1. HOW EXPENSIVE WILL IT BE TO ATTEND THE TOKYO OLYMPICS?: In what is slated to be an extremely expensive Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 games are offering luxury hospitality packages that range from $1,500 to $60,000. The priciest package includes admission to the opening and closing ceremonies, nine days of track and field events, and upscale dining experiences. Many hotels in the city only have rooms available for $1,000 to $1,500 per night. ESPN: “For now, those living outside Japan must go through authorized ticket resellers, which are deluged with unprecedented demand. They also offer high-end packages and are allowed to tack on a 20-percent service charge to each ticket. And many of the best tickets are tied to expensive hotels. … Australia-based Kingdom Sports Group, an official reseller that deals primarily with Asia and Africa, said on a social media site that Tokyo is ‘30 times more popular’ than London was in 2012. London is often seen as the benchmark for Olympic interest.”
2. DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE VOTES AGAINST CLIMATE DEBATE: The Democratic National Committee on Thursday voted against a proposal for a climate-focused debate. The governing body’s resolution committee defeated the proposal in a 17-to-8 vote, but the proposal may still be considered for a vote by the full committee on Saturday. The Hill: “The D.N.C. has faced mounting pressure from environmental groups and some candidates, even as two climate forums hosted by other entities are planned for September. … Nevertheless, there appeared a silver lining Thursday with members of the committee passing a separate measure to reverse the ban on presidential candidates participating in non-D.N.C. sanctioned climate debates. The ban previously warned that candidates who participated in such events would be bared from participating in future D.N.C. debates.”
3. AMERICANS ARE SKIPPING BACHELORETTE AND BACHELOR PARTIES FOR LUXURY GETAWAYS: A tradition for many couples getting married has been to host bachelor and bachelorette parties before the big day. But with more Americans getting married later than their parents, wedding and event pros are seeing more people replace wild parties with luxury getaways focused on food and wellness. Bloomberg: “Jenna Miller, creative director at wedding website Here Comes the Guide, says she’s seeing an uptick in the use of bespoke luxury planning services such as Bach to Basics or Luxury Bachelorette. These couples are using private jets with personal chefs to take their parties to the destinations, which may include the Saguaro Palm Springs, with its pool parties, in-house spa, and daily yoga classes, and Carneros Resort and Spa or Solage Calistoga for wine tasting.”