America's next flop model
A new poll finds Donald Trump with a slight edge, but fundamentals favoring President Biden. / 538
American diplomats and White House aides say the recent far-right gains in Europe could've been much worse. / Politico
Unrelated: Why is Hungary so small? An illustrated guide. / Uncharted Territories
How the mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles approach homelessness and drug use differently. / The Los Angeles Times
Banks like Chase, Citibank, and Bank of America are redesigning their physical branches to resemble Starbucks. / Bloomberg
Scientists working to map the topology of the cosmos say we might be living inside a big donut. / The Guardian
From 2017, Cormac McCarthy attempts to map the unconscious. / Nautilus
See also: "If the AI people are correct, then I don't think the public has any idea what's about to hit them." / The Money Illusion
"Welcome to the summer of mysteriously flopping arena tours." Theories abound on why bands are canceling their summer concerts. / Stereogum
Some pictures of large artworks at this month's Art Basel. / The Art Newspaper
Watch: A single sequence of Bach played front to back and then back to front. / Open Culture
A writer says talking to strangers is sometimes exactly what a person needs for their mental wellbeing. "We began as strangers, and we returned to that." / Why is this interesting?
♪♫♬ Don't be a stranger (to us)! This newsletter is in your inbox because: readers. If you haven't yet, please support—and thanks!
🎁 Free links to paywalled sites are marked with a [+].
✔️ Got a correction or a link we should consider? Email us directly or reply to this newsletter.
Your headlines are sourced and composed by Rosecrans Baldwin (☜) and Andrew Womack, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.