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I had measles, as did all my classmates and neighborhood friends. Not a big deal. 1 in every 1000 children gets sicker. Now that's a big deal.

July 25, 2026 Good morning. What does summer taste like? The answer is something specific, personal, instantly familiar. María Jesús Contreras Flavor profile By Melissa Kirsch It’s a little early in the summer to luck into corn as perfect as I did last weekend: kernels plump and sweet, that satisfying snap when you bite in. Corn is one of those foods so intrinsically tied up with summer, along with tomatoes, strawberries and stone fruits (all to be extra carefully washed in this unprecedented cyclospora surge, of course.) Summer’s flavor profile begins to form in us early: the foods we ate as children, inseparable from our sun-bleached memories of ourselves in our dated outfits with our dated haircuts. Summer to me tastes like corn and tomatoes and peaches, but also like the flat, grainy surface of the little wooden spoon that came packaged with the individual cups of ice cream they served at camp. Watermelon, Hi-C fruit punch and Cracker Jacks. One summer, just out of college, some friends set up a kettle grill on their rooftop and we got busy putting together a cookout, our first as actual adults. “We should make hot dogs!” someone suggested. That sounded right. “We should have barbecued chicken!” Naturally. “We should make M.M.B.s!” I declared, to bewildered stares. This was one of those moments that occur often when you’re young, when you realize your experience of the world is narrow, that what was standard lingo in your family is not legible to anyone else. We’d called burgers made on the grill M.M.B.s in my family for so long that I’d nearly forgotten what the initialism stood for. “Michael’s Marvelous Burgers” were named for and by my father, the resident grill master. Summer, to me, tasted like M.M.B.s: sculpted patties, salted, peppered and latticed to perfection on the back patio. “It’s Not Summer Until You’ve Had a Proper Shandy,” a headline in The Times read last week. The shandy, the beer-and-lemonade mix, is “the entry-level drink, an intro to your first proper pint” in Britain, according to the restaurateur Annie Shi. Another headline: “Summer Tastes Like Mango (And Vice Versa)” rounded up treats from across New York including Thai sticky rice and frozen Mexican nieves. We could each fill out our own “Summer Tastes Like …” headline. The taste of the season is specific, personal, instantly familiar. That not-altogether-unpleasant sensation of a grain or two of sand in your beach sandwich, the charred edge of a campfire marshmallow. I asked my dad about M.M.B.s recently: Was the recipe a closely guarded secret, as I remembered? Wasn’t there an egg thrown in with the ground chuck? Certainly this mainstay of my summer palate was a Kirsch family heirloom. “It wasn’t that secret, honey,” he told me. “We tried to make it a big deal because it wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “We tried to embellish it, dress it up.” (He didn’t remember the recipe specifically, but he thinks that, yes, there may have been an egg, and perhaps a bit of breadcrumb, for binding.) These days, summer tastes to my dad like grilled chicken breast sandwiches with strips of zucchini. My friend Franny says it’s warm tomatoes off the vine with Duke’s mayonnaise, hot Gatorade from the cup holder in the car. For my colleague Minju, hot Korean soups with wilted kimchi she grew up eating. What does summer taste like? It’s a sort of silly question, but the answer comes from someplace deep. Now I just have to hunt down corn as good as last weekend’s. THE LATEST NEWS War in Iran President Trump met with advisers to discuss a major escalation in Iran. “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before,” he said before the meeting. U.S. intelligence officials believe that Iran’s current supreme leader is far more interested in building a nuclear weapon than his predecessor. Air Force One President Trump leaving the new Air Force One this month. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump’s rush to take delivery of his new Qatari-donated Air Force One jet led to ballooning costs and safety trade-offs, a Times investigation found. Times Exclusive: A credible threat from Iranian proxies is what prompted Trump to switch planes when leaving Turkey earlier this month. Health A patient vaccinated for measles in Texas last March. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images The U.S. has recorded more measles cases in 2026 than any other year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. (Related: Biotech companies see declining vaccination rates as an opportunity to sell new measles drugs.) The cyclosporiasis outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce has expanded to four more states, the C.D.C. said, for a total of nine. So far at least 1,947 people have become ill, and 98 have been hospitalized. F.D.A. advisers, including several who work for companies that sell peptides, are considering whether to broaden access to them. Yesterday, they rejected adding emideltide, a sleep inducer, to a list approved for routine production. Here’s what scientific research shows about peptides. More on Politics Trump hurled insults at a postponed White House correspondents’ dinner last night. “Is this supposed to be fun?” he asked. Federal officials acknowledged that they canceled billions of dollars in grants to states “based solely” on the fact that Trump did not win them in 2024 . Trump ordered that new signs be placed outside a Smithsonian museum to warn that its depiction of U.S. history is “inaccurate.” After Senator Lindsey Graham died this month, Trump initially wanted a little-known House member to replace him. Read how the president decided to back Graham’s sister instead. Around the World Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Spain and France due to wildfires. A new $4.5 billion international bridge between Ontario and Detroit opened in “underwhelming” fashion, after Trump imposed new tariffs against Canada. After the World Cup final, people criticized Argentina for its players’ aggressive behavior and racist chants. Some Argentines are trying to recover their image. Business Paramount agreed to delay its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery while a judge considers a lawsuit aimed at blocking the deal. