Navy Sailors Are Jumping Off Aircraft Carriers & The Lakers Get Flipped For $12.5B

Hi readers, happy Thursday! Today, we’re covering major issues aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, another surprising Democratic primary, why Canadians want to expel their U.S. ambassador, the lack of Iran deals, U.S. inflation, why the White House press secretary is leaving, and the Lakers getting flipped.

“To educate the masses politically does not mean, cannot mean, making a political speech. What it means is to try, relentlessly and passionately, to teach the masses that everything depends on them; that if we stagnate it is their responsibility, and that if we go forward it is due to them too, that there is no such thing as a demiurge, that there is no famous man who will take the responsibility for everything, but that the demiurge is the people themselves and the magic hands are finally only the hands of the people.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth

The Floating Fortress Of Freakouts

How long could you spend confined to a ship before you go insane and try to jump overboard? For some U.S. Navy sailors working aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the answer to that is “250 days.” According to media outlets, the massive aircraft carrier has seen multiple sailors attempt to jump overboard as servicemembers endure a record-breaking deployment at sea. 

The USS Abraham Lincoln last touched land in San Diego on November 21 of last year. The carrier was initially scheduled for a deployment in the Pacific (set to end in May), but was redirected to the Middle East after the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran. Since then, the 5,000 servicemembers aboard the ship have been allowed two days on land – one in Guam in December and another in Oman in July. According to one member of Congress, life aboard the floating fortress features “moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry down for weeks, long stretches with no hot water, a meal that came down to half a cup of rice and two tortillas. No soap, deodorant, or toothpaste.”

Apparently, things have gotten so bad aboard the warship that the Navy has had to reach out to sailors’ families, holding meetings to tell them that everything is okay. One such session reportedly occurred last Thursday – family members say that Navy officials told them that the military was sending an increased number of mental health professionals to the aircraft carrier in the wake of the multiple attempts to jump off the ship. However, it’s not clear whether the military is being transparent with the public or soldiers’ families: in response to an article about the incidents, a Navy representative stated, “Based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.”

Money Can’t Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Political Ads

U.S. progressives have been on a hot streak in the leadup to November’s midterm elections, securing wins in a number of Democratic primaries which have seen them outspent by more mainstream rivals. Left-wing Democrats hoped to bring that energy into this week’s Wisconsin governor’s primary, where (self-described) democratic socialist Francesca Hong faced off against David Crowley, an establishment candidate who backed out of the race in early July after failing to garner enough support. Unfortunately for them, Crowley’s late return allowed him to barely eke out a win against the democratic socialist, meaning he’ll take on GOP candidate Tom Tiffany in November.

In the weeks before election day, Hong seemed poised to win the Democratic nomination, especially after Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez dropped out due to a campaign finance scandal. But establishment Democrats pulled out all the stops to block her, bringing Crowley back into the race with an endorsement from retiring Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. Alongside that endorsement, Crowley also benefited from a surge in TV ads promoting him as a stronger candidate than Hong, which outside political groups spent a whopping $4 million on over the course of just three weeks. Hong’s campaign and her allies spent less than half a million on political ads over the course of the entire election.

In comments issued after the primary, Crowley argued that the election wasn’t a “battle between the left and the center,” and said that he looked forward to earning their trust ahead of November. “We may not use the same labels, but we all want safe communities, strong schools, affordable healthcare, good-paying jobs, and a brighter future for all of our children,” he said. 

Canada And The Not-So-Diplomatic Diplomat

• Over 60,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for the country to expel Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada. The petition accuses Hoekstra of “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse” and of having “normalised the Trump administration’s threats to annex Canada as the ‘51st state’” of the U.S. 

• The petition has been making the rounds as the U.S. and Canada are engaged in a serious trade conflict, with steep U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods taking effect yesterday. It also calls on the Canadian government to investigate “U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs,” citing recent meetings between U.S. officials and people who believe the Canadian province of Alberta should secede from the nation.

• But back to Hoekstra’s individual conduct – the diplomat has made some very undiplomatic moves since becoming the U.S.’s Canadian ambassador in 2025, including screaming expletives at Canadian trade representative David Paterson for criticizing Trump’s tariffs, and stating that there’s a “great discussion to be had” about making Canada the U.S.’s 51st state.

