| Good morning. We know it's Saturday, aka a day to relax, but here are a few deadlines you should still be aware of: - Our Brew joggers giveaway ends at 11:59pm Sunday night, so for those of you who haven't gotten your five referrals yet, start sharing now.
- Halloween is one week away. If you're scrambling for a costume and want to go in an extremely nerdy direction, Managing Editor Neal Freyman dressed up as "Dodd Frankenstein" last year and would be happy for you to take the idea.
| | | |  | NASDAQ | 11,548.28 | + 0.37% | | | | S&P | 3,465.39 | + 0.34% | |  | DJIA | 28,335.57 | - 0.10% | | | | GOLD | 1,903.40 | - 0.06% | | | | 10-YR | 0.842% | - 2.40 bps | | | | OIL | 39.78 | - 2.12% | | | *As of market close. | - Markets: The stimulus stalemate took a toll on U.S. stocks, which dipped lower this week. New data showed U.S. business activity picking up in October, though.
- Covid-19 update: Yesterday, the U.S. hit a record for new daily coronavirus cases. More than 82,000 people tested positive for Covid-19, about 6,000 more than the previous peak in July.
| |  Francis Scialabba | With exactly 10 days until the presidential election, social media platforms have been working to get their content moderation ducks in a row. The new kid on the block, TikTok, is fighting a unique battle as it tries to stay "apolitical" in the lead-up to the election. Is that even possible? Yes, and no. TikTok has never allowed political ads, and no major U.S. politician has a TikTok account (even if a dance battle might speed up stimulus talks). The platform has attempted to cultivate an apolitical reputation...mostly because it has to. - Despite the White House's efforts, TikTok is still owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, an arrangement that's raised data privacy concerns. So it's "fighting this public relations campaign that other social platforms haven't had to in the same way," Laura Garcia, a counter-disinformation journalist, told the Financial Times.
But like that one uncle at Thanksgiving TikTok's users just won't stay out of politics. In June, TikTokers were at the center of a "mass false-registration drive" responsible for thousands of empty seats at a Trump rally in Tulsa, per the NYT. And videos with political hashtags like #Trump2020 and #Biden2020 have been attracting views faster than people can Google "what's a D'amelio": #Biden2020 had only 1.9 million views in February; now it has over 3.8 billion. TikTok's attempts to depoliticize itself while its users flood the platform with political content is an issue that its competitors have been dealing with for years. But TikTok has taken aggressive steps to root out harmful content, removing around 322,000 videos in the first half of the year for violating its policies against hate speech, and banning hashtags related to the QAnon conspiracy theory a month before Facebook took any action. Bottom line: TikTok is ~special~ when it comes to conversations around election integrity because of its connections to China, as well as its algorithm's uncanny ability to create viral moments. | |  PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images | Believe it or not, there is a world beyond the local Sonic. Let's get an update from our international correspondent, Carlisle Sanfrancisco. Carlisle? Israel: Yesterday, Sudan became the third Arab country (after the UAE and Bahrain) to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel this year. The historic agreement, which was brokered by the U.S., means the once-hostile countries will also begin to trade with one another. Nigeria: Officials are lifting a curfew in Lagos, Africa's biggest city, after dozens were killed in protests against police brutality. The government has disbanded the particular police unit criticized by protesters, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (called SARS), but unrest over inequality and corruption is lingering in this oil-rich nation. The EU: You won't have to order "veggie discs" after the European Parliament struck down a proposal that would've banned plant-based alternative meat products from using words like "burger" or "steak." Slovakia: The government is trying to administer a coronavirus test to every adult over the next two weeks to tamp down a second wave of infections. Thailand: Apparently the mascots of Thai banks hold massive dance parties. | |  Francis Scialabba | And with that vote of confidence, Tesla rolled out the beta version of its "Full Self-Driving" software to a small group of Tesla owners this week. What's "full" self-driving? Emerging Tech Brew explains: - More support for advanced driver assist on city streets
- Increased stop sign and traffic light perception capabilities
- A feature that can guide Tesla cars from highway on-ramps to off-ramps
