Meanwhile. . .

MSN - Garbage trucks could soon do more than collect trash—they may also help identify code violations using artificial intelligence.   Officials in Cape Coral, Florida, recently considered equipping sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras that would photograph properties as crews complete their normal collection routes. The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action. 

Bloomberg  - US gasoline prices climbed back over the $4-a-gallon mark on average at the pump but Brent crude fell back from its highest level since the first half of June as Iran said it received proposals from mediators. With global supply buffers worn thin, the risk of another price spike is growing.

Time - Trump Administration Scales Back Endangered Species Protections—Again  The Trump Administration has dismantled one of the key provisions of the Endangered Species Act, a move that experts say will erode protections for plants and animals that are threatened with extinction. 

NBC - Andy Burnham, the latest in a revolving door of U.K. leaders, will attempt to halt a decade of political turbulence and economic stagnation. Burnham, 56, known as the “King of the North,” was appointed unchallenged after incumbent Keir Starmer agreed to step down last month following a series of election defeats, U-turns and scandals. Both Starmer and Burnham come from the same center-left Labour Party, and in the United Kingdom ruling parties can change leaders — and therefore the prime minister — in the middle of an election cycle without the public voting.

NPR - The House has one week before lawmakers leave for the August recess. During that time, House Speaker Mike Johnson is aiming to secure more defense funding, advance the president’s election-integrity bill, implement a stock-trading ban for lawmakers and extend federal funding beyond the November election.