Good morning. A quick housekeeping note: today’s Dose of Discussion poll can be found in the Overheard section.

In today’s edition:

• ☄️ Inside NASA’s preparations for a Don’t Look Up scenario
• ⚖️ The Supreme Court dropped four new rulings
• 🗣️ A look at last night’s presidential debate

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.70-minute read (1,252 words).

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"In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

A Mount Everest-sized asteroid made a close fly-by of Earth yesterday, marking one of the largest space rocks to pass near our planet within the past 125 years.

• The massive asteroid wasn’t in any danger of striking Earth, passing by at a distance 17x farther than our Moon (4+ million miles).
• But if it had made impact with our planet, experts say the level of destruction would have been civilization-ending.

NASA has been hard at work preparing for this possibility. While research shows a planet-killing asteroid isn’t expected to threaten Earth for at least the next 1,000 years, NASA recently conducted an exercise to gauge America’s readiness in the hypothetical event that a massive space rock is bearing down on our planet.

This theoretical exercise, which involved a group of ~100 US government representatives, saw participants craft a plan for dealing with the “discovery” of a giant asteroid carrying a 72% chance of hitting Earth in 2038.

After discussing the options, US officials expressed a clear preference for one of two immediate courses of action:

1. Launch a US spacecraft to fly by the asteroid and gather more information about its size, composition, and long-term trajectory.
2. Enlist global partners to build a more expensive spacecraft that can spend extended time around the asteroid, and possibly change its path through space using methods learned from NASA’s 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission.

Unlike NASA’s previous asteroid-threat simulations, which played out to a dramatic ending, the agency’s latest exercise remained focused on the time period shortly after the hypothetical asteroid’s discovery.

👀 Looking ahead.. NASA says it will publish a complete after-action report on its asteroid impact exercise at a later date.

The brand-new show from Game Show Network, “BEAT THE BRIDGE”, hosted by Cameron Mathison premiered last week and you can catch a free episode on their YouTube channel. The game show features an enormous interactive bridge that dares players to cross by stepping on the correct answers to trivia questions. Watch “BEAT THE BRIDGE” every weeknight 6p ET only on Game Show Network.

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🇰🇵 North Korea claims a successful test of key nuclear weapons tech – though South Korea calls it a bluff. North Korean officials describe Wednesday’s test as a successful experiment involving technology for raining down multiple nuclear warheads at once, while South Korean officials denounce that assertion and say the test was a failure. Weapons experts say it’s unclear what exactly occurred, though both countries confirm that a North Korean missile launched into the sky and then crashed into the water.

🌍 The Economist’s research arm ranked the world’s most livable cities. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked 173 cities across the globe based on healthcare, culture, stability, infrastructure, and education. Vienna topped the 2024 list for the third year in a row, followed by Copenhagen, Zurich, Melbourne, and Calgary. Honolulu was the highest US city on the list in 23rd place, followed by Atlanta (29th), Los Angeles (58th), and New York City (70th).

🇧🇴 Bolivia said it foiled a coup attempt involving a former top general. General Juan José Zuñiga was dismissed as army chief on Tuesday for reportedly threatening to block the former president’s reelection bid. The following day, Zuñiga gathered hundreds of troops in the main square in the capital, La Paz, and attempted to breach the presidential palace in a bid to “restructure democracy.” General Zuñiga and the head of Bolivia’s navy were arrested soon after the three-hour rebellion.

Yesterday, the US Supreme Court’s press office must’ve been busier than a bee with a family and a small business (buzzness?), as the highest court in the land released four significant rulings:

• Re the EPA: In a 5-4 decision, the justices put on hold an EPA plan to curtail air pollution that drifts across state lines while appeals continue in lower courts.
• Re the SEC: In a 6-3 vote, the justices ruled that people accused of fraud by the SEC have the right to a jury trial in federal court.
• Re Idaho’s abortion law: In a 6-3 decision that matched with yesterday’s accidental release, the Court cleared the way for Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortions (for now; the case could come before SCOTUS again soon).
• Re the Sackler family: In a 5-4 ruling, the justices rejected a bankruptcy plan for OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma that would’ve set aside up to $6 billion for opioid victims and to combat the opioid epidemic, but also shield members of the Sackler family (who own the company) from civil lawsuits related to the opioid crisis.

It’s been a busy week for SCOTUS, which also released rulings related to anti-bribery laws and the government/social media.

🧑‍⚖️ And more judging is ahead: Over the coming days, the Court is expected to rule on cases concerning January 6 obstruction charges, presidential immunity, and homeless encampment, among others.

“This is a pivotal moment between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.”

• The first presidential debate of the 2024 election took place last night, with the top two major candidates facing off onstage in an audience-less studio in Atlanta. The 90-minute event featured a heavy dose of policy contrasts, with both candidates attacking each other over the economy, abortion, and immigration. Also at focus was mental fitness – the two candidates are on track to be the oldest in US history – with Biden at times appearing to lose his train of thought and delivering rambling answers at low volume, furthering Democratic leaders’ concerns over his viability as a candidate. Meanwhile, Trump received criticism for appearing to sidestep questions, including about his role in the events surrounding January 6; analysts also largely agree that Trump lobbed a fair share of insults and falsehoods and was generally less aggressive than in some previous debates. As the debate played out last night, third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held his own public event in Los Angeles where he gave his own thoughts on the debate issues as they came up.

