Good morning. The list of recent cheating scandals just keeps on getting longer. Chess, Adam Levine, competitive fishing, Fat Bear Week – and now, professional cornhole (or “Bag Toss” for those who call it by the wrong name😉).

At a competition in August, the No. 1-ranked doubles team in America was accused of using illegal beanbags. It turns out, they were… but so was the team they were competing against.

This scandal has come to be known as “BagGate.” Read more about it here.

In today’s edition:

• ⚖️ The Supreme Court hears affirmative action cases
• 🚀 SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy takes to the skies following a three-year hiatus
• 😳🏎 Maybe video games do help you drive

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.95 minutes to read.

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

–Albus Dumbledore (1881-1997)

The Supreme Court heard five hours of arguments on Monday across a pair of cases challenging whether colleges can consider race in admissions decisions, a practice known as affirmative action.

🎓 Background: In the late ‘60s, admissions departments around the country began implementing affirmative action policies in response to the civil rights movement. They were aimed at accepting more students of color, who hadn’t been allowed to attend most colleges and universities prior to that time.

In the years since, affirmative action has been the subject of several major decisions handed down by the Supreme Court:

• 1978: SCOTUS ruled 5-4 that universities couldn’t set specific numerical targets based on race for admissions (aka a quota system). Instead, the Court said they could consider race as one of many factors for admission.
• 2013: SCOTUS ruled 7-1 that the burden of proof is on schools to demonstrate their affirmative action policies are "narrowly tailored" and necessary for campus diversity. A follow-up 4-3 decision in 2016 stipulated that "a college must continually reassess its need for race-conscious review.”

⚖️ That brings us to this week… The two cases heard Monday were brought by conservative group Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The suits are both challenging the 1978 SCOTUS ruling that allowed schools to consider race as one of many factors.

• In pre-trial briefs, Students for Fair Admissions argued such a policy results in discrimination against disfavored groups – specifically Asian American and white applicants – in violation of the 14th Amendment.
• The universities argued racial diversity is an essential part of their educational experiences, and that the only effective way to ensure diversity is by explicitly considering race in admissions.

👀 Looking ahead… The Court’s ruling is expected by next summer.

📊 Flash poll: Do you think colleges and universities should be able to consider race as one of many factors for admission?

Yes

No

Unsure/other

🇧🇷 Incumbent Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gave his first public address since losing Sunday’s election. He didn’t explicitly concede or recognize his opponent as the winner, but vowed to “comply” with Brazil’s constitution. Bolsonaro’s chief of staff said he privately has authorized the start of a peaceful transition of power. After former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Sunday’s presidential runoff by a 50.9% to 49.1% margin, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took to the streets and blockaded over 300 highways in protest of the result.

🇮🇱 Early exit polls in Israel project that ex-PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc will win a majority after yesterday’s election. The polls, conducted by local media, aren’t official results and could change as votes are actually counted. But if they hold, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc would have 61 or 62 seats in the 120-member Knesset (Israel’s parliament), allowing them to form a government – though such a narrow margin could lead to a future collapse, as in recent years. Voter turnout was 71.3%, the highest since 2015.

🇷🇺 Russia continues to attack civilian areas in Ukraine with missiles and drone strikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian airstrikes have "seriously damaged" ~40% of his country’s entire energy infrastructure. Late last month, Ukraine’s state-run energy utility said it had suffered more attacks since Russia began its current escalation on October 10 than in the previous eight months of the war.

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Traditionally, it’d be the middle of cuffing season rn. But as we know from the past few years, the world is a little upside down. Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen just filed for divorce, Kim K. and Pete Davidson recently broke up, and the US is floating a total ban of TikTok… again.

In an Axios interview published yesterday, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr was quoted as saying, “I don’t believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban,” in reference to the shortform video app.

🤔 What’s he talking about?... To put it simply: many regulators and lawmakers in the US have data security concerns regarding the app. All companies based in China – a box that Bytedance, which owns TikTok, solidly checks – are legally required to render assistance to the government whenever asked, which includes providing info on individuals, customers, and companies.

And while TikTok has maintained that it does not follow this policy, a series of recent reports challenge its assertion.

• At least some TikTok engineers based in China had access to nonpublic US user information, including phone numbers and birthdays, BuzzFeed reported in June.
• And a Forbes report, published earlier this month, details how ByteDance planned to use TikTok to collect information about certain US users.

👀 Looking ahead… To be clear, the FCC has no authority to regulate TikTok directly. But the US government as a whole does.

The shortform video app is currently in negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, about how – or if – it can continue business in America.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the most powerful operational rocket in the world, blasted off into space yesterday for the first time in over three years, hauling satellites into orbit on a US Space Force mission.

🚀 More details... The Falcon Heavy is made up of three modified Falcon 9 boosters, strapped together to generate a record-breaking 5 million pounds of thrust. That’s ~18 times more powerful than a jumbo jet, and enough to carry a payload of 64 metric tons into space.

More fun facts:

• The rocket’s maiden voyage, flown in 2018, featured SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster as a test payload. (The car is still orbiting around the Sun.)
• In the past, SpaceX has attempted to land all three Falcon 9 boosters back on landing pads so they can be reused. The company has yet to succeed at retrieving all three, but managed to safely land two boosters yesterday.

💪 Zoom out: Though the Falcon Heavy is currently the most powerful rocket in the world, NASA’s SLS booster is poised to overtake it soon.

💬 Quoted…​​ “I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube… I never knew if it would actually work. I did that when I was 8 years old."

