The transfer window for Premier League, English Football League, Scottish Premiership and Women's Super League clubs - and their counterparts in Germany, France, Spain and Italy - re-opened on 15 June.
Take a look at all the confirmed deals for July, and read the latest rumours in Football Gossip.
English Football League
Sebastian Berhalter [Vancouver Whitecaps - Middlesbrough] Undisclosed
Somto Boniface [Ipswich - Leyton Orient] Loan

#scottish #super

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees finally added a catcher on Tuesday … via a minor league contract.
The team signed veteran backstop Christian Bethancourt and ***** igned him to Triple-A before beating the White Sox, 3-2, in Chicago. The move shouldn't have any impact on the Yankees' pursuit of a righty-swinging catcher prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, though options appear limited for them and a handful of other needy clubs.
While Bethancourt is a right-handed hitter, he's ideally just another experienced Triple-A depth catcher for the Yankees alongside J.C. Escarra, a lefty. That depth could prove useful down the road since big league backup Ali Sánchez is out of minor league options.
Sánchez, a right-handed hitter who crushed the first homer of his career in Tuesday's win, would likely be forced out if the Yankees trade for a catcher to pair with the lefty-swinging Austin Wells.
Bethancourt has played in parts of eight big league seasons with the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs, but he hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2024. He had a .775 OPS (.783 vs. righties, .736 vs. lefties) over 59 games for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate this year.

#league #triple #minor #swinging

Millions across the Midwest and parts of the South are set to face another day of dangerously high temperatures while other parts of the country brace for the next round of severe storms. Meanwhile, wildfires in Europe force thousands to flee their homes. NBC's Maggie Vespa reports and TODAY's Al Roker tracks the forecast.

#maggie #roker

The memory maker no longer leads with the cost-cutting story that once defined it, and the bet you own has changed under you.
If you bought Micron Technology (MU) for the company it used to describe, you may not own that company anymore. For years management sold a familiar story: a disciplined memory maker grinding its costs lower through a brutal boom-and-bust cycle. On its most recent earnings call, dated late June 2026, that language barely surfaced, and what management led with instead was contracts.
What Happened To The Get-Cheaper Story?
The old scorecard was costly. Here is how management framed fiscal 2025 on a 2024 call: "expect fiscal 2025 NAND cost reductions to be in the low-to-mid teens." That kind of cost-down guidance is absent from the latest call. Management now expects blended DRAM cost per bit to rise, not fall, as the product mix shifts toward pricier, higher-performance parts. The metric that once proved operating discipline has flipped direction, and management sounds untroubled by it.
So What Is Micron Selling Investors Now?

#management #cost #company

The final few weeks of the summer transfer window will be busy for Real Madrid, with signings and exits expected. In terms of incomings, Yan Diomande and Rodri are wanted, while there are several first team players that have been earmarked as candidates to leave before the end of next month.
Raul Asencio, Eduardo Camavinga and Franco Mastantuono (loan) are players that Real Madrid want to move on, while they could also be convinced to sell Gonzalo Garcia amid strong interest from Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham. The La Fabrica graduate would bring in much-needed funds in the event that Diomande and Rodri are signed, although head coach Jose Mourinho would prefer him to remain at the Bernabeu.
Mourinho considers Gonzalo to be a differential option in attack. He's the closest thing that Real Madrid have to a target forward, and if the decision is eventually made for him to stay, it could mean that a different attacking player departs in his place.
That player could be Endrick. Despite reports earlier in the summer that Mourinho wanted to keep the Brazil international in his squad for the 2026-27 season, Marca have reported that Real Madrid are now considering whether to loan him out again.
Real Madrid see Endrick as one of their biggest stars for the future, but right now, his chances of regular playing time look slim – especially if Diomande joins, as expected. There are fears that his development will be stunted if he does not feature prominently, which is why club bosses are considering whether to send him on loan for the second successive transfer window.