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond jumped to its highest level of Trump’s second term. The rate is an important economic barometer, and its rise will likely make the cost of mortgages and corporate borrowing higher. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Matt Damon as Odysseus. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures In both “The Odyssey” and “Oppenheimer” — very different films — the director Christopher Nolan asks us to consider how human bonds span epochs and civilizations, our critic writes. Zendaya is facing criticism for wearing ancient Iranian jewelry to an “Odyssey” event. Kevin Sussman started as a guest star on the hit sitcom “Big Bang Theory.” Now he has his own zany spinoff, A new biopic of Rupert Murdoch will compete for the highest prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival. In “72 Hours,” Kevin Hart plays an ad executive who tags along on a bachelor party weekend. Our critic found the humor broad and crude and genuinely funny. Music Kenneth Blume, the hitmaker formerly known as Kenny Beats, helped record breakthrough albums for Geese and Vince Staples. On a new solo project, he turns inward. The singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty to threatening violence in a London nightclub three years ago, when he was accused of hitting a music producer with a tequila bottle. More Culture A new museum in London reveals how British intelligence secretly wiretapped Nazi commanders in a stately mansion — and how a team of Jewish refugees translated their messages. August Wilson’s classic play “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” wouldn’t exist without a 1978 photomontage by Romare Bearden. Here’s how the two are intertwined. Matthew Taylor, an artist and political strategist, has quietly rubber-stamped many of Trump’s efforts to transform Washington. He’s a multifaceted guy: a Marcel Duchamp devotee who also filmed documentaries for Steve Bannon and Kash Patel. Click the video to learn more about him. The New York Times Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Armando Rafael for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Roasted zucchini pasta salad Do you know what ever summer gathering needs? A really good pasta salad, preferably one with enough vegetables to feel salad-y and light. And it should the kind of thing you can make in advance, at the ready for a picnic or potluck. Kay Chun’s roasted zucchini version checks all the boxes. It’s got vegetables galore, along with golden raisins for sweetness and sunflower seeds for crunch. You can toss with the tahini dressing a few hours ahead. It even gets better as it sits. REAL ESTATE James Estrin/The New York Times The Hunt: After growing up with both a front porch and a back deck, this Queens resident was tired of renting and ready for her own slice of the outdoors. What did she find? Play our game. What you get for $2.5 million: An adobe home in Santa Fe, N.M.; a farmhouse in New Gloucester, Maine; and a former coach house with a tower in Lake Forest, Ill. Pick your favorite. Take the bet: A Chicago suburb raffled off the opportunity for local residents to buy houses below market rate. LIVING Schwartz and Architecture designed this tiny home. Bruce Damonte Almost impossible: An architect and his client overcame regulatory hurdles to build a house that hovers over the water in Sonoma County, Calif. Embrace minimalism: See how a designer creates simplicity in his own home. Breathe easier: Wildfire smoke can contaminate the air inside a home, but there are steps you can take to make yours safer. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER You might be applying sunscreen wrong How much do you need? How often should you reapply? The short answer: about two tablespoons, every two hours. For stick sunscreen, that’s four passes back and forth. For sprays, until your skin glistens. Make sure you rub it in fully — yes, even for sticks and sprays, and even if the directions say otherwise. As for what to buy? The best sunscreen is the one you’ll apply liberally and often. Here are some of our favorites. — Rose Maura Lorre KING JAMES Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images, via Reuters Connect LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. James is 41 years old and the N.B.A.’s all-time leading scorer; this will be his 24th season, extending what is already the longest career in the league’s history. He has agreed to join the team on a two-year, $8 million contract. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team,” he said, “and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.” How did the Sixers hook him? NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was evoking. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 25 1978 World’s first “test tube” baby born On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first baby to be conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is born at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, to parents Lesley and Peter Brown. The healthy baby was delivered shortly before midnight by caesarean section and weighed in at five pounds, 12 ounces. Before […] read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1853 California Rangers kill Joaquín Murrieta 1832 The first railroad accident 1950s 1956 Ocean liners collide off Nantucket Arts & Entertainment 1965 Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival 1897 Jack London sails for the Klondike gold rush 1985 Rock Hudson announces he has AIDS Cold War 1961 President Kennedy talks to Americans about the need for bomb shelters Crime 1878 Black Bart strikes again 1984 A 9 year old’s murder puts an innocent man in jail Early 20th Century U.S. 1941 Henry Ford writes fan letter to Mahatma Gandhi Natural Disasters & Environment 2000 Concorde jet crashes, killing everyone onboard Sports 1992 Opening of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona U.S. States 1898 U.S. forces invade Puerto Rico Vietnam War 1969 The Nixon Doctrine is announced World War I 1917 Dancer and suspected spy Mata Hari sentenced to die World War II 1943 Benito Mussolini falls from power

