The News

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Starbucks pumpkin spice latte launching earlier than ever

THE LAWYERS August 22, 2024 0

Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte release Dates

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Starbucks is bringing back its pumpkin spice lineup earlier than ever before.

Why it matters: The coffee giant has been reeling from a slowdown in sales in recent months and has been under pressure to make changes.

Last week, Starbucks appointed Brian Niccol as its chairman and CEO effective Sept. 9.

When does Starbucks fall menu 2024 start

Driving the news: Starbucks announced Wednesday that its fall menu will return Thursday, Aug. 22 — two days earlier than last year.

The pumpkin spice craze was born 21 years ago in 2003 when the pumpkin drink first debuted.

Starbucks PSL, seasonal drinks drive sales

The big picture: Seasonal drinks and limited-time offers have driven sales and traffic for the company in the past.

Starbucks says 10% of sales come from returning favorites of its most popular seasonal beverage.

What we're watching: There's been strong consumer demand for fall products launching earlier between Summerween trending on social with 124.3 million TikTok posts, #CodeOrange (67,000 posts on TikTok) and the Augtober trend.

Starbucks fall menu lineup — Starbucks fall menu includes pumpkin muffin, pumpkin coffee beverages and Apple Crisp flavored drinks. Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks

Starbucks fall menu includes pumpkin, apple drinks

Zoom in: The 2024 fall menu includes the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai that debuted in 2023.

The Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato and Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso also return and are joined by the new Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai.
For food, the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and Baked Apple Croissant return and are joined by the new Raccoon Cake Pop.
Two additional fall drinks are only available in the Starbucks app — the Iced Caramel Apple Cream Latte and the Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White.

What they're saying: The chain said the new drinks are to "complement the range of beverages designed to meet the flavor profiles of our Gen Z and Millennial customers" who "increasingly favor tea-based, cold and non-dairy beverages."

Dunkin' pumpkin spice 2024 release date

What's next: Dunkin' hasn't confirmed when it will launch its pumpkin and fall menu but the 2024 release is already late compared to recent years.

In 2022, Dunkin' launched pumpkin products on Aug. 10 and it returned Aug. 16 last year.

Yes, but: The brand's pumpkin coffee creamers have returned and Dunkin' Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte is available in grocery stores across 27 states.

SOURCE

What Are Rudy Giuliani And The MyPillow Guy Doing Outside The DNC?

THE LAWYERS August 22, 2024 0

NEAR WEST SIDE — A small crowd heckled former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Tuesday afternoon as the conservative provocateurs filmed outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Giuliani and Lindell, flanked by a few aides in Trump swag with selfie sticks, hopped out of a black Dodge SUV to review how the city beefed-up a security wall that some pro-Palestine protesters broke through Monday at Park 578, 1919 W. Maypole Ave.

Giuliani said he came to Chicago to witness “the pure communist convention.”

Lindell plans to shave his iconic mustache Wednesday and “go incognito” inside the convention, he told Block Club Chicago.

The MyPillow creator — who says he’s run out of money amidst orders to turn over documents in a $5 million lawsuit over false claims the 2020 election was rigged in favor of President Joe Biden — is charging $2 for “wall-to-wall coverage” of his time in Chicago through FrankSpeech, a conservative broadcast network.

The duo’s visit to the security fence quickly descended into a shouting match between Lindell and passerby Anthony Arrington, who pulled up on a Divvy e-bike to confront Lindell on his election denialism.

Members of the media quickly left the sparsely-attended first amendment platform set up by the city at the park to watch the confrontation. Near the platform, dozens of police officers on bikes largely outnumbered any speakers and attendees Tuesday.

Arrington, wearing a Kamala Harris shirt, said he’s in town from Iowa to support the vice president’s confirmation atop the Democratic ticket.

“Do you pay by credit card?” Arrington asked Lindell, who said he did. “We can spend all this money, folks, on technology to spend money, but we can’t figure out technology to vote? That’s what I’m hearing.”

Giuliani, 80, was quickly whisked away by aides back to his car as Lindell and Arrington traded barbs for the next ten minutes.

“I’m an ex-crack addict. I’ve spent a lot of time by the projects and stuff,” Lindell said. “I know Chicago.”

Some Chicago police officers gathered around Giuliani to take pictures with the former New York mayor and disbarred Trump attorney, who was charged in May on nine felony counts for trying to overturn Arizona’s 2020 election results.

An extra layer of fencing was added to part of the United Center security perimeter after a small group of protesters broke through existing fencing Monday. Secret Service coordinator Jeff Burnside said “augmentations” were made after the fence was breached.

Riot police were called in and 13 people were arrested on counts ranging from misdemeanor trespassing to a felony aggravated assault on a police officer during protests Monday, Police Supt. Larry Snelling said.

Park 578 has been quiet through Tuesday afternoon aside from lightly attended speeches and TV anchors doing stand-ups near the breached fence.

“You make a commitment to speak here before you see the crowd,” said Sean Dwyer, an “old-school centrist republican” running for 6th District State Representative.

Source

Five takeaways from the Democratic Convention's first night

THE LAWYERS August 20, 2024 0

The Democratic National Convention’s first night featured an unusual send off, as it came just a month after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his former running mate - Kamala Harris.

Ms Harris broke with tradition and spoke on the convention's first night to voice her gratitude for her boss.

"I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden," she said.

