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The Gezer Calendar The so-called Gezer Calendar is a small limestone slab inscribed with a list of agricultural activities covering one full year. Thought to date from the tenth century BCE, it is one of the earliest known Canaanite inscriptions from Judah. Some would claim it is the earliest known inscription in Old Hebrew. The text reads: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-gezer-calendar/?

🔬 Exclusive: AI's cancer trial boost Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images AI is starting to unlock millions of dollars of new efficiencies in clinical trials on cancer treatments, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes from a new Tufts study. Why it matters: AI-powered tools could shave months off time-consuming processes like recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring results and interpreting data. 🧪 What they found: The analysis, from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, found AI agents can accelerate clinical development of cancer drugs by approximately 10 weeks and reduce direct operating costs by as much as $5.6 million in late-stage trials. The efficiencies increase with the number of tumors a drug can target: An experimental treatment with 50 active uses could see benefits as high as $565 million. Keep reading ...

✍️ Claude's invisible signature Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios Simon Hernandez-Arthur — the new author of Axios Communicators, our weekly newsletter covering the biggest trends in the comms industry — writes: Anthropic's new models will add machine-readable "watermarks" to Claude-generated text and files to comply with new European Union transparency regulations. Why it matters: People using Claude to clean up, translate or format human-drafted press releases could stamp those documents with an AI signature. The watermarks will be applied worldwide, not just in the EU. 💡 How it works: For models launched after Aug. 2, Anthropic is marking content in two ways. Text watermarks: Claude embeds patterns into the generated text that Anthropic claims are "imperceptible." File metadata: Generated media files carry digital signatures confirming the asset was processed by Claude. 🔬 Between the lines: Anthropic highlighted two major limitations to its detection tech: AI-assisted text can look AI-generated: Content may trigger a "detected mark" even if Claude was used solely to proofread, format or translate human-written copy. Detection drop-off: If text is heavily rewritten, mixed with other copy or too short, then the watermarks might not be detectable. Go deeper ...

Kennedy Center's future The Kennedy Center, seen from the Washington Monument on Monday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Earlier this month, Kennedy Center budget planners sketched out three options for its two-year renovation, including ways to keep the National Symphony Orchestra performing during construction, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil has learned. Why it matters: The early plans — ahead of a board meeting tomorrow — offer a glimpse at how President Trump's allies are contemplating undertaking a controversial two-year closure. One scenario envisions the renowned 96-year-old orchestra — a fixture at the Kennedy Center — performing at "offsite alternate venues," according to a slide deck of budget plans obtained by Axios. Another scenario is more logistically complex. It'd keep the NSO performing inside the Kennedy Center — with a "phased" construction approach that could stretch beyond two years. A third, slimmed-down option appears to pause NSO programs. 👂 What we're hearing: Financial projections for the two-year renovation reveal keeping the NSO running costs $25 million annually. The forecasts are separate from the $250 million Trump anticipates spending on the renovation. Keep reading ...

Avoiding 3 risk factors in midlife could add 13 dementia-free years Avoiding smoking, not having diabetes, and having normal blood pressure may help protect against dementia for an additional 13 years. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years?

I could be wrong, but, I don't think people in the denomination will do anything about it.

On the front lines of extreme weather   In recent weeks, devastating wildfires and relentless heat waves have gripped parts of the world. Climate statistics show that so far this is the third-hottest year globally, behind 2024 and 2025. Today we are joined by Peter Prengaman, the AP’s Global Climate and Environmental News Director, to learn more about what it’s like reporting as the climate changes. What key challenges do our reporters face when covering wildfires? As each country and U.S. state manages wildfires differently, access can be a big challenge depending on where a wildfire is happening. Journalists can’t always get close, which limits on-the-ground reporting, photos and video. If journalists can access a fire, there are then many other challenges around safety. From the risk of flames to breathing the smoke, fires are dangerous to cover. Another challenge is keeping readers’ interest over what can be multiple months. When houses are consumed and people die, a fire can get a lot of attention. But between those moments can be weeks. A fire is still burning, thousands may be evacuated, but how do we continue telling this important story in a way that readers still pay attention? Want to know more? Make a recurring gift to join Peter and other AP journalists on Aug. 19 for an exclusive conversation about their experience covering extreme weather up close. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Extreme heat and drought take a toll around the world, in photos Western Canada fights growing wildfires as thousands more told to be ready to leave Wildfire at Indonesia’s Mount Bromo mostly contained as smoke forces school closures

