Good morning. It's Tuesday, Sept. 14, and we're covering California's recall election, a slow-moving storm in the Gulf, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

NEED TO KNOW

California Recall

California voters head to the polls today, casting ballots to determine whether Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will be recalled. The vote is just the fourth recall election of a governor in US history; only two incumbents went on to be recalled—one being California's Gray Davis (D) in 2003. 

While the recall petition included a number of issues, the effort is widely viewed as being fueled by opposition to Newsom's handling of the pandemic. The movement gained steam after photos emerged of Newsom breaking protocol at a November dinner with lobbyists and officials at the luxury restaurant French Laundry. 

The ballot has two questions—the first asks whether Newsom should be recalled, while the second asks who his replacement should be. A majority of voters must vote yes on the first question; if it passes, whoever has the most votes on question two will succeed Newsom (a majority is not needed).  

Newsom enters the day with polls showing a 16-point lead on the first question of whether he should be recalled—though analysts note the size and demographics of voter turnout are difficult to predict for such a referendum. Should question one pass, conservative radio host Larry Elder leads a pack of 46 possible replacement candidates.

Hurricane Nicholas

Hurricane Nicholas made landfall last night along the Texas Gulf Coast, bringing 75 mph winds and dropping 3 to 4 inches per hour of rain in many areas. As of this writing, at least 9 inches of rain has fallen in the Galveston area, with the storm expected to drop 16 to 18 inches of rain in total, and up to 20 inches in isolated areas. Early this morning, the Category 1 storm weakened to a tropical storm but left at least 320,000 people without power in Texas (see map), while another 100,000 were in the dark in Louisiana.

The storm's trajectory (see here) heads northeastward, passing directly over many parts of Louisiana and Mississippi still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Ida two weeks ago.

The storm has slowed to a crawl, and is forecast to sit in the East Texas and central Louisiana regions through Thursday morning. 

Dems Unveil Tax Proposal

House Democrats released yesterday an expansive tax proposal meant to largely fund a looming $3.5T social spending package currently under consideration. 

Among other items, the legislation would raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 26.5% and the top individual tax rate (see brackets) from 37% to 39.6%. The top capital gains tax—which applies primarily to investments—would increase from 20% to 25%. A 3% additional tax would be applied to individual incomes above $5M, among a slew of other provisions. The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to vote on the package, estimated to raise roughly $3T in revenue, tomorrow afternoon.

Corporate taxes make up about 6% of federal revenue, while individual taxes account for roughly 47%. See where the government gets its money from here.

In partnership with InsideTracker

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by The Ascent

> Met Gala returned last night to New York City after being canceled last year due to pandemic (More) | See photos of the best fashion from the red carpet (More)

> NYC's major Broadway musicals, including "Hamilton," "Wicked," and "Lion King," reopen today after 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19 (More)

> Fox Corp. buys TMZ from WarnerMedia for $50M; founder Harvey Levin to stay on with company (More)

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Science & Technology

> Internal Facebook report reveals program effectively exempted millions of VIP accounts from the platform's moderation rules (More)

> Scientists develop injectable hydrogel that promotes the regrowth of damaged cartilage; the method could replace invasive surgeries with long recovery times (More)

> Genetics startup Colossal raises $15M, says it plans to insert woolly mammoth DNA into embryos of Asian elephants to create mammoth-elephant hybrids (More)

Business & Markets

> Small business software provider Intuit confirms acquisition of email marketing platform Mailchimp for $12B in cash and stock; transaction is largest acquisition of a bootstrapped company—a business that hasn’t raised external financing (More)

> Apple advises users to update devices after academic research group warns of security vulnerability in devices using iMessage (More) | Apple to hold annual iPhone event today unveiling product upgrades (More) 

> Cryptocurrency Litecoin gains and then falls 20% after fake press release announcing Walmart partnership; Walmart issues statement denouncing release (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> New York City schools fully reopen for the first time in 18 months; more than 1 million students return to the classroom, no remote learning option is provided (More)

> Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the first administration official to testify since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan (More) | UN report says 1 million Afghan children are at risk of dying from famine and drought in the absence of near-term aid (More)

> Norway's center-left coalition wins election, ousting the incumbent conservative government; bloc is projected to win 100 of 169 parliamentary seats, with 61-year-old Jonas Gahr Støre set to become prime minister (More)

IN-DEPTH

Pump Economics

The Hustle | Zachary Crockett. With gas prices rising and the surge of summer travel, you might think gas station profits are booming. Surprisingly, however, the economics at the pump tell a much different story. (Read)

Why Rage Quitting Is All the Rage

BBC | Christine Ro. Employees leaving their jobs—sometimes in a dramatic and public fashion—surged in 2021, intensified by the stressors of the pandemic. (Read)

MORE THAN ULTIMATE

In partnership with InsideTracker

InsideTracker's Ultimate Plan is your all-encompassing, comprehensive wellness solution. Designed to provide a perfect snapshot of your wellness, it covers everything from athletic performance to longevity and overall well-being. But InsideTracker doesn't stop there. They also created InnerAge 2.0: It's the new and improved ultra-personalized nutrition system, which uses advanced data to calculate your biological age and provide science-backed recommendations to improve the quantity and quality of your years ahead. 

Today, a lucky 1440 reader will win two Ultimate Plans and two InnerAge 2.0 plans. Enter to win now!

Please support our sponsors!

ETCETERA

The best of Nikon's Small World photography contest.

America's 25 most expensive colleges.

The newest health fad is tongue therapy.

World War II vet celebrates his 100th birthday.

Paris' Arc de Triomphe gets wrapped in fabric. 

Scientists figure out how to potty train cows.

Clickbait: Taco Bell tests out monthly taco subscriptions.

Historybook: President William McKinley dies of gunshot wounds (1901); Soviet probe Luna 2 becomes the first human-made object to reach the moon (1959); OPEC is founded (1960); RIP actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly (1982); Singer Amy Winehouse born (1983).

"Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence, and honesty."

- Princess Grace Kelly

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