A Long Way From The Promised Land

• According to Reuters, the U.S. and Iran are still far from working out a permanent end to their war. Citing senior Iranian sources, the outlet stated there has been no progress in reviving the peace deal both sides signed in June. “One of the issues ​that is being discussed via mediators is the U.S. returning to the interim agreement and defining a time frame for implementing the commitments. There has been absolutely no ​progress on this issue,” the source stated. 

• Meanwhile, the Iran-Oman deal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still stuck in the mud. Last Sunday, Iran stated that the deal was in its “final stages,” but noted that it required the U.S. (which was also involved in the negotiations) to meet certain other conditions to move forward. Those conditions include U.S. compensation ​to Iran for its massive bombing campaign against the country, but Washington has been “low-keying it with Iran” over the past few days (in Trump’s words), meaning the Strait remains closed.

Additional World News

• Houthis kill 6 in attack on Red Sea cargo ship (Semafor)

• Ebola Bundibugyo strain outbreak worst ever in DR Congo, WHO says (BBC)

• 2026's only total solar eclipse darkens skies across Northern Hemisphere (CBS)

• Russian Strikes on Dozens of Grain Ships Threaten Global Food Supplies (NYT, $)

• Israeli militants besiege two Palestinian families in their West Bank homes (Guardian) 

• Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC (BBC)

Inflation Takes A Summer Break

• While the past few months haven’t been good to most of the economy, last month was an exception. According to federal inflation data published yesterday, the consumer price index rose just 0.1% (seasonally adjusted) in July, and core CPI (which ignores food and energy) rose 0.2%. With those numbers in consideration, prices have risen 3.4% over the course of 2026, and core CPI has gone up just 2.6%.

• Some of the slower inflation rate can be attributed to energy prices dropping after spiking due to the U.S.’s war with Iran. They dropped 5.7% in June, and July’s numbers showed a further decrease of 1.5% (though the sector is still up almost 15% on the year). Food and shelter prices, meanwhile, increased 0.1% in July, medical care was up 0.4%, and airline fares rose 2.2%. With the July data in, traders now estimate that there’s a 42% chance of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates in September after the bank indicated last month that it might raise rates in order to slow inflation.

Leavitt, Well, Leaves It

• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is OUT. Yesterday, Trump announced that his press secretary is set to leave her job at the end of August to spend more time with her family. The 28-year-old is slated to work with the Republican Party on its November midterm push, and Trump stated that she will also be working as “one of my top outside advisors.” Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in history, took some time off in May in order to give birth to her second daughter 

• “Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least,” Leavitt wrote on X. “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” she added.

Additional USA News

• Trump’s New Strategy of Nothing (Atlantic, $)

• ICE plans to outfit officers with electric shock gloves (NPR) 

• A Driver’s Fatal Spiral After a Police Officer’s Typo (NYT, $)

• Sixteen inmates injured after lightning strikes US prison (BBC) 

• Republicans fear Hegseth’s Democrat brushoff could backfire (Politico)

• Members of Trump's cabinet remained on decoy plane, after president's quiet exit (BBC)

Flipping Franchises, Fast

• The Lakers are being flipped for $12.5 billion. News of the sale comes less than a year after the franchise was sold last October, when current owner Mark Walter purchased a majority stake in the team for $10 billion. Sources state that the new buyers are Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

• “As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss,” the prospective new owners said in a joint statement (the Buss family were the long-term owners of the franchise before last year’s sale). “Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”

• The deal comes at an … interesting time. Current owner Mark Walter is currently under federal investigation for $21 billion in loan fraud. Bloomberg has reported that the insurance billionaire has been raising money to cover those loans, meaning Walter could actually be selling the Lakers because he’s running out of cash.

Additional Reads

• It May Be Time to Panic About AI (Atlantic, $)

• The Good-Man Shortage Has Gotten Exponentially Worse (NYMag) 

• Being in a crowd doesn’t make you part of a mindless mob (Psyche)

• Software brain is changing the world, but most people still aren’t buying. (Verge) 

• South Korea's Incheon airport beats Heathrow to become world's busiest (BBC)

• US boosts drone surveillance as flesh-eating screwworms spread in Texas (Ars Technica)

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