Most Read on the Bloomberg:
EU Says No to Boris Johnson, Increasing No-Deal Brexit Risk (Bloomberg)

Hong Kong Latest: Hong Kong Protesters Swarm Airport to Start Weekend of Unrest (Bloomberg)

Election Security Alarm: Russia Targeted Elections Systems in All 50 States, New Report Finds (New York Times)
A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the Russian effort was more far-reaching than previously acknowledged and one largely undetected by the states and federal officials at the time.

The report came 24 hours after Robert Mueller warned that Russia was moving again to interfere “as we sit here.”

Despite Warnings: Republican Senators Block Election Security Bills (Washington Post)

Advance Team Failure: How Trump Ended Up in Front of a Presidential Seal Doctored to Include a Russian Symbol (Washington Post)

2020 Poll Watch: Ohio – Democratic Candidates vs Trump (Hindsight 2020)
Quinnipiac poll:
Biden 50 – Trump 42
Sanders 45 – Trump 46
Warren 45 – Trump 46
Harris 44 – Trump 44
Buttigieg 44 – Trump 44
Booker 43 – Trump 44
Sign up for Hindsight 2020 here.

Biden Beating Trump 49% to 39% Nationally (Fox News Poll)
Biden 49 – Trump 39
Sanders 46 – Trump 40
Warren 41 – Trump 42
Harris 40 – Trump 41

Talking Point for Minimum Wage Debate: States With High Minimum Wages Are Doing Just Fine (Bloomberg Opinion – Matt Winkler)
California, New York and Washington were among the first to establish a $15 hourly rate, and their economies expanded with bigger boosts in personal income, job growth and consumer spending than the 21 states resisting anything above the current federal minimum wage of $7.25, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Since 2015, the economies of the higher-minimum wage states are substantially more robust than the rest of the U.S.

Today in Fintech: China’s First AI Fund Learned From the Country’s Best Traders (Bloomberg)

Future of Tech: Apple’s Heir Apparent Is Much More Like Tim Cook Than Steve Jobs (Bloomberg)

Climate of Hope.

Winner: Boston Ranks No. 1 in America For Energy Efficiency (Boston Globe)
Boston’s citywide energy initiative, Renew Boston, uses money saved from energy bills in city-owned buildings to fund more sustainability projects. The city is working to implement community choice energy, which would allow neighborhoods to choose their energy provider and the prices they pay.

In October, Boston was named a winner in the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, receiving about $2.5 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund sustainability efforts.

Arts section.

New York: Now Open at The Shed: Maze – Brooklyn Street Dance Comes to The Shed (Financial Times)
Calling all Flexn fans! Maze opened this week at The Shed and runs through August 17. Watch the rehearsal here.

Glimpsing Our Post-Consumption Future at New York’s Cooper Hewitt (New York Times)
The Design Triennial envisions the possibilities for algae, yeast and other nonpolluting materials. Will they help save the planet?

London: ‘Human Activity’ Contemporary Art Commission Opens Today at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE (Made in Shoreditch)
The installation is by London-based artist Daniel Silver and features a set of monumental, figurative works that speak to Silver’s profound interest in ancient cultures and archaeology. The London Mithraeum was named by Time magazine as one of the world’s greatest places. Get free tickets here.

Best of late night.

On the series of global heatwaves followed by flash-floods along with the earthquakes in California and the return of the measles:

“I don’t quite remember the Old Testament, but I think God is trying to send us a sign … Like he’s planning to wipe us out!”
–Trevor Noah

On a new collaboration between Cheez-It crackers and a U.S. vineyard to sell a Cheez-It and Boxed Wine packet in the U.S. for picnics:

“People are like: ‘Gross… But I’ll take a dozen boxes.’”
— Jimmy Fallon

“It’s awesome. It’s like Lunchables, but for adults!”
— Jimmy Fallon

On the 2019 iPhone photography awards:

“The winners of the 12th annual iPhone photography awards were announced today. Snubbed once again: Grandma.”
— Seth Meyers

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