Good morning. It's Wednesday, July 7, and one of America's top track athletes will miss the Olympics, Pope Francis recovers from surgery, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Sha'Carri Richardson

One of the top US athletes will miss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, after USA Track and Field declined to add Sha'Carri Richardson to the 100-meter relay. Richardson, who rose to prominence in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, tested positive for marijuana last week. Under US rules, Richardson was barred from competing in the solo 100-meter dash, but her selection on the relay team was at the discretion of USA Track and Field. 

Known for her flamboyant style, Richardson has been compared to world-record holder Florence Griffith Joyner. At 21 years of age, she posted 10.72 seconds in the 100-meter dash—the fourth-fastest time for an American woman in history and the sixth-fastest time for a woman ever recorded. Richardson was one of the favorites to win the race and would have potentially been the first American to do so since 1996.

Richardson said she took the drug to cope with the death of her biological mother, but said she would make "no excuses" for the decision.

JEDI Canceled

Department of Defense officials announced yesterday the cancellation of the high-profile Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, cloud computing project.

The program, priced at $10B over 10 years, represented a small slice of the Pentagon's budget (around $715B annually, see breakdown) but had become a hotly contested flashpoint. Originally awarded to Microsoft and its Azure platform in 2019, Amazon contested the decision in court shortly after its announcement. One of the globe's largest cloud computing companies, Amazon alleged former President Donald Trump unduly influenced the award process due to personal dislike of the company's founder, Jeff Bezos. 

Kind of know what cloud computing is, but kind of don't? Start here. 

Pope Francis Recovers

Vatican officials said yesterday Pope Francis was recovering but would remain hospitalized following a Sunday surgery to remove part of his intestines. The planned procedure addressed a condition known as diverticular stenosis—abnormal pouches on the interior wall of the digestive tract that often lead to obstruction and other complications. In Francis' case, scarring on the colon had become so severe that it had reportedly begun to significantly narrow the colon. More than 80% of those over 80 years of age are estimated to experience some form of the condition. 

It's the first major health complication during the 84-year-old Francis' papal tenure, though he had part of his right lung tissue removed as a 21-year-old following a severe bout of pneumonia. 

The pope is expected to remain hospitalized through the week. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by ButcherBox

> Phoenix Suns edge Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals (More) | ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols pulled from NBA Finals coverage after disparaging remarks about colleague Maria Taylor revealed (More)

> Universal ends 16-year licensing deal with HBO; films will now go to Peacock first after theatrical run (More) | Ta-Nehisi Coates and Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones to join faculty at Howard University (More)

> Italy tops Spain on penalties to book spot in Euro 2020 final (More) | England takes on Denmark in other semifinal today (3 pm ET, ESPN) (More)

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Science & Technology

> Fly study reveals how insects make decisions on food choices; brain images show flies are willing to tolerate bad taste for caloric intake as hunger levels increase (More)

> Great Salt Lake hits lowest level in 170 years amid broader drought in the American West (More)

> New research reveals the human brain breaks open DNA to access the genes needed for storing memories under high-stress situations; process appears to happen in multiple regions throughout the brain (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets mixed: S&P 500 falls -0.2% after closing at record high for seven consecutive sessions, Dow slips -0.6%, and Nasdaq up +0.2% to fresh record high (More)

> US oil futures trade at highest levels since 2014 before retreating yesterday, as OPEC fails to reach a production agreement for August and beyond (More)

> Business leaders across tech, media, and entertainment industries arrive in Sun Valley, Idaho, for annual summer conference (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Tropical Storm Elsa makes landfall along the western Florida peninsula (More) | Death toll in Miami-area building collapse rises to 36, with more than 110 unaccounted for (More)

> An estimated 90% of US troops have been withdrawn from Afghanistan ahead of Sept. 11 deadline, officials say (More) | Reports say US forces left Bagram Air Force Base, which the country has occupied for 20 years, in the middle of the night (More)

> Eric Adams, current Brooklyn borough president and former police officer, declared winner of Democratic primary for New York City mayor; Adams is favored to assume the mayor's office in the heavily Democratic city (More)

HEALTHY PUP, HAPPY PUP

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ETCETERA

A four-day workweek gets great results in Iceland.

Hypnotic aerial shots of herding sheep.

Most Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life.

World's tallest horse passes away at age 20.

Could sunscreen for pavement help reduce city temperatures?

Dad balances beer and baby while catching a baseball.

A fascinating time-lapse video of a bird nesting.

Clickbait: Denver bear climbs through home window, eats cat food. (via YouTube) 

Clickbite: Austrian man interrupts python in his toilet.

Historybook: Construction of the Hoover Dam begins (1930); HBD Ringo Starr (1940); HBD basketball legend Lisa Leslie (1972); Sandra Day O’Connor nominated as first female US Supreme Court justice (1981); US women’s soccer team wins World Cup for record fourth time (2019).

"No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom."

- Sandra Day O'Connor

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