The night showcased a range of speakers, from Olympic gold medal-winning basketball coach Steve Kerr to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But Mr Biden gave the prime-time address on Monday night. He praised Ms Harris's leadership and promising that America's best days were "before us."

Cheers for Biden on a bittersweet day

Only four weeks ago, President Biden had every intention of closing the Democratic convention and watching a slate of speakers spend this week praising his administration.

But after a wild month for US politics, Biden instead spoke as a surrogate for his former running mate - a job he fulfilled at Chicago's United Center on the opening night of the convention.

Despite the change of fortune, Mr Biden was greeted by minutes of uninterrupted applause from a crowd of thousands. They chanted “Thank you Joe!” for his time in office and for his decision to pass the torch to Ms Harris.

Tears and laughter in Biden's farewell Democratic convention speech

The loud and lasting cheers brought tears to Mr Biden’s eyes, after he hugged his daughter Ashley Biden, who introduced him to the convention. He then gave a 50-minute speech, touting his administration's accomplishments and speaking on the threat that Republican nominee Donald Trump poses.

This speech could be one of the last the president gives in front of a crowd that size and with cheers that thunderous. The loudest applause line came near the end when he told the audience: "America, America, I gave my best to you."

A passing of the political torch

While the first night of the DNC featured some of the Democratic Party’s most seasoned leaders, including Mr Biden and Ms Clinton, much of the programme was dedicated to ushering in a new generation of Democrats.

Several of the party’s rising stars were featured throughout the evening, including Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Monday appeared to serve as a means to pass the political torch from one generation to another and heal any perceived wounds that occurred over a difficult month for Democrats.

Several of the lawmakers who took the stage on Monday - including Ms Ocasio-Cortez and Delaware Senator Chris Coons - had advocated for Mr Biden to stay in the race just a few weeks ago.

But each one spoke about how they were all in for Ms Harris.

“Kamala Harris is for the middle class because she is from the middle class,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the convention in her first major party convention speech.

Others who worked to push out Mr Biden from the presidential race - such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - cheered him on during his speech.

Subdued Pro-Palestinian protests

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Chicago on Monday to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza, but the issue received little mention during the first night of speeches at the DNC.

While pro-Palestinian organisers saw fewer protest numbers than the “tens of thousands” that they orginially expected, the demonstration outside the United Center proved to be energetic enough to break through a security barricade - leading to four arrests.

The demonstrators received one brief acknowledgement from Mr Biden during his speech on Monday night. He said that the Chicago protestors “have a point”, though he added that many innocent people were killed “on both sides”.

The Hamas-run health ministry says Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, while about 1,200 Israelis have been killed, according to their government.

There are additional protests planned for the rest of the week at the DNC. Asked whether any Palestinians would be able to voice their concerns on the convention stage, a Harris campaign spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday that they did not have any scheduling updates.

Trump labelled a 'scab' by labour leaders

Labour was a prominent theme on Monday night - even Mr Biden labelled himself the most pro-labour president in American history.

But perhaps one of the most memorable lines of the night came when United Automobile Workers President Shawn Fain took the podium and called Trump a “scab” - someone who undermines organised workers.

The insult - which was also featured on Mr Fain’s shirt - was met with an eruption of applause from the audience.

Mr Fain was just one of several labour leaders to pledge their support for Ms Harris at the DNC on Monday. Others included AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler - a major union leader - and Brent Booker, the president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

Missing from the stage was Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, who recently gave a speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. After much backlash, the Teamsters president requested a speaking slot at the DNC - but he did not obtain one.

A fresh effort to 'crack the glass ceiling'

In a speech that echoed remarks she gave at her own DNC nomination just eight years ago, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the crowd Ms Harris would be the first to break the US’s “highest, hardest glass ceiling”.

Ms Clinton made her own unsuccessful run to become America’s first female president in 2016, losing to Trump in an election that shocked many.

But, taking the stage once again at the DNC on Monday night, the longtime Democratic politician stressed her belief that Ms Harris would have better luck.

“On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.”

Ms Clinton - who is reportedly a close adviser of Ms Harris - said her defeat in 2016 had inspired millions of women to march, run for office and keep “our eyes on the future of America”.

To loud applauses from the crowd, she repeated a line from her 2016 speech almost word for word: “When a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us."

Ashley Biden, the president's daughter, paints a personal picture of her father's commitment

THE LAWYERS August 20, 2024 0

Ashley Biden, the youngest child of President Biden, painted a more personal picture of her father, sharing stories of him as a parent and as a political figure.

A social worker and activist, Ashley has largely stayed out of the spotlight.

Dad always told me that I was no better than anybody else, and nobody was better than me. He taught me that everyone deserves a fair shot and that we shouldn't leave anyone behind. That's what you learn from a fighter who has been underestimated his entire life," she said.

"When I look at Dad, I see grace, strength and humility," she added. "I see one of the most consequential leaders ever in history."

The 43-year-old, who is the former executive director at the Delaware Center for Justice, also spoke about her late brother Beau, who died in 2015, adding that her father was able to keep serving in government despite reeling from a loss.

"After Beau passed, I got this tattoo on my wrist. It says, 'courage, dear heart' — a reminder to myself to keep going, to get back up, like my dad has always done," she said. "He has taught me that a courageous heart is a miraculous thing. A courageous heart can heal a family. A courageous heart can heal a nation and maybe even the world."

When the president took the stage, he hugged his daughter and dabbed his eyes with a tissue. After minutes of applause, Biden exclaimed, "That was my daughter!"