0:09
Details of MCG assault against Lidia Thorpe revealed after court lifts suppression order
Ebony Bell convicted and handed community work order following assault on senator and second ‘gratuitous act of violence’ while on bail
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A woman has been handed a community work order for punching Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG over claims the independent senator disrespected her mother.
Ebony Bell was initially told to undertake an anger management course after her 2024 attack on Thorpe, but committed a second “gratuitous act of violence” while on bail, the Melbourne magistrates court was told in June.
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0:57
Boing Boing, July 2, 2026
Happy Thursday! Starlog is coming back from the dead after 17 years, edited by Annalee Newitz. Elsewhere: a mystery DVD mailed from Poland hides coded threats in a plague doctor video, a 1681 London attacker vanished into thin air, and a World of Warcraft bug once triggered a virtual pandemic that epidemiologists still study.
Starlog returns in November …
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1:26
The AI Trade Is Losing One of Its Key Signals
At a time when markets are growing uneasy over whether the enormous sums being poured into artificial intelligence will ever pay off, the prices the sector commands for each unit of usage are drifting lower.
1:46
Traders Weigh Second Half Outlook: Markets Snapshot
The first half of 2026 saw a bumper earnings season and global equity benchmarks soar to new highs, driven by a enthusiasm around the AI trade. Businesses, investors and central banks now turn their attention to the second half of the year with the focus firmly on whether markets can move past rocky geopolitical issues, growth concerns and ongoing jitters around the AI buildout. The Opening Trade spoke to leading voices about how the rest of 2026 is shaping up for equity markets. (Source: Bloomberg)
2:26
Major Update to Mitch McConnell's Health
Just after ’s Thursday PM update revealed how Mitch McConnell’s aides were refusing to say even where he was, they dropped a bombshell. The aides, who report to camera-shy $226,00-a-year chief of staff Terry Carmack, stonewalled on basic questions about a public servant in his seventh Senate term. But after we published our story, they finally issued a statement offering one tiny glimmer of insight into the 84-year-old’s perilous condition. We couldn’t do this work without the help of our subscribers. Thank you to everyone who supports independent journalism.
The Daily Beast’s Catherine Bouris has the latest.
Sen. Mitch McConnell’s aides have made a bombshell admission after dodging questions from the press for weeks about the 84-year-old’s health.
The senator’s team had previously refused to answer questions about his condition after he was found unconscious at home, administered CPR, and transported to hospital last month, as revealed in an EMS call.
The call revealed that McConnell may have suffered a heart attack at his home on June 14, with his staff waiting until June 22 to give an update on his condition, saying only that he would not be voting that week.
McConnell’s office issued the first statement about his health since June 22 only after the Daily Beast asked a series of critical questions and published a story highlighting their refusal to even say where the senator was located.
In the emailed statement on Thursday, McConnell’s team revealed that the senator is still in hospital almost three weeks after the June 14 emergency call.
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the statement reads. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
The June 14 EMS call revealed
4:37
Jessica Tarlov Humiliates Trump With Scenes of Empty Fair
Fox News’ token liberal was eager to poke fun at the lack of crowds at President Trump’s Great American State Fair on Thursday.
Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic Party strategist and co-host on The Five, visited the fair in Washington D.C. on Thursday while co-hosting a special broadcast from the site with colleagues Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Joey Jones.
“Plenty of room at the State Fair!” she wrote in one post alongside a photo of a completely empty field.
The 42-year-old also posted a video, telling viewers, “I’m at the state fair. It is as empty as advertised. It is also so hot that it’s not really safe to be out here.”
Thursday was the hottest July 2 on record, with the heat index reaching 111 degrees in the afternoon. An extreme heat warning was in effect throughout the day.
I’m out here at the State Fair, and well, it is as empty as everyone says. It’s also very hot!
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) July 2, 2026
Now is a great time to mention that my new book, I Disagree, is coming out soon, and it talks all about how to find common ground with folks who you may not agree with/who think it’s… pic.twitter.com/DSG1xqenal
Fox News also inadvertently drew attention to the lack of crowds, with Michael Estime reporting live from the fair and stressing just how hot it was.
“The current temperature outside right now by the way, 101 degrees, you factor in the humidity and it feels like 110 degrees outside right now,” he said.
“But let me tell you something, that does not stop our true patriots,” he continued as the camera panned over a largely empty field with some two dozen visitors visible in frame.