#diomande #endrick #transfer

Whilst Paris Saint-Germain appeared determined not to pursue their efforts to sign RB Leipzig's Yan Diomandé (19), the arrival of new intermediaries – who are said to be much closer to the Rouge et Bleu management – could well shake things up, according to reports in L'Équipe.
And this is particularly due to Real Madrid's apparent difficulty in convincing their German counterparts to sell the Ivorian forward, even though the latter is said to have already reached an agreement to join the Spanish club. However, the expansion of his entourage in recent days is reported to have slowed down negotiations, whilst ever-increasing transfer fees are reportedly being demanded for the player.
This is a situation from which PSG could well benefit, as they are aware of Diomandé's interest in their project and his strong desire to play under Luis Enrique. Whilst nothing is yet certain, the Parisians may nevertheless be tempted by the prospect of launching a final push in the coming hours – provided, that is, that Real Madrid do not manage to finalise the deal first.
GFFN | Léo Aschi

#whilst #diomand #rouge

Texas A&M's No. 1-ranked 2027 recruiting class features a nation-high six five-star commitments, led by the program's top prospect, five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews, who is widely considered the best pass protector with the potential to become a future first-round NFL Draft selection.
Combined with fellow OL Kennedy Brown, safety Kamarui Dorsey, Edge Zyron Forstall, cornerback Raylaun Henry, and wide receiver Eric McFarland, third-year coach Mike Elko and his staff are very close to locking down the No. 1-ranked 2027 cycle.
After landing four-star linebacker Mikahi Allen, five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis, who will announce his commitment on August 1, remains the lone priority prospect, but is expected to land with the Texas Longhorns after his OV to Austin this summer. Even if the Aggies don't secure Williams-Callis's commitment, Texas A&M's 2027 running back room will be in good shape regardless.
At wide receiver, three-star Demani Warren and four-star Jayden Upshawn complement Eric McFarland's elite speed and versatility as the likely future starting slot receiver once Mario Craver departs for the NFL, and will immediately compete for a starting role in 2027 with second-year receiver Madden Williams in the slot.
Among the top-ranked wide receiver prospects in the 2027 cycle, McFarland comes in at No. 7 in MaxPreps writer Zach Poff's top-10 rankings, which is quite impressive given the site's sole dedication to covering high school prospects.

#ranked #wide #mcfarland

Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says he has regained sensation in parts of his legs nearly a month after a frightening on-field collision
The 24-year-old fractured his C6-C7 vertebrae and underwent spinal decompression and stabilization surgery following the collision
Lasko said he is "very happy" with his progress and thanked supporters for helping motivate his recovery
Ryan Lasko is sharing an encouraging update on his recovery nearly a month after a frightening on-field collision left him with a fractured vertebra and without feeling in the lower half of his body.
The 24-year-old Athletics prospect revealed in an Instagram Stories post on Monday, July 27, that he has regained sensation in parts of his legs and has seen improvement in the use of both hands following the June 30 collision.

#collision #regained

by Charly Wegelius.
Tadej Pogacar won a record-equalling fifth Tour de France over the weekend. What better time, then, to read this 2013 memoir by a cyclist who won precisely nothing?
Cycling teams are built around ensuring one rider wins; teammates ride in front of the star for slipstreaming, set the pace on climbs, or even give up bike parts in case of a breakdown. Wegelius was one such "domestique." It is a "must-read," says the biking blog Velominati, and "it is a pleasure to read a book about modern cycling that is not a drug exposé." Buy Domestique from Amazon.
— Tom Chivers

#pogacar #velominati #amazon

It's another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abraod. Come on in out of the heat. There's no cover charge. We promise not to trade you. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you which Angels' starter you'd rather the Cubs trade for: José Soriano or Reid Detmers? The vote was reasonably close, but a clear majority of 56 percent of you said you'd rather the Cubs acquire Soriano.
Here's the part where we listen to jazz and talk movies. You're free to skip ahead if you want. Or you're free to read whatever parts you want. It's your call.
Tonight I'm just not going to play around. Here's some classic John Coltrane playing "Impressions" with his quartet: McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums.

