Plus: Trump’s Friday Tariff Deadline Looms With Few Deals Made

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Good evening,

A game my grandmothers taught me when I was around 10 is attracting new Gen Z and Millennial players: Mah Jongg (or Mahjong).

What is it? The way I learned, you play with a card (I was taught using the National Mah Jongg League card) that shows patterns you try to arrange your tiles into. There’s strategy and luck involved. The tiles — Dots (or Circles), Bams (or Bamboo), and Craks (or Characters) — are the building blocks of the game that players draw and discard.
- The winner is the first player to form a winning combination and yells “Mah Jongg!” (kind of like BINGO).
The game originated in China around the turn of the 20th century and became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s. The National Mah Jongg League, founded in 1937 by a group of Jewish American women who were fans, developed the American style of the game.

Both my grandmas played weekly with their friend groups in Michigan. Now, younger Americans are seeing the appeal of the game as a fun way to socialize (and maybe have a cocktail 🥂). Meghan Markle reportedly has a “Maj Squad,” and actresses Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Amy Poehler have talked about their love for the game. Sounds like I’m in good company!

Lauren
Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Israel Pauses Some Gaza Military Operations To Let In Aid After International Pressure

Israel is halting daily military operations for 10 hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., in parts of Gaza to allow greater access for humanitarian aid, amid warnings from aid groups of escalating famine in the enclave.

The pause, which will continue until further notice, is intended to allow the U.N. and other aid groups safe passage into population centers where Israeli forces are not operating, including Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City.
- The Israeli Air Force also began airdropping food over Gaza on Saturday for the first time in months. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates began their own airdrops Sunday, with more expected in the coming days.
- Apart from the aid changes, Israel has also reconnected a power line to make Gaza’s southern desalination plant operational, boosting access to clean water.

The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed Israel’s pause, saying Sunday, “WFP has enough food in or on its way to the region to feed the entire population of 2.1 million people for almost three months.”

CRISIS IN GAZA
The week before, WFP reported that about a third of Gaza’s population had gone multiple days without eating. The World Health Organization reports that of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this year, 63 occurred in July — including 25 children.

The Associated Press reported on Friday the death of 5-month-old Zainab Abu Halib, who weighed less than 4.4 pounds — two pounds below her birth weight.
The New York Times reported that nurses in several hospitals have fainted from hunger and dehydration, while doctors have resorted to giving newborns water instead of formula.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday denied that there is starvation in Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry called it “‘starvation’ propaganda initiated by Hamas, which manipulates pictures of children suffering from terminal diseases.”

What the Israeli government is pointing to is that some of the images coming out of Gaza, portrayed as starving children, are actually of children with genetic illnesses not related to the war. However, there are also a number of verified photos and accounts of people and children who have been suffering from hunger and malnutrition. It is incredibly hard to get accurate reporting inside Gaza because Israel will not allow Western journalists to have free access. The accounts from aid groups, however, paint a startling picture.

President Donald Trump broke with Netanyahu’s assessment Monday, saying, “That’s real starvation stuff. I see it. And you can’t fake that.” Meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said the U.S. would get more involved in supplying food to Gaza amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis, but did not provide specifics on how.

Trump noted that Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for limiting aid to the region, in addition to Hamas stealing aid.

HOW WE GOT HERE
The daily 10-hour pause marks the first time Israel has halted military operations in Gaza since March, when it resumed the war and blocked humanitarian deliveries to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.

Aid deliveries were partially resumed in May, but with new restrictions.
- Israel relied on the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was created to prevent aid from being diverted to Hamas. However, GHF sites have been filled with chaos — hundreds of people have been killed in incidents nearby, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
- Israel has criticized the UN for not distributing available aid on the border in recent weeks. The UN replied that the aid was insufficient for Gaza’s needs, and blamed violent conditions for the holdup.

Roughly 50 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with about 20 believed to still be alive nearly two years after the October 7, 2023, attacks.

🚨 ONE THING TO WATCH THIS WEEK

EU-U.S. Strike Tariff Deal — More Negotiations Ahead

It’s the final countdown: Friday, August 1, is the deadline for countries to reach a deal with the Trump administration on tariffs — or else high rates set by President Trump in April will take effect.

Trump aimed for 90 trade deals in 90 days, but only a few have materialized.

EU DEAL MADE
The European Union and the U.S. reached a broad trade deal Sunday that imposes a 15% tariff on most EU goods — lower than the 30% Trump proposed earlier. The EU will also purchase hundreds of billions of dollars in additional U.S. energy products and weapons. The agreement averts a potential trade war with the 27-nation bloc, which is the U.S.’s largest trading partner.

While the U.S. and European commission came to this agreement over the weekend, it still requires approval by the 27 EU member countries — and some of them have been critical of the deal in the past 24 hours.

Canada, China, and Mexico — the three nations that trade most with the U.S. — are all still negotiating deals.

Canada faces a 35% tariff threat and Mexico 30% under the current proposal. Talks with China continue ahead of an Aug. 12 deadline.

Tariffs will rise to 25% for South Korea, 36% for Thailand, and 50% for Brazil on Friday. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that there will not be extensions.

WHERE DEALS HAVE BEEN MADE
The U.S. has made agreements with the EU, UK, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan. A look at which nations rely on trade more than the U.S.

If the tariffs do go into effect on Friday, companies must pay the costs as their products enter the U.S., and economists agree that those costs are typically passed on to consumers. Already, some U.S. companies have depleted stockpiles purchased before Trump took office and are beginning to raise prices. Here’s what Mo News Podcast Co-host Jill Wagner experienced this weekend at Lululemon:

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Trump gives Russia less than two weeks to reach a peace deal with Ukraine (MO NEWS)
Judge blocks Trump effort to cut Planned Parenthood funding (FOX)
Ghislaine Maxwell files Supreme Court brief appealing Epstein conviction (AXIOS)
An exchange of gunfire in Atlanta leaves 1 dead and 10 injured, police say (AP)
Half the U.S. under heat advisories and warnings (CBS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Thailand & Cambodia reach a ceasefire after deadliest clashes in over a decade (MO NEWS)
In first, two major Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza (TIMES OF ISRAEL/AP)
Protesters rally with bagpipes, pointed signs as Trump visits Scotland (AXIOS)
Thousands in Greece and Turkey evacuate as winds and heat fan wildfires (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Musk announces $16.5 billion Tesla, Samsung Electronics chip supply deal (AXIOS)
Spirit Airlines to furlough 270 pilots, downgrade more than 100 others as it prepares to cut flights (CNBC)
A new study shows that walking daily can reduce the risk of cognitive decline, especially among those with a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s (CNN)
Endangered red panda twins born in zoo breeding program (BBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

American Eagle sparks backlash for touting Sydney Sweeney's 'great jeans,’ sparking accusations of the brand supporting eugenics (NBC)
University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said he battled, beat bladder cancer (ESPN)
Jay Leno criticizes political partisanship in late-night shows amid Colbert’s cancellation (THE HILL)
Beyoncé makes history with highest grossing country tour, earning over $400 million (USA TODAY)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Beyoncé reunited with her “Destiny’s Child” bandmates on the final night of her “Cowboy Carter” tour in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined Beyoncé to perform their hits "Bootylicious” and "Lose My Breath."

The group parted ways in 2006, but have stayed close friends throughout the years. They also reunited for Beyoncé's 2018 Coachella performance.

Trump Breaks With Netanyahu On Gaza Famine As Israel Allows In More Aid