Russia + North Korea 4Ever, Trump’s Intrusive Thoughts, and Silly-But-Safer Helmets

October 21, 2024

Hello, readers – happy Monday! Today, we’ll be talking about housing costs in swing states, the Middle East, Russia & North Korea, Russia vs. Ukraine, Elon Musk’s possibly illegal plan to get out the vote, Trump & Arnold Palmer, and silly-but-safer helmets. 

Here’s some good news: Cotswold Wildlife Park in the U.K. has successfully bred one of Madagascar’s most endangered lemurs. Also, after a nearly-century-long effort, Egypt has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

A Real “Chicken Or Egg” Conundrum

It’s no secret that Americans are struggling with high prices across the board as post-Covid inflation continues to linger in the air like some respiratory virus. Housing prices, especially, are up in a big (bad) way — since 2019, the cost of buying a home is up by about 48% nationwide, but wages have only increased by roughly half that amount. 

In swing states, that rise in housing prices is even more pronounced. Certain counties in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania have seen housing prices more than double since 2019, according to the Washington Post. In Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina, 80% of the voting population lives in counties where housing prices have grown faster than the national average. 

That means the economy will be an even bigger issue in those key areas come November, which might be bad news for VP Kamala Harris and her semi-incumbent campaign. “I hear it from both sides,” said one North Carolina real estate agent. “Whether you’re voting for Trump or Harris, it’s peoples’ top concern: Will their candidate be better for the economy, and the housing market in particular?”

The “Intelligence” Community’s Dumb Mistake

The U.S. has a leak in its operations. Last week, U.S. intelligence regarding Israel’s planned attack on Iran was published online – over the weekend, the documents were verified and reported on by various news outlets. From the intel (just a pair of one-page documents), we now know a couple of things – most of them not surprising, but definitely still Daily Pnut story-worthy. 

First, the U.S. is spying on Israel – including all branches of its military and its Nuclear Forces. Second, that Israel does, indeed, possess nuclear weapons. How do we know that? The documents had a section on the probability of Israel using nukes against Iran, marking that possibility as “Low.” Third, Israel plans to attack Iran, mainly by using air-to-surface ballistic missiles launched from Israeli F-15I fighter jets (modified versions of U.S. F-15s).

“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on October 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” said Mick Mulroy, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, adding that “the future coordination between the US and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.” 

Want To Know More?

• At least 87 killed in Israeli strike on northern Gaza, health ministry says (CNN)
• Blasts heard across Beirut after Israel warns it will hit Hezbollah-linked finance group (Guardian) 

Dictators Gonna Dictate

• North Korean troops appear to be joining Russia’s military on the front lines of its conflict with Ukraine. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, a Ukrainian government organization, has been circulating video of what seem to be North Korean soldiers lined up to receive their Russian military uniforms. “From intelligence that I have … they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, different soldiers, land forces, technical personnel,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. South Korea has claimed that Pyongyang will send a total of 12,000 troops to Russia’s aid.
• On Saturday, North Korea added some claims of its own to the pile. The North Korean government said that it had found the wreckage of a South Korean drone in its capital city of Pyongyang, bolstering its claims that Seoul has been flying drones over the country on recon and propaganda leaflet-dropping missions. With both of these developments taking place simultaneously, it looks like tensions over the Korean peninsula are only ratcheting up – though it’s not clear whether those tensions will actually lead to anything of significance.

Aerial Explosive Ping-Pong

• Once again, Russia and Ukraine traded air attacks over the weekend. On Sunday, Ukraine sent a swarm of over 100 drones to attack seven of Russia’s western regions. Russia claims that it shot down 110 Ukrainian drones, including 43 over the Kursk region. Despite the war grinding on for over two years at this point, large-scale aerial attacks like Sunday’s have been a relatively rare occurrence throughout the conflict.
• That same day, Russia launched two ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. The strikes killed 17 Ukrainians in the city, damaging multiple local businesses. Ukraine claims that Russia also sent 49 drones as part of its air attacks, though Kyiv says they were all either shot down or taken out by electronic air defenses.