Trump says Secret Service and the military wanted him off Air Force One in Turkey due to threat President Donald Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy. Read more. Why this matters: “They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane,” Trump said Tuesday, saying he had little choice in the matter. His comments confirmed a report that first appeared in The Washington Post saying Trump, following a NATO summit last month, was spirited onto a different plane because of a credible threat from Iran, which he insisted didn't scare him. The action was kept secret for weeks until the newspaper’s story. Concealing Trump’s whereabouts at the time and for weeks afterward is believed to be unprecedented. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Elaborate ruse to fly Trump out of Turkey explained FACT FOCUS: Trump makes false claims as he signs order urging revisions around childhood vaccines Trump administration faces lawsuit over its targeting of the International Criminal Court

Takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries In Wisconsin, moderate Democrat David Crowley narrowly defeated democratic socialist Francesca Hong, who was hoping to ride the wave of recent victories by progressive candidates, including Abdul El-Sayed in neighboring Michigan’s Senate race last week. Read more. Why this matters: Hong’s loss in Wisconsin may have doused the momentum for progressive candidates, but it’s far from snuffing it out. A democratic socialist coming close to victory in a battleground state sends a clear message: There is unignorable angst among the party’s voters. Crowley’s margin of victory was less than 1 percentage point. Crowley, who is vying to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor, will face off in November against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Meanwhile in Minnesota, progressive candidate Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic Senate primary over the centrist Rep. Angie Craig. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ More on the Wisconsin primary Wisconsin Governor primary results Progressive Democrats get another win in Minnesota US Senate primary Sen. Darline Graham, US Rep. Ralph Norman advance to GOP runoff for US Senate in South Carolina Judge again bars Trump administration from implementing order that sought to limit mail voting Former Mayor Luke Bronin wins Democratic primary in Connecticut, ousting U.S. Rep. John Larson

