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Good morning. Some news from the doughnut (not to be confused with the DONUT😜) world: Krispy Kreme filed for an IPO.
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Per Reuters: The company first went public in 2000, but had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following financial restatements, investigations into its accounting practices, and a plunge in sales at some of its franchises.
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Per the DONUT: This may be the best setup for a dollars-to-doughnuts dad joke ever.
⏰🚀 Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes 4.42 minutes to read.
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🍩 Daily Sprinkle
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
–Sam Levenson
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🗣👂 Dose of Discussion
🚫 FB Oversight Board Upholds Trump Ban
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Facebook’s independent Oversight Board ruled the company was justified in banning then-President Donald Trump from its platform in the wake of the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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However… the Oversight Board said it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose an indefinite suspension, since its normal policies involve either a time-bound period of suspension or an outright ban.
It gave Facebook six months to determine whether Trump should be permanently banned, and, if so, to explain that decision more fully.
💬 Relevant Quote
“The Board found that, in maintaining an unfounded narrative of electoral fraud and persistent calls to action, Mr. Trump created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible.
At the time of Mr. Trump’s posts, there was a clear, immediate risk of harm and his words of support for those involved in the riots legitimized their violent actions…
… It is not permissible for Facebook to keep a user off the platform for an undefined period, with no criteria for when or whether the account will be restored.
In applying this penalty, Facebook did not follow a clear, published procedure.” –The Oversight Board
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🗣️ Trump’s Response
Image: Twitter; statement sent out via email
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On Tuesday, Trump launched a new online platform to communicate with his followers called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” featuring videos from the former president and statements from his leadership PAC.
⏭️ What’s Next?
The Oversight Board’s decision in this case is binding – thus, Facebook will have the next six months to make a decision regarding a permanent Trump ban.
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📰 Quick Bits
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🎽 Peloton Recalls All Treadmills
Peloton announced voluntary recalls of both its treadmill machines - the Tread & Tread+ - over safety concerns first aired by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in mid-April.
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The CPSC last month told people with young children or pets to stop using the treadmills and urged Peloton to recall the product, which it said was responsible for dozens of injuries and at least one death (a six-year-old child who was pulled under the machine).
💬 CEO John Foley: “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”
More: Peloton is advising customers who already own the products to immediately stop using them and contact the company for a full refund before November 6, 2022.
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📉 U.S. Birth Rate Declines
The number of babies born in America fell for the sixth straight year to its lowest level in more than four decades, according to a new report from the CDC and National Center for Health Statistics.
Image: WSJ
The provisional data showed U.S. women had 3.61M babies in 2020, down 4% from the previous year and the lowest total since 1979.
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The total fertility rate, which describes the number of babies a woman has on average over her lifetime, fell to 1.64 – the lowest on record since the government began tracking it in the 1930s.
More: The report’s authors attribute some of the decrease in births to the uncertainty that came with the pandemic, saying fewer babies are typically born when the economy weakens. They also noted that birthrates haven’t recovered from the 2008 Great Recession.
From the Right: WSJ
From the Left: NPR
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🧠💉 COVID Vaccine Patent Proposal
Image: Screenshot of press release
The Biden administration said it would support an international proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. The measure will be formally considered at a World Trade Organization meeting next month.
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Until now, the U.S., EU, and other wealthier nations had opposed the waiver, which would allow countries to produce vaccines created by pharmaceutical companies without paying licensing fees.
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A group of 110 congressional Democrats sent a letter to President Biden last month in support of the WTO proposal.
The other side… Pharmaceutical companies and other business groups oppose the move, saying it wouldn’t solve existing production problems in the short term since other countries lack certain necessary technical knowledge. They also argue patent-sharing would discourage biotech companies from developing products for the next pandemic.
More: Moderna said last year it wouldn’t enforce patents related to its COVID-19 vaccine while the pandemic continues.
From the Left: NBC News
From the Right: NY Post
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DONUT Holes...
