Health

There’s 💩 in the water

A recent report by Environment America revealed that roughly one-half of U.S. beaches had potentially unsafe fecal contamination levels in 2022.

Driving the news: The analysis included 3,192 beaches nationwide where the EPA tested water for fecal contaminants like E. coli.

• 1,761 beaches (55%) experienced at least one day in which fecal contamination reached potentially unsafe levels by exceeding the EPA’s precautionary tool that states use to make beach notification decisions.

• 363 beaches - almost one out of every nine tested nationwide - had potentially unsafe levels on at least 25% of the days they were tested.

• The Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, and West Coast were the areas where beaches were most likely to be unsafe for swimming on at least one day in 2022.

Why it matters: Swimming in contaminated water can lead to many different issues including gastrointestinal illness, respiratory diseases, and infections. 

• An estimated 57 million cases of illness in the U.S. are caused by swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds.

The big picture: As the U.S. population grows, the quality of our waterways could become worse.

• Half of all beach closure and notification events in 2022, for which a cause could be identified, were triggered by runoff from hard surfaces created by development.

• Strained and outdated sewer systems enable raw sewage to travel into our waterways.

• Fecal pollution from livestock farming is responsible for beach closures and shellfish consumption restrictions in parts of the country.

There’s hope: Congress stepped up to help fight beach pollution by passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 which allocated over $25 billion for sewage and stormwater projects. However, the EPA estimates the actual need for wastewater infrastructure at $271 billion.

Bottom line: Think twice before swishing your mouth with water during your beach trip this summer.

Business & Economy

U.S. stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +0.24%, Nasdaq +0.03%, Dow +0.31%).

Carvana shares jumped more than 30% on a deal to reduce its debt by $1.2 billion. The stock is up over 1000% this year.

Kim Kardashian’s apparel brand, Skims, is now worth $4 billion after raising $270 million during a funding round led by Wellington Management.

World

Honduras plans to build the only island prison colony in the Western Hemisphere and send its most dangerous gangsters there.

The UN reported that violence in northeastern Congo has escalated significantly with 40 civilians killed in three days. More than 600 people have been killed and 345,000 displaced in Ituri province this year.

Two days after vetoing the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia launched drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine, targeting grain facilities and port infrastructure in Odessa.

US News, Politics, & Government

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced that he will resign after an independent investigation found “serious flaws” in some of the research he oversaw decades earlier.

One of the two IRS whistleblowers, whose testimony alleging that the Hunter Biden criminal probe was mishandled, spoke publicly for the first time to the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

Wesleyan University joins a growing group of schools that will stop giving preferential treatment to applicants who are the children of alumni. 

Sports & Entertainment

Golf’s Open Championship in under way at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England. Rory McIlroy won the last time The Open was held at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off today in Australia & New Zealand. Scores and schedules here.

Barbie is expected to beat out Oppenheimer in the box office with a projected U.S. opening of $110 million.

Science, Health, & Tech

Netflix removed its lowest-priced ad-free streaming plan in the U.S. on Wednesday. Ad-free experiences now start at $15.49 per month.

Hearing aids may reduce the risk of dementia by 50% for those at high risk, according to a study by John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Opioids mixed with cocaine or psychostimulants are causing overdose deaths to rise.

How old is your cat in human years?

Combined lottery jackpots are nearing $2 billion.

Rabbits invade a Florida suburb.

Charted: The world’s most valuable football (soccer) clubs.