August 12, 2026 Your first month is free in The New York Times app. Download now → By Matthew Cullen Good morning. We’ll start today with results from the primary elections. Then we’ll discuss the operation to get President Trump out of Turkey after last month’s NATO summit. ELECTIONS In Wisconsin, David Crowley, a moderate, won the Democratic nomination for governor in an upset. Polls had consistently shown Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, with a double-digit lead. In South Carolina, Darline Graham, sister of Lindsey Graham, who died last month, will face Representative Ralph Norman, a hard-line conservative, in a Republican runoff for Graham’s Senate seat. And in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, won the Democratic primary for Senate. She will face Michele Tafoya, a former N.F.L. sideline reporter, in November. Some other notable races: Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won a Republican primary for a House seat in Wisconsin. Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, defeated the MyPillow C.E.O. and Trump ally Mike Lindell in the Republican governor’s primary. Demuth will face Senator Amy Klobuchar. In Connecticut, the long-serving congressman John Larson, 78, was unseated by Luke Bronin, 47, in a Democratic primary that focused largely on age. See more election results here. President Trump was apparently moved in this catering container as he left Turkey last month. Doug Mills/The New York Times Safety subterfuge Sometimes a little trickery helps keep presidents safe. In 2003, officials said that George W. Bush would be spending Thanksgiving at his Texas ranch, but he absconded overnight to Baghdad to surprise American troops there. Bush’s wife and parents were in the dark — and so were forces loyal to Saddam Hussein that might have attacked Air Force One. Three years before that, Bill Clinton quietly slipped into an unmarked plane on his way to defuse nuclear tensions between Pakistan and India. The regular Air Force One, with Secret Service agents aboard, flew the same route as a decoy. “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,” as Sun Tzu put it. That appears to be what President Trump had in mind after last month’s NATO summit. He told reporters he would leave Turkey on an older version of Air Force One (rather than the Qatari-donated 747 that he had flown in on). He went so far as to walk on board the jet and wave to news cameras. But it was all a ruse: There was a credible threat against the president from Iran, officials said. So Trump climbed into a catering truck and rode to a military jet nearby. Simon Ducroquet/The New York Times How the deception unfolded Trump boarded the powder-blue Air Force One from the plane’s left side. The catering container — a truck with a giant metal box on rising stilts — was parked on the right. Footage shows the truck backing away as journalists board the back of the jet. Once on board, reporters were told to keep their window shades down, an unusual request. Trump then flew on the military jet from Turkey to Britain. There, the president was secretly brought back to the older Air Force One by vehicle, without reporters noticing. Soon after, he walked off the plane, pretending that he had been on board all along. The scheme was developed and carried out by a small group of top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after U.S. intelligence learned about a specific threat of a surface-to-air missile against whatever plane Trump would be flying on. (I was surprised to learn yesterday that Clinton, too, had once ridden off Air Force One in a catering container during a trip to Finland.) One thing made this presidential deception different from previous ones, Peter Baker writes. Reporters believed they were flying alongside the president. In truth, officials had turned a plane full of them and other government employees into unknowing bait for an Iranian strike. Peter talked to one former press secretary who compared them to “human shields.” For more: Listen to today’s episode of “The Daily,” where the White House correspondent Maggie Haberman talks about the operation’s risks. THE PATRIOT GAMES Trump at the Patriot Games yesterday. Doug Mills/The New York Times Here’s a dispatch from my colleague Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House reporter, who was in Ohio yesterday to cover a new Trump-backed competition called the Patriot Games. It was Ninja Warrior meets high school sports meets MAGA. The event, organized as part of the country’s 250th birthday celebration, offered students — a girl and a boy from each state — a chance to win a combined $250,000 toward college scholarships. The president watched as teens raced through a neon-lit obstacle course that included monkey bars, climbing nets and swinging rings. A fog machine shrouded the proceedings in mist. At times, the competition had the feeling of a Trump rally. One attendee shouted “2028” after the president arrived, prompting Trump to smile. “U.S.A.” chants broke out often. When it all ended, and “Y.M.C.A.” played on the speakers, Trump and some of the competitors began to dance. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, an author of Project 2025, as the Interior Department’s inspector general. He would oversee any review of the Reflecting Pool renovation. The Trump administration banned the use of Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-transition medication and surgery. Body-camera footage, text messages and court documents show that federal agents used slurs and racially profiled people during immigration crackdowns. War in the Middle East Houthi missile strikes on a cargo ship in the Red Sea killed at least six people, Yemen’s government said. More trade passes through that waterway now that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. As the U.S. supply of interceptors dwindles, Iran is adapting and improving its attack strategy. The confluence was evident last month in the deadly strike on a U.S. base. Around the World In Colombia. Federico Rios for The New York Times At least 181 people have died in the earthquake in Colombia. See images of the destruction and the rescue efforts. Fishing boats from Ecuador have been attacked by unidentified “gringos” using drones, according to survivors. A court in Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, the former president, to death for crimes against humanity. Assad has been living in Russia since his government was overthrown in 2024. Other Big Stories First-year students at the University of Michigan won’t receive letter grades in their initial semester. The school hopes the change will help ease them into college life. David Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive, threatened to move the studio out of California to pressure regulators trying to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. COSMIC BLACKOUT Source: Eclipse timing and obscuration come from the NASA Javascript Solar Eclipse Explorer. The New York Times This afternoon, mainland Europe will see its first total solar eclipse in decades. The path of totality — that is, where onlookers can see the moon cover the sun entirely — cuts across Iceland and northern Spain. (In the United States, a partial eclipse will be most visible in Alaska and in the Northeast.) Katrina Miller, a science reporter, wrote a guide to viewing the eclipse, and she’s answering readers’ questions in the comments. Here’s one: T Tim London, UK Why do eclipses make animals go crazy? How do they know it's not just the night? What's up with that Katrina Miller Science reporter @Tim Scientists are actively trying to figure that out! Animals also have circadian rhythms, and experts suggest that they may get confused by the sudden darkness, and the shortness of it. Pets in particular might get anxious because they notice something is up by the way humans are reacting. My colleagues had a good feature on the reactions of zoo animals in 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/us/solar-eclipse-animals-pets-zoo.html View all comments More space news: New images from the James Webb telescope show two supermassive black holes on the verge of merging. The Perseids, summer’s strongest meteor shower, will be most active tonight. Here’s how to watch. OPINIONS Trump is 80 years old and hasn’t looked well. The public needs answers to these seven questions on his health, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Dick Cheney’s White House cardiologist, argues. A face-lift at age 47 has helped Molly Jong-Fast look younger and feel good, she writes. Does that make her a bad feminist? Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS In Rome. Alessandro Penso for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Throwing stones: Rome is trying to capitalize on the popularity of curling by installing a rink near the Colosseum. In a heat wave. Without any ice. LinkedIn vs. Hinge: Unemployed singles are wondering if they have to choose between the search for a job and the search for a partner. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about the death of the rock climber Jake Whisenant. TODAY’S NUMBER In Miami. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times 1,049 — That’s the height limit, in feet, for buildings in Miami. Right now, the city has no towers that tall. But by 2030, there will be four. Despite worries over rising sea levels and hurricanes, the skyline keeps getting taller. SPORTS W.N.B.A.: The Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White pushed back against online critics who called for her firing after she seemed to defend a hard foul against one of her own players. N.F.L.: Kyler Murray will be the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, sending J.J. McCarthy, the 2024 first-round pick, to the bench. Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo married Georgina Rodríguez, his partner of a decade, in an intimate ceremony in Portugal. RECIPE OF THE DAY Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog. This BLT doesn’t depend on the perfect tomato or, for that matter, on bacon with pedigree. Instead, there are a few simple tricks to this recipe that elevate even the lowliest ingredients. Considering we’re in peak tomato season, though, you’ll enjoy the sandwich even more if you use the juiciest tomato at the farmers’ market. Related: How much do you know about everyone’s favorite summer produce? Take our tomato quiz. RETRO ROMANCE The New York Times Perhaps you’ve seen it while scrolling through Instagram: a grainy video of a man or a woman, apparently from the 1980s, trying to find love through a video dating service. The VHS Dates account has nearly 900,000 followers and a fascinating origin story — “The box of VHS tapes was found in the basement of our office in Downtown L.A.” And none of it, it turns out, is real. The creators came clean to our reporter Sopan Deb. Read the story here, or watch the video above. More on culture Spotify says it will label A.I.-generated musical acts for users and exclude them from its algorithmic recommendations. Late night hosts attempted to recreate Trump’s catering container escape. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Organize your kitchen with these items that make the most of small spaces. Go to bed at the same time every night. Sleep experts say it can improve your health. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were elementally and mentally. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. 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 News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

