Super Micro Computer (SMCI) is moving past another major governance overhang after completing an independent investigation into an alleged Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) chip diversion scheme. On Aug. 20, Super Micro announced that the probe, led by independent directors Scott Angel and Tally Liu and conducted with Munger, Tolles & Olson and forensic consultant AlixPartners, found no evidence that current senior management knew about the alleged diversion scheme or any actual diversion of restricted products. The company also said it found no evidence that Super Micro directly sold export-controlled products to known restricted parties or that its previously issued financial statements could not be relied upon.
The investigation followed the March 19 indictment of two Super Micro employees and a contractor in connection with an alleged scheme of Nvidia-powered artificial intelligence (AI) servers that prosecutors say were diverted to China through intermediaries. Super Micro itself was not named as a defendant and said the three individuals no longer have any relationship with the company.
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#alleged #evidence

Esmerlyn Valdez finally found one. After 24 games without a home run, Valdez turned on a 90 mph fastball from Robbie Ray on Monday night and sent it 413 feet into the left-center-field seats at Petco Park. The ball left his bat at 111.6 mph, giving Pittsburgh its first run in 22 innings and ending the longest power drought of Valdez's young major-league career. It was the kind of swing that made him look like one of baseball's most terrifying rookies earlier this summer. It was also a reminder of why the Pirates cannot let the month that came before scare them away.
Valdez's first exposure to the majors looked almost unfair. Then pitchers adjusted, the strikeouts piled up, and the home runs vanished. That is not evidence that Pittsburgh was fooled by a hot start. It is the part of a rookie season where the league hands back the test with different questions. Now Valdez gets to answer them.
Jul 20, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) hits a two-run home run during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh desperately needed somebody to do something Monday. The Pirates had gone 22 consecutive innings without scoring, matching their longest drought of the season, before Valdez stepped to the plate in the sixth inning. His slump-breaking homer did more than remove a zero from the scoreboard. It provided the first sign in weeks of the devastating power that defined his arrival.
Rafael Flores followed with an RBI double later in the inning, and Nick Gonzales eventually delivered the winning hit in the 12th as Pittsburgh escaped with a 3-2 victory. The game mattered for a team clinging to distant postseason hopes, but Valdez's swing may have mattered more for what Pittsburgh needs to learn over the final month. The Pirates already know Valdez can punish a mistake. They need to find out what happens after the league stops making as many of them. Monday's homer was his 15th despite having only 205 at-bats this season.

#pirates #first #season

Sustainable Growth Advisers (SGA), an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for its "Global Growth Strategy." The letter can be downloaded here. The SGA Global Growth Portfolio returned 7.4% gross and 7.2% net, compared with 14.9% for the MSCI ACWI and 19.8% for the MSCI ACWI Growth Index. Momentum leadership and enthusiasm around AI infrastructure drove markets, with semiconductor, memory, and hardware stocks accounting for much of the gain. Although the portfolio owned AI beneficiaries, broader holdings lagged despite fundamentals, as median revenue and EPS growth reached 12% and 14% and more than 60% of the holdings beat expectations. SGA believes valuation compression reflects sentiment rather than weaker business quality, leaving the portfolio near its widest discount to the market since inception. The firm continues to favor durable compounders and expects 16% revenue growth and 20% earnings growth over three years. Also, please check the Fund's top five holdings to see its best picks for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, SGA Global Growth Strategy highlighted Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) as a leading contributor. Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) is a UK-based technology company that develops and licenses central processing unit designs and related technologies for semiconductor companies and original equipment manufacturers. On August 21, 2026, Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) closed at $243.32 per share. The one-month return of Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) was -8.64%, and its shares gained 76.60% over the past 52 weeks. Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) has a market capitalization of $259.87 billion.
SGA Global Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM), leading designer and licensor of CPU architectures and related subsystems, was a top contributor to performance again this quarter. The company delivered solid quarterly results, including 20% revenue growth and 12% profit growth, with continued strength in licensing activity and sustained royalty expansion despite a tougher comparison period. Management guidance reinforced confidence in maintaining roughly 20% revenue growth, supported by increasing demand for Arm-based CPUs and expanding adoption across data center and AI workloads, which helped offset expected weakness in handset markets. Confidence was further supported by evidence of strong CPU demand, improving share gains versus x86 architectures, and growing customer traction, including an expanding roster of signed partners and management's confidence in achieving long-term revenue targets. With strong pricing power, highly recurring revenues, and expanding royalty rates as Arm captures more value across the compute stack, we continue to view the company as a high-quality, long-term compounder well-positioned to benefit from the proliferation of AI and power efficient computing. We

Matt Murphy already raised MRVL's revenue outlook to ~$11.5 billion for fiscal 2027, and the stock has beaten earnings estimates in 5 of its last 6 reports.
After Q1 FY27 earnings, MRVL surged 54% in one week while QQQ gained just 0.11% over the same 30-day stretch.
Polymarket gives MRVL an 88% probability of beating earnings, and 38 ****** ysts rate it Buy with zero Sells.
Act now: the ****** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Marvell Technology didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) heading into the August 27, 2026 fiscal Q2 2027 earnings report, carries a favorable setup. Management has already telegraphed acceleration, the bookings are in hand, and the crowd is betting on a beat. The catalyst is defined and the evidence points in one direction.

