1 July - The Knowledge

In the headlines

The aptly named Tory MP Chris Pincher has quit as deputy chief whip after allegedly groping two men at a private members’ club in London. “Dear Prime Minister,” began his resignation letter. “Last night I drank far too much.” It’s the fifth sex scandal to “rock the Tory party” in three months, says The Sun. Fresh from striking down Roe v Wade, America’s Supreme Court has curbed the government’s ability to limit carbon emissions from power plants. It’s a “major setback” to Joe Biden’s climate plans, says the BBC. Prepare yourself for this year’s “cheatwave”, says the Daily Star. Affairs typically surge by 18% in July, thanks to packed pubs and good weather. “Frisky Friday”, when illicit bonking peaks, is on the 22nd.

Inside politics

Boris Johnson’s former senior advisor Dominic Cummings has been on Twitter this morning, shedding some light on how the government picks ministers.

Zeitgeist

The New York Times has taken a break from looking down its nose at Britain to inform its sophisticated American readership about a revolutionary product: electric kettles. “A Swift and Easy Way to Heat Water Without Using a Stove,” the article was originally titled, before being changed to “The Best Electric Kettle” after a tide of mockery from around the world. “I’ll hear absolutely no more from Americans criticising our clothes drying racks after this,” says one Twitter user.

Gone viral

A Twitter account called Weird Spotify Playlists has racked up 380,000 followers by rooting out surreal compilations people have made on the music streaming service. One called “songs for every possible mood in the human psyche” lists just two: the band All Time Low’s I Feel Like Dancin’ and I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ by Scissor Sisters. Another, called “music for people who record concerts on their phones”, has five songs: DELETE IT ALL, You, Literally, Won’t, Watch It Again.

Shopping

“This season’s sexiest look comes with strings attached,” says the New York Post. Celebrities including Julia Fox, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Ratajkowski are embracing “flossing”: dresses, bras, skirts and swimwear which are “held together with what basically amounts to high-fashion dental floss”. The style “may not clean your teeth”, but it will certainly freshen up your wardrobe.

Podcast

There’s a special bathroom in No 10 called “the Queen’s toilet”, says Alastair Campbell on The Rest is Politics. The lavish lav is reserved for the exclusive use of the monarch, should she ever get caught short on a visit to Downing Street. But not every No 10 visitor observes the rules: Noel Gallagher has said he once used the royal restroom to do a sneaky line of cocaine.

Snapshot

It’s Barbie and Ken, played by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in a forthcoming movie about the popular plastic dolls. Every picture of the two stars rehearsing has gone massively viral, and this one – a neon-drenched rollerblade excursion down Venice Beach in Los Angeles – is no exception. “Seeing what Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie wear on the set of Barbie is more exciting than the Met Gala,” says one Twitter user.

Quoted

quoted 1.7

“To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.”

Bertrand Russell