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USA Swimming Scholastic All-American Elise Gratton, from Lafayette, California, has verbally committed to the admission process* at Yale University for 2026-27.
She told SwimSwam that she chose Yale because of the: “Tremendous opportunity to pursue both my athletic and academic careers at the highest level. When I visited campus on my recruiting trip, I was immediately impressed with the passion and success of everyone, and I knew I wanted to surround myself with these high character teammates during my college experience.”
A rising senior at Campolindo High School in Moraga, she was runner-up in the 100 breast (1:02.57) and placed 11th in prelims of the 100 free (51.71) at CIF-North Coast Section Championships in May. She went on to the California State Meet and came in 13th in the 100 breast (1:03.66) and was 19th in prelims of the 100 free (51.48).
Gratton does her year-round swimming with Orinda Aquatics under coach Ronnie Heidary. She is a Winter Juniors Qualifier and a Canadian Olympic Trials Qualifier.
At Novato Sectionals this summer, she placed 6th in the 100 breast (1:14.08) and 18th in the 200 IM (2:26.75), earning PBs in both events; she was also 29th in prelims of the 200 breast (2:49.81). In short course season, she clocked lifetime bests in the 50 free, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM.
Yale finished 3rd in the standings at the 2025 Ivy League Women’s Championships. It took 1:02.26/2:15.46 in the breaststroke events, 49.99 in the 100 free, and 53.49 in the 100 fly to score in the top 8. Gratton’s best times would have made the ‘B’ final of the 100 breast and the ‘C’ finals of the 100 free and 200 breast.
Best SCY times:
100 breast – 1:02.57
200 breast – 2:20.14
100 free – 51.13
100 fly – 56.71
50 free – 24.20
200 IM – 2:06.99
“I am thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process and further my academic and athletic career at Yale University. Thank you to my family, teammates, and coaches for their support along the way. I am very grateful to the Yale swim coaches for this incredible opportunity! Go Bulldogs! #boolaboola”
*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.
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In its quest for survival, nature has devised a thousand ways to optimize species reproduction. In the case of mammals and insects, species usually go in search of a mate, but a plant has more restrictions. Typically, the plant kingdom depends on other species, such as bees, to pollinate flowers or birds as messengers of their seeds. However, in some cases, plants and trees opt for solutions closer to aerospace engineering. This is the case with the structure of maple seeds, which have inspired a new technological breakthrough based on biomimetics.
A drone inspired by the seed “helicopter”
The light maple seed, falling from the tree in a spinning motion, is sometimes described as one of nature’s helicopters. And that is what three scientists from the City University of Hong Kong looked at when they wondered how to increase the flight range of a lightweight drone. Specifically, their device weighs less than 100 grams.
The approach of the new drone is to dispense with a helicopter-based central rotor and instead install two rotors at the tips of the blades. These blades are identical in design to maple seed pods and offer remarkable stability with very low energy expenditure.
The prototype weighs thirty-five grams, and its blades rotate at 200 rpm, keeping the device in the air for twenty-four minutes thanks to a small battery. The direction of flight can be controlled simply by changing the speed of each rotor.
The model they have developed can carry small payloads of just over twenty grams and has been tested with a miniature camera, which would allow it to be used for mapping or monitoring spaces. The paper on this innovative device has been published in Science Robotics.
The striking aerodynamics of maple seeds
As it develops, the seed of the maple tree is covered by a v-shaped sheath. At first, while still green, the seed falls like a stone from the tree. However, as it dries, it loses water and weight. When it reaches the point of optimum maturity, the seed is ready to take a flight to other latitudes. Perhaps not as far as a migrating bird, but maple seeds have reportedly traveled up to four kilometers. How do they do it?
The secret lies in the structure of their “blades.” As revealed by a wind tunnel study published in the journal Science, the maple seed blades generate lift, i.e., the same force that allows airplane wings to take flight. Thus, when falling, the thin maple seed blades generate a miniature vortex that keeps them in the air longer. In addition to the Hong Kong scientists’ drone, there are other flying, biomimicry-based, systems such as this Airbus aircraft.