#earnings #marvell #already

On August 21, Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) disclosed in a letter that hackers gained unauthorized access to some of its cloud platforms between July 6 and July 10, exposing names, dates of birth, addresses, and Social Security numbers. The breach lands weeks after Apollo told investors its **** ets under management had crossed $1 trillion for the first time, a milestone built in part on convincing individuals and retirees to trust the firm with their money. Now Apollo has to convince some of those same people it can protect their data too.
Apollo's second quarter showed why the growth story still has legs. **** ets under management reached $1.05 trillion, up 25% year over year, while fee-related earnings hit a record $785 million, also up 25%, and management fees climbed 23% as third-party money kept arriving across credit and equity strategies. Origination volume totaled $74 billion for the quarter, pushing the trailing 12-month figure to nearly $320 billion, and that tally does not yet include the $35 billion financing Apollo arranged for Broadcom's new AI computing platform, the largest private credit deal ever recorded, since Apollo only books revenue once financing closes rather than when it is announced.
CEO Marc Rowan frames Apollo's opportunity as bigger than private equity or credit alone. He argues the industry's client base is expanding from a single source of institutional demand into six categories, including individuals, insurance companies and 401(k) plans, and Apollo is building toward that shift with daily net **** et value pricing on its credit products and a partnership with Intercontinental Exchange that has already **** igned more than 2,000 identifiers to Apollo **** ets. Performance backs up the pitch: Apollo's Fund X has generated a 21% net internal rate of return, well ahead of the 14% industry benchmark for its 2023 vintage.
The breach is the more immediate problem, and it fits a pattern. Reuters has reported that dozens of financial institutions, including Uber and Levi Strauss, were recently targeted by the same kind of ransom-seeking hackers, who built fake websites designed to steal passwords from employees at private equity and financial firms through phone-based social engineering rather than any technical exploit. Apollo says its investigation is ongoing and it has found no evidence yet that the stolen information has been posted publicly or used for identity theft, and it is offering affected individuals free credit monitoring and identity protection.

#management #Equity #billion #july

Orbis Investment Management, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for "Orbis Global Equity Strategy". The letter can be downloaded here. In the first half of 2026, the Global Equity Strategy returned 19.9%, surpassing the MSCI All Country World Index by 7.8%. The market faced narrow breadth in the quarter. The strategy focuses on AI investments categorized into four groups: "Core" (direct exposure), "Enablers" (supporting businesses), "AI Powered" (companies enhanced by AI), and "Overlooked" (misjudged resilient companies). The firm emphasizes maintaining strong but flexible convictions in a fluctuating market, prioritizing disciplined, evidence-based investment over emotional decision-making. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Orbis Global Equity Strategy highlighted QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO). QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) is a leading US-based roofing, waterproofing, and complementary building products distributor. On August 24, 2026, QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) closed at $13.41 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $13.91 billion. QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) posted a one-month return of -5.89%, while its shares lost 35.93% over the past 52 weeks.
Orbis Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"We think about AI through the same lens. Most early corporate AI adoption is a motor swap: existing workflows, existing structures, existing ***** umptions, with AI bolted on. The companies that compound the most value are those willing to redesign the floor. This is a question I ask of every management team I invest behind. QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) is doing exactly that. As it consolidates the prosaic, low-tech business of building products distribution, it is rebuilding the operating model itself, from pricing and procurement to inventory and branch data, rather than bolting technology onto the old way of working."
QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 83 hedge fund portfolios held QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) at the end of the second quarter, up from 65 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#strategy

