OpenAI engineer reveals GPT-6 Astra boosted internal productivity so dramatically that some projects were moved 6 months ahead of schedule.

Juul gets FDA authorization for “JUUL2,” a new vape system that can verify users’ age through an app before activation.

U.S. gas prices are on track to top $4 per gallon on Labor Day for the first time ever.

Costa Rica’s president signals openness to U.S. ground operations against transnational crime.

GPT Astra 6.1+ released by...?

Nigel Farage unveils a migration pact with France’s National Rally that would have the UK intercept Channel boats & return migrants to France, if both parties take power.

Foldable iPhone Announced Price?

Netherlands transfers a large share of its gold reserves out of the U.S. and into the Bank of England, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest.”

French investigators seize more than €65 million in a tax probe into McKinsey.

Meta's "Watermelon" model released by...?

EU proposes new restrictions on Airbnb and other short-term rentals.

U.S. sanctions Turkish investment bank Golden Global over alleged ties to Iran’s IRGC.

U.S. Embassy issues health alert for Cuba after a “significant increase” in diarrheal illness linked to deteriorating water & power infrastructure.

𝕏 wins a court order blocking a rival startup app from using the “Twitter” name.

GPT-6 Astra agents reportedly created a “simulation within a simulation” after vibe coder Matt Shumer gave them access to a virtual computer inside their Unreal Engine world.

Trump pardons longtime Jay-Z associate Emory Jones, who served nearly 16 years in federal prison on cocaine charges.

Two Massachusetts police officers face termination after allegedly using Flock cameras to track their romantic partners & exes.

Two men survive 9 days trapped beneath mud and debris in Nepal before being rescued from buried hydroelectric tunnels.

Morgan Stanley overtakes Goldman Sachs in the odds to be the lead bank in Anthropic’s IPO — 72% chance.

Lindsay Clancy “super fan” arrested after alleged murder of her 2-year-old son, hours after texting about the case.

Trump imposes tariffs of up to 100% on foreign made drones.

Nick Shirley files a federal free speech lawsuit against California’s “Stop Nick Shirley Act”

Federal judge indefinitely blocks Trump’s new mail-in ballot rules ahead of the November midterms.

HHS launches investigation into 2,544 unverified death reports involving U.S. service members who received COVID vaccines.

Florida man arrested for meth trafficking goes viral, after his nose appeared to be mysteriously missing.

U.S. Open match interrupted due to "strong" stench of marijuana distracting players' focus.

Mexican authorities seize nearly 38,000 pounds of methamphetamine in Sinaloa worth an estimated $347 million.

6 migrants reportedly refused to get off a U.S. deportation flight in Liberia and were instead flown to Equatorial Guinea, where they remain detained in limbo.

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney unloads on the lone holdout juror after the mistrial, says “I hope that guy can sleep well at night.”

OpenAI announces GPT-6 Astra is now available to all Pro, Enterprise, & Business Premium users.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is currently the favorite to be the Democratic Vice President nominee in 2028. 11% chance.

Trump signs order authorizing ranchers to protect cattle herds from Mexican gray wolves.

Trump reveals he will spend up to $500 million from MAGA Inc. to support Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms.

Female jurors in Lindsay Clancy trial appear visibly emotional, with one “clenching her fists” as the judge declares a mistrial in the case over the deaths of her three young children. — CNN

Lindsay Clancy supporters berate the district attorney during a post-trial press conference, yelling, “Why don’t you care about the mother?!”

Apple is developing a sci-fi movie based on the real “Waffle House Index,” with Inde Navarrette starring in a disaster story involving a flooded restaurant, killer crocodiles, & aliens.

Tetris publicly disavows the White House’s Tetris-style “Build the Wall” game.

Trump declares the U.S. has “essentially taken over” Iran.

Biohacker Bryan Johnson tests a new lighting setup designed to “mimic sunlight” without the negative side effects, inside his Southern California office.

Trump signs executive order allowing ranchers to process & sell their own beef directly to consumers, bypassing the “big four” meat processors.

Lindsay Clancy’s trial for the murders of her 3 young children officially ends in a mistrial.

Georgia man faces 10 charges after allegedly setting 4 Flock cameras on fire.

Trump reveals the new White House ballroom is being built with “nuclear concrete” so strong that future Democrats will be physically unable to tear it down.

DeepSeek plans to deploy at least 160,000 of Huawei’s next-generation AI chips at a massive new data center in Inner Mongolia.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka halts her US Open match after complaining of a strong cannabis smell, asking officials to intervene because “it’s so strong”

JD Vance declares it would be “proper and responsible” for the Fed to lower interest rates.

AI startup micro1 offers $12.5 million for Spirit Airlines’ massive trove of internal data, seeking to outbid Google’s $10 million deal.

Gal Gadot’s latest film “The Runner” debuts with a 9% Rotten Tomatoes score, the lowest rated movie of her career.

UN votes 164-1 to ditch the Mercator projection in favor of the “Equal Earth” map, with the U.S. casting the lone vote against.

Beloved reality TV show “Jersey Shore” has officially come to an end after 17 years and nearly 300 episodes.

Department of War to play a larger role in U.S. biodefense & pandemic preparedness under a new agreement with the NIH.

Senate Democrats urge U.S. Postal Service to stop implementing new mail-in voting rules, warning they could “disenfranchise” voters & disrupt the November midterms.

Corporate America is rapidly shifting toward open-source AI, as companies including AT&T, Airbnb, & Deloitte seek cheaper alternatives to closed models from OpenAI & Anthropic. — NYT

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces she will step down at the end of 2026.

George Clooney warns AI could eliminate “probably about 30 percent” of visual effects jobs in Hollywood.

Trump administration releases more than 1 billion sterile flies to combat the flesh-eating New World screwworm spreading through American livestock.

Researchers warn roughly 19.3 million Americans now suffer from cannabis use disorder.

Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer now suggests the lone holdout juror may be biased against “disabled individuals” as the jury remains deadlocked.

Zohran Mamdani extends his lead in the odds to be the 2026 TIME Person of the Year, outpacing the Pope, Trump, & Netanyahu. 32% chance.

Novice California hikers use Google Gemini to plan a Mount Shasta trip, only to get stranded & rescued after the AI allegedly advised them to bring too little food and water.

Judge delays declaring a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy trial after the defense asks for time to seek an emergency stay from a Superior Court judge.

Lindsay Clancy jury says it cannot reach a unanimous verdict, with prosecutors now recommending a mistrial.

JD Vance warns “there’s a lot that would go wrong” if Democrats take control of the House or Senate.

Los Angeles podcaster arrested on federal charges of allegedly threatening to kill President Trump.

Steve Witkoff & Jared Kushner are reportedly expected to meet Putin in Moscow on Saturday & Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday as U.S. peace efforts resume

Canada loses 41,700 jobs in August, badly missing expectations amid the U.S. trade war.

Tesla is now valued higher than every other publicly traded automaker combined.

Vibe coder catches Claude viewing adult content in Chrome during a debugging session, leading the internet to declare "artificial gooner intelligence" has been achieved.

North Carolina becomes the first state to kick off midterm voting as more than 46,000 requested absentee ballots begin going out.

Trump urges the Fed to lower interest rates immediately, declaring the U.S. should have “the lowest rate of any country in the world.”