🌊 Ding Ding! Round One in the Books

Never forget the heroes of September 11th.

If you watch one thing today, make it this. This is the story of Welles Crowther, the equities trader and volunteer firefighter who saved up to 18 lives on the morning of September 11th. Sorry to set off the waterworks in an 11 AM newsletter, but is truly inspiring to think about the reservoir of courage that exists in so many around us.

–Max, Max, and Owen

KEY STORY

Trump and Kamala Spar

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris traded jabs in the first presidential debate in Philadelphia

• The main topics in the debate were the economy, abortion, and immigration. On the economy, Trump said, “Look, we’ve had a terrible economy because inflation, which is really known as a country buster”

• Kamala focused on abortion, saying, “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government — and Donald Trump, certainly — should not be telling a woman what to do with her body”

• Immediately after the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in an IG post

Dig Deeper

• Other memorable moments from the night include Kamala telling Trump that she owns a gun and Trump saying Israel would cease to exist if Kamala became president

• Post-debate polls from CNN, the Trafalgar Group (which historically leans right), and others suggest that Kamala Harris won the debate

• Many, however, criticized the ABC moderators for favoring her by only fact-checking him, focusing on issues she’s stronger on, and pressing him repeatedly on his failure to answer questions

KEY STORY

Germany Brings Back Borders

Germany reinstated border controls

• Schengen Zone countries allow border-free movement between them. As a member, Germany doesn’t conduct checks at any of its land borders

• This week, though, Germany announced it would reinstate border checkpoints at all its land borders for at least six months. Germany’s government said such a policy was necessary to protect against “Islamist terrorism” and “irregular migration”

• It comes weeks after a terror attack by an IS-affiliated migrant killed three Germans, and the anti-immigration AFD party gaining popularity

Dig Deeper

• EU officials blasted the move, a setback to the bloc’s vision of an integrated Europe

• The prime ministers of neighboring Poland and Austria also criticized it, saying they are ill-equipped to handle migrants turned away at the German border

KEY STORY

Big Tech’s Bad Week

The EU’s top court ruled that Apple and Google must pay billions in fines. Google also reported to court for the beginning of its ad business’s US antitrust trial

• The EU ruled that Apple and Google must pay $14.4B and $2.7B, respectively, for various tax and antitrust infringements, ending years-long legal battles

• In the US, the DOJ accuses Google of blocking out competitors through monopolistic practices. The Dept. says that Google’s software products for ad buyers, sellers, and auctions now account for 40%, 90%, and 80% of their respective markets, allowing Google to earn $0.36 on every ad dollar spent

Dig Deeper

• Regulators, who have subpoenaed more than 30 witnesses for the case, say that YouTube’s CEO will testify that Google often requires sellers to use all of its tools – instead of picking one or a few – which effectively blocks them from using competitor software

• The DOJ wants to break Google up and separate its ad businesses from the rest of the company

• Many analysts say this will increase market competition and provide a boon for publishers and other struggling digital advertisers

• Google alleges that the DOJ is overstating its market share and that its success is a result of its superior advertising technology, not monopolistic practices

KEY STORY

Phone Wars

Huawei unveiled the first tri-fold phone just hours after Apple introduced the iPhone 16

• On Monday, Apple announced the iPhone 16, starting at $799, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, starting at $1,199, which will feature Apple’s new Intelligence AI capabilities

• Hours later, Chinese giant Huawei – vying for the top position in China’s premium market – launched the Mate XT, a tri-fold phone starting at $2,800, which also features AI capabilities. It will be available in stores starting on Sept. 20, the same day as the iPhone 16

• Mate XT pre-orders reportedly exceeded 4M after Huawei’s launch event

Dig Deeper

• Huawei has regained ground from Apple over the past year in China. The phone maker is attempting a comeback in the smartphone industry, which has suffered after the US imposed sanctions in 2019 and further restrictions on advanced chip sales in 2022

• Analysts reported that Apple fell out of the top five smartphone vendors in China in the second quarter of this year, with domestic brands holding all five top spots. Huawei ranked fourth in market share with 10.6M smartphones shipped, according to Canalys

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💥 An Israeli strike killed 19 people in a humanitarian zone in Gaza

📱 Australia’s prime minister said his government plans to set a minimum age for social media, likely between 13 and 16

📊 A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that Kamala Harris has a one-point lead over Donald Trump nationally but that Trump has gained substantially among independents and Latinos

🚀 The US accused Iran of providing ballistic missiles to Russia and warned that Russia will use those missiles within weeks

💵 Sean “Diddy” Combs owes a man $100M after failing to contest sexual assault charges

COMMUNITY

🧐 Yesterday’s question: Who will win tonight’s debate? Read below Wrap for more…

🧠 Today’s question: Okay let’s hear it… thoughts on last night’s debate?

