There's been a lot of news about passing the torch this week, but Joe Biden isn't the only one doing it. There's another torch making its way to the Olympics opening ceremonies in Paris. Among those passing that torch: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. You might know him better as Snoop Dogg, who perhaps has the most extensive experience passing the torch of any participant in this ritual's history. Whoever is next in line should expect a contact high. While cannabis is still illegal in France, Snoop can probably get away with using the Olympic torch to spark one up. Just about every police officer and private security employee is focused on the incredible challenge of keeping the Olympics safe: France prepares for biggest security operation in the country's history. The security efforts will be especially focused on Friday when the Games begin with a floating Opening Ceremony. "Friday's opening ceremony will be the first of its kind held outside the confines of a stadium, bringing a unique set of security challenges. The 10,500-athlete, 90-boat flotilla will travel a 3½-mile route down the Seine through the middle of Paris."
+ 1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French official says.
+ In recent years, the most pressing security question regarding the US Olympic team was whether we could keep our athletes safe from abusive coaches and monstrous predators. How are we doing? WaPo (Gift Article): Accused of abuse — and back in the gym. "Gymnasts’ allegations of physical and emotional abuse in their clubs have been met largely with inaction ... leaving hundreds of young gymnasts still in the care of coaches accused of serious misconduct."
+ Simone Biles was among the athletes to testify to Congressabout the abuse she suffered. The trauma related to that abuse and the pressure of being the GOAT in her sport for so long wasn't nearly enough for some people to give her a break when she suffered from the twisties during the Tokyo games. Netflix has a documentary on that experience and Biles' efforts to make a comeback in Paris. It's a documentary about her, but it's really a story about us. Simone Biles: Rising.
+ "Mutsumi Harada – the 19-year-old athlete's personal coach – called the Miyata's actions reckless but acknowledged that she was struggling with the "pressure" of competing at the Games. 'She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure. I would implore people to understand that.'" Japan's gymnastics captain out of Olympics for drinking, smoking.
+ One key competition to watch over the next few weeks: Can Peacock use the Olympics to become more relevant in the streaming game. Comcast Bets on Paris Olympics to Make Peacock a Must-Have. (First, let's see if the games can be more popular than the app's current juggernaut: Love Island 6.)
+ Tom Daley on the glamour of the games: Diver shows off Paris 2024 Olympic Village’s cardboard beds.
The Kamala Harris ascension is bad news for therapists. She just cured depression for about 80 million Americans. Of course, it's early in the race and this thing is going to be close and get very ugly, but, at least this week, a lot of never-Trumpers feel like the Dems just pulled off the best rope-a-dope since Ali was in his prime. Joe Biden, who is old enough to get that joke, will give a White House address on his decision to leave the race on Wednesday night.
+ I shared my thoughts on Biden's decision and Kamala's quick unification of the party in yesterday's lead: A Campaign Supernova.
+ Harris campaign requests vetting materials from several possible running mates. Seems like the most early buzz is around Mark Kelly of Arizona and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
+ In his latest attack on the Biden torch passing, Trump is arguing the Dems are disenfranchising voters. (Yeah right. Find me 11,780 voters who think that.)
Biden vows to end Gaza war and bring hostages home before he leaves office. That will depend a lot on Benjamin Netanyahu who is set to address Congress tomorrow. And his goals are not Biden's goals. Nor are they the goals of most Israelis. Israeli former national security officials and business leaders blast Netanyahu ahead of his speech to Congress. "Among the more than 30 signatories are five former senior officials from the Mossad intelligence service, including retired director Tamir Pardo, two former heads of the Israeli military and a wide-ranging list of other former military, security, diplomatic, legal and business officials."
+ "In return for Biden’s devotion, Netanyahu has consistently displayed ingratitude—and hardly a hint of reciprocity. By attempting to turn Biden, one of the most pro-Israel presidents in the history of the country, into a villain, Netanyahu is sending a message to other American politicians, especially Democrats: There’s no glory in being a resolute ally." Franklin Foer in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Netanyahu’s Folly.
"Silicon Valley’s backing of these efforts has propelled the idea of a guaranteed income — also known as cash transfers, unconditional cash and, in its most utopian form, universal basic income — into the mainstream. But a bipartisan political consensus around the movement is fracturing even though the data seems to show that the programs are effective." NYT (Gift Article): Is It Silicon Valley’s Job to Make Guaranteed Income a Reality? Universal basic income is worth a shot and we need to do more to strengthen the safety net. But it hardly addresses the increasing, tech-driven divide that makes it necessary. "We get to be billionaires and you get a few hundred a week" doesn't really solve the broader problem.
+ Vox: "We’re flooded by guaranteed income pilot experiments that offer some promising results, but don’t seem to be moving us any closer to actual federal policy. Yet findings published today from the largest randomized basic income experiment in the US to date, backed by Sam Altman and OpenAI, should get your notice."
Secret's Out: When both parties actually agree on an issue, things move fast. "U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has stepped down after widespread calls from lawmakers for her to resign following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump."
+ Dr Dre? "Though a physician, Vázquez is better known in Puerto Rico as a rapper who uses the stage name PJ Sin Suela." As doctors leave Puerto Rico in droves, a rapper tries to fill the gaps.
+ Mudslide: Brutal story out of Ethiopia where mudslides killed many people and then many more who tried to rescue the first victims.
+ Roblox Needs Roadblocks: "By September 2020 some 36 million people, more than half of them under 13, were on Roblox daily, making it the world’s biggest recreation zone for kids." And where kids are online, predators will follow. Bloomberg(Gift Article): Roblox’s Pedophile Problem.
+ Boiling Point: "In his first public statement since dropping his bid for re-election, Biden said the shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by white Sangamon county sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, in her home in Springfield, after a dispute over a pot of boiling water, 'reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not'" Biden calls for justice after footage released of police killing Black woman.
+ Caf Roping: "Producers decaffeinating their coffee want to remove the caffeine while retaining all – or at least most – of the other chemical aroma and flavor compounds. Decaffeination has a rich history, and now almost all coffee producers use one of three common methods." A chemist explains the chemistry behind decaf coffee. (Now if he could just explain the purpose...)
"That old warning stems from worry that people might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles." Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?
+ Sharks off Brazil coast test positive for cocaine. (Please, do ... not ... tell ... Trump.)
+ Don't miss out on the new Country Over Self NextDraft T-shirt. It's a big hit so far.