🏗️ Banks unleash infrastructure bucks Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images America's biggest financial firms are lining up to unlock vast sums of private capital for infrastructure investment, Axios' Neil Irwin writes. Why it matters: Amid an AI buildout that is creating new strains on computing power, energy supplies and manufacturing capacity, major banks see opportunity for large-scale investment that could help satisfy those needs — and reward investors. A new $250 billion effort from Bank of America is the latest in a week packed with jaw-dropping funding announcements. Earlier this week, Morgan Stanley announced its own infrastructure initiative, which it said will total $1.5 trillion over a decade. Both firms tied their plans to honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. being celebrated this summer. Also this week: A remarkable announcement by chipmaker Nvidia of plans to finance $500 billion in AI infrastructure buildout in partnership with Apollo, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms.

AI's cancer trial boost Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images AI is starting to unlock millions of dollars of new efficiencies in clinical trials on cancer treatments, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes from a new Tufts study. Why it matters: AI-powered tools could shave months off time-consuming processes like recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring results and interpreting data. 🧪 What they found: The analysis, from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, found AI agents can accelerate clinical development of cancer drugs by approximately 10 weeks and reduce direct operating costs by as much as $5.6 million in late-stage trials. The efficiencies increase with the number of tumors a drug can target: An experimental treatment with 50 active uses could see benefits as high as $565 million. Keep reading ...

Kennedy Center's future The Kennedy Center, seen from the Washington Monument on Monday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Earlier this month, Kennedy Center budget planners sketched out three options for its two-year renovation, including ways to keep the National Symphony Orchestra performing during construction, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil has learned. Why it matters: The early plans — ahead of a board meeting tomorrow — offer a glimpse at how President Trump's allies are contemplating undertaking a controversial two-year closure. One scenario envisions the renowned 96-year-old orchestra — a fixture at the Kennedy Center — performing at "offsite alternate venues," according to a slide deck of budget plans obtained by Axios. Another scenario is more logistically complex. It'd keep the NSO performing inside the Kennedy Center — with a "phased" construction approach that could stretch beyond two years. A third, slimmed-down option appears to pause NSO programs. 👂 What we're hearing: Financial projections for the two-year renovation reveal keeping the NSO running costs $25 million annually. The forecasts are separate from the $250 million Trump anticipates spending on the renovation. Keep reading ...

Solving AI's fiber optic bottleneck The real race inside AI data centers comes down to one thing: how fast you can install fiber optic links at scale. 3M’s EBO technology is engineered to make fiber connectivity easier, faster and more reliable in increasingly dense computing environments. Take a closer look.

