Flagship

Some Biden advisers think he should go

The ever-growing camp that thinks Joe Biden should quit the presidential race now includes some of his close advisers, new reports suggest. Longtime Biden aides and confidantes are looking for ways to convince him to step aside, The New York Times reported, while several allies involved in his reelection effort told NBC News that they see his chances of winning as zero. Several Democrats are reportedly making plans to break with the president if he flops at his Thursday evening press conference at the NATO summit. “With the daily threat of another slip-up,” Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin wrote, “his defenses have never looked weaker against a broader assault.” Just ahead of his solo remarks, Biden introduced Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin,” before quickly correcting himself.

China keeps close eye on US chaos

China is watching the US’ political turmoil with glee — and some wariness over the uncertainty it could unleash. To many on the Chinese internet, as well as state media, President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance and its chaotic fallout represent the diminished and divided reputation of the West, The Economist wrote. But Chinese officials worry about what could happen if Donald Trump wins the election: Trump is seen as more transactional but also more unpredictable, and several of his close advisers are pushing for a tougher stance on China. Some Chinese netizens, meanwhile, are rooting for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to replace Biden: He met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last year, and is seen as more likely to engage with the country.

China, Russia rebuke NATO moves

China and Russia lashed out at NATO’s efforts to weaken Moscow and its ties to Beijing at this week’s Washington summit. A Chinese official said NATO’s accusation that Beijing is a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “filled with Cold War mentality.” And Moscow warned that Washington’s new plan to deploy long-range missiles to Germany for the first time since the Cold War was a “very serious threat” to its national security. But NATO’s attempts to dilute the bond between Russia and China may only reinforce their commitment to act together against Western dominance. As one China-Russia relations expert told The New York Times: “If I were Xi Jinping, I would certainly not be tempted by the statement to throw Putin under the bus.”

Cooling US inflation clears way for rate cut

US consumer prices fell in June month-on-month for the first time since the pandemic — and as a result, interest rates may soon fall, too. The new inflation report, which also showed a lower-than-expected 3% rise in prices compared to last year, gives the Federal Reserve the green light to modestly cut rates in September — enough to offer borrowers some reprieve after years of increases that put significant pressure on the economy, analysts said. In other good news for consumers, the report showed lower new and used auto prices and cooling housing costs. “This is the inflation report that we’ve been waiting for,” one researcher said.

Ultra-rich consider fleeing France, UK

The ultra-wealthy in France and the UK are considering leaving the countries after left-wing electoral victories. The French political alliance that finished first in Sunday’s election pledged to raise taxes on the rich, and wealth advisers said they have heard from panicked clients seeking to send money abroad and looking into expatriation, Bloomberg reported. And the UK is expected to see the world’s largest exodus of millionaires by 2028, a new report found. Rich Britons fear higher taxes under the new Labour government and a crackdown on those whose permanent home for tax purposes is outside the UK. “It’s not the business center of the world anymore,” said a German psychedelics and crypto investor who lives in London but plans to leave.

Ambani wedding draws global elite

The Indian and global elite are descending on Mumbai for the wedding of the son of Asia’s richest man. Anant Ambani, son of billionaire business mogul Mukesh Ambani, has been gearing up for his nuptials to Radhika Merchant with lavish pre-wedding celebrations for the past 134 days featuring performances from Rihanna and Justin Bieber. The guest list for the three-day wedding, starting Friday, reportedly includes Kim Kardashian, former UK leader Boris Johnson, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, Samsung chairman Jay Lee, artist Jeff Koons, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Billed by authorities as a “public event,” the bash will shut down typically busy Mumbai streets, enraging some locals. “The Ambanis have always had a thing for size,” Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi wrote. “Gone is the socialist-era taboo against flaunting wealth.”

Cuba says it foiled US weapons plot

Cuba said it foiled a plot to smuggle weapons into the country from the US in a bid to destabilize its government. In December, a Cuban man living in the US was arrested after arriving on the island by jet ski, carrying guns and ammunition. Authorities said he intended to recruit others to plot attacks on Cuban soil. Since then, Cuba’s interior ministry said it has uncovered a broader plan involving 32 Cuban nationals and a US-based group called La Nueva Nación Cubana, and accused Washington of turning a blind eye. Cuba recently included the group on a list of people and organizations it accuses of terrorism — a move that Reuters said appeared to be a response to the US designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, which subjects it to harsh sanctions.

Study shows impact of lifestyle on cancer

Nearly half of all adult cancer deaths in the US could be prevented by making lifestyle changes, a new study found. Researchers from the American Cancer Society analyzed 18 modifiable risk factors such as smoking, excess body weight, and physical inactivity across 30 types of cancers, and found that they likely contributed to more than half of new cases for 19 cancer types. Most lung cancer cases were linked to smoking — the leading risk factor — with excess body weight being the second biggest contributor to cancer cases. While people can make a “dramatic difference” in their lifestyle by quitting smoking, eating well, and exercising, one doctor told CNN, it’s also crucial that policymakers make it easier for people living in disadvantaged communities to make healthier choices.

No farming needed to make this ‘butter’

Artificial “butter” made from carbon could pave the way for the first truly synthetic foodstuffs. A Gates Foundation-backed US startup called Savor creates a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce long carbon chains, which are then used to form triglycerides, a kind of fat. “There is no biology involved,” a spokesperson told New Scientist. The fat is then made butter-like with rosemary oil, coloring, and water: The company chose butter because its high price makes it easier to compete on cost, but hopes to move into palm and coconut oil. Synthetic fats could free up land used for farming, and one analysis suggested it could have less than half the carbon impact of agriculturally produced fat.

Freeze-dried woolly mammoth’s secrets

An “impeccably” freeze-dried woolly mammoth helped scientists reconstruct its 3D genome sequence for the first time. The 52,000-year-old creature died in the cold, dry winter of what is now northeastern Siberia, preserving its DNA, The Washington Post reported. Researchers found intact skin cells in the hair follicles on a skin sample from the back of the mammoth’s ear, which allowed them to study which of its genes were switched on and off. The new methods could inspire similar investigations into other ancient DNA, such as mummified humans. “Look at that woolly mammoth. It’s beautiful,” the study’s author said. “The hair is still on it, and you see long stretches of its skin.”

July 12:

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds bilateral talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Berlin.
• Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda is inaugurated for a second term.
• Honduras is set to declare a health emergency over spike in dengue infections.

The most censored vinyl record in British history sold for a record-breaking price at auction. Nearly all copies of the Sex Pistols’ 1977 single God Save the Queen, which coincided with Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, were withdrawn from sale, banned by the BBC, and destroyed because it called the monarchy a “fascist regime.” But record label employees held onto a few copies; the rare vinyl that recently sold for more than £24,000 ($31,000) was owned by a former receptionist who took a few of the singles as she packed up to leave the company.

• Only one man beat Joe Biden in 2024. Here’s what he thinks he should do.
• As leadership steps back, the anti-Biden rebellion grows.
• NATO to overhaul its defense industry.