Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Air Jordan 4 'She's A Star' Drops, World Cup Round of 32 Knockouts, Essence Fest Lineup, and Together AI's $800M Raise — July 2, 2026

The Air Jordan 4 'She's A Star' drops today at $165, the World Cup Round of 32 reaches Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, Essence Festival returns to New Orleans, and Together AI raises $800 million at an $8.3 billion valuation.

Culture

Young Guru Sponsors Full-Tuition Four-Year Scholarship at the Roc Nation School

Jay-Z's longtime engineer Young Guru is personally funding a full-tuition, four-year scholarship at the Roc Nation School at LIU, covering tuition plus year-long mentorship and Dolby Atmos studio access for one Fall 2026 enrollee.

Culture

Google and Idris Elba to Fund AI Tool Access for African Creators

Alphabet's Google and actor Idris Elba are partnering to fund African creators' access to AI production tools, part of Elba's broader push to build creative infrastructure across the continent.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Free The Youth's Air Jordan 16 Drops July 17 at $255, the Liberty Win a Second Commissioner's Cup, CAA and TPG Launch a $250M Creator Rollup, and Stripe-Visa-Coinbase Back Open USD — July 1, 2026

Free The Youth's Air Jordan 16 drops July 17 at $255, the New York Liberty beat the Aces 93-85 for a second Commissioner's Cup, and Stripe, Visa and Coinbase back the new Open USD stablecoin.

Culture

Floods in Ghana and Ivory Coast Kill at Least 24 After Days of Torrential Rain

At least 24 people have died and nearly 39,000 have been displaced after days of torrential rain triggered floods across Ghana and Ivory Coast, with Accra recording its fourth-highest daily rainfall since 1995.

Culture

NYC Commission Recommends 18% Pay Raises for Elected Officials

A New York City commission recommended an 18.2% pay raise for the mayor, City Council, and other top officials, lifting the mayor's salary to $305,800, with the Council expected to vote later this summer.

Culture

Tidal Says It Won't Monetize AI-Generated Music

Tidal says fully AI-generated music will no longer be eligible for monetization, royalties, or direct-to-fan sales starting July 15, will carry an 'AI' badge, and will be removed if it impersonates a real artist.

Technology

Comcast to Split Into Two Companies, Spinning Off NBCUniversal and Sky

Comcast will split into two public companies, spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky into a standalone media-and-parks business and leaving Comcast a pure-play broadband and wireless firm, the second such carve-out after January's Versant spin-off.

Culture

Suno's 'Spark' Incubator Requires Indie Artists to Promote and Never Criticize Suno

Suno's new 'Spark' incubator offers indie artists grants, marketing, and writing camps, but its fine print requires them to promote the company and, under a 'Good Vibes Only' clause, never portray Suno negatively.

Culture

Mamdani and NYC DOT Temporarily Co-Name Manhattan Streets for Each Champion Knick

Mayor Mamdani and NYC DOT are temporarily co-naming Manhattan streets for each member of the champion Knicks, with each blue-and-orange sign matching a street number to the player's jersey number along Sixth and Seventh Avenues for four weeks.

Culture

Ice Cube's Big3 to Go Public via $290 Million SPAC Merger With Graf Global

Big3, the 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017, will go public through a $290 million SPAC merger with Graf Global, trading as TONT and expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Intelligence Brief

The Intelligence Brief: Gemini's Benchmark Sweep, the Knicks' Title and Free-Agency Open, and Kobe's Draft Day — June 27, 2026

Gemini 2.5 Pro swept the science benchmarks while Claude held AI's best paid-conversion rate; the Knicks' first title in 53 years gives way to a June 30 free-agency open; and Nike's Kobe 'Draft Day' Pack turns a 1996 draft slight into a 14-shoe story.