💬 Quoted… “Tonight, the race for the White House takes flight.”

The first debate of the 2024 presidential election took place in Milwaukee last night, where eight of the top Republican candidates each made their case for why GOP voters should choose them in the primary elections. (Full video)

• Notably absent from the debate was former President Trump, the current Republican front-runner by a wide margin, who released a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson roughly five minutes before the debate began.

+Dive deeper: Background | Recap from the Left | Recap from the Center | Recap from the Right

🎃☕ Stat of the Day: If you heard the pitter-patter of fluffy boots sprinting to the car this morning, it’s because Starbucks’ uber-popular pumpkin spice latte is back; the drink will be available in stores nationwide starting today. The Seattle-based coffee chain doesn’t release sales data by flavor, but analysts say the PSL’s first week of availability typically correlates with a 10%-25% bump in overall sales. Starbucks sells roughly 20 million PSLs each year.

🤔 Did You Know?... More US workers call in sick on August 24 than any other day on the calendar. #2 on the list? Super Bowl Monday.

📰 Worth a Read: How to have meaningful conversations with kids → (Vox)