As you can see, this isn't really full self-driving at all, which has earned the company heaps of criticism from experts who call the name dangerous, misleading, and potentially fraudulent. Even Elon "I'm sending 1 million people to Mars by 2050" Musk seems to be toning down the hype machine. On Tuesday, he tweeted that the rollout "Will be extremely slow & cautious, as it should." Looking ahead...regulators said they're keeping a close eye on how FSD unfolds, but Tesla is still slinging the tech. The price of "FSD beta" will rise by $2,000 starting next Thursday. + While we're here: Tesla is recalling nearly 50,000 Model S and X vehicles in China over potentially faulty front and rear suspensions. | |  | Jeans and chinos: the two most important members of the pants family. Butt for items so essential to your everyday strut, traditional jeans restrict movement and classic chinos only chafe. Luckily, there's Mugsy. Mugsy makes jeans and chinos that are so soft and comfy you'll feel like you're bareback riding an Alpaca every time you put them on. Or, if you can't make it to Tierra Del Fuego, like you're wearing sweatpants. Mugsy's high-tech fabrics are super stretchy and breathable, giving you a fit that's not too baggy and not too tight—aka just right. Plus, with free shipping, returns, and exchanges, there's zero risk in trying them on at home. Use code BREW15 for $15 off your first pair. | |  Google Finance | Snap's stock gained nearly 11% yesterday, capping off a stellar week for the social media platform most had written off as recently as two years ago. And it didn't even need help from Fleetwood Mac or a skateboard. The backstory: After getting the "pandemic bump" in Q1 (when people began to hunker down inside), Snapchat came back to earth in Q2, adding far fewer users than the previous quarter. - Analysts expected the slump to continue into Q3, but Snap streaked in the opposite direction by adding 11 million daily active users—which matched its first-quarter haul.
And with ad revenue returning, Snap turned an unexpected profit and smashed earnings on Tuesday. As it continues to invest in augmented reality, which supports virtual try-ons and other cool features the youths love, advertisers may not disappear anytime soon. Bottom line: Snap's stock is now up a very Zoom-esque ~158% on the year. | |  The Strand on Twitter | The Strand bookstore, a beloved NYC institution founded in 1927, issued a plea for help yesterday on Twitter. | | - American Express's Q4 profits fell 39%, which makes sense given the collapse of travel spending.
- Intel stock fell 11% following another tough earnings report. Remember, its stock slid 16% after a previous earnings call revealed its next-gen chips would be delayed.
- U.S. energy execs responded with concern after Joe Biden called on the U.S. to transition away from oil and gas at the debate Thursday night.
- Burger King is rolling out reusable containers starting in 2021.
- The iPhone 12 went on sale yesterday—here's a review.
| |  | If you lack a crisis plan, you're planning for chaos. This year has required organizations to test their crisis management capabilities against multiple events—Covid-19, wild fires, and hurricanes, for starters. While avoiding every disruption is unrealistic, having a crisis management plan in place can help a company or organization prevent total chaos. HPE has outlined five areas to focus on as you consider an approach to your framework. Keep reading to learn more. | | | Time is a flat circle: When he's not driving a Lincoln, Matthew McConaughey eats spicy wings on Hot Ones to promote his new memoir, Greenlights. Great episode. McFury: Use this site to check if the ice cream machine is broken at your local McDonald's before the cashier tells you they can't make any M&M McFlurries today. Weekend conversation starters: - On pronouncing "niche": nitch or neesh? (Or Nietzsche, for all you nihilists.)
- Borat 2 has us wondering...what is the absolute worst movie to watch with your parents?
- Forget Myers-Briggs: How you organize your half-empty egg cartons is your personality.
| | | Kids will do the darndest things, and sometimes those things make headlines. Three of these youth-centered news stories are real, while one we made up. Can you spot the little liar? - "Texas 14-year-old wins $25,000 for developing potential COVID-19 treatment"
- "Teenager finally achieves her dream of dating Godzilla"
- "Boy, 6, becomes Britain's youngest published author"
- "UberEats driver fined after his daughter secretly took food out of four orders he delivered"
| | | No UberEats orders were harmed in the making of that fake headline. | | | Written by Neal Freyman and Toby Howell Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. | ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP
Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.
Copyright ©2020 Morning Brew. All rights reserved.
40 Exchange Pl., Suite #300, New York, NY 10005 | |
Retail newsletter → 
Tech newsletter → 
Marketing newsletter → 
Quarantine newsletter → 
Business podcast → 
No comments:
Post a Comment