Orbis Investment Management, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for "Orbis Global Equity Strategy". The letter can be downloaded here. In the first half of 2026, the Global Equity Strategy returned 19.9%, surpassing the MSCI All Country World Index by 7.8%. The market faced narrow breadth in the quarter. The strategy focuses on AI investments categorized into four groups: "Core" (direct exposure), "Enablers" (supporting businesses), "AI Powered" (companies enhanced by AI), and "Overlooked" (misjudged resilient companies). The firm emphasizes maintaining strong but flexible convictions in a fluctuating market, prioritizing disciplined, evidence-based investment over emotional decision-making. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Orbis Global Equity Strategy highlighted Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN). Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) is a specialty insurance services company that provides distribution, underwriting, product development, administration, and risk management services. On August 24, 2026, Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) closed at $44.34 per share. The one-month return of Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) was -3.63%, and its shares lost 23.17% over the past 52 weeks. Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) has a market capitalization of $17.29 billion.
Orbis Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"The biggest winners have been concentrated in AI. But not all AI exposure is equal. We frame ours in four groups. The first is the "Core", the second is "Enablers", the third is AI "Powered" and the fourth is the "Overlooked": resilient businesses the market has mispriced as AI casualties. The first three are widely understood. The fourth is where we believe the market is most wrong, and where we are hunting.
Take insurance brokerage. Brown & Brown and Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) are brokers: they sit between companies and insurers, matching clients to the right coverage and placing it for a fee, without carrying the risk themselves. Both are priced as AI casualties. Two fears weigh on the stocks: a softening pricing cycle and AI disintermediation. The pricing cycle is already in the price. On AI, we disagree. Ryan Specialty makes the case from the other end of the market: a leading specialist in excess and surplus, the part of insurance built for complex, hard-to-place, and emerging risk. That market is structurally expanding, and we view Ryan as its most capable navigator. The pattern holds across the Overlooked. We are not buying businesses AI leaves alone. We are buying businesses that put AI to work. Scaled brokers with proprietary data are sharpened by it, not replaced."

#market #letter

Orbis Investment Management, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for "Orbis Global Equity Strategy". The letter can be downloaded here. In the first half of 2026, the Global Equity Strategy returned 19.9%, surpassing the MSCI All Country World Index by 7.8%. The market faced narrow breadth in the quarter. The strategy focuses on AI investments categorized into four groups: "Core" (direct exposure), "Enablers" (supporting businesses), "AI Powered" (companies enhanced by AI), and "Overlooked" (misjudged resilient companies). The firm emphasizes maintaining strong but flexible convictions in a fluctuating market, prioritizing disciplined, evidence-based investment over emotional decision-making. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Orbis Global Equity Strategy highlighted Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO). Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) is a leading insurance brokerage firm operating through Retail and Specialty Distribution segments. On August 24, 2026, Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) closed at $74.62 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $24.97 billion. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) posted a one‑month return of 1.32%, while its shares lost 22.31% over the past 52 weeks.
Orbis Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"The biggest winners have been concentrated in AI. But not all AI exposure is equal. We frame ours in four groups. The first is the "Core": direct exposure through companies like Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor, and SK Square. The second is "Enablers": the businesses providing the power, materials, and real estate that hyperscalers need to operate. The third is AI "Powered": companies where AI accelerates an already compelling model, like Alphabet. The fourth is the "Overlooked": resilient businesses the market has mispriced as AI casualties. The first three are widely understood. The fourth is where we believe the market is most wrong, and where we are hunting.
Take insurance brokerage. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) and Ryan Specialty are brokers: they sit between companies and insurers, matching clients to the right coverage and placing it for a fee, without carrying the risk themselves. Both are priced as AI casualties. Two fears weigh on the stocks: a softening pricing cycle and AI disintermediation. The pricing cycle is already in the price. On AI, we disagree. AI may automate commodity cover like personal auto, but that is under 5% of Brown & Brown's book. The rest is commercial and specialty insurance, where the broker exercises judgement and answers for a denied claim. It is a people business, and Brown & Brown has spent more than eighty years serving mid sized companies that lack the in-house expertise in insurance."

#global

By Howard Schneider
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve will need to raise interest rates soon unless coming data show a continued decline in ‌inflation that remains too high and which has become a "pervasive" concern for businesses ‌and households, Boston Fed President Susan Collins said on Tuesday.
Collins said in comments posted to the Boston Fed website that the current Fed policy rate, under her base case outlook, will continue to push down prices and help with a "gradual disinflation" aided also by the recent rise in longer-term bond yields and other factors.
But "should evidence of sustained inflation progress not materialize, I believe it will ‌be appropriate to tighten policy soon ⁠to ensure we deliver price stability in a reasonable time frame. ... Concerns about high prices are pervasive in my conversations with stakeholders across ⁠New England," Collins wrote.
Economists polled by Reuters expect that new inflation data on Wednesday will show that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, excluding food and energy, increased at a 3.3% annual rate in July, unchanged from the month before and well above the Fed's 2% target. ‌Core PCE, considered a guide to future headline inflation, has risen steadily since last year, with Fed officials citing the Trump administration's import tariffs, higher oil prices due to the war with Iran, and now massive investments in artificial intelligence as reasons for the increase.

