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Good morning, it's Friday, July 31. Spain is deploying troops to a North African city over a migrant surge. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: 15 elephants poisoned by cyanide (Need To Know), Ice Age hunting habits (Sci. & Tech.), Minnesota cyberattacks (Pol. & World Affairs), and much more.
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Need To Know
Moroccan Migrant Surge
Spain deployed its army to an autonomous Spanish city on the North African coast yesterday after an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 migrants swam, walked, and climbed across its border with Morocco (watch video). At least nine people have died.
Local officials say the influx is overwhelming migrant reception centers. The cause of the surge is unclear, but Ceuta and the smaller Spanish territory of Melilla are the European Union and Africa's only land border. A 2024 survey found that roughly 35% of Moroccans were considering leaving the country, with 45% citing economic reasons. Morocco's unemployment rate is around 10%, compared to a 4.8% global average. The scenes also echo a May 2021 border crisis, when more than 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta over two days after Morocco relaxed border controls in a move widely seen as a political protest.
While Spain has controlled Ceuta since 1580, Morocco also claims sovereignty over the roughly 7-square-mile city, based on geographical proximity and historical ties.
Shooter's Father Sentenced
The father of a Georgia teenager who carried out the deadly 2024 Apalachee High School shooting was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday. Colin Gray was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for gifting his son, Colt, the assault rifle used in the attack. Colt, now 16, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this week.
Prosecutors said the elder Gray disregarded warning signs, including his son’s interest in mass shootings and a shrine his son erected in his bedroom to the Parkland shooter. The gift also came despite a home visit by law enforcement months earlier when authorities received a tip Colt had threatened to kill students at an elementary school (see police camera footage).
The case is one of a handful in which parents of teenage shooters were held criminally responsible for their kids’ actions. That includes Michigan’s James and Jennifer Crumbley, who were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for failing to secure a newly purchased gun and ignoring warning signs.
🫶 Humankind: Whale watchers alerted marine experts to a trapped whale, setting in motion a rescue effort that ultimately saved its life.
Deadly Elephant Poisoning
Fifteen elephants in southern Kenya have died over the past month after eating cyanide-laced tomatoes left near farms bordering Amboseli National Park, home to roughly 1,900 elephants, according to local authorities.
Laboratory tests detected the chemical, used in agriculture for pest control and sometimes by poachers, in the animals' bodies. Most became paralyzed before collapsing within two days of symptom onset. Authorities have not identified suspects, but officials believe local farmers may have poisoned the tomatoes to deter elephants from raiding crops. Elephants can consume up to 600 pounds of food each day and often wander onto farmland during dry seasons when natural forage is scarce (and perhaps to self-medicate). Kenya has documented previous elephant poisonings tied to poaching and human-wildlife conflict, but officials say this is the region's deadliest such incident in decades. Learn why humans and wildlife are clashing over land.
Officials warned livestock grazing in the contaminated area could also be at risk, though they said the toxins pose no immediate threat to people.
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Union of European Football Associations votes to boycott the World Cups if FIFA proceeds with plan to sell stakes to private investors; UEFA represents 55 nations, including Spain, the reigning World Cup winner (More) | Read previous write-up (More)
> Lorde and John Summit close opening night of Chicago's Lollapalooza; Charli XCX and Smashing Pumpkins headline today (More, w/schedule) | Paramount+ to make "Clueless" sequel series with Alicia Silverstone reprising her lead role (More)
> Jason Cloth, executive producer on "Joker" and "Babylon," is indicted on allegations of running a $100M Ponzi scheme (More) | What's a Ponzi scheme? (More)
In partnership with Incogni
Unknown Number Calling? It's Not Random
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.
Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY.
Science & Technology
> Google DeepMind debuts new AI model that can control a humanoid robot's full body, directing it to walk, crouch, and manipulate objects; the previous model primarily controlled the robot's upper body (More) | Watch in action (More)
> Scientists develop AI tool, dubbed Raygun, that can shrink or supersize natural proteins while preserving their shape and function, a significant step toward protein engineering for gene therapy and biomedical research (More)
> Ice Age humans preferred hunting female woolly mammoths, according to DNA from over 500 mammoth bones found near sites of ancient human activity (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.7%, Dow +1.2%, Nasdaq +2.8%) (More) | Jersey Mike's makes public debut on the NYSE at $7.3B valuation (More)
> US economy slowed to 1.5% growth in Q2, while US Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index—key inflation metric monitored by the Fed—fell to 3.7% year over year in June, down from 4.1% in May (More) | See full inflation data (More)
> Apple quarterly revenue and earnings beat estimates, driven by 22% rise in iPhone sales (More) | Amazon reports better-than-expected revenue and cloud growth (More) | Crocs tops $1B in quarterly revenue for first time (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Authorities investigate whether Iran was responsible for cyberattacks on more than 30 water plants in Minnesota this week (More) | See war updates (More)
> President Donald Trump says he may "temporarily" pull Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general amid Republican pushback, vote delay (More)
> Russian missile crashes 57 miles into Polish territory, creating a 33-foot-wide crater, NATO says (More)
In-Depth
> T****he Picasso of Pointe Shoes
NY Times | Margaret Fuhrer. Pale pink slippers are a staple of ballerina wardrobes, and one former dancer-turned-shoe-colorist is revolutionizing New York City Ballet costumes and pioneering an art form through paints, dyes, and daubers. (Read)
Go behind the scenes with the 73-year-old artist here.
> Reduce, Reuse, Relisten
Longreads | Kyle Devine. Vinyl records are back in vogue, sparking new questions about the environmental impact of manufacturing the nostalgic discs. (Read)
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Best of Etcetera—July 2026
Editor's note: More than 12 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in July. Enjoy!
(7/24/26) Top 10 foods that food safety experts avoid.
(7/10/26) The US' most popular dog names.
(7/9/26) The US cities with the worst bedbug problems.
(7/14/26) Explosive diarrhea forces restaurants to change their menus.
(7/23/26) What does it mean if a cardinal keeps visiting your yard?
(7/21/26) The purpose of those tiny dots on your oven door.
(7/23/26) Prince George is officially a teenager; see his new portrait.
(7/23/26) Kidney stones, shingles, childbirth: Which hurts the most?
(7/24/26) What's up with dogs kicking after peeing or pooping?
(7/8/26) Guess which finger divorce rings go on?
(7/28/26) Almost every Pixar movie contains a hidden reference to "A113."
In partnership: How we're keeping our personal information off the web and out of the hands of scammers.*
Clickbait: How a longtime Costco cashier became a millionaire.
Historybook: Andrew Johnson, 17th US president, dies (1875); Entrepreneur Mark Cuban born (1958); "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling born (1965); START I signed by the US and Soviet Union to begin nuclear arms reduction (1991); Basketball legend Bill Russell dies (2022).
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