Cleveland Cavaliers, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump: Your Monday Evening Briefing
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Version 0 of 1. (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. The sun reached its highest point in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, introducing the first day of summer. Air conditioners were already running on high out west, where a heat wave scorched Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California with triple-digit temperatures. At least four people died from causes related to the heat. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for the Midwest and East through the week. _____ 2. The national struggle over gun control continued to play out. The Senate voted down four measures aimed at curbing gun sales. The Supreme Court maintained its practice of tacitly approving state and local limits, turning away a challenge to a Connecticut law banning many semiautomatic rifles. After a final hearing, a Connecticut judge has until October to decide whether Remington, the maker of the assault rifle used in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, can be sued for liability. _____ 3. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who heads a Senate panel with jurisdiction over sports, sent a seven-page letter to the World Anti-Doping Agency. He demanded to know why it had taken years for the agency, which is partly funded by U.S. taxpayers, to check out claims that Russia was running a broad doping program. _____ 4. Donald Trump abruptly fired his embattled campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who had tempestuous relations with Republican officials, the national press corps and Mr. Trump’s chief strategist, Paul Manafort. “Ding dong the witch is dead,” a Trump aide tweeted. A new national poll showed Hillary Clinton leading Mr. Trump, thanks to support from women and minority voters. _____ 5. Some 20,000 people erupted in revelry at Cleveland’s airport as the Cavaliers returned home from California with their first N.B.A. title. LeBron James, the hometown hero and finals M.V.P., paraded the trophy as confetti blew across the tarmac. “Cleveland!” he roared. Above, the scene in the minutes after the Cavaliers’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. _____ 6. Good news. Scientists agree that there’s one simple treatment that can ease a vast number of ailments, including arthritis, back pain, hypertension, diabetes and depression. You’ve already heard of it: exercise. But you may not know how little it takes to make a difference. Just 30 minutes five days a week of brisk walking, slow bike riding — even vacuuming or mowing the lawn. _____ 7. Venezuela’s economic collapse — the bitter result of years of mismanagement capped by low oil prices — is causing more desperation. Food riots, protests and mass looting have been erupting across the country, with the government trying to channel anger toward wealthy, ofttimes foreign business owners. _____ 8. Looking for something to watch? Our reviewer says ESPN’s “O. J.: Made in America” (streamable through the ESPN app) and FX’s “The People vs. O. J. Simpson” (rentable on iTunes and Amazon) are two of the most astonishing television series of the year. He says the two offer history in both intense close-up and revelatory long view and “wind up standing together, not as competitors but as collaborators.” We have more small-screen recommendations here. _____ 9. Finally, we all know technology keeps reinventing human expression. One treasured technology is falling by the wayside: the huge instant film and camera used by artists like Chuck Close, Mary Ellen Mark and William Wegman (an example of whose work is above). At the same time, Apple is automating emojis, which could make digital chatter a lot more visual — if not necessarily more creative. _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a.m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s the Weekend Briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com. |