🏟️ TGIF. On this date in 1966, fans rushed the stage during the Beatles' concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

☁️ Today's weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 81 and a low of 67.

🎂 Happy birthday to member Jon Elsasser, and happy early birthday to members Katherine Rosetta and Danielle Smith!

Today's newsletter is 1,092 words — a 4-minute read.

The Browns aren't just playing the Bears on Saturday — They're collecting evidence.

Why it matters: The Browns haven't named their regular-season starter at quarterback.

• Saturday's first preseason game could change the conversation — even if it doesn't settle it.

Driving the news: Deshaun Watson will start the 1pm preseason opener in Chicago and play the entire first half.

• Shedeur Sanders will take over in the second half, giving both quarterbacks a meaningful opportunity in the first game of head coach Todd Monken's tenure.
• The setup lends itself to four potential scenarios:

Watson looks good. This is what Browns brass wants — proof the guy they gave a record-setting contract can still operate the offense at a high level after multiple Achilles injuries.

• Watson hasn't looked good in practice, but a sharp performance could change the perception that it's finally time for the team to move on from him.

Watson struggles, Sanders shines. If Sanders moves the offense efficiently and makes some big throws against Chicago, the questions surrounding Cleveland's quarterback decision will only get louder.

• It sets up an Aug. 22 home preseason game against the Bills — which Sanders will start — as a potential coronation.

Both play well. In Monken's ideal scenario, Watson and Sanders give the coaching staff legitimate reasons to keep evaluating both, making the next preseason game meaningful.

Both struggle. We're talking about the Browns. So, this is the most likely scenario.

• Still, it's one preseason game with a new offense and uncertainty on the offensive line. Don't panic.

The bottom line: Saturday probably won't determine Cleveland's starting quarterback, but it could change how everyone talks about the decision.

July was the hottest month on record for the contiguous U.S., per new federal data dating back to 1895.

By the numbers: Last month's average temperature was 76.89°F, topping the 76.77°F mark set in July 1936, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information's monthly report.

• That's 3.3°F warmer than the 1901-2000 average.

Zoom in: Cleveland began the month with a record high of 97°F on July 1, 14 degrees above the normal high.

• Extreme temperatures led to multiple power outages in Northeast Ohio throughout the month.

What they're saying: "Above-average temperatures covered the entire [contiguous U.S.], with all states ranking in the warmest third of their July temperature records and none ranking near or below average," the report says.

The big picture: July featured a series of "heat domes" across the country that trapped warm air beneath them, fueling several extreme heat events.

• Researchers have found that climate change is making extreme heat events more common and more intense — but they're also linked to phenomena and patterns like El Niño.

What we're watching: NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is calling for an elevated chance of above-average temperatures for much of the continental U.S., including most of Ohio, through August.

• It's also possible that 2026 will set a new record for the hottest year globally.

🍲 More than a dozen hot meal sites in Cleveland are turning to church congregations for donations after losing funding from the Hunger Network, a local nonprofit that itself has not received expected funding from FEMA. (Signal Cleveland)

🚲 Cleveland Metroparks cut the ribbon on the Old Lorain Road Connector Trail in Kamm's Corners this week. (Ideastream)

U.S. Rep. Max Miller's ex-wife Emily Moreno filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing Miller and his attorney of posting a nude photo of Moreno and Miller's 2-year-old daughter to his X account. (Cleveland.com)

📚 "'Communion' is a bad book," writes James Butler about Vice President JD Vance's new memoir.

• "It is sloppy, unfocused, stylistically uneven, ethically vacuous, intellectually tendentious and politically cynical." (London Review of Books)

Axios Cleveland readers who responded to our recent coverage of Burke Lakefront Airport lean strongly toward keeping the airport open.

Why it matters: The responses surprised us. For years, we've seen public sentiment overwhelmingly in the other direction.

• But the prevailing attitude among our readership is that Cleveland shouldn't eliminate a functioning piece of aviation infrastructure without a concrete, financed redevelopment plan.

What they're saying: Several say the city should first prove it can successfully redevelop the Browns stadium site before tackling Burke.

• Others cite the Cleveland National Air Show, aviation education and potential future uses like drones and air taxis as reasons to preserve the airport.
• A recurring theme is one voiced by industry representatives in a recent letter to Cleveland City Council: Once Burke is gone, Cleveland can't easily get it back.

Zoom in: "There are too many people on social media who compare Burke to Meigs Field in Chicago," reader Blaine B. writes.

• "Meigs was only 75 acres on the shore of one of the most dense urban neighborhoods in America. Burke is 450 acres on a downtown littered with parking lots, struggling to find 20,000 residents, and surrounded by a city infused with 'urban prairies.'"

The other side: As in years past, those favoring closure argue that valuable lakefront property shouldn't be devoted to a relatively small number of private aviation users.

Between the lines: Even some readers who favor closing Burke want the city to produce detailed redevelopment plans, identify funding and find new homes for aviation programs before shutting down the airport.

Hundreds of athletes will swim, bike and run along Cleveland's lakefront Sunday for the sixth annual "Tri Cle" Cleveland triathlon at Edgewater Park.

Why it matters: Motorists should take note. The Shoreway will close at 3am Sunday westward from Dead Man's Curve to accommodate the cycling portion of the race.

State of play: Competition begins at 6:30am at Edgewater Beach, with Olympic, sprint and super-sprint distances.

• A post-race party runs from 8am-noon.

Stop by: Spectators should park at Lower Edgewater — or walk or bike from Gordon Square — and follow directions from parking attendants.

• The park will be the best location to watch athletes biking on the Shoreway and running through Edgewater.

👀 Sam is stunned by the scale of kratom drink sales in Ohio. Signal reports that 59,000 bottles of the addictive opioid-like beverages were sold each day before a recent ban.

🎛️ Troy is in the market for a new record player and looking for recommendations.

This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.