Biomimetic companies?
In times when sustainability is an integral value of business projects, it is not surprising to see the emergence of a new figure: the Director of Biomimicry. If biomimicry enables the implementation of sustainable solutions in industrial designs, why not introduce this perspective into all the processes of a company?
That’s the logic behind Jamie Miller’s appointment as director of biomimetics at a Canadian architectural firm. Miller, who studied with biologist and biomimetics pioneer Jenine Benyus, is already integrating biomimetic solutions into his firm’s projects.
Specifically, they have already applied biomimetic solutions in residential buildings in places like Ontario and Gabon. For example, they have designed a house in India that uses cooling solutions based on elephant skin and termite mounds, and a garden emulating a forest ecosystem.
Miller also talks about how spider webs or mangroves can provide inspiration for creating more energy-efficient structures. Thus, spiders can create an extremely resistant material with hardly any energy expenditure, unlike conventional materials such as concrete. In fact, this expert believes that biomimetics could be one of the greatest weapons in the fight against climate change.
If you want to learn about a biomimetic architecture project that integrates this approach, you should check out this article.
Seoul, South Korea – South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet United States President Donald Trump for the first time in a high-stakes visit to his country’s closest and most important ally.
After a one-day meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo, Lee arrived in Washington, DC, on Sunday ahead of an official working-level meeting at the White House with Trump.
It will be the first time the two heads of state meet.
Their summit follows a trade deal in July in which Washington agreed to cut its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15 percent from an initially proposed 25 percent.
The meeting is crucial for South Korea, whose engagement with the Trump administration was disrupted by domestic political turmoil, ignited by the brief declaration of martial law announced in December by the country’s impeached former president, Yoon Suk-yeol.
Discussion will focus on ironing out details of the unwritten July trade deal, which involves South Korea agreeing to buy $100bn in US energy and invest $350bn in the US economy.
On top of those dizzying sums are direct investments in the US, which are expected from South Korean companies, and which Trump has mentioned will be decided during their talks.
Accompanied by first lady Kim Hea-kyung, Lee will lead a delegation formed by the heads of South Korean top conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group.
The four companies alone are already known to contribute approximately 126 trillion won ($91.2bn) in direct investments to the US, according to the South Korean daily Maeil Business Newspaper.
Choi Yoon-jung, a principal research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said Lee needs to be deliberate and direct with Trump in the talks, as “South Korea is in a tough predicament in terms of trade with the US compared to the past”.
“It will be important for President Lee to explain how investments will be designed to serve US national interests and to remind Trump that the two nations are close trading partners who went through large ordeals to realise their Free Trade Agreement over two decades ago,” Choi told Al Jazeera.
Mason Richey, a professor of international politics at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), said the direction of the talks on investments is likely to be “unpredictable”.
“Not only are the current 15 percent tariffs overwhelmingly likely to stay on, but the investment part of the deal is likely to remain unclear and subject to unpredictable adjustment by the White House,” Richey told Al Jazeera.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering facility on Geoje Island, South Korea, on December 7, 2018 [Ahn Young-joon/AP]
Analysts say shipbuilding is one area where Trump clearly desires to have South Korea as a key partner to play catch-up to China’s naval fleet, which leads in terms of sheer numbers and is also making technological advancements.
Officials in Seoul have previously stated that a key component of the tariff deal with Washington would include a partnership worth about $150bn to assist in rebuilding the US shipbuilding industry.
To that end, after visiting the White House, Lee will head to Philadelphia to visit the Philly Shipyard, which was bought by the South Korean company Hanwha Group last year.
Analysts also say that battery production and semiconductors are some other sectors where Trump has set clear objectives to increase US capacity, and where South Korea has shown willingness and interest in being that partner.
