Extra, Extra
Fire and Ice: “Of course, there have always been heat waves, thunderstorms, power failures and floods. But climate change has been a steroid injection for such disasters, making them stronger and more damaging. And increasingly, as in New Jersey this week, all of these nightmares arrive in tandem, creating compound disasters. In the process, they’re exposing just how unprepared for them we are.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): New Jersey’s Hell Week Is a Warning for Everyone. And the latest weather pattern to worry about: Hail. Inside the United States’ Billion-Dollar Blind Spot. “These balls of ice aren’t just academic curiosities. They are the reason your insurance premiums keep rising.”
+ Out of Le Pen: “The court shortened her ban on running for elected office, potentially reopening the path for her to run. However, it ruled she must wear an electronic ankle tag for a year, making a campaign both logistically and politically difficult.” French court allows far-right leader Marine Le Pen to run for president with ankle tag. (In this political environment, that might be a plus.)
+ History Buff: “The buff George Washington statue in the National Museum of American History speaks for itself. Taking in the washboard abs and determined expression of the 1840 work by Horatio Greenough, a visitor would be hard-pressed to see anything but a Founding Father rendered as a Greek god. Yet in a searing 162-page report on the Smithsonian museum released on July 4, the Trump administration takes issue with the lack of patriotism in even this exhibit.” A Huge Escalation in Trump’s Smithsonian Meddling.
+ Hey Bub: “The document, the existence and contents of which have not been previously reported but was obtained by NOTUS, is a significant departure from the Trump administration’s public tone, which has focused on encouraging unrelenting investment to unlock exponential growth.” Treasury Has an Internal Report Warning About the Dangers of an AI Bubble.
+ Ring a Bell? Vox: Your Ring camera isn’t stopping crime. But it might be making you paranoid. People generally understand this, but they’ll always choose security options, even ones that don’t necessarily provide security. Well, not all people. US Air Force engineer charged with sawing down flock surveillance cameras receives thousands of dollars from supporters across the country.
+ Allies: An Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of an allergic reaction in ICE custody. (Feel safer?)
+ Midtown Evacuation: “A safety manager reported that a steel beam was compromised on the 21st floor, according to Buildings Department records. The Fire Department said that two support columns inside the building were buckling, and several upper floors were sagging … A ‘frozen zone’ was set up from 40th to 45th Streets between First and Third Avenues.” Mamdani Warns That Midtown Manhattan Building Remains Unstable.
+ Corruption Eruption: IOC lifts ban on Russian Olympic Committee, clearing path for athletes’ return to Games. (They should have waited. This is supposed to be the week for Trump/FIFA corruption.)
+ It’s About the Journey: There’s been a hell of a lot of hype leading up to the release of Christopher Nolan’s latest movie, The Odyssey. It sounds like it lives up to it, and then some. Variety: First Reactions Are Raves for Christopher Nolan’s ‘Astonishing’ Epic and ‘Flawless Filmmaking’: ‘Breathtaking, Bold and Perfection.’ (I haven’t read raves like that since I first launched NextDraft.)