India’s ‘Cockroach’ movement ends protests after education minister resigns NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s “Cockroach” movement called off its weeks of protests on Saturday, saying the government had accepted all of its demands after the country’s education minister resigned over alleged exam paper leaks and irregularities in the education system. https://apnews.com/article/india-cockroach-education-minister-56d69c289589f057c0e72cde0c3d75d3?

Hunt for Earhart’s Plane An expedition to find the plane Amelia Earhart disappeared in is set to begin this October. The news was announced yesterday, on what would have been Earhart’s 129th birthday. A 16-person team of archaeologists, filmmakers, and other experts will travel by boat on Oct. 7 to a remote island in the central Pacific nation of Kiribati. The expedition believes Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, got stranded there while trying to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. Radio signals, human bones, and 1930s-era artifacts—including anti-freckle cream—all suggest Earhart and Noonan may have died on an unplanned stop at the uninhabited island. Shortly after a strong tropical storm in 2015, satellite imagery also captured a visual anomaly the expedition team believes could be the wreckage of Earhart's long-lost Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft. Other experts say it's likely a downed coconut tree. See the satellite image here. Before her fatal 1937 mission, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, a college professor, and a fashion designer.

Texts reveal teen who singer D4vd is accused of killing was pregnant, had abortion year before death LOS ANGELES (AP) — Text messages between singer D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez shown in court Friday indicate she had gotten pregnant at age 13 and had an abortion more than a year before she was killed. https://apnews.com/article/d4vd-burke-celeste-rivas-hernandez-killing-hearing-6a1dd6c605e4551553daa8aa5f25fcad?

US military says it fired on another merchant vessel trying to breach its blockade of Iranian ports IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The U.S. military said Friday that it fired on another merchant vessel that was trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports, while the Islamic Republic targeted American strongholds around the Persian Gulf. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-24-july-2026-78c2dbf538f6e61ab816479a4d9bdd85?

Deposed Turkish opposition leader forms 'New Party' to challenge Erdogan The deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition party on Friday formed a new political party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, months after he was removed from his post by a court order that his supporters slammed as a political move to weaken the opposition. Read More.

Ford recalls more than half a million Broncos due to engine fire risk Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than half a million Broncos because a wiring harness in the engine compartment can short circuit and increase the risk of fire. Read More.

More than 200,000 people flee raging wildfires in France and Spain, some escaping by boat ARCACHON, France (AP) — Massive forest fires forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain on Friday, with residents fleeing towns near Madrid and Bordeaux as the flames raged out of control. https://apnews.com/article/spain-wildfires-emergency-54c3d375fa1cca8399ea2645a8e119b0?

