Testing a new newsletter format w/ 3 sponsors. Imagine something witty here.

• Sponsor #1 (Title): The title sponsor will get their logo at the top of the newsletter next to ours and a content block aligning to our Quick Bits format.
• Sponsor #2 (Secondary): will receive a dedicated content block in the "Speed Round" format.
• Sponsor #3 (Tertiary): Will get a standalone bullet in the "DONUT Holes" section, our highest clicked section in the newsletter

"It is better to change an opinion than to persist in a wrong one."

–Socrates (470 BC - 399 BC)

In 2021, Toyota outsold GM in the US by 114,034 vehicles – 2.3 million to 2.2 million.

🚗 Driving the news (lol)… Toyota's supply chain management strategy. The Japanese automaker was able to better manage production issues than GM, including an ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips.

• But will Toyota keep the title? Probably not, according to Jack Hollis, Toyota North America's senior vice president of automotive operations.
• "Yes, we did surpass General Motors in sales," he told reporters during a call yesterday. "But to be clear, that is not our goal, nor do we see it as sustainable."
• GM attributes its 43% fourth-quarter sales decline and 13% tumble for the year to the ongoing shortage, which forced the company to direct its supply to the most profitable vehicles.

📉 Zoom out: Overall, it was a tough year for the industry – demand is still high but automakers are struggling to make enough cars to keep up. Average new vehicle prices jumped 20% last month to a record $45,700, per J.D. Power. 

US auto sales are expected to come in around 14.9 million vehicles, up 2.5% from 2020, according to Cox Automotive. Automakers typically sell more than 16 million vehicles a year.

• While GM's sales fell for the year, Toyota (10%), Honda (9%), and Nissan (9%) all posted gains. And, as we reported yesterday, Ford was the top-performing auto stock of 2021 (+140%).

+Speaking of Ford… The automaker is set to report Q4 earnings later today, one day after announcing it was doubling production on its all-electric F-150. The company's stock closed at a two-decade high.

📅 Blast from the past… Topps had planned to go public via SPAC this past August at a ~$1.3 billion valuation, but the deal fell apart soon after it lost its contract with the MLB.

• As we mentioned at the time, this tactic is nothing new for Fanatics. In 2016, the company beat out Majestic for the 10-year MLB uniforms contract then gobbled them up four years later.

⚾🏀🏈 Zoom out: Fanatics launched its trading card venture last year after securing exclusive, long-term rights agreements with the MLB and its Players Association, the NBA and its Players Association, and the NFL Players Association.

• The company's move couldn't have come at a better time, as sports trading cards are decidedly back in fashion – nine of the ten most expensive cards in history have all been sold over the past year-and-a-half.

👁️ Looking ahead… Fanatics' MLB deal wasn't set to begin until after the 2025 season, but it'll effectively start following the acquisition's completion since Topps holds the current contract.

NFTs, Pokémon cards, virtual real estate, crypto, you name it – every day, it seems like another overnight millionaire is minted in some obscure corner of the Internet.

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💬 Heard Through the Grapevine… "This case will hopefully spur an important conversation about sentencing laws, but any subsequent changes to the law would not retroactively impact your sentence, which is why I am granting you this limited Commutation." – Colorado Governor Jarid Polis in a letter of clemency published last Thursday.

• The governor commuted the sentence of Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, a truck driver ordered to serve 110 years in prison for an interstate crash that killed four people. He’ll now serve 10 years instead.
• A Change.org petition asking the governor for a reduced sentence for Aguilera-Mederos has received over 5 million signatures, and supporters rallied in Denver on his behalf on Dec. 22.

🔢 Number of the Day… 2%, which is the percentage of US restaurant menus featuring chicken thighs. In comparison, 42% of menus list traditional chicken wings.

• But that ratio may not stay the same for much longer. Short supplies and escalating costs of chicken breasts and wings are leading more restaurants to add thighs and other dark poultry meat to their menus and entrees.

📖 Worth a Peek… A world ablaze, captured by AP photographers in 2021

• 👆 Hundreds of drivers (including Sen. Tim Kaine) were trapped overnight on Virginia’s Interstate 95 after jackknifed semi-trucks got stuck in icy conditions; some motorists were stranded on the highway for more than 20 hours.
• 🌐 AT&T and Verizon reversed course and will pause their upcoming 5G rollout slated to start today; the companies will abide by an FAA request to postpone major network upgrades for two weeks.
• 🚫 💼 More than 4.5 million people voluntarily quit their jobs in November, a new record high; the overall number of job openings decreased slightly to 10.6 million, per Labor Department figures published yesterday.
• 🏈 The Washington Football Team will reveal its new name on Feb. 2; the finalists are Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Redhawks, Commanders, Defenders, and Football Team.
• 🦠 Omicron roundup: The U.S. reported a record 1+ million new cases on Monday, driven partially by backlogs over the New Year’s weekend; the CDC updated its variant numbers once again, now saying omicron made up 77% of new cases for the week ending Christmas Day and 95+% of new cases for the week ending January 1.
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What, if anything, should the Senate do about the filibuster?

Abolish it entirely

Make alterations but leave its spirit intact

Don’t change it at all

Unsure/Other

+Note: A written response isn't required – all you need to do is click one of the links above and your vote is recorded. Poll results and the best comments for each response will be featured in tomorrow’s newsletter.

At an impressive 6' 7", Joseph Gamez towers over most adults- let alone the kids in his middle school classroom.

Joseph's mom has struggled to find shoes that fit her twelve-year-old son's size 18 feet. She reached out online for advice in a desperate attempt to find some "cool" kicks for her boy. 

• "I know you guys probably think this is crazy but I need real help," shared his mom. "I need to get this message to the NBA or NFL... Big Guys, where are u getting the shoes?" 

To her surprise, advice(and shoes!) came flooding in. In the week following her post, Joseph received 15 new pairs of shiny sneakers from around the country.  

• His biggest surprise was receiving a pair of custom Air Jordans from former Denver Nuggets basketball player Brad Stricker. The athlete even met the 12-year-old in person to hand-deliver them. 

What’s the only US state that borders exactly one other state?

A) Florida

B) New Jersey

C) Alaska

D) Maine

(keep scrolling for the answer)

To those who missed our giveaway (and even those who didn’t): we always have other referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to this newsletter. 👇

Here’s your unique link to copy & send to anyone you think would like the DONUT:

D) Maine

The easternmost US state only shares a border with New Hampshire.