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Daily Dose: 7/1/16

Don’t let things get too hot this July Fourth weekend

Clinton Yates @clintonyates
Topics:
All Day Daily Dose Fourth Of July Bobby Bonilla Maxwell Politics Freddie Gray Hillary Clinton

10:08 AMFor those of you skipping out on work early today to get a jump on the Independence Day holiday, a couple of guys in Spain have had you beat for the better part of two decades. These dudes got paid for 15 years without working.

If nothing comes from the Freddie Gray case in terms of justice, at least the Baltimore Police Department understands that some things need to change going forward. On Friday, new regulations begin for the BPD that require it to, you know, put a priority on keeping people alive when doing their jobs. Look no further to understand why the basic concept of Black Lives Matter exists as a movement. The technical term here is “sanctity of life” which, again, should not have to be explained. ABC News’ Catherine Thorbecke reports.

Let’s take a look at some vice presidential hopefuls. First, there’s Democrat Tim Kaine, who’s from Virginia, and has been in talks for a long time to potentially join presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on a ticket. But things are getting a bit awkward because, before he became governor, he accepted quite a few gifts as lieutenant governor. It has been known to be a problem there. Over on the other side, there’s Chris Christie, who’s apparently now being vetted for the Republican vice president slot. Which is also awkward, because, well, yeah. ABC News’ Josh Margolin has the details.

Did you have a summer job? In my hometown of Washington, D.C., the late Marion Barry made them famous as a staple of youth culture, but that’s not the case everywhere. What’s clear, though, is that far fewer teens are working and not because they don’t want to. It’s typically because they can’t find anywhere to work. Why? Because it’s typically the kids who don’t actually need the jobs who get them. FiveThirtyEight’s Ben Casselman analyzes the numbers.

Yes, it is the first day of NBA free agency. There have already been some pretty wild signings, including the Los Angeles Lakers giving a guy who played next to zero minutes in the NBA Finals more than $60 million, but whatever, the salary cap is going up! Hassan Whiteside is going back to the Miami Heat, as Jordan Clarkson is going back to the Lakers, but there are still quite a few big names out there, including, technically LeBron James. That list obviously includes Kevin Durant, but there’s also Dwyane Wade. ESPN keeps you up to date with this 2016-specific live breakdown.

Free Food

Coffee Break: Musical artist Maxwell just dropped an album. Meaning, if you’re going when you go to a cookout this weekend, be sure that you keep things tight if you don’t want to wind up with a baby come April. Because they will be on the way once it starts playing over those speakers while you’re two-stepping with the E&J. Safety first, kiddos!

Snack Time: Cool and interesting news from the radio biz — Questlove is joining the board of trustees at WNYC, one of the better public radio stations in the country. Sounds like a great opportunity. Also, happy birthday, Missy.

Dessert: Never forget. July 1 is Bobby Bonilla Day. The day he proves to be the smartest American of us all.

Clinton Yates is a tastemaker at Andscape. He likes rap, rock, reggae, R&B and remixes — in that order.