Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. We’re wishing a happy belated birthday to Music Television, aka MTV, which officially went on air for the first time 41 years ago yesterday. The channel kicked off its run with footage of a shuttle launch and the words “ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll”... then showed its first music video ever: “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles.

Today we’ll be watching for its 2022 reboot: “TikTok Killed The Instagram Star.”

In this edition:

• 💰 The 411 on political ad spending
• ​​🧪 Autism could be linked to the gut
• 🕑 When was the shortest day in history? 

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.62 minutes to read.

“You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.”

–Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Hulu will start running political ads on controversial issues like guns and abortions, reversing its policy of rejecting ads centered around those topics, parent company Disney recently confirmed.

📺 A deeper dive… “#BoycottHulu” became a top-trending hashtag on Twitter last week after several national Democratic orgs complained to WaPo that Hulu had rejected their ads on abortion and guns, while ESPN and a local ABC affiliate – both also owned by Disney – had accepted and ran them.

• Two days after the WaPo report was published, Disney unveiled new Hulu ad guidelines it says are the same as those used by its cable networks like FX and ESPN.
• Previously, Hulu’s ad policy prohibited content “that takes a position on a controversial issue of public importance (e.g. social issues).”

🤓 To get technical: Broadcasters are required by law to accept ads from political candidates on any topic, no matter how controversial or inaccurate, with the exception of graphic content like obscenity. There’s no such requirement for streaming services or other digital providers.

🗳️ Looking ahead… This November is expected to be the first election where streaming ads – aka connected television (CTV) ads – will play a somewhat significant role.👇

• Of the top five most popular streaming platforms in the US, just Hulu and HBO Max currently offer ad-supported versions, though both Netflix and Disney+ have announced plans to join their ranks by 2023.

+On the social media side: Twitter and TikTok don’t allow political ads, while YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat do.

📊 Flash poll: How do you feel about political ads on streaming services?

I enjoy them

I dislike them

I’m ambivalent

Unsure/other

The NFL will suspend Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson for six games over allegations of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions, a neutral arbitrator announced yesterday.

⚖️ Background: Since March 2021, 25 different women have filed civil lawsuits against Watson accusing him of inappropriate behavior during massage sessions, including some instances of sexual assault. One lawsuit was later dropped and 23 others were settled out of court, including three yesterday morning.

• Watson has maintained his innocence throughout. He hasn’t been officially charged with a crime, after two separate Texas grand juries declined to do so earlier this year.
• In March, the Cleveland Browns traded for Watson from the Houston Texans and signed him to a five-year, $230 million contract (fully guaranteed) after the first grand jury announced it wouldn’t indict him.

📝 That brings us to yesterday… In her 15-page decision, ​​disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson said she supported the NFL’s conclusion that Watson committed at least four acts of sexual assault under the league’s definition, and that his behavior posed a “genuine danger to the safety and well-being of another person.” But she rejected the NFL’s request for a season-long ban, saying that such a move would go against the league’s past suspensions for similar non-violent conduct.

👀 Looking ahead… Both sides have until Thursday at 9 am ET to appeal the decision.

Pepsi announced a new $550 million investment in energy drink maker Celsius yesterday as part of a long-term distribution deal that gives Pepsi an 8.5% ownership stake.

⚡️🥤 A deeper dive… Celsius is a sugar-free, caffeinated sparkling drink that markets itself as a healthy alternative to other energy drinks and diet sodas, partnering with influencers, celebrities and fitness instructors like Olympic snowboarder Shaun White and model Sara Sampaio to promote its products on TikTok and Instagram.

• The company claims its beverages have thermogenic properties, meaning they help increase your metabolism and burn calories. And calories are the only thing Celsius seems to be burning (besides maybe rubber): in the first quarter of this year, the company’s US revenue rose 217% to reach $123.5 million.

📸 Big picture: To quote a popular industry product, buying a company that sells energy drinks could give you wings. This deal helps strengthen Pepsi’s ties to the segment, one of the beverage market’s fastest-growing non-alcoholic categories, which saw global sales roughly double from $46 billion in 2020 to $86 billion in 2021.

• The company previously acquired Rockstar – which Celsius recently overtook as America’s fourth most popular ​​energy drink – for $3.85 billion in early 2020, and invested in Bang Energy, the #3 most popular, around that same time. But the latter relationship quickly soured, and the two companies split up in June.

🍎 September is fast approaching and you may be asking yourself, is this year going to be like all the others? Or is this when I finally connect with my students, understand what makes them tick, and help them fulfill their academic potential??

Obviously, as a teacher, you would prefer the latter. But the first ten days of school absolutely set the tone of your classroom community for the year ahead, and small decisions can have huge implications.

Mud & Ink wants to help you build the best relationships and environment possible, and they have a great suggestion for just that this September:

• Get each student to tell their 15-second life story. Using the template, they can insert pictures, videos, and details so they can share the quick version with their classmates!

🧩 But that’s just one piece of the puzzle... If you want a comprehensive framework for the best possible start to the year, check out the brand new course: The First Ten Days: The Complete Back to School Toolkit. Mud & Ink’s Amanda Cardenas will be your guide through every step and decision, ensuring you and your students get the start you deserve.👌

🍎 Start the school year right with the 15-second life story.

Some of the most common symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be linked to the biological makeup of the gut, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Neuroscience.

