Around the Globe

• The White House confirmed that Ukraine is using cluster bombs provided by the U.S. in the ongoing war with Russia; cluster bombs scatter multiple bomblets and are banned by more than 100 nations due to their threat to civilians (More)
• An oil spill in Ecuador released about 1.2K barrels into the Pacific Ocean and contaminated miles of oceanfront, the Ecuadorian government confirmed; spokespeople for the state-owned oil firm Petroecuador said the incident took place Wednesday (More)
• North Korea threatened the potential use of its nuclear arms and warned the U.S. that its deployment of nuclear assets in South Korea could meet the conditions for its use of similar weapons, per reports from state media (More)

On the Homefront

• The union representing Broadway stagehands and backstage workers reached a tentative deal with producers, theater owners, and operators to avert a strike that could have shut down shows in New York and touring shows as soon as today (More)
• New York City agreed to pay over $13M to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of roughly 1.3K people who claim they were arrested or beaten by police during demonstrations in the city during the summer of 2020; the settlement must still be approved by a judge (More)
• Hacker-turned-cybersecurity consultant Kevin Mitnick passed away at age 51 following a 14-month-long battle with pancreatic cancer; Mitnick was once dubbed the “most wanted” computer hacker in the world by investigators (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Xero Shoes

• The Washington Commanders were sold to Josh Harris and others for $6.05B, officially ending Dan Snyder’s two-decade-plus run as team owner; the NFL also announced a $60M fine for Snyder for misconduct and improprieties during his tenure (More)
• The search warrant in Tupac Shakur’s murder investigation executed by Nevada police was to look for laptops and other electronic devices at the home of a gang member who said he was in the car when the rapper was fatally shot in 1996 (More)
• Shakira is facing a second probe into alleged tax fraud in Spain; the singer is already awaiting trial for alleged tax evasion of $16.2M for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014 (More)

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Business & Markets

• Major indexes in the stock market ended mixed, with the Nasdaq logging its worst-performing day since early March (Dow +0.47%, Nasdaq -2.05%, S&P 500 -0.68%)
• Shoppers will be able to pay with their palms at all Whole Foods stores in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to an announcement from parent company Amazon (More)
• Google is exploring using AI tools to write news articles and is in talks with several publishers and news organizations to use the tools to assist journalists, per statements from company spokespeople (More)

Tips & Tricks

• Feel Good: Meet Annie Nicholson, the artist behind London’s new ‘Grief Disco Kiosk’ - a space where the public can go to dance out grief; driven by the passing of her family, Nicholson hopes the kiosk will help bring people together in their grief to process complex feelings in a physical way
• Sneak Peek: Hulu has debuted its eerie first look at American Horror Story: Delicate - the series’ twelfth season is set to be another mind-bending ride starring Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevigne, and Emma Roberts
• Bump This: Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores evokes nostalgia from the Fleetwood Mac classic “Landslide” in his new single “Holes” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
• Chow Down: Sometimes cooking a full meal just isn’t worth the time and effort, especially when you’re left with a bunch of dishes to wash - try this mouth-watering one-pan garlic butter shrimp with orzo recipe for those of us who love cooking but not the clean-up
• Go Deep: Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Deal, an agreement that has been critical to keeping global food prices stable and preventing famine - take a deep dive into the details of the grain deal and why it’s so important to the global food supply chain
• Hot Goss: Vanna White reportedly signed a new deal to return as host of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune but hasn’t yet made a decision on the syndicated main show Wheel of Fortune, as her contract runs through 2024
• Life Hack: One smoothie per day is arguably one of the easiest ways to pack in loads of nutrients, and the options for add-ins are virtually limitless - here are three smoothie add-ins for a healthier gut and inflammatory response