News From Around the Web
#10 Storm Surge Warning as Hurricane Beryl Hits Texas - Kathryn Armstrong for BBC News, and Reed Timmer PhD, and In2ThinAir on X
Hurricane Beryl has made landfall in Texas with wind gusts of up to 87mph (140 km/h) as authorities warn of "life-threatening" storm surges. The category one storm is expected to bring destructive winds and up to 15in (38cm) of rain. In one heavily drenched Houston-area suburb, police officers began conducting water rescues on Monday morning. The state governor’s office has repeatedly urged residents not to underestimate the storm while oil ports have closed and flight schedules face disruption. Beryl caused at least 10 deaths in the Caribbean before being downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It was later upgraded again, and more than a million Texans were placed under a hurricane warning as it approached...
#9 Housing Study Reveals The Most Overvalued U.S. Property Markets - Demetria C. Lester for Mortgage Point, and Mortgage Professional America Magazine, and John Wake on X
In a new study, researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University claim that Detroit has surpassed Atlanta as the most expensive housing market in the U.S. after the city topped the list of inflated housing markets for more than a year. As of the end of May, data from the Top 100 U.S. Housing Markets indicates that homes in the Detroit metro region are 40.79% overvalued in relation to their long-term pricing patterns. Atlanta is the second most inflated housing market in the nation, with housing premiums there being an estimated 40.37% overvalued...
#8 Biden Hosts NATO Summit With Dual Tasks: Unite the Alliance Behind Ukraine and His Party Behind His Candidacy - Peter Nicholas for NBC News, and JackPoso on X
President Joe Biden heads into the NATO summit meeting he's hosting in Washington this week with two distinct challenges, neither of them easy. On the international stage, he wants to make a case for preserving global alliances in an era when many populist and nationalist leaders are looking inward, his advisers say. But the tougher task will be on the domestic front, where he'll need to plow through three days of meetings, speeches, and dinners — capped by a news conference Thursday — with the vigor and focus that were noticeably absent during his debate with Donald Trump. The summit should be a friendly forum for Biden, who is trying to stave off calls from fellow Democrats to drop out of the presidential race after his poor debate showing...
#7 Biden staff prepped him on how to enter, exit fundraiser room: report - Danielle Wallace for Fox News, and Jon Nicosia, and Kanekoa the Great on X
President Biden's staffers reportedly prepare him with meticulous details on how to enter and exit fundraiser event spaces. According to a copy obtained by Axios, Biden's aides created a document that read in bold letters, "Walk to podium." With the White House insignia, it included photos showing a clear pathway to the podium. Axios cited some Democrats who attended or helped set up events for Biden in recent months as wondering whether the meticulous attention to detail is more of a reflection of the 81-year-old president's limitations...
#6 Biden Sends Defiant Letter to Democrats Says Time to End Questions, Come Together - Mary Bruce for ABC News, and Matt Viser on X
In a lengthy letter to Democrats, President Joe Biden on Monday says it is time for the party to come together so it can have the best chance at beating Donald Trump. "The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end," Biden says. "We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump." Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States for its role in two fatal 737 Max crashes, the Justice Department said in a court filing Sunday evening. It represents yet another black eye for the company after a series of embarrassing safety blunders, but the agreement avoids what could have been more serious consequences. It will pay up to $487 million in fines — a fraction of the $24.8 billion that families of crash victims wanted the aircraft maker to pay. The families of victims of two fatal crashes of the 737 Max oppose the deal, the department said... Nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," Alec Baldwin is going on trial over her death. Here are the essential things to know. What charge does Alec Baldwin face? The actor is about to enter a New Mexico courtroom for the first time since the Oct. 21, 2021 shooting. He is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter. If a jury unanimously convicts him, he could get 18 months in prison... A number of companies have taken major steps to stop scrapers from attempting to take their text. It is the latest front in an ongoing and apparently escalating battle between websites that allow people to read text and the AI companies that wish to use it to build their new tools. The rise of artificial intelligence has brought a number of companies looking to train new and smarter AI technologies. But the large language model systems that underpin many of them – such as ChatGPT – require vast amounts of text to be trained... Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow on Friday to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare trip to Russia by a European leader that drew condemnation from Kyiv and European leaders. Orbán’s visit comes only days after he made a similar unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and proposed that Ukraine consider agreeing to an immediate cease-fire with Russia. “The number of countries that can talk to both warring sides is diminishing,” Orbán said. “Hungary is slowly becoming the only country in Europe that can speak to everyone.” House Democrats launched a united effort to vote against a Republican-backed election bill that would require voters provide proof of citizenship to cast ballots in federal elections. Republicans are pushing the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, otherwise known as the SAVE Act, which would amend the National Voter Registration Act and require states to obtain proof of citizenship from voters for federal elections, as well as purge noncitizens from voter rolls. Democratic leadership is urging its House members to vote against the bill in the lead-up to the vote, saying it would place "an extreme burden [on] countless Americans" in order to vote... What do you give Ringo Starr on his 84th birthday? Global peace and love, naturally. And the former Beatles drummer threw both vibes right back into the universe at Sunday's "Ringo's Annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration" in Beverly Hills. More than 300 fans and friends braved the Southern California heat wave for the midday event next to the 800-pound metal peace symbol statute Starr designed and gave to the city in 2019. Similar "Peace & Love" celebrations took place around the country, including at Wisconsin's Lambeau Field, and in 35 international locations, from Russia to Japan. "We started doing this celebration with about 50 people in 2008. And now we've got people waving and smiling at me from all over," Starr said from the stage. "All I can do is say, 'Peace and love.'"
#5 Boeing Agrees to Plead Guilty to Defrauding the FAA but Escapes Punishment Sought by Victims’ Families - Chris Isidore for CNN, and The Gateway Pundit, and Not a Number on X
#4 Alec Baldwin About to Go on Trial in the Death of “Rust” Cinematographer. Here Are Key Things to Know - CBS News and X, 1mZerOCool on X
#3 The Intense Battle to Stop AI Bots From Taking Over the Internet - Andrew Griffin for Independent, and Robert King on X
#2 Hungary’s Orbán Meets Putin for Talks in Moscow in a Rare Visit by a European Leader - Justin Spike and Vladimir Isachenkov for AP News, and Orban Viktor on X
#1 House Dems Launch United Effort Against Election Bill Requiring Voters Prove Citizenship - Emma Colton for Fox News, and Steve McLaughlin NY, and The General on X
And Now for Something Special
All Ringo Starr Wants for His 84th Birthday Is ‘Peace and Love’ — And a Trippy Two-Tiered Cake - Bryan Alexander
USA Today, and Rock History, Eric Alper, John F. Lyons and Music Jim on X
