Morning Briefing #98 — July 13, 2026

Morning Briefing #98 — July 13, 2026Your daily briefing connecting world events, technology, and education.No political slant. Just facts.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📋 IN TODAY'S EPISODE━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌍 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD────────────────────────────────Here's what's shaping the world today.U.S. and Iran Both Claim Control of the Strait of Hormuz After a Third Weekend of StrikesThe United States and Iran each said they controlled the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after another heavy weekend exchange of fire that stretched across the wider Middle East. The narrow channel carries a large share of the world's seaborne oil, and the fresh escalation sent crude prices surging and pushed global stock markets lower as government bond yields rose. Officials on both sides still describe a ceasefire as technically in place even as the strikes continue into a third consecutive weekend. For businesses and everyday consumers, the immediate story is energy: when the Strait's status is in doubt, the price of oil — and eventually fuel and shipping — moves fast.Explosive Pub Fire in Bangkok Kills 27 as Police Investigate Possible NegligenceAn explosive fire tore through a popular pub in Thailand's capital late in the weekend, killing 27 people and injuring more than 20 others, officials said. Footage shared by first responders showed a huge blaze and heavy smoke pouring from the front of the venue in northern Bangkok. Thai police say they are investigating possible negligence, adding the tragedy to a long list of deadly fires at nightlife venues across the region. Investigators are expected to focus on the building's exits, electrical systems, and any use of pyrotechnics or flammable décor.Severe Floods Submerge Roads and Vehicles Across Northern ChinaSevere flooding across China's northern Hebei province and northeastern Liaoning province submerged roads and stranded vehicles over the weekend, state media reported. Heavy summer rains have battered a wide stretch of the country, prompting evacuations and emergency rescue operations. The flooding is the latest chapter in a punishing season of extreme weather across East Asia, straining infrastructure and disaster-response systems. Authorities have moved to clear roads and restore power as forecasters warn that more rain could be on the way._Before we move on, here's one to hold onto._It's a heavy morning, so let's pause on something hopeful. Conservation groups this week spotlighted what they're calling the world's greatest forest recovery — a landscape clawing its way back to life after decades of loss — alongside a promising new screening test for womb cancer and fresh environmental progress in Estonia. None of these will lead a news bulletin, and yet each represents thousands of people showing up, day after day, to make one corner of the world a little better. It's worth remembering that the slow, patient work of healing — forests, health, ecosystems — keeps moving forward even on the days the headlines feel relentless. Progress rarely announces itself; it just quietly accumulates._Okay. Now, the tech._---💻 THE TECH CONNECTION────────────────────────────────What's moving in AI and emerging tech.Publishers Say OpenAI Hid Evidence in the ChatGPT Copyright Trial(continued in YouTube show notes)