• ☝️ Torrential downpours have dumped up to a foot of rain across South Florida over the past 24 hours, causing Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency last night for several counties.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with The Bright Side

• 🙅 Shari Redstone, controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, has ended negotiations with Skydance Media about a prospective merger.
• 🧴 Online influencer/boxer Jake Paul launched a new line of men’s personal care products under the “W” brand; they’re currently available at Walmart, with future plans to launch on Amazon.
• ⚖️ Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $700 million to settle an investigation by 42 US states and Washington, DC, over allegations that its baby powder and other talc-based products caused cancer.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏌️ The US Open tees off this morning; world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has the best betting odds to win the tournament since Tiger Woods in 2007.
• 📽️ Sony agreed to buy Alamo Drafthouse, America’s seventh-largest movie theater chain, in a deal with unreported terms; it'll make Sony the first movie studio to own a theater chain in 75 years. | 🌭 Netflix will host a live hot dog-eating contest between legends Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi; Chestnut is banned from next month’s Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
• 🙏 Jerry West, a Hall-of-Fame NBA player and executive who was the inspiration for the league’s logo, died at the age of 86.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Paleovalley

• 🧑‍🚀 Four people who spent three days in space showed dramatic signs of aging, though 95% of the biological changes went away a few months after returning to Earth, per a new study.
• 🍬 Xylitol, a low-calorie sugar substitute used in sugar-free gum, toothpaste, and baked goods, is linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, per a new study.
• 🔬 A trio of scientists – Paul Alivisatos, Chad Mirkin, and Robert Langer – were awarded the $1 million Kavli Prize in nanoscience for their work in biomedicine.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🛂🌐 The US State Department launched a beta program yesterday that allows a select number of applicants to renew their passports online. | 🏥💳 The Biden administration proposed a new regulation that would remove Americans’ medical debt from their credit report.
• 🗳️ North Dakota voters approved a first-in-the-nation law establishing a maximum age limit for congressional candidates, though it’s expected to face legal challenges. | ⛪ The Southern Baptist Convention, America’s second-largest Christian body, narrowly rejected a measure it passed last year to expel churches with female pastors.
• 🏛️ The House voted 216-207 to hold AG Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress over his failure to disclose audio of an interview with President Biden about his handling of classified documents; one Republican joined all House Democrats in voting against the measure. (Read more)

CLICKBAIT

• 🎶 The Best Songs of 2024 So Far.