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What’s next for Bill Cosby? | Morning Newsletter

And, a rocky start for summer school.

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Hello, loyal readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter.

First: Bill Cosby’s already plotting his post-prison comeback. But is America ready to welcome him?

Then: Summer school started in the city this week — and it’s not going well.

And: Here are the best pools in Philly to cool down this summer.

P.S. Prepare to get showered with fireworks and rain this holiday weekend.

— Olayemi Falodun (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Bill Cosby spent his first night home from prison eating Zio’s pizza, receiving congratulatory messages from his celeb friends, and plotting his comeback. But what lies ahead is still unclear.

His accusers say they have plans, too — including holding Cosby and a justice system they say failed them accountable with new lawsuits and pushes for legislative reform. A suit from one of Gloria Allred’s clients possibly presents the most immediate legal threat.

Meanwhile, Cosby’s spokesperson said the comedian is mulling legal action of his own — a potential malicious prosecution lawsuit against Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.

Reporters Jeremy Roebuck, Anna Orso, Laura McCrystal, and Oona Goodin-Smith take a deep dive into what’s next for Cosby and his accusers now that he’s been released.

  1. Cosby wore a Central High School shirt when he came home from prison. Alumni are not happy.

The Philadelphia School District is spending millions on expanded summer school designed to help kids catch up after 16 months of virtual learning and a tough COVID-19 year. But the program’s rollout has been rocky.

Classes started this week with thousands more enrolled than in previous summers, and parents, teachers, and students described a chaotic start, with a shortage of staff, confusing or incorrect schedules, and many schools and classrooms lacking critical materials.

Reporter Kristen A. Graham has the story on the tumultuous start of summer school.

Reopening resources

What you need to know today

  1. A Philadelphia-based construction accident lawyer is meeting with prospective clients in Surfside, Fla., and sharing information about what condominium owners need to know after the collapse there that’s left many dead or missing.

  2. Putting a pin in evictions, Philadelphia says that while 25,000 applications for rental assistance are pending review, landlords must continue to attend mediations through Aug. 31.

  3. Senior nursing facility organizations wanted 75% of staff vaccinated by June 30. They’re still far from their goal.

  4. Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey has a few questions after a judge denied Britney Spears’ request to remove her father from a conservatorship she’s been forced to abide by for 13 years.

  5. A mystery illness is killing songbirds in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and eight other states.

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

Only time your head should droop is to see a beautiful view. Thanks for sharing.

Tag your Instagram posts with #OurPhilly, and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature here and give you a shout-out.

That's interesting

🏖 Here are the best public pools in Philly.

🍲 Chef Thanh Nguyen is banging out bold flavors and dishing out the goods at Gabriella’s Vietnam, Craig LaBan writes.

📜 Meet Philly’s new youth poet laureate, who uses words to “bring voices together.”

🛸 The Pentagon’s 10-month UFO investigation was inconclusive, but the truth is out there in the details of the report.

⚡️ Marking the 25th anniversary of a book that sparked the imagination of readers around the world, the Franklin Institute will host the world debut of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” in 2022.

Opinions

“An appalling reminder of our flawed justice system — and yet, it was the defense from actress Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby’s TV wife, that brought back the stinging taste in my mouth,” columnist Helen Ubiñas writes about why Rashad’s latest Bill Cosby defense is another example of women not believing women.

  1. The state Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Cosby’s sexual assault conviction serves as a reminder to sexual violence survivors that the legal system can’t deliver justice, write Kathleen Bogle and Caitlin Taylor, La Salle University professors of sociology and criminal justice.

  2. There has been appreciation expressed toward medical professionals for their efforts throughout the pandemic, but Michael J. Stephens, an associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, says the best way to show love for doctors and nurses is to do this.

  3. Forget the money! Open the pools! Writer Josh Kruger implores Mayor Jim Kenney to take a page out of one of his predecessors’ books and open city pools, no matter the cost.

What we're reading

  1. You got game? Well, Patch lets you in on how Adam Sandler’s Netflix movie Hustle just might be your chance to shoot your shot better than a redacted Sixers player.

  2. A detailed breakdown of how prison gerrymandering disproportionately reshapes political representation, Time reports.

  3. The case behind America’s first Black billionaire advocating for $14,000,000,000,000 in reparations, Vice reports.

Your daily dose of | Faith

A Burlington County rabbi brought to light an internal struggle via a Zoom call earlier this week to dismantle the stigma around addiction. Michael Perice, a 35-year-old Philadelphia native, revealed his 10-year recovery from opioid addiction to his congregation in hopes of breaking down the judgment faced by people experiencing substance use disorder or other mental health challenge