🚐 GOP's August road show House Republicans' strategy for keeping the speaker's gavel and their leadership suites next year hinges on being anywhere but Washington this summer. Why it matters: The Senate is in for another two weeks, but Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are crisscrossing the country during the House's five-week August recess like German or Norwegian World Cup fans: no town too small, no state too far away. The plan is to tout their legislative wins in person and convince voters that they are, individually, the exception to the widely held belief that Congress doesn't work. 🚗 Driving the news: Johnson is leading the charge. He'll hit more than 30 districts in 17 states (18, if you count his home state of Louisiana) over the August recess, campaigning alongside Republican incumbents and challengers. Don't expect any X posts worthy of "Freddy," but he'll be seeing the country: Maine, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, to name a few spots. ✈️ His Southern colleague, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), is heading north for a major event in New York with the state's Republican members. "It'll be a good next few weeks to go around the country talking about what we did, letting people know, a lot of good things to talk about. But there's more to come," Scalise said. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) will make dozens of campaign stops across the country, their offices told us. 📢 Between the lines: Republicans have acknowledged they've struggled to sell their signature legislative achievement — originally known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" before being rebranded as the Working Families' Tax Cut Act. "Do we communicate our ideas great all the time? That's been a fault of the Republican Party," Scalise told reporters yesterday. "I think we're getting better at it." 🖼️ The big picture: Republicans are increasingly arguing the election is a choice between their economic agenda and what they characterize as a Democratic shift to the left — a contrast they'll spend August trying to reinforce. Or in blunter terms: "It's going to be a hate election," a Republican tied to President Trump's political operation told Axios' Marc Caputo. The bottom line: Public polling suggests Republicans still have work to do convincing voters their agenda is benefiting them. Democrats have an 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, according to a new poll from Emerson College. — Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

Paramount delays closing Warner buyout while judge considers states’ challenge NEW YORK (AP) — Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to delay closing their $81 billion merger well into next year, a stunning move that arrives as a judge continues to consider a challenge from 12 states seeking to block the deal altogether. https://apnews.com/article/warner-bros-paramount-skydance-0f4ed7b4627b2d0ac8c1f1626689bf5d?

🏟️ 1 for the road: Fresh facelift in Charlotte Rendering: Tepper Sports & Entertainment 🏟️ Bank of America Stadium's $1.3 billion transformation is underway, Axios' Ashley Mahoney writes for Axios Charlotte. The 30-year-old Uptown stadium is among the oldest in the NFL at a time when plans for new facilities are popping up all over the country. Rendering: Tepper Sports & Entertainment Rendering: Tepper Sports & Entertainment 💼 The deal keeps Tepper Sports & Entertainment's teams — the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC — here through 2045. Bank of America Stadium's name will remain for the foreseeable future. ⚽ What we're watching: Charlotte FC and the Panthers will continue to play at Bank of America Stadium during renovations.

Radiology's AI lesson Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang thinks the artificial intelligence revolution is a wellspring of new jobs, rather than a labor market grim reaper set to bring on the employment apocalypse. "We need to help people understand what AI is and what AI can do," Huang told me on Axios' "Behind the Curtain" video series. "AI is creating an enormous number of jobs, not taking [them] away." 🔮 Huang said it's "complete nonsense" that the tech could destroy half of American jobs. He says AI will do the opposite: "While we're automating all of these different tasks, it's actually increasing the amount of jobs that the world needs." 📱 Huang wrote a similar message today in his first post since joining X: "AI will transform every industry, power every company, and be built by every country." 🩻 Case in point: Radiology. AI tools can study scans, freeing up time for more patients and driving demand for human radiologists, Axios' Avery Lotz reports. "Because there are so many people who need care, the number of patients they can now bring to the hospitals has increased dramatically, which results in needing more radiologists," Huang said. "This is the same with paralegals." 🥊 Reality check: AI is bound to change the way people work. But so far, it's not replacing them en masse. AI has also been increasingly cited in layoff announcements. Evidence suggests AI could play a role in hampering hiring for young workers. 📱 Watch the interview.

