Today's International story

At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes

What happened
Diplomatic ties between Bangkok and Phnom Penh have collapsed to their "lowest level in years," said CNN. Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces yesterday left at least 12 dead, following Thai airstrikes along the "long disputed border." Both countries "accused the other of striking first," said The New York Times, with Thailand claiming Cambodia had fired rockets into "civilian areas."

Who said what
Tensions between the countries have spiked in recent days, following "weeks of incendiary rhetoric," including Thai claims that Cambodia planted new landmines in a "contested area," said the South China Morning Post. With more than 500 miles of border between the nations, territorial disputes are "long-standing issues" causing "periodic tensions," said The Associated Press.

What next?
Thailand has vowed to have "no negotiation with Cambodia" until the violence is over, said CNN. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that there has been no declaration of war and that the violence has largely been confined to one geographic area.

Today's business Story

FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger

What happened
The Federal Communications Commission Thursday approved Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount, paving the way for "one of the most highly scrutinized media deals in the last decade," said The New York Times.

The decision brings to an end "months of regulatory uncertainty" around President Donald Trump's "scathing criticism" of Paramount's CBS unit, CNN said. CBS News recently paid $16 million to settle what CNN called a "legally dubious" lawsuit over a 2024 episode of "60 Minutes" that Trump said was deceptively edited.

Who said what
Americans "no longer trust the legacy national news media," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. Skydance will make "significant changes" at the new company to "root out bias" and include viewpoints "from across the political and ideological spectrum," he added.

FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, dissented, calling the "never-before-seen controls" on editorial decisions a "direct violation of the First Amendment and the law." Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called for an investigation into the "crooked-looking deal."

What next?
The FCC's green light means Skydance CEO David Ellison can take control of Paramount "in the coming weeks," said CNN. Chris McCarthy, one of Paramount's co-CEOs, will leave the company, Adweek said

It's not all bad

A new brain imaging tool can estimate how fast a patient is aging and predict their risk for dementia, years before symptoms appear. The tool, called DunedinPACNI, was developed by researchers at Duke, Harvard and New Zealand's University of Otago, and uses an MRI brain scan to predict age-related diseases. In a study of 624 participants, those the tool flagged as aging the quickest were 60% more likely to develop dementia and experience memory issues sooner than those who aged more slowly.

Under the radar

The development of artificial blood for use in emergencies

Researchers around the world are on a quest to create artificial blood. This blood would be universal and capable of lasting years, allowing it to be used in medical emergencies or remote locations. However, formulating an alternative to the liquid of life is no easy feat.

Scientists want to "create the lab-grown burger of blood," or a blood substitute, that "bleeds, or at least operates in the body, almost exactly like the real thing," said The New Yorker. However, creating fake blood is notoriously difficult, as scientists "don't yet understand everything that blood does or how it does it." Despite this, they are making headway.

In Japan, clinical trials are underway to "assess artificial blood, usable for all blood types and storable for up to two years, as a potential solution to critical shortages in blood supplies for emergency and chronic health care worldwide," said Newsweek. The artificial blood "contains hemoglobin molecules from expired donor blood, which are encapsulated in protective lipid shells to create artificial red blood cells," said NewsNation. "The new mixture is capable of carrying oxygen throughout the body."

In Maryland, scientists have created similar artificial blood that can be freeze-dried to last for years. (Real blood only lasts about 42 days.) It's designed so that "at the moment it's needed, a medic can mix it with water and, within a minute you have blood," Allan Doctor, a scientist at the University of Maryland, told NPR.

Use of artificial blood in rabbits has already proven promising. And researchers are hopeful for human trials.

On this day

July 25, 1978

Louise Brown, the first human to be conceived by in vitro fertilization, was born in Oldham, England. Her birth was heralded as one of the century's most significant medical and scientific breakthroughs. Today, about 500,000 babies are born annually via IVF, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

TODAY'S newspaperS

'Steep polarization'

"As Gen Z men swing to the right," it is getting harder to navigate the "politics of dating," says USA Today, due to a "steep political polarization" between women and men. The Department of Justice is investigating UnitedHealth, says The Minnesota Star Tribune, putting the firm's practices "in the crosshairs." The "House subpoenas Ghislaine Maxwell," says The Sacramento Bee, with the Epstein accomplice set to testify from a Florida jail. And the White House "reiterates" that any naming of Donald Trump in the Epstein files "does not equate guilt," says The Palm Beach Post.

► See the newspaper front pages

Tall tale

Big deal for the Big Dumper

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is making good use of his nickname, Big Dumper, securing an endorsement deal with the portable sanitation service Honey Bucket. Teammates started referring to Raleigh as Big Dumper thanks to his "sizable hindquarters," said Sports Illustrated, and the moniker is now embraced by fans. As part of the collaboration with Honey Bucket, Raleigh will make appearances and star in the company's promotional campaigns.

Morning Report was written and edited by Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Jessica Hullinger, Justin Klawans, Summer Meza, Chas Newkey-Burden, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Helen Brown, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.