In Other Brews…

• President Putin has lowered Russia’s threshold for a nuclear response. Moscow’s revised nuclear doctrine says that any nation's conventional attack on Russia, which is backed by a nuclear power (like the United States), will be considered a joint attack. In practice, this revision threatens a nuclear response against any country providing Ukraine with support for attacks on Russia. 

• Israel is not letting up in Lebanon. On Wednesday, the U.S. and France proposed a three-week ceasefire to allow Israel and Hezbollah to negotiate, but PM Netanyahu’s office says he hasn't responded. Meanwhile, Israeli forces were ordered to “continue the fighting with full force,” and another airstrike in Beirut yesterday killed two—including a Hezbollah commander—as ground incursion rumors swirl. 

• Visa might’ve maxed out its monopoly… The DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the credit card giant of stifling competition in the debit card market and tacking on excessive fees. According to the complaint, 60% of U.S. debit transactions are processed on Visa’s network, raking in over $7 billion in fees annually. Visa called the lawsuit “meritless.”

• The 2024 Chicago White Sox realllly didn’t want “new losingest team ever” as their nickname. Yesterday, the South Side Sox shutout the LA Angels to stay tied with the 1962 (expansion team) New York Mets for most losses (120). They've got three games left to avoid (or set?) a new record… Their social media team will keep us informed.

• Five death row executions were held in the past week—an unusually high amount—with one garnering national attention. Marcellus Williams, convicted for a fatal 1998 stabbing, died by lethal injection Tuesday despite mishandled DNA evidence casting doubt on his case. Prosecutors and the victim’s family had pushed for a life sentence instead, but repeated attempts to halt Williams’ execution were denied.