Good morning. We have an announcement to share. Today we bid a tearful adieu to one of our writers, Alex Dobrenko.

If you enjoy the DONUT, we highly recommend checking out his free newsletter, Both Are True, which publishes riveting, thought-provoking, and hilarious personal essays well worth your time (don’t just take our word for it, it’s one of the top-10 humor newsletters on Substack).

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Now, NEWS.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 4.81 minutes to read.

P.S. Have you entered your pet into our annual Pet Playoffs contest yet? Enter here for free to compete for a whole bunch of prizes.

"Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret."

–Jim Rohn (1930-2009)

When Elon Musk officially changed Twitter’s name and logo to the letter “X” on Monday, roughly 24 hours after first hinting at the move – it may have seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision to wipe Twitter and its estimated $4 billion to $20 billion brand value completely off the map.

But according to industry experts and people close to Musk, the world’s richest man has consistently signaled his intention to transform Twitter into X since he first offered to buy the social media platform in April 2022.

🤔📱 So, what exactly is X?... Musk’s vision for the company formerly known as Twitter is an all-in-one app with nearly every service an online user could want in their daily life, similar to how WeChat currently operates in China.

These include:

• Text, audio, and video messaging
• Short- and long-form video content
• Mobile payments and banking
• Gaming
• E-commerce
• Ride-hailing

✋ Yes, but… Words like “tweet” and “retweet” have made their way into the everyday cultural lexicon. And critics say ditching the brand recognition Twitter has built up over the past 17 years carries significant risk, especially when the company is already facing financial and competitive challenges.

They also say it’s unlikely a WeChat-like superapp will be able to thrive in places like America or the EU, since unlike China – where many major apps like Facebook are banned from mobile stores – a high level of competition exists in each of the industries X is targeting.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, will X succeed as an “everything app” in the US?

Yes

No

Unsure/other

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🌎🌡️ A global ocean temperature record may have been set off the coast of Florida. A buoy in Manatee Bay reported a preliminary high temperature of 101.1°F Monday afternoon, which is thought to be the hottest in recorded history. But there are a couple caveats: 1) the reading came from shallow, murky water, which has a darker surface and absorbs relatively more heat; 2) there aren’t any official records for ocean temps, so the claim of an all-time high is based on a 2020 study that recorded temps of 99.7°F in Kuwait Bay. But regardless of the exact number or whether it’s a global record, any sustained period above 84°F can be deadly for Florida’s coral reef, which is the largest in the nation.

🇨🇳 China’s second-highest ranking diplomat was removed from his position yesterday following a month-long absence from the public view. Chinese lawmakers didn’t explain the decision to replace Foreign Minister Qin Gang with his former predecessor Wang Yi, though a lack of information isn’t uncommon in the country’s secretive political system. Qin hasn’t attended any of his scheduled diplomatic engagements since late June, with Beijing publicly attributing his absence to health issues – a common excuse that’s sometimes genuine, but also used as a cover for other reasons.

🇮🇱⚖️ Some Israeli citizens are pushing back against a new judicial reform law approved this week. Thousands of Israeli doctors walked off the job yesterday in a 24-hour strike against the new measure, which restricts the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down government or executive decisions on the basis of reasonability. Meanwhile, a new survey found 68% of Israeli startups have taken action to relocate parts of their business outside the country in response to the measure. And at least three petitions were filed to Israel’s Supreme Court yesterday asking it to strike down the law – which, if it does, would spark a direct conflict between it and the Knesset (effectively Israel’s version of Congress).

After decades of research and development dating back to the 1950s, agricultural scientists at the University of California, Riverside recently unveiled the Luna UCR – a brand-new type of avocado.

🤔🥑 What’s the difference?... If you’ve ever had guacamole or avocado toast, a Hass avocado was probably used; this breed comprises 95% of all avocados eaten in the US. But one of the Hass’ main problems for growers is its tree size – it’s large, making it difficult to harvest and plant densely.

In contrast, the Luna offers:

• Smaller trees: Meaning they can be planted more densely and harvested more easily.
• Pollinizer properties: The Luna tree also has a type of flower that makes it an efficient pollinizer for various avocado varieties, including the Hass, meaning its intermingling with other varieties could help increase pollination rates and crop yields for growers.

🖐️ Yes, but: Axios reports the Luna’s taste and texture is slightly different from the Hass. And no matter how beneficial the new Luna breed is for growers, if consumers turn up their nose at either then the chances of its long-term success in the market are near zero.

👀 Looking ahead… History is littered with examples of failed avocado varieties – and over time, we’ll find out in which camp the Luna belongs. The new breed will be hitting supermarket shelves in 3-5 years, since that’s about how long it takes after planting a seed for the tree to bear its first fruit.

These days, prices at the pump are much like your heart rate while approaching a longtime crush – going up.

According to data from AAA, the average gas price in the US hit $3.636/gallon yesterday. That marks a $0.04/gallon jump from the previous day – the largest since last June – and a more than $0.07/per gallon increase over the past week.

📈🤔 What’s behind the price increase?... Three words said religiously in every Econ 101 class around the world – supply and demand. Or to be more explicit: low motor gas inventories and refinery production below capacity means the existing supply can’t meet demand, driving prices higher.

