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Sunday marks 47 years since we lost Thurman Munson.

That was close. Too close.

Russia Confirms It Has Attacked Over 80 Vessels In The Black Sea In July Alone

We've been detailing the escalating 'southern front' war in the Black and Caspian Seas, as Russia and Ukraine take aim at each other's maritime and energy and cargo transit and trade.

Ukraine's Black Sea ports, such as at Odessa, had by and large not been focus of large-scale Russian strikes in the opening years of the war, but it seems this is fast changing.

Also, the cargo going in and out of places like Odessa is increasingly coming under fire, as Ukraine's navy has been in turn targeting Russian vessels in the region, especially in the Sea of Azov.

On Saturday Russia's defense ministry issued some new figures which confirm the greatly expanded scope of its maritime war on Ukrainian shipping.

Russian forces have hit more than 80 vessels believed involved in supplying the Ukrainian military in the month of July alone, state TASS writes based on official defense ministry data.

The report goes on to detail: "Among them were two dry cargo ships, a sea ferry transporting military cargo and a screening boat hit in overnight group strikes on July 12, according to the ministry."

"On the same day, the ministry released footage that showed Geran-4 Seeker drones destroying a seiner converted to launch unmanned boats, a patrol boat, a ferry and a dry cargo ship," the report adds.

"According to the ministry, Russian forces struck 24 seagoing vessels used by the Ukrainian military for supplies during the week of July 11-17, including 14 dry cargo ships and one tanker," TASS continnues.

Moscow seeks to sever military supply routes and disrupt arms shipments bound for Ukraine, but this has also obviously resulted in damaged and sunken tankers, auxiliary vessels, and even deaths of civilian bystanders among international shipping crew.

Russia's military has said that early last week it especially targeted key logistics hubs of Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Port of Mykolaiv (Nikolayev) - with the latter site seeing a docked cargo vessel receiving a direct strike.

Ukraine's small but high-tech drone boats have gotten more advanced and difficult to defend against...

Footage shows the crude oil tanker BOURDA, IMO 9312846, being struck by a Ukrainian naval kamikaze drone while heading to Russia’s port of Taman. pic.twitter.com/t9TOHFfDSW

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 1, 2026

All of this comes after local authorities in Odessa had confirmed that a foreign-flagged cargo ship, which some reports have identified as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Golden Leo, capsized and sank near the coast after taking heavy damage from a Russian attack in late July.

Tyler Durden Sat, 08/01/2026 - 17:30

We’ve talked ad nauseam about the Brewers’ seemingly endless supply of young pitchers ready to arm your fantasy rotations. 

The body of a missing 10-year-old girl who vanished in New Jersey’s Passaic River has been recovered. 

The Mamdani administration is giving property owners an extra month to apply for an exemption on the state’s controversial new pied-à-terre tax -- following mass backlash over its rollout.

A homeless man has been accused of intentionally sparking a blaze in Northern California’s wine country that was thankfully put out before it could cause major damage.

With the Trojans set to unveil a new $200 million palace to reporters on Thursday, their coach didn’t want to spill too many details beforehand.

Rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams recounts his terrifying ocean rescue of a 10-year-old boy in Santa Cruz.

The race between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton is a genuine toss-up in this county.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is spreading hateful and antisemitic rhetoric and endangering the lives of New Yorkers, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins clarified just because he’s starting coaching doesn’t mean he’s done playing.

New Report Ranks California 35th Best State And Least Affordable

Authored by Dylan Morgan via The Epoch Times,

California, the most populous U.S. state and the one with the largest economy, ranked as the 35th best state in a new ranking published by U.S. News on July 28.

South Orange County communities near Laguna Beach, Calif., on Oct. 15, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Utah ranked as the best state, followed by South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

The ranking was based on scores in eight categories such as education, healthcare, economy, and fiscal stability, and it was weighted by survey opinions.

Despite a median income of more than $100,000 compared to the national average of $81,600, California ranked last in the category of opportunity. This was partially because it ranked last in affordability, which was based on a cost-of-living index score and housing affordability index score.

The state's Department of Housing & Community Development considers a six-figure salary as low-income in many of its coastal hubs.

According to the income limits it set on June 23, $100,000 is classified as low in seven counties - San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and Orange.

Santa Cruz County has the highest cutoff for what's considered low-income at $122,200 for a single-person household.

California's Legislative Analyst's Office said a mid-tier house costs about $775,000 in the state, nearly double the national average of $398,771.

"California home prices continue to be much more expensive than the rest of the US," it said in its 2026 Housing Affordability Tracker.

Among all categories in U.S. News's ranking, the state's highest score was in healthcare at 7th place, including 6th in healthcare quality and 5th in public health.

Public health looked at infant mortality rate, mortality rate, obesity rate, smoking rate, suicide rate, and mental health.

The report states that 8.4 percent of California's population is without health insurance, compared to the national average of 11.3 percent. It added that its obesity rate is 29.1 percent compared to 34.2 percent nationally.

The state also ranked 25th in education but 6th in higher education, which assessed graduation rates as well as low debt at graduation and low tuition fees.

However, California's K-12 education ranked 41st, which was based on high school graduation rates, preschool enrollment, and test scores.

A separate report last month listed six California cities - Visalia, Bakersfield, Modesto, Fresno, Stockton, and Salinas - among the 10 least educated metropolitan areas in the United States.

The list looked at the share of adults at least 25 years old who have a high school diploma or higher, who have at least some college experience, who have a bachelor's degree or higher, and who have a graduate or professional degree.

While many Central Valley areas scored low, Silicon Valley's San Jose metro ranked as the fourth most educated, while the San Francisco metro ranked eighth.

Tyler Durden Sat, 08/01/2026 - 16:55

More than 1.5 million books had already been destroyed in strikes on the Ukrainian book industry in July, as the Kremlin wages its campaign to destroy the country's national identity, according to the Ukrainian Book Institute.

One of Brooke Hanlon's closest friends is shedding new light on the slain New Jersey mother's young adult life in Boston as the investigation into her unsolved murder stretches into its second month.

An 87-year-old woman was shot in the neck and an 18-year-old man was shot in the hip when bullets flew in the Bronx Friday – and three 16-year-olds have been arrested, police said.

LeBron James’ decision to join the 76ers in free agency has been the biggest story in basketball this summer. While the entire basketball world spent July trying to find out which team LeBron would choose, King James spent most of the month either on vacation or on golf courses with buddies. LeBron James daps someone...

The actor was found dead in his Bronx residence Saturday by a neighbor.

The actor was found dead in his Bronx residence Saturday by a neighbor.

Tim Brosnan replaces Val Akerman, who retired after the 2026 season following 13 years at the helm.