Volv Concierge #56

🤦 Germany’s #1 airline banned hundreds of Jews

Author

Volv Inc.
October 16, 2024

Hey, fam. Shannon here, and I’m back with a lowdown on this week’s big events.

Lufthansa, Germany’s #1 airline, has to pay a record fine for banning hundreds of Jewish passengers from boarding in a reprehensible ‘anti-Semitic’ incident—this one is really WW2-coded. They’ve now created a first-of-its-kind training program to address the world’s oldest hatred...

Moving on to less upsetting news: SpaceX made history as it ‘caught’ a part of its rocket with giant ‘mechazilla’ arms. We’re now one step closer to fully reusable rockets, which has everyone really excited about future Moon missions. Elon Musk’s great week went awry with Tesla’s big launch — a sneak peek at the Cybercab and Robovan (copied from ‘I, Robot’) and humanoid Optimus bots (controlled by humans) failed to impress. Here’s a look at the BIZARRE takes it inspired. Investors weren’t pleased either, and Musk’s net worth took a $15 billion hit.

It’s clearly Halloween because Gen Z just brought another brand back from the dead. Victoria’s Secret, which had lost its way for a while, attempted a red-hot return with Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kate Moss, and Cher... but then got slammed as “the most boring show ever.” Even the crowd noise was fake, smh.

A rare foray into the sports section here, but Roland-Garros king Rafael Nadal is stepping away from tennis. The sports world is truly losing one of the greats.

Cleanup from hurricanes Helene and Milton is still ongoing, but the deluge of stories coming out of it is so much more than just casualties and ways to help: chemtrail conspiracies, influencers turning the storm into ‘content,’ fake AI images, and so on. With the hurricane becoming clickbait, the future of news on social is not looking very reliable. (That’s why you need Volv to keep tabs on stuff, tbh).

The hurricanes could even swing the US election this year, which brings me to the guide I’ve prepared this week—a much-needed look at where Trump and Harris stand on crime. Before we get into that, though, here are the articles that caught my eye.

What’s in: Faceless influencers (with perfect nails, ofc!) + Free Blockbuster + Chicken wine + Smelling like cigs + Skirt over jeans + Earplugs

What’s out: ‘Tupping’ leftovers + Luxury watches (finance bros are over them) + Vinyl + Passwords

📈 Headlines you need to read

🗞️ Trump v. Harris on crime

Very few American voters rank crime as their most important concern in 2024, but Trump and Harris are taking the issue seriously, albeit with very different approaches. Trump (perhaps ironically, given the many legal cases against him) presents himself as the law-and-order candidate and links the issue with illegal immigration. Harris is relying on her history as a prosecutor, while attempting to toe the line as a progressive politician.

Kamala Harris, the prosecutor:

  1. As DA, she prosecuted child sexual assault cases and introduced programs for first-time offenders, focusing on housing, job training, and substance abuse treatment.

  2. As DA, she opposed the death penalty, drawing backlash, but later expressed regret over capital punishment cases as AG.

  3. As California AG, she implemented bias training for police and expanded public access to criminal justice data.

  4. Supported prosecuting parents of truant children but later regretted its impact on Black families.

  5. As Senator, she voted for the First Step Act to reduce prison sentences and allow early release but called for more reforms.

  6. In 2019, introduced a bill to federally decriminalize marijuana, citing racial disparities in arrests— a shift from her previous opposition.

  7. As Vice President, supported police accountability measures and public safety reforms, including bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

  8. Advocates for increased police funding and community intervention, emphasizing they can coexist.

  9. Supported the Safer Communities Act to reduce gun violence with red flag laws and background checks, focusing on prevention.

  10. In her 2024 campaign, she aims to reinstate the assault weapons ban, expand background checks, support red flag laws, and invest in law enforcement training.

  11. Also seeks to fix the immigration system and address the opioid and fentanyl crisis.

Tough-on-crime Trump:

  1. Consistently supported police and harsh sentencing throughout his career.

  2. Known as the “law-and-order candidate” in 2016, advocating for the death penalty for drug traffickers and mass murderers.

  3. Oversaw 13 federal executions in his last seven months—more than any president since FDR.

  4. Signed the First Step Act in 2018 to reduce federal prison populations but later distanced himself from it due to voter backlash.

  5. Blocked criminal justice reforms, including efforts to end prison privatization.

  6. Created a 2018 council to focus on rehabilitation and reducing recidivism, addressing mental health, training, and substance abuse.

  7. His 2020 Operation Legend led to over 6,000 arrests to combat violent crime.

  8. Supported using the National Guard during 2020 protests and maintains this stance in 2024.

  9. Proposed reinstating “stop and frisk,” a controversial and unconstitutional policing method.

  10. Pledged to combat “migrant crime” and gang violence, despite studies showing no higher crime rates among immigrants.

  11. Indicated willingness to pardon Jan 6 insurrection participants; commuted over 90 sentences and pardoned 140+, including controversial beneficiaries linked to him.

  12. GOP’s Project 2025 aligns with his platform, supporting the death penalty, tough drug prosecutions, and minimum sentences for violent crimes.

That’s all for today. I can’t stress how much your feedback means to us. Please take a moment and tell us what you think!

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This newsletter was edited by Ishita Sen.