• Total motor gasoline inventories fell to a level 7% below the five-year average for this time of year, per the latest Weekly Petroleum Status from the Energy Information Administration.
• Gas production is also down, with refineries operating at ~94% capacity, per EIA data. Recent issues at three major US refineries – one at a Phillip’s 66 location in New Jersey, one at a Marathon location in Texas, and one at an ExxonMobil location in Louisiana – contributed to this drop in production.

👀 Looking ahead… Supplies are expected to tighten even further due to ongoing production cuts from OPEC+. So if you’re passing a gas station over the next few days, it may be a good idea to fill up the tank😬.

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💬 Quoted… ​​“We are thrilled to collaborate with Skittles to deliver our beloved Classic Yellow Mustard tang in a new, fun way to French’s and Skittles fans alike.”

You read that right – mustard-flavored Skittles are coming soon. But (thankfully) only in three locations (Atlanta, DC, and New York City) and only for a limited time. French’s and Skittles will be giving away fun-sized packs for free in each place to celebrate National Mustard Day, which is on August 5th.

• This isn’t the first food-brand collab weirder than Colleen Ballinger’s apology video. For example: Kraft and Van Leeuwen combined to release a limited-edition Mac & Cheese Ice Cream in 2021.

📈 Stat of the Day: Each of the 11 most-popular music and video streaming services in the US have raised their prices within the past year (Netflix, MAX, Spotify, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Peacock, YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Music, Paramount+, Hulu, and Disney+).

🤔 Did You Know?... Each MLB player receives lifetime healthcare coverage after playing a single game in the Big Leagues.

📰 Worth a Read: The man who won the lottery 14 times → (The Hustle)

• ☝️ You’re looking at some of the winners in the 10th annual 'The Big Picture' nature photography contest, organized by the California Academy of Sciences.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Chartr

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board yesterday (S&P: +0.3%; Dow: +0.1%; Nasdaq: +0.6%).
• Earnings corner: 🚗 GM raised its 2023 guidance and announced increased cost-cutting measures; the Chevy Bolt EV is also coming back. | 💻 Alphabet reported Q2 earnings that beat estimates across the board. | ☁️📉 Microsoft revealed a decline in Azure cloud revenue growth; though quarterly profits and revenues topped estimates.
• 🟤🤝🚚 UPS and the Teamsters Union, which represents ~340,000 UPS workers, reached a tentative labor agreement yesterday; it now goes to a union-member vote for approval. (What’s at stake?)

*From our partners: 📊 Understand the data behind today’s events… Beneath every headline, there’s always data that tells the real story. Chartr is the #1 visual newsletter, jampacked with data-driven insights on business, tech, entertainment, and society. Subscribe for free.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Lingopie

• 🏀 LeBron James Jr. (aka Bronny) suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday during a workout in LA; the 18-year-old USC basketball commit was in stable condition and out of the ICU as of Tuesday morning.
• 📱📦 TikTok is launching a new e-commerce platform in August to sell Chinese-made goods to US users, per a new WSJ report.
• 🏈 LA Chargers QB Justin Herbert agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension yesterday; this makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

*From our partners: 😎🎓 Learn a language just by watching great TV… Lingopie upgrades Netflix with clickable subtitles and interactive features, making it easier than ever to learn a new language. They have a kids’ version, too! Get your first 7 days of Lingopie for free.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌌 Spanish astronomers discovered what appears to be the first Milky Way-sized galaxy without any dark matter, per a new peer-reviewed study; dark matter is thought to account for ~85% of the matter in the universe.
• 🤖 The ChatGPT app is now available on Android devices in four countries, including the US.
• 🤧 Eczema in young babies indicates a child is more likely to develop additional allergies in the future, per a peer-reviewed study published yesterday in Pediatrics.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🔥 The US Forest Service on Monday acknowledged that its own prescribed burn started a 60-square-mile wildfire in New Mexico last year that almost reached the city of Los Alamos. | 🎓⚖️ The Education Department opened an investigation into Harvard's use of legacy admissions, citing potential racial bias. (Background)
• 🏛️ Emmett Till, the Black 14-year-old whose 1955 lynching played a central role in the Civil Rights Movement, was honored with a new national monument yesterday along with his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
• ⚖️ A federal judge yesterday blocked a Biden administration immigration policy that imposed strict asylum restrictions on migrants who illegally cross the US-Mexico border. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 💒⏱️ The 10 US places with the shortest average marriages – Texas is No. 3.

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🦙 There's a llama on the loose! ... The Kings County Sheriff's office in Washington received an unusual call last week from a delivery driver unable to deliver a package due to a stubborn llama in the road. 

The Deputy on duty who responded to the call ended up safely coaxing the animal from "just a tad over spitting distance" to come close enough to get on a leash; it was then escorted safely off the road.

🍎 How about them apples... Shortly thereafter, the station received a call from a resident reporting their missing llama. 

• "We were happy to reunite the owner back to their furry friend," read a post by the station. "And the driver was able to deliver the package, most likely ordered through Llama-zon."

Here's how to play: We provide an incorrect stat. Then you guess whether the actual number is over or under the stated value.

1. 🗣️ 70 days: The fastest it took a human to count to one million out loud
2. 🐝 3: The number bees can count up to
3. 🔍 20%: The portion of Google searches that have never been searched before, as of 2022

(keep scrolling for the answers)

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1. Over; it took 89 days
2. Over; studies have shown they can count up to 5
3. Under; it's 15%