Wednesday, August 12th Edition |
What’s your go-to delivery pizza? Domino’s, Pizza Hut or Papa John’s?
Let’s dive in today …
Today’s Big Story
Trump’s Secret Plane Switch
How Air Force One protects the president from threats

Did you hear about this? At first, I thought it was just internet chatter, but it’s true: After President Donald Trump walked up the stairs of Air Force One in front of television cameras as he left the NATO summit in Turkey, he was secretly moved across the tarmac by catering truck to a waiting unmarked plane. The people left aboard the big blue-and-white jet were decoys, and reportedly had no idea.
The reason was an ongoing assassination threat from Iran, and a desire to keep the president’s actual location a mystery. The Secret Service hasn’t commented. The White House has neither confirmed nor denied it. So treat the Iran element as secondhand and unconfirmed—the exact nature of the threat is unclear in both accounts.
What is well established is the technique. Former agents told the BBC that presidential deception is routine, just usually smaller: two identical “Beast” limousines swapping positions mid-motorcade, Marine One flying in a group of three so nobody knows which bird holds the principal. Precedents cited include Bill Clinton in Islamabad, George W. Bush in Baghdad and Joe Biden in Ukraine.
Showing the president boarding and then swapping the aircraft itself is a different order of magnitude. One former agent said the switch implies the threat in Turkey was assessed as substantial—you don’t put the president on a smaller plane and leave staff on the famous one over a hunch.
And if you’re thinking what I was thinking … it’s an uncomfortable question nobody official seems to be addressing: Were the people left on Air Force One actually in danger, and did anyone owe them a heads-up? A former CIA officer raised it as an open question. It’s still open.
Meanwhile:
FlightAware is suing Kalshi because prediction markets could encourage unsafe tactics to cause cancellations and create the potential for disruption to air travel.
Dogs Really Are Empaths
Brain scans provide world‑first evidence dogs can distinguish between human feelings
My fellow “dog people” will attest to the fact that our canine buddies can always tell when we need cheering up. And now science is getting closer to proving it. It turns out, canine brains might have a deeper understanding of human emotions than you would think, a new study suggests.
Researchers put dogs (awake and unrestrained) in MRI scanners to see the activity in different regions of their brains while the pooches looked at images of human facial expressions. They found one thing they already knew: Dogs can tell the difference between joy and a blank stare, and between happy and angry faces. But then the brain scans showed something novel: The dogs were making distinctions between fear and anger, and fear and sadness, showing they can tell the difference between somewhat nuanced negative emotions.
The Conversation points out that while the numbers in this new research were small (eight and 12 dogs across the two parts of the study), this is the first MRI-based proof-of-concept evidence that dog brains can distinguish between two human facial expressions of distinct negative emotions. It indicates dogs’ neural representation of our emotion goes beyond a simple valence (good/bad) split.
FYI:
Just like human fingerprints, every dog's nose pattern is totally unique.
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Domino’s Announces the Domino
The next-gen pie is clever and designed for solo diners
65 years after Domino’s was founded, the pizza chain has finally launched a pie actually called the Domino. Described as “the next generation” in pizza, the rectangular design is based on the Domino’s logo. This new individual-sized pizza made for one rolls out in stores nationwide on August 31.
If you’re familiar with Detroit-style pizza, I think you’ll like this. The company describes it as “handmade with premium, buttery-flavored pan dough encrusted with real Parmesan cheese and baked in a rectangular pan” to create a crispy caramelized crust. It’s topped with two layers of cheese, your choice of sauce and up to three toppings, then cut into two generous slices.
In terms of business, the aim is to draw diners who might otherwise go for burgers or chicken sandwiches, and who may not want to share. The Wall Street Journal reports that Domino’s has been trying to rekindle growth in its U.S. business as the U.S. pizza industry slumps. Sales growth has weakened and chains like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut are closing hundreds of U.S. locations as they try to turn around their brands.
FYI:
The percentage of consumers eating alone has been steadily growing in the U.S., with 43% of food-service meals eaten solo.
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Business & Finance Debriefing
The Trends You Need to Know About Right Now
The government is fighting back against a trade judge's order to refund tariffs to every company that paid them — not just the ones that actually sued.
Today on
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