✈️ Axios interview: Haberman on Trump's ruse The catering truck used to secretly move President Trump from Air Force One to another plane following the NATO summit last month in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman tells me in a "Behind the Curtain" interview — out tomorrow — that President Trump's cloak-and-dagger exit from last month's NATO summit in Turkey offers a revealing glimpse into how his White House operates. "Donald Trump is very secretive — very secretive," says Haberman, co-author with Jonathan Swan of "Regime Change," which has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. "He does not like letting information out that he has not authorized." Trump's second administration is "very, very good at keeping secrets when it wants to," Haberman added. "They value secrecy above the need for transparency of any kind with the general public." Between the lines: Haberman says Trump's willingness to be spirited away in a catering container shows how serious the concerns about his safety were. "For him, frankly, to be willing to even get in a cart like that, which I imagine didn't smell good and wasn't especially clean, speaks to the level of concern about his safety," she said. ▶️ Watch: 2-min. clip ... President Trump discusses his secret flight last night. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Trump told reporters last night after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., that the plane switch was "up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do. So I go by Secret Service — and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane — equal safety. But they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say. ... I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats." How Trump's great escape unfolded (N.Y. Times gift link).

Socialist fever breaks Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley (left) greets supporters at a campaign rally Monday in Milwaukee. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images In Wisconsin's Democratic primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley upset democratic socialist Francesca Hong, 39.8% to 39.4% — checking the progressive left's momentum after some polls showed her up by more than 20 points. Crowley must now prove the argument that powered his rise: that a mainstream Democrat gives the party a better chance in November against the election-denying, Trump-backed Rep. Tom Tiffany. 🗳️ Takeaways from last night's results: The race was the latest example of flawed polling in Democratic primaries. Polling showed Hong with a big lead. A democratic socialist came within about 3,000 votes of winning a major-party nomination for governor in one of America's premier swing states yesterday. So the result reflects both the left's rise and limits. Wisconsin's November election will be historic. Tiffany would be the first person who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Congress to become governor of a top swing state if he won. And Crowley would be the first Black governor in Wisconsin history. The progressive surge is still producing big wins: In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (59%) trounced Rep. Angie Craig (39.4%) by 20 points despite Craig's overwhelming money advantage and her pitch that a swing-district record made her more electable. Democrats nominated progressive Matt Little to replace Craig in Congress. 🏛️ Voters continue retiring aging longtime incumbents: 7th House Dem loses: Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), 78, a 14-termer, lost by 20+ points last night to his primary challenger, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, age 47 (54% to 33%). Larson is the 10th House member ousted in this year's primaries. Seven have been Dems, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. Connecticut state Rep. Maryam Khan defeated a state senator with 22 years in the capitol. 26-year-old Eli Sabin defeated the state's longest-serving state House member. 🐘 On the right: Trump's endorsement failed to rescue one of his highest-profile allies. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell lost the GOP governor nomination in Minnesota to state Speaker Lisa Demuth. But another of his candidates advanced: In South Carolina, Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham (33%) and Rep. Ralph Norman (25%), a hardline conservative, move to an Aug. 25 runoff in the special Republican primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham. Go deeper. Tuesday's takeaways … Read more.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 12 1990 Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered The largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is discovered by fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson near Faith, South Dakota. The 65 million-year-old specimen is named Sue, after its discoverer. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1898 Armistice ends the Spanish-American War American Revolution 1776 General Washington anticipates British blockade of New York Arts & Entertainment 2014 Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies 1964 James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies 1988 Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat dies of an overdose at 27 Colonial America 1676 King Philip’s War ends Crime 1964 Great Train robber escapes from prison Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 JAL flight 123 crashes into Mount Otsuka 2000 Russian sub, the “Kursk,” sinks with 118 onboard Sports 1973 American golfer Jack Nicklaus sets title record World War II 1941 FDR and Churchill meet on ship, map out Atlantic Charter

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 12 1990 Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered The largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is discovered by fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson near Faith, South Dakota. The 65 million-year-old specimen is named Sue, after its discoverer. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1898 Armistice ends the Spanish-American War American Revolution 1776 General Washington anticipates British blockade of New York Arts & Entertainment 2014 Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies 1964 James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies 1988 Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat dies of an overdose at 27 Colonial America 1676 King Philip’s War ends Crime 1964 Great Train robber escapes from prison Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 JAL flight 123 crashes into Mount Otsuka 2000 Russian sub, the “Kursk,” sinks with 118 onboard Sports 1973 American golfer Jack Nicklaus sets title record World War II 1941 FDR and Churchill meet on ship, map out Atlantic Charter

