What to Know
- North Korea is awaiting another visit by former NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman in what would be his first to the country since Trump took office
- Creating "living drugs" that grow inside the body into an army that seeks and destroys tumors is the next frontier in cancer care
- Sean "Diddy" Combs is the top earner on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities, the magazine says
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Former NBAer Dennis Rodman Visiting North Korea Again
North Korea is awaiting another visit by former NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman in what would be his first to the country since President Trump took office. Wearing sunglasses and a black T-shirt advertising a marijuana cybercurrency, Rodman passed through immigration at Beijing airport, from where he is expected to fly to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Rodman has received the red-carpet treatment on each of his past visits but has been roundly criticized for doing so during a time of high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over its weapons programs. His entourage included Joseph Terwilliger, a professor who has accompanied Rodman on previous trips to North Korea. In Tokyo, a visiting senior U.S. official said his government is aware of Rodman's trip and wishes him well.
Trump Travel Ban Dealt Another Blow, Faces High Court Next
Another U.S. appeals court stomped on President Trump's revised travel ban, saying the administration violated federal immigration law and failed to provide a valid reason for keeping people from six mostly Muslim nations from coming to the country. The decision by a unanimous three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals helps keep the travel ban blocked and deals Trump a second big legal defeat on the policy in less than three weeks. The administration said it would seek further review at the U.S. Supreme Court, as it has already done with a ruling against the travel ban by another appeals court last month. The high court is likely to consider the cases in tandem. Attorney General Jeff Sessions insisted the new decision would harm national security — an argument the judges rejected.
D.C., Maryland Sue Trump, Claiming He Is “Flagrantly Violating” the Constitution
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The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, alleging he violated the Constitution by retaining ties to his sprawling global business empire and by accepting foreign payments while in office. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh joined District counterpart Karl Racine at a news conference in announcing the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in neighboring Maryland. Much of the case is focused on allegations that Trump's real estate and business holdings violate a little-known emoluments clause of the Constitution. The provision bars the president and other government employees from accepting foreign gifts and payments without congressional approval. Trump's unique status as both president and the financial beneficiary of his global business empire raised questions about the emoluments clause of the Constitution even before he took office. Trump and his attorneys argue the clause does not cover fair-value transactions, such as hotel room payments and real estate sales.
New Frontier in Cancer Care: Immune Therapy Can Turn Blood Into Living Drugs
Ken Shefveland's body was swollen with cancer, treatment after treatment failing until doctors gambled on a radical approach: They removed some of his immune cells, engineered them into cancer assassins and unleashed them into his bloodstream. Immune therapy is the hottest trend in cancer care and this is its next frontier — creating "living drugs" that grow inside the body into an army that seeks and destroys tumors. Looking in the mirror, Shefveland saw "the cancer was just melting away." A month later doctors at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center couldn't find any signs of lymphoma in the Vancouver, Washington, man's body. "Today I find out I'm in full remission — how wonderful is that?" said Shefveland with a wide grin, giving his physician a quick embrace. This experimental therapy marks an entirely new way to treat cancer — if scientists can make it work, safely. Early-stage studies are stirring hope as one-time infusions of supercharged immune cells help a remarkable number of patients with intractable leukemia or lymphoma.
The $130 Million Man: Forbes Crowns Sean “Diddy” Combs as Highest-Paid Entertainer
Sean "Diddy" Combs is the top earner on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities. The magazine says the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy brought in $130 million from June 1, 2016, to June 1, 2017. Forbes says Diddy's Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, a stake in Ciroc vodka and the $70 million sale of one-third of his Sean John clothing line all contributed to his earnings. No. 2 on the list is Beyonce, with $105 million in earnings. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling brought in $95 million. Rapper Drake and Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo round out the top five. Last year's top earner, Taylor Swift, dropped to No. 49. The singer brought in $44 million, down from $170 million.
Starbucks Teams With Lady Gaga For “Cups of Kindness”
Starbucks has teamed up with Lady Gaga for a set of brightly colored summer drinks that will raise money for the singer's foundation. The "Cups of Kindness" campaign begins runs through Monday. Starbucks says 25 cents from every drink will be donated to Gaga's "Born This Way" foundation, which has an ongoing campaign to encourage kindness. The drinks include two of Starbucks' famous pink drinks and two new beverages. One of them is a blackberry-flavored violet drink and matcha lemonade, a combination of matcha tea with traditional lemonade that Gaga says she "instantly fell in love with." Starbucks is contributing a minimum of $250,000 to Gaga's foundation.
