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Obamas speak, Feds investigate and Bennifer splits

 
Today's politics story

Obamas fire up DNC, warn of hard fight against Trump

What happened
Barack and Michelle Obama gave back-to-back speeches to close out the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The former president and first lady praised Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, slyly mocked Donald Trump and warned Democrats they have to work tirelessly to turn the ebullient vibe inside the United Center into an electoral victory. Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, also celebrated his wife in personal terms and as a "joyful warrior" who "never runs from a fight."

Who said what
The Obamas were "clearly Tuesday's emotional high point" at the DNC, The Washington Post said, and their "one-two punch" combined "blistering takedowns of Trump" with an aspirational vision of a better America. They were able to "describe the perils they see of a second Trump presidency" while "making fun of him" with a "rare, incisive humor" unique at this convention, Rebecca Davis O’Brien said at The New York Times.

Michelle Obama said that Harris, unlike Trump, "understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward" or "benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth." Barack Obama said Harris would focus on solving your problems while Trump is a "78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. " Trump's "constant stream of gripes and grievances" is "worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala," he said, singling out "the childish nicknames" and "weird obsession with crowd size."

In a "significant flexing of Democratic muscle" Tuesday night, Harris addressed "two packed arenas at the same time," the Times said. She thanked the delegates in Chicago from a rally at the same Milwaukee arena where Trump's Republicans held their convention in July.

What next?
Vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz headlines Wednesday's DNC lineup.

 
 
Today's JUSTICE story

DOJ investigates Tennessee's largest prison

What happened
The Justice Department on Tuesday launched a civil rights investigation of conditions at Tennessee's privately run Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, the state's largest prison. The investigation will explore whether the facility has "systemic constitutional violations regarding the treatment of people," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.

Who said what
Trousdale, run by prison operator CoreCivic, recorded "at least 196 assaults, 90 incidents of sexual misconduct, two murders and 15 other deaths" between July 2022 and July 2023, The Associated Press said. A "single three-week period in early 2024" saw at least five stabbings. Several state audits of CoreCivic, "and Trousdale particularly," have found continuous contract violations and "skyrocketing turnover rates," resulting in "millions of dollars" in fines, The Tennessean said. But Tennessee "continues to renew its contract."

Inmates "do not surrender their constitutional rights at the prison door," Clarke said. And "private prisons are not above the law." 

What next?
Tennessee , not CoreCivic, will ultimately be held liable for any violations uncovered by the Trousdale investigation. If "systemic misconduct" is discovered, the DOJ will "issue a public report and outline the minimal remedial steps" for state and prison officials to follow, The Washington Post said.

 
 
Today's CULTURE Story

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck

What happened
Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on Tuesday, exactly two years after the celebrity couple celebrated their marriage at a lavish party in Georgia. They had legally wed in Las Vegas a month earlier, in July 2022. The divorce petition was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and the listed date of separation was April 26, 2024.

Who said what
Lopez and Affleck — know as "Bennifer" since they first coupled up in 2003 — had "two engagements, two weddings and headlines too numerous to count," The Associated Press said. And now their relationship is over, "or at least the second installment of it." Their 2004 engagement was called off right before the wedding, and both stars went on to marry other people, have children, and divorce.

Then, in 2021, "Bennifer 2.0 was born at the perfect moment, about a year into Covid-19, when people desperately needed a distraction," The Washington Post said. To some fans, The New York Times said, "Bennifer 2.0 represented a fantasy of reuniting with the one that got away."

What next?
Bennifer is "headed for another sunset, taking most of the dream with it, but perhaps not all," the Post said. "Check in 20 years from now."

 
 

It's not all bad

A start-up called Releaf Paper is transforming urban green waste by turning fallen leaves from European cities into paper products, reducing the need to cut down trees. The innovative approach helps address both the demand for paper — which sees 6 billion trees cut down annually — and the challenge of managing the 8,800 tons of leaves produced by the average city. The company, which already produces 3 million paper bags each year from leaves, plans to expand globally.

 
 
Under the radar

What if humanity's backup was on the moon? That just may just be the plan. Creatures of the Earth could be preserved in a lunar chamber, according to a paper published in the journal BioScience. The authors of the study propose a "passive lunar biorepository for long-term storage of prioritized taxa of live cryopreserved samples to safeguard Earth's biodiversity and to support future space exploration and planet terraforming." 

With several species on Earth facing extinction due to climate change and human action, lunar preservation could be one way to save them. The specimens would be preserved through a process called cryopreservation, which is when "biological materials (such as sperm, cells, and embryos) can be placed in a state where they are alive yet frozen, and able to be thawed out for future use," said the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI). 

A lunar biorepository is not without its challenges, of course. Creating a safe storage vault on the moon requires overcoming obstacles like space radiation as well as the lack of gravity. Another "major concern is that the cost and effort involved in establishing such a resource on the moon would be very substantial and would detract from ongoing conservation efforts including delivering existing international commitments and plans to protect nature," Rob Brooker, the head of ecological sciences at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, told CNN.

 
 
On this day

August 21, 1959

Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state. The island chain, which had a long colonial history prior to being annexed, is the most recent state to join the union and the only one with a majority Asian American population. Ongoing campaigns are pushing for a 51st state, the likeliest candidates being Puerto Rico or Washington, D.C.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

The "Obamas electrify DNC" with "talk of hope and jabs at Trump," The Washington Post says on Wednesdays front page. Night 2 of the convention featured a "diverse lineup" of speakers but the "Obamas lead the charge," The Boston Globe says. Barack Obama's message about Kamala Harris, the Chicago Sun-Times says, is: "Yes she can." For the convention at large, the rallying cry was "restore our rights," the Chicago Tribune says. "Abortion is a rallying point" for Democrats, the Los Angeles Times says, but the coalition cheering in Chicago includes "Cheeseheads for Harris" and her "fellow 'Desis.'"

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Hiding in plain sight

A man wanted for murder in Ohio has been found 20 years later working as a police officer in Mexico. Antonio Riano, 72, of Oaxaca was arrested by U.S. Marshals earlier this month and had his first court appearance last week. Authorities accuse Riano of shooting and killing 25-year-old Benjamin Becerra in December 2004 following an argument at a bar, then fleeing Ohio. His case was featured a year later on "America's Most Wanted."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images; Mark Humphrey / AP Photo; Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images