#soriano

Former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson has announced his retirement after spending parts of 13 seasons in the NHL
The Winnipeg Jets, another team Hutchinson played for during his NHL career, made the announcement of the goalie's retirement at age 36 official on their social media.
"After 11 seasons in the NHL , Michael Hutchinson has called it a career. Congrats Hutch! We can't wait to see you at the Alumni Game in October," the Jets wrote on X.
After 11 seasons in the NHL, Michael Hutchinson has called it a career.
Congrats Hutch! We can't wait to see you at the Alumni Game in October ✈️ pic.twitter.com/bhowsJMPng

#seasons #Career #hutch #october

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican firebrand is pushing legislation to abolish some of the most influential Democratic groups in Congress.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution Thursday barring the formation of House caucuses organized around race, ethnicity or national origin.
If adopted, the measure would effectively force the dissolution of Democrat-aligned groups, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
The proposal could also affect GOP-affiliated organizations, including the Black Republican Congressional Staff ***** ociation, the GOP Latino Staff ***** ociation and the Republican Asian American Staff ***** ociation.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., departs the U.S. Capitol after a series of House votes on March 5, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

#congressional #caucus #staff #asian

Warren Beatty may have stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight, but a source exclusively tells Examiner that he's been closely following his and Annette Bening's daughter Ella's burgeoning acting career from home.
"Ella hasn't had a massive hit yet, but she's steadily winning roles in highly competitive situations and even more importantly, people are noticing that she actually delivers when she gets one of these parts," the source says.
According to the source, even though Beatty, 89, rarely mingles in Hollywood circles, he still keeps track of Ella's accomplishments.
"As reclusive as he's been for a while, word still gets back to Warren when Ella manages to impress a producer or a studio executive," the source continues. "The filmmakers who work with her really do see her as a natural like her mom, Annette."
The source adds that it's "been a weird time for the family" since the ***** Tracy star began to "pull back from the Hollywood scene over the last few years." However, Ella's "slow, steady rise has been a bright spot."

#warren #even #gets #still

The "Who Dey!" chant at Bengals games is one of the best parts of being a Bengals fan and a Cincinnati sports fan. When the Ruler of the Jungle leads The Jungle in the Who Dey chant before kickoff, that gets you going as a fan. After a big touchdown, that's when the "Who Dey!" chant is at its best.
So, where does the chant rank among NFL stadium chants? Sports Illustrated's Karl Rasmussen ranked the 10 best in the NFL, with the "Who Dey!" chant checking in at No. 6. If you've ever wondered how the "Who Dey!" chant came to be, here's how, according to Rasmussen:
The Bengals' chant originated in 1981, stemming from a popular local car commercial and a beloved beer, Hudepohl. Beer vendors at the team's former stomping grounds, Riverfront Stadium, used to offer the local beer by shouting "Hudy!" to fans. That eventually transitioned to "Who Dey," and it evolved further after fans incorporated the song played in commercials by Red Frazier's Ford of Cincinnati, which goes, "Who's going to give you a better deal than Red Frazier … ******* ody!" The combination of both resulted in the Bengals chant. "Who dey? Who dey? Who dey say is gonna beat the Bengals? … ******* ody!"
Rasmussen also ******* yzes the comparison between the "Who Dey!" chant in Cincinnati and the "Who Dat!" chant in New Orleans that Saints fans do in the Superdome. In fact, he ranked the "Who Dat!" chant No. 5, one spot above the Bengals. Of course, there's an ongoing debate between the two teams of which chant came first.
One of my favorite memories as a Bengals fan was being at the Bengals-Saints game in New Orleans four years ago. There were so many Bengals fans who made the trip for the game. Before kickoff, Saints fans started doing the "Who Dat!" chant. In response, Bengals fans started doing the "Who Dey!" chant. It was dueling chants, making for an awesome pregame environment.

