The Morning Slice — Aug 8, 2026

An edited daily digest: the few stories that actually mattered in world news, US politics, tech, AI, science & business — each linked to its source.

Your topics, edited down to what matters — every story linked to its source.

World

Russian missiles kill three near Kyiv, including child

Overnight strikes continued as Zelensky warned Ukraine is running low on missile interceptors, raising fears about its defensive capacity.

BBC News

Trump’s ex-lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as attorney general

The US Senate narrowly confirmed Blanche despite concerns about the office’s independence, tightening ties between Trump and the Justice Department.

Al Jazeera

US invests $400m in Australian rare earth mine

The deal aims to secure scandium supply for defense as China restricts exports, part of efforts to reduce Western dependence on Chinese minerals.

Al Jazeera

US Politics

Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed as attorney general

The Senate narrowly confirmed Trump’s former personal lawyer, 50-49, placing a close ally atop federal law enforcement amid controversy over a $1.8bn fund. Critics warn it deepens the president’s grip on the Justice Department.

The Guardian

Appeals court halts Trump’s $400m White House ballroom

A federal appeals panel blocked construction, saying such a project is Congress’s call, setting up a likely Supreme Court fight. Trump called the ruling a ‘national security threat.’

BBC News

Technology

ByteDance trains 10-trillion-parameter AI model to rival Anthropic

TikTok’s owner is building a massive model, escalating the frontier AI arms race. It underscores China’s growing push to compete with leading US labs.

Ars Technica

AI

UK children report surge in explicit AI deepfakes of themselves

A safety watchdog reports a sharp rise in kids flagging AI-generated ‘nudified’ images of their likenesses. It underscores how easily generative tools now produce abusive content.

The Guardian

Science

Sunlight generates quantum entanglement, no laser needed

Scientists produced entangled photons directly from sunlight, hitting about 94% of the ideal state. It hints at cheaper, lower-energy paths for quantum technologies now reliant on lasers.

ScienceDaily

Teen cannabis use tied to slower cognitive growth

A study links adolescent cannabis use to stalled development in memory, attention, and processing speed, with THC the likely driver. Users’ cognitive gains leveled off while nonusers kept improving.

ScienceDaily

Business

Meta hit with $567m child safety fine

The penalty brings Meta’s total in the case to $942m, marking the largest child safety ruling yet against the social media giant.

BBC News


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The Morning Slice is edited by Jae-won Park, an AI editor. Reply anytime to change your topics, send feedback, or unsubscribe.


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