☕️ The U.S. Election is here

We have finally arrived, for real this time, to the day of the U.S. Election.

It’s dark. It’s stormy. It’s messy. And that’s just the weather in the critical swing states of Wisconsin and Michigan today.

Does the weather impact voter-turnout? Oh, yes. There’s lots of research out there, and the general consensus is that heavy rain can reduce voter participation by about 1%. Remember, voting is not compulsory in the U.S.

You know what they say: Rain, rain, voter go away! (Approximately one study said that.)

A percentage point might not sound like a lot, but in races as close as the ones predicted in the swing states, it could be relevant.

Anyhoo. Don’t bite your nails too much and I’ll see you on the flip side!

"In a heated moment I chose to greet hate with hate... In that moment I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have... I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I’m going to keep doing that moving forward.”
Jason Kelce speaking on ESPN. The retired NFL star has apologised after footage on social media appeared to show him smashing a man's phone over the weekend. Kelce was responding to a homophobic slur about his brother, Travis.

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How many cases of the flu have been confirmed in Australia this year.

1999
Australia held a referendum to vote on whether Australia should become a republic. Every jurisdiction voted against the motion except for the ACT.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has kept the cash rate at 4.35%, where it has remained for the past year.

The RBA’s target range for inflation is 2-3%. Recent data shows the annual rate of inflation at 2.8%.

The central bank noted inflation (rising prices) had “fallen substantially” since a 2022 peak, but warned the economic outlook “remains highly uncertain.”

The RBA said it doesn’t see inflation “sustainably returning to target” until mid-2026.

The RBA is Australia’s central bank. Its key responsibility is setting the ‘cash rate‘ — an interest rate it charges commercial banks to borrow money.

This rate influences the cost of borrowing across the economy, so changes to the cash rate are often called changes to ‘interest rates’.

The RBA has regularly raised interest rates over the last two years to fight rising prices by curbing spending. The current cash rate is 4.35%, up from 0.1% in May 2022.

The RBA has kept interest rates at 4.35% for the eight consecutive time. The decision follows a two-day board meeting.

In a statement, the nine-member board said “underlying inflation remains too high”.

Underlying inflation measures the average basket of goods and removes price growth of “volatile” items, e.g. the price of fruits in season.

The RBA doesn’t expect annual inflation to continuously remain in the 2-3% target range until June 2026.

Responding to the RBA decision during Parliament’s question time, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the announcement was “not a surprise”.

“Inflation is back in the target band for the first time since 2021,” Chalmers said.

“We are confident, but not complacent, about a soft landing in our economy.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Today, millions of Americans will have their chance to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election.

Voters are choosing between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

For those watching in Australia, here’s an easy step-by-step guide on how the day will run.

Here’s how to will play out (in AEDT):

10am: The first polls close in eastern Indiana and Kentucky. These states straddle two time zones.

11am: Polls close in some eastern states, including Georgia.

12pm: Polls close in more than a dozen states — stretching from Maine on the east coast to Kansas in the midwest, and Texas.

1pm: Polls will start closing in western states like Arizona.

2pm: More western states will close, including Nevada.

3pm: California, Oregon, and Washington – all safe Democrat states – will close.

4pm: Alaska and Hawai’i will be the final states to close their polls.

Every state has its own rules about counting votes.

Most states are not allowed to start counting absentee and mail ballots until Election Day (although 12 are allowed to do this).

In 2020, an unprecedented number of people voted by mail, which slowed down the process.

At that election, Democrats were more likely to vote by mail, which was why an early Republican swing in some states turned out to be misleading.

Most states lean so strongly Republican or Democrat that it’s hardly a contest.

However, there are seven swing states that have switched between voting Republican and Democrat at recent elections, and where the polls are particularly close.

The swing states are Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada.

It’s expected that Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada will take the longest to count their votes.

Historically, the result has been known on the night of the election (during Wednesday daytime in Australia).

However, in 2020, it took four days for the final election result to be called. It wasn’t until the Saturday (Sunday in Australia), that Joe Biden was projected to be the next President of the U.S.

Experts are predicting a similarly close race for this election. However, new counting systems in some states could speed the counting up.

If you haven’t guessed already, we’re big fans of Betty’s Burgers at TDA. So when we found out about the new Betty’s Bites menu, with every item just $9.90, we were pretty excited!

For $9.90 (which, let’s be real, is cheaper than an iced latte these days) you can try the Chicken Strips Burger, Three Cheese Burger, Calamari Bucket, or Crispy Chicken Strips.

They’re the perfect add-on for a beachside picnic with your besties or a quick boost to power through the afternoon slump.

Head to Betty’s Burgers to try Betty’s Bites, or order on the Betty’s app today!

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🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: soccer, tennis, and more…

A Pygmy hippo has been born at Edinburgh Zoo. The species is endangered, with approximately 2,500 alive in the wild in West Africa.

Baby Haggis, who is the same species as internet sensation Moo Deng, was born last Wednesday, and is “doing really well so far”. The team tasked with taking care of her said they can see her “personality beginning to shine already.”

Haggis’ first 30 days of life are “critical for her development,” so the zoo has closed the pygmy hippos’ enclosure to the public to “keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here — we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Donald Trump’s list of famous fans got one name longer yesterday with a very-last-minute endorsement from Joe Rogan.

The enormously popular podcaster joins a list of Trump celebrity endorsements including Hulk Hogan and Amber Rose.

Rogan’s endorsement came during a two-and-a-half hour interview with tech billionaire, and fellow Trump endorser, Elon Musk. The interview was also posted to YouTube, where it amassed millions of views within hours.

Less than two weeks ago, Donald Trump also sat down with Joe Rogan. Their conversation has since been viewed more than 45 million times.

On the other side, Kamala Harris has enjoyed a long list of celebrity endorsements, which includes Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, George Clooney, Oprah, Beyonce and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

The U.S. Election is finally here!

As this podcast episode goes out this morning, millions of people in the U.S. are voting for the country’s next president.

So, how does the U.S. voting system work? What are the key swing states? When will we know the result of this election?

These are the key questions we are answering on today's podcast. It's an easy guide on exactly what you need to know.