#beer #best #jungle #orleans

Call it a B-spec, call it a heavily revised AMR26, call it whatever you want – what Aston Martin rolled out at the Hungaroring for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix is, by any reasonable engineering standard, a new Formula 1 car. Sixteen separate components were declared upgraded, mechanics broke FIA curfew to get both cars fitted in time, and the team reportedly flew spare parts to Budapest just to guarantee Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll could each run the full package. That is not a development update. That is a rebuild.
The backstory is by now well-documented and not particularly flattering. Adrian Newey didn't get serious work underway on the AMR26 until mid-March 2025, and the wind tunnel didn't see a model until mid-April – three months behind rivals who were already deep into the new regulatory cycle. The car that arrived at pre-season testing in Barcelona was overweight, paddock insiders estimated by somewhere between 10 and 15 kilograms, maybe more, and the Honda power unit was generating vibrations severe enough to rattle onboard cameras loose and leave Alonso and Stroll visibly fighting the steering wheel.
At the Australian opener, Alonso qualified 2.462 seconds off the pace. Both cars retired when the vibrations damaged the battery systems. It went largely sideways from there – one point across the opening ten rounds, tenth of eleven teams in the constructors' standings, behind only the expansion Cadillac outfit.
The nose is the clearest sign of how deep the changes go. Where the original AMR26 carried a wide, blunt front structure, the Hungary version features a noticeably thinner, more tapered profile – the kind of slender nose Newey has favoured since his early Red Bull years. That change alone cascades through the entire front end: new uprights, revised aerodynamic ducting, changed actuator mounting, and a completely reworked front wing with reshaped endplates. Per Newey, the forward section of the chassis was lightened to the point that it required a full re-homologation and fresh crash testing – which, depending on your definition, crosses the threshold from upgrade to new car.
Newey himself occupies both sides of that argument simultaneously. "The main structural elements remain the same – the chassis and gearbox architecture don't fundamentally change – but we've taken weight out of both, which required re-homologating and crash testing the forward chassis," he said. So: same architecture, new crash test. Make of that what you will.

#call #stroll

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., came under fire after claiming the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would "merge parts of our military with the Israel Defense Forces," drawing accusations that she distorted what the legislation actually does.
The fight centers on Section 219 of the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act, a provision that calls for deeper U.S.-Israel defense integration through expanded cooperation on military technology, supply chains, research, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and joint exercises.
On Wednesday, the House passed its version of the FY2027 NDAA in a 219-206 vote, leaving Section 219 intact.
But ahead of the vote, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that the NDAA "includes a provision to merge parts of our military with the IDF."
The Us-israel Strategic Alliance – Partnership, Not Charity

#passed #national #authorization

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Gold (GC=F) August futures opened at $4,074.60 per troy ounce on Thursday, July 23, 2026, down 1.9% from Wednesday's closing price. The price of gold moved up this morning, trading at $4,086.60 as of 8:08 a.m. ET.
The gold price closed above $4,100 Wednesday and opened lower on Thursday. Two opposing forces are keeping the gold price in a tight range. Investors are weighing the potential for higher interest rates against the likelihood of broader geopolitical and economic instability prompted by the Iran war.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved up to $95 billion in funding for the war, aid to farmers, and parts of the SAVE America Act. The plan still needs Senate approval, but the move signals support for ongoing activity in the Middle East — where the war may be at an inflection point. Yemen's Houthi rebels are now targeting Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening to disrupt another critical shipping lane.
The potential for higher interest rates tends to encourage lower gold prices, while global unrest can stimulate safe-haven demand for the precious metal.

#interest

Brasada Capital Management, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The market landscape in the past quarter has been significantly influenced by the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), overshadowing other concerns like geopolitical conflicts. Currently, the AI boom is so substantial that it affects the entire market cycle. Key factors include a 400% increase in memory demand due to AI, a slow supply response that takes years to catch up, and minimal demand destruction. The Fund's investment strategy focuses on essential infrastructure that maintains competitive advantages, rather than chasing speculative momentum. The firm emphasizes secular long-term growth, regardless of which AI technologies prevail. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Brasada Capital Management highlighted Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST). Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) is a leading industrial and construction supply distributor that offers fasteners, tools, safety equipment, and inventory management solutions. On July 22, 2026, Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) closed at $45.33 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $52.02 billion. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) posted a one-month return of -3.39%, while its shares lost 5.42% over the past 52 weeks.
Brasada Capital Management stated the following regarding Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) distributes a wide array of products including fasteners, tools, safety equipment, and janitorial supplies, but at its core Fastenal is an outsourced procurement and supply chain partner for the industrial sector, helping to seamlessly manage customer inventory. Fastenal embeds itself within its customers' operations through local branches, automated industrial vending machines, FASTBins equipped with RFID technology, and dedicated Onsite locations where full-time Fastenal employees work directly on the customer's manufacturing floor. By handling the complexities of sourcing and replenishment, Fastenal ensures parts are always available, allowing clients to focus on their core competencies without the risk of costly production delays caused by a missing screw.
What makes Fastenal a high-quality business is that their customers have come to depend on them for cheap, mission critical parts – any delay or having the wrong type of fastener in inventory can mean millions of dollars in costs for the manufacturers in the form of slowdowns, shutdowns, poor product quality, or recalls. If you're missing a $0.30 screw on a $10K or $10M machine, you're just not shipping that machine, and if you have too many of those screws laying around, you're likely wasting ***** e and money. As such, Fastenal commands premium pricing power, high returns on capital, and reoccurring revenue. On top of that, Fast

