The nation grapples with the fallout from the Charlie Kirk assassination, leading to an arrest of a suspect and widespread calls for leadership amidst political violence, while the Trump administration's influence shapes policies on everything from air taxi projects to the Supreme Court's power.

• What we know about the suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk — Financial Times -
• Opinion | Why the FBI Is a Charlie Kirk Sideshow — Wall Street Journal -
• America’s dangerous descent into mutual loathing — Financial Times -

• Trump Administration Seeks Pilot Projects for Air Taxis — The New York Times Business -
• A world without rules — Financial Times -
• US authorities arrest suspect in Charlie Kirk assassination — Financial Times -
• How Howard Lutnick Is Using Government Power to Pressure Private Companies — The New York Times Business -
• In the Wake of the Kirk Assassination, a Call for Leadership — The New York Times Business -
• US authorities release new video of suspect in Charlie Kirk assassination — Financial Times -
• US Supreme Court to decide how far Trump’s power really goes — Financial Times -
• Charlie Kirk’s killing leads to calls for retribution — Financial Times -

The AI sector sees major funding challenges for OpenAI, significant investments in AI from Nvidia and OpenAI in the UK, Larry Ellison's enduring influence at Oracle, and speculation on AI's impact on value stocks, alongside Tesla's controversial executive pay proposal and a **$1.5 billion tech acquisition by CVC**.

• Tesla Board Chair Defend’s Elon Musk’s Humongous Pay Proposal — The New York Times Business -
• Larry Ellison, the tech world’s great survivor — Financial Times -
• Oracle’s astonishing jam-tomorrow OpenAI trade — Financial Times -

• Believe in A.I.? Buy Beaten-Down Value Stocks. — The New York Times Business -
• The Billion-Dollar Stakes for OpenAI — The New York Times Business -
• FirstFT: Progress in talks to restructure ChatGPT maker — Financial Times -
• CVC Strikes $1.5 Billion Deal for GoDaddy Rival Namecheap — Wall Street Journal -
• Asian stocks hit record highs on AI and US rate cut bets — Financial Times -
• Microsoft avoids EU fine after competition probe — Financial Times -
• Nvidia and OpenAI to back major UK investment in artificial intelligence — Financial Times -
• OpenAI’s Funding Challenges Loom Over Oracle, Broadcom Deal Spree — Wall Street Journal -
• AI Startup Founders Tout a Winning Formula—No Booze, No Sleep, No Fun — Wall Street Journal -

France faces a debt rating downgrade amid political instability, Nato boosts eastern defenses against Russian incursions, while US pressure on G7 tariffs over Russian oil and complex US-UK trade deals define international economic and security relations, coupled with Russia's central bank cutting rates and uncertainties in the UK economy.

• France’s Debt Rating Cut on Fears of Political Instability — The New York Times Business -
• French debt downgrade piles pressure on Macron’s new prime minister — Financial Times -
• US urged UK to offer a better deal on drug pricing to pharma companies — Financial Times -

• Nato to bolster eastern defences after Russian drone incursion — Financial Times -
• US and UK near tech, nuclear and whisky deals ahead of Trump trip — Financial Times -
• As the Fed Prepares to Lower Rates, 2 Seats on Its Board Are in Limbo — The New York Times Business -
• US urges G7 to impose up to 100% tariffs on China and India over Russian oil — Financial Times -
• Denmark chooses European air defences over US Patriots — Financial Times -
• ‘Greater Israel’ will be Trump’s headache — Financial Times -
• Israel’s attack on Qatar has shaken the Gulf — Financial Times -
• Iran says enriched uranium stockpile buried under bombed sites — Financial Times -
• Russia’s central bank cuts rates further as economic pressure mounts — Financial Times -
• Bye, bye, monthly GDP try? — Financial Times -
• UK economy failed to grow in July — Financial Times -
• Indonesia’s economy needs a reboot. Will its new finance minister do the job? — Financial Times -
• Inflation: boiling the frogs — Financial Times -
• EU and India zeroing in on a trade deal despite Trump’s tariff demands — Financial Times -
• UK must do more to get Britons to invest in listed companies, says ClearScore boss — Financial Times -
• Ryanair prepared to cut 1mn more seats from Spain flights next summer — Financial Times -
• Germany’s industrial heartland braces for AfD wave — Financial Times -
• UK assets are in trouble — and any rewards come with plenty of risk — Financial Times -
• Barclays boss warns UK government on wages and bank taxes — Financial Times -
• The battle for the Fed is about much more than interest rates — Financial Times -
• HMRC raises small business ‘phoenixing’ tax loss to £836mn — Financial Times -
• Rheinmetall chief calls for more investment in low-cost anti-drone capabilities — Financial Times -
• UK savers have more than £614bn in excess cash — Financial Times -
• UK trade minister urges China to let Britain revamp Beijing embassy — Financial Times -
• Russians lose internet access as Ukrainian drones hit close to home — Financial Times -
• China poised to benefit as blackout risk rises from Iberia to Siberia — Financial Times -
• China and the limits of its ‘engineering state’. With Dan Wang — Financial Times -
• Trump’s on-again, off-again relationship with Modi — Financial Times -

