🤖 Coke’s AI-generated flavor

Happy Tuesday! It’s October 10 — people are talking about Biden and the war in Israel, Coke’s new AI-generated flavor, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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🇮🇱 In the news: Biden and the war in Israel

The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas presents a major test for Joe Biden's presidency. How has he handled this geopolitical challenge?

🇮🇱 CNN: The stakes are high for Biden. His efforts on Israeli/Saudi normalization might be toast, and Israel/US relations have worsened in the last few years. This war is his greatest geopolitical challenge so far.

🇮🇱 Republicans (including Trump) blame Biden. He unfroze $6b in Iranian assets for the release of 5 American prisoners. That money probably went straight to Hamas!

🇮🇱 Secretary of State Antony Blinken disagrees: That $6b was strictly for humanitarian causes, and it hasn't even been spent yet. The GOP is just playing politics.

🇮🇱 Mike Pence thinks Biden is partially to blame for his weakness towards Iran, but so are the Republicans who called for America to shrink from its role as leader of the free world.

🇮🇱 NBC says Biden isn’t acting weak now. He has promised aid and unwavering support to Israel as they root out Hamas. But time will tell if he's serious — this is the greatest foreign policy test of his presidency.

🤖 Cultural trend: Coke’s AI-generated flavor

Coca-Cola released a new flavor called Coke Y3000, created in part by artificial intelligence. Is it any good?

🤖 Allrecipes says the flavor is getting mixed reviews from fans across the internet. Detractors complain that it tastes too orange-y, or like a gummy bear.

🤖 @munchwithdes agrees: It tastes fruity and weird.

🤖 But Business Insider likes it. Y3000 tastes like multiple sodas stirred together, and it’s not bad! And interestingly, it tastes better at room temperature.

🤖 The Impulsive Buy blog wanted to like it, but said the aftertaste of “artificial buttered popcorn flavor” ruined the experience. AI might have botched this one!

🤖 Taste of Home thinks Y3000 is hard to describe. If you want to try it for yourself, stick to buying a single can before committing to a 6-pack.

Quick hits

🇮🇱 Israel called for a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, and the country mobilized 300k reservists. (NYT)

🇺🇸 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. launched a third-party bid for the US presidency. (AP News)

🎃 A Minnesota man won the 50th world championship pumpkin weigh-off with a 2,749 lb. pumpkin nicknamed "Michael Jordan". (The Guardian)

🏛️ Kevin McCarthy hinted on Monday that he was open to pursuing the House Speakership again. He had previously said that he would not run. (NYT)

That’s it for today. Reply to [email protected] with any feedback, or ideas for tomorrow’s topics!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)