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) surged by 9.32 percent on Wednesday to finish at $441.80 apiece as investors drew encouragement from the surging demand for AI servers using Nvidia chips.
The stock rallied alongside its counterparts, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) and Hewlett Packard Enterprises, helped buoyed by SMCI's record backlog of $60 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026.
Investors took the backlog as a hint of strong demand for AI servers using Nvidia GPUs.
For illustration purposes only. Photo by Cookie Cutter on Pexels
For its part, Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) in May this year posted an 88 percent jump in revenues to $43.8 billion for the first quarter of the fiscal period ending May 28.

#percent #demand

Bayern Munich remain keen admirers of Bradley Barcola amid reports of Real Madrid interest in Michael Olise.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
Christian Falk reports for CF Bayern Insider that the France international is on the shortlist as a potential option to replace their No.17 in case he departs for La Liga.
The expectation remains that the right-sided winger will stay put at the Allianz Arena this summer.
It’s worth emphasising that FC Bayern’s hands (or, more specifically, director of sport Max Eberl’s) are tied in the current market.

#munich #real #olise

African countries must open up their power markets in order to court the private investors needed to supply the electricity that AI will demand, a data center executive told Semafor, as a new report warned the continent risks seeing little economic benefit from the technology.
Africa's economy is barely expanding on a per capita basis, and household living standards are stagnant across the continent. With the labor force projected to almost double by 2050, many African governments fear growing unemployment in the next few years. AI, as in other parts of the world, offers an opportunity to drive economic growth. But Africa only hosts about 160 data centers — around 5.5% of the global total — and aging grids in many African countries mean access to power, the key driver of AI infrastructure expansion, is limited.
In Africa, independent power producers typically sell electricity to state utilities under long‑term power purchase agreements. But private‑to‑private supply — in which a private generator sells directly to an industrial or commercial buyer using the grid, a practice that is commonplace across the West — remains rare on the continent.
In an interview, Robert Skjødt, CEO of Raxio, a data center company that operates in six African countries, said that in many nations, regulatory reform was needed to "allow a private supplier of electricity to supply to a private buyer" while using the grid.
The potential upside is significant: The International Monetary Fund, in a paper published on Tuesday, said AI could make sub-Saharan Africa's economy around 4% bigger over the next decade than its baseline projection — but that requires better ‌electricity supply, internet access, and digital skills. Policymakers and business leaders have long warned that Africa's power shortfall in particular, if left unaddressed, would starve energy-hungry data centers of the electricity needed to digitize economies.

#private #african #needed #many

Ryan Clark, one of ESPN's most recognizable NFL ****** ysts, reportedly learned he was fired while he was still at work. Karl Ravech, the steady voice of ESPN's baseball coverage for more than three decades, was gone too. Just like that, two familiar faces disappeared. Social media reacted the way it always does when a network parts ways with people viewers have welcomed into their living rooms for years.
How could ESPN do this? What are they thinking? Doesn't loyalty count for anything anymore? Those are understandable questions. They're also usually asked by people who don't work in the business. I've been there.
KNBR, the iconic San Francisco Bay Area sports radio station, let me go in November 2024 after nearly a decade. We had strong ratings. We were reading plenty of live commercials. By every meaningful business metric, the show was successful. I didn't suddenly forget how to do radio, and listeners didn't suddenly stop listening. The station simply decided it could create a similar product for less money.
That isn't bitterness. It's business.
Fans often ****** ume talented people lose their jobs because they stopped being talented. That is almost never how it works. Ryan Clark is talented. Karl Ravech is talented. Sports media is full of people who are very good at what they do but no longer work where they built their reputations. They didn't all suddenly become worse at their jobs.

#talented #ravech

By
July 22, 2026 11:44 am ET
Listen
(1 min)
Amazon AMZN -4.57%
decrease; down pointing triangle
.com cut jobs in parts of its artificial general intelligence organization, the latest targeted workforce reduction at a major technology company as the industry continues to pour billions of dollars into artificial intelligence.

