Trump vows harder strikes on Iran as US energy targets loom

President Trump threatened more strikes on Iran as the United States presses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the administration planning what would be among the heaviest bombing campaigns to date against energy infrastructure targets throughout the weekend. The scope and precise targets remain unclear, though officials cautioned strikes could be postponed if negotiations shift. The escalation comes as Kuwait reported new drone attacks from Iran and a tanker was struck in the strategic waterway, raising stakes in the expanding conflict (via CNN).

U.S. stocks rallied Friday as Amazon's blockbuster earnings revived investor appetite for artificial intelligence infrastructure, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.7%, the Nasdaq Composite climbing 1.0%, and the Dow adding 0.53%. Amazon surged 15.3% after posting quarterly revenue of $200 billion for the first time, powered by cloud division growth, while Microsoft added another 3.0% after jumping 15.5% Thursday on 43% year-over-year cloud growth—the fastest pace since early 2022. Alphabet gained 6.9%, and Meta rose 3.3%, though Apple slid 7.35% as investor focus shifted to companies demonstrating returns on infrastructure spending (via GuruFocus).

Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit after producers of the unreleased World War II thriller "Fortitude," starring Nicolas Cage, accused the company of losing an unencrypted copy of the film during a theft at its Los Angeles office. The filmmaker hand-delivered the digital cinema package in June for screening as Netflix explored acquisition, allegedly warning the company to delete the files afterward—but a Netflix executive disclosed on June 25 that it was stolen. The producers argue the breach damaged the film's value since any distributor must now be informed an unsecured copy was taken before release, though Netflix disputes responsibility, arguing they bear no risk for files delivered without industry-standard safeguards (via Variety).

Diane Farr leaves Los Angeles after 30 years. "Fire Country" star Diane Farr announced she's selling her home and departing the city after three decades, describing it on Instagram as harder than expected. The 56-year-old actress moved to Los Angeles at age 26 after securing representation, and while she characterized the departure as a hiatus rather than permanent move, she's letting her house go to start what she called her "third act" (via E! Online).

The Cincinnati Reds came back to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 Friday night at Great American Ball Park, with rookie Sal Stewart driving in four runs including a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth inning and a game-tying two-run single in the eighth, pushing his season total to 84 RBIs. The victory kept the Reds in contention as the trade deadline approaches (via WRBI Radio).

Fever extend winning streak to five. The Indiana Fever defeated the Portland Fire 112-98 with Caitlin Clark recording her fourth career triple-double, posting 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kelsey Mitchell also scored 26 points for the Fever (19-10), who have now won nine of their last 11 games (via Washington Post).

Romo placed on indefinite leave. CBS Sports put analyst Tony Romo on indefinite leave following his arrest on suspicion of impaired driving in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, with JJ Watt joining Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on CBS's lead NFL broadcast team during his absence (via WRBI Radio).