A new poll finds Donald Trump with a slight edge, but the fundamentals favoring President Biden. / 538
American diplomats and White House aides say the far-right gains in Europe could've been much worse. / Politico
Unrelated: Why is Hungary so small? An illustrated guide. / Uncharted Territories
How the mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles approach homelessness and drug use differently. / The Los Angeles Times
Banks like Chase, Citibank and Bank of America are redesigning their physical branches to resemble Starbucks. / Bloomberg
Scientists working to map the topology of the cosmos say we might be living inside a big donut. / The Guardian
“If the AI people are correct, then I don't think the public has any idea what's about to hit them.” / The Money Illusion
From 2017, Cormac McCarthy attempts to explain the unconscious. / Nautilus
Some pictures of large artworks at this month's Art Basel. / The Art Newspaper
“Welcome to the summer of the mysteriously flopping arena tours.” Theories abound on why bands are canceling their summer concerts. / Stereogum
Watch: A single sequence of Bach played front to back and then back to front. / Open Culture
A writer says talking to strangers is sometimes exactly what a person needs for their mental wellbeing. “We began as strangers, and we returned to that.” / Why is this interesting?