#artificial #amazon #amzn #pointing

Another tournament, another triumph for local baseball players.
The Mafia Baseball Club, a Pacific Northwest team, won their ticket to play in the Babe Ruth World Series. On July 13-17, the Mafia Baseball Club was the top finishing team in the Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament in Calgary, Alberta. Now, they're going to Branson, Missouri. The Babe Ruth World Series is scheduled to begin on July 27 and run through August 5.
The Mafia Baseball Club of Oregon was formed in the summer of 2025 and is coached by Luke Roth and Mateo Vodjansky. Many of the Clatsop County athletes are familiar with Roth since his company, Mid-Major Media, that publishes on social media, covers many of the 4A-1A athletes throughout the state of Oregon. Roth said he started Mid-Major Media with the intention of highlighting the underrepresented athletes in smaller schools and communities across the state. His company is also a sponsor of the Mafia Baseball Club.
Mafia Baseball Club has roots in both Toledo, Washington and Northwest Oregon. The 2026 team features local athletes from Astoria, Warrenton, Seaside and Knappa, among others. Oliver Stevens (Knappa), Zephan Pierce (Warrenton), Sam Schacher (Astoria), Dallas Norris (Astoria) and Hayden Halsen (Seaside) all have spent parts of their summer playing with the team.
The graduated senior Pierce from Warrenton High School and incoming Knappa High School senior Stevens, had strong regional performances as both a pitcher and catcher. At the regional tournament in Calgary, Stevens spun a total of 7.2 innings and struck out 8, while Pierce hit .333 and had a .429 on base percentage.

#mafia #athletes

Notre Dame is really stacking the talent along the defensive line with its 2027 football recruiting class. On Thursday, one of the big additions to that group finally made a public announcement. 4-Star defensive lineman Brayden Parks gave his commitment to Marcus Freeman, Charlie Partridge, and Notre Dame via an announcement ceremony on CBS Sports.
The 6'3" 305 pound defensive tackle from Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois, chose the Irish over his other finalist, the Oregon Ducks. Parks also held major offers from all over the country including the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Alabama Crimson Tide, Miami Hurricanes, and many more.
From 247:
-Wide, stout-bodied interior defender who makes life challenging for Middle 3 blockers with his rate of movement off the ball.
-Possesses the rush get-off and skill level to consistently shave edges or pry open rush paths with inside moves.
-Can rip and swipe his way to immediate victories, with an effective hump move sprinkled in.
-Natural leverage advantage simplifies his ability to anchor and root into the ground against downhill run efforts for new lines of scrimmage.
-Power-packed player who doesn't lose steam on his way to the quarterback at various parts of the field.
-Falls shy of positional size thresholds, but has the length to overwrite those shortcomings.
-Looks the part of a productive, multi-year contributor for a Power Four program who specializes in even-front deployments.
From ISD:

#star

Arrakis, a seven-month old London- and Paris-based startup building what it calls an AI "operating system" for industrial companies, is emerging from stealth with $38 million in venture capital funding. It says its goal is to bring agentic AI to sectors such aerospace, energy, logistics, and manufacturing.

The company's latest funding is a $30 million Series A led by Blossom Capital, with participation from venture capital firms Accel, GFC, MainObject, and Rerail. Accel led an earlier $7.5 million seed round, and individual backers include Datadog CEO Olivier Pomel and OpenAI's head of business products, Olivier Godement.

The latest round values the company at $140 million post-money, cofounder and CEO Rafael Quintanilla told Fortune.

Quintanilla is a former vice president at Accel. While there, he spent the better part of a year crisscrossing the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East to develop the firm's thesis on defense and industrial resilience. What he found convinced him to quit and become a founder himself.
"I realized that there was a huge gap between what I was seeing at Accel and in the Valley, with us investing in companies like Anthropic and Lovable in Europe," he said, "and what I was seeing in the more industrial parts of the economy."

