The Climate is our Biggest Threat: Inside The Fight to Change Our Fate (TechCrunch)

Over the past decade, Michael Bloomberg has become arguably the biggest environmental philanthropist in the world — especially given the $500 million investment Bloomberg announced last month that he would make in rapidly moving the U.S. “Beyond Carbon,” off both coal and natural gas and to a “100% clean energy economy.”

Carl Pope, the longtime former head of the Sierra Club and co-author of ‘Climate of Hope,’ first met then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg about a decade ago. In a two-part story by TechCrunch, Pope talks about how the ‘Beyond Carbon’ campaign came to be, and how it will succeed.

U.S. Heatwave: Overnight Heat Records Poised to Break Across the U.S. (Washington Post)
Summer nights have warmed nearly twice as fast as summer days in the United States since the 1960s. The most memorable aspect of this heat wave will be the lack of relief at night, especially in urban areas where the heat island prevents temperatures from falling quickly overnight. Dozens of “record-high night-time lows” are forecast to be set during the heatwave, with a few record high maximum temperatures possible as well.

Welcome Back: Supporters Rally Around Rep. Ilhan Omar Following ‘Send her Back!’ Attacks at Trump ‘Rally of Hate’ (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
A crowd of cheering supporters at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was a loud counterpoint to a turbulent week with President Trump.

Big Revelations: Inside the Frenetic Effort to Bury Hush Money Stories about Trump Prior to 2016 Election (Associated Press)
Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen and Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks were relieved a Wall Street Journal story detailing hush-money payments days before the 2016 election did not receive the attention they feared it would. Cohen texted Hicks: “So far I see only 6 stories. Getting little to no traction.” Hicks responded: “Same. Keep praying!! It’s working!” Cohen replied, “Even CNN not talking about it.”

2020 Poll Watch from Hindsight 2020: Polls, Polls, Polls (YouGov/TheEconomist)
Biden 23, Warren 15, Sanders 13, Harris 10, Buttigieg 7, Booker 3, de Blasio 2, O’Rourke 2 (Poll of 572 adults July 14-16). Sign up for Hindsight 2020 here.

Read This: Trump Outspending Democratic Rivals on Facebook by Millions of Dollars (Axios)
While many of Trump’s Facebook ads focus on fear-mongering around immigration, others do the exact opposite, and try to actually lure minority voters.

Drone Update: Iran Denies Trump’s Claim that U.S. Warship Destroyed Iranian Drones (Washington Post)

Tragedy: At Least 33 Dead in Suspected Arson at Kyoto Animation Studio (Japan Times)

Boris Johnson’s First Defeat: No-Deal Brexit Risk Recedes as U.K. Parliament Moves to Stop It (Bloomberg)
At least 30 Conservatives rebelled, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.

Russiagate Scandal Grows in Italy: Matteo Salvini Flirts Again With New Elections As ‘Russiagate’ Rumbles On (Bloomberg)
A new magazine report by L’Espresso alleges that a close Salvini ally allegedly continued soliciting party funds from Russia through at least February of this year.

Financial news:
-Blackstone’s Profit Drops as Private-Equity Portfolio Lags (Wall Street Journal – subscription)
-Wall Street’s Trading Desks Endure Worst First Half in a Decade Amid Trade War and Fed Uncertainty (Bloomberg)-

Space Race Latest: The Next Neil Armstrong May Be Chinese as Moon Race Intensifies (Bloomberg)

Art Review: The Powerful Simplicity of Olafur Eliasson’s Art (The Economist)
A retrospective at Tate Modern in London showcases Eliasson’s blockbuster installations and environmental concerns. The Economist says this show ‘will undoubtedly, and justifiably, be just as popular’ as his 2003 hit ‘The Weather Project’ that recreated the golden, glowing light of the sun in the museum’s cavernous Turbine Hall.

Best of late night.

On the summer heat in New York this week:

“It was so hot today, when New Yorkers felt something drip on them, they didn’t even care where it came from.”
— Jimmy Fallon

“You got to be careful out there. If you feel nauseous or have a headache, either you’ve got heat stroke, or you watched last night’s Trump rally.
— Jimmy Fallon

“It’s so hot today, NBC has a new show called ‘Law and Order: Sweaty Victims Unit.’”
— Jimmy Fallon

On Netflix announcing its first loss of subscribers since 2011:

“Netflix is losing subscribers. They said 130,000 people have stopped watching. And it all happened after one guy changed his password!”
— Jimmy Fallon