⚖️ A federal judge struck down the CDC’s national eviction moratorium yesterday; then temporarily put a hold on that decision late last night. The DOJ filed a notice of appeal. (From the Left | From the Right)
🇮🇱 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before his mandate expired Tuesday night; President Reuven Rivlin tapped centrist politician Yair Lipid to attempt the same over the next four weeks.
📝 Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill this week requiring all schools in the state to provide free menstrual products to students by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
🐕🚀🌕 Dogecoin is now up 12,000% this year.
💉 Moderna said its COVID-19 booster shot - given six to eight months after being vaccinated - appears to be effective against the strain of virus first identified in South Africa, per Phase 2 trial data.
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🧐 The Perspective Game
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Rules: We choose a hot-button news topic and curate headlines to show you how everyone’s spinning it. The twist? It’s up to you to guess which perspective is being pushed (e.g., left or right).*
Today’s topic: House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), former President Trump, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
#1: Liz Cheney Is Right, But May Need to Go
#2: Liz Cheney Might Lose Her Job to a Trump Lackey
#3: Trump Endorses Stafanik To Replace Liz Cheney In House Leadership
#4: Liz Cheney's top donors stand with her despite Republicans' push to oust her from House leadership
#5: Liz Cheney Draws More GOP Fire Over Anti-Trump Stance
Scroll for the answers 👇
*We use MediaBias/FactCheck.com for all our ratings.
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📸 Picture This
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Image: HBO |
HBO released three images from the set of House of the Dragon – the network’s first Game of Thrones spinoff series.
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The show is set 300 years before the events of the main series and explores the story of House Targaryen. It’s slated to debut sometime next year.
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🧐📝 Answers
#1: Right; National Review → Liz Cheney Is Right, But May Need to Go
#2: Left-Center; Vice News → Liz Cheney Might Lose Her Job to a Trump Lackey
#3: Right; The Federalist → Trump Endorses Stafanik To Replace Liz Cheney In House Leadership
#4: Left-Center; CNBC → Liz Cheney's top donors stand with her despite Republicans' push to oust her from House leadership
#5: Right-Center; WSJ → Liz Cheney Draws More GOP Fire Over Anti-Trump Stance
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🤗 Daily Dose of Positive
💇♀️ An Unlikely Student
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Images: Facebook
It’s often said people will do anything for true love. In the case of one elderly man - who prefers to remain anonymous - that statement couldn’t be more true.
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When his wife of 50+ years began experiencing vision issues, the 79-year-old noticed she was struggling to style her hair -- so he sought out a local beauty college where he could learn to perform the task himself.
He spent all afternoon with a trainee, practicing the techniques on a mannequin over and over. Then he went home to try it for real (and you probably know how it ends… this is the Dose of Positive, after all 😉).
“My staff and students were so touched by his sincere wish to help his wife… He lovingly pulled pictures from his wallet, showing everyone his wife, and boasting about how beautiful she has always been and how talented she was...” –School Director Carrie Hannah to SWNS.
Read more.
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🛸🌄📲 Calling from the Future…
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📽️ All The World’s A Screen…
Image: Lightform
Lightform, an AR tech startup, announced Project LFX – a new line of steerable projectors that can turn any surface into a screen.
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Users can control the projectors - a ceiling-mounted light fixture and two table-top lamps - using their voice or a "wand" (i.e, remote control).
The company has not yet indicated when Project LFX will be sold commercially, but said it hopes to launch the devices with a price tag under $1K.
See how it works.
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💡 Dose of Knowledge
🗽 The Name Game
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Which of the following is not the name of a town in New York state?
A) Niceville
B) Throop
C) Shawangunk
D) Neversink
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(keep scrolling for the answer) |
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🤑🍩 Refer friends & family to the DONUT, earn rewards
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Merch – and even a mini-vacation – is at your fingertips. Simply:
1. Copy your unique referral link below.
2. Post said link on social media, send it to the crazy uncle, drop it in the group chat, etc.
3. Watch the rewards roll in.
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Ambassador Rewards and Progress → |
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💡 Dose of Knowledge Answer
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A) Niceville
Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida (pop. 15,386).
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