Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 12, and we solemnly swear to uphold these 12 official rules for the hotel breakfast buffet. Now let’s get to the news.
There was an upset in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state lawmaker Francesca Hong. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Getty Images)
Elsewhere: Progressive Democrats notched a win in a Minnesota Senate primary. MyPillow founder Mike Lindell did not advance in the Minnesota governor race. See our takeaways here.
Trump covertly left Air Force One in a catering truck: A U.S. official told The Post who joined him in the vehicle. The list includes some of Trump’s most loyal aides, but no Cabinet officials.
Trump officials plan to spend at least $900 million on White House construction.
Planned construction projects on the White House grounds. (The Post)
Where is the money coming from? Mainly taxpayers, according to records reviewed by The Post. The new price tag is significantly larger than has been previously reported.
Contractors have started bulldozing parts of Big Bend National Park.
Big Bend, the most visited national park in Texas, has the lowest levels of illegal entry along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Natalie Newman)
Why? The Trump administration is pushing forward with a $46.5 billion effort to expand security along the Mexico border. Residents say it will destroy critical animal habitats.
Meanwhile, in Europe: Extreme heat is drying up the continent’s major rivers, including the Danube and Rhine. See the record-low water levels in these striking images.
Polymarket let users bet on wildfires, raising concerns of arson.
Last year: Polymarket let people bet on the spread of the deadly Los Angeles fires. More than $1 million in fire-related bets had been wagered by the time they were contained.
Now: As fires burn in California and Washington state, nine lawmakers are calling for limits on payouts, warning that betting could create an incentive for people to light fires.
Spending less time sitting could cut your risk of 13 cancers.
Apologies if you’re sitting comfortably: But a new study offered a detailed look at how replacing sitting time with different kinds of activities could affect your cancer risk.
The results: Vigorous movement, such as hurrying up and down the stairs, was the most effective way to reduce cancer risk. You can see the impact of other activities here.
What is this year’s song of the summer? We followed the data.
(The Post)
It depends where you live: In New York and L.A., Olivia Rodrigo’s “Stupid Song” spent weeks atop Spotify charts. In the rest of the U.S., it was Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”
Some surprises are lurking in the charts: See which songs were popular in your state using these maps and graphs. Apparently “Mr. Brightside” is huge in the Midwest.
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