Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📝 Unpacking the second apparent Trump assassination attempt
• ⚖️ Suits meets Succession meets The Social Network
• 🤖 Avocado robots

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~5.12-minute read (1,362 words).

P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

“Comparison is the death of true self-contentment”

–John Powell (1925-2009)

Federal prosecutors have filed a pair of gun charges against a 58-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate former President Trump on Sunday, as more details about the incident continue to emerge.

Here’s what we know so far:

The incident: While Trump was playing golf on Sunday afternoon, Secret Service spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence located 300-500 yards from Trump’s location, at which point agents fired at least four shots toward the gunman, causing him to flee (he was later captured).

• Authorities recovered an "AK-47 style rifle with a scope," two backpacks containing ceramic tile – potentially for body armor – and a GoPro camera from the bushes where the gunman was hiding (all pictured above☝️).
• Cellphone records show the 58-year-old suspected gunman had been hiding near Trump’s Florida golf course for ~12 hours prior to being identified by Secret Service.

The suspected gunman: Based on his past social media presence, public records, and news interviews, the 58-year-old suspect has emerged as a man with a criminal past and views across the political spectrum.

• He appears to have voted for Trump in 2016, but became a vocal critic of the former president in recent years, donating exclusively to Democratic candidates and causes since 2019. North Carolina voting records list the suspect as unaffiliated with any party, though he did vote in this year’s Democratic primary election.
• The 58-year-old suspect has also been a strong public advocate for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and reportedly attempted to recruit conscripts from Afghanistan to fight on the front lines (as he described in a 2023 NY Times interview). Ukrainian officials say he never served in the Ukrainian army or worked with its military. A Ukrainian military official also told the AP the suspect periodically contacted the country’s foreign legion with what the official said were “nonsensical ideas” that “can best be described as delusional.”

Leaders of both political parties strongly condemned the shooting. Top Democratic and Republican lawmakers – including President Biden, VP Harris, and Trump’s running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) – all denounced political violence and urged the country to promote unity following the incident.

👀 Looking ahead… Trump hasn’t announced any upcoming changes to his schedule following Sunday’s incident. More broadly, federal officials will continue to investigate the apparent assassination attempt alongside Florida law enforcement, which has launched a separate probe.

Paleovalley has added beloved pumpkin spice to their Superfood Bar flavor selection, and they’re guaranteed to be the most delicious superfood bars you’ve ever tasted. They contain 8+ organic, nutrient-dense superfoods + bone broth protein to optimize your health and energy levels.

• ✅ Gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, and non-GMO
• 💪 Contains healthy proteins, fats, and vital nutrients
• 🙌 Low in sugar (4 grams or less)
• 🤤 Also available in other delicious flavors like Apple Cinnamon, Lemon Meringue, and Red Velvet

Save 30% on lifetime subscriptions or 20% on single purchases at Paleovalley.

⛈️ Central Europe is experiencing its worst flooding in over two decades. Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were struck by heavy rain and surging water levels over the weekend, as a major weather system named Storm Boris passed through the region. The storm collapsed several bridges, damaged buildings, and forced tens of thousands of evacuations. Overall, at least 17 people have died in flooding from Romania to Poland over the past several days.

🇷🇺 President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s army to be increased to 1.5 million active troops. In a decree published on the Kremlin's website, Putin ordered Russia’s army to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million, marking the third such order since 2022. The latest troop increase would see Russia surpass the US and India in terms of active combat soldiers, making Russia second only to China and its 2+ million active duty troops, per data from a leading military think tank.

🇨🇳🇺🇸 Beijing released a Chinese-American pastor the US says was wrongfully detained for 18 years. In a surprise move, China freed 68-year-old David Lin on Sunday without any apparent explanation. Lin first entered China in 2006 and attempted to establish a Christian training center, but faced pushback from China's Communist Party, which typically exerts strict control over Christian churches (and religions in general). Lin was detained and eventually sentenced to life in prison for contract fraud, a charge Beijing often applies to home church leaders attempting to raise money, per local rights groups.

Yesterday, two court cases kicked off that have the potential to reshape America’s media landscape.

The fate of Fox News and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire hang in the balance. The 93-year-old Murdoch wants to amend a trust created in 1999 to ensure his eldest son, Lachlan, remains in control of the family’s newspapers and TV networks upon his death, per the Wall Street Journal and NY Times. The trust gives the family eight votes; four are split between Lachlan and his three more politically moderate siblings, while the other four are controlled by Rupert, with the trust stipulating these votes will be passed to his four children equally once he passes away. Rupert reportedly wants to leave Lachlan – who shares his views – in charge of the family’s conservative media empire to preserve its right-wing slant, and thus its commercial value. His three other children involved oppose this change.