Girls Without Schools Approximately 2.4 million Afghan girls remain barred from secondary education five years into Taliban rule, according to a United Nations report published yesterday. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with formal bans on women's education. The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, as US and NATO troops withdrew following two decades of war (Taliban 101). By March 2022, the Islamic fundamentalist group had shuttered girls' secondary schools, and women were barred from universities in December 2022. The decision erased recent gains in female education, with girls' secondary school enrollment rising from a few thousand in 2001 to roughly 1 million in 2021. The UN believes the bans could reduce the female workforce by 600,000 over the next 40 years and increase the risk of early marriage. What are Afghan female academics doing now? Women are also prohibited from teaching boys, contributing to a teacher shortage. Afghanistan’s literacy rate is among the world’s lowest at roughly 37%. Compare literacy rates here.

A Celestial Doubleheader A total solar eclipse will sweep across the Arctic and parts of Europe today, the first visible from mainland Europe in nearly 30 years. Totality will last less than two and a half minutes at its longest. The path of totality crosses northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a sliver of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible across much of Europe, Canada, and parts of the northern US. A total eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun from view; visualize the path of every eclipse from 1900 to 2099. Eclipses can also affect wildlife behavior, with researchers documenting bees going quiet, owls hooting, and crickets chirping as the sky darkens. Learn about the different types of eclipses here. Separately, the Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, potentially producing up to 100 meteors per hour under dark, new moon skies as Earth passes through debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. See the Perseids from space here.

The original name for Xbox was DirectXbox, designed to show how Microsoft’s DirectX graphics could improve the console market. James

Trump says Secret Service and the military wanted him off Air Force One in Turkey due to threat WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat that he insisted didn’t scare him. https://apnews.com/article/trump-secret-flight-turkey-iran-threats-d23a6454d1410cc8461368007db6ca25?

🌅 Parting shots: San Sebastián shines Photo: Jeff Turner 🌊 Morning blue gives way to golden light over San Sebastián's harbor in Spain's Basque Country. Thanks to reader Jeff Turner of Little Washington, Va., for sending these along. Photo: Jeff Turner

Exercise your brain Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios Your daily crossword is still a flex. But scientists are testing a more focused question: Can you train an aging brain to process information faster — and potentially change its trajectory? 🧩 Why it matters: A growing body of research suggests certain kinds of cognitive exercises can produce measurable changes in the brain. One long-running trial even linked a specific type of training to fewer dementia diagnoses, Axios' Natalie Daher writes. 💡 The evidence: Recent studies highlighted by The Washington Post (gift link) suggest that targeted cognitive training may affect systems involved in attention and memory as well as brain structure. ⚡ Zoom in: A separate, much smaller randomized clinical trial presented last month at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference offers a clue about what might be happening biologically. Researchers from Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and Penn State randomly assigned 53 participants to three groups that trained two to three hours a week for about three months. 🔬 One group practiced higher-order thinking, such as planning, reasoning and shifting attention. Another concentrated on processing speed and visual attention. In one exercise, for example, participants had to identify a vehicle flashed briefly in the center of a screen while also remembering where a Route 66 sign appeared. A third, active-control group played familiar games, including Solitaire, word searches and a version of Connect Four. Before and after the training, researchers took blood samples to measure two forms of amyloid beta, a protein closely associated with Alzheimer's disease. Only the speed-training group showed favorable shifts in those Alzheimer's-related biomarkers. 🧪 Reality check: The science is still early. Researchers don't yet know whether those changes translate into better everyday functioning or lower disease risk. There's still no single accepted measure of a "healthy" brain, and brain training isn't a substitute for exercise or other healthy habits. The bottom line: Keep up your Sudoku if you enjoy it. The bigger question now: Can scientists figure out which mental workouts actually help our brains age better?

Sen. Darline Graham, US Rep. Ralph Norman advance to GOP runoff for US Senate in South Carolina COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman have advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate, one month after his sudden death. https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-senate-primary-lindsey-graham-df041787564cdbc3668ad8619aad557e? Progressive Democrats get another win in Minnesota US Senate primary MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment. https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-primary-flanagan-craig-lindell-senate-governor-bbadfd4d2a4a1184be74f75ed26b9b72? David Crowley wins Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor over progressive Francesca Hong MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Moderate Democrat David Crowley won the Wisconsin primary for governor, defeating a democratic socialist who fell short while trying to deliver another win for progressives in a battleground state. https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-primary-governor-hong-socialist-acd872f6cf113e741291b9b47f9d9111?