Volv Concierge #57

Hey fam, Priyanka here.

Liam Payne’s sudden death at 31 has shocked the world. The grief is palpable, especially on TikTok, where fans shared reactions to finding out about his death in real-time (fitting for a fandom that was a force in shaping the internet as we know it). Zayn Malik has postponed his tour, while Simon Cowell, credited with putting One Direction together, is also taking a step back. The blame game is on, with Payne’s bandmates and ex-girlfriends getting a ton of hate, even as reports roll in about what was really going on (we know pink cocaine was involved).

Israel has just confirmed that Hashem Safieddine, the likely Hezbollah successor, was killed in an earlier airstrike. The top echelons of Hezbollah and Hamas have almost entirely been eliminated. Just a few days ago, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar’s death was confirmed. You’d think eliminating the architect of the October 7 attack would mitigate some tensions, but nobody’s slowing down. Hopes of peace are growing more faint by the day.

With just two weeks to go until Election Day, polls show Donald Trump closing in on Kamala Harris’ lead. The race is neck-and-neck and sure to have a nail-biting finish. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is giving away $1 million daily to lucky voters in swing states, but it’s potentially illegal, and somebody could go to prison...

More lawsuits against Diddy are coming to light. One case concerning the drug rape of a 13-year-old mentioned two celebrities alongside Diddy, while another name dropped Nicki Minaj. More reports allege the signature baby oil he used was laced with date rape drugs. We’re only starting to peel back how feral Diddy’s parties actually used to be.

Anyway. Back to some interesting articles that caught my eye.

👍👎 What’s trending

What’s in: Dry tripping + crappy cameras + butlers + men into makeup 

What’s out: Asparagus water + smashburgers (yes, already) + cigarettes + vapes too

📈 Headlines you need to read

• Nvidia stock is a ‘generational opportunity’

• Influencers are working as business consultants and making big money

• Twitter’s ex-CEO Parag Agarwal just went public with his startup, while OpenAI veteran Mira Murati is also fundraising for hers

• The best innovations have nothing to do with tech. Just ask Cartier.

• Throat cancer is becoming an epidemic—and oral sex may be why

• The stock market party is over

• Parents are now buying bulletproof backpacks for their children

• This camera is designed only to capture your poop

For more interesting, 9-second reads, get Volv (it’s free).

🗞️ Trump v. Harris on climate change

A series of hurricanes has refocused the lens on the climate crisis, which has taken a back seat compared to issues like abortion and inflation in the 2024 election cycle. It isn’t going anywhere, though, and it’s getting worse, making now a good time as any to compare Harris and Trump’s starkly different policies on the climate crisis. Let's take a look:

Kamala Harris:

1. Calls climate change an existential threat caused by humans amid increasing drought, floods, hurricanes, and sea level rise.

2. As DA, created a unit to address environmental crimes affecting San Francisco’s poorest residents. Also prosecuted corporations like Exxon and Volkswagen for environmental violations as California AG.

3. As Senator, cosponsored the progressive Green New Deal, calling for an overhaul of the economy from fossil fuels to clean technology.

4. As a 2020 presidential candidate, released a $10T climate plan calling for a ‘climate pollution fee,’ among other things.

5. As VP, helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest infusion of government money ($375B) to cut gas emissions in half by 2030. Also helped provide hundreds of billions in subsidies and tax credits for electric cars and clean-energy tech and home projects.

6. Pushed for the US rejoining the Paris Agreement, crucial for future generations.

7. Announced over $1B in grants for states to address flooding and extreme heat.

8. She’s weaving climate change into foreign relations, announcing a $3 billion to help developing nations to adapt to climate challenges at the UN climate summit.

9. Helped US manufacturers create over 250,000 clean energy jobs last year. Also advocates for environmental justice to aid disadvantaged communities facing climate impacts

10. Initially supported a fracking ban (injecting water and chemicals underground at high pressure to extract difficult-to-access oil or gas), but doesn’t anymore in 2024.

11. Adversarial to the oil and gas industry, but touted the US’s “largest increase in domestic oil production in history” as a way to not rely on foreign oil.

12. She’s outlined “fundamental freedoms” in her 2024 campaign, including the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.

Donald Trump:

1. Trump rejects climate science: he’s “not a great believer in man-made climate change” and has called global warming a “hoax.”

2. As President, aggressively targeted and rolled back more than 125 climate rules and policies. He also curtailed the EPA and required the words “climate change” be removed from its website.

3. Pulled the US out of the 2015 Paris Agreement, has pledged to do so again if elected in 2024.

4. The US became the world’s largest oil producer when he was president in 2018.

5. Blamed forest mismanagement for wildfires and not climate change, a claim debunked by scientists.

6. Claims EV manufacturing will destroy jobs in the auto industry, but he’s okay for a “very small slice” of cars being electric, thanks to Elon Musk.

7. Still plans to roll back Biden-era EV policies and end subsidies to increase energy efficient light bulbs, stoves, dishwashers, and showerheads.

8. If elected, he plans to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, the most far-reaching climate law in history.

9. Project 2025, the conservative plan for a second Trump term, aims to gut the National Weather Service and several other organizations. The focus is deregulation.

10. Believes climate spending is a “money grab” for environmental groups that will ship American jobs to other countries. Instead, he pledges a return to fossil fuels: “Drill, baby, drill.”

11. Would speed up approval of natural gas terminals “on my very first day back.”

12. Wants “energy dominance” for the US with the world’s cheapest energy by increasing oil drilling on public lands and even in the Arctic, and offering tax breaks to oil, gas, and coal producers.

Aaand, that’s a wrap! Please take a moment and tell us what you think about the work we’ve been doing here.

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This newsletter was edited by Ishita Sen.