WELCOME BACK TO ASKING RFK IF HE’S OKAY
Welcome back to a new edition of The Weekender… The summer months are heating up, and so is the news. We’re here so you don’t miss a thing.
DATA POINTS
- 10X: The multiplication of the human population since 1723.
- 35/72: The average life expectancy in 1723 versus the average life expectancy in 2023.
- 30.7%: The decline in downtown Los Angeles foot traffic compared to pre-COVID numbers, due largely to remote work.
- 10.1 Million: The seasonally adjusted number of U.S. job openings in April.
- 100 Million: The number of U.S. citizens experiencing unhealthy air due to Canadian wildfires.
- $31.4 Trillion: The new U.S. debt limit under President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy’s agreement.
The Kennedy Dynasty
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one of the most famous of the Kennedy American Dynasty. As nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former Senator Bobby Kennedy, he has been steeped in American politics his entire life. And now he’s gearing up for the ultimate race: a 2024 primary challenge against President Joe Biden. Multiple polls show him maintaining double-digit support among Democrats, including a Fox News poll that awarded him nearly 1/5 of the blue preference.
While it is unlikely that many Americans know exactly what RFK Jr. stands for, his gilded last name will provide a considerable bump to his popularity. President John F. Kennedy’s astounding approval rating and numbers indicating 50% of Democrats do not want President Biden to run for re-election won’t hurt him, either.
RFK Jr.’s unorthodox beliefs may be his Achilles Heel… or his key to securing votes.
Forbes compiled a list of his unique ideas, including that mass shootings are linked to prescription drugs, the 2004 presidential election was stolen, and that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon.
RFK Jr.’s campaign intends to pull primary votes from President Biden in Iowa and New Hampshire, as they believe Biden will exert his resources in states more favorable toward the president like South Carolina.
Read More at The Washington Post
CNN Soul Searching in the Modern Era
Many Americans believe that mainstream media has seen better days, especially since 50% of people disagree that the media does not intend to mislead them. CNN’s CEO Chris Licht, who recently stepped down after only 13 months on the job, symbolizes the difficulty in directing these companies.
Licht faced ongoing turbulence during his brief stint at CNN. He oversaw the network’s lay off of an undisclosed number of employees amid falling advertising revenue, the failure of CNN+, plummeting primetime ratings, the firing of longtime anchor Don Lemon, and CNN’s controversial town hall with former President Trump.
The nail in his executive coffin, though, was a piece in The Atlantic published five days before his departure, as it painted him as overly confident and ill-fit to lead CNN.
The author, Tim Alberta, received unprecedented access to both Licht and over 100 CNN employees and illuminated the newsroom’s lack of trust and respect in their leader.
But who will take his place?
According to the New York Times, the network must find someone who can shift CNN from its reputation as the “anti-Trump network” while saving the company from its reliance on the decaying cable industry.
As CNN works through its breakup with Licht, it will need to do soul searching to find out who it is in the new era of media.
The Intersection of Capitalism and Corporate Caring
Not long ago, June 1 meant companies across industries layering a rainbow background behind their logos and social media profiles. Today, boycotts, protests, and social media backlash are making executives think twice. The shift is largely caused by conservative groups and political leaders reacting to corporate activism.
Take the Disney vs. DeSantis case, for example. When Disney criticized Florida’s law limiting LGBT education in schools, they found themselves entangled in a legal brawl with the State of Florida. Many executives would rather stay out of the social spotlight.
While reactions have not dissuaded all companies from initiating their pro-cause campaigns, they have encouraged organizations to be more intentional. Most companies who choose to engage in social activism no longer operate under the “let’s do it all” approach, and more organizations considering activism are seeking counsel from teams of marketers and public affairs professionals to determine their path forward.
Read More at The Wall Street Journal
More Folks Can Afford the Yolks
It’s a great day to be a breakfast enthusiast, a fan of Easter decor, or a group of teenagers looking to prank their neighbors. The cost of a dozen eggs has dropped by 32% from January to April this year. The average carton of 12 now sits between $0.99 and $1.39, a stark reduction from last year’s average of $5.
While grocery prices remain higher than usual, eggs are among the first grocery items to return to historical averages. Why? The effects of 2022’s avian influenza are subsiding. But consumers should not expect other grocery items to be birds of a feather and price-drop together.
While general grocery prices remain higher than average, the White House reported that prices are slowly returning to normal with eggs and produce leading the charge. Food may be more expensive than consumers would prefer, but economic food for thought about inflation is free.
Green Cars in Red States
For some new electric vehicle (EV) buyers, saving the climate isn’t a driving factor… Republicans and Democrats are seeking EVs simply because they save money. According to JD Power, an average American family spends approximately $5,000 on gas each year. Motor Trend estimates Tesla owners pay $405 to $1,755 annually to charge their car at home, depending on the location.
The choice to move toward EVs spans political ideologies. Although climate-conscious consumers typically lean left, Republican communities are experiencing a boom in EV sales. Collin County, Texas, a county that typically votes deep red, is seeing an EV market share well above the national average – 8.7% of all new vehicle sales are EVs. Neighboring Denton County, Texas saw EVs grow to 7.3% last year, too, compared to the national average of 6.2%.
Republican states across the country are powering the new wave of EV infrastructure. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation ranks Texas, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and North Carolina as the nation’s “new EV production states.”
Read More at The Washington Post
Who Holds the Keys to Free Speech?
2020 was a big year for Big Tech to install measures preventing misinformation from infiltrating their platforms. But today, ahead of the 2024 election, social media giants are reigning back those regulations. Last week, YouTube confirmed it will reverse its election integrity policy and will not remove content questioning the 2020 presidential election. YouTube says keeping this policy might have resulted in “curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm.” Joan Donovan, author of “Meme Wars”, says the issue lies in the fact that social media amplifies misinformation on a broad scale toward a large audience.
This decision comes as new AI software threatens to increase misinformation’s grasp on the internet.
NewsGuard, which tracks and grades news sites based on their credibility, released an analysis that ChatGPT struggles to discern fact from fiction in roughly 80% of attempts. This inability to discern fact from fiction may lead to the generation of misinformation exponentially faster than a team of dedicated humans. It is more imperative than ever to cite your sources.
INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
The Most Important Green in Golf is not Grass
The PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf signed a deal to merge, effectively ending their rivalry and concluding their pending antitrust litigation against each other. The agreement also includes the DP World Tour, AKA the PGA European Tour. LIV Golf is supported by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which is managed entirely by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Fund stands ready to invest billions more into the merger, though the terms of the merger are not yet released. Many PGA golfers refused to take LIV Golf’s massive payout over concerns stemming from Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.
Family members of Americans who were killed in the 9/11 attacks have been some of the largest opponents to LIV Golf, as 15 of the 19 hijackers, alongside Osama Bin Laden, were Saudi Arabian. 9/11 Families United responded to the announcement by saying they were “shocked and deeply offended.” PGA Tour Commissioner participated in an interview with the Golf Channel saying, “Any hypocrisy, I have to own. In allowing confidentiality to prevail, I did not communicate to very important constituents, including the families of 9/11.”
FEATURED TWEET
See you next week!
