1 Trump survives assassination attempt 2 US consumer sentiment falls 3 Massive data breach at AT&T 4 Remote work increases share of women working 5 World population to peak at 10.3b in 2084 Spain wins record fourth European Championship 7/15/2006 Twitter launches
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1 Trump survives assassination attempt
Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally Saturday after a major security lapse, an attack that will likely reshape this year’s presidential race and fuel long-standing fears that the campaign could descend into political violence. In the moments after the shooting, Trump was swarmed and covered up by his security agents. He quickly emerged, his face streaked with blood, and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!" The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the "subject involved" in what it termed an attempted assassination in a statement early on Sunday. Earlier the Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter was dead, one attendee at the rally was killed and two other spectators were injured. Law enforcement officials told reporters they not yet identified a motive for the attack.
Mr. Trump had heard at least one shot, maybe a few. One grazed his ear. He hit the deck, was lifted up in shock, pale. He should have been swiftly rushed from the stage. But no, this is the great genius of American political theater and the reflex kicked in, the same reflex that kicked in after he had Covid and was returned to the White House from the hospital, and wanted to pose on the White House balcony in a Superman shirt with a big S, and somebody talked him out of it. So too at the rally Saturday—he got to his feet, he didn’t wipe the blood from his face, he wanted you to see and understand the whole picture. He got his look of tough-guy fury, the one he showed for weeks walking into court in New York, the one on the mug shot. He raised that fist, pumped it, shouted “Fight,” as part of the crowd began to chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” It was epic. Whatever you feel about him, whatever your stand, grant him one of the great gangsta moves of American political history. WSJ Opinion, Peggy Noonan
Article Source: Reuters, WSJ
2 US consumer sentiment falls
US consumer sentiment unexpectedly declined to the lowest level in eight months in early July as high prices continued to weigh on Americans’ views of their finances and the economy. The sentiment index fell to 66 in July from 68.2, according to the preliminary reading from the University of Michigan. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a slight increase to 68.5. “Despite expecting inflation to ease, consumers remain vociferously frustrated at the persistence of high prices,” Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a statement. “Almost half of consumers spontaneously expressed complaints that high prices are eroding their living standards, matching the all-time high reached two years ago.”
Article Source: Bloomberg
3 Massive data breach at AT&T
AT&T Inc. said on Friday that hackers stole a cache of six months worth of mobile-phone customer data, disclosing for the first time a massive cybersecurity breach that threatens national security. The breach at the telecommunications giant included calls and text information for nearly all of its cellular customers from May 1, 2022 to Oct. 31 of that year, and it included the numbers they were calling and a smaller subset of location data. The trove represents a potential minefield of potential privacy and national security issues, for intelligence agents, police officers, stalking victims, journalists, therapists, an endless list of disturbing possibilities. AT&T has almost 115 million customers. The Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the breach, and federal law enforcement authorities said they worked with AT&T to delay announcing it amid potential risks to national security or public safety. AT&T said in a statement to Bloomberg that as part of its effort to cooperate with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation into the hack, it delayed the announcement to avoid undermining law enforcement’s work. The company said it believes at least one person has been apprehended in connection with the incident.
Article Source: Bloomberg
4 Remote work increases share of women working
More women than ever have entered the American workforce. Heady demand for employees combined with more opportunities for remote work and a surge in female entrepreneurs are sending a flood of women into the labor market. Women now hold a record 79 million jobs, and the share of women in their prime working years who are employed or seeking work now stands at 77.9%, up from 75.8% five years ago. But it’s not time for a victory lap just yet. The same work-from-home opportunities that have enabled many moms in particular to enter or rejoin the workforce are also shackling them with fresh responsibilities. Many say they are effectively working two full-time jobs: managing their households and their careers.
Article Source: WSJ
5 World population to peak at 10.3b in 2084
The world’s population is growing more slowly and will peak at a lower level than previously projected, new estimates from the United Nations show. The Earth will top out at around 10.29 billion people in 2084, before declining to 10.18 billion by 2100, the U.N. said in biennial population estimates released Thursday. That compares with the Earth’s population in July 2023 of 8.09 billion. Across much of Europe—and in longtime population leader China—population levels have already peaked and are declining. Notably, this population reversal means that India has now surpassed China as the world’s most populous country, with 1.44 billion people last year, compared with China’s 1.42 billion. India’s population won’t peak until 2061, the U.N. projects. The U.S. population, estimated at 343.5 million in 2023, is expected to keep climbing through the end of the century, but at a slowing rate. Amid those slowing growth rates, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to make up a larger slice of the world population, climbing to just under a third by 2100. This reflects not just growth in Africa, but also declining Asian populations and flattening population growth in the Americas.
Article Source: WSJ
Spain wins record fourth European Championship over England
