🌊 US to 9/11 Masterminds: "JK"

Winner gets the moon?

The US and China are now tied in the gold medal tally with 19 apiece. The US is dominating in overall medal count — 71 to 45 — but China has run the tables in ping pong (no pun intended), shooting, and diving. The fact that the US has more guns than people yet is losing to China in shooting them is disgraceful. Even that Turkish hitman dude with no glasses beat us. Why do we even have a second ammendment?

–Max, Max, and Owen

KEY STORY

9/11 Deal Revoked

The US government revoked a plea deal with the 9/11 plotters two days after it was reached

• Over the last 12+ years, the plotters and government have repeatedly neared plea deals, only to have them fall apart. Last week, though, a two-year negotiation produced a deal under which the plotters would plead guilty in exchange for life sentences

• The deal sparked fury among those who sought the death penalty, including many Republican politicians who accused the Biden administration of negotiating with terrorists

• On Friday, two days later, the defense secretary withdrew the deal

Dig Deeper

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the deal in a Friday night memo to the person overseeing the plea process

• “I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me,” Austin wrote

• The civil rights attorneys representing the plotters expressed shock that Austin canceled the deal. “We’re disappointed that the government would breach a legal agreement that provides some judicial finality and some measure of justice for the 9/11 family members, the government, and the defendants,” one defense attorney said

KEY STORY

Economy in Trouble?

The US added 38% fewer jobs than expected in June, fueling fears that it is headed for a recession

• Per data released by the Labor Department on Friday, the US added 114,000 jobs in June – well below the 185,000 economists expected. Average hourly earnings also increased less than expected, while unemployment rose to its highest level since October 2021

• The data came the same week that numerous companies warned that consumers are spending less

• Major stock indexes are down globally, and on Friday, the US’ tech-focused Nasdaq reached a 10% decline from its recent July high, marking a “correction”

Dig Deeper

• The Federal Reserve has been seeking a “soft landing” — raising interest rates to bring inflation down to 2% without causing a recession

• While inflation has fallen from a high of 7.1% in 2022 to 2.5% last month, it now looks like the US may enter a recession and therefore experience a “hard landing”

• Many analysts are blaming the Fed for keeping rates too high for too long

KEY STORY

UK Riots

90+ were arrested in the UK after riots spread

• Last week, a 17-year-old stabbed 13 people at a children’s dance class, killing three girls aged between six and nine. Authorities didn’t release the attacker’s identity because he was under 18, but rumor spread that he was a Muslim immigrant

• Near Liverpool, anti-immigrant rioters burned cars, clashed with police, and attacked a mosque. That prompted a judge to disclose the identity of the attacker, who was UK-born of African descent

• Nevertheless, protests and riots spread, resulting in 90+ arrests and multiple police hospitalized

Dig Deeper

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who was elected last month — said the riots were planned: “This is coordinated, this is deliberate, this Is not a protest that got out of hand”

• He added, “The far right is showing who they are; we have to show who we are”

KEY STORY

Israel Awaits Response

Israel is awaiting retaliation for its recent strikes

• Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas have vowed retaliation over last week’s strikes that killed two of the groups’ leaders – both US-designated terrorists – in Beirut and Tehran, respectively

• Hezbollah has said striking Beirut crossed a “red line,” while an Iranian diplomat told the WSJ, “There is no point [in negotiations]. Israel crossed all the red lines… Our response will be swift and heavy”

• While Iran signaled its plans to attack Israel when it did so in April, it isn’t giving any warning of what it will do now, leaving the region on a knife’s edge

Dig Deeper

• Throughout the weekend, Israeli authorities held rocket attack drills, canceled events, and made other preparations for possible retaliation

• While President Biden is reportedly angry at Israeli PM Netanyahu over the killings — he said they risk derailing his administration’s ceasefire negotiations — the US ordered an aircraft carrier, destroyers, cruisers, and fighter jets to the Middle East

• Those assets could either deter retaliation or help Israel defend itself if retaliation takes place

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📺 Kamala Harris rejected Trump‘s debate proposal on Fox News. Trump had agreed to debate Biden on ABC this September; however, he said that the debate is off because Biden isn’t the candidate. He has alleged ABC will slant the debate against him because he’s currently suing the network for defamation, proposing one with a live audience on Fox News instead

🔍 Kamala Harris held interviews with at least three potential vice presidential candidates on Sunday: Sen. Mark Kelly (AZ), Gov. Tim Waltz (MN), and Gov. Josh Shapiro (PA). Sources described the interviews as a “chemistry test” that will play a major role in Harris’ running mate decision