“The South Korean government is also willing to actively participate in the ‘modernisation’ of its alliance with the US, that could include increasing contributions to upholding the region’s security and development,” said the Sejong Institute’s Choi.
Another major discussion point will be Seoul and Washington’s defence posture regarding the growing threats from North Korea, as well as the development of a strategic alliance to address the changing international security and economic environment.
“The pressures for the role of US forces on the Korean Peninsula to evolve has been growing for years,” Jenny Town, the director of the Washington, DC-based research programme 38 North, told Al Jazeera.
This evolution was especially so with great power competition increasing from China, Town said.
“The Trump administration is focused on how to maximise resources for US interests and priorities, so it is likely that some changes will be made during this term,” Town said.
“How drastic or dramatic those changes will depend on a number of factors, including the state of the US domestic political infrastructure that provides checks and balances to executive decisions,” she said.
A US Senate defence policy bill for fiscal year 2026 includes a ban on the use of funds to reduce the number of US Forces Korea (USFK) troops to below the current level of 28,500 service members.
“This makes it unlikely that there will be an immediate change in troop deployment numbers in South Korea,” Choi said.
“So, the big point of contention will be the job assignment of the troops to match US interests. I think there’s a possibility of Trump asking South Korea to take on a bigger role in regional security, such as taking part in the conflict involving Taiwan.”
Financial negotiations between Trump and Lee may also tip into security details, as the US president has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the US troops stationed on its soil.
Trump has made that same call since his first presidential term.
In addition to providing more than $1bn for the presence of USFK forces, South Korea also paid the entire cost of building Camp Humphreys, the largest US base overseas, situated 64km (39 miles) south of Seoul.
Trump has said that he wants defence spending to reach closer to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for all US allies.
Today, South Korea’s defence budget is at 3.5 percent of GDP.
Transfer of wartime operational command – referring to the transfer of control of South Korean forces during wartime from the US to South Korea – has long been a point of discussion between Seoul and Washington.
Under the Lee administration’s five-year governance plan, Seoul hopes to have the transition happen by 2030.
US President Donald Trump visits the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2025 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]
The Trump-Lee meeting also comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister recently dismissed Washington and Seoul’s stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
Kim Yo Jong said that Seoul could never be a “diplomatic partner” with Pyongyang.
For Town, there were “interesting nuances” in Kim Yo Jong’s statements.
“While rejecting any kind of denuclearisation narrative as the basis of negotiations, her statements did create an opening for the US to engage North Korea to improve overall relations,” Town said.
“Kim suggested that there’s a reason for two countries with nuclear weapons to avoid confrontational relations. This begs the question of whether the US is actually interested in building a different relationship with North Korea that is not hinged on denuclearisation, and how US allies would see such an agenda,” Town said.
For Richey, the HUFS professor, the possibility of “Trump bypassing Lee in diplomacy with North Korea” poses a serious risk for South Korea down the road, in terms of influence and security.
In contrast to today’s lack of contact between Washington and Pyongyang, Trump’s first presidential term featured a suspension of US military exercises with South Korea and three separate meetings between the US president and North Korea’s Kim.
His desire to earn a Nobel Peace Prize could also offer another set of motivations for Trump to extend a US hand of friendship to Kim.
The South Korean president’s White House visit also coincides with annual, large-scale South Korean and US joint military exercises, which run for 11 days.
During a visit to North Korea’s most advanced warship last week, Kim denounced the drills as rehearsals for an invasion of North Korea and “an obvious expression of their will to provoke war”.
Also, last week, Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, unveiled an undocumented North Korean missile base about 25km (15.5 miles) from the border with China, which likely has intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the US.
Town added that Russia could also play a cameo role in this summit.
“Lee may bring up the issue of how Russia’s relations with North Korea, especially their military cooperation, poses potential dangers to the alliance’s security interests,” she said.
“Talks could wind up to consideration of whether Trump’s relationship with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin may help mitigate the situation,” she said.
