Comment on Syria protesters call for freedom after Assad pledge

Think you can find a better song of the summer? I doubt it. “The Spark,” a song by a group of Irish tweens that has taken off online since its release in May might just be the catchiest—and most inspiring—tune of the summer. “Think you can stop what we do? I doubt it.

This article is part of The D. C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Among Democrats in Washington, the most buzzed about competition taking place this election year isn’t the one for the White House, although that one is certainly the most expensive.

A person in Mexico died after contracting a strain of bird flu that hasn’t been confirmed in humans before, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The virus was detected in a 59-year-old who had been hospitalized in Mexico City. The person died one week after developing a fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea.

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday indefinitely delayed implementation of a plan to charge motorists hefty tolls to enter the core of Manhattan, just weeks before the nation’s first “congestion pricing” system was set to launch. The announcement dealt a stunning blow to a program, years in the making, that was intended to raise billions of dollars for New York’s beleaguered subways and commuter rails while reducing gridlock and air pollution on the city’s streets. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Hochul, a Democrat, delivered the news in a pre-recorded video statement, saying she had arrived at the “difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences at this time.” She cited the city’s fragile economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the financial burden that the fee would impose on New Yorkers struggling with inflation, as reasons not to go through with the program. “A $15 charge might not seem like a lot to someone who has the means but it can break the budget of a hardworking or middle class household,” Hochul said.

Global temperatures have broken records for 12 consecutive months, and last month was the warmest May ever recorded, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced on Wednesday. In May the global average temperature was 1.52 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, marking the 11th consecutive month where the global average temperature was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.

This could be a costly interview for William Saunders. The former safety researcher resigned from OpenAI in February, and—like many other departing employees—signed a non-disparagement agreement in order to keep the right to sell his equity in the company. Although he says OpenAI has since told him that it does not intend to enforce the agreement, and has made similar public commitments, he is still taking a risk by speaking out.