📱 The DOJ and FTC sued TikTok and ByteDance, its Chinese owner. They allege “widespread violations” of a US child privacy law prohibiting the collection of personal info from children under 13 without parental consent. TikTok denies these charges

🇻🇪 The US recognized the opposition leader as Venezuela’s presidential election winner. Protests continue in Venezuela, whose president claims to have won an election despite publicly available data showing the opposition won more than twice as many votes 

🇺🇸 American sprinter Sha’carri Richardson won silver in the women’s 100-meter sprint. She lost to a sprinter from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, which won its first-ever Olympic medal. Swimmer Katie Ledecky won her ninth gold – this time in the women’s 800-meter freestyle – making her the most decorated American female Olympian in history. American sprinter Noah Lyles, meanwhile, edged out his rivals in a photo-finish 100-meter dash to win gold and become the fastest man alive

COMMUNITY

🧠 Today’s question: Is it socially acceptable to watch videos in public without headphones? (See Wrap for more).

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

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🥇 Hitting the jackpot: Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo will return home to a very different life after winning the country’s first gold medal. The government has gifted him a house, condo, lifetime of free ramen, and lifetime of free colonoscopies

🔥 Hot mess: A McDonald’s employee in Georgia received a five-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to lighting a dumpster fire to clear out overcrowded customers

😬 Size matters: French Olympic pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati went viral after failing to clear a jump due to his bulge hitting the bar. The crotch incident caused him to miss the final

🚗 Takes one to know one: An Arizona police officer who recently received an award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in preventing DUIs was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence 

😳 Hair today, gone tomorrow: A Georgia man was charged with battery for allegedly licking and sucking the hair of an 18-year-old woman he didn’t know at a mall

ROCA WRAP

No Headphones in Public?

If you go to a restaurant, travel on public transport, or sit in a park, you’ll likely hear someone watching YouTube or scrolling social media – headphones be damned.

Today, we ask: Is that acceptable?

Social norms may not be enshrined in law, but they are the unwritten rules that govern society, defining what is acceptable in a culture or community: They’re why we say “please,” wear deodorant, and hold the door for an elderly person.

However, it’s not always obvious when something becomes a social norm – especially in categories that are rapidly changing: Is it rude to use your phone at a restaurant? How about at a family dinner? How about in church?

In 2014, Pew found Americans took a hardline stance on such questions: 62% said no phones at restaurants, 88% said no to using them at family dinners, and 96% said no to using them in church. However, if you’ve eaten lately, you know perspectives have changed.

One reason is because smartphone use has soared in recent years. When the 2014 Pew poll was conducted, Americans spent roughly 2.5 hours on their phones per day. Today, that number is above 4.5 hours. For Gen Z, it’s over 6 hours.

In that period, almost every social media platform adopted a TikTok-style scroll featuring an endless supply of curated videos. If you scrolled social media ten years ago, your phone wouldn’t produce a sound; today, it can’t stay quiet.

So, is it okay to scroll social media with sound in public?

One argument is practical: While doing so is potentially obnoxious, new smartphones don’t have the classic audio jack and don’t come with headphones, which can be expensive. Even if you do have Bluetooth headphones, they can die, and many videos aren’t that obnoxious sounding. If the noise does bother someone, they can move, ask for it to be turned down, or put in their own headphones.

Wearing headphones can also make you more vulnerable to getting hit by a car or crime. In 2022, New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, suggested that passengers not wear headphones on the subway for that reason. And some people would just say that people need to chill out: There’s noise everywhere.

On the other hand, a lot of noise is obnoxious, and people likely have no interest in hearing a stranger’s YouTube video. We live in a society – so why should one person be allowed to infringe on another by blaring their own music or social media?

Second, it’s particularly distracting for people who are having a conversation, reading, or doing any task requiring attention. Background noise is one thing, but music or sound effects are another. Third, the content may be loud, profane, or otherwise offensive. Fourth, nobody wants to hear a GRWM video at 7:15 AM.

So today, we ask: Is it socially acceptable to watch videos in public without headphones?

Do you have any thoughts? Reply to this to let us know!

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

We hope all of our Florida readers in Hurricane Debby’s path — along with all of you in Georgia and South Carolina who may see 20+ inches of rain — stay safe. Say what you want about the Florida Man (and Woman), but we’d take them over a hurricane any day of the week. Even on arraignment day.

Happy Monday.

–Max and Max