He said that most AI has targeted so-called knowledge workers who complete their jobs using software, but that many more jobs in the economy involve the production and movement of physical goods. "Most AI investment to date has targeted the 30% of workers behind a desk. The real ROI lies in the 70% running industrial operations," he said.
Sonali de Rycker, the Accel partner who backed Arrakis's seed round, said she is betting on the founder as much as the market. "Rafa has a rare combination of curiosity, hustle and tireless drive," she told Fortune. "After working closely with Rafa during his time at Accel, it's an honour to be working with him again as an entrepreneur."
But Arrakis is hardly alone in going after manufacturing and industrial firms. Consulting giants such as Accenture and Boston Consulting Group are racing into industrial AI, as is Palantir, and Jeff Bezos-backed Prometheus—now valued in the tens of billions of dollars—is pouring capital into automating the engineering of physical products. The frontier labs are circling too.
Quintanilla argues Arrakis is carving out a distinct niche from each of these competitors. If Prometheus worked with Airbus, he said, it would build AI for "the core engineering of building an aircraft." He said Arrakis, by contrast, "want[s] to take care of everything around it… We want to be the AI layer for key operations of those companies."

#arrakis

Former Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig professional Xaver Schlager – a free agent since July 1st – has officially selected Nottingham Forest as his next station. The Austrian international will be reunited with newly appointed Forest head coach Oliver Glasner, under whom he worked for two seasons at Wolfsburg between 2019 and 2021.
Schlager departs German football having made 150 Bundesliga appearances over the course of the last seven seasons. During that time, he scored seven Bundesliga goals and earned 55 caps for his native country.
Schlager arrived in German football when Wolfsburg signed him from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2019. An ankle injury disrupted the first half of his debut campaign, but the Austrian soon established himself alongside Maximilian Arnold in central midfield. By August 2021, Schlager had already made 70 competitive appearances for die Wölfe and developed into one of the team’s most important midfielders.
His Wolfsburg rise was interrupted by a cruciate ligament rupture suffered against Leipzig early in the 2021/22 season. Schlager underwent surgery and remained sidelined until February 2022. He nevertheless returned strongly enough to earn a move to Leipzig, who paid approximately €12m for him that summer.
Schlager quickly became an important part of Marco Rose’s Leipzig midfield. He scored the winner against Werder Bremen in November 2022 as the German Red Bulls extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 13 matches. His energetic pressing, physicality and willingness to contest virtually every midfield duel made him well suited to Rose’s football.

#bundesliga

TimesofIndia.com in London: The summer of cricket continues unabated in England. The men played three Tests against New Zealand and five T20Is and three ODIs against India. As for the women, there was the T20 World Cup and the one-off Test between India and England. And now, it is the turn of The Hundred, which began on July 21.

The Hundred, the unique tournament featuring 100-ball innings, is back with its sixth edition. Much has changed, and yet not a lot has changed. It still has eight teams, still features 100-ball innings where bowlers can bowl spells of five or 10 consecutive ****** , and is still objectively meant to quicken the game and feature double headers - men and women - on the same day.

On the opening day, defending men's champions MI London beat Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. In the day's first game, Sunrisers edged MI London by 7 wickets in the women's competition. A day later, in Southampton, Southern Brave women narrowly got the better of Welsh Fire. And the men's match later in the day had the reverse outcome.

What's changed is the ownership, the team names, and the kit designs. After an influx of £520 million into The Hundred, the Ambani family acquired Oval Invincibles (now renamed MI London), Sun Group purchased Northern Superchargers (now SunRisers Leeds), and RPSG Group bought Manchester Originals (now Manchester Super Giants). GMR Group, co-owners of the Delhi Capitals, have taken a 49% stake in Southern Brave.

On the opening day of the season at The Oval, the mood was as relaxed as one would expect at this time of year. The sun was out, and it was a pleasant day, away from the baking heat that this country had seen in the last couple of months. Even though it was a weekday, families were out in numbers, making the most of numerous entry points that get you into this cricket stadium in Kennington.

A venue that has seen three consecutive Test defeats for the hosts. It was here just a month ago that New Zealand walloped England by 253 runs. And it was here just about a year ago that Mohammed Siraj bowled with great fire to help India secure a series-levelling win by just 6 runs.

But now, on a Tuesday, The Hundred got underway, and the buzz was equal parts cricket, family and entertainment. A father, holding the hands of two of his kids, walked around and sought the support of a steward in finding the “family section.” Unlike international cricket, where tickets get sold for £100 or more, The Hundred hopes to bring in the masses with reasonable pricing.

