Happy Friday!

• Boston made the shortlist to host the 2028 DNC, and Colombians are mobilizing to support earthquake relief efforts in Latin America.

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of rain showers, with a high of 77 and a low of 64.

Today's newsletter is 1,019 words — a 4-minute read.

It looks like the schmoozing with Democratic leaders at Contessa and Fenway Park has paid off.

• Boston made the shortlist to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, along with Philadelphia and Denver.

Why it matters: The city has another chance to show up on the national stage, 24 years after it last hosted the DNC, as it comes off a summer packed with international events.

Catch up quick: The DNC committee narrowed it down to three finalists who leaders say showed they were prepared to host a political event of this size while meeting all the DNC’s criteria.

• Thursday’s announcement comes months after Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu led DNC officials on a tour of the city, which included major tourist attractions as well as local staples like J.J. Foley’s and the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.

State of play: The committee plans to get into contracts, logistics planning and all that nitty gritty as it deliberates over the final choice.

• The convention will be held Aug. 7-10 in 2028.

What they're saying: Wu said in a statement that the World Cup showed how safe, welcoming and prepared Boston is to host major events, with walkable venues, major tourist attractions and engaged business leaders.

• "We are proud to offer the country clear proof of the progress that’s possible when we build the America our founders fought for," she said.

💪🏽 What set the three cities apart?

• Their strong relationships with the DNC, including partnerships across community, political and business leaders.
• Their ability to not only host a major event — including arena sizes, fundraising and hotel capacity — but also get innovative to work out the kinks that come up in organizing an event of this scale.
• And, of course, shared Democratic values.

🗳️ Between the lines: Some worried Boston’s status as a solidly blue city could hurt its chances of hosting the DNC in 2028 after criticisms that the party failed to reach a wider swath of voters in the 2024 general election.

• So far, Boston’s reputation as a progressive city hasn’t disqualified it, and the fundraising dollars that comes with don’t hurt, either.

💭 Deehan's thought bubble: If Boston can manage hordes of Scottish football fans, we can certainly handle a bunch of Democrats.

• Though, it could get awkward when the DSA-types realize the Commonwealth isn't exactly the People's Republic of Mass. they may think it is.

Let us know: What would be your pitch to host the 2028 DNC in Boston?

Tell a #mapoli stan

Boston-area Colombians are raising funds and collecting supplies to support relief efforts after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the Latin American nation.

The big picture: Massachusetts is home to an estimated 42,000 residents, the nation’s sixth-largest Colombian population.

• East Boston is unofficially considered New England’s “Little Colombia.”

Catch up quick: The Aug. 10 earthquake that hit western Colombia has killed over 300 people and destroyed 29,000 homes.

• The epicenter was the Chocó region, one of the poorest in the nation, while cities like Cali and Pereira were also hit.
• The disaster comes weeks after Venezuela was hit with a pair of deadly earthquakes, rattling Boston-area residents of Venezuelan descent.

State of play: The Global Empowerment Mission Latin America, based in Florida, partnered with a group of New Englanders of Colombian descent to host earthquake donation drives.

• The next one is 10am-7pm Saturday on the Boston Common near the baseball field.
• GEM is collecting tents and other shelter-related items, personal hygiene products and baby supplies. (The drive won’t accept water, food or clothes.)
• The coalition plans to collect donations until mid-September, says Mariana Salazar, a New Hampshire resident working with GEM.

What they're saying: "The world recently just saw that in the waves of yellow that would crowd the streets of any city that the Colombia soccer team played in," says Amanda Elyssa Ruiz, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT working with Salazar and GEM.

• "I think similarly we come together in times of need, not just celebration."

Meanwhile, The New England Association for Colombian Children (NEACOL) is fundraising for emergency shelter, clean water, food packages and other supplies to help children and their families in western Colombia.

• NEACOL, with support from The Boston Foundation’s Latino Equity Fund, has committed up to $20,000 in matching funds.
• So far, the nonprofit has raised $23,862 of its $25,000 goal.

Un Papayera en Boston, a traditional Colombian brass band that performs across the city, announced a benefits concert on Aug. 27 at La Fabrica Central in Cambridge.

• The proceeds from the tickets, which cost $25, will go to NEACOL.

Spread the word

🚌 An MBTA shuttle deployed during the Orange Line closures mistakenly took passengers to Stoneham on the North Shore instead of North Station. (WCVB)

• The MBTA apologized.

⚖️ The SJC ruled that Quincy can't install two bronze sculptures of Catholic saints while a lawsuit challenging their addition to the city's new public safety headquarters proceeds. (Globe)

A State Police trooper was charged with assault after allegedly beating another off-duty trooper at a Quincy restaurant brawl in June. (NBC Boston)

💉 ICYMI: Moderna's stock soared Wednesday after promising results from a late-stage trial for an mRNA melanoma vaccine. (BBJ)

Yesterday, we asked you to guess where Townie had gone.

• She was outside Hibernian Hall in Roxbury's Nubian Square.

Kudos to reader Andrew W., who guessed first.

Ready to test your knowledge of the week's news?

• Click here to take our quiz and tell us how you did!

Send a screenshot of your perfect score to [email protected] this morning for the glory of a shoutout next week!

Deehan is reading about Emily, the only elephant in Mass.

Steph wants to know if any of you have seen El Gran Combo in concert before.

This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.