Baseball? Hot Dogs? Apple Pie? Chevrolet? Is there anything that can still unite Americans in different regions, with different political persuasions, from Hollywood to the Heartland? It turns out the answer is yes and it comes in the form of a weekly shot. Ozempic and other similar drugs have come to a city near you, and they're changing more than waistlines and blood sugar levels. When it comes to the adoption of these new drugs, the coasts are hardly elite. In fact, "America’s weight-loss drug capital isn’t Hollywood or Manhattan. It’s Bowling Green, Kentucky ... Bowling Green is perhaps best known as the home of the General Motors Co. assembly plant where Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured and the birthplace of the mid-20th century food sage Duncan Hines. A decade ago there were still farms on the outskirts of town. Kentucky’s third-largest city, with 74,000 residents, Bowling Green today is crisscrossed with strip malls and highways. While there’s some bus service and a smattering of bike lanes, most people get around by car, and rush-hour traffic can be heavy. Residents say there’s not much to do besides eat." But they're doing less of that these days. "Bowling Green can now boast of something else: It’s Ozempictown, USA. Kentucky has the highest concentration of people with weight-loss drug prescriptions in the country." Bloomberg (Gift Article): What Happens When Ozempic Takes Over Your Town.

+ Weight loss is a selling point for many Ozempic users, but the benefits seem to go well beyond that. Now if scientists could just figure out why. Wired: The Benefits of Ozempic Are Multiplying.

2

Semi Tough

There are many reasons to move more chipmaking to the US, not the least of which is that having so much production in a country that China constantly threatens is of great geopolitical concern. But moving the operations of a leading chip manufacturing company like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to a US state like Arizona is proving to be more complicated than people thought. And they thought it was gonna be pretty damn complicated. NYT (Gift Article): What Works in Taiwan Doesn’t Always Work in Arizona, a Chipmaking Giant Learns. "TSMC is known for its rigorous working conditions. It’s not uncommon for people to be called into work for emergencies in the middle of the night. In Phoenix, some American employees quit after disagreements over expectations boiled over."

3

Cruel Summer

First, security for the shows was increased. Then the shows were canceled. Three scheduled Taylor Swift shows in Vienna have been called off due to terrorism concerns. "Bomb-making materials were found in the home of one of two people suspected of planning a terror attack on upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, authorities said Thursday, adding that both suspects appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda."

+ Teen planned 'explosives and knives' attack at Swift concert.

+ Sadly, from Las Vegas to Israel, targeting people who are coming together for a uniting, joyous experience is a trend. Taylor Swift concert cancellations follow series of attacks on music events in last decade.

4

Five Ring Circus

If Tokyo hosted the Covid Olympics, then Paris is hosting the Olympics trying to forget all about Covid. There are some exceptions. For example, the Dutch. "In addition to limiting greetings to fist bumps, the country’s athletes have been encouraged to minimize contact with friends, competitors and members of the public during the Games to reduce the risk of exposure. The thinking is only partly a health measure. It is also a sporting one." NYT: No Hands, Please: We’re Dutch.

+ The Dutch are probably on to something. One has the feeling that the number of athletes with Covid is quite high, in part because Covid is surging everywhere this Summer. Summer covid surge hits at least 84 countries and continues to climb.

+ Even occasional watchers of track know that one of the keys to races like the 400m is to remain as relaxed as possible. Well, Quincy Hall definitely broke that rule, and the minds of everyone watching, with an amazing comeback.

+ "When he takes the track inside the Stade de France, Wilson will become the youngest American male athlete to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event." Quincy Wilson, 16, to run 4x400 relay at Olympics. (16! This kid is going to have the best how I spent my Summer essay in his English class...)

+ American sport climber Sam Watson got a silver medal. While also breaking a world record.

+ Australian Olympic field hockey player apologizes after being arrested for trying to buy cocaine. (He was caught when a game ended but he kept running.)

5

Extra, Extra

Reef Madness: "The Great Barrier Reef and surrounding waters have reached hotter temperatures over the past decade than they have in at least 400 years because of climate change ... It’s a stark warning. The survival of the Great Barrier Reef is essentially now in human hands." (That doesn't seem like a good place to be.)

+ Window Pain: More than 1 billion birds die each year after building crashes, study finds.

+ Borders Not So Open After All: "The flow of migrants crossing into the US from Mexico has diminished precipitously. In July, crossings were at their lowest level since late 2020, falling to about a fifth of their peak over the last four years, reached in late 2023. The steep decline is largely the result of restrictions brought in by the Biden administration to limit migration to the US, and rules to curb crossings enacted in Mexico, too."

+ Shitposter Child: "Researchers from the center said they identified 50 instances this year when Musk posted election claims that have been debunked by independent fact-checkers but spread widely on the app anyway." Elon Musk's misleading election claims have accrued 1.2 billion views on X. (Owning the libs was basically the whole reason he bought Twitter. It sure wasn't for the financial upside.)

+ Project BS: Project 2025 is not just weird, it's scary. The more people hear about it, the more concerned they get. That's why Trump has tried to distance himself from it. It's not working. Joyce Vance: More Lies About Project 2025. "Trump and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, the front man for Project 2025, took a 45-minute private plane flight together to get to a Heritage Foundation conference where the former president was one of the speakers. Trump told the audience that the Heritage Foundation was 'going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.'"

+ This Won't Tamp Down Enthusiasm: "The moniker refers to a law that Walz, the governor of Minnesota, signed last year, requiring public schools to provide menstrual products — including pads and tampons — to students in 4th through 12th grades." Why Republicans are calling Walz 'Tampon Tim' — and why Democrats embrace it. (Sounds like the perfect nickname for a guy who is about to stop the red wave.) Bloomberg: ‘Tampon Tim’ Walz Is a Weird Meme Behind a Real Problem.

6

Bottom of the News

"Fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has launched a new alcohol-free perfume for dogs called ‘Fefé’ in honor of Domenico Dolce ’s poodle, but not all vets and pet owners agree it’s safe or appropriate." (My beagles sometimes smell bad. But not $108 perfume bad.)

+ This Caitlin Clark butter sculpture at the 2024 Iowa State Fair is cutting across the internet, well, like butter.