North Korea’s recent dealings with Russia adds another dimension to these inter-country relationships, as reciprocal exchanges of military troops for the receipt of food, energy, cash, weapons and technology have created a stable strategic bond between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Furthermore, North Korea has shown an interest in strengthening ties with another of the US’s biggest rivals – China.
“Ultimately, I believe Trump will continue to make overtures toward North Korea,” Choi said.
“He may seem to be pushing an isolationist strategy, but the matter of fact is that the US continues to be in the middle of negotiations and talks whenever a big conflict arises in the world,” she said.
France says it will summon the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, over what it says are unacceptable allegations of failing to tackle a surge in antisemitism.
Kushner, who is Jewish and whose son is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, made the comments in an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron in the Wall Street Journal.
Echoing Israel’s criticism of France days earlier, Kushner said there had been an explosion of hatred towards Jews in France since the war in Gaza began.
“France firmly refutes these latest allegations” which are “unacceptable”, said a foreign ministry statement, adding Kushner would be due to appear on Monday.
In his letter, the ambassador called on Macron to tone down his criticism of Israel and outlined examples of antisemitism which he said had “long scarred French life”.
“In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized. Your own Interior Ministry has reported antisemitic incidents even at preschools.”
He also said he stood ready to work with Macron and other French leaders to “forge a serious plan” to tackle the issue.
The ministry stressed that since the 1961 Vienna Convention ambassadors were not permitted to interfere in a country’s internal affairs.
Kushner’s letter echoes comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also wrote a letter to Macron last week. In it, he accused the French leader of contributing to antisemitism by calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state.
France plans to formally recognise Palestine in September.
Reuters
When Macron made the announcement, he said “we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative”.
He has previously publicly criticised antisemitism as being against French values and increased security to protect synagogues and other Jewish centres in response to antisemitic incidents linked to the Gaza conflict.
The war was prompted by an attack in southern Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023. It saw around 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken hostage.
Jerusalem launched an offensive in response which has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Last week, a famine was confirmed in Gaza City. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said more than half a million people were facing “catastrophic” conditions characterised by “starvation, destitution and death”.
Israel denied there was starvation in the territory and labelled the report an “outright lie”.
Stock futures edged up on Sunday evening as Wall Street looks ahead to another big week that will feature earnings from AI chip leader Nvidia and another inflation update.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 24 points, or 0.05%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.05%, and Nasdaq futures added 0.06%. On Friday, the Dow hit a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed in on their records.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury was flat at 4.256% after diving Friday on rate-cut expectations. The U.S. dollar was down 0.02% against the euro and flat against the yen.
Gold fell 0.13% to $3,413.80 per ounce. U.S. oil prices rose 0.2% to $63.79 per barrel, and Brent crude added 0.15% to $67.83.
Friday’s stock surge came after a big selloff that was led by tech giants, as doubts have grown about the AI boom and how much it will actually help companies.
That’s after a recent report from MIT found that 95% of AI pilot programs at businesses are failing to produce much of a return.
Wall Street’s faith in the staying power of AI as an investment thesis will be put to the test when Nvidia reports quarterly earnings after the close on Wednesday.
The report also comes after Nvidia and AMD agreed to an unprecedented deal where they give the federal government a 15% cut of their chip sales to China.
For now, demand from U.S. companies remains high as so-called hyperscaler tech giants Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms alone are expected to deploy $400 billion in capital expenditures this year, and most of that is going to AI.
On Friday, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge is due as policymakers wait and see how much of an effect on inflation President Donald Trump’s tariffs are having.
Earlier updates on the consumer price index and the producer price index were mixed, and analysts expect the personal consumption expenditures index for July to rise 0.2% on a monthly basis and 2.6% on a yearly basis, the same annual rate as June.
But the core PCE is seen climbing 0.3% on a monthly basis and 2.9% on a yearly basis, accelerating from June’s 2.8% annual rate.
