Good morning. We have a big announcement to share: The DONUT has officially acquired Press Sports, a leading sports media platform for Gen Z and millennials.

Logistically, the brands will be kept separate and nothing about this newsletter is changing; it’ll still be put together by the same team. But this deal has us more excited than a dog with the zoomies for two reasons:

1. DONUT readers consistently write in asking if we offer something similar for sports. Now we can say we do.
2. Sports media is filled with talking heads spouting divisive opinions, which makes it hard to cut through the noise and get just the facts about what’s going on (sound familiar?🤔).

So if you’re looking for unbiased, smart, and enjoyable sports news that focuses on facts over opinions, do yourself a favor and sign up free for the Press Sports newsletter here.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.98-minute read (1,326 words).

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse.”

–Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

Democrats are gathering in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, which officially kicks off this afternoon.

The event comes as Vice President Harris and former President Trump have unveiled more details surrounding their policies for 2025 and beyond.

Economy/Taxes: Trump’s proposals include extending his previous administration’s tax cuts (which will expire in 2025), expanding tariffs on foreign goods, and giving the president a more direct role in how the independent Federal Reserve sets interest rates.

• Harris has endorsed expanded tax credits for lower-income Americans, alongside steeper taxes on corporations and high-earners. She’s also indicated she’ll keep Trump- and Biden-era tariffs in place, and recently proposed legislation to boost housing construction and restrict price gouging in the grocery industry.

Immigration: Harris, who Biden assigned in 2021 to tackle the root causes of immigration, has endorsed creating pathways to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants living in the US. She also supported a recent bipartisan Senate deal that included tougher asylum standards.

• Trump has said he would strongly restrict unauthorized immigration by carrying out the largest domestic deportation in US history, among other things. He’s also committed to reviving his previous administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

Abortion: Trump has said abortion’s legality should be left for states to decide, and also said he wouldn’t sign a federal law that bans abortion after a certain period. Harris has called on Congress to codify the abortion rights from Roe v. Wade into federal law, protecting access until the point of fetal viability (~22 weeks of pregnancy).

Foreign policy: Trump has repeatedly criticized continuing US aid to Ukraine, and said he’s in favor of “fundamentally reevaluating” America’s alliance with NATO – whose members Trump has criticized for failing to hit agreed-upon military spending targets.

• Harris has aligned with Biden’s pledge of unceasing support for Ukraine, and also supported efforts to strengthen America’s relationship with NATO.
• Both candidates have expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, but have been critical of some Israeli tactics.

Polling update: Harris currently holds a slim lead over Trump in polling aggregators from FiveThirtyEight (+2.6%) and RealClearPolitics (+1.4%). But Trump is currently projected to defeat Harris by a 287-251 margin in the Electoral College based on individual state polls, per RCP.

Looking ahead… The four-day Democratic National Convention will open tonight with a primetime speech from President Biden.

📊 Flash poll: If the November election was held today, which candidate would you vote for?

• Former President Trump
• Vice President Harris
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Another third-party candidate
• Not planning to vote/Too young to vote
• Unsure/other

Comfort is one of the rare things it’s difficult to have too much of.

From casual to performance, from boots to sandals, Xero Shoes are designed specifically for the unique contours of your foot. They’re the perfect blend of fashion-forward design and natural movement…

• 👍 Wider, foot-shaped toe box for comfort
• ✅ Low-to-the-ground, "zero-drop" design for proper posture
• 🙌 Flexible soles for natural foot movement
• 🪶 Lightweight for a "barely there" feel
• 🏆 79,000+ 5-star reviews

New colors are dropping this month at Xero Shoes.

🌎 Worldcoin, an eye-scan project from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is facing global pushback. Worldcoin is a digital identification platform that aims to provide each person on Earth with a verification method to prove they’re a real human, not a bot or AI algorithm. Worldcoin also offers users payouts in its WLD cryptocurrency, with a goal of eventually distributing a form of universal basic income. The project has scanned the irises of 6+ million people across ~40 countries since launching last summer – though a dozen-plus jurisdictions have suspended or investigated Worldcoin’s operations over privacy concerns (Worldcoin says its technology is completely private).

🇨🇦 Canada's two largest railroads are preparing for a potential strike. The two railroads, which collectively handle $1 billion/day worth of freight, will halt some shipments between Canada and the US ahead of a possible worker strike for improved labor conditions, which would begin on Thursday barring any new labor deal. Analysts say a rail worker strike at the companies would disrupt US supply chains and significantly impact the harvest industry.

