1. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REPORTEDLY DIVERTING $2.5 MILLION FOR TRUMP’S JULY 4TH CELEBRATION: President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration, “Salute to America,” will have military tanks, flyovers, and fireworks. The military-focused event will cost money, and the National Park Service is reportedly reallocating $2.5 million, originally intended for parks across the U.S. CBS News: “The National Park Service said on Tuesday it was still waiting for the run of show from the White House—proof this is a show, one stage-managed by the president down to the placement of tanks and infantry vehicles and the sequence of military flyovers, reports CBS News' Major Garrett. The Fourth of July is typically nonpartisan and a tribute to America's founding documents and self-government.” 2. KEY OFFICIAL SAYS HOSTING WOODSTOCK 50 AT NEW VENUE WILL BE CHALLENGING: Woodstock 50 has faced numerous setbacks since it was dropped by its original investor, but the event recently found a new home at Vernon Downs harness track and casino in upstate New York, after operators of the original venue dropped the event last month. On Tuesday, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said planning to have the festival at a new venue a month out will present a “significant challenge,” specifically considering the safety and health of attendees and residents. Billboard: “The Woodstock festival has faced a series of setbacks, including the losses of a financial partner, a production company and original site, Watkins Glen International. Vernon Downs has said they can host up to 65,000 people, far fewer than the 150,000 planned for Watkins Glen.” 3. FYRE FESTIVAL PROMO ISLAND NOW FOR SALE: The Bahamas island used to promote the disastrous Fyre Festival is now up for sale. Saddleback Cay, the island that served as the setting for the festival commercial featuring numerous models, is on the market for a starting price of nearly $12 million. New York Daily News: “So while lookers like Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin lived it up on the island featured in the ad—lounging on yachts, splashing in aqua waters, sipping fancy cocktails and feeding furry pigs—they weren’t doing it in the same setting festival ticket-holders reportedly suffered through a lack of proper accommodations and decent food. … The ad shot at Saddleback Cay also boasted, ‘Once owned by Pablo Escobar’ about the spot where the festival was supposed to take place. But neither Saddleback Cay, where the promo was filmed, nor Great Exuma, where the festival was supposed to be held, was the island used by the Colombian drug lord to smuggle drugs— that was Norman’s Cay, another Bahamian island.” |