WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Political fundraising, Tory leadership, and the cheap drug 'extending women's fertility'

 
today's international story

Harris smashes campaign fundraising records

What happened 
Kamala Harris has broken fundraising records as the Democratic Party's donors – big and small – poured $81 million (£62 million) into her presidential campaign after Joe Biden's decision to step aside.

More than 888,000 donors made contributions of less than $200 yesterday, with bigger donors also contributing to the largest 24-hour period of campaign fundraising in presidential history.

Who said what
"This may be the greatest fundraising moment in Democratic Party history," Democratic strategist Kenneth Pennington wrote on X.

The new funds "mark a significant turn for the Democratic Party", said the BBC, after donors and supporters had ebbed away from the party in the wake of Biden's poor debate performance against Donald Trump last month.

By raising so much money in such a short period Harris has "hit Trump right where it hurts", said the Daily Beast. Her "monster fundraising day" was even bigger than the former president's "felony charge windfall", the site added. In fact, according to The New York Times, Trump's main fundraising site took six months to raise a comparatively paltry $58 million in the second half of last year.

What next? 
Despite the financial endorsement Harris isn't the Democrats' nominee just yet. The Democratic National Committee has said it intends to "undertake a transparent and orderly process" to select its candidate. Regardless of who the party ends up putting forward, Harris's "stunning influx of funds injects new energy into the race", said Axios.

 
 
today’s politics story

Tories to announce new leader in November

What happened
Rishi Sunak will remain as leader of the Conservative Party until November after the party agreed to an extended timetable to replace the former prime minister.

Who said what
Among those "preparing to throw their hats in the ring" are Kemi Badenoch, the shadow communities secretary; Tom Tugendhat, the shadow security minister; and James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, said The Guardian. Other potential candidates include Priti Patel, Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick.

Sunak "had wanted to stand down earlier" in order to allow the party to "move on", said the BBC, but it now looks like he will "still be in the post for Labour's first budget", which is expected to arrive in the autumn.

What next?
Nominations will open tomorrow, with candidates needing the backing of 10 MPs to enter the first round of voting.

The party will then hold a "long leadership contest" before shortlisting four candidates who will take to the stage at the Conservative Party conference that starts on 29 September, said The Times. The final winner will be announced on 2 November.

 
 
Today’s health story

Drug could extend women's fertility by five years

What happened
A cheap, widely used drug may prolong women's fertility by five years, early results of a landmark study suggest.

A weekly dose of off-patent immunosuppressant rapamycin, taken by women in their thirties, could decrease ovarian ageing by 20%, delaying menopause and reducing the risk of age-related diseases – without any side-effects.

Who said what
The results are "like a dream come true", said Yousin Suh, co-author and professor of reproductive sciences, genetics and development at Columbia University. Those with age-related fertility problems "now have hope".

This marks a "paradigm shift in biomedical research for women", said Jennifer Garrison, a neuroscientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. 

The 34 participants aged up to 35 also reported improvements to health, memory, skin and hair consistent with other studies that have suggested rapamycin can "increase lifespan by 9-14% while revitalising the immune system and organs", said The Guardian.

What next?
The study will be scaled up to include 1,000 women and report again in two years.

 
 

It's not all bad

Prince Harry has congratulated Birmingham for winning its bid to host the Invictus Games in 2027. The event will be the first UK-based games since the inaugural competition was held in London in 2014. The £26 million UK government-backed proposal saw off competition from Washington DC. The event, which supports wounded, injured and sick military personnel, will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in July 2027.

 
 
under the radar

Paraguay's dalliance with cryptocurrency

Paraguay is no stranger to "drug busts and bank heists", but in recent years the South American country has become a "mecca" for a very different type of crime: illegal Bitcoin mining.

Power worth about $60 million a year (£46.4 million) – "enough to light up a city" – is being stolen by unlicensed cryptocurrency miners, said The Economist, and there is heated debate over how to tackle the issue.

Besides "soybeans, timber and a massive cow population", Paraguay has "very cheap electricity", said El País, and this is why "more and more Bitcoin generators" are heading there.

But the licensed crypto generators who have set up shop in Paraguay have been joined by dozens of cowboy operations that don't pay the tariff and engage in energy theft that "annoys many Paraguayans", and is now starting to impact the country's energy security.

The country’s "creaking transmission lines" are "increasingly overloaded" and the capital Asunción suffers regular power cuts, causing "food to rot and office workers to broil in the sub-tropical heat", added The Economist.

The government has declared what it calls an "all-out attack" on crypto cowboys. This month the Senate approved jail sentences of up to 10 years for energy thieves. Authorities recently confiscated 450 Bitcoin mining machines – bringing the total number seized from illegal operators this year to more than 10,000.

Yet a group of "industrial players" has advised against moves that could "kill off" the sector, claiming a clampdown could hurt Paraguay's standing in the international business community, cost the nation up to $1.5 billion and jeopardise "hundreds" of jobs.

 
 
on this day

23 July 2011

Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27. The singer-songwriter was found dead at her flat in Camden, North London after losing a years-long battle with alcoholism and mental illness. Winehouse became known for her deep, resonant voice and was the first British woman to win five Grammy Awards. A biopic showcasing her career was released earlier this year.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

The Daily Mail says the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is resuming the processing of asylum claims, including those who arrived in the UK illegally, meaning 70,000 people could now be granted asylum. Kamala Harris is "the anointed" says the i paper as Kamala Harris secured a wave of endorsements from leading Democrats. The Daily Star also focuses US politics, saying UK psychic Jemima Packington, who believes she can read the future using asparagus, insists the next president will be Michelle Obama.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Sliding towards a smoother ride

A giant slide that went viral two years ago has reopened in Detroit – with a few adjustments to make it less of a wild ride. Videos of the Belle Isle state park slide became famous in 2022 as clips emerged of riders "flying and bouncing down the bumpy ramp", said Associated Press. With the addition of padding and new sacks, and having decided not to wax the ramp, the Department of Natural Resources is hoping the improved ride will cause "fewer bruises this time".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Julia O'Driscoll and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Chris duMond / Getty Images; Thomas Trutschel / Photothek via Getty Images; Oscar Wong / Getty Images.