Reply to this email to let us know what you think!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🙏 Grohl’s last encore: Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, 55, revealed on Instagram that he recently welcomed a baby with a woman outside his marriage and apologized to his wife

🍔 “A dude named Plankton just applied for fry cook”: Wendy’s will reportedly add the Krabby Patty to its menu to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob Squarepants”

😳 Cheetosystem: Park officials at New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park reported that a dropped bag of Cheetos disrupted an entire ecosystem. It developed into mold and threw off the food chain

🔥 Too hot to handle: A loaded gun stored in an oven fired five rounds after getting overheated. “Please do not store guns or anything else in your oven,” the Virginia fire department wrote on social media afterwards

🏀 Unemployed friend on a Tuesday: A YouTuber known for his basketball trick shots set his third Guinness World Record by sinking a 60-foot underhand shot blindfolded

ROCA WRAP

Oasis: The Return

One night in May 1993, a band took the stage at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, Scotland.

Music would never be the same.

The band had formed as “The Rain” in their native Manchester several years prior but had experienced little success. Then one of the bandmate’s older brothers – Noel Gallagher – returned from a stint as a roadie with a different band. Noel offered to become The Rain’s lead songwriter and guitarist if they gave him creative control.

Under Noel’s guidance, the band renamed itself “Oasis” and traveled north to Glasgow for some shows. One night, they allegedly talked themselves into a gig where they weren’t slated to perform. As fate would have it, one of the biggest agents in British music was in the audience.

That agent allegedly fell in love with Oasis and offered them a record deal on the spot. Just over a year later, they released their debut album, Definitely Maybe, which topped the UK charts within a week and became the fastest-selling debut album in UK history.

A follow-up album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – which featured “Wonderwall,” among other hits – turned the band into a global sensation.

Oasis developed a massive following and could pack shows like few other bands. Yet cracks soon emerged – both in their later music, which failed to match the success of their first two albums and between the bandmates. At the center of the division were the Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam, who couldn’t help but fight – increasingly loudly and publicly.

In 1995, Oasis kicked out their original drummer, who later sued for unpaid royalties. The band kept touring, but elevated egos and tensions between the brothers became insurmountable. Two of the other original bandmates left in the early 2000s.

Then, in 2009, after a particularly explosive argument before a show in Paris, Noel abruptly left the band: “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” he said.

Oasis was no more.

In exile, the band didn’t reconcile. Instead, the brothers continued to publicly trade insults, raising the prospect that there would never be another Oasis show.

Amid that, fans’ passion for the band only intensified.

Then last month – two days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album – Oasis made the surprise announcement of a tour, their first live shows since breaking up. 

Demand for the 19 shows – all in the UK and Ireland – was so high that Ticketmaster’s system crashed, leading to frustrated fans, surprise price hikes, and an investigation by UK regulators.

“OASIS are back your welcome and I hear there ATTITUDE STINKS,” Liam wrote on X. “Good to know something’s never change.”

The tour kicks off next July. The question is: Can the Gallaghers hold it together for ten more months?

ROCA VIDEO
Interviewing Voters in the Rust Belt

We explored Steel Country, Pennsylvania. In the 1900s, this region housed America's industrial giants. However, over the past six decades, many industries have relocated overseas or to the southern states. We visited Erie, Freedom, and Ambridge to get a feel for life there and understand what's on people's minds as the 2024 election approaches.

Shoutout ”the Orbit” in Amrbidge, PA for great hospitality. Check them out!

Make sure to subscribe to the channel!

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

It’ll be very interesting to see where the TV ratings come in for last night’s debate. The most-watched debate in the modern era was the “Cause you’d be in jail” Trump-Clinton debate of 2016. An average of 84M people tuned in, putting it in Super Bowl ratings territory. By comparison, Trump-Biden this year drew an average of 51M viewers, which are more AFC Championship numbers. Either way, we made it through!

–Max and Max