1. VETERAN BULL RUNNERS PROTEST LACK OF EXCITEMENT AT SAN FERMIN FESTIVAL: A bull run on Thursday at the San Fermin festival in the Spanish city of Pamplona ended with a goring and multiple injuries, following a protest by a group of runners who criticized the event for losing its thrills. The protest involved runners sitting on the street before the bulls were released. Associated Press: “They consider that this year’s bull runs have lacked the usual excitement because the bulls have largely stayed behind the large steers which quickly guide them through the narrow, twisting streets to Pamplona’s bullring, where the bulls will be killed in bullfights later in the day. An adherent has also been applied for over a decade to the cobblestoned streets which helps prevent the animals from slipping and being separated from the pack.”
2. TRUMP’S ‘SALUTE TO AMERICA’ EVENT AND PROTESTS BANKRUPTED WASHINGTON SECURITY FUND: President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration and event protests cost the Washington, D.C. government $1.7 million. The amount has bankrupted a special fund used to provide security at city events such as rallies and state funerals, as well as protect the city from terrorist threats. Washington Post: “In a letter to the president Tuesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) warned that the fund has now been depleted and is estimated to be running a $6 million deficit by September 30. The mayor also noted that the account was never reimbursed for $7.3 million in expenses from Trump’s 2017 inauguration. … Chris Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in an interview that the estimated costs for July 4 were six times as much as in years past and were likely to grow as the city continues to tally expenses.”
3. U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM HONORED WITH TICKER-TAPE PARADE: The U.S. women’s soccer team celebrated their World Cup win with a ticker-tape parade in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday. Team co-captain Megan Rapinoe and her teammates rode a float with Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro. The Hollywood Reporter: “Crowds chanted ‘USA! USA!’ and workers sounded air horns from a construction site as the hourlong parade moved up a stretch of lower Broadway that has long hosted so-called ticker-tape parades for world leaders, veterans, and hometown sports stars. Rapinoe struck her now-famous victory pose, took a swig of Champagne, and handed the bottle to a fan. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher held the World Cup trophy aloft.”