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Good morning and happy Thursday. After over a decade of studying, an entomologist has determined painted lady butterflies somehow flew 2.6K miles across the Atlantic Ocean without ever stopping. They had some help from the wind, but still. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
Minnesota: Jury bribe arrests
North Korea: More trash balloons
Missouri: Squad primary threat
Amazon: China discount plan
NBC: Al Michaels, AI version
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Welcome to the big show
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet in a historic debate tonight, just over four months before Election Day.
Need to know: The event, hosted by CNN in Atlanta, starts at 9 p.m. ET and will run 90 minutes. Dana Bash and Jake Tapper will moderate and other networks will simulcast the debate. There will be no audience and two commercial breaks. The candidates' microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.
The stakes: It will be the earliest presidential debate ever after Biden and Trump bypassed the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates and the first face-to-face showdown of an already contentious contest. While Biden has moved ahead in some polls following Trump's hush money conviction, many analysts say the president needs a strong showing to feel good about his re-election chances. Trump's performance will also be heavily scrutinized.
Big picture: History shows debates can impact races. And an Associated Press survey found 60% of Americans plan to watch the debate or seek out coverage of it, and about half believe it is critical for Biden (40% say that for Trump). The candidates have also agreed to a second debate in September.
2) Blew d'etat
An attempted military coup in Bolivia more or less ended before it even started.
What happened: Troops stormed the presidential palace in La Paz, ramming the building with armed vehicles. ButPresident Luis Arce stood firm and called on citizens to defend the South American country's democracy. The soldiers retreated a few hours later without any reports of violence and Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga, the apparent leader of the coup, was arrested after a confrontation with Arce inside the palace.
Plot thickens? Zuniga claimed Arce asked him to stage a coup attempt for political purposes before he was taken into custody. Officials did not specify the charges against Zuniga and the general never explicitly said he was trying to overthrow the government, only that he was working to "restore democracy."
Big picture: Bolivia has been hit hard by economic struggles in recent months. Arce and former President Evo Morales -- who was deposed by the military in 2019 -- have battled to control the ruling socialist party, heightening political tensions. Morales and other Arce rivals supported the president and repudiated the effort; Arce named new military leaders before troops withdrew.
3) Prison break
A federal agency plans to make it much cheaper for incarcerated people to make phone calls.
What happened: The Federal Communications Commission will vote next month to stop telecommunications companies from charging high fees for audio and video calls from inside correctional facilities. While the FCC had previously placed caps on charges for out-of-state calls, this measure will close a loophole with its authority on in-state calls.
The numbers: A 15-minute call from a large jail on a single service currently costs over $11; the FCC plans to cut that to under $1. A similar call at a small jail costs about $12; the proposal would make it under $1.50.
Big picture: The FCC said the high rates "have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades" and had detrimental impacts on recidivism rates. A coalition of civil rights organizations told the FCC last month that "exorbitant costs and fees heighten depression, isolation, and loneliness among incarcerated individuals – actively harming them instead of providing any discernible benefit."
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Five people were charged with attempting to bribe a juror in a federal fraud trial. Three defendants, a defendant's brother and a fifth person allegedly offered $120K for a not guilty verdict in a Minnesota-based case involving misuse of federal funds to feed hungry children (More)
New York's public transportation system will abandon several projects to account for a $16.5B shortfall. The deficit comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly abandoned a congestion pricing plan; Democrats were reportedly concerned it could impact key House races in the region (More)
The Supreme Court appears set to rule Idaho hospitals will be able to perform emergency abortions. A decision reinstating a lower court decision was briefly uploaded to the court's website (More)
World News
Trash-filled balloons launched by North Korea disrupted operations at Seoul's largest airport. Pyongyang has resumed the garbage drops amid heightened tensions on the peninsula; South Korea has warned of severe repercussions (More)
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's espionage trial began yesterday in Russia. The court proceedings will be held behind closed doors; the newspaper and U.S. officials say the Kremlin's spying claims are baseless (More)
Kenyan President William Ruto will withdraw a controversial tax hike bill. The decision came a day after protesters stormed the country's parliament building and police opened fire; five people were killed (More)
Campaign News
Missouri Rep. Cori Bush is losing her Democratic primary in the state's 1st District, according to a new poll. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has a slight lead on the embattled progressive (More)
Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorsed President Biden. The Republican is a staunch critic of former President Trump and was one of two GOP members on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot (More)
The Republican primary in Virginia's 5th District appears headed for a recount. State Sen. John McGuire leads Rep. Bob Good, the House Freedom Caucus Chairman, by 373 votes (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Nasdaq is up close 19% on the year (Dow +0.04%, Nasdaq +0.49%, S&P 500 +0.16%).
Amazon will launch a discount section that ships low-cost items directly from China to consumers worldwide. It is the retail giant's most significant response yet to the rise of bargain sites like Shein and Temu (More)
The biggest banks in the U.S. all passed this year's Federal Reserve stress test. The annual regulatory exercise assesses whether institutions are equipped to withstand severe economic recession scenarios (More)
Entertainment & Sports
NBC will use an artificial intelligence-generated version of Al Michaels' voice in its Paris Olympics coverage. The dupe of the legendary broadcaster will deliver recaps of the games tailored to a fan's specific interest (More)
Bill Cobb died at 90. The longtime character actor spent eight years in the U.S. Air Force before roles in Air Bud, The Bodyguard and the Night at the Museum films; he won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020 (More)
Marilyn Monroe's final home will not be demolished. The Los Angeles City Council has declared the late actress' Brentwood estate a historic cultural landmark, thwarting the current owners' tear-down plan (More)
Quick Hitters
Be Safe: Over 60 ice cream products have been recalled for potential listeria contamination. Offerings from popular brands like Friendly's and Hershey are impacted.
Go Deep: Close to 2M tons of unexploded World War II-era munitions remain in the Baltic and North Seas. Specialcrawlers and robots are tasked with clearing them.
New Idea: About 30% of kidneys recovered for transplant are discarded before reaching a recipient in need. A firm in Indiana has developed technology to salvage them.
True Crime: Remember pay phones? A thief stole as much as $1M from them in the 1980s, cracking open quarter boxes around the country and leaving law enforcement baffled for years,
Life Hack: Having guests can be a stressful experience, even for those of us with four legs. Here is how to make things easier on your pet the next time you have company over.
OPTIMIZE ME: Researchers “found convincing evidence that higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48% to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes.”
Want more health and wellness news? Subscribe to our brand new newsletter, Optimize Me, and start living a healthier life through diet, exercise, sleep, and mindfulness:
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Looking Ahead …
Polling guru Nate Silver says the election, as things stand today, is Trump's to lose. The former FiveThirtyEight head gives the former president a 66% chance to beat Biden, arguing the current president needs to sweep the Midwestern swing states to have a chance.