Netanyahu killed hostage deal: According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevented a ceasefire deal from being reached in July by introducing a series of new demands at the 11th hour. While previously reported that Netanyahu had fought the ceasefire, Yedioth Ahronoth’s reporting has for the first time the document indicating that this was an intentional move, likely to appease far right members of his coalition government who wish to see the war, which has already killed more than 40,000 people, primarily civilians, and threatens to spread to new fronts.
Labor market cools: The total number of available jobs in the United States shrank throughout July, declining to the lowest levels seen since January 2021. The latest data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a drop for the second consecutive month, shrinking from 7.91 million in June to 7.67 million in July. Economists had expected July to have 8.1 million job postings, but a cooling job market has prevailed.
NY governor’s aid accused of being Chinese agent: Linda Sun was charged with allegations of money laundering, falsified signatures, and surreptitious communications in a Federal indictment against Linda Sun filed on Tuesday. Sun has a long career in the New York government, formerly a deputy chief of staff to Kathy Hochul and an aide to Andrew Cuomo. Her Husband, Chris Hu, is accused of managing financial kickbacks from Chinese officials.
Fungal robot: Scientist at Cornell University have developed a pair of robots who have their movement dictated not by programming or software, but by the reactions of a king oyster mushroom to light. The fungus sends electrical signals in response to exposure to light, which the robots are able to translate into directions to move in a certain direction. “Biohybridization is an attempt to find components in the biological world that we can harness, understand, and control to help our artificial systems work better,” added Shepherd, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University who leads the institution’s Organic Robotics Lab.
Biden to accuse Russia of 2024 election interference: A source has told CNN that the Biden Administration plans to accuse Russia of a sustained effort to influence the next presidential election through the use of Kremlin owned media and online platforms to expose American voters to misinformation. A meeting is scheduled for later today with Attorney General Merric Garland hosting a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force.
