Today is Monday, July 7, 2025.
It is the 188th day of the year.
177 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: Anti-immigrant protests break out … in Mexico.
Lots of music news in SHOWBIZ.
CRAIG ROBINSON is leaving comedy for a new venture. Details in CASTING CALL.
A longstanding tradition ends for the monarchy. Details in ROYALS.
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Independent media site The Information published a report on Sunday suggesting TIKTOK will roll out a new version of its app in the United States in September to comply with a law passed last year that requires it to separate itself from Chinese Communist Party influence. The new app would also be under the ownership of a new investor group.
PRESIDENT TRUMP has quite illegally extended the January 19, 2025, shutdown deadline of TikTok since taking office, but no one seems to care. The current illegal ban extension runs through September 17.
Any significant changes to TikTok’s ownership structure and operations would require sign-off from China’s authorities. Trump in recent weeks has signaled he expects their government to approve the new ownership. [via Deadline]
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Massive anti-migrant riots broke out over the Independence Day weekend – in Mexico.
Demonstrators broke into storefronts and looted products while others took to the streets chanting “gringos, stop stealing our homes.” One participant in the chaos complained to a journalist on the ground, “People are coming from other countries, mostly foreigners, who want to impose their culture … and displace Mexicans.”
Another protested the influx of white people driving up the costs of housing by 47%. [via AP]
MEANWHILE: The official X account for the Department of Homeland Security shared a news article about the protests, with the caption, “If you’re in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.”
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A North Korean defector successfully navigated the Demilitarized Zone at its southern border late last week, the first in about a year.
South Korean authorities say the man is a civilian, not a soldier, who hid in wooded areas during the day and traveled under cover of darkness overnight. When he was detected by South Korean troops, they guided him to safety.
The defection comes as the number of North Koreans arriving in South Korea has dropped precipitously since the pandemic. Previously, the south welcomed about 1,000 northerners a year. Year to date, there have only been 38. [via WSJ]
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Just a year ago, Olympics organizers feared that sewage levels in the Seine River might be too high for swimmers in aquatic events. Now, the cleanup effort has been so effective, the river has opened to the public for the first time since 1923.
The government of Paris has opened three beach sites along the banks to allow about 1,000 swimmers a day to take a dip this summer. They say they’ll test the water quality daily and publish the results for swimmers to make their decision. [via The Guardian]
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A 77-year-old retired teacher from California traded her home in a retirement community for the open seas.
Sharon Lane bought an interior villa onboard the world’s first perpetual cruise, the Villa Vie Odyssey, saying it will “cost [her] less money to live” there than in the Golden State. Spending her entire life savings, Lane says she plans to remain onboard for the ship’s entire 15-year journey.
“I’m finally able to do what I’ve wanted to do for years,” she told CNN. [via CNN]
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