Boris Johnson Will Not Make a Bid to Become Prime Minister
Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London and a prominent supporter of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, will not run for leader of the Conservative Party in a bid to try to become the country’s next prime minister.
He said he is not the person to unite the country and that his role would be “to give every possible support to the next Conservative administration, to make sure that we properly fulfill the mandate of the people that was delivered at the referendum, and to champion the agenda I believe in.”
Likely candidates now include the UK’s Home Secretary Theresa May and its Justice Secretary Michael Gove. [New York Times]
A Beating at Bellevue, Then Silence
This long read looks into the systemic problems that led to the brutal beating — and lengthy fight for justice — of a mentally ill inmate at Bellevue Hospital’s prison ward. [BuzzFeed]
Puerto Rico is Broke
Puerto Rico is veering towards its largest debt default ever, likely unable to pay some $70M to creditors. Congress just passed an emergency bill, supported by Obama, that would curb creditors from demanding the U.S. territory pay up on July 1, but the default will still likely happen. [Bloomberg]
Soon You Can Fly Out of NYC For $39
Allegiant air will be selling one-way flights to cities like Cincinnati, Savannah and Knoxville for $39 from Newark International Airport. But as with any budget airline, the additional charges can rack up quickly. [New York Post]
Jamaica Might Install Weed Kiosks at Airports
After decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in 2015, the country of Jamaica is looking to install airport and seaport kiosks where tourists can get permits to legally purchase the green stuff. Tourists would have to have a medical marijuana prescription, however, and the permit would allow them to carry 2 ounces while in the country. [The Verge]
Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul Stars in New Fireworks Safety PSA
It looks like New York Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul learned his lesson, and if passing on the wisdom, stating people should leave the fireworks to the professionals. The 27-year-old lost his index finger after lighting up a professional-grade firework last Fourth of July holiday. JPP, who spent several weeks in the hospital, returned to play for the season with a heavy cast and said his recovery is now “good.” [ABC]
Letter to the 10-Year-Old Girl Who Applied to the Paris Summer Innovation Fellowship
A competitive fellowship for a data scientists, urban designers and open street mappers accepted a 10-year-old named Eva. One of the organizers, in an open letter on Facebook, said the young girl impressed the admissions team with her courage and imagination. Eva’s project? To build a robot to make people happy again because “the streets of Paris are sad.” [Facebook]
How New York Handles Its Ever-Growing Population
How many New Yorkers can New York handle? Quite a lot, according to this Daily Intelligencer piece. By 2040, New York will have roughly half a million more people than it does right now, putting the population at around nine million, projections suggest. Fortunately, according to the Department of City Planning, the city’s infrastructure is built to accommodate the growing numbers. [New York Magazine]
Paul Simon Might be Giving Up Music
After six decades of making music, Paul Simon — who’s performing this week at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens — says he may be ready to retire. He talks to the the New York Times about his career, songwriting and the pitfalls of fame. [New York Times]
Artisanal Piraguas Are Trending in Bushwick
No they’re not really. But this silly video by the sketch comics “Mas Mejor” pokes fun at what might be the next hipster sensation. [Above Average]
Facebook to Give Friends and Family Higher Priority in News Feeds
Facebook is planning to make a number of changes to its news feed algorithm by prioritize posts from user’s friends and family. As a result, content posted by publishers will show up less prominently, the social network said. The move follows concerns that users were missing updates from people they cared about. [New York Times and BBC]
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Eddie Small, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Nikhita Venugopal, Shaye Weaver, Noah Hurowitz, Dartunorro Clark, Gwynne Hogan, Allegra Hobbs, Carolina Pichardo, Irene Plagianos and Jeanmarie Evelly.