The fate of TikTok also hangs in the balance. Opening arguments began yesterday in the DOJ’s case against TikTok. One interesting thing: The DOJ needs to prove TikTok is a national security threat in order for it to be divested – but the DOJ doesn’t want to show the defendant its evidence due to it being classified, arguing that by saying why TikTok is a threat would be a threat in itself. If TikTok loses the case, it would have to sell its US operations or effectively be banned in America, leaving Gen Z to join millennials on Instagram Reels.

The women-founded brand Asutra has been empowering self-care for tens of thousands, with products even featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things x2.

• 🪻 Asutra’s Melt body butter takes their magnesium topical Melt Pain Away cream and amps up the relaxation with soothing lavender.
• 🙌 Contains shea butter, magnesium, sweet almond oil, and antioxidant vitamins A & E to provide a luxurious and healing moisturizing.
• ✅ Magnesium helps with many symptoms including chronic pain, menopause, period cramps, and lots more.

Save 20% on Asutra with code DONUT20.

“We want to operate like the world’s largest startup.”

Amazon is aiming to be less like The Titanic, and more like a cigarette boat. In a memo sent to employees yesterday, CEO Andy Jassy laid out two impending changes to the organization and its hundreds-of-thousands of office workers:

• Many middle managers are on the chopping block. As part of an organizational restructuring aimed at flattening its management structure, Amazon is looking to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the end of Q1 2025.
• Workers will be required to be in-office five days per week (so if you hear your tech-bro neighbor singing a remix of Billy Madison’s “Back to School,” now you’ll know why). Amazon previously required its office workers to clock in three days per week.

💼 Zoom out: Tech layoffs and back-to-office mandates have been relatively common since 2022. But the full return-to-the-office movement appears to be losing steam: ~33% of CEOs recently surveyed by KPMG expect a full return to the office over the next three years, compared to 62% in 2023.

• ☝️ An explosion and large fire involving a liquified natural gas pipeline sent a massive pillar of flames into the air yesterday over the suburbs of Houston, Texas; smoke from the incident could be seen at least 10 miles away, per the AP.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with NoNetz

• 💰 US markets were mixed (S&P: +0.1%; Dow: +0.6%; Nasdaq: -0.5%). | 💸 Oracle chairman Larry Ellison dethroned Jeff Bezos to become the world's second-richest person yesterday, after the software company's stock rose 5%.
• ✈️ Boeing freezes hiring and delays pay increases as its worker strike enters its fifth day.
• 📝 Tubberware Tupperware is planning to file for bankruptcy as early as this week, per Bloomberg.

*From our partners: 🎾⛳ Polos that step up your game… NoNetz Performance Polos provide maximum comfort with triple chill technology – enhanced airflow, advanced moisture wicking, and cooling minerals to lower skin temp. Save 15% on NoNetz with code DONUT15.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚖️ Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested yesterday after being indicted by a federal grand jury.
• 🏈 Monday Night Football: The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 22-21. | 🪑 The Carolina Panthers are benching QB Bryce Young, the #1 pick in the 2023 draft, after opening the season with two straight losses (and 13 combined points).
• 🙏 Tito Jackson, a founding member of the Jackson 5 alongside his brother Michael, passed away at the age of 70. | 🚫🎸 Jane’s Addiction canceled all remaining dates on its current reunion tour following Friday’s onstage scuffle between band members.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Going

• 🌕 A supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse later tonight, giving residents across the globe a chance to see part of the full moon’s surface obscured by Earth’s shadow.
• 🧠 Poor performance under pressure, aka "choking," is linked to a drop in activity from the neurons helping prepare the body for movement, per a new study.
• 🩸 The UK’s National Health Service discovered a new blood group system following 50+ years of research; scientists say the discovery paves the way for better care for thousands of patients with rare conditions.

*From our partners: ✈️ 2+ million travelers are saving big on flights… Get notified on cheap flights and save 40-90% with Going. Just choose your airport, watch the deals roll in, then book your next vacation. Get started with Going here.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🚨 Ohio state police will begin conducting daily sweeps of schools in Springfield following investigations into “at least 33” bomb threats, per Governor Mike DeWine; Springfield has received increased public attention in recent weeks over baseless claims accusing local Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating residents’ pets.
• 🌊 A Coast Guard hearing regarding the loss of OceanGate’s Titan submersible kicked off yesterday; it’s expected to last two weeks.
• 🧑‍🚒 Two former high-ranking chiefs within the New York Fire Department were arrested yesterday and charged with accepting bribes in exchange for expediting safety inspections.