Hebrews chapter 10 continues the narrative of chapter 9. It begins by referring to sacrifices made "year by year," an obvious reference to the Day of Atonement service. Chapter 9:25 also refers to the "year by year" service. The Day of Atonement was an annual event. It happened year by year. Chapter 10:3 again refers to sacrifices made "year by year." The problem with the OT service was that the worshippers could not have their conscience permanently cleansed. They were reminded of their sin every year on the Day of Atonement. Verses 11-14 contrast the daily service of the OT with the sacrifice of Christ. The sacrifice of Christ took away sins forever. Verse 14 says the sacrifice of Christ perfected us forever. To be perfected forever is to have our sins taken away. We are not going to ever again face our sin. The Jews were reminded of their sin every year on the day of Atonement. Not so with us. Our sin has been removed forever.

ICC chief prosecutor removed from post over sexual misconduct allegations UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was removed from office on Friday, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged. https://apnews.com/article/icc-court-prosecutor-karim-khan-united-nations-5a9490e98b74f3bf13f5eae26fb3c3d7?

Trump says the US will investigate EU trade practices, claiming the bloc unfairly fined tech giants WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will open a formal investigation into the European Union’s trade practices, President Donald Trump said on Friday, claiming the bloc has unfairly levied billions of dollars of fines against Google, Apple and other U.S. tech giants. https://apnews.com/article/trump-eu-trade-tech-fine-google-2e125ac0d3c1ac7a96c9194a372ba47e? White House correspondents' dinner, redux: What will Trump have to say? When guests arrive for the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Friday at Washington's Waldorf Astoria hotel, security will be much tighter, the guest list smaller, the partying pared down, and the dress code more relaxed. Read More.

Democrats select South Carolina to kick off presidential nominating contest in 2028, leave Iowa out WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina was selected Friday to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by leaving Iowa out of the early-state lineup altogether and elevating more racially diverse states. https://apnews.com/article/democrats-presidential-nominating-calendar-2028-b3d153a33e39bd9e5ebcce3c58e9e84c?

There are already more US measles cases this year than in all of 2025 The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come. https://apnews.com/article/2026-measles-cases-cdc-outbreak-elimination-371823df32b92169c3d220295f00f054? ps:Just pathetic!!!!!

Teen pleads guilty to murder in a 2024 shooting that left 4 dead at Georgia’s Apalachee High School WINDER, Ga. (AP) — A teenager has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts, including murder, in a shooting nearly two years ago at Apalachee High School in Georgia that killed two students and two teachers. https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-colt-gray-8be7ba5efae9cce53e0f8c61253a5f1b? Supreme Court litigator gets 6 years in prison for tax evasion case after gambling millions on poker WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent Supreme Court litigator was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for evading a multimillion-dollar IRS tax debt and engaging in mortgage fraud, a case that cast a spotlight on his secretive lifestyle as a high-stakes poker player and featured trial testimony from a Hollywood movie star. https://apnews.com/article/thomas-goldstein-supreme-court-blog-tax-evasion-618a0a2f1bdf9643886b607073fee91d?

Caritas starts distributing US humanitarian aid in 2 towns near Havana HAVANA (AP) — Hundreds of boxes of humanitarian aid from the U.S. are being distributed in two towns near the Cuban capital, the Catholic Church organization in charge of the distribution said Thursday. https://apnews.com/article/cuba-aid-us-caritas-energy-embargo-crisis-food-f0420803a8207e63596a9ad94fb26abc?

Vatican defends secrecy in sensitive abuse case involving ex-Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik The Vatican has confirmed that a church trial against a famous ex-Jesuit priest accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceeding as necessary. An Italian blog had reported that an acquittal verdict was reached in the case against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, a Slovenian artist whose mosaic designs decorate Vatican chapels and churches around the world. The Vatican press office said the report was “totally unfounded.” Read more. Why this matters: The Rupnik scandal exploded publicly in 2022, when Italian blogs first reported claims by women and nuns of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse by Rupnik dating back to the 1990s that had been consistently dismissed by the Catholic hierarchy. Amid the #MeToo reckoning about adult sexual abuse in the church, the Rupnik case has become one of the most sensitive matters for the Holy See. There have been suggestions that Rupnik was protected for decades by his Jesuit superiors and the Vatican hierarchy, up to and including the Jesuit Pope Francis. The Jesuits expelled Rupnik from their order in 2023 and Francis, under pressure because of suggestions he had protected the priest, waived the statute of limitations on the older claims so that the Vatican could open a proper canonical trial. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Woman who says she was abused spiritually and sexually by a once-famous Jesuit demands transparency Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity Supporter defends expelled Jesuit priest against ‘lynching’, says abuse claims unproven