Still, some Fed officials, including Powell, have indicated that tariff-related impacts on inflation may be short term and that more attention should go to the labor market, which has shown signs of weakening.
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AEMET says the 16-day August heatwave was part of a ‘trend toward more extreme summers’ due to climate change.
Spain suffered “the most intense” heatwave on record this month, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has said, as firefighters battled wildfires in the north and west of the country.
In a statement on Sunday, the agency said that provisional readings for the August 3-18 heatwave exceeded the last record, set in July 2022, and showed an average temperature 4.6 degrees Celsius (40.2 Fahrenheit) higher than the expected threshold.
AEMET noted that the most recent heatwave, which saw temperatures reach 43C (109 F), is part of an escalating pattern of warmer summers due to the climate crisis.
“That four of the five most intense heat waves have occurred since 2019 is no coincidence,” it said. “Not every summer will always be warmer than the previous one, but the trend toward more extreme summers is clear. The keys: adaptation and mitigation of climate change.”
Since it began its records in 1975, AEMET has registered 77 heatwaves in Spain, with six of them going 4C (39.2F) or more above the average.
More than 1,100 deaths in Spain have been linked to this year’s August heatwave, according to an estimate released on Tuesday by the Carlos III Health Institute. The heatwave has also exacerbated tinderbox conditions in Spain, fuelling wildfires that continue to ravage parts of the country.
Last week, the Spanish army deployed 3,400 troops and 50 aircraft to help firefighters, while the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia also sent hundreds of firefighters, vehicles and aircraft.
The fires have burned more than 382,000 hectares (944,000 acres) or about 3,820 sq km (1,475 sq miles), according to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information System.
Most of Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Heatwaves and dry conditions, which scientists link to climate change, have become more frequent across the world in recent years.
The World Health Organization has warned, “With climate change leading to warmer temperatures and drier conditions and the increasing urbanization of rural areas, the fire season is starting earlier and ending later.
“Wildfire events are getting more extreme in terms of acres burned, duration and intensity, and they can disrupt transportation, communications, water supply, and power and gas services.”
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Israel has carried out many strikes on Houthi targets following their attacks against Israel
Israel has carried out air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in response to the group’s missile attack on Friday which Israel said carried cluster munitions.
The Israeli operation targeted a military complex housing the presidential palace, a fuel depot and power stations.
Four people were killed and 67 injured, Houthi officials said.
The Israeli military said the Houthi strike had been the first use of such bombs by the Iran-backed Houthis during the current conflict with Israel, local media and the AP reported.
The Israeli military is reportedly investigating why it was unable to intercept the missile carrying the munitions, which are banned by more than 100 countries.
The retaliatory operation on Sanaa was overseen by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, with the Israeli government publishing a photograph showing the prime minister at the command centre in Tel Aviv.
“Anyone who attacks us – we attack them. Anyone planning to attack us – we attack them. I believe the entire region is learning the power and determination of the State of Israel,” the prime minister said afterwards.
After Friday’s attack, the Houthis released a video showing bombs dispersing mid-air.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told media on Sunday that one such bomblet had landed on the yard of a home in the central Israeli town of Ginaton, causing light damage.
The IDF investigation centres on why the missile delivering the bombs was not intercepted before they had been dispersed, according to Israeli media.
Cluster munitions are a method of dispersing large numbers of tiny bomblets from a rocket, missile or artillery shell that scatters them in mid-flight over a wide area.
They are intended to explode on impact but a significant proportion are “duds”, meaning they do not explode initially. This happens especially if they land on wet or soft ground.
They can then explode at a later date on being picked up or trodden on, killing or maiming the victim.
The Houthis have controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, when they ousted the internationally-recognised government from Sanaa, and sparked a devastating civil war.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have regularly launched missiles at Israel and attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The rebels are supplied by Iran, which also used cluster bombs during its 12-day confrontation with Israel in June.
