Assassination attempts are not normal. Don’t let the internet fool you.

Our appetite for political news is waning at the worst possible time. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a comparatively normal candidacy of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - The [NFL beats out]( Trump. - The Fed may [step or jump](. - [Bats]( are in a big slump. - [NYC is safe]( you grump! Political Brain Rot If you told me me a few months ago that Donald Trump would survive an [apparent assassination attempt]( while playing golf in West Palm Beach, I am not sure I would have believed you: On a golf course? In Florida? If you then proceeded to tell me that this attempt, following one just two months earlier, would have to compete with less important news to be the most talked-about story of the day — well, I am sure I would not have believed you. And yet here we are. The frightening events in Florida vied for attention on X with [Sunday Night Football]( the [Emmy Awards]( and Trump’s [ill-timed post]( about hating Taylor Swift. Mere hours after Trump’s Secret Service detail fired on the assailant, [all]( [manner]( [of]( [people]( on the platform previously known as Twitter — including, [most grossly]( Elon Musk — made light of the situation. What does that say about America? A man was [hiding out]( in the bushes at Trump’s golf course with an AK-47-style rifle for [nearly 12 hours]( and some people are more interested in The Bear’s [comedic merits]( Really? I don’t understand why or how one can simply gloss over an apparent assassination attempt. Have our [meme-addled]( attention spans really become so short? Have we really become so numb to [violent rhetoric]( Are [notifications]( about [gunshots]( and [bomb threats]( as mundane as weather alerts now? Perhaps, sadly, it’s a combination of all three. Well before yesterday’s events, though, Adam Minter [saw signs]( that our appetite for political news was waning. Consider the NFL itself. In past presidential election years, the league’s TV ratings [substantially]( [dropped off]( because football fans were preoccupied with campaign season. But not in 2024: Opening week ratings were [up 12%]( with an average of 21 million people watching the games — an all-time record for the NFL. What’s changed? “Trump is back for his third consecutive national campaign. And, though he certainly has a formidable fanbase, he’s no longer the novelty candidate of 2016 or even 2020,” Adam explains. Although Kamala Harris’ late entry into the race was a shock to the system, Adam calls her candidacy “comparatively normal” — which, sure, that’s a rather low bar to pass in this dogs-and-cats-eating age. The fact that Trump’s [newfound]( [arch-nemesis]( wants to [support]( [her]( [boyfriend]( by attending games with [her mother]( and [her brother]( and the [Haim sisters]( can’t hurt the NFL’s viewership, either: Photographer: Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America While our [political fatigue]( may be music to Roger Goodell’s ears, it’s probably not good for a functioning democracy. We’re now less than 50 days out from Election Day. We ought to be studying each candidate, not tuning them out. Although Harris articulated her policy ambitions during the debate, Nia-Malika Henderson [says]( some voters still aren’t buying her plans — evidence of the election’s “gendered subtext,” she writes. This afternoon, Trump said “the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.” What he failed to grasp is that [his policies and his rhetoric]( are what make this country dangerous. Tomorrow at noon EDT, Tim O’Brien will be [chatting]( with Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts on social media to talk about gun policy. [Join them]( to learn more. Bonus Election Season Reading: - Harris [owns a gun](. She believes in safety, too. — Erika D. Smith - What if Harris and Trump could [ignore Pennsylvania]( — Matthew Yglesias - AI can debunk [conspiracy theories]( better than humans. — F.D. Flam The Big 5-0 Before working at Bloomberg, I probably couldn’t tell you what a “jumbo half-point cut” meant. It sounds like a fancy slab of beef. Or some genetically modified shrimp deal at Red Lobster. Or lingo for a Steph Curry layup. I dunno. But under no circumstances would I have been able to tell you, “Oh yeah, that’s what they call a 50-plus basis-point reduction made by the Federal Open Market Committee.” But now I know! And I’m telling you because John Authers [says]( there’s a 50-50 chance it might do one in less than 48 hours. Exciting times: “A jumbo cut might be seen as an admission that the Fed is behind the curve,” John writes. But Bill Dudley [is all for it]( “The logic supporting a 50-basis-point cut is compelling,” he writes. “The two objectives of the Fed’s dual mandate — price stability and maximum sustainable employment — have come into much closer balance, suggesting