| Keir Starmer unveiled Labour's manifesto this morning, saying that wealth creation was his "number one priority" but that he did not have a "magic wand". In the 131-page document, the party pledged not to raise rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT; to cap corporation tax at 25%; and to abolish the non-dom tax-free status. Russian warships capable of carrying hypersonic missiles have docked in Havana, says The Times, in a show of force that has drawn "inevitable comparisons with the 1962 Cuban missile crisis". The vessels fired a 21-gun salute that was reciprocated from La Cabaña, the fortress where Che Guevara once had his office. England's footballers have been given special permission to "cover up their tackle", says the Daily Star. Guests at the hotel in Germany where the team are staying during the Euros normally have to comply with a "naked-only policy" in the spa, but management have granted the "shy" players permission to wear their swimmers instead. | | | | Joe Biden hugs his son after the verdict. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty |
| Hunter Biden's conviction will help his dad | It sounds cynical, but Hunter Biden's conviction for lying about his drug addiction when buying a gun will probably help his father's campaign, say Michael Barbaro and Katie Rogers on The Daily. It "takes some of the steam" out of the Republican claim that the justice department would "let the president's son off easy". And in an election that's been all about drawing a character contrast with Donald Trump, the president's reaction was significant. Whereas Trump angrily lashed out at his own conviction over hush-money payments, Biden "quietly accepted the outcome", emphasising that he would always support his son but wouldn't abuse his position by pardoning him. This image of Biden as a father first and foremost has gone down well with Americans – not least because, despite what some may say, it "isn't a political calculation". | The verdict has been met with a "surprisingly muted response" from the right, says Molly Olmstead in Slate. That's partly because of the "obviously awkward fact" that the trial was all about firearms: no Republican wants to "risk looking opposed to gun access". But it's also because, in a country ravaged by opioid addiction, Hunter's struggles with crack cocaine are all too relatable. What we heard in the courtroom were the intensely private details of a family "deeply wounded" by their loved one's addiction – and most Americans know someone going through something similar. Republicans are trying to claim Hunter's conviction is just a smokescreen for his "real crimes"; he is due to stand trial on tax-related charges in September. But they can't make political hay with this case. "Hunter Biden's tragedy was, simply, too all-American." | | | | Lightningmaps.org is a real time world map that shows where lightning is striking right now. See whether you'd better wear rubber-soled shoes today by clicking here. |
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| | | Entrepreneurs often talk about pivoting a business away from its initial purpose, says The Hustle. The master of that is surely Stewart Butterfield. In 2002, the Canadian businessman tried to create an online game. The game itself never launched, but one of its core features – allowing users to share pictures – became the photo-sharing website Flickr. When that business sold to Yahoo for $35m, Butterfield tried to make another game. Again, it was a dud. But the online messaging system the team had built during its development became Slack, the workplace software behemoth that was bought by Salesforce in 2020 for $27bn. | | | | 🗳️ 21 days to go... The reviews for last night's Sky leaders' debate have, for the candidates, been dire. Whenever the "old lines" came out, says Tom Peck in The Times, "they were laughed at". At Starmer's millionth rendition of "my dad was a toolmaker", the audience "practically erupted", as they had every right to: "the Four Yorkshiremenisation of politics is getting very, very boring indeed". It doesn't help that the Labour leader has the voice of a "constipated speak-your-weight machine", says Gareth Roberts in The Spectator. "He doesn't spark hope or joy or fear – or anything. Your eyes slide off him." Sunak didn't fare much better, says Madeline Grant in The Daily Telegraph, most tellingly when he was asked to name something that might "humanise" him to the audience. Answers to such questions are always execrable, but "I eat too much Haribo and drink Coke" somehow topped it. | | | | Enjoying The Knowledge? Click below to share | | |
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| Of course exams are unfair – that's the point | Exams are hard, says Celia Walden in The Daily Telegraph. They're stressful, and they make people anxious. "In our cotton-wool-cushioned age, these three things alone should necessitate instant cancellation." But on Sunday came the "definitive bout" of mudslinging: a scientist at the University of Sussex declared exams "racist". According to Dr Zahid Pranjol, end-of-year tests are a "manifestation of colonisation" because the practice is rooted in the British empire's belief in its "cultural and intellectual superiority". Alongside the shockingly outdated belief that superiority is a good thing – "inferiority is surely what we should all be striving for" – exams also encourage the use of, trigger warning, "proper English". | It's never entirely clear, when such things are declared beyond the pale, what's going on. Generally, some apparently erudite figure slaps a variation of the word "colonial" on something, and we learn we are now supposed to feel "guilt and shame" about it. Birdwatching, exercise, master bedrooms, the countryside, standard grammar: all now colonial, racist and "steeped in sin". In the case of exams, Dr Pranjol complains of an unfair advantage to those who can "recall information quickly under pressure" and who are able to concentrate, maintain focus and perform well when stressed. Obviously, as several baffled academics have pointed out, the suggestion that this will benefit those with particular skin colours "is itself racist". But in any case, trying to do things to a high standard is a fundamental part of life. Jobs, for example, "do tend to insist on a certain level of performance". What's next? Should we scrap driving tests because they're unfair on dangerous drivers? | | | | In 1939, General Motors developed the world's first see-through car. The one-of-a-kind Pontiac Deluxe Six Plexiglas went on display at the New York World's fair that year, says Moss and Fog, and was designed to allow viewers to see the vehicle's inner workings. Known as the "ghost car", it is still believed to be in working condition; when last sold in 2011, it had only 86 miles on the clock. |
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| | | If you want to sound smart about the US election, says Politico, it's worth keeping tabs on FiveThirtyEight's new forecasting tool. The data analysis site was founded by celebrity statistician Nate Silver, who made his name correctly predicting the outcomes of 49 out of 50 states in the 2008 election. Its new model, which runs simulations based on polling, gives Joe Biden a 52-in-100 chance of winning and Donald Trump 48-in-100 – effectively a toss-up. Have a look for yourself here. | | | | | | They're enormous catapult shots dating from the time of Henry III, says The Times. The sizeable stones, with weights ranging from that of a cabbage to a giant panda, were discovered in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire. Historians think they were used in "one of the longest sieges in English history" – when rebels fighting the king holed up in the castle in 1266, during the Second Barons' War, for 172 days. | | | | "As a society we have yet to get used to the idea that not all information is useful or good." James Marriott |
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