#boston #data #high

At least one in four NFL players could develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive brain disease linked to repeated head impacts, new research suggests.
Researchers found CTE in 215 of 878 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, meaning 24.5 percent have died with CTE. The study was led by Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, a physician and researcher at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, along with researchers from Boston University and other institutions.
That figure may underestimate how common CTE is among former NFL players. Researchers examined the brains of 235 of the 878 players who died during the study period, leaving 643 brains unexamined.
CTE is caused by repeated head impacts and can only be definitively diagnosed after death. It is extremely rare without repeated head trauma. The disease can cause memory loss, confusion, mood changes, impaired decision-making, impulsive behavior and addiction, according to the American Brain Foundation.
CTE was first identified in boxers nearly a century ago and has since been found in other athletes exposed to repeated head impacts, including hockey, rugby, soccer, wrestling and bobsledding. Researchers have also found evidence suggesting military personnel exposed to repeated blasts may be at risk.

#researchers #died

A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation found that at least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma.
The findings, published Tuesday in The British Medical Journal, examined former NFL players from the hard-shell helmet era and suggest the prevalence of CTE among professional football players is significantly higher than in the general population.
Researchers identified 878 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021. Of those, 235 donated their brains for study, and 215 of the donated brains, or 91.4%, showed evidence of CTE.
Because CTE can only be diagnosed after death through brain tissue examination, researchers estimated a range for how widespread the disease may have been among all deceased former players. Their most conservative estimate found at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died during that period had CTE. The upper estimate reached 97.7%, though researchers said both extremes are unlikely and the true prevalence is likely somewhere in between.
"Community brain bank studies have shown that CTE affects less than 1% of the general population," said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, lead author of the study and chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham. "To find that somewhere between 24.5% and 97.7% of NFL players from that time period had this progressive brain disease is a wake-up call for the NFL and scientific communities."

#died

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's full autopsy report on late Memphis Grizzlies veteran forward and former Phoenix Desert Vista standout Brandon Clarke was released Monday, Aug. 24. Clarke had cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and multiple other medications "within therapeutic levels," per the report obtained by USA Today Sports.
Clarke's roommate told officials that Clarke had a "history of drug use" and underwent multiple rehabilitation stints for drug addiction, according to the report's synopsis.
Clarke died at his San Fernando Valley residence on May 11. He was 29 years old. The cause of death was an accidental overdose from the "effects of heroin and cocaine" in Clarke's system, which matched the medical examiner's initial statement about Clarke on Aug. 7.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials listed in the incident's early reports that he was found unresponsive and declared dead at the scene.
Drug paraphernalia was found at Clarke's home, according to the synopsis report. That included "vape devices, cannabis products, prescription medications, injectable peptides, syringes, a box of Narcan, blister packets of medications, vitamins and other medical evidence." Also, there was a plate with an "unknown white powdery substance and a hotel keycard" found in the kitchen.

#medical #drug

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) delivered its strongest commercial momentum in several years during fiscal Q2 2026, with growth extending across HIV, oncology, and liver disease. Total revenue increased 10% year over year to approximately $7.8 billion, while product sales rose 8% to $7.6 billion.
Yet, the income statement tells a considerably less flattering story. Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) reported a substantial quarterly loss after recording more than $11 billion in acquired research and development expenses. Investors may look at the earnings as a strengthening commercial business, but not without an expensive attempt to build its next generation of growth.
Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) underlying business performed strongly during the quarter. Product sales excluding Veklury increased 10% to $7.6 billion, demonstrating that growth was driven by the company's core portfolio rather than its declining COVID-19 treatment. HIV remained the principal contributor, with sales rising 12% to $5.7 billion. Biktarvy revenue increased 7% to $3.8 billion, while Descovy sales climbed 48% to $967 million. Yeztugo, Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) twice-yearly injectable HIV-prevention medicine, generated $232 million as its launch continued to gain traction.
It is significant to note that growth in the quarter was not limited to HIV. Liver-disease sales increased 10% to $877 million, supported primarily by higher demand for Livdelzi and treatments for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis delta. Livdelzi alone generated $167 million, more than doubling year over year.
Trodelvy also strengthened Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) oncology case. Driven by higher demand, sales of the breast-cancer treatment increased 26% to $457 million. Although oncology remains much smaller than HIV, Trodelvy's growth provides evidence that Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) is developing another meaningful commercial franchise. Management responded to the quarter by raising the lower end of its 2026 product-sales guidance. The company now expects 30.1–30.4 billion, compared with 30.0–30.4 billion previously. It also increased its product-sales forecast excluding Veklury to 29.8–30.1 billion, up from 29.4–29.8 billion.

