DATA POINTS
- 44 – The number of years since a Biden, Bush, or Clinton hasn’t been on a presidential ticket
- 1982 – The last year four Americans swept the Men’s Major Golf Championships until this year
- 38,163 – The number of flights that were delayed globally due to the CrowdStrike outage
- 3.44 M – The record number of viewers who watched the WNBA Allstars game; the leagues 3rd most watched event ever
- $81 M – The amount raised by Kamala Harris within 24 hours of President Biden’s resignation announcement
- $1.4 B – The amount Inside Out 2 made in box office sales, making it the highest-grossing animated movie of all time
Biden bows, Harris hauls it in, and Trump Taunts: Just another week in America in 2024…
Last weekend, President Biden stepped out of the 2024 election, which came as a shock to his staff who knew 1 minute before he announced the news. Facing mounting pressure against his ability to win the election (and govern for another four years), he made the decision to tap out at his home while recovering from COVID-19.
This changed the game. In 102 days, former President Trump is expected to face off against a candidate two decades his junior: current Vice President Kamala Harris.
This won’t be certain until the DNC Convention (August 19 – 22), but Harris is the clear frontrunner, obliterating fundraising records by pulling in $81 million over 24 hours. Harris and Biden are starkly different politicians (which is why she was tapped for VP in the first place). So, what’s in store for candidate Trump against candidate Harris?
For starters, Harris is female, mirroring the 2016 Trump-Clinton showdown. While some misogynistic bias may have hurt Clinton, Harris’ hardline stance on protecting national access to abortion may help her, with over 63% of the country wanting access in most or all cases. It’s also fair to say that former District Attorney Kamala Harris will contrast her resume with recently convicted Donald Trump on the matter of criminal justice.
On policy, Harris is still ironing out her platform, but it is expected that she will continue Biden’s big spending proposals. Notably, her foremost plans included nearly $2 trillion to establish universal pre-K education while improving elder and childcare. It would not come as a surprise if she supported raising corporate taxes beyond Biden’s attempt of 28%.
With Biden out and a more effervescent Harris as the new Democratic frontrunner, the Trump team will need to reassess their gameplan to win against the new opponent. Then again, when the old playbook has worked, why change? That seems to be Trump’s mentality as he labeled his new opponent “Lyin’ Kamala Harris” at a campaign rally this week where his remarks focused on attacking the presumptive Democratic Nominee. While many observers expect this to be one of the most negative campaigns ever, we at The Weekender say… Probably. Likely. OK, yes, that sounds right.
Read More at the Washington Post
CrowdStrike is a wakeup call
Last Friday, chaos arose when 38,163 flights were delayed, surgeries were postponed, and your morning Starbucks order was stuck at a standstill. We’re not talking about Y2K. This was the scene last week when CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm, accidentally pushed a faulty software update, causing 8.5 million Windows devices to crash. What was meant to block malicious actors ended up locking users out of their systems, showing just how vulnerable our corporate networks can be.
While we’re fortunate the disruption was due to human error rather than a malicious hacker group, it underscores a significant issue: our networks remain vulnerable. Despite upgrades to cybersecurity, we still have work to do. Because the risks are great.
Nation-state hackers often utilize weak spots, like the Russian hackers who targeted SolarWinds’ Orion software or the McAfee incident in 2010. House Homeland Security Committee leaders warn that countries like China and Russia are watching our every move, ready to pounce on our weaknesses. This incident should serve as a wake-up call about the national security risks of network dependency.
“Breaking” News – Let the Games Begin 
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be a sight to see, with a boat parade along the Seine River kicking off the show tonight. Almost 600 athletes will compete for Team USA – the biggest team in Paris – with returning athletes like Simon Biles, Lebron James, and Katie Ledecky leading the charge.
While sports enthusiasts clamor to watch the quadrennial event, the arts are representing, too. Musicians including Celine Dion and Lady Gaga recently arrived in Paris and are rumored to perform at the opening ceremony, although this has not been confirmed. Snoop Dogg isn’t performing, but he is carrying the opening torch.
Viewers will avidly tune into classic sports over the next two weeks (gymnastics and swimming were the most watched in 2021), and a new sport will make its Olympic debut: breakdancing, categorized as “breaking.” It will be scored based on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality. Kite sailing is another addition to the 2024 Olympics, where athletes use boards with parachutes to sail across the water.
Another star of the Olympics will be the fans – and their fashion. As attendees show off their sense of style, the pressure is high for them to be the best dressed. Luxury fashion brands are sponsoring events more than ever, and with Paris already known for high fashion and designer clothes, attendees may feel the heat to come prepared for style.
People are going nuts for protein
Protein is the latest health craze, and people are finding creative and wild ways to get their fix. Fitness enthusiasts are blending cottage cheese with fruit and sweeteners to create a high-protein frozen “ice cream” treat. Protein powder is making its way into everything from Boba tea, made with protein-infused milk, to cheesecake with a Greek yogurt filling, and even almond flour-based crusts.
This trend is fueled by many Americans who want more protein and less sugar in their diets. According to a survey conducted in March by The New Consumer and market research firm Deluna, 60% of nearly 3,300 US consumers aged 15 and older are aiming to reduce their sugar intake, while almost 20% are looking to boost their protein consumption this year.
But how much protein do we actually need each day? The average adult requires about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. For most people, this means around 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. Athletes, older adults, and those looking to build muscle might need more, ranging from 0.54 to 0.91 grams per pound of body weight per day.
As always, if you’re looking to lose weight or improve your health, consult with a doctor to ensure you’re giving your body what it needs.
Read more at The Wall Street Journal
We Are So Back!
For the gamers, the NCAA fanatics, the patient, and the nostalgic, College Football 25 is here – and it only took 10 years of the franchise being shelved before it emerged as the new king of sports games. The NCAA $2.6 billion settlement that allowed college ballers to be paid brought a new playbook to the series. Thanks to EA, who coordinated what may be the largest licensing agreement in gaming history, the game now features the real players’ names and likenesses, not just a 6-foot-2 #3 who vaguely resembles your favorite star. To be precise, there’s 11,390 real-life players, 134 schools with accurate stadiums, mascots, uniforms, crowd chants, and playbooks.
Even at launch, the game is a touchdown. It hosts real creative playbooks to suit your fancy, and as much off-field managerial content as gamers could ever want. The two-point conversation is that the newest gameplay on-field is as high-risk/high-reward as the game is in real-life. Crowd noise blurs play art and receiver routes, the screen shaker returns, and passing and kicking brings fresh mechanics.
The game was released in need of a patch, as most do these days, but it’s a wonderfully downfield-driven remake of one of the best sports games of all time. For a game that came out of left field, College Football 25 may have set the gold standard for sports games in the modern era. You can see the sweat on players, the lighting is gorgeous, the pageantry of college football is alive and well in the stadiums, and the whole experience is dynamic in a way that Madden has not been for years. As new updates are released, this is not a game that college football fans of any caliber want to punt on.
See you next week!
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