🤔 More deets… To date, researchers have been unable to identify the primary cause(s) of ASD, a neurological and developmental condition that affects how humans communicate, learn new things, and behave, despite it being the fastest-growing developmental disability in the world.

• In this newly-published study, Italian scientists transplanted fecal matter gathered from autistic human donors into mice (btw: human fecal transplants? Totally a real thing… and exactly what it sounds like).
• The group of mice who received the transplants exhibited unusual behaviors similar to those observed in children and adults with ASD, while the control group didn’t.

✋ Yes, but: Further investigation is required in order to draw a conclusive link between gut bacteria and ASD, according to the researchers.

🦠 Gut check: The human gut contains trillions of bacteria that play a major role in keeping our bodies healthy. Most are symbiotic, meaning both the bacterium and the human body benefit from the actions it takes. Others are pathogenic, aka promoters of disease.

• In a healthy body, these bacteria coexist without problems. But if the balance is disturbed, it can lead to diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, IBS, and depression.

+Dive deeper: Does Gut Microbiota Manipulate Our Minds? → (Science News)

• ☝️ Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted what they think is the farthest galaxy ever seen, breaking a record set less than a week ago; astrophysicists still need to validate what they're seeing in the JWST data, though.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🪙 The SEC charged 11 people for their roles in creating and promoting Forsage, a fraudulent crypto pyramid and Ponzi scheme that raised more than $300 million from retail investors around the world.
• 🥛 Oatly's Oat Milk Barista Edition is one of 53 specialty drinks being recalled because of possible bacterial contamination.
• 🏭 US manufacturing activity slowed less than expected in July, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly index.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈🎤 Amazon Prime Video announced plans to have comedy group Dude Perfect call some Thursday Night Football games this fall as one of “multiple” alternate streams that’ll be available.
• 🌌 Star Wars spinoff Andor – the prequel to Rogue One – has a new trailer and a new premiere date: September 21.
• ⚖️ Author Stephen King will testify on behalf of the DOJ in a lawsuit filed to block a merger between mega book publishers Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🕑 June 29, 2022 was the shortest day in recorded history due to a slight “wobble” of the Earth that shaved off 1.59 milliseconds, according to a new analysis from timeanddate.com; "recorded history" dates back to when atomic clocks were first used to measure time starting in the 1960s.
• ⚡ Federal regulators plan to certify the first small modular nuclear reactor design in US history; it's the seventh reactor certification overall.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• ✈️ ​​A passenger traveling from Indonesia to Australia was fined $1,874 after authorities discovered two undeclared McMuffins in his luggage.
• 🇦🇫 Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who’s thought to be one of the masterminds behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan yesterday.
• 🗳️ Kansas voters will decide today on a ballot initiative that would allow state lawmakers to ban abortion. (From the Left | From the Right | From the Center)

💬 Quoted… “She’s definitely coming. The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei.”

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to visit Taiwan and meet with government officials this week, defying warnings from Beijing not to do so, per a WSJ report published yesterday that cited an internal source.

🛒 Stat of the Day: Average grocery spending at discount chains has increased by 71% since last October, while spending on the same items at conventional grocery stores has decreased by 5%, according to analytics firm InMarket.

🌎 Around the World: A ship loaded with corn sailed out of the port of Odesa yesterday, marking the first time Ukraine has successfully exported grains since Russia first invaded in late February.

🤯 Did You Know?... Pepsi briefly became the sixth-largest military in the world in 1989 after accepting 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer from the Soviet Union in exchange for $3 billion worth of soda.

📖 Worth a Read: I spent 5 years interviewing 225 millionaires. Here are the 4 types of rich people and their top habits → (CNBC)

📊 Poll results: On Friday, we asked if you thought America needs a third major political party.

• 77% of y’all said yes, 12% said no, and 11% were unsure or had a more nuanced opinion.

See the full 360° view here.

Good question! We use a basic two-step process:

1. First, add up the total number of words that make up “today’s news,” aka our first story through The Hot Corner section. (Note: advertising copy isn’t included)
2. We take that total and divide it by 260 words per minute, roughly the average reading speed for adults in English, and *voila*... you’ve got your final time.

+For next week: Have a question you’d like to ask us (and our rolodex of contacts)? Just submit it here.

"I have a pair of @JJWatt womens edition of Reebok shoes size 9 $60. I’ve worn them twice. They are great shoes, im only selling because we are raising money for my grandpas funeral." 

When Texan teacher Jennifer Simpson tweeted the above message alongside photos of her shoes, she was only trying to raise a little extra money. Her family had been struggling to cover funeral expenses after the sudden loss of her grandfather, so Jennifer resorted to selling her valuables to help out. 

💸🏈 Paying it forward... Jennifer was shocked when Arizona Cardinals athlete JJ Watt, who helped design the shoes, replied to her tweet. "Don't sell your shoes and jersey, we'll help with the funeral," he wrote. "I'm sorry for your loss."

• JJ covered the entirety of the funeral expenses, and Jennifer was able to hold on to her shoes and favorite jersey.❤️

☀️ True or False: The opposite of nocturnal is dayurnal.

🍷 Riddle Me This: In what sort of glass should you never pour expensive wine?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone you think would like the DONUT.

☀️ T/F: False, it's diurnal

🍷 Riddle: A full glass