backed by $150M from institutional investor GEM, is now under construction in West Virginia. Invest by 8/6 before the share price changes.*
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Etcetera
Prince George is officially a teenager; see his new portrait.
Can you name these Nickelodeon shows?
A 10,000-year potato habit may have changed human DNA.
Kidney stones, shingles, childbirth: Which hurts the most?
Cut one thing from your day: too many decisions.
How "bro" and "dude" became some of America's favorite words.
What does it mean if a cardinal keeps visiting your yard?
Explore the 2026 World Cup through players' tattoos.
Hormones from pregnancy can turn you into a mosquito magnet.
In partnership: Investors are watching the “Rockefeller Moment” for clean coal.*
Clickbait: Would you wear "poop shoes?"
Historybook: Ulysses S. Grant dies (1885); 43 killed, over 1,000 injured in Detroit Riot (1967); British actor Daniel Radcliffe born (1989); Hale-Bopp comet is discovered (1995); Amy Winehouse dies (2011); Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies (2012).
*Please support our sponsors.
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*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for Frontieras’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.frontieras.com/. Reservation of the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that we will be listed on the NASDAQ. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.
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