🇧🇷 X is suspending its business operations in Brazil. In April, Brazil’s Supreme Court began investigating X CEO Elon Musk for allegedly obstructing justice after he said he would disobey a previous Court ruling calling for X to block Brazilian accounts that allegedly spread fake news. On Saturday, X said it will halt local operations in Brazil after a Supreme Court Justice threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative, though service would still be available to Brazilian residents.

Earlier this month, a first-of-its-kind law went into effect in Colorado that extends privacy protections to neural (brain) data. Or in more colloquial terms – the move puts its citizens’ brainwave data behind a door marked pirate private.

Why it matters: A growing number of consumer tech products capture and utilize brain activity to perform their advertised functions, such as improving sleep.

But unlike the brain implant industry (ex: Elon Musk’s Neuralink), which is subject to medical regulation, these products are playing largely outside of any regulatory purview. And privacy advocates are taking notice.

• The NeuroRights Foundation recently studied 30 companies making wearable technology capable of capturing brainwaves, and found 29 “provide no meaningful limitations to this access.”
• This means, among other things, the companies could be selling (or eventually sell) its users’ biometric/biological data to third parties without their consent, similar to DNA testing startups.

Fun (?) fact: Scientists can currently translate brain activity into words with ~40% accuracy. But data under peer review already indicates improvement up to 60+% accuracy, with many in the industry predicting 80%-90% accuracy within a few years.

This doesn’t just apply to words/text either. A preprint study published last year found that AI can take brainwaves and convert them into largely realistic images of what a person has seen.

👀 Looking ahead… Privacy advocates hope Colorado’s move could spawn new and widespread regulations applying to brain data.

Oprah describes Asutra’s eye pillow sleep mask as “life-changing”, saying it improved her sleep drastically “and doesn’t let one pinch of light in”. It has even been featured on her favorite things list 2x in a row…

• ☁️ 100% silk material provides a soft and luxurious sensation
• 🪻 Weighted with lavender and flax seeds to completely block out all light
• ❄️ Includes FREE cooling gel mask – perfect for relief of headaches and eye puffiness

Self-care is often about the little things that make a big difference, and the women-owned Asutra is empowering thousands with products that help with pain, sleep, skincare, and more.

Save 20% on Asutra here with code DONUT20.

"Wall Street remains the center of the investment universe, but Y'all Street is gaining rapidly."

In a quest to prove that everything is bigger in Texas, the Lone Star State has set its eyes on a new target: America’s financial industry. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in Texas’ investment-banking and securities industries has risen by 111% over the past two decades and 27% since the pandemic, compared with respective increases of 16% and 5% in New York.

• Overall, Texas has seen a 13% increase in the number of people employed in finance since 2019, compared with 2% in New York and 3% nationally.
• Dallas currently ranks second place among all US metro areas in terms of total workers employed in finance-related industries, trailing only New York City.

• ☝️ A volcano in northeastern Russia started to erupt on Saturday following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the region, creating an ash column up to five miles high; no early damage or injuries have been reported.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Beam

• 💰 US markets rose across the board on Friday, closing out their best week of the year (S&P: +0.2%; Dow: +0.2%; Nasdaq: +0.2%). | 🥇 Gold prices hit an all-time high in intraday trading on Friday. | 🥚 Egg prices are rising in large part due to supply squeezes from bird flu; prices rose 19.1% in July compared with the same month a year ago according to the latest inflation data.
• 🖐️ 17,000+ AT&T workers across the Southeast are on strike after accusing company management of “unfair labor practices” during recent contract negotiations.
• 🏥 Steward Health Care System, which filed for bankruptcy in May after losing hundreds of millions of dollars per year, paid at least $250 million to CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre and his companies over the past four years (while he was the hospital chain’s majority owner); the saga has prompted a Senate investigation and subpoena for de la Torre to testify next month.

*From our partners: 🫐🤤 Delicious flavors for a great night’s sleep… Beam Dream Blueberry Crumble hot cocoa contains CBD, melatonin, reishi, magnesium, and L-theanine to help you fall asleep and wake up refreshed without grogginess. Save up to 40% on Beam Dream with code DONUT.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚫📺 The launch of Venu Sports – a new $42.99/month sports streaming service from Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery – was temporarily halted by a federal judge in response to an antitrust lawsuit from rival FuboTV; Venu Sports had reportedly planned to launch this month ahead of the NFL season. (Dive deeper: Venu’s pricepoint may prove a tough sell)
• 🍿 Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine surpassed Joker to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history; it’s earned $1.14 billion at the global box office as of Sunday. | 🏆 Eugene and Dan Levy were selected to host the 2024 Emmys, which take place September 15.
• 🏀 Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA record for most assists as a rookie (232 and counting), with 12 games still left in the regular season. | 🥊 Mike Tyson says he’s “ready” to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul following a recent health scare; their match was previously postponed from July 20 to November 15.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Paleovalley

• 🌕 A rare “super blue moon” will rise in the sky tonight, marking the first of four supermoons this year.
• 🪪 California announced plans to allow residents to carry their driver’s licenses in their Apple or Google wallets. | 🚁 Walmart is closing its drone delivery hubs in three states to focus solely on perfecting its airborne package delivery service in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, per Axios.
• 🌎🏭 A wide range of clean energy startups aimed at powering planes, ships, and/or trucks with emissions-free fuel have recently collapsed or scaled back their ambitions; they include startups funded by United Airlines, Airbus, JetBlue, Chevron, BP, Shell, and other major companies.

