Trash Balloons Are Back & Makeup Can Predict A Recession
June 10, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Monday! Today, we’ll be talking about E.U. elections, issues for Israel, Iran’s presidency vacancy, more trash balloons, Biden’s cemetery visit, the women’s Olympic basketball team, and a new way to measure the economy.
Here’s some good news: Climeworks’ newest generation of industrial plants to filter CO2 out of the air is on its way, and it’s supposed to use half as much energy as older designs and slash costs in half. It could make direct air capture (DAC) a viable way to reduce the amount of carbon pollution building up in the atmosphere. Also, the U.N. reported that the total global volume of seafood harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild for the first time ever – farming is supposed to be better for the environment.
“Winning is fun… Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.” – Pat Summitt
Rustling Feathers For Brussels

E.U. elections began on Thursday and continued through the weekend, and things are looking good…for the far-right. The bulk of E.U. votes were cast yesterday as France, Germany, Poland, and Spain opened their polls and Italy held a second day of voting. Early exit polls showed that parties in the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) were likely to remain the largest bloc across five countries, which also points to incumbent Ursula von der Leyen of Germany remaining as head of the European Commission.
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany took second place behind the opposition conservatives with 16.5% of the vote, up from 11% in 2019, while in Austria, the far-right Freedom Party is the likely winner of the ballot. In France, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party won around 32% of the votes, a 10-point increase from the last E.U. election in 2019 and more than double the share of Macron’s Renaissance party. In the wake of those numbers, France’s President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the country’s parliament, the National Assembly, and called a snap election.
Bibi’s Big Weekend
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that Israel’s Saturday operation in Nuseirat refugee camp led to the rescue of four hostages held by Hamas but ultimately came at an unbearable cost, with 274 Palestinians, including dozens of children, killed, and hundreds more wounded. The World Food Program chief said they suspended distribution around a U.S.-built pier off Gaza because “two of our warehouses, warehouse complex, were rocketed yesterday.”
While it’s unclear what, if any, consequences Israel will face on the international stage in the wake of such a high civilian death toll, they’re taking a form of friendly fire at home as well. Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Gantz – considered Netanyahu’s main political challenger – said he was quitting because “the situation in the country and in the decision-making room has changed.” He accused Netanyahu of putting his own personal political considerations ahead of a post-war strategy for Gaza, and urged the prime minister to hold an election in the coming months.
Running In Iran

- It’s been a few weeks since Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others perished in a helicopter crash. Yesterday, Iran’s Guardian Council approved six candidates to run in the country’s June 28 presidential election to fill the presidential vacancy. Despite the name, the Guardian Council is not a group of superheroes, but a panel of clerics and jurists overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- The council again barred former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from running, but approved Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a former Tehran mayor with close ties to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guardian Council did not accept any women or anyone calling for radical change to the country’s governance – Masoud Pezeshkian is the only reformist candidate, and he’s not seen as having much chance.
Do You Ever Feel Like A Trash Balloon Drifting Through The Wind?
- The battle of the balloons continues. Over a week ago, North Korea sent balloons full of garbage floating over its southern border to its neighbor. In response, South Korean activists sent back balloons carrying K-pop and K-dramas on USB sticks. Now, the drama continues, with North Korea repeating its stunt from May 28th over the weekend.
- About 330 balloons carrying bags of trash had been sent by North Korea since Saturday night, with about 80 of them landing in South Korea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Sunday. Waste paper and plastic were found in the packages, but there were no substances hazardous to safety.
More Mixed Nuts
- Ukraine says it struck a top fighter plane deep inside Russia (AP)
- Body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley found on Greek island (ABC)
- Haiti’s new prime minister hospitalized days after being selected to lead country (ABC)
- Modi is sworn in for a rare third term as India’s prime minister (NBC)
- Attack on Danish PM not politically motivated, police say (BBC)
Honoring The Dead & Earning Campaign Points
- President Biden visited an American cemetery outside of Paris, France, yesterday. More than 2,200 Americans who fought and died in World War I are buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. “More Marines were lost here than any battle until the middle of World War II. The idea that I come to Normandy and not make the short trip here to pay tribute…” Biden said.
- While we assume the visit was made with pure intentions, it’s difficult not to wonder if it was also a little bit petty. Former President Trump was scheduled to visit the cemetery in late 2018 but scrapped the plans due to weather. Two years later, however, The Atlantic reported that Trump simply didn’t want to get his hair wet in the rain, telling senior staff members “‘Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.’”
Not Seine-ding Caitlin To Paris
- Reports have started to emerge about the women’s basketball team that will be sent to Paris to represent America at the Olympics – and rumor has it that the roster will not include WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. As of writing, nothing has been confirmed, but the roster is expected to include Brittney Griner (who said she would never go overseas again after her detention in a Russian prison unless it was for the Olympics), Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and nine others.
- CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan wrote in USA Today, citing three unnamed sources, that Clark’s omission from the team was due in part to “concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster.” Clark seems to be taking the rejection well, however – speaking to reporters at a practice on Sunday, Clark said she wasn’t disappointed with the decision, adding, “I think it gives you something to work for, you know, it’s a dream.”
More Nuts In America
- Mountain Landslide Destroys Section of Highway to Jackson, Wyo. (NYT, $)
- At least 10 people were injured in a Wisconsin rooftop party shooting, police say (CNN)
- Leonard Peltier, Native activist imprisoned for nearly 50 years, faces what may be ‘last chance’ parole hearing (NBC)
- Some nationalities escape Biden’s sweeping asylum ban because deportation flights are scarce (AP)
- Investigation underway after ship collides with underwater object, takes on water in Lake Superior, US Coast Guard says (CNN)
My Wallet’s Empty But I Look Adorable
- There are plenty of ways to decide whether or not a country is in a recession or not, but none of them are particularly fun – after all, who wants to look at a bunch of numbers and algorithms? Well, we have a solution – look at lipstick instead! Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder created the lipstick index during the economic downturn following September 11, 2001, after he noticed that the purchase of cosmetics, specifically lipsticks, tended to be inversely related to the economy’s strength.
- For example, in the fall of 2001, U.S. lipstick sales increased by 11%, while during the Great Depression, cosmetics sales overall increased by 25%. In 2020, Estee Lauder’s CEO Fabrizio Freda said that the lipstick index had to be adjusted slightly – customers were wearing masks and working from home, so cosmetics were replaced with skincare.
- The theory is that, because nobody can afford huge purchases, they’re replacing them with smaller dopamine hits from little purchases. So, how are things looking now, you ask? Depends on who you ask. Sephora recently announced a record sales year. Also, consumer research group Circana found that prestige beauty growth has grown 9% in the first quarter of the year compared to the 2% growth for mass beauty sales.
More Loose Nuts
- Florida authorities warn of shark dangers along Gulf Coast beaches after 3 people are attacked (AP)
- The driving tactic that could make your morning commute easier (NPR)
- Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in Washington plane crash (AP)
- NASA is commissioning 10 studies on Mars Sample Return—most are commercial (Ars Technica)
- Scientists mapped one of Earth’s top hazards in the Pacific Northwest (WaPo, $)