Heading into NASCAR’s Xfinity 500 on Sunday, driver Ross Chastain knew he needed a top-8 finish to qualify for the championship race this week. When the final lap rolled around, he found himself sitting in 10th, needing a miracle to jump two spots – until he pulled a trick straight out of a video game.

• With his gas pedal on the floorboard, Chastain executed an unprecedented wall-riding maneuver that propelled him to a 5th-place finish and set a record for fastest lap in the track’s history. (Here’s a video, with other drivers’ reactions included.)

💊 Stat of the Day: Abortions have declined roughly 2% in the US since late June, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, including people who traveled across state lines or ordered pills online, per a NY Times analysis of two new studies.

• One of the studies found a nearly 120% increase in online abortion pill orders in July and August compared to previous months.

🤯 Did You Know?... The names of 24 US states are derived from Indigenous languages of the Americas.

📖 Worth a Read: Of Course Instant Groceries Don’t Work → (The Atlantic)

🌵 Bass Reeves has all the hallmarks of an American legend, which may be why it's poised to be the next big comic-based entertainment franchise. Buzz surrounding the series is surging, due to on-screen productions soon to hit screens everywhere.

And you can be among the first to own the complete 136-page graphic novel based on the former slave turned legendary lawman, Bass Reeves: West of Hell.

• Back the campaign today and choose from hardcover, softcover, upgrade to a signed copy from artist David Williams, or grab some swag so killer it needs a wanted poster.☠️🔥

Bass always got his man, and now you can, too.

Get your copy of Bass Reeves: West of Hell.

• ☝️You’re looking at a 120,000-square-foot Connecticut home, built by the founder of Yankee Candle, that just went on the market for $23 million; the 60-acre estate includes 25 bathrooms, 16 bedrooms, six kitchens, four tennis courts, a bowling alley, arcade, spa, and more.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• ​​📉 US stocks fell slightly across the board yesterday. (Dow: -0.2% | S&P: -0.4% | Nasdaq: -0.9%) | The Federal Reserve’s policy-making committee is expected to raise interest rates by 0.75% later today.
• 💵 The Treasury Department announced a new Series I bond rate of 6.89% for the next six months.
• 🚗🏠 Earnings reports: Uber shares closed up 10% after the company reported a 72% increase in quarterly revenue and its highest-ever adjusted earnings. | Airbnb posted its most profitable quarter to-date, thanks to a 25% increase in bookings from Q2.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🌐 Disney launched a limited revenue test yesterday, offering exclusive merch to Disney+ subscribers themed around its shows and films; the company’s site has already sold out of several products. | Amazon is expanding its library of ad-free music and podcasts for Prime members.
• 🙏 Rapper Takeoff, one of the three members in Migos, was shot dead in Houston yesterday at 28.
• 🌎 Taylor Swift announced her first world tour in five years, covering 26 shows in the US and an unknown number of international dates; tickets go on sale November 18.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🧛 Using DNA evidence, forensic scientists created a facial reconstruction of a “vampire” who was buried in Connecticut during the 18th century.
• 💉 Pfizer is seeking FDA approval for its new RSV vaccine for infants after publishing data from Phase 3 clinical trials; if approved, it would be the first such shot on the market. | Some health experts have warned of a ‘tridemic’ this winter between the flu, Covid, and RSV.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• 🧗 An 8-year-old boy has become the youngest person to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, per his dad.
• 🧾 The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the House Ways and Means Committee from accessing former President Trump’s tax returns. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right) |
• 🗳️ SCOTUS also rejected a request from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to block a subpoena from a Georgia grand jury investigating potential interference in the 2020 election. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🎤 Rapper Harry Mack breaks down his own bars while freestyling.

Quick recap: In this section, we’re aiming to crowdsource details about epic trips – then provide the whole playbook for the experience to y’all.

• Have you ever gone on an epic, once-in-a-lifetime trip? Tell us about it here.

🚶‍♂️ Who: Annie T. from Sturbridge, MA

☀️ Length of trip: 5 days

💬 Quick recap: KW is the perfect spot if you love fresh food, yummy drinks, and lots of sun! We went with a group of about 10 friends. Many of them had been before— so we felt like we had our own personal tour guides. We drank all day— luckily all of the bars and restaurants had happy hour specials everyday, listened to live music, went to Mile Marker Zero, enjoyed looking at beautiful art galleries, ate DELICIOUS fresh fish everyday, and enjoyed the sun!

☀️ Want to learn more? Dive deeper into Annie's must-dos, must-don'ts, and trip expenses here.

P.S. Have your own epic trip you’d like to share? Tell us about it here for a chance to be featured in next Wednesday’s newsletter.

A giant duck named Greater Joy floated through the waters of Belfast, Maine, earlier this week. After breaking free from its moorings and drifting through Belfast Harbor in heavy winds, Greater Joy refused to be wrangled – even by the strongest boat lines in the area. 

🐤 A random act of kindness... While Greater Joy first gained popularity last year, it's still unknown who the duck belongs to – or where it came from. 

• "There's a certain mystery around it that still makes it unique to just see it kind of pop up, and we're all curious to see how long it'll stay," said resident Scott Smith. "It brought smiles. It brought a lot of positive conversations and feelings around having it here." 

❓ Trivia: What does the word modem stand for?

🐆 True or False?... A cheetah’s belly doesn’t have spots.

🤔 Riddle Me This… I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?

(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 who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize. (Pro tip: there's no need to ration points, you're entitled to a prize at each tier.)

Start referring.👇

❓ Trivia: Modulator/demodulator

🐆 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle Me This: A map