Happy Tuesday Everyone! Todayâs newsletter: 1,176 wordsâŠ4.4 mins
ð Todayâs Edition: Wildfire Unearths Hidden WWII Arsenal, Anduril's Drone Boats, Michigan Decides the Democratic Party's Identity Tonight, Ukraine Hits Russia's "Amazon", Spokane Burns, Congress Just Got a Yelp Page...& much more!
ð When was the first recorded pizza delivery and to whom? Scroll down to find out!
ðš Watch For:
Michigan Senate, Gubernatorial and House races: Tonight. Polls close 8pm local
Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Washington also head to the polls: Tonight
ðTHE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Bomb disposal operations in Le Porge, France
ð¥ ð«ð· The Wildfire That Unearthed a Hidden WWII Arsenal
France's devastating wildfires didn't just destroy forestsâthey unearthed history with a bang!
ð£ Buried Arsenal: As flames tore through the Gironde region near Bordeaux, firefighters responding to the blaze in Le Porge discovered a buried cache of World War II-era shells and munitions hidden beneath the forest floor.
Authorities have already recovered around 400 German and French mortar rounds, anti-tank shells, and other explosives from areas where more than 180 homes were destroyed.
ð¥ During the fire itself, firefighters heard over 100 explosions, initially assuming propane tanks were bursting.
Instead, decades-old ammunition was cooking off in the heat.
One shell reportedly blasted through a house, though remarkably no one was injured.
ð¡ Bottom line: The wildfireâthe region's worst since 1949âburned roughly 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) over ten days before bomb disposal teams secured the area. While most residents have returned, some sections remain off-limits as crews continue searching for additional buried explosives.
âïžTHE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
ðºðŠ Ukraine's Drones Are Hunting Russia's "Amazon"
Ukraine isn't just targeting tanks anymoreâit's going after Russia's supply chain.
Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck Wildberries, Russia's e-commerce giant often dubbed the "Russian Amazon," hitting warehouses from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Kyiv says the facilities double as logistics hubs moving military equipment and drone components, while Moscow insists they're purely civilian sites.
ð¡ Why it matters: The latest attacks triggered massive fires, disrupted operations, and added to a campaign that's already damaged or destroyed numerous warehouses across Russia.
⢠Paraguay Goes Nuclearâwith U.S. Backing
The U.S. and Paraguay have signed a new agreement to deepen cooperation on peaceful nuclear energy, marking another step in Washington's push to strengthen ties across Latin America.
Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén RamÃrez Lezcano, the deal supports Paraguay as it explores nuclear technologyâincluding small modular reactorsâto diversify beyond its heavy reliance on hydropower.
The agreement is a framework for cooperation, not a pact to transfer nuclear materials.
ð¡ Why It Matters: Nuclear diplomacy is becoming the new geopolitical chess piece. As China and Russia expand their influence through energy projects, the U.S. is using civilian nuclear partnerships to deepen alliances and secure long-term strategic relationships.
ðªðº Europe's Migration Debate: Stop It or Manage It?
Italy is pushing a controversial idea: EU-funded migrant return hubs in Africa and other third countries to process and deport people who enter Europe illegally.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni argues the plan will deter crossings and make removals easier.
Critics ask a bigger question: why spend taxpayer money managing illegal migration instead of stopping it altogether?
The proposal expands Italyâs Albania model, with possible partners including Rwanda, Tunisia, Egypt, and Uganda as Europe battles over enforcement, sovereignty, and humanitarian obligations.
ð¡ Why It Matters: Europe's migration fight is no longer just about where migrants are sentâitâs about whether governments should focus on stopping illegal entry altogether or building a system to manage the consequences afterward. That divide is reshaping European politics.
ðœTHE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens
ð³ Michigan Decides the Democratic Party's Identity Tonight
Michigan's Senate primary isn't just picking a nominee â it's a proxy war for what the Democratic Party even is anymore.
ð¥ The matchup:
Far-left Abdul El-Sayed (anti-Israel, Medicare for all, abolish ICE, defends Sharia law as âpeaceâ and âjusticeâ), backed by Sanders, the Squad and Hasan Piker - the guy who said America deserved 9/11âŠ
vs.
Establishment favorite Haley Stevens (Schumer, Pelosi, Whitmer-backed, American values, capitalist messaging, pro-Israel).
The money: Stevens has drawn tens of millions in outside spending, largely from pro-Israel groups.
El-Sayed's drawn millions from Islamist groups.
Dark money: Abdulâs leading super PAC got $200K â nearly half its total â from his father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, a founding committee member of ISNA, an organization named an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2007 Hamas financing case.
ð¡ El-Sayed's held a double-digit lead in the final stretch. Michigan is a swing-state test of where Democrats are headedâtoward the center or toward the activist left.
ð Spokane Burns: 65,000 Evacuated, 700 Homes Gone
Spokane's mayor called it the region's worst natural disaster on record. Three fires â 0% contained â have torched up to 10,280 acres since August 1.
The damage: At least 600â700 structures destroyed, with roughly 65,000 residents under Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders across Spokane and Stevens counties.
The cause: Extreme heat and drought + a 37-year-old man who has been arrested on first-degree arson charges tied to the Old Trails Fire.
ð¡ Smoke has streamed into Idaho, Montana, and parts of Canada, while statewide over 200,000 acres burn across a dozen-plus fires â prompting Gov. Bob Ferguson to declare a state of emergency and mobilize the National Guard.
ð€ CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AIâs Black Mirror Moments
ð¢ Anduril Eyes a Dead Shipyard for Drone Boats
The historic Sparrows Point shipyard, once a steel and shipbuilding giant, might get resurrected â this time to build robots.
The deal: Anduril has signed an MOU with Sparrows Point's operators, eyeing a potential investment of hundreds of millions to produce unmanned surface vessels at the Baltimore-area site.
The politics: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office is involved, with state incentives likely if a final deal lands â though no lease is signed yet.
ð€ The why: Autonomous sea drones have proven their value in the ongoing Iran conflict, and defense-tech firms are racing to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding capacity.
â Congress Just Got a Yelp Page
Capitol Hill staffers can now write a review on their bosses â and lawmakers are sweating it.
The app: Capitol CNCT's new "The Scoop" lets verified current/former staffers anonymously rate their member offices on culture, pay, and promotion paths.
The scoreboard: ~90 members rated so far â average 8.48/10, with GOP offices scoring notably higher (8.20) than Democrats (6.39).
The bottom of the barrel: Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) landed as low as 1.3, with reviews flagging a "toxic" office and citing his chief of staff by name.
â Nothing motivates good management like knowing your interns can rate you publicly.
ðº FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
The First Pizza Delivery
In 1889, while visiting Naples, Queen Margherita (and King Umberto I) requested pizza.
Chef Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi prepared several pizzas (including the tomato-mozzarella-basil version that became known as Pizza Margherita) and personally delivered them to the royal palace.
This is commonly cited as the earliest documented pizza delivery.