Plus, 18+ Million Early Votes Have Been Cast, What We Know About Them; IRS's new 2025 tax brackets

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Good morning,

There are two types of people: Those who wait until the last minute to board a plane (cuz why would you want to sit there?) and those who try to sneak into an earlier boarding group, eager to grab their seat (and baggage space overhead).

Some airline employees often refer to the second group as “gate lice,” and they may get a rude awakening the next time they try to jump the line to get on a plane early.

American Airlines is piloting a new shaming system at airports in Albuquerque and Tucson that gives an “audible signal” and shows the gate agent a message when a “gate lice” tries to get through with an earlier boarding group.
And so far, it’s working… Experts in human behavior say travelers who mass at the gate ahead of their turn do so out of a tendency to conform — and out of a sense of competition.
Up next, American is expanding the program to other locations, including Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport.

From one overly eager and two last-minute boarders, have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

📌 IRS RELEASES 2025 TAX BRACKETS: WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR YOUR TAXES

Let’s begin with some good news (well, good-ish). The IRS published its new federal tax brackets for 2025 on Tuesday. It shows the smallest increase Americans have seen in a few years— another sign inflation is cooling.

The headline: You will be able to keep slightly more of your $$ when you file your 2025 taxes in 2026, after a roughly 2.8% inflation adjustment.
- That’s much lower than 2023, which saw a 7.1% increase, and 2024’s 5.4% jump.

Paired with an inflation-adjusted standard deduction, moved up to $30,000 for joint filers and $15,000 for single taxpayers, Americans who earned the same income in 2024 will owe slightly less in taxes for 2025.

OTHER NEED TO KNOWS

Estate and gift-tax thresholds: In 2025, individuals can shelter $13.99 million from estate taxes, up from $13.61 million this year. And for anyone wanting to make a SUPER generous gift, tax-free gifts will move-up to $19,000 for 2025 from $18,000 in 2024.
Not adjusted for inflation: The maximum $2,000 child tax credit won’t change, nor will the $10,000 cap for deducting state and local taxes and the $3,000 limit on capital losses.
Up next: The Trump-era tax cuts are set to expire in 2025. If Congress doesn’t extend the law, 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the highest income-tax rate will go from 37% to 39.6%. Lower levels will have higher rates too. The counter-argument: making the cuts permanent would increase the national debt by several trillion dollars.

📌 INSIDE FORMER ABERCROMBIE EXEC’S ALLEGED SEX TRAFFICKING OPERATION

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested on Tuesday, along with his partner Matt Smith and their alleged middleman, over a horrific criminal sex trafficking scheme between 2008 to 2015.

The charges follow an investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in New York, who allege Jeffries used his powerful position to exploit and abuse young men interested in modeling.

Jeffries, who is 80 years old, was Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO for 22 years—from 1992 until 2014. He helped transform the company into a global brand for youth fashion that used sexualized marketing.

THE CHARGES
The three men are accused in the indictment of using recruiters to get young men with modeling aspirations to come to sex-themed parties around the world. The victims were then given drugs, alcohol, and Viagra to perform sexual acts there.

The BBC broke the story last year, finding that “Jeffries and Smith sexually exploited what is believed to be over 100 men during Abercrombie events they hosted around the world.”
- Dozens of men filed civil lawsuits against the couple after the report. Federal prosecutors acknowledged their investigation in January after the suits.
- The fashion brand said it was “appalled” by the allegations and launched an independent investigation. It also faces civil suits.
What’s next: All three defendants made their initial federal court appearances Tuesday afternoon, two in the Southern District of Florida and a third in the Western District of Wisconsin. They are expected to be arraigned in New York’s Eastern District at a later date, sources said.

📌 EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY: WHAT WE KNOW

We might be counting down to Election Day (13 days), but it’s more like election month with early and absentee voting. Already, nearly 10% of Americans expected to vote this year have cast their ballots— that’s more than 18 million people. It could be the new normal for post-pandemic America.