Key corporate developments include the **$18 billion anonymous employee complaint industry, David Ellison's aggressive spending at Paramount, Bank of America's leadership shake-up, and Corteva exploring a $50 billion breakup, alongside succession plans for Armani's fashion empire and struggles for California trucking firms**.

• The $18 Billion Industry Built on Anonymous Employee Complaints — Wall Street Journal -
• David Ellison’s Spending at Paramount Has Changed Hollywood’s Mood — The New York Times Business -
• Bank of America chief Brian Moynihan shakes up leadership team — Financial Times -

• Corteva, a $50 Billion Seed-and-Pesticide Maker, Is Exploring a Breakup — Wall Street Journal -
• Joe Luter III, Who Built Smithfield Foods Into a Meatpacking Power, Dies at 86 — Wall Street Journal -
• Armani’s Will Seeks Sale of Fashion Empire or Public Listing — Wall Street Journal -
• California Trucking Firms Go Under, Fueling Wider Industry Fears — Wall Street Journal -
• Freight Startup Flexport Forecasts Profitability in 2025—With an Asterisk — Wall Street Journal -
• Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery — Wall Street Journal -
• If Pepsi Wants to Win, It Has to Play Coke’s Game — Wall Street Journal -
• Is That Product Any Good, or Is It Just a Brand Halo? — The New York Times Business -
• Apollo builds bet against debt of under-fire auto parts supplier — Financial Times -

Tensions rise as Hyundai workers are detained in an ICE raid, Boeing employees reject a tentative contract leading to continued strikes, and South Korea denounces US treatment of detained workers, reflecting ongoing challenges in labor union influence and global workforce practices.

• Hyundai ICE Raid Detained Workers With Short-Term Business Visas — The New York Times Business -
• Boeing Workers in St. Louis Reject Tentative Contract — The New York Times Business -
• South Korea denounces ‘shocking’ US treatment of detained workers — Financial Times -

• Labour’s trade union backers are out of control — Financial Times -

Public health concerns include the FDA reviewing reports of Covid vaccine deaths and a Tylenol maker lobbying RFK Jr. on autism links, while environmental discussions highlight shortfalls in carbon removals and the challenges facing heat pump adoption.

• Overlooked No More: Eglantyne Jebb, Who Started a Movement With Save the Children — The New York Times Business -
• CEO of Tylenol Maker Lobbied RFK Jr. Not to Cite Drug as Autism Cause in Report — Wall Street Journal -
• F.D.A. Reviews Reports of Covid Vaccine Deaths — The New York Times Business -

• How we made it: carbon removals fall short — Financial Times -
• Why heat pumps are unfairly being left in the cold — Financial Times -

The media industry sees The Atlantic settling a defamation suit, NPR naming a new editor, and Air Mail being acquired by Puck, alongside legal battles over TV show spin-offs, calls to exclude Israel from Eurovision, and major urban regeneration efforts in New York's Gowanus.

• Atlantic Settles Writer’s Suit Over Article It Retracted — The New York Times Business -
• NPR Names Thomas Evans as Its New Editor — The New York Times Business -
• Inspiration for city roof gardens that reach new heights — Financial Times -

• Eurovision participants call to exclude Israel from song contest — Financial Times -
• Is ‘The Pitt’ Really an ‘ER’ Spinoff? Michael Crichton’s Estate Says It Is. — The New York Times Business -
• New York’s great Gowanus clean-up: can toxic ‘black mayonnaise’ become commuter gold? — Financial Times -
• The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet — an alternative history of Afghanistan — Financial Times -
• Nepal’s Social Media Ban Backfires as Politics Moves to a Chat Room — The New York Times Business -
• Air Mail, a Digital Weekly, Is Expected to Be Acquired by Puck — The New York Times Business -