7.27.2024

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Arsonists attack France's train network ahead of Olympics.

A series of predawn fire attacks hit France's high-speed rail system Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The fires and subsequent delays in service impacted at least 800,000 passengers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Separately, catch up on yesterday's opening ceremony here, and see photos from the event here. 

Venezuelans vote tomorrow in presidential election.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seeks his third six-year term amid the country's economic crisis, marred by hyperinflation and its struggling oil industry. Maduro has ruled since 2013 following the death of the country's former president Hugo Chávez. Maduro faces nine challengers; former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia is considered the main opposition candidate. Polls show González leading Maduro by double-digits. 

California's largest fire of the year grows to 164,000 acres.

The northern California blaze, known as the Park Fire, has grown to a size larger than the city of Chicago (about 148,000 acres) due to warm, dry weather and high winds. Roughly 4,000 residents in the area have been forced to evacuate, while 130 structures have been destroyed, according to officials. A 42-year-old man was arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of starting the fire via a flaming car. The fire was 0% contained as of this writing. See photos here. 

Prominent short-seller charged with fraud in $16M stock scheme.

The US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges Friday against Andrew Left, founder of Citron Research, with 17 counts of securities fraud and one count of making false statements. Left is accused of making sensational comments about publicly traded companies to manipulate the stock market. He was also accused of similar misconduct in Hong Kong in 2016.

Key inflation gauge rises 2.6% year-over-year in June.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which measures costs consumers pay across a wide swath of items, excluding food and energy, rose 2.6% year-over-year and 0.2% month-over-month. Both figures are in line with analyst estimates. The index is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure; the central bank targets 2% annual inflation.

In partnership with Honeycomb Luxury

Every day, 27,000 trees are cut down for toilet paper. That felt like too many, so this brand created luxury 3-ply toilet tissue made from bamboo. It feels like regular high-end toilet paper, but doesn’t harm trees. 

So, why bamboo? It’s the fastest-growing plant in the world, meaning it can create thousands of rolls in the time it takes a single tree to grow back. Its short fibers are perfect for creating soft toilet tissue you can feel good about. It’s biodegradable, plastic-free, and delivered straight to you.

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Today, we're sharing a story from reader Jill W. in Willoughby, Ohio.

"I recently went to a community Art Fest with my adult daughter and daughter-in-law. It was one of the biggest crowds to date, and we stopped in a coffee shop for iced coffees. As expected, the line was looong. We were waiting for our orders when a woman looked nervous as she was waiting. My daughter-in-law had learned that she was an artist with a booth and was really nervous that her booth was unattended while she waited."

"My daughters told her not to worry, she could go back to her booth, and the ladies would bring her her drink when it was ready. She was so appreciative and trusted my daughters to help her out. And they did just that. We got our orders and hers and went out to find her booth. It wasn't an easy trek but the ladies found her and delivered her drink to her. She was thankful; both for her drink and the honesty and helpfulness of my girls! Very proud momma here!" 

What act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Join us on our new 1440 Communities page on Reddit to share your story. Follow the link here.