Manifest Your Desires:

Embrace the Role of Becoming

Colors in the dark

If your deepest desire is for something, transform yourself into that very thing. If you desire lush gardens, take on the role of the gardener. If love is what you seek, personify love itself. If a sharp intellect is your goal, steer conversations towards mental stimulation. Should tranquility be your yearning, radiate an aura of calmness. If your aspiration is to immerse your world in art, take up the brush and paint your beginnings. To garner appreciation, learn to value your own time. For a life of uncontainable joy, unearth the ecstasy within yourself. This is the gradual method to pull it closer, with each passing day and every step you take.

I am the creator of my desires, embodying them day by day. As I become what I seek, my world transforms inch by inch, bringing my aspirations to life

DAILY AFFIRMATION

TOP STORY

The Elephants in the Room

The Story

Eight people who weren’t Donald Trump made their case for the White House.

Catch me up.

Last night, Americans tuned in to watch seven men and Nikki Haley compete for the Republican nomination in the first 2024 GOP debate. Here were their biggest moments:

Vivek Ramaswamy…wants to deliver a “Reagan 1980 revolution.” The apparent billionaire entrepreneur with an Obama-esque intro and an Andrew Yang-esque crowd came prepped with the one-liners. He called regulations and climate change a “wet blanket on the economy.” And accused the other candidates of being “bought and paid for.” Not everyone knew Ramaswamy’s name before last night. Many do now.

Ron DeSantis…the frontrunner to the frontrunner. Before last night’s debate, Palm Beach Ken was seen as the man to beat Trump, polling a distant second. But last night, Ramaswamy took the spotlight. Still, DeSantis reminded Americans that he “kept [Florida] free and open” despite the backlash. He said he’d declare a “national emergency” on the US border as president. And talked up his work to undermine critical race theory and gender identity in FL classrooms.

Nikki Haley…channeled her inner Margaret Thatcher. The former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor called out Republicans for their spending bills. As she put it, it’s time for an “accountant in the White House.” (And guess who has an accounting degree.) Haley wants China and India to bear the brunt of climate change policy — and for the US to give more to Ukraine. On gender issues, Haley made clear she’s not supportive of trans women in women’s locker rooms.

Everyone else…was there. Former VP Mike Pence went head-to-head with Ramaswamy. Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie got the UFO question. Sen. Tim Scott (SC) jumped on the national abortion ban bandwagon. Former AR Gov. Asa Hutchinson made his appearance. And Gov. Doug Burgum (ND) brought his pocket constitution.

What about Trump?

The frontrunner didn’t show. More than 80 million viewers followed the former president to Twitter-turned-X for his 46-minute interview with Tucker Carlson. He used the time to praise the Jan 6 crowd and talk up his lead in the polls. Today, Trump plans to turn himself into Georgia authorities and pay $200,000 in bail over the state’s election interference investigation. He hasn’t said whether he’ll show for debate 2 next month.

Trump has a more than 20-point lead over his closest contender (aka DeSantis). If any wanted to claw their way up, last night was their first big opportunity. Some — like Ramaswamy — had their moments. But each may need a lot more where that came from to get close to a nomination.

“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.”

-Jim Rohn

In The Know

Prigozhin Plane Crash

Former Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the private mercenary group to a short-lived mutiny against Russia's defense ministry in June, reportedly died yesterday after a jet crashed 60 miles northwest of Moscow, according to Russia's aviation agency. All 10 people—three crew members and seven passengers—aboard the plane were killed.

Brain Reading Breakthrough

Advances in digitized surgical implants paired with brain-wave-reading artificial intelligence have allowed two speech paralyzed patients to communicate with unprecedented ability, according to a pair of studies published yesterday. 

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> "Barbie" tops "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" to become 2023's highest-grossing film at the US box office with just over $574M domestically and $1.28B worldwide (More)

> The 2023 PGA Tour Championship begins today from East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for FedExCup title and $18M winner's bonus (More)

Science & Technology

> India successfully lands a probe near the lunar south pole, becoming the first country to study that region from the moon's surface (More)

> Study reveals mechanism allowing certain fish species to "see" with their skin; hogfish found to carry a light-sensitive protein in their skin that can cause a camouflage effect even when the animal is dead (More)

> Researchers find a single lone male wolf caused the pack population to collapse on Lake Superior's Isle Royale; findings yield new insights into the mechanism of ecosystem decline (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.1%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.6%); chipmaker Nvidia posts record sales, shares up 8% in after-hours trading (More)

> E-cigarette maker Juul Labs to reduce workforce by 30% in cost-cutting effort (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Death toll from Greek wildfires rises to at least 20 as fires continue to burn for the fifth straight day, with flames torching homes on the outskirts of Athens (More)

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> South Carolina Supreme Court upholds state's 2023 ban on abortion after six weeks, reversing its decision in January to strike down a similar ban passed in 2021 (More)

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