Location, location, location. That adage is usually applied to real estate. But it also has a big impact on job, jobs, jobs. There are a few reasons why many Americans see a weak economy when most of the numbers are quite good. And those reasons can have a lot to do with where they live. "The U.S. economy has added some 19 million jobs in the past four years — all the jobs lost in the pandemic plus millions more. The comeback has been faster and more complete than any in recent decades, or maybe ever. But it has also been uneven." NYT (Gift Article): The Geography of Unequal Recovery. "The patterns could have electoral implications: The battleground states that will help decide November’s presidential election include some of the biggest winners in the recovery — but also several of the losers."

2

School's Out For ... Ever

"There is a pathos to a closed school that doesn’t apply to a shuttered courthouse or post office. The abandonment of a building once full of young voices is an indelible sign of the action having moved elsewhere. There is a tangible cost, too. Researchers have found that students whose schools have been closed often experience declines in attendance and achievement, and that they tend to be less likely to graduate from college or find employment. Closures tend to fall disproportionately on majority-Black schools." Alec MacGillis on The Unequal Effects of School Closings. "Since the pandemic began, public school enrollment has declined by a million students nationwide, as many have switched to private schools and homeschooling."

3

Anchors Away

In Venezuela, where Nicolás Maduro has refused to accept election results and insists that he won (sound familiar?), journalists are increasingly concerned about the risks of reporting the facts about the election. In some cases, they've opted to use AI avatars to do the talking. ‘Being on camera is no longer sensible’: persecuted Venezuelan journalists turn to AI. "The need for virtual-reality newscasters is easy to understand given the political chill that has descended on Venezuela since Maduro was first elected in 2013, and has worsened in recent days." (Imagine reporting on a US president with total immunity who has called the press the enemy of the people and promised to punish his political enemies.)

+ "Reporting on powerful people has never been easy. But Rothenberg’s plight demonstrates exactly how challenging it can be in an increasingly global media market, where protections for journalists and definitions of libel and defamation vary from country to country — perhaps even more so for freelancers, lacking the institutional support enjoyed by staff writers." WaPo(Gift Article): A reporter detailed a tennis star’s alleged abuse. Now he’s paying for it. "The accusations she shared with the journalist of emotional and physical abuse by Zverev — which he has repeatedly denied — cast a shadow over the player’s ascent, though he has faced no official repercussions. The resulting stories may have created more troubles for the writer himself."

4

What the Shuck

What is corn sweat? It seems like a question Tim Walz could answer. But he's busy campaigning, so we'll ask Claire Reid of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "No, the over 90 million acres of corn grown in the U.S. each year doesn't actually sweat. However, the crops' natural evaporation processes can crank up the humidity ― especially in states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota, which produce the highest quantities and concentrations of the nation's corn." What is 'corn sweat,' and how is it making the Midwest's heat wave this week worse?

5

Extra, Extra

Shooting Down Theories: Since the Trump assassination attempt, there have been many efforts to politicize the motives of the shooter or to use the incident as a representation of something broader. Maybe the only broader thing it represents is the easy access to guns and gun violence in America. "The gunman in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden, repeatedly looked up information about explosives and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a 'target of opportunity,' a senior FBI official said Wednesday."

+ Taking the Fifth: "Court papers say the superseding indictment was presented to a new grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case. The papers say the new indictment 'reflects the Government's efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court's holdings and remand instructions.'" Jack Smith files superseding indictment against Trump in Jan. 6 case. This replaces the original indictment after the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision. It's the fifth grand jury that has heard evidence against Trump and decided to indict. (Of course, none of this will mean anything if Trump wins the election.)

+ Cemetery Plot: "A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members would be authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60." Trump campaign staff had altercation with official at Arlington National Cemetery. (Another day, another obscenity.)

+ State Lines: "The center is afraid of triggering an investigation from Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who has threatened to bring criminal conspiracy charges against organizations that help Alabamians get the procedure out of state." Alabama is a test case for efforts to help women get abortions in states where it's legal.

+ Silencers: "Women’s voices are also deemed to be potential instruments of vice and so will not be allowed to be heard in public under the new restrictions. Women must also not be heard singing or reading aloud, even from inside their houses." Taliban law bans women from speaking in public.

+ Warren's Commission: "Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s sprawling Omaha-based conglomerate, reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion Wednesday, becoming the first U.S. company outside of the tech sector to reach the milestone."

+ Soda Pop: "A Swedish company’s baking soda formula was the hottest supplement at the Olympics. And now a new study finds that it really works." Outside: Why Top Olympic Athletes Use Baking Soda to Boost Performance.

6

Bottom of the News

"The Hecht Museum in Haifa told the BBC the crockery dated back to the Bronze Age between 2200 and 1500BC - and was a rare artefact because it was so intact." Boy accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old jar on museum visit.

+ Wilkerson attempted to hide in the attic as the authorities searched the home, officials said, 'however, he fell through the ceiling.'" Murder suspect literally falls into custody of Tennessee police.

+ It's never easy to choose the most ridiculous political headline of the day. Well, sometimes it is.