Backtracking slightly, Estime noted that “the heat though certainly keeping the crowds at bay,” while at the same time claiming that “plenty of folks” were “still braving the heat to be a part of America’s 250th birthday.”
The extreme heat is expected to continue through the weekend, including during the president’s planned Fourth of July celebrations.
The Five panel argued over the heat during its show in front of the state fair, arguing about the fact that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggested New Yorkers set their thermostats to 78 degrees to help conserve energy.
The festivities are expected to kick off with military flyovers at 1:15 p.m., though the main program is not scheduled to start until 7 p.m. The temperature is expected to reach 100 degrees, and thunderstorms are forecast for the afternoon.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 9:45 p.m., at which point the temperature is likely to be around 84 degrees. The fireworks show, billed as the largest in history and already mired in controversy over the potential pollution it will cause, is expected to start at 10:30 p.m.
The president has already vowed to push through the heat, telling the audience at the opening ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, “By the way, on July 4th, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m going to go, and I’m going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.”
In response to the extreme heat warning, Freedom 250, U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency released a joint statement on Thursday detailing the ways they have coordinated to prepare the site for visitors on Saturday.
“The safety and well-being of every guest remains our top priority as we celebrate this historic 250th Independence Day,” the statement reads. “In light of current heat conditions, Freedom 250, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have coordinated closely to adjust event timing and expand cooling resources, water stations, and medical support across the grounds. We are proud to welcome the public to a safe, well-prepared, and truly memorable celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”
CNN medical analyst and cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Reiner warned on Wednesday that the celebrations should be canceled in light of the extreme heat and weather warnings.
“The same way the outdoor inauguration was canceled last year because of the cold, the rally on the Mall this July 4 should be canceled because of the intense heat (> 100 degrees),” he wrote on X.
“Dangerous weather and large crowds is a bad combination.”
9:35
The Legal AF Evening Briefing
The ACLU just clinched a win on birthright citizenship, a decision that keeps the 14th Amendment protection in place, though the 5‑4 split shows how close a future shift could be. Cody Wofsy says the group is ready to push back now that the Trump administration is signaling a broader attack on non‑white communities.
Former CIA chief John Brennan isn’t waiting for a grand‑jury decision; he sued the Justice Department and the White House to safeguard the records he says prove a vindictive prosecution. At the same time, the DOJ told a judge it had unintentionally let a sealed Mar a Lago Jack Smith report slip to an outside source.
John Yoo, the lawyer behind the notorious torture memos, is back as a consultant for the Justice Department, while the court’s narrow ruling underscores how a single vote can swing fundamental rights.
10:36
Radio telemetry almost saved this vulture
So a White-rumped vulture, named Z25, had been fitted with a radio tag, which was sending back some really useful data to conservation scientists. They were using this info to keep an eye on Z25 and make sure it was safe, working with forest personnel and some NGOs at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The data had actually helped save Z25's life a few times already, but unfortunately, before anyone could act on some new information, Z25 flew into a power transmission line.
The radio tag had been doing its job, sending back critical data that the scientists were using to try and protect Z25. It's just that sometimes, even with all the tech and planning in the world, accidents can still happen. In this case, Z25's encounter with the power line was just too much, and it didn't survive.
It's a shame, because the conservation effort was clearly making a difference, and Z25 had already been saved a few times thanks to the radio tag and the quick work of the scientists and their partners. The fact that they were able to intervene and help Z25 in the past is a testament to the importance of this kind of work, and the impact it can have on individual animals and whole species.
12:00
CPI(M) alleges trade union leader was arrested to stop protest before CM’s visit
V. Srinivasa Rao, the state secretary for the CPI(M), says police took Ch. Chandrasekhar into custody on Tuesday, just before the chief minister and a union minister were due to arrive. He adds the move was meant to stop any protests that might target the Centre’s new employment scheme, which the party says would hurt workers.
The party’s claim is that the arrest was timed to silence dissent, while officials haven’t commented on the specifics. No official statement has been released about the reasons for the detention, and it’s unclear whether any charges have been filed.
What we do know is that the timing aligns with the upcoming visit, and the CPI(M) is gearing up to challenge the scheme publicly once the leaders are back.
12:58
Researchers say EU lawmaker who investigated surveillance was hacked by Israeli spyware
July 3 - A former member of the European Parliament who served on a committee investigating abusive surveillance was himself hacked using an Israeli-made spy tool, a Canadian tech watchdog group said on Friday.