#gild #increased

The next few years will test whether Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) can replace yesterday's blockbusters, and whether Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) can become more than an HIV company. Pfizer's (NYSE:PFE) newer medicines are gaining traction, but that growth has yet to accelerate the wider business. Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) is expanding faster, although its performance remains concentrated in one therapeutic area. For investors, this is ultimately a choice between an unfinished turnaround and a stronger growth story still searching for greater breadth.
Pfizer's (NYSE:PFE) strongest result was the performance of its non-COVID portfolio. Revenue excluding Comirnaty and Paxlovid grew 5% operationally, while launched and acquired products generated $3.2 billion and increased 18% operationally. Growth also came from several franchises. Padcev revenue rose 23% operationally to $667 million, supported by increased market share in bladder cancer. The Vyndaqel family generated $1.76 billion, up 8% operationally, while Lorbrena grew 37% operationally. These products give Pfizer more than one avenue for rebuilding revenue as COVID-related demand declines.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) lowered its 2026 COVID-product forecast from approximately $5 billion to $4 billion after low infection levels weighed on Paxlovid utilization. Nevertheless, stronger-than-expected non-COVID sales allowed the company to raise the midpoint of its total revenue guidance by $500 million. Cost reductions provide additional support for the company. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) expects approximately $6.7 billion in savings from its cost-realignment program through 2029. A separate manufacturing-optimization program is expected to generate another $3 billion, bringing anticipated savings across the two programs to approximately $9.7 billion. This leaner cost base could help Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) preserve margins and continue investing in areas such as oncology and obesity.
Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD), however, is currently delivering much stronger underlying growth. Product sales excluding Veklury increased 10% to $7.6 billion, and HIV sales rose 12% to $5.7 billion, with Biktarvy revenue increasing 7% to $3.8 billion and Descovy sales climbing 48% to $967 million. Yeztugo, Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) twice-yearly injectable HIV-prevention medicine, contributed $232 million as its launch gained momentum. The product adds a potentially important growth driver to an already dominant HIV portfolio.
Growth, however, was not confined to HIV alone, as liver-disease sales increased 10% to $877 million, while Livdelzi revenue more than doubled from $78 million to $167 million. Trodelvy sales rose 26% to $457 million, providing further evidence that Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) is building a meaningful oncology franchise. Management subsequently raised its 2026 product-sales outlook to $30.1–$30.4 billion and increased guidance for product sales excluding Veklury to $29.8–$30.1 billion.

#NYSE #million #gild

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian residents of war-battered Gaza fled homes and businesses as Israeli strikes and tank fire killed at least four people Monday, including two children, hospital officials said, a week after a U.S. delegation asked Israel to draw down attacks.
After evacuation warnings by Israel's military, a strike hit a building in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. One family was unable to flee and a 4-year-old child was killed, according to Awda Hospital, where he was taken. His mother and sister were wounded. There was no Israeli military comment.
Israeli strikes hit three other buildings across the territory after residents said they received evacuation warnings. Some people sprinted away, with mothers carrying children, while others moved amid the rubble in wheelchairs or with canes.
Smoke rose over the already devastated landscape.
Israel's military said it carried out strikes in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and in Deir al-Balah after issuing warnings, targeting what it described as two Hamas weapons storage facilities inside mosques. The military did not provide evidence but said the facilities contained dozens of "Kalashnikov rifles, magazines and additional military equipment."

#strikes #warnings #balah #hospital

AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) is paying $600 million upfront to secure global rights to Zegfrovy from Dizal Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, adding another targeted therapy to one of the pharmaceutical industry's largest oncology portfolios. Dizal Pharmaceutical could receive an additional $900 million if specified development, regulatory, and sales milestones are achieved, bringing the agreement's potential value to $1.5 billion. Dizal will also receive tiered royalties on the global sales of Zegfrovy.
Zegfrovy, also known as sunvozertinib, is an oral treatment approved in the United States and China for certain adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) will take responsibility for the treatment's global development and commercialisation.
For AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) shareholders, the transaction offers an opportunity to ****** s whether another targeted lung-cancer medicine can reinforce the company's oncology leadership, or whether the price adds further execution risk to an already extensive pipeline.
The agreement strengthens AstraZeneca's (NYSE:AZN) position in a therapeutic area where it already has substantial scientific and commercial experience. The company has built a major lung-cancer business around treatments including Tagrisso, Imfinzi, and Enhertu. That existing infrastructure could help AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) introduce Zegfrovy to physicians and patients more efficiently than a smaller developer with a limited global presence.
Zegfrovy also addresses a specific group of patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, for whom treatment options remain limited. In the Phase III WU-KONG28 trial, Zegfrovy produced median progression-free survival of 10.3 months, compared with 7.5 months for chemotherapy. AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) therefore gains an approved medicine supported by late-stage comparative evidence rather than an early experimental ****** et whose clinical viability remains largely unknown.