*From our partners: 🧬 Collagen helps your nails, hair, skin, and gut health… 100% Grass Fed Bone Broth Protein from Paleovalley is an abundant source of collagen made convenient. Available in chocolate, vanilla, or unflavored. Save 30% on lifetime subscriptions or 20% on single purchases at Paleovalley.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🌀 Hurricane Ernesto made landfall in Bermuda on Saturday, with the territory avoiding major damage; Ernesto is expected to miss the US East Coast, but will bring high surf and life-threatening rip currents to the region over the next few days.
• 🏛️ Former Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from the House last December over ethical violations, will plead guilty to multiple counts in his federal fraud case, per several reports. | 🏜️ US Border Patrol encountered 56,400 unauthorized migrants at the southern border in July, marking the lowest monthly total since September 2020.
• 🚫🍗 Perdue Foods is recalling 167,000+ pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders following customer reports of metal wire embedded in the products. | 🌐 National Public Data, a company that aggregates data to provide background checks, confirmed it suffered a massive breach involving Social Security numbers and other personal data on millions of Americans; cybersecurity firm Pentester created a tool to see if your info is in the breach. (Visit here)

CLICKBAIT

• 🐶🐱 Your Choice of Pet Could Predict What Kind of Personality You Have.

🍿 Stat of the Day: Alien: Romulus earned $41.5 million in its opening weekend to top the domestic box office, solidifying a recent turnaround for Disney’s movie division. According to data from Box Office Mojo, Disney’s four most recent theatrical releases – which also include Inside Out 2, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Deadpool & Wolverine – have accounted for 42% of all domestic ticket sales since May 1, up from a 27% market share last summer. Analysts say Disney’s strong release slate for the coming months – Moana 2 (November), Mufasa: The Lion King (December), and Captain America: Brave New World (February 2025) – means its ongoing run of success will likely extend into next year.

🤔 Did You Know? Levi’s uses a blank red tab on ~10% of its jeans and other products – instead of a tab emblazoned with “Levi’s” – in order to protect the trademark of the tab shape.

📰 Worth a Read: How the alchemist of New England became a legendary counterfeiter → (Atlas Obscura)

Monday: President Biden to deliver primetime address at the DNC

Tuesday: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will resign his seat following bribery conviction

Wednesday: National Senior Citizens Day

Thursday: VP Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president

Friday: Blink Twice starring Channing Tatum debuts in theaters

+Over the weekend: College football kicks off with Week 0 (yes, zero)

On Friday, we covered how both presidential candidates have recently come out in support of eliminating federal taxes on tips – but many economists aren’t so certain it’s a good idea.

❓ Our question to you: Do you support the elimination of federal taxes for workers’ tips?

• 👍 Yes: 32%
• 👎 No: 42%
• 🤷 Unsure/other: 26%

Click here to read the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 3,824 votes and 371 longform responses.

Meet Tim Bushe, a Londoner who lives up to his last name. 

The hedge trimmer spends his days carving intricate sculptures into the bushes of his neighborhood to raise money for charity causes. 

• It all started in honor of Tim's late wife, Philippa, who encouraged him to carve a sculpture in their own front yard. After she passed away from breast cancer, Tim decided to keep sculpting the hedges in her honor. 
• In addition to donating to multiple environmental charities, Tim has also raised ~$13,000 for the care home where his younger sister with Down syndrome lives.

🌳 Bushe said he enjoys seeing how happy his hedge sculptures make people, adding that his last name reflecting his life's passion feels "less like a coincidence and more like destiny."

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Aug
2. Cant
3. Clement
4. Eso
5. Foss

As you may have noticed, we’re no strangers to bargains around these parts.

If there’s one that caught your eye but you let it slip by, it’s probably on our DONUT Dealz page. And we’re updating it all the time with new deals and partners, partner.

Browse all available DONUT Dealz by clicking here.

1. Aug = Increase (e.g., augmentation)
2. Cant = Sing (cantor)
3. Clement = Mild (inclement)
4. Eso = Within (esoteric)
5. Foss = Dig (fossil)