Biden’s Last Stand?

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
July 11, 2024

Good Thursday morning. Researchers at the University of Michigan are working to see if artificial intelligence can help us understand what dogs are saying when they bark. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

  • Yellowstone: Update on shooting

  • Iran: Gaza protest meddling

  • DeSantis: Speaking slot

  • Samsung: Workers strike

  • USMNT: Coach sacked

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Winds of change

President Joe Biden will meet the press after efforts to force him off the Democratic ticket intensified yesterday.

  • Time to chat: Biden's “big boy” press conference is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET today in Washington. The White House has not disclosed how long it will run or how many questions the president will grant the press corps. Biden also scheduled a sitdown interview with NBC next Monday night.

  • Shaky ground: The support of two top Democrats -- former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer -- has come into question. Pelosi suggested Biden still has a decision to make. Schumer has reportedly signaled he is open to dropping the president in private, contradicting his public support. Nine Democratic lawmakers had publicly called for Biden to exit the race as of last night.

  • Money talks: Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney said Biden should drop out in a New York Times op-ed, weeks after hosting a $30M fundraiser for the president. Clooney said he saw a clear decline in Biden at the event. It is worth nothing Clooney clashed with Biden over his wife Amal Clooney's involvement in the International Criminal Court's recent decision to file an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

  • Big picture: The press conference could be Biden's last chance to save his candidacy, even after things seemed to have stabilized earlier this week. Major Democratic donors have reportedly closed their checkbooks following Biden's debate performance and the subsequent fallout.

2) Medical breakthrough

Researchers believe they identified the cause of a common autoimmune disease.

  • The news: A study published yesterday outlines how immune system abnormalities appear to trigger lupus. Patients with the disease have a significant imbalance with their T-cells, a white blood cell that impacts the body's immune response, as well as a disparity in levels of a key protein.

  • Need to know: Lupus is a chronic disease that can cause inflammation and pain throughout the body as the immune system attacks healthy tissue. Ninety percent of patients are female and it is more prevalent among certain ethnic and racial groups. It most commonly appears in women ages 15-44 and tends to impact the joints, skin and internal organs. As many as 1.5M Americans may have lupus.

  • Big picture: Researchers at Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital believe their findings will apply to almost all lupus patients. They hope that by identifying specific defects, disease reversal could become possible. Some peers are skeptical that the disease has such a singular cause.

3) Woe, Canada

America's northern neighbor got the message on its military spending -- or at least wants to give that impression.

  • The news: Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said the country will buy up to a dozen new submarines with under-ice capabilities. Blair said the procurement process has begun after previous pledges, but did not indicate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is allocating additional funds.

  • Curious timing: Blair's statement comes as Canada takes its lumps at this week's NATO summit in Washington, causing cynical reactions. The Canadians' current military spending is 1.37% of GDP, well below the alliance's 2% mandate, with no immediate road map to reach the target. Canada is only outspending five of the other 31 members.

  • Big picture: Blair has promised to produce a "credible, verifiable plan" to reach 2%, but patience is running thin. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called the Canadians' defense spending "shameful" in perhaps the most stinging rebuke by an allied nation yet. Other members have suggested it could be a major issue if former President Donald Trump is re-elected.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • A Florida man threatened a mass shooting at Yellowstone National Park before being killed by U.S. Park Rangers on July 4. The National Park Service said the gunman was also holding a woman hostage at the time of the incident (More)

  • Virginia will restrict cell phone use in public schools. A new law bans phones from all K-12 classrooms; the state's Department of Education must establish guidelines and implement them by Jan. 1, 2025 (More)

  • The average American feels tired about 1.5K hours per year, according to a new study. Almost 60% of respondents said fatigue prevents them from enjoying their lives; a separate study found over 20% of people feel lonely (More | More)

World News

  • Iranian government actors have funded Gaza war protests in the U.S., according to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Iran has also allegedly used social media to encourage demonstrations and pose as activists (More)

  • French President Emmanuel Macron called for a mainstream coalition government. His comments are viewed as an effort to keep the far-left France Unbowed party out of leadership following tumultuous snap elections (More)

  • Peace talks in South Sudan may unravel. Kenyan-moderated negotiations between the country's government and rebel groups are threatened after the opposition demanded a law allowing warrantless detention be repealed (More)

Campaign News

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will likely speak at next week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He was originally not slated to give a main stage speech; UFC CEO Dana White is expected to be the lead-in to former President Trump's nomination speech (More)

  • The GOP primary in Utah's 2nd Congressional District is headed to a recount. Rep. Celeste Maloy led by about 220 votes on Election Day; she said she expects to prevail over Army Special Forces veteran Colby Jenkins (More)

  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed for ballot access in Georgia. The independent presidential candidate's campaign submitted petitions and signatures yesterday; his campaign maintains he will be eligible in all 50 states on Election Day (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The S&P 500 hit 5.6K points for the first time as its surge continued (Dow+1.09%, Nasdaq +1.18%, S&P 500 +1.02%).

  • Over 30K Samsung workers in South Korea have declared an indefinite strike that could hamper production. It is the largest work stoppage in the electronics giant's history; it comes as the company projects a 15x profit rise in Q2 (More)

  • There is a renewed effort to prohibit Congress members from trading stocks. A group of bipartisan senators has amended an existing proposed bill; their immediate families, the President and Vice President would also be impacted (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Gregg Berhalter is out as the U.S. Men's Soccer National Team's head coach. The USMNT recently failed to advance out of the group stage of the Copa America tournament; USA Soccer could target former Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp as his replacement (More)

  • Inside Out 2 has become the highest-grossing Pixar film in history. The animated movie has made more than $1.25B worldwide, surpassing The Incredibles 2; it could become Disney's mosts successful animated feature ever (More)

  • The ESPY Awards are tonight (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in Los Angeles. Prince Harry, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and former NFL player Steve Gleason will be among the honorees (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: If a Taco Bell-themed retirement community sounds like a dream, book a flight to San Diego. The fast food chain is opening a popup resort named The Cantinas for one day next month; anyone 21 or older can spend the night for $150.

  • Go Deep: Have you ever been unable to think of the right word to describe something and defaulted to calling it a "thingamajig" or some other nonsensical term? You are not alone, and there is a scientific explanation.

  • Political Pioneer: Brooke Huckaby, a 21-year-old college student from Georgia, has become the youngest female mayor in U.S. history. She was recently elected to lead her small hometown of Arabi, succeeding her father after his 12-year tenure in office.

  • Take Note: The inverted circles on milk jugs are not just for aesthetic purposes. The concave areas provide structural integrity and more.

  • Life Hack: Your beloved office coffee mug may be harboring dangerous germs, but not necessarily for the reason you would think. Here is why you should be careful about how and how often you wash it.

  • 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.”

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Looking Ahead …

An exploding star over 3K light years from Earth will soon be visible in the sky for the first time since 1946. The one catch: People have yet to determine precisely when it will happen. So keep a lookout!

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