#lung #egfr

A 17-year-old Utah boy is accused of killing his mother and 8-year-old half-brother after prosecutors say a masked figure matching his build was caught on camera roaming the neighborhood in the hours after a late-night shooting.
Saratoga Springs police arrested the teen on Aug. 14 after a 17-month investigation involving dozens of search warrants, hundreds of pieces of evidence and extensive forensic testing, the department said.
The teen was booked into juvenile detention after detectives screened two counts of first-degree murder with the Utah County Attorney's Office, police said.
Prosecutors later charged him in juvenile court with two counts of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to charging documents obtained by Ksl.
16-Year-old Nc Girl Charged In Triple Murder Of Family Members, Arrested In Tennessee With 28-Year-old Man

#charged

Walmart fell more than 9% after reporting its slowest comparable-sales growth in six years. U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% Wall Street expected, and the stock lost more than $80 billion of market value in a day. That looks like a (WMT) story. I think it may be a consumer story.
(WMT) also raised its full-year sales and profit forecasts, which is why I would not treat the selloff as evidence that the business suddenly broke. The more revealing part of the quarter was what customers were doing inside the stores. Traffic held up reasonably well, but the average amount spent weakened. (WMT) also cut prices on roughly 11,000 items during the quarter. If you lower prices and customers become more selective about what goes into the basket, I pay attention. That tells me more about consumer behavior than about Walmart itself.
Soros Fund Management Opened a New Position in Nebius During Q2. What This Means for NBIS Stock.
Ahead of Nvidia Earnings, Here's What Barchart Data Says Comes Next for NVDA Stock
Nvidia Earnings, Jackson Hole and Other Key Things to Watch this Week

#comparable #Consumer #customers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to move ahead with his executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much his administration can implement before the fast-approaching midterm elections.
The decision appears to leave room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump's order. The U.S. Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week, but time is running short to impose major changes with some states beginning to send mail ballots to voters in just a few weeks.
The Supreme Court's three liberal-leaning justices dissented from the unsigned order.
Mail balloting has long been a favorite target for Trump, who has claimed that it breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and his own use of the voting method.
The case could be one of multiple voting-related challenges before the justices. The Justice Department had filed an emergency appeal asking the high court to allow work on implementing the changes before the midterms.

#order #implement #justices

The U.S. military killed two people in a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, resuming a controversial campaign that has faced criticism from legal experts.
The Aug. 23 strike, part of a nearly year-long operation targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, was the first such attack in more than two month, according to independent conflict monitor ACLED.
The U.S. military's Southern Command said in a social media post that the strike targeted a "low-profile vessel" and that "intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking," without providing evidence. SOUTHCOM described the two individuals who were killed as "narco-terrorists." The military released a video showing the strike and the vessel on fire.
"Let me be clear, we will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities," SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis Donovan said in a statement.
More than 200 people have been killed in the military campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that began in September 2025 and has involved dozens of boat strikes.

#vessel

Despite short-lived volatility tied to the Iran war in March, 2026 is shaping up to be another banner year for the stock market. Since early June, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI), benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC), and technology-powered Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) have blasted to respective all-time highs.
There's little question that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been Wall Street's No. 1 catalyst. Otherworldly spending on the AI infrastructure build-out has increased corporate growth rates and expanded stock valuations to levels last seen in the months leading up to the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
While evidence is mounting that an AI bubble may be brewing, this, arguably, isn't Wall Street's biggest bubble. Something far more sinister lurks in the shadows and, based on historical precedent, the bursting of this bubble may already have begun. If history were to repeat, the consequences for the stock market would be dire.
Image source: Getty Images.

#NVIDIA #Stock #wall

Aug 23 (Reuters) - - Vietnam's National ******* embly on Sunday approved amendments to the customs law that strengthen customs powers to intercept ‌counterfeit and intellectual property-infringing goods, a move that could address some ‌concerns raised in a U.S. trade investigation into the country's protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
• The changes come after the U.S. Trade Representative in May launched a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam's intellectual property regime after designating the country a "priority foreign country" in its annual Special 301 review.
• Among ‌the concerns cited by ⁠USTR were widespread counterfeiting, weak border enforcement, limited use of customs' authority to seize suspected counterfeit goods on its ⁠own initiative, and the absence of similar powers over goods transiting Vietnam.
• The revised law, which takes effect in March 2027, expands customs enforcement provisions to cover not only imported and exported goods but also goods transiting ‌through Vietnam, broadening the range of shipments that may be subject to intervention by customs authorities.
• Under the amendments, customs authorities retain the power to suspend clearance when rights holders provide evidence of possible infringement and a financial guarantee. Customs officers may also proactively halt the clearance of ‌imported, exported or transit goods if they identify clear signs of counterfeiting or other intellectual property violations.

