Image of the week: Winning them over
Kamala Harris may not have made it to the White House yet, but she has at least notched up a key milestone for pretty much anyone who finds themselves on a path to power: she’s had a “-nomics” suffix attached to her name. Vibes alone will not be enough to get elected, some Washington-watchers contend – what Harris apparently needs is a convincing package of Kamalanomics.
As the Democratic National Convention – or just plain old DNC – in Chicago settled into its daily groove of big names rolling out finely paced speeches punctuated with random pointing at the crowds, traditionalists tried to put Harris’s known policy preferences under a microscope.
Economist Paul Krugman, writing in the New York Times, liked her move to restore an expanded child tax credit, was “less enthusiastic” about her housing proposals and said her call for legislation banning price gouging on groceries was populist but not necessarily a bad idea. Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle spied a flaw in the promise to punish price gougers, however: if Harris gets elected, voters will actually want her to do it.
The Financial Times, meanwhile, said the snippets of Harris’s economic agenda revealed to date were “disappointing and tinged with excessive populism”. But its editorial did concede that her messaging “may win over some households in swing states”. Who knows? Maybe that’s the point.
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In numbers: Taking flight
9 million
New annual passenger capacity permitted at London City Airport, an increase of 2.5 million, after a decision by Labour government ministers that has disappointed local residents and climate campaigners.
111,000
Maximum number of flights allowed per year at the famously central airport. This remains unchanged, but the decision allows for nine “quieter” (and greater capacity) flights from 6am to 9am, up from six.
24
Hours-long “curfew” in place at London City, where no flights can take off from 12.30pm on a Saturday until the same time on Sunday. The airport wanted it to come in effect at 6.30pm instead, but it didn’t get its way on this one.
Getting to know: Rami Baitiéh
Rami Baitiéh is the kind of boss who can own up to his company’s mistakes. The French businessman, a veteran of supermarket group Carrefour who joined Morrisons as chief executive last November, this week admitted that the British chain “went a bit too far” with self-checkouts, meaning it installed too many of them. This “had the advantage of driving some productivity” but tended to be disliked by shoppers buying a lot of stuff, he told the Telegraph.
Morrisons is now looking to remove some of them from about 20 of its shops and replace them with actual humans, he signalled. This kind of operation should be easy for Lebanon-born Baitiéh, a former French air force colonel. Now if he could defect to Tesco next and implement sensible queuing arrangements for the card-only machines, that would be ideal.
The list: Netflix docs
Anything to watch on Netflix? These five planned documentaries aren’t on the streaming platform just yet, but they soon will be. Their commissions were unveiled this week.
1. Take That: This documentary series telling the story of “one of the greatest boy bands in UK history” has access to the three remaining members (Gary, Mark and Howard) and features interviews with the two (Robbie and Jason) who left long ago.
2. Gordon Ramsay: The series will follow the chef over nine months in the lead-up to the opening of five “culinary experiences” at London skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate. It features “exclusive access” to the Ramsay family.
3. 7/7 Hunting the London Bombers: This series will “track the frenzied weeks” in the wake of the London terror attacks in 2005. It features previously unseen archive footage that captures a time of panic and paranoia.
4. Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen: On a lighter note, presumably, this series will “get up close and personal” with one of the biggest sports promoters in the world, Matchroom, aka Barry Hearn and his son Eddie. It is produced by Drive to Survive makers Box to Box.
5. Victoria Beckham: David’s had his series, now it’s Victoria’s turn, with Netflix viewers treated to a behind-the-scenes look at her fashion and beauty business. Spoiler: the eyeliner is a hit.
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