Elon Musk’s recent endorsement of Donald Trump has made him a major character in the former president’s election bid. And while it’s unclear how much cash he’s giving the pro-Trump super PAC he helped create, Musk is generously donating MAGA-aligned takes, using X as a megaphone.

Musk caused an uproar by sharing a video on the platform he owns this weekend in which an AI-generated version of Kamala Harris’s voice says she’s the “ultimate diversity hire” and spent four years under the tutelage of the “ultimate deep state puppet”—President Biden—who has “exposed his senility.”

• “This is amazing ,” Musk wrote.
• The post didn’t disclose that AI was used to create the video, potentially violating X’s policy against sharing manipulated videos without context.

X, the drama aggregator

In a welcome change for a platform (and its owner) struggling to retain users, chaotic election news has made X more happening than a JCPenney on Black Friday.

Xers have flocked to the site to gab about Biden’s debate performance, speculate about when he would drop out, discuss the assassination attempt against Trump, and sling coconut tree memes. The president himself chose to announce his exit from the race in an X post that got 429 million views.

• X downloads ticked up 13% on the day after the Biden–Trump debate and recorded a ~50% weekly jump after the Trump assassination attempt, per the Wall Street Journal, which cited Sensor Tower.
• And the company hopes to earn $8 million from political ads this quarter (up from the $3 million it made when it last allowed them, during the 2018 midterms), according to the New York Times.

But usage is still down from 2022 and revenue hasn’t fully recovered since advertisers defected due to bigoted content on the platform.

What about Musk’s other businesses? Musk might see a Trump presidency as a welcome contrast to his testy relationship with President Biden. A Republican administration could be more generous in doling out defense contracts to SpaceX, and Musk said that Trump’s promise to repeal EV tax credits would hurt Tesla’s competitors more than Tesla.—SK

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Biden calls for Supreme Court reform. Proving that he’s not planning to embrace senioritis and coast for the next few months, President Joe Biden released a proposal for Congress to get rid of lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court and establish an enforceable ethics code for the justices. The plan would allow the president to appoint a justice every two years to be on the court for 18 years. Biden also called for a constitutional amendment reversing the court’s recent decision granting presidents broad immunity. However, the chances of any of this becoming a reality—especially with a divided Congress in an election year—are slim.

Venezuelans protest as both sides claim election victory. Thousands of people began protesting in the streets of Venezuela after incumbent President Nicolás Maduro was officially declared the winner of the economically struggling country’s hotly contested election yesterday. Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo González, has also claimed victory and said his campaign had proof. The US has raised questions about the outcome, calling on Venezuela to release detailed precinct-by-precinct voting results. Meanwhile, nine Latin American nations issued a joint statement that demanded an audit of the results.

🩸 FDA approves blood test for colon cancer screenings. The test, made by Guardant Health and known as Shield, is expected to be available as soon as next week and offers a new way of detecting colon cancer, which is the second-highest cause of cancer deaths in the US. While a blood test sounds a lot more comfortable than a colonoscopy, it’s meant to add an option to the menu, not to replace colonoscopies entirely, especially since it can’t pick up precancerous growths. Still, doctors are hopeful that the availability of a less invasive method will help boost screening rates.

Global sales at the Golden Arches dipped last quarter for the first time since the end of 2020 due to a growing pullback among inflation-weary nugget-eaters, McDonald’s reported yesterday.

According to McD’s Q2 earnings:

• Less foot traffic and more cost-conscious ordering (e.g., opting for a cheaper sandwich or nixing a side of fries) meant overall same-store sales fell 1% year over year in the April–June period, missing Wall Street expectations.
• International sales declined even more amid McDonald’s boycotts in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and against tough competition in France and China.
• Net profit sank 12% from a year ago, to ~$2 billion.

Investors don’t appear spooked—McDonald’s stock rose nearly 4% yesterday (though it’s down 12% YTD), and the company largely maintained its full-year guidance.

The value meal isn’t what it used to be. The average Big Mac Meal costs $9.29 in the US—27% more than it did in 2019, according to McDonald’s. After several years of rising inflation, the slowdown that started last year with lower-income customers has now spread, CEO Chris Kempczinski said, but the chain’s new $5 meal deal is reportedly luring some business back.—ML

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Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav is a public hero—or at least a niche-sport hero. As the official sponsor of and designated Hype Man for the US women’s water polo team, his unrelenting support for a historically underappreciated sport has become a major storyline of this year’s Olympics.

The US women’s water polo team won gold at the last three Olympics and is attempting a four-peat in Paris, but it wasn’t fully funded, forcing many athletes to hold second or even third jobs. When Team Captain Maggie Steffens posted on Instagram in May asking for additional support, Flav answered the call. He signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the US women’s and men’s national water polo teams, aiming to “elevate the visibility and excitement surrounding water polo,” according to a press release.

What does that look like? The sponsorship’s financial terms aren’t public, but Flav has been working harder to promote the team than Gritty at a Flyers–Penguins game, constantly posting on social media and showing up at games as well as practices.

Big picture: Sponsorships for athletes are down at this year’s Olympics compared to past Games, but Flavor Flav’s partnership could provide a blueprint for celebs to get in on the action.—CC

Tom Brady’s refusal to stay retired has nothing on Ni Xia Lian, now competing in table tennis at her sixth Olympic Games. Born on July 4, 1963, Ni played on the Chinese national team as a teen and won her first world championship in 1983, but retired before table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988. She later returned to the game, making her Olympic debut in 2000 on Luxembourg’s team after moving there. She retired from international competition (a second time) in 2004. But when Luxembourg asked her to come back to the team for the 2008 Games, she said yes—and she’s been in every Summer Olympics since.

Now 61, Ni competed in her first international competition before most of her competitors were born, and with a first-round victory on Sunday, she became the oldest table tennis player ever to win a match at the Olympic Games.