that monetary policy should be neutral, neither restraining nor boosting economic activity. Yet short-term interest rates remain far above neutral. This disparity needs to be corrected as quickly as possible.” Bats and Bugs Well, this is depressing: “Nearly [half a million Americans]( received an unpleasant surprise this summer, according to insurance billing data: a new diagnosis of Lyme disease,” [writes]( F.D. Flam, who says we need a variety of vaccines to tackle the problem. Interestingly, the uptick in tick-borne illnesses coincides with a spike in an entirely different disease: white-nose syndrome, or WNS — an invasive fungal species that kills bats. And you know what bats kill? Insects, [including mosquitoes](. The very ones that are giving humans Lyme disease. A [new study in the US]( found that bats consume “at least 40% of their body weight in insects each night,” Lara Williams [writes](. “These flying mammals are essentially performing free pest control for farmers.” But WNS is changing that. “After the onset of bat die-offs in affected counties, farmers increased their insecticide use by about 31% on average,” Lara explains. Not only did affected farms lose $26.9 billion between 2006 and 2017, the new chemicals polluted the air and drinking water so much that infant mortality rates spiked by 8% on average. “Bats can have a real trickledown effect on human well-being,” she concludes. Bonus Science Reading: We’re finally starting to understand [what happens to the brain]( during pregnancy. — Lisa Jarvis Telltale Charts Perhaps you’ve previously heard Justin Fox [wax poetic]( about how the Big Apple is the safest city in all the land. While that’s still pretty much the case, he refines his message in [a new column]( “New York City’s safety advantage has as much or more to do with cars as it does with crime.” For instance: “Residents of rural areas tend to have to drive a lot, and when they get hurt in an accident it’s usually a long way from the nearest hospital. Motor vehicles can also make rural life bearable and economically sustainable — it’s not as if public transportation is a viable alternative. But the lifestyle they enable is much higher risk than that of most New Yorkers,” he writes. “Has it gotten too hard to buy a Birkin or Kelly?” is a question I’ll probably never need to ask because I’m not particularly interested in purchasing a $10,000 handbag. But plenty of other people are — including the pair behind [this lawsuit]( against Hermes — so Andrea Felsted [attempted]( to do the math: “About 142,000 Kelly and Birkin handbags were produced in 2021, according to estimates from Luca Solca, an analyst at Bernstein, generating about €2 billion ($2.2 billion) in revenue. But demand runs to many multiples of what the brand can produce.” Further Reading Escalation management is [essential in Ukraine](. It’s just hard to get right. — Marc Champion Even though the US is [spending $1 trillion]( a year, its military is falling behind. — Hal Brands Women don’t always get the [candid feedback]( they deserve at work. — Sarah Green Carmichael Since when did Walmart [seize the baton]( from Nvidia? — Jonathan Levin Uber Freight’s CEO doesn’t expect [a trucking rebound]( until late 2025. — Thomas Black A [hotel ban in Bali]( would come not a moment too soon. — Karishma Vaswani If you think it’s been hard to dethrone fossil fuels, be prepared to [struggle with plastic](. — David Fickling Growth isn’t the answer to every issue in the UK. But [the economy will suffer]( without it. — Mohamed A. El-Erian ICYMI TikTok had a [big day]( in court. A [“homegrown” storm]( is brewing in the US. Zimbabwe is [culling elephants]( to feed citizens. Amazon wants workers in the office [five days a week](. The [deadly price]( of Georgia’s abortion ban. Kickers The UK’s [cheese revival]( has ancient roots. Don’t sniff New Zealand’s [bird of the year]( (h/t Andrea Felsted) UFO 50 is [a lovely homage]( to retro gaming. The wooden [KitchenAid bowl]( is pretty to look at. Weird day to be [a Lincoln impersonator](. Notes: Please send [ancient cheese]( and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads]( [TikTok]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Stay updated by saving our new email address Our email address is changing, which means you’ll be receiving this newsletter from noreply@news.bloomberg.com. Here’s how to update your contacts to ensure you continue receiving it: - Gmail: Open an email from Bloomberg, click the three dots in the top right corner, select “Mark as important.” - Outlook: Right-click on Bloomberg’s email address and select “Add to Outlook Contacts.” - Apple Mail: Open the email, click on Bloomberg’s email address, and select “Add to Contacts” or “Add to VIPs.” - Yahoo Mail: Open an email from Bloomberg, hover over the email address, click “Add to Contacts.” Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](