One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Trou Du Cru |
As we all know, Trou du Cru is a cheese from France's Côte d'Or. For a period of three weeks, during its maturation, it is wiped with Marc de Bourgogne, a strong alcohol. As a result, when you're eating it, you experience an aroma of grappa, scented with straw, just like when you're reading this newsletter. Today's cheese pun is also a reference to the double-sided nature of reality. I say tomato, you say tomato. You know. Likewise, go behind today's cheddlines, and you'll see that there are often different ways of looking at the exact same events in contemporary life: If a tree falls in the forest, and there's nobody there to see it, do you still smell grappa and straw? —Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor P.S. We've got an automatic robot to charge your electric car on our instagram. But who charges the robot? |
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"Overall, the economy is in solid shape. We intend to use our tools to keep it there." — Jerome Powell |
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1. SpaceX Capsule Arrives at International Space Station to Rescue Stranded 'Stronauts |
SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station yesterday on a mission to bring back two Boeing Starliner astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni "I Don't Have a Nickname" Williams, who have been stranded in space for several months since their ride home left them behind.
Space Station residents welcomed the capsule, carrying NASAstronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonautossos Aleksandr Gorbunov, with a ceremony you can watch on X.com, which is, coincidentally, owned by the same person as SpaceX. I'm sure that's all fine.
Williams and Wilmore (WilWill? Moriams? Iamores?) are scheduled to return to Earth in February, ending their prolonged mission, which commenced with the Starliner encountering significant malfunctions during its maiden flight. That's partly what prompted NASA to award the contract to return them home to Boeing's rival, SpaceX.
The rescue operation wasn't without its challenges. SpaceX reported an issue with the Falcon 9 rocket, which propelled the capsule for the first part of its journey, during the mission. They'll pause all Falcon 9 flights while they investigate it. But so far, knock on wood, nobody has died. Although if they had, I'm sure you could read all about it on X.com. Read More |
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2. Hurricane Helene Kills More Than 90 People (But Don't Mention Climate Change) |
At least 90 people have died in Hurricane Helene, which over the weekend unleashed catastrophic damage across several states, including Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
The hurricane, making landfall as a Category 4, generated massive storm surges and caused extensive flooding. More than 2 million people faced flood warnings and millions more lost power. Among the devastation, search and rescue teams in southern Georgia extracted residents from rubble, while in North Carolina officials warned of dam failures due to imminent breaches.
The hurricane, described as the most significant disaster seen in western North Carolina, has raised concerns about recurring severe weather events in the region, marking the third major hurricane to strike the Big Bend area within 13 months. The damage across affected areas is staggering, with entire communities like Cedar Key and Dekle Beach experiencing near-total destruction, leading to a potential mass exodus from these areas.
North Carolina is on a knife-edge in the upcoming presidential election after the Republican candidate for governor wrote "I'm a black NAZI!" on a porn site (ahem, allegedly—I mean, probably, but also allegedly). Meanwhile former president Donald Trump told victims of the hurricane at a Michigan rally on Friday, "We're with you all the way, and if we were there, we'd be helping you. You'll be okay."
Kamala Harris's campaign shared the video clip almost immediately on Twitter. They suggested the former president was downplaying a deadly disaster and showing a lack of empathy. "You'll be okay," the tweet read, along with the parenthetical note, "(Dozens of deaths have already been reported)."
The head of FEMA has said damage in North Carolina was worsened by global warming. Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon, Trump called climate change "one of the great scams of all time." Are you in North Carolina? Do you have an opinion about all this? Email me. Read More |
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| Would you let a robot charge your EV? (Nudge, nudge.)🔋🤖
NaaS, the first U.S.-listed EV charging service in China, has launched a robotic charging station that can locate electric vehicles, charge them, and handle payments automatically. Using advanced technologies like autonomous driving and 5G, it offers a seamless charging experience.
In the future, this innovation will be crucial for self-driving cars, allowing them to recharge autonomously—likely featuring a robotic "arm" for effortless charging. |
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3. Netflix Loses Subscribers After Chairman Supports Kamala Harris |
Netflix saw a significant increase in subscription cancellations after its co-founder and chairman, Reed Hastings, endorsed vice president Kamala Harris for president and donated $7 million to a super PAC supporting her campaign in July.
Netflix's churn rate in the U.S. nearly tripled following Hastings' political endorsement, coinciding with Donald Trump's supporters sharing images of their canceled accounts on social media under the hashtag #CancelNetflix.
Still, it doesn't appear to have hurt the company's prospects. Its stock is up 50% this year and it's worth $300 billion, almost 79 times Trump's net worth of $3.8 billion. Given his obsession with the size of things, I'm sure that won't stick in his craw at all. Read More |
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4. Fed Chair Powell Says Economy in 'Solid Shape,' Signaling More Cuts |
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome "Call me Jay" Powell signaled Monday that two more 0.25% interest rate cuts are in the pipeline this year, assuming the economy performs as expected. His comments, at a conference of the National Association for Business Economics in Nashville, Tennessee, disappointed the hopes of many investors that the Fed would implement another steep half-point reduction in its key rate before the end of the year.
The Fed cut its rate by a larger-than-usual half point earlier this month, as it has moved past its inflation fight and pivoted toward supporting the job market. "We're looking at it as a process that will play out over some time, not something that we need to go fast on," Powell said. "It'll depend on the data, the speed at which we actually go."
"Overall, the economy is in solid shape," Powell said in written remarks. "We intend to use our tools to keep it there." Read More |
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5. SNL's 50th Season Is Still as Funny as It Ever Was (Take That However You Like) |
Alec Baldwin walked past me on Bleecker Street the other day. It's the second time I've been within a few feet of him, and it took a lot not to yell out "cookies are for closers," my favorite line of his from his greatest ever performance, voicing over the baby in Boss Baby. But I kept my cool.
I'm sad that Baldwin has quit being Donald Trump on SNL for season 50, leaving the role to cast member James Austin Johnson. But he's had a lot on his plate lately.
Meanwhile Maya Rudolph reprised her role as Kamala Harris, and Jim Gaffigan showed up as Tim Walz. Dana Carvey was Joe Biden. The undoubted highlight for me was Bowen Yang as Moo Deng, the baby hippo whose popularity will confuse most people over the age of 8 29. Yang has since hit back at suggestions he was mocking Chappell Roan for drawing boundaries around her mental health, but above all the skit was funny, and too weird to cancel for being too harsh, and that's the definitive opinion—i.e., my opinion—on the matter. So there. Read More |
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