Note: NextDraft will be off on Friday, so I included Weekend Whats today. Even in an era that will be forever known for its norm breaking, you might want to brace yourself for this one. The scene of this cultural deviation took place in Paris at dawn. "A throng of 500 people, mostly French, stood with uncharacteristic patience in a snaking line, intent on buying a decidedly un-French confection ... dozens of them had camped out overnight [and] watched through a giant window as a conveyor belt ferried fried dough toward a waterfall of sugary frosting. When the doors opened, they swarmed inside." Yes, Parisians were lining up to greet the arrival of Krispy Kreme in France. (Haute Now?) As strange as it seems that even a single block of country famous for defending its culture could be taken over by an American fast food (even one wielding the mighty weapons of fried dough and frosting), it turns out that the American fast food invasion has been making significant progress in France for years. "In the spring, Popeye’s fried chicken drew huge crowds in Paris when it opened the first of 350 restaurants planned across France. Wendy’s has announced plans to set up shop in France. Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Chipotle, Steak ’n Shake, Carl’s Jr. and Five Guys have long had toeholds, but they are rapidly expanding their footprints with plans for hundreds of new locations across the country." NYT (Gift Article): Hot Glazed Doughnuts on the Menu, and Parisians Can’t Get Enough. Napoleon famously said, "Victory belongs to the most persevering." And no one can outlast a Krispy Kreme conveyor belt. 2Wet NoodleFrom Bloomberg: The World’s Fastest-Sinking Megacity Has One Last Chance to Save Itself. "Parts of Jakarta are subsiding at unprecedented speed. The longshot fix rests with noodle billionaire Anthoni Salim ... If Salim can help ... deliver on the plan to bring water to every Jakarta household, experts say the city has a chance — and the company will rake in billions of dollars. If it fails, it’s likely that chaos will reign in the world’s second-biggest metropolis. Unabated sinking, combined with intensifying storms and rising sea levels, will be more than Jakarta’s seawalls can withstand, said JanJaap Brinkman, a flood expert at Dutch water research institute Deltares: 'There will be so much sea water rushing in, it will never stop. There will be no escape.'" No pressure. 3Doctor of Law"A Texas judge on Thursday gave a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge over bans that more than a dozen states have enacted since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The lawsuit by Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, is believed to be the first time since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that a woman anywhere in the country has asked a court to approve an immediate abortion ... That decision is likely to be appealed by the state, which argued that Cox does not meet the criteria for a medical exception." It's madness that a woman would have to hand over medical approval to a series of judges. As if having a fetus with a fatal diagnosis isn't bad enough, now she has to deal with this. 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Watch: You gotta imagine, it's 1971. No sitcom has ever touched social or political issues. And Norman Lear dives in with complete abandon. An absolutely monumental moment in pop culture history. Check out the pilot episode of All in the Family on YouTube. It still crushes. (If you missed it yesterday, I shared some thoughts about Norman Lear.) 5Extra, ExtraNot Home, Alone: "Since the summer of 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted surging numbers of migrants. Most of them are fleeing political turmoil and violence in Haiti and Cuba. Nearly everyone is sent back. Some are children. Increasingly, they are traveling alone." A special report from ProPublica and the NYT Mag: When the Coast Guard Intercepts Unaccompanied Kids. 6Bottom of the NewsAnd since ND will be off tomorrow, will end with something that has a serious Feel Good Friday vibe. "While McConnell couldn’t afford to help his neighbor financially, he did what he could to brighten the kids’ days. He regularly drew chalk drawings outside their home to engage with the children and brought doughnuts for them whenever he stopped for a coffee. But McConnell wanted to do more." More was most definitely done. WaPo (Gift Article): He struggled when his kids’ mom died. Then boxes began appearing at his door. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store.
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