The Guardian: Bloomberg Eyes 2020 Presidential Run as a Democrat, But Can a Centrist Unite the Party?

Wall Street Journal: Aided by Mike Bloomberg, Democratic Candidates are Embracing Gun Safety
Key quotes from story:
–“The gun-control lobby today has enough money to counter the NRA’s war chest, thanks in big part to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.”
–“Moms Demand Action, launched following the 2012 killing of 20 first-grade students and six officials at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is now largely funded by Mr. Bloomberg.”
–“In June, the NRA took its candidate-grade archive off the internet after past “A” scores showed up in political attacks against those holding the ratings. Everytown for Gun Safety, the Bloomberg-backed umbrella organization that includes Moms Demand Action, responded by posting its own archive of NRA grades.”

What Happens with Vision and Leadership: Three Lush NYC Parks from the Bloomberg Era Drastically Remake the East River Waterfront (New York Times)

Turkish Meltdown a Test for Global Power Leaders (Bloomberg Politics)

2018: The Year Global Warming Made its Menace a Reality (New York Times)

Editorial: Trump’s Border Wall is Confirmed to be a Boondoggle; The President Wants to Waste Billions (Bloomberg Opinion)
Read the U.S. Government Accountability Office report here.

Trump Hates ‘Chain Migration.’ But Melania Trump’s Parents Just Used It To Become U.S. Citizens (New York Times)

Move Over Millennials, It’s Gen Z’s Turn to Kill Industries (Bloomberg)
Malls, cash and American football could be in mortal danger.

Arts Section: Hockney Could Become Most Expensive Living Artist (Bloomberg)

Weekend Sky Watch: Perseid Meteor Shower To Put On Brilliant Show This Weekend (Huffington Post)

Best of late night.

“I saw that SeaWorld was letting 125 employees go. Or as the animals put it, ‘Must be nice!’”
— Jimmy Fallon

On yesterday’s announcement of a sixth branch of the U.S. military called Space Force by Vice President Mike Pence:
“I watched this whole announcement this morning, and I was impressed by the fact that Mike Pence was somehow able to make an announcement about interspace warfare boring.”
— Jimmy Kimmel

“Rudy Giuliani told CNN the Russia investigation could help Republicans in the midterms, because Americans are getting tired of all the drama. Then America was like ‘we had 62 seasons of ‘The Real Housewives’..we never get tired of the drama!’”
— Jimmy Fallon

For more Best of Late Night from the New York Times, click here.