HOW WE GOT HERE
Back in 2020, millions of Americans voted by mail to avoid crowded polling places during the pandemic.

Since then, there have been new state laws to expand early and mail-in voting options.
- It looks like voting weeks before Election Day is now a permanent feature of the American election process.

STATE BY STATE
Let’s look at some swing states.

In 2022, Michigan passed a law that requires nine days of early voting and lets voters get a mail ballot every election without having to apply for one.
In Georgia, voters have set a daily record for in-person early voting nearly every day since polls opened last Tuesday.
North Carolinians have also been setting early voting records despite Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

Unlike 2020, which had more Democrats voting early, deep-red states are also hitting early voting milestones. Unlike 2020, when Donald Trump called early voting corrupt and discouraged his supporters to vote before election day, this year he’s pushing his voters to get to the polls early.

With that said, Democrats still dominate mail-in voting, but there are some warning signs for the Harris campaign.
- In make-or-break Pennsylvania, about 30% of registered Democrats requested an absentee ballot with more than 580,000 returned. That’s nearly double the percentage (16%) of state Republicans that have returned just 254,000 ballots.
- In Nevada, Republicans have taken the lead by 13,000 votes according to the Secretary of State. Longtime watchers say Democratic turnout in the Vegas-area is a cause for concern.
- In North Carolina, the GOP has an early vote program that has driven up their share of early votes, while Black turnout (key to a Harris victory) is down from 2020.

Bottom line: Another 120-130 million Americans are still expected to vote. We have less than two weeks to go and it’s anyone’s race.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Rudy Giuliani must give control of luxury items and Manhattan apartment to Georgia election workers he defamed, judge rules (CNN)

📌 Obama, Eminem appear at Detroit rally. Obama does the rapping Tuesday night (MO NEWS)

📌 Harris campaign plans red-state detour in Texas, Kentucky and Florida (AXIOS)

📌 Most Americans back cellphone bans during class, but fewer support all-day restrictions (PEW)

📌 Russia behind Walz deepfake video, US intelligence community officials say (FOX NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Putin hosts 36 world leaders at Brics summit in Russia (GUARDIAN)

📌 Iran guardsman charged by US prosecutors in alleged plot to kill New York-based Iranian journalist (ABC NEWS)

📌 IDF says it has confirmed killing of presumed Nasrallah successor in Oct. 4 Beirut strike (REUTERS)

📌 Ukraine's population has shrunk by 10 million since Russia first invaded, according to UN estimate (CBS NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders in multiple states (NBC NEWS)

📌 Walmart launches nationwide same-day prescription delivery (FOX BUSINESS)

📌 Air taxis and other electric-powered aircraft cleared for takeoff with final FAA rules (VERGE)

📌 A New Zealand airport wants you to hug goodbye faster (ABC NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Bruce Springsteen to hold battleground concerts with Kamala Harris, Barack Obama (USA TODAY)

📌 “Blindsided” Brianna LaPaglia reacts to Zach Bryan’s breakup announcement (E!)

📌 What is 'pink cocaine'? Explaining the drug cocktail linked to Liam Payne's death (NBC NEWS)

📌 ‘Beef’ season 2 casts Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny (DEADLINE)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 23

42 BCE: Marcus Junius Brutus, a leading conspirator in the assassination of Julius Caesar two years before, dies by suicide after his defeat in battle.
- His assassination plunged Rome into civil war, with Brutus and Cassius fighting Octavian and Mark Antony. Within 15 years, the Roman Republic was lost forever with the rise of Octavian as Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of Rome.
1941: The animated classic from Disney ‘Dumbo’ had its world premiere.
1998: Britney Spears released ‘...Baby One More Time.’
2001: Apple releases the iPod, a portable music player. Apple is estimated to have sold 450 million devices before the line was discontinued in 2022.