📊 Flash poll: Did you watch at least some of the Biden-Trump debate?

• Yes
• No

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✈️📈 Stat of the Day: In case you haven’t heard, we’re in the midst of hot travel summer. The TSA on Sunday broke its all-time record for most people screened on a single day, with 2.99 million individuals passing through security checkpoints. Another record-high total is expected today, with the agency projected to screen 3+ million travelers for the first time in US history. Overall, seven of the TSA’s 10 busiest travel days ever have come within the past month.

• Traveling this weekend without an airport dad? Here are some tips to time your airport arrival amid the crowds.

🤔 Did You Know? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first in a series of 14 full-length novels written by Frank L. Baum about the Land of Oz.

📰 Worth a Read: If AI is going to take over the world, why can't it solve the Spelling Bee? → (Engadget)

• ☝️ In a scene reminiscent of the stadium in The Dark Knight Rises, a massive sinkhole suddenly swallowed part of a soccer field in western Illinois on Wednesday morning; the hole, which measures an estimated 30 feet deep and 100 feet wide, is thought to be the result of a limestone mine collapsing underneath the field; no injuries were reported.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Commons

• 💰 US markets closed higher (S&P: +0.1%; Dow: +0.1%; Nasdaq: +0.3%). | 💼 US jobless claims fell to 233,000 from 239,000 the previous week; the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose for the eighth straight week to 1.84 million, the most since November 2021. | 📊 US Q1 GDP growth was revised upward to a 1.4% annual pace; the previous figure was 1.3%.
• 🏪 Walgreens is closing an undisclosed number of its 8,600 US stores (it's currently reviewing a quarter of its stores that aren't profitable); the company will also pull back from its primary-care business; shares closed down 22%.
• 🏦 The Federal Reserve released the results of its annual bank stress tests; all 31 firms involved in the test, including JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, cleared the Fed’s benchmarks; however, JPMorgan released a statement following the results saying its stress test losses should actually be higher than what the Fed disclosed.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 The NBA Draft held its second and final round yesterday; the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James Jr. with the 55th pick, setting up the first-ever father-son NBA duo with Lebron James. | 🏒 The NHL Draft kicks off tonight, with first round coverage on ESPN; rounds 2-7 take place on Saturday.
• 🎙️🤖 NBC will use an artificial clone of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels' voice to narrate its daily streaming recaps of the Summer Olympics. | 📰🤖 Time agreed to a multiyear content licensing deal and strategic partnership with OpenAI, allowing the ChatGPT-maker to train on Time’s 101-year archive of content.
• 🏈⚖️ The NFL was ordered by a federal jury to pay $4.7 billion in damages to consumers of the league’s “Sunday Ticket” telecast package for violating antitrust law; the NFL’s payment will triple to $14+ billion under antitrust law if the judgment is upheld (nearly two-thirds of the league’s annual revenue).

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Paleovalley

• 🛰️ NASA awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build a spacecraft that guides the International Space Station to a safe destruction following its scheduled retirement in 2030. | 🚀 SpaceX is also reportedly selling shares at a $210 billion valuation in a secondary market sale.
• 🤖🧸 Toys "R" Us partnered with ad agency Native Foreign to create what it calls "the first-ever brand film using OpenAI's new text-to-video tool, Sora."
• 💊 Taking a daily multivitamin doesn’t lower people’s risk of death, though the pills might help some individuals manage certain health conditions, per a new NIH study.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🌀 An Atlantic storm system has a 60% chance of strengthening into a named storm in the Caribbean by Saturday afternoon, per the National Hurricane Center.
• 🏥⚖️ The Justice Department announced charges against 193 people in a nationwide crackdown on health care fraud schemes involving a collective $2.7+ billion worth of false claims; the defendants include 76 licensed medical professionals.
• 📜🏫 Oklahoma’s state superintendent issued a new directive requiring the Bible to be incorporated into the state’s public classroom curriculums effective immediately. (Read more)

CLICKBAIT

• 🤯💰 $30,000 a Month for 1,200 Square Feet? Why Monaco Is the World’s Most Expensive Place to Rent.

Two years ago, Tony Duncan’s beloved dog Luna disappeared chasing some wildlife in the woods on his Maryland property.

The devoted owner searched for week, but, as time dragged on, feared he had lost Luna forever. But last week, Tony received a call from an animal control center in Labelle, Florida, saying they had found Luna more than 1,000 miles away from where she first disappeared.

🤔 It's unclear how Luna traveled so far from home. Tony suspects someone may have stolen her and brought her to Florida, only to abandon her later.

• As soon as Tony confirmed it was really Luna, he and a friend rented a car and drove 16 hours to pick her up.

Our weekly news quiz just dropped. See how your news superpowers stack up against our team.

Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Sweet corn
• Butter
• Red onion
• Salt & pepper
• Mint leaves
• Whole grain boule bread
• Ricotta cheese

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Flour
• Semolina flour
• Salt
• Eggs
• Butter
• Pepper
• Parsley

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Sweetened condensed milk
• Heavy cream
• Sour cream
• Lime juice
• Ritz crackers
• Lime zest

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☝️ Recipe #1: Corn and ricotta bruschetta

✌️ Recipe #2: Homemade spaetzle

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Lime icebox cake