DATA POINTS
- 10: The number of days until the 2024 General Election
- 15: The number of years since the Yankees last played in the World Series
- $924: The amount the average American pays per year for streaming and subscription services
- 2,471: The pounds of the first-place pumpkin in the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off
- 6.5 Million: The number of U.S. voters who live overseas
- 12 Million: The pounds of pre-cooked chicken products recalled due to a listeria outbreak
From Conspiracy to Campaigning
Election season is here – and 19 million Americans have already submitted their picks for the next wave of elected leadership. Early voting has been a mainstay in our democracy for years, but 2024 is seeing record-breaking turnout. This is partially due to former President Trump’s new stance. In 2020, he urged supporters to vote on Election Day, but in 2024, he is pushing his base to get their vote in as early as possible.
Voting early helps candidates gain momentum, especially in battleground states. They should not be treated as bellwethers, however, as early votes currently comprise roughly 11% of the total votes that are expected to be cast, and an early lead can easily be overtaken on November 5. With more people voting early than ever before, Vice President Harris looks to capitalize on movement in Republican and swing states that her campaign has identified as competitive. She visited Texas last Friday to rally Democratic votes for both her and Rep. Collin Allred, who is running for the Senate against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz. Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are her next campaign stops.
Next week, The Weekender will be serving an analysis of races to watch and themes to anticipate. Don’t miss our upcoming coverage on Nov. 1!
Read More at The Associated Press
Who Wins the Corporate Vote?
For decades, corporate America has remained in the Republican corner – but times are a’ changing. The knots connecting the country’s business leaders and the GOP are loosening, and more are contributing to Democratic candidates. White college-educated adults are increasingly identifying as Democrats, while those without degrees are shifting to the right. This is in part due to the Republican Party’s intentional moves to secure blue collar and previously disenfranchised votes.
A Columbia Law School Study found that ideology can be reasonably traced to where a person stands on the corporate ladder. Generally, the top CEOs remain conservative, while executives and VPs tend to donate to left-leaning moderate candidates. Senior managers skew liberal.
Republicans have claimed for years that America’s corporations have moved increasingly to the left on their social stances. After reviewing the donation habits of its highest-ranking employees, there may be truth in the claim.
Cutting the Air Line
Is it a solution looking for a problem or a problem that now has a solution? Airplane passengers have long bemoaned several issues: people standing up too soon after a flight lands, uncomfortably narrow seats, and the newly coined term “gate lice.” Gate lice is a term given to passengers who attempt to get on a plane before their group or zone is announced. They’re line-jumpers who often are seeking to avoid paying fees for boarding early.
American Airlines is piloting a new system to crack down on these gate lice. Its system now flags for gate workers when a passenger attempts to board a plane prior to their boarding group being called. It will provide the employee with an audio and visual notification that says the passenger is attempting to cheat the line. Although the system is only active at Albuquerque and Tucson airports, airline employees and respectful passengers are in favor of its utility. The only ones who hope for its demise are the ardent line-hoppers who evidently didn’t learn to wait their turn in kindergarten.
Read More at The Washington Post
Is It Me or is Hot in Here?
2024 is all but certain to be the hottest year on record since humans began keeping track, narrowly beating out 2023 as the warmest since the 1800s. Using 30-year timescales and aggregate data over decades, scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about CO2 emissions setting Earth’s thermostat.
Climate change is a difficult problem to solve and needs solutions from the international community as much as individual countries. Now is the time to invest in renewable energy solutions, carbon capture and sequestration technology, and modernize the transmission grid so that the United States is preventing the worst-case scenarios of climate change.
Call Tim Allen – 2025 is Home Improvement’s Year
All hail the weekend warriors, home repair contractors, new kitchen enthusiasts, and those who are sick of their bathroom: next year is slated to be the year of home renovation. With more homeowners borrowing against the rising value of their property and interest rates falling, people will be installing new sinks, refurbishing their kitchens, and replacing their carpets with hardwood. This is great news for homeowners, but even better news for the economy as contractors and local businesses will be back in business to support the renovations.
Home spending surged during COVID-19 when people were cooped up listening to that pesky dripping faucet, reeling from that shaky A/C unit, or staring at the backyard in desperate need of attention. When people resumed normal daily life, borrowing costs skyrocketed, effectively pausing renovations. Now, the combination of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates and rising property values is putting home improvement back on the weekend’s to-do list.
Read More at The Wall Street Journal
See you next week!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more news and industry updates. To receive a copy of The Weekender in your inbox, sign up here.
