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Issa Rae opens up about her new HBO Max project and entering her "mogul era" in our inaugural TODAY digital cover story. Plus, we test out a popular weights-free arm workout to see if it gets results, and NBC's Kerry Sanders shares what he's learned about sharks after decades of swimming alongside them.

Issa Rae talks her next Hollywood chapter, entering her 'mogul era' in TODAY's first digital cover story. 

Six months after the end of her show "Insecure," the writer, producer and actor opened up for TODAY’s first digital cover story about her new HBO Max project, “Rap Sh!t,” keeping her personal life private and how she hopes to continue to make a big impact in Hollywood. “I want to truly enter my mogul era, and that comes from empowering and building other moguls of color,” Rae says. "I want people and this industry in particular to take us seriously. I want to be a competitor with the best.” Check out the full story and more stunning photos of the Emmy-nominated star here. 

A record-setting 'heat apocalypse' has swept the UK, as wildfires continue to rage across Europe. 

The highest temperature ever recorded in the U.K.,102.4 degrees Fahrenheit, occurred today in Surrey, England, with temperatures forecasted to potentially hit 104 this afternoon. Meanwhile, France and Portugal are dealing with wildfires that have destroyed thousands of acres and forced residents to flee their homes. Wales recorded its hottest day in history yesterday (98.7 degrees), as scientists say extreme temperatures are becoming more common due to climate change. Meanwhile, a brutal heatwave is also blanketing the U.S.

A 1975 slaying was solved after authorities got the alleged killer's DNA from an airport coffee cup.

A Pennsylvania man was charged with fatally stabbing a 19-year-old woman 46 years ago after investigators surveilled him for months and then took his DNA from a coffee cup he threw out at an airport in February, police said yesterday. DNA from the cup matched DNA found on the slain woman's clothes in 1975, the Lancaster County district attorney said. The man, now 68, had never been suspected until, incredibly, genealogy researcher CeCe Moore used DNA from the crime scene to determine that the likely killer’s ancestors were from a town in southern Italy. "There were very few people living in Lancaster that were the right age, gender and had the right family tree," Moore said.

🦈 NBC's Kerry Sanders: I've been swimming with sharks for years. Here's what I've learned about shark attacks. 

Amid reports of multiple shark attacks in the U.S. this summer, veteran NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders shares in a personal essay what he has learned after swimming with sharks for decades. Kerry first came face-to-snout with a hammerhead while scuba diving in Grand Cayman decades ago, and has since discovered firsthand a fact stressed by marine biologists: Sharks don't hunt humans. Kerry also notes just how rare it is for humans to be attacked by a shark, and how he has managed to swim among schools of them unharmed. 

Achieve your life goals with this easy tip.

There's no equipment needed and the workout only takes 13 minutes. But does the popular Blogilates "weight less" arm workout get results? TODAY personal trainer Stephanie Mansour (above) did the arm workout every other day for two weeks, and she shared before-and-after photos that showed improved muscle definition. So should you try it? Check out Stephanie's pros and cons, and the easy (and free) way to get started.

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you.

Skip the microwave popcorn and go for the delicious real thing with Dylan Dreyer's homemade popcorn. Dylan's key ingredient to making movie theater-style popcorn is not one that might quickly come to mind: peanut oil. Her recipe is more of a guide, as you'll get the feel for it the more you make it. Break out a big bowl, put on your favorite movie, and get popping!

A little pick-me-up before you go.

Do we have Hoda to thank (or blame) for manifesting that naked Christopher Meloni Peloton ad into existence? Back in May, Hoda and Jenna were baffled after hearing the "Law & Order" star say he likes to exercise naked. Hoda in particular had questions about how riding an exercise bike might work. Next thing you know ... Meloni's working out in the buff in a Peloton ad. "I think I talked about his squatting and you said, 'Imagine him on a bike,'" Jenna said yesterday, revisiting their convo. Now, if Hoda would like to manifest our regular Powerball numbers into winning the jackpot, we are here for it. 

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Written by Scott Stump | Edited by Philip Caulfield

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