With kids two and under going free, tickets for 3-15-year-olds are worth £5, and tickets for adults start from as little as £14. So, an entire young family could see two consecutive cricket matches, spanning about five hours or over, for £30-40.

To unwind after a long day at work, numerous food carts, kiosks and drinks stalls came to the rescue. From Middle Eastern to fast food to Indian, everything was on offer to suit the palates of the patrons. To

Hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, and pretzels have long been staples of the ballpark experience. Yet in Seattle, baseball fans have embraced a snack that surprises many first-time visitors: toasted grasshoppers. What began as a specialty dish at a local restaurant quickly evolved into one of the most talked-about concessions at Seattle Mariners games. The unusual offering not only challenged expectations about stadium food but also introduced thousands of people to a traditional ingredient that has been enjoyed in parts of the world for centuries.
The story begins at Poquitos, a Mexican-inspired restaurant in Seattle led by executive chef Manny Arce. When the restaurant first opened, Arce added toasted grasshoppers, known in Mexican cuisine as chapulines, to the menu as a novelty. Chapulines have been eaten for generations, particularly in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, where they are considered a popular street food and a rich source of protein. Seasoned simply with salt, lime, and chili, they offer a crunchy texture and a savory flavor that many diners compare to roasted sunflower seeds with a hint of spice.
Although the snack attracted curious customers at the restaurant, its popularity reached an entirely new level when the Seattle Mariners expressed interest in featuring it at what is now known as T-Mobile Park, formerly Safeco Field. After sampling the product, the organization decided it would make a unique addition to the stadium's food lineup. The response exceeded every expectation. Fans eager to try something different lined up to buy the toasted grasshoppers, and supplies disappeared almost immediately during games.
What initially seemed like a niche offering quickly became a stadium sensation. Chef Arce expected that his first shipment of approximately 50 pounds would last several weeks. Instead, it sold out in a single day. As demand continued to grow, the numbers became astonishing. More than 300,000 individual servings were eventually sold, requiring well over 1,000 pounds of grasshoppers to keep up with fan interest. On many game days, vendors ran out before the first inning had even ended.
The success of the snack reflects changing attitudes toward food and the growing willingness of consumers to explore unfamiliar culinary traditions. Around the world, edible insects are recognized as nutritious, environmentally sustainable sources of protein that require fewer natural resources than conventional livestock. While many people still view the idea with hesitation, others appreciate the opportunity to experience flavors that are common in different cultures.

#many #first #mexican

GE's numbers were stellar, but ****** ysts on the call wanted to know if the growth was sustainable or a supply-constrained peak.
After a 32% run over the past year, GE Aerospace (GE) just gave bulls everything they wanted, reporting 24% revenue growth and raising its full-year free cash flow guidance to a range of $8.9 billion to $9.2 billion. Yet on its latest call, nearly every sharp question from ****** ysts circled a single, nagging worry: is this as good as it gets? They pressed management to prove that the explosive first-half growth was not just a pull-forward, and that GE's supply chain could actually deliver on its large backlog without margins getting crushed.
The core tension for GE is the gap between its promises and its parts. The company sits on a large commercial services backlog of roughly $170 billion, a powerful signal of future revenue. The problem is that the checks are being written today, but the revenue depends on shipping physical goods in a strained supply chain. The clearest evidence of this operational bottleneck showed up in the company's own metrics: spare parts delinquencies, which track orders delayed by material shortages, grew 20% sequentially in the second quarter. If demand is so resilient, why are the fulfillment issues getting worse, not better?
Management's response was to frame the growth as structural, not a one-time surge. The CEO argued that the aging of the global fleet creates a natural tailwind for higher-value shop visits, and that the company's focus is squarely on execution. The issue, as management put it, is "much more a supply-side challenge than it is demand." That is a confident read on the market, but it also openly confirms that the primary governor on GE's growth is its own ability to get parts out the door.
Even if GE solves its supply issues, the next question is whether that revenue will be profitable. The company is delivering a wave of new engines, particularly the GE9X, which carry lower margins and act as a drag on overall profitability. ****** ysts pushed on when, exactly, the high-margin services business would translate into higher company-wide margins.

#revenue #analysts #parts #call