| 1. PRIMAVERA SOUND’S U.N. PARTNERSHIP INVOLVES GENDER-EQUAL LINEUP AND A.R. ACTIVATION: Primavera Sound, the annual pop and alternative music festival in Barcelona, entered a multi-year partnership with the United Nations earlier this month, focused on the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The campaign includes 17 social actions aiming to end world poverty, protect the planet, and fight gender discrimination and sexual harassment. So far, the festival’s partnership has led to a more gender-equal lineup—headliners include Miley Cyrus, Erykah Badu, Solange, and Robyn—as well as an augmented-reality activation and a sustainability commitment. Billboard: “The U.N. activation on the grounds of Primavera Sound, which kicked off its 19th edition in earnest at Barcelona’s Parc Del Forum on May 30, will be an augmented reality campaign centered on five sets of wings, representing five development goals. … Meanwhile, Primavera Sound will [demonstrate] an increased commitment to environmental sustainability: For the first time, the festival has fully removed plastic cups in favor of reusable polypropylene cups, with 19 different different cups on the grounds, each sporting a different historical Primavera lineup.” 2. NATIONAL SPELLING BEE ENDS IN EIGHT-WAY TIE: In a historic ending, the National Spelling Bee crowned eight co-winners after the event said it was running out of challenging words. After the 17th round of the 92nd annual competition, Jacques Bailly, the event’s pronouncer, announced that any of the eight remaining contestants who made it through three more words would share the win. The New York Times: “‘We do have plenty of words remaining in our list, but we’ll soon run out of words that will challenge you,’ Mr. Bailly told the contestants at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. He added: ‘We’re throwing the dictionary at you. And so far, you are showing this dictionary who is boss.’ None of the contestants faltered. They each got their own moment of triumph as they correctly spelled their words in the 20th round, then patiently sat back in their seats as the next contestant had their moment. They supported each other with high-fives and hugs, and each placed a hand on a single trophy.” 3. D.N.C. RAISES QUALIFICATION BAR FOR THIRD PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: The Democratic National Committee has raised the polling and fund-raising bars for candidates to qualify for the third presidential debate, which will be hosted by ABC News, in partnership with Univision, in September. The debate is slated for September 12 and could extend to September 13, depending on the number of candidates who meet the qualifications. The location and moderators will be announced at a later date. Politico: “Like the first two Democratic presidential debates—which are set for next month on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo and for July on CNN—the September debate and a fourth, to be held in October, will cap participants at 10 per night. … Unlike the first and second rounds of debates, when candidates must cross either a donor or polling threshold to qualify, candidates will need to surpass both bars to make the stage for the third and fourth debates. For the September event, candidates will have to hit 2 percent in four qualifying polls, versus 1 percent in three polls for the first debates, and they will need 130,000 individual donors, up from 65,000.” 4. CHINESE TRAVEL TO U.S. DROPS FOR FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS: Chinese travel to the U.S. has dropped for the first time in 15 years, as the Trump administration wages a trade war with China. The National Travel and Tourism Office, which collects data from U.S. Customs forms, reports travel from China to the U.S. fell 5.7 percent in 2018 to 2.9 million visitors. U.S. cities and tourist spots are hoping to reverse the new trend. CBS News: “Most industry-watchers agree that any downturn is temporary, since China's middle class will only continue to expand. The U.S. government forecasts Chinese tourism will grow 2 percent this year to 3.3 million visitors, and will reach 4.1 million visitors in 2023. ‘Even if the Chinese economy cools, it's still going to continue to be a very good source of growth for the travel industry,’ said David Huether, senior vice president of research for the U.S. Travel Association. … Washington also recently launched a Welcome China program that teaches hotels, restaurants, and other venues about Chinese customs and encourages them to offer things like Chinese-language menus or in-room slippers. Forty-four hotels and a handful of restaurants have signed on.” 5. ROLLING THUNDER ORGANIZERS SAY EVENT WON’T RETURN TO WASHINGTON: Thousands of motorcyclists arrived in Washington on Sunday to pay tribute to service members in what was the final Rolling Thunder. Event organizers said the event will end after this year, contradicting President Trump, who tweeted the event will be returning to the nation’s capital in 2020. CNN: “Rolling Thunder President Joe Bean told CNN later Sunday that as of right now, the group was still planning to have this year's ride be their last in Washington. In December, the group said it would be hosting its last event in Washington during Memorial Day weekend in 2019. Organizers said the costs of putting on the national ride have become prohibitive, with last year's event costing about $200,000 in various related expenses. The event, which was first held in Washington in 1988, involves bikers embarking on a ride that starts at the Pentagon parking lot, continues over a bridge into DC, and then circles the National Mall before ending by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.”
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