Initially intended to be a perpetual time. After God initiated Israel's calendar it became a fixed day determined by the new moon. I agree that God should be worshipped on any and every day of the week but disagree that what we know today as a Gregorian Saturday was part of any practice until later in Israel's history. We live on a round earth and that makes it impossible that the Sabbath day as practiced by Judaism today was intended for Gentiles. Otherwise, God would have made the earth flat.

🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Lynx lead at the break, "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images, the Tour de France's grueling finale, every team's longest winning streak, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Immaculate inning: Guardians' righty Gavin Williams threw the 122nd immaculate inning (9 pitches, 3 strikeouts) in MLB history on Thursday against the Twins. Cleveland lost in extras, but Williams became the first pitcher since 2023 with 11+ strikeouts in three straight starts. ⛳️ Near ace: Jake Knapp got impossibly close to his first career hole-in-one during the first round of the 3M Open, when his tee shot on the fourth hole hit the pin on its third bounce before coming to rest on the edge of the cup. Seriously, you can't imagine how close this was. 🏒 Windy City reunion: Patrick Kane is returning to the Blackhawks on a two-year, $16 million deal after being traded away in 2023. Kane, 37, returns to the team that selected him first overall in 2007, and with whom he won three Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy (MVP). ⚾️ The A's new (minority) owner: The Mark Cuban-backed private equity firm Harbinger Sports Partners has purchased a minority stake of undisclosed size in the Athletics ahead of their move to Las Vegas. ⚾️ White House visit: The Dodgers returned to the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 2025 World Series title. The team gifted President Trump a personalized championship ring, as well as the customary jersey.   🏀 ALL-STAR BREAK MINNESOTA'S ALONE AT THE TOP Collier looks on before her season debut. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images) As the WNBA All-Star break begins, one team is head and shoulders above the rest. And their lead may only grow in the second half given who they've just added back into the fold. Return of the Queen: The Lynx were already in first place and sitting on a six-game winning streak when Napheesa Collier made her season debut on Wednesday after recovering from offseason ankle surgeries. Now they've won seven in a row, and their unquestioned leader showed no signs of rust with 24 points and 10 rebounds in her return. Phee isn't just Minnesota's best player; she's easily a top-five player in the league, and arguably second only to A'ja Wilson. The eight-year veteran has finished as the MVP runner-up each of the last two seasons, and last year became the second player in league history to join the 50/40/90 club (FG%, 3PT%, FT%). Now, she rejoins a first-place team already loaded with talent. Embarrassment of riches: The Lynx not only have Kayla McBride, Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams, veterans who've combined for 11 All-Star nods; they also have Olivia Miles, putting up one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. The No. 2 pick out of TCU, averaging 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6 assists, is the runaway favorite for ROY. She also just became the fastest rookie in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 150 assists (26 games), breaking the record set two years ago by Caitlin Clark (29) and again last year by Paige Bueckers (28). The fascinating thing to watch now will be how the reintroduction of the team's best player impacts Minnesota's chemistry. But the good news for them on that front is they're led by Cheryl Reeve, the winningest coach in league history. Like I said, embarrassment of riches. History repeating itself? 15 years ago, Reeve and the Lynx won their first of four titles in a seven-year span behind ROY Maya Moore and a host of star veterans. While repeating such a dynasty is a borderline impossible task, Miles, Collier and Co. are well-positioned to, at the very least, end this season as champions. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) Chasing Minnesota: There's plenty of season left, but the playoff picture entering the break is pretty stratified, with eight teams over .500 and seven under. Leading the chase are the Valkyries — who've won 13 of their last 16 — the defending champion Aces, the Bueckers-led Wings and the Clark-led Fever. And always lurking are the Liberty, the only team other than Vegas to win a championship in the last four years.   ⚽️ PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS: WORLD CUP EDITION As promised, here is Part 2 of our World Cup "Behind the Lens" project with Getty Images, who captured more than 2.6 million photographs at this summer's tournament and shared the backstory on some of our favorites. (Alex Pantling/FIFA via Getty Images) Los Angeles, California — Lamine Yamal takes a corner kick during Spain's Round of 32 match against Austria, as shot by Alex Pantling. Behind the lens: Here's Alex… One of my goals going into this World Cup was to try and capture the atmosphere and architecture of these incredible stadiums that the games were being played in. They're very unique and something that the World Cup doesn't see very often. When a player takes a corner kick it's a great opportunity to fill the frame with an athlete and also shoot wide with the atmosphere of the stadium. The Los Angeles Stadium was one of my favorites to work in; the architecture was incredible and so good to photograph. That, combined with a superstar from the eventual World Cup champs taking a corner, made for a great picture. (Elsa/Getty Images) Atlanta, Georgia — Lionel Messi scores the late equalizer in Argentina's Round of 16 victory over Egypt. This one was captured by Elsa with the help of a well-placed remote camera. Behind the lens: Here's Elsa… At Getty Images, we are one of the international press pool agencies that were allowed to install a small camera in the upper corner of the net. In order to get those images in real time, they are cabled and delivered to an editor as they are shot. The set up happens about three hours before kickoff. To trigger this camera, I ran a cable from the corner of the net, secured it to the straps of the goal, tucked it inside the padding of the post and ran it through the back of the net to my position. Also attached to that cable is an additional behind-the-goal remote camera that I trigger with a foot pedal whenever there is action in front of the net. Remote cameras allow us to get unique perspectives that we would normally not be able to capture. When I'm covering an event, I often will shoot not only the goal, but the aftermath, because reactions are just as important as actions. And sometimes, like with this image, you can see it all in one frame thanks to the goal-scorer being close to the net and the ball nearly hitting the camera.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST The Col du Galibier climb, pictured here in 2022, will be part of Saturday's "Queen Stage." (Tim de Waele/Getty Images) 🚴 Tour de France The 113th Tour de France ends on Sunday in Paris (9:30am ET, NBCSN/Peacock), but first come two historic stages that will almost certainly decide the race, which four-time winner Tadej Pogačar currently leads by 4'32". Alpe d'Huez: The iconic climb up Alpe d'Huez hasn't featured at the Tour since 2022; this year, for the first time ever, two consecutive stages will finish at its summit. Today (6:30am ET) is a relatively short ride (79.5 miles) that ends with the famed 21-hairpin climb; tomorrow (5am) is the Queen Stage, as each year's most grueling stage is called. The 106-mile ride features roughly 3.5 miles of climbing, ending with a trek up the other side of Alpe d'Huez, which has only been ridden in the Tour as a descent. 🇺🇸 USATF Outdoor Championships New York City's Icahn Stadium is hosting this weekend's U.S. Track & Field Championships (Fri-Sun, NBC/Peacock), marking the first time the event has been held in the Big Apple since 1991. Marquee events: The biggest names headline the biggest event in tonight's 100m semis (6:18pm, Peacock) and finals (7:45pm). Reigning Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles will try to take back the crown from defending national champion Kenny Bednarek, while Sha'Carri Richardson will try to win her third women's title. And don't miss 17-year-old phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus in Sunday's 800m final (4:33pm, NBC). 