#vietnam

On August 21, Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) disclosed in a letter that hackers gained unauthorized access to some of its cloud platforms between July 6 and July 10, exposing names, dates of birth, addresses, and Social Security numbers. The breach lands weeks after Apollo told investors its ***** ets under management had crossed $1 trillion for the first time, a milestone built in part on convincing individuals and retirees to trust the firm with their money. Now Apollo has to convince some of those same people it can protect their data too.
Apollo's second quarter showed why the growth story still has legs. ***** ets under management reached $1.05 trillion, up 25% year over year, while fee-related earnings hit a record $785 million, also up 25%, and management fees climbed 23% as third-party money kept arriving across credit and equity strategies. Origination volume totaled $74 billion for the quarter, pushing the trailing 12-month figure to nearly $320 billion, and that tally does not yet include the $35 billion financing Apollo arranged for Broadcom's new AI computing platform, the largest private credit deal ever recorded, since Apollo only books revenue once financing closes rather than when it is announced.
CEO Marc Rowan frames Apollo's opportunity as bigger than private equity or credit alone. He argues the industry's client base is expanding from a single source of institutional demand into six categories, including individuals, insurance companies and 401(k) plans, and Apollo is building toward that shift with daily net ***** et value pricing on its credit products and a partnership with Intercontinental Exchange that has already ***** igned more than 2,000 identifiers to Apollo ***** ets. Performance backs up the pitch: Apollo's Fund X has generated a 21% net internal rate of return, well ahead of the 14% industry benchmark for its 2023 vintage.
The breach is the more immediate problem, and it fits a pattern. Reuters has reported that dozens of financial institutions, including Uber and Levi Strauss, were recently targeted by the same kind of ransom-seeking hackers, who built fake websites designed to steal passwords from employees at private equity and financial firms through phone-based social engineering rather than any technical exploit. Apollo says its investigation is ongoing and it has found no evidence yet that the stolen information has been posted publicly or used for identity theft, and it is offering affected individuals free credit monitoring and identity protection.

#apollo #credit #management #private

The Washington Commanders have endured a lot of changes this offseason. Beyond roster changes, the Commanders also brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators, David Blough and Daronte Jones.
David Blough was already with the Commanders and was promoted from ***** istant quarterbacks coach. Because he was already with the Commanders, the learning curve wasn't as big as it could have been. He has installed a new offensive scheme that changes how the offense will operate and will see Jayden Daniels spend more time in the pocket than using his legs.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer has thoughts on how Blough's offense will look and function in 2026.
Blough brings new ideas after serving as the team's ***** istant quarterbacks coach. This won't be the Kliff Kingsbury offense he worked under the past two years. There are sprinkles of that, and the Sean McVay–influenced offense he played in under Kevin O'Connell. But there are more of Ben Johnson's concepts than anyone else's in what the Commanders are doing, if you had to drill down on the specifics. And that means a pretty significant change for Jayden Daniels, as he heads into his third season after an injury-stricken sophomore campaign. I'd look for Blough to highlight what Daniels is capable of as a passer. You'll see that in the play-action and keeper game. What might be tougher to pick up is how Blough also plans to leverage Daniels's football IQ by putting more on him and giving him more command at the line. How Daniels is now working cadence, kills and checks presnap are evidence that he can more than handle it. And, quietly, I get the sense that the staff can't wait for the football world to see what Daniels is going to be in 2026—especially since a lot of that world seems to have forgotten 2024.
After the 2025 debacle, the entire NFL world has dismissed Jayden Daniels' 2024 season as if it never happened. As if he didn't play at an elite level before enduring multiple injuries. And the thing with Daniels is that he didn't have any major injuries; he had several minor ones. He didn't have to have surgery; he had to rest and let his body heal. Let's also remember that his major injury was dislocating the elbow in his non-throwing arm, and his throwing arm was never a problem.

#Commanders #offense #offensive

Roberto de Zerbi, by his own admission, confirmed his role was more psychologist than coach when he was given seven games to keep Tottenham in the top flight following his appointment in March.
The Italian has been handed vast funds for a host of new players to ensure Spurs do not suffer a repeat of the nightmare campaign.
Saturday's dreadful defeat at Brentford was not the start he or the Spurs power brokers envisaged.
For all the change in transfer strategy and personnel, the manner in which Spurs capitulated at the first sign of pressure as they were run ragged by the Bees provided gruesome evidence that you need more than a huge transfer fund to give a team mental strength.
De Zerbi gave debuts to four of his new acquisitions in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali. They will feel the only way is up because they were at rock bottom here. None of them distinguished themselves, although neither did any others.

