| 1. 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.” 2. RUPAUL’S DRAGCON HAS BECOME A MAINSTREAM CONVENTION: RuPaul’s DragCon started as a special gathering for the L.G.B.T.Q. community five years ago, but it has since turned into a mainstream convention. Produced by Hollywood production studio World of Wonder, the latest edition in Los Angeles partnered with media, big pharma, and C.P.G. to host experiences that included a family-friendly zone and a drag queens go-kart racing, a meta event inspired by RuPaul's Drag Race. The event took place May 24-26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Adweek: “Its audience, split evenly between straight and gay attendees and heavy on millennials with a 40 percent male audience, swelled to 100,000 people for the New York and L.A. versions last year. Numbers are expected to climb this year, starting with the L.A. show, which ran through Sunday. (N.Y.C. is scheduled for September). … Sponsorship spending has grown 170 percent since DragCon in New York last year, with short-form mobile video platform TikTok, Lyft, Gilead Pharmaceuticals, and T-Mobile among the marketers now involved. (World of Wonder hired a brand partnerships executive earlier this year to keep up with and continue to stoke the demand).” 3. TRUMP INAUGURATION DONATION UNDER INVESTIGATION: Real estate mogul Franklin Haney’s $1 million donation to President Trump’s inaugural committee is now under federal investigation. Haney donated as he was seeking regulatory approval and financial backing from the government for a bid to acquire the defunct Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama, which is a deal he still hasn’t closed. Associated Press: “Haney’s hefty donation to Trump’s inaugural committee is being scrutinized by federal prosecutors in New York who are investigating the committee’s finances. Their probe is focused in part on whether donors received benefits after making contributions. Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, has given prosecutors information regarding Haney, his son and business associate, Frank Haney Jr., and the nuclear plant project, according to a person familiar with what Cohen told the authorities. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.” | 