In Other Brews…
From the campaign trail: VP Harris received an (expected) endorsement from the Obamas, the latest major Democrats to support her presidential bid. Meanwhile, former President Trump headlined the largest Bitcoin conference of the year, promising to “ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.” Polls suggest 20-30% of voters care about candidates’ crypto views.
The DOJ is saying Left isn’t right. Andrew Left, a prominent short-seller (an investor who bets against companies), was recently charged with securities fraud. He’s accused of making inflammatory comments about companies like Tesla, GameStop, and Peloton through his company Citron Research, and then benefitting from the stock swing his influence created. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
Deadpool & Wolverine is slashing records with (crude) wisecracks and adamantium claws. The Deadpool threequel raked in $438 million globally, a record for an R-rated film and the 8th largest box office opening in history. Disney’s first-ever adults-only also received a stellar 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Millions of people are under air quality alerts as wildfires rage across the Western U.S. and Canada. As of yesterday morning, the Park Fire had burned more than 550 square miles (that’s 1,430 square kilometers for our Canadian readers) of northern California. Reinforcements are now relieving local firefighters, some of whom have been working nonstop since last Wednesday.
California Governor Newsom (D) is cracking down on homeless encampments,ordering agencies to remove them from state land. The issue follows a SCOTUS ruling that allows cities to ban people from sleeping outdoors in public. Newsom described his executive order as a way to "move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them."