#brentford

Liverpool left St James' Park with a point, and a fresh question. Who is the club's first-choice penalty taker now?
The late spot-kick was the defining moment of a tense afternoon against Newcastle. For most of the game, the home crowd had focused on Alexander Isak, booing him relentlessly. That made the final seconds particularly intriguing. If Liverpool were going to get one chance to save the match, many expected the £125m striker might take it.
He did not.
Instead, Dominik Szoboszlai stepped forward and smashed the penalty past Lukas Hornicek. Clean strike, no drama, no argument once the ball hit the net. Liverpool had their draw, and Newcastle had escaped the scenario they had feared all afternoon.
This is where the discussion starts. Mohamed Salah had been Liverpool's regular penalty taker until his summer exit, and that role is now open. Isak has the profile and status to claim it. Szoboszlai has the technique and, after this, the evidence.

#Liverpool #newcastle #szoboszlai #taker

First Lady Melania Trump's public reappearance this week has renewed intense speculation regarding whether she has undergone cosmetic procedures.
Adding to the scrutiny, a prominent aesthetic expert claimed that her facial features look noticeably altered in recent photographs, pointing to those changes as potential evidence of a cosmetic intervention.
These ongoing rumors build upon years of ****** ertions by surgical specialists, despite Melania Trump's steadfast insistence that her looks are solely the product of a healthy lifestyle.
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Melania's appearance prompted renewed speculation about possible cosmetic work the first lady may have had done after her return to the spotlight.

#zumapress

PHOENIX (AP) — Two Phoenix police officers were fired and arrested after an unreported traffic stop in which they ******* aulted a man and woman and shocked them with a Taser, the police chief said.
Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez were arrested on charges including aggravated ******* ault and kidnapping, police chief Matt Giordano said at a news conference Saturday.
"Detectives have confirmed that the two former officers physically ******* aulted both the man and woman during the traffic stop," Giordano said. "The investigation also shows that a Taser was used on the victims during the stop."
The officers did not report the Aug. 5 traffic stop and did not activate their body-worn cameras, police said.
"There is no video evidence, but we established what we believe is probable cause that these crimes were committed," Giordano said, adding there was no indication that the officers knew the victims.

#TRAFFIC

Second-quarter earnings across the S&P 500 were robust, with companies tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure continuing to account for a substantial portion of overall profit growth.
S&P 500 earnings per share increased 31% from a year earlier during the quarter when excluding one-off income related to private investment holdings. AI infrastructure companies, including hyperscalers, generated approximately half of that increase, with earnings among the group climbing 54% year-over-year.
Strength was not confined to AI-related businesses. Excluding the energy sector, which received a boost from higher oil prices, the median S&P 500 company recorded earnings growth of 14% compared with the same period last year.
However, Goldman Sachs strategists led by Ben Snider said evidence that corporate adoption of AI is translating directly into earnings improvements remains limited. Only 11% of S&P 500 companies quantified productivity benefits from AI for a specific business application during their earnings calls, such as software coding or customer support. Just 2% put a figure on AI's direct contribution to earnings, unchanged from the first quarter.
Goldman's ***** ysis also found little difference in earnings performance between companies reporting measurable AI productivity improvements and those that did not.

#earnings #Companies #year #productivity

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) delivered its strongest commercial momentum in several years during fiscal Q2 2026, with growth extending across HIV, oncology, and liver disease. Total revenue increased 10% year over year to approximately $7.8 billion, while product sales rose 8% to $7.6 billion.
Yet, the income statement tells a considerably less flattering story. Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) reported a substantial quarterly loss after recording more than $11 billion in acquired research and development expenses. Investors may look at the earnings as a strengthening commercial business, but not without an expensive attempt to build its next generation of growth.
Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) underlying business performed strongly during the quarter. Product sales excluding Veklury increased 10% to $7.6 billion, demonstrating that growth was driven by the company's core portfolio rather than its declining COVID-19 treatment. HIV remained the principal contributor, with sales rising 12% to $5.7 billion. Biktarvy revenue increased 7% to $3.8 billion, while Descovy sales climbed 48% to $967 million. Yeztugo, Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) twice-yearly injectable HIV-prevention medicine, generated $232 million as its launch continued to gain traction.
It is significant to note that growth in the quarter was not limited to HIV. Liver-disease sales increased 10% to $877 million, supported primarily by higher demand for Livdelzi and treatments for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis delta. Livdelzi alone generated $167 million, more than doubling year over year.
Trodelvy also strengthened Gilead's (NASDAQ:GILD) oncology case. Driven by higher demand, sales of the breast-cancer treatment increased 26% to $457 million. Although oncology remains much smaller than HIV, Trodelvy's growth provides evidence that Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) is developing another meaningful commercial franchise. Management responded to the quarter by raising the lower end of its 2026 product-sales guidance. The company now expects 30.1–30.4 billion, compared with 30.0–30.4 billion previously. It also increased its product-sales forecast excluding Veklury to 29.8–30.1 billion, up from 29.4–29.8 billion.

#product