More Mixed Nuts

• Turkey and Germany leaders meet in Istanbul and find many avenues of agreement. But not on Israel (AP)
• Moldovans cast votes to choose president and decide on EU path as Russian interference claims spike (AP)
• UK mosques win record security funding from hate crime scheme (Guardian)
• Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ receives mixed reactions from Western allies (AP)
• Cubans begin third day without power as hurricane nears (CNN)

Elon’s Voter Sweepstakes

• Over the weekend in Pennsylvania, Elon Musk announced that every day until Election Day, he would give $1 million to a random registered voter “in the battleground states” – in this case, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina – who signs a petition circulated by his super PAC “in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms.” As you can probably imagine, Musk’s announcement garnered some scrutiny. 
• Federal law makes it a crime for anyone who “pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting.” In an interview Sunday on NBC, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Musk’s giveaway was “deeply concerning” and is “something that law enforcement could take a look at.” Other experts have called it “clearly illegal vote-buying” and “exactly what the statute was designed to criminalize.” 

Locker Room Talk Or A Stump Speech?

• Speaking of former President Trump (kind of), he had another strange campaign event in Pennsylvania this weekend. Shortly after walking out on the stage, he began talking about golfing legend Arnold Palmer. Trump also called VP Kamala Harris a “sh*t vice president,” but that still somehow managed to not be the most outlandish part of the day. 
• “Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that in all due respect to women, I love women. … This man was strong and tough, and I refused to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros they came out of there, they said ‘Oh, my God. That’s unbelievable,’” Trump said. Palmer’s daughter Peg Palmer Wears said Sunday that she thought Trump’s comments about her father were a “poor choice of approaches to remembering my father, but what are you going to do?” 

More Nuts In America

• A collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island dock left 7 dead and turned celebration into tragedy. An investigation is now underway (CNN)
• Paul Whelan credits Brittney Griner for ‘great help’ in his release from Russia (Guardian)
• Daniel Penny to stand trial in Jordan Neely death (ABC)
• 3 killed and 8 injured in a mass shooting after a homecoming game in Mississippi (CNN)
• Trump vows to deport millions. Builders say it would drain their crews and drive up home costs. (NBC)
• Over 15 million under fire weather alerts in California amid dry, windy conditions (ABC)

New NFL Noggin Protectors

• Playing football is cool, right? Well, most people seem to think so, but it’s hard to tell if that will hold true if this new development makes its way into the game. No, we’re not talking about the NFL’s new kickoff rules – we’re talking about a new type of helmet that could revolutionize concussion protection. The helmet has been approved for game use by the NFL and has been made mandatory in practices since 2022, reducing training camp concussions by over 50% since that date. The problem? It’s kind of ugly.
• The new helmet technology, called a Guardian Cap, is a 12-ounce layer of foam padding that players can strap on top of their helmets. They kind of look like a giant half of a hand grenade made up of foam – a little too bulky to look cool, and they definitely don’t shine under the bright lights like a normal helmet. The NFL’s quick decision to adopt the use of the caps reflects how big of a problem chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – caused by repeated blows to the head – has become for football players over the years.
• The Guardian Caps have only been approved for real-game use since the start of this season, and only 10 players across the league have adopted their use. Indianapolis Colts tight end Kylen Granson is one of them. “I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t affect anything for me,” said Granson after a week-two matchup with the Packers. “I thought, even if it looks kind of silly, it’s worth it.” Sometimes you’ve gotta look bad to feel good.

More Loose Nuts

• Stanford psychologist behind the controversial ‘Stanford Prison Experiment’ dies at 91 (NPR)
• Kentucky man declared brain dead wakes up during organ harvesting (Guardian)
• ‘They refused to let me go’: Japanese workers turn to resignation agencies to quit jobs (Guardian)
• From showgirl feathers to shimmering chandeliers, casino kitsch finds new life (AP)
• Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is reportedly fundraising for a new AI startup (TechCrunch)

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Team Thoughts

Kayli – It seems like there are many, many other good ways for Elon Musk to spend his money. 

Marcus – The Israeli documents were published online by a certain reporter who was recently banned from X for publishing another dossier on JD Vance. You didn’t read it here, though!