🏀 WNBA All-Star Weekend The league's biggest stars travel to Chicago this weekend, where the United Center hosts tonight's Skills Challenge (8pm, ESPN) — headlined by the 3-Point Contest — and tomorrow's All-Star Game (8:30pm, ABC). Starting lineups: Two Hall of Famers acted as GMs to draft each team. Cynthia Cooper's starters are Paige Bueckers (DAL), Breanna Stewart (NY), Kelsey Mitchell (IND), Natasha Howard (MIN) and Gabby Williams (GS). Teresa Weatherspoon's starters are Caitlin Clark (IND), A'ja Wilson (LV), Olivia Miles (MIN), Aliyah Boston (IND) and Jessica Shepard (DAL). More to watch: ⚾️ Hall of Fame: Induction Ceremony (Sun. 1pm, MLB) … Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent will be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Phillies (Fri. 6:40pm, Apple; Sun. 7:20pm, NBC); Blue Jays at Red Sox (Fri. 7:10pm, Apple); Guardians at Rays (Sun. 12:15pm, Peacock) ⛳️ Golf: 3M Open (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS); Women's Scottish Open (Fri-Sun, Golf/CNBC) … Emiliano Grillo (-7) leads in Minnesota while two women tied for the lead (-6) after the first round in Scotland. 🏎️ F1: Hungarian Grand Prix (Sun. 9am, Apple) … The final race before F1's monthlong summer break. 🏁 NASCAR: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sun. 2pm, TNT) … $1 million championship of the In-Season Challenge. 🥊 Boxing: Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga (Sat. 5:45pm, DAZN PPV) … Joshua returns to the ring seven months after destroying Jake Paul and tragically losing two close friends. Meanwhile, fellow British former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will fight Mariusz Wach today in Thailand in a bout that curiously will not be broadcast. Plus: ⚽️ MLS Matchday 18 (Sat. 6:30-10:30pm, Apple) and NWSL Matchday 16 (Fri-Sun, Prime/ESPN/CBSSN); 🥍 PLL Week 10 in Denver (Fri-Sat, ESPN+/ESPN2); 🏀 The Basketball Tournament (Fri-Sun, FS1); 🏈 IFL regular-season finale (Fri-Sun, Yahoo Sports) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   📊 BIG FOUR CHART DU JOUR: LONGEST WINNING STREAKS (Lev Akabas/Sportico) The Red Sox matched their longest winning streak ever with 15 straight victories before finally losing on Wednesday. Where does that rank among the 124 active franchises across North America's "Big Four" major leagues? Longest streak by league: Boston's streak is tied for 32nd overall, and tied for 10th among MLB teams. This data, courtesy of Sportico's Lev Akabas, includes only regular-season games within a single season. 🏀 NBA: 1971-72 Lakers (33 straight wins) ⚾️ MLB: 1916 Giants (26) 🏒 NHL: 1992-93 Penguins (17) 🏈 NFL: 2007 Patriots (16) Did you know? The Giants' 26-game win streak was actually interrupted by a tie (12 wins, 1 tie, 14 wins). MLB's longest purely uninterrupted streak belongs to the 2017 Indians, who won 22 straight.   🏀 GO DEEPER GOOD READS: NBA EDITION (Dillon Marshall/Yahoo Sports) Kevin O'Connor: The Indecision: What's LeBron James waiting for? LeBron James has never signed up for a team without a plan, be it Miami in 2010, Cleveland in 2014 or Los Angeles in 2018. Now, for the first time, he might have to choose between rosters as they are and not rosters as he wishes they were. As his indecision enters its fourth week, what does the landscape look like? (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) Ben Rohrbach: NBA Power Rankings: How does the East stack up after major offseason moves? There has been a lot of player movement this offseason, and outside of LaMelo Ball going to Minnesota, most of the action has moved to the Eastern Conference. So, we figured we'd take a stab at power ranking our new East. These rankings are, of course, perfect and inarguable. They're certainly not just one man's opinion in the dog days of summer… before anyone has played a game. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) Steve Jones: NBA Rookie Rankings: Who's at the head of the class after Summer League? With Summer League officially in the rearview mirror, it's a good time to build a list of what we just witnessed. And while the context of Summer League can lead to varied results, one thing is crystal clear right now: Rookie of the Year is going to be a tight, fun (and likely discourse-filled) race.   ⚾ HALL OF FAME MLB TRIVIA (Joe Robbins/Getty Images) Carlos Beltrán, whose Hall of Fame induction is on Sunday, will be just the third player wearing a Mets cap on his plaque in Cooperstown. Question: Who are the other two? Hint: Pitcher and catcher. Answer at the bottom.   🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 AWS Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: All three practice sessions (Fri. 7:30/11am ET; Sat. 6:30am) and tomorrow's qualifying (10am) will air for free on Yahoo Sports, while Sunday's race (9am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1.   Trivia answer: Tom Seaver (inducted in 1992) and Mike Piazza (2016)