Extra, Extra
Charlie Kirk Shot: “Shots were fired at an event for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, just north of Provo, according to a statement from the school … Videos circulating online appear to show Kirk recoiling after a shot was heard, with blood pouring from his neck. A suspect is in custody.” Here’s the latest from CNN and NBC.
+ Tackling the Block: “Protesters blocked roads, lit blazes and were met with volleys of tear gas on Wednesday in Paris and elsewhere in France, heaping pressure on President Emmanuel Macron and making new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s first day in office a baptism of fire.” French police clash with ‘Block Everything’ protesters while Macron installs a new prime minister. And from NBC: “Their joint day of unrest adds to the country’s political turmoil, after the collapse of centrist President Emmanuel Macron’s government earlier this week in a similar backlash over proposed budget cuts and broader anger at the political class.” ‘Block Everything’ protests sweep France, intensifying pressure on Macron. Here’s more from The Guardian.
+ Blind Rage: “The U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states.” Why? Too woke. Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump’s Anti-Diversity Push.
+ Book Club: “Two things are converging here: A conspiratorial crowd is getting the kind of evidence it craves, on an internet that supercharges conspiratorial speculating. At the same time, this is happening in a media ecosystem that makes it easier than ever for people to ignore, dismiss, or spin evidence to justify their prior viewpoints. The birthday book is not just a test of Trump’s influence but also a test of the power of our current, broken media ecosystem, as well as a rare look at what happens when conspiracy theorists actually get what they want.” Charlie Warzel in The Atlantic (Gift Article): You Really Need to See Epstein’s Birthday Book for Yourself. (Amazing that some of the contributors to this book support efforts to ban other books.)
+ Preet My Shorts: “You should decline Mr. Pulte’s invitation to join his retaliatory harassment of Senator Schiff. Instead, Mr. Pulte’s misuse of his position should be investigated by a nonpartisan Inspector General to determine whether Mr. Pulte’s conduct should be referred to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation.” Schiff lawyer told Justice Department it should investigate Pulte for probing mortgages of Trump opponents. (Schiff’s lawyer in this matter happens to be Preet Bharara.)
+ Flag Me With a Spoon: “The flag was a message of thanks to President Trump for trying to intervene in Mr. Bolsonaro’s case. It became the defining image of the day’s enormous protests, plastered across social media and newspaper front pages.” NYT (Gift Article): A New Symbol of the Brazilian Right: The American Flag. (Trump is worried about people burning the flag when he is torching what it stands for.)
+ Food For Thought: There are more obese children than underweight ones in the world today, new United Nations figures suggested.
+ Math Lesson: “In the wake of those shootings, an industry has emerged to try to protect schools — and business is booming. According to the market research firm Omdia, the school security industry is now worth as much as $4 billion, and it’s projected to keep growing.”
