The Daily Valet. - 7/27/23, Thursday
✔️ We're No Longer #1 (And That's a Good Thing)
Thursday, July 27th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Just to be safe, I'm going to stockpile a few dozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
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Today’s Big Story
Surge in Prison Populations
The Country With the Highest Murder Rate Now Has the Highest Incarceration Rate
Let's talk about incarceration rates. Because a surge in prison populations over the past few years (along with the best strategies for its reduction) is a frequent topic for experts when it comes to the criminal-justice debate.America has long had a bad reputation when it comes to mass-incarceration. Today, almost 2 million individuals—disproportionately Black Americans—are locked up in our nation's prisons and jails. What's more, the U.S. prison population has grown 500% since 1973. We had the world's highest incarceration rate until 2019, due in large part due to stringent “tough on crime” policies from the 1970s.But, in somewhat promising news, the overall U.S. incarceration rate peaked around 2008, according to Pew Research, and it has been declining since then. And the rate for Black men fell faster during the past two decades than that for white men (and other groups). In 2021, the U.S. registered its lowest incarceration rate since 1995 (yet it still remains one of the world's largest prison populations).But El Salvador now has the world's highest incarceration rate, with 605 inmates for every 100,000 residents. As of last year, around 2% of El Salvador's adult population, or roughly 100,000 people, was in prison, according to an Amnesty International assessment. The country once known for having the world's highest murder rate has just opened one of Latin America's largest prisons. It more than doubles the country's incarceration capacity, as the government attempts to crackdown on criminal gangs.Now, other countries are watching El Salvador's policies as they grapple with their own high murder rates. Ecuador, Colombia and Guatemala, for example, have seen the homicide rates balloon and many are calling for similar arrests en masse in hopes of bringing down crime. Will it help squash violence in the region? Only time will tell.
FYI:
An extensive study has proven that immigration doesn’t drive up crime rates, busting a common myth.
Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal on Hold
The Judge says she's not ready to accept the deal yet, raising constitutional concerns over the terms
Wednesday's hearing for Hunter Biden was already poised to be a somewhat historic event, as the son of a sitting American president appeared in court to plead guilty to federal tax crimes. What started as a routine court hearing swelled into a three-hour affair after a federal judge raised concerns about the terms of the agreement.U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika raised multiple concerns about the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings. The plan also included an agreement on a separate gun charge—Biden has been accused of possessing a firearm as a drug user. As long as he adhered to the terms, the gun case was to be wiped from his record. As the Washington Post points out, the complications marked another twist in a “case that has been dogged by questions about possible political bias, prosecutorial delay, and debate over whether Hunter was being treated too harshly or too gently because of who his father is.”The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle technical issues—including over her role in enforcing the gun agreement—before moving forward. The parties have 30 days to file these briefs, according to the court docket. In the end, Biden pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor offenses related to his taxes. He will reverse that plea if a new plea agreement meets Noreika's approval.
Dig Deeper:
POLITICO obtained the documents laying out the proposed plea deal that the judge blocked.
Partner
You don't lose sugar when you sweat, so you don't need all the sugar in that sports drink. There's a healthier and more effective option available.
Disappearing Candy?
Halloween’s Greatest Horror This Year Might be the lack of candy due to a Looming sugar shortage
Halloween will be here before you know ... and just imagine going to the trouble of trick-or-treating door to door in a faithfully recreated Indiana Jones or cardboard Barbie box costume and coming away with ... raisins. This horror story could very well be real, thanks to a looming candy shortage.Sugar prices are on the rise and expected to keep increasing with tight supplies coupled with weather mayhem, experts told Axios. This means everything from soda and baked goods to candy (for both Halloween and the holidays) will cost more, or worse, be in short supply. The nation's nearly 90-year-old sugar program is the root of the problem, the Wall Street Journal reports. The policy requires 85% of U.S. sugar purchases to come from domestic processors, leading to tight supplies and high prices when demand rises.Both candy makers and sugar farmers are reportedly looking to point the finger for the rising cost of sugar. Ultimately, El Niño, a climatological phenomenon that periodically affects weather patterns, takes much of the blame for reduced crop production. And while one Hershey's rep assured Axios that there wouldn't be a shortage, he did acknowledge that prices could be higher and some other candy manufacturers could fall short.
FYI:
Candy and gum were up 13.2% in June compared to a year earlier, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.
The Chevy Bolt Is Coming Back
It was just discontinued, but GM now says it's Getting a Second Crack as an “Affordable EV”
You could say that Chevrolet's Bolt is back from the dead, but in many ways, it never left—always offering up a generous amount of EV range and utility at a competitive price. Which is why the rumors of a return started swirling almost as soon as it was announced that GM was killing it.You see, General Motors was discontinuing the Bolt as it prepared the hatchback's factory for a transition to assembling electric pickups. But it turns out, the demand was too high to quit it. “We can't build enough Bolts right now,” CEO Mary Barra said. And it appears the vehicle has also been a magnet for bringing new buyers to GM. About 70% of buyers who trade in a car for a Bolt are trading in a non-GM model.Now we know that the Bolt will receive a second generation, and Chevrolet is promising that the electric hatchback will continue to pack modern tech and a solid electric range into an affordable package. At the moment, a 2023 Bolt starts at $26,500 before any federal tax credits. That highly competitive price is the compact EV's biggest selling point next to its impressive 260-mile range. So to think it could get even better is definitely exciting.
Meanwhile:
Porsche says it will keep on building its gas-powered 911 sports car “for as long as possible.”
In Other News
Former military officials made a series of mystifying claims about “nonhuman” biological matter.
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Partner
Don’t Grab That Sports Drink
There are smarter (and healthier) ways to hydrate
After a grueling workout—especially one in this summer heat—you’re absolutely drenched, right? In fact, the average athlete loses one to three liters of sweat an hour. That means our bodies lose a lot of electrolytes—especially sodium, which is the most vital electrolyte. To maintain your health, you want to replace those as quickly as possible.But all those bottled sports drinks are either woefully lacking in sodium or packed with loads of sugar (and oftentimes, it’s both). Sweat isn’t sweet … you don’t need to replace the sugar. You need to replace genuine electrolytes, which is what LMNT has mastered with a clinically-proven ratio, blending sodium with potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and other important minerals. The single-severing drink mix tastes great and has everything you need without any sugar, artificial ingredients or colors. Just mix with water, drink up and enjoy the healthy hydration.
Try It:
Free sample pack with any purchase. That's eight single serving packets with any order.
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A marble catch-all
Every man needs a catch-all. A place to drop his stuff—on his desk, his entryway or nightstand. Some are wood, others are leather. But this takes things to a whole new level. Craighill, which makes beautiful trays out of American hardwood, has just debuted a similar catch-all tray, carved from a single slab of white Carrara or black Marquina marble. Each one has a honed, matte finish with one-of-a-kind veining variations. It's heavy, luxe as hell and will truly last you a lifetime.
Get It:
Nocturn marble catch-all, $128 by Craighill
Morning Motto
Be the weird one.
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