US FDA approves blood test for colorectal cancer

Source: Reuters

“The U.S. FDA has approved Freenome’s blood-based colorectal cancer ​screening test for older adults, paving the way for partner ‌Abbott to launch it in the U.S. this fall, the companies said on Monday.
Shares of Freenome were up about 4% in morning trading. … The test, SimpleScreen CRC, detects signals linked to colorectal cancer from DNA fragments circulating in the ​blood. Abbott is likely to market SimpleScreen to people who do not ​complete or decline stool-based screening tests, Brennan said.” (07/27/26)

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/fda-approves-freenomes-blood-test-colorectal-cancer-screening-2026-07-27/

France: Crowd subdues man who attacked three women with knives

Source: Guardian [UK]

“A man attacked three women with knives in Paris before bystanders pinned him to the ground and an off-duty police officer detained him, the French interior ⁠minister, Laurent Nuñez, has said. The man attacked the three women, aged 19, 24 and 36, with ⁠two kitchen knives, severely wounding two of them, near Porte de Clichy on Monday, Nuñez said. A video shared on Snapchat ​and verified by Reuters showed a man ‌with long black ‌hair and wearing a cream tracksuit wielding one big knife in each hand and ‌attempting to attack and stab a young woman. It was unclear if the woman was injured. … Another part of the video shows the same man in a tracksuit lying on the ground immobilised by bystanders, while the two knives are seen lying nearby on a pedestrian crossing. ‘It is Allah who commanded me,’ the man ⁠lying on the floor says in the video.” (07/27/26)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/27/off-duty-police-officer-detains-man-attacked-women-knives-paris

McConnell (or someone pretending to be him) releases health update

Source: NBC News

“Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office released a health update Monday, saying he’s still not ready to return to in-person work in the Capitol after his June 14 hospitalization. ‘I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders,’ McConnell, R-Ky. [or someone impersonating him], said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.’ … McConnell’s office did not provide a timeline for his return. He has missed the last 38 votes on the Senate floor, according to an NBC News review. The chamber is scheduled to be in session for the next two weeks before summer recess.” (07/27/26)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mcconnell-releases-health-update-not-ready-return-work-rcna589452

Canada: Shot fired outside US Consulate in Toronto for second time this year

Source: Reuters

“At least one shot was fired outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto early on Monday but there were no injuries, police said, in what was the second such incident in the last four months. Police officers, alerted by ​the sound of a gunshot, said they found evidence of a weapon having been fired outside the ​building on University Avenue. Police said that a white sedan was seen fleeing the scene ⁠and added that no injuries were reported. On March 10, several shots were fired at the same building, following three ​separate incidents in which gunshots were fired at synagogues …. In June police said, without providing any more details, that young people in the Toronto area were being paid to shoot at various targets, including synagogues, Jewish schools and the U.S. Consulate. Police arrested ​three people in connection with the March shooting, and one police officer was killed during the operation.” (07/27/26)

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/shot-fired-outside-us-consulate-toronto-second-time-this-year-2026-07-27/

Comey moves to dismiss frivolous/vexatious political prosecution

Source: The Hill

“Former FBI Director James Comey on Monday asked the court to toss the case accusing him of threatening President Trump’s life, arguing that posting a picture of seashells spelling out ’86 47′ could not be considered a ‘true threat.’ The filing was made in the Eastern District of North Carolina where Comey visited the beach in 2025 and stumbled upon the message in the sand, which he then shared online. ‘To justify this prosecution, the indictment alleges that Mr. Comey’s ‘86 47’ post constitutes a ‘true threat’ on the President’s life. That claim is contradicted by every possible source of meaning: dictionaries, context, precedent, and common sense,’ Comey’s attorneys wrote in the filing.” (07/27/26)

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5992177-comey-trump-seashell-case-threat

Chinese chipmaker shares surge nearly 470% in blockbuster stock market debut

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Shares in China’s biggest memory chip maker have soared by nearly 470% as they made their debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s tech-heavy Star Market. The surge has pushed ChangXin Memory Technologies’ (CXMT) stock market valuation to around 3.3 trillion yuan ($487bn; £365bn), making it the most valuable listed company in mainland China. The spectacular debut comes despite a sharp sell-off in technology stocks around the world this month. CXMT manufactures dynamic random-access memory (Dram) chips that power AI data centres, mobile phones, PCs, tablets and other devices. The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Chairman Zhu Yiming, is headquartered in Hefei, Anhui Province in eastern China. The company has said it plans to use most of the proceeds from the initial public offering (IPO) to boost production of memory chips and carry out more research and developments.” (07/27/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q9w3x9qn2o

Altman says AI has entered “singularity”

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“The 2014 US film Transcendence follows a dying scientist who uploads his mind to a supercomputer and becomes a near‑omnipotent intelligence. A year later, Ex Machina told the story of a humanoid robot who outsmarts her human handlers and escapes into the wider world. Both of these films, like many others from the realm of science fiction, referred to what is known as ‘the singularity’, a moment in time when technology, particularly AI, surpasses human intelligence and becomes increasingly difficult to control. On Saturday, OpenAI boss Sam Altman declared that this moment has come.” (07/27/26)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/27/sam-altman-says-ai-has-entered-singularity-should-we-be-worried

Cracker Barrel CEO steps down after idiotic moral panic over rebrand

Source: New York Post

“Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino is stepping down after the failure of her ‘woke’ [sic] rebrand last year, which was rolled back following intense backlash from loyal customers, the company announced Monday. David Deno, a restaurant exec who most recently served as CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, which owns Outback Steakhouse, will replace Masino on August 10, according to a Cracker Barrel press release. … diners revolted against the company’s attempts to modernize the Southern dining chain last August by axing its beloved mascot Uncle Herschel and revamping restaurants without its trademark tchotchkes. Following heated backlash from longtime customers and even President Trump himself, Cracker Barrel reversed the changes and leaned into its folksy charm – ultimately sending the stock up 100% so far this year.” (07/27/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/07/27/business/cracker-barrel-ceo-julie-felss-masino-steps-down-after-woke-rebrand-sparked-backlash-from-customers-and-even-trump/

Nigeria: At Least 30 Killed in Village Attack in Kaduna State, Residents Say

Source: US News & World Report

“At least ⁠30 ⁠people were killed ⁠when armed men attacked a village in ​Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state early on Monday, two residents ‌said. Dogon Rana, secretary to ‌the village head, said gunmen stormed the ⁠community ⁠shooting randomly and burning houses. Eight children were among ​the dead, while four other people sustained injuries. Violence by armed gangs and other criminal groups has become a ​major security challenge across parts of northwestern and north-central ⁠Nigeria, ⁠where communities are frequently ⁠targeted ​in deadly raids. The northeast is battling a deadly insurgency ​by Islamist militants ⁠Boko Haram and splinter group ISWAP. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Kaduna state.” (07/27/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-07-27/at-least-30-killed-in-village-attack-in-nigerias-kaduna-state-residents-say

Kazakhstan: US-Russian space crew lands safely after 8-month stint on space station

Source: Boston Herald

“A U.S.-Russian space crew landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday after an eight-month stint on the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian crewmates Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev touched down in their Soyuz MS-28 that landed smoothly by parachute in a designated area southeast of Dzhezkazgan. Their 241-day stint on the orbiting outpost was the first space mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.” (07/27/26)

https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/07/27/us-russian-space-crew-landing-iss/