CLICKBAIT

• 🎮 The LinkedIn games are fun, actually.

🥑🤖 Stat of the Day: As Isaac Asimov said when creating the Laws of Robotics: “First, do no harm – now help me make a burrito bowl.” Yesterday, Chipotle unveiled a new robot called the Autocado, which exists for a single purpose: preparing avocados for workers to mash into guacamole. The company says its new “cobots” (collaborative robots) can cut, core, and peel an avocado of any size within 26 seconds, helping to free up kitchen employees for other tasks. Following a series of successful lab tests, Chipotle says it’s now piloting Autocado machines in restaurants for the first time, with two California locations selected to lead the charge.

🤔 Did You Know? Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is the world's largest freshwater lake by volume. It contains 22%-23% of the world's unfrozen freshwater (~6.2 quadrillion gallons) – or more than all five Great Lakes combined.

📰 Worth a Read: The Kids Who Didn’t Know Their Parents Were Russian Spies → (Wall Street Journal)

Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

• 👪 More than 50% of US adults over the age of 40 say one – or both – of their parents is their best friend. (Read more)
• 🤖🏥 One in six US adults (17%) turn to chatbots for medical advice at least once a month, per a survey from health policy nonprofit KFF. (Read more)
• 📺👀 Americans have spent a combined 35 billion minutes watching the Australian animated series “Bluey” so far in 2024, making it the most-watched show in the US. (Read more)
• 🏢 Just over a quarter of US renters (25.6%) are spending more than half their income on housing, per new Census data. (Read more)
• 🍔📈 McDonald's average menu prices in America increased by 100% between 2014 and early 2024 – more than 3x higher than US inflation over the same period (31%). (Read more)

Yesterday, we covered how for decades, wagers on elections have been banned in the US – but last week, a regulated gambling market was permitted to offer such bets to Americans for a period of several hours.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, should Americans be allowed to legally gamble on elections?

• 👍 Yes: 22%
• 👎 No: 61%
• 🤷 Unsure/other: 17%

Click here to read the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 3,871 votes and 402 longform responses.

Did you know?... An estimated 300 million tennis balls are made – and subsequently thrown out – per year, with each ball taking 400 years to decompose in a landfill. 

That's where Belgian artist Mathilde Wittock comes in. The designer and former tennis player recently launched an initiative to make furniture pieces, including chaise lounges and benches, from recycled tennis balls.

• The pieces take two to three weeks to build, and involve Mathilde and her team hand-carving ~1,800 tennis balls/day for the cushions.
• When her customers are ready to get rid of their furniture, Mathilde takes them back, no-questions-asked, and repurposes the plastic yet again to make play mats for children.

📰 Use: This tool to bypass nearly any news paywall.

🍂 Fall is almost here: Track leaf-color changes across the country😍.

🚘 Ew: Traffic and congestion exceed pre-pandemic levels across most of the US, per a new report.

🍞 The pandemic may be over – but bread-making is forever: Learn how scientists are working to create a more resilient strain of wheat for bread.

📧 Subscribe: Join thousands of readers every Friday for Cole’s Newsletter, a curated collection of the best articles, tools, tips, and books to help your life and career. It's a breezy, bite-size read enjoyed by employees from Apple, Figma, and Twitter.*

🐶 Dog-lovers' delight: The Daily Dig is the #1 newsletter for dog lovers, packed with heartwarming stories, expert tips, and fun facts all about our furry friends.*

*A message from our partners.

⚛️ Trivia: Which part of an atom has no charge?

🍝 True or False?... A single strand of spaghetti is called a spaghetto.

🤔 Riddle Me This: I’m gentle enough to soothe the skin, light enough to touch the sky, but hard enough to crack rocks. What am I?

Our DONUT Dealz page is the cruller de la cruller of discounts from our awesome sponsors. If you frittered away your chance at a previously featured deal, don't worry – it's probably still there waiting for you. Plus, we're constantly updating the page with fresh out-of-the-oven offers.

Sink your teeth into sweet savings and check out the available DONUT Dealz. 

⚛️ Trivia: The neutron

🍝 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: Water