Ripped from the Headlines: July 2026: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 5–July 11, 2026

Two extreme climbers scaled the 200-foot spire at the top of the Empire State Building and held up a banner reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." Once they had ascended the needle, Ivan Beerkus proposed to Angela Nikolau, and they became engaged to be married. After a safe descent, the climbers were arrested for breaking a security door to gain access to the building. The Latin root of ascend is scandere, "to climb."

Data from dozens of U.S. research universities showed that the number of students admitted to PhD programs for the fall of 2026 fell by 15 percent. Higher education experts say the drop is due to reduced federal funding and uncertain university budgets. They worry that awarding fewer doctorates over the coming years will result in significantly less scientific research and a reduced workforce, particularly in science-related fields.

Perdue Foods is suing Soules Foods in federal court, claiming that Soules copied the concept of its "6-7" chicken nuggets. The two companies are battling to benefit financially from the "6-7" meme, which spread quickly among school-aged kids last summer and remains a popular trend. While Perdue attempts to trademark "6-7" and an image of hands gesturing beneath six- and seven-shaped breaded chicken nuggets, Soules argues that no one can claim ownership of a particular food shape.

A man sued Marriott International, claiming his Denver hotel failed to offer him a new room after he woke up in the middle of the night last August to find a swarm of bats, one of which bit him on the foot. His lawsuit cited the expensive rabies treatment he received and claimed the hotel didn't fix the window gap through which the nocturnal mammals entered his room. Nocturnal derives from the Latin nocturnus, "belonging to the night."

For the first time since 1962, FIFA nullified a red card suspension in the World Cup, making U.S. player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the following round. Balogun was ejected after stepping on Bosnian player Tarik Muharemovic's ankle, which would ordinarily have banished him from one game. Many fans argued the red card was a bad call, while others were angry about the repealed suspension. With Balogun back on the field in the next match, the U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium.

In an effort to reduce food waste, California banned "sell by" labels on perishable products. Food with a limited shelf life will still be marked "use by" or "best if used by," followed by a date. Officials say the new rule will clarify how long fresh and packaged food is safe to eat; the "sell by" labels are aimed at retailers, and perishable products can be eaten long after those dates. The U.S.D.A. reports that more than a third of food is thrown away by consumers.

Australian officials are asking fans of a troublemaking young elephant seal named Neal to keep their distance. The 2,200-pound rapscallion spent the past month in the town of Wellington, leaving a trail of destruction and a big social media following in his wake. Neal has bent fences and a sign warning people to stay away from seals, and is also prone to lounging in the middle of roads, blocking traffic. Experts say the adorable scoundrel could be dangerous if encountered up close.

Mozambique finished the last phase of a landmark rhinoceros restoration effort, moving nine female white rhinos to Zinave National Park. The ten-year project returned a total of 39 white and 22 black rhinos to the park, after a long civil war left rhinoceroses nearly extinct in the country. The enormous pachyderms have begun breeding, and the arrival of new calves helped improve their status to critically endangered. The Greek root rhinokerōs means "nose-horned."

The Ute Mountain Ute tribe in Colorado broke ground on a major solar project that will generate 270 megawatts of electricity and 180 megawatts of battery storage. A council spokesperson said the project embodies the tribe's responsibility to be good stewards of the land. Caring for the nearly 600,000 acres of the Southern Ute Reservation includes protecting the land from climate change and generating clean energy. The solar fields will have the capacity to power more than 200,000 homes.

A small town in Canada became the first to sign the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Trees, a resolution granting trees the legal right to exist and thrive. Terrasse-Vaudreuil will prioritize the safeguarding of existing trees to preserve the town's sylvan nature, reduce heat, and improve air quality. The municipality, founded in a forest 75 years ago, is known for its waterfront location and mature, lush canopy. The Latin root of sylvan is silva, "woodland."