New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 and Warner Bros. Discovery Split Lead Major News Developments

A new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, is spreading rapidly across the United States, fueling concerns among health officials about a potential surge in cases this summer. Scientists are also closely monitoring HKU5, a bat coronavirus that could potentially infect humans with only minimal genetic changes, raising the specter of future zoonotic outbreaks. Meanwhile, advances in medical research suggest that routine blood tests may soon enable early cancer detection, and ongoing studies are investigating whether chemicals such as polyester and PFAs in clothing could be linked to rising infertility rates.

In a major corporate development, Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to split into two separate publicly traded companies, just three years after the high-profile merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery. The restructuring will see the company’s streaming and film production assets—including HBO, HBO Max, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Television—grouped under a new entity named Streaming & Studios. The company’s cable television channels, such as CNN, TNT Sports, and Discovery, will form a second entity called Global Networks. The move, expected to be finalized by mid-2026, aims to sharpen the strategic focus of each business and better position them in a rapidly evolving media landscape. David Zaslav, current CEO, will lead Streaming & Studios, while CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will head Global Networks. Following the announcement, Warner Bros. Discovery shares rose nearly 6% in premarket trading.

In science and archaeology, researchers have uncovered evidence of a previously unknown hunter-gatherer population in Colombia that disappeared between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. The Medieval Murder Maps project has also shed new light on a 700-year-old unsolved case, while new findings suggest early humans may have used fire primarily to preserve food rather than for cooking.

In entertainment, the trailer for "The Pickup," an action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and Eva Longoria, has been released. The film is set to premiere on Prime Video on August 6, 2025.