Harris Wins The Battle For Celeb Endorsements, But Does It Matter?
Los Angeles DA asks court to resentence Menendez brothers
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Goodbye DoorDash and GrubHub, the next hottest food delivery in major cities across the US might be Facebook Marketplace.
The NY Times found thousands of unlicensed restaurateurs are finding success selling home cooking through Facebook Marketplace.
It follows some state laws that have made it easier to sell “cottage foods,” or home cooking, on social media sites.
The laws allow home cooks to jump through fewer hoops to sell and are often unenforced.
University of Michigan professor Cliff Lampe, an expert on human-computer interaction, says “It’s not something that you saw on Marketplace five years ago.”
But, like always, buyer beware.
Have a good weekend!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
🎤 BEYONCÉ TO JOIN HARRIS CAMPAIGN IN TEXAS, TRUMP GOES ON JOE ROGAN
If you scroll on social media, you likely have seen a stream of celebrities joining Kamala Harris’s campaign in recent weeks. Last night, Bruce Springsteen hit the stage with former President Obama and Beyoncé is set to join Harris tonight in Texas.
Actors Jennifer Garner, George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Kerry Washington, Julia Roberts, and Jane Fonda as well as musicians Eminem, James Taylor, Usher, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish have all stumped for Harris in the home stretch of the campaign.
On the other hand, former President Donald Trump has been backed by Paula Deen, Brett Favre, Danica Patrick, Jason Aldean, and Kid Rock.
DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
In a deadlocked race, the Harris campaign is leaning on these celebrities to help draw larger crowds and help get out the vote, particularly for people who are disengaged (like Gen Z) and not following politics closely. But, there is not clear evidence on how much their message is really changing minds.
The data that it helps: A 2008 study estimated Oprah Winfrey’s 2007 endorsement of Barack Obama drove 1 million voters to back him during the Democratic primary.
And Taylor Swift, who backed Harris after the Trump-Harris debate last month, led more than 300,000 people to visit the Vote.gov voter registration page within 24 hours.
The negatives: Mark Harvey, an associate professor at the University of Saint Mary in Kansas and the author of ‘Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy’ (2018), told Reuters that celeb endorsements can have backlash. "A lot of people don't want to mix their entertainment with their politics," he said.
Before Swift's Harris endorsement, Harvey and a group of researchers found that her fans were more likely to say they would vote when she encouraged people to vote, but intent to vote declined when the singer hypothetically called on her followers to support Democrats.
THEORY ABOUT DIDDY
Elon Musk and other Trump supporters have taken aim at some of the celebs backing Harris, including Eminem and Usher, labeling them a “Diddy party participant.” It appears to be an attempt to tarnish their names with Sean Combs, who is now awaiting trial in jail on sex trafficking charges.
Combs hosted massive A-list parties that were attended by some of the people backing Harris, but there is no evidence that any of these celebrities are linked to any inappropriate or illegal activities.
TRUMP & HARRIS TAKE TO THE PODCASTS
Both Trump and Harris are headed to Texas today and will record two big-name podcasts.
The former president is set to appear on 'The Joe Rogan Experience,’ the largest podcast in the world.
The show has had its controversies— health misinformation, antisemitism, and use of the n-word, but it also has 14.5 million followers on Spotify and 17 million followers on YouTube, with young men being its core audience.
Harris is also making her own podcast appearance today on Brené Brown’s ‘Unlocking Us.'
Reuters reported last week that her campaign is in talks to go on Rogan’s show, but nothing has been confirmed.
📌 LA DA ASKS JUDGE TO RESENTENCE THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS, A STEP TOWARD RELEASE FROM PRISON
The Los Angeles County district attorney, George Gascón, on Thursday officially called for Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents in 1989, to be resentenced. The step could pave the way for the brothers to be released from prison despite their life sentences.
HOW’D WE GET HERE
Entertainment company executives Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot by Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 at the time, in their Beverly Hills home.
Jurors were deadlocked in the first trial in 1994, ending in a mistrial. During a second trial two years later, evidence about their father’s sexual abuse was excluded.
Prosecutors portrayed the brothers as greedy, trying to obtain their parent’s $14 million (about $32 million today) estate.
The brothers blew about $600,000 of it— traveling and buying a Porsche car, a Rolex watch and a restaurant in Princeton, NJ— between the murders and their arrest.
The brothers claim years of abuse from their father, and say that their mother knew about it. After confronting their parents about the abuse, their lawyers argued the boys thought their parents would kill them to stop the boys from spreading the secret.
Some law scholars say a jury would look at the case much differently today with societies’ understanding of trauma and abuse.
The brothers’ attorneys are arguing new evidence and California law on resentencing should compel the judge, who has the ultimate say in their future, to reconsider.
WHAT COULD BE NEXT
Gascón said the brothers– who’ve spent 35 years behind bars and are now 53 and 56 years old — have paid their debt to society and have demonstrated rehabilitation. Both men got married while in prison. However, some members of Gascon’s own team will be in court to argue against their release.
To note: Gascón is up for reelection and is about 30 percentage points down. He claims the decision to call for resentencing was not politically motivated, but also noted that his office’s phone has been inundated with calls.
For the case: A hearing could be scheduled toward the end of November, but no hearing is currently scheduled on the court’s calendar.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Early voting for 2024 election underway in dozens of states with 28 million ballots cast so far (TIME)
📌 Biden expected to apologize for federal government’s role in Indian boarding schools (CNN)
📌 The top election official in a politically crucial Nevada county says she was forced out (AP)
📌 Georgia secretary of state's office says it repelled cyberattack (CBS NEWS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal gets renewed push after two-month deadlock (AXIOS)
📌 French foreign minister says conference for Lebanon raised $1 billion in pledges (AP)
📌 King Charles and Keir Starmer brace for reparations debate at Commonwealth summit (CNN)
📌 Russia provided targeting data for Houthi assault on global shipping (WSJ)
📌 South Korea warns it may send Ukraine weapons after North Korea sent troops to Russia (NPR)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC pull onions from meals after E. coli outbreak (CNBC)
📌 Goldfish is changing its name to attract adults (ABC)
📌 US sues to block $8.5 billion merger of Coach, Michael Kors (BUSINESS OF FASHION)
📌 World on track for catastrophic 3 degrees Celsius warming, UN warns (POLITICO)
📌 Hawaii races to stop spread of tree-killing rhinoceros beetles, invasive species that can fly 2 miles and lay 140 eggs (CBS NEWS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Dodgers-Yankees World Series renews rivalry not seen in a generation (AXIOS)
📌 Taylor Swift welcomed to New Orleans with 140-foot-long friendship bracelet outside of Eras Tour venue (PAGE SIX)
📌 "Beetlejuice" fans can tour an Airbnb movie replica house in New Jersey (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WKND
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: Mosheh: World Series; Jill: Slow Horses~ Apple TV.
WHAT WE’RE READING: Mosheh: Patriot~ Alexei Navalny; Jill: From the NY Times, Nate Silver: Here’s What My Gut Says About the Election, but Don’t Trust Anyone’s Gut, Even Mine.
WHAT WE’RE EATING: Mosheh: Boston Sail Loft’s lobster roll; Jill: Long Island Restaurant Week.