| 1. CNN AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN TO HOLD L.G.B.T.Q.-FOCUSED DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL: CNN has partnered with the Human Rights Campaign to hold a Democratic presidential town hall focused on L.G.B.T.Q. issues. The October 10 event will air the night before National Coming Out Day and, according to H.R.C., will have the largest ever audience for a Democratic presidential town hall focused on issues affecting the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The event will take place at the Novo in Los Angeles. CNN: "Invitations to participate in the town hall will be extended to Democratic presidential hopefuls who meet the D.N.C.'s qualifications for the October 2019 primary debates. Candidates must reach 2 percent in at least four national polls identified by the DNC to determine eligibility. The polls for this town hall must be released between June 28, 2019 and September 25, 2019. … An H.R.C. Foundation spokesperson said the audience will be comprised of invited guests, L.G.B.T.Q. stakeholders, and members of civic organizations. No public tickets will be available." 2. TOKYO MAY USE SNOW MACHINES TO COOL DOWN 2020 OLYMPICS: Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are testing machines that would emit man-made snow as a way to keep visitors cool. This summer, Tokyo experienced a blistering heatwave that killed at least 57 people. ESPN: “Artificial snow is the latest strategy being considered to counter high humidity and summer temperatures that commonly exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) in July and August, when the games are scheduled in the Japanese capital next summer. A snow-making machine will be tried out at a test canoeing event on September 13 in Tokyo, a spokesman for the games' organizing committee said.” 3. MGM TO TURN SITE OF VEGAS FESTIVAL SHOOTING INTO COMMUNITY CENTER: MGM Resorts plans to turn the Las Vegas Strip festival grounds—which were the site of the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival—into a community and athletic center, as well as parking for the new stadium being built for the N.F.L.'s Oakland Raiders. The company also plans to create a space at the venue property to honor the shooting victims. Billboard: “The company owns the site of Route 91 festival grounds and the Mandalay Bay casino-resort, where a gunman in a high-rise suite opened fire on the crowd of 22,000, killing 58 people in the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. The company did not release a timeline for the plans, but says it wants to create a community and athletic center on the north end of the property, which MGM says it hopes will host high school basketball tournaments, indoor soccer for children, and a practice space for the WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces.” | 