Will Trump Go To Jail Before He Takes Office? Uh, No; Costco Recalls 40 Tons of Butter; Sandwiches Are Big Biz; Musk At DOGE; Girls' Writer: B-Fried!

Best Made Plans Go Up in Smoke. As we all know, Up in Smoke is a hand-crafted goat's milk cheese made by River’s Edge Chevre, in Oregon, which is misted with bourbon and then wrapped in smoked maple leaves. Most of us, I think, would like to spend our evenings like that, wouldn’t we?

Meanwhile, today’s news you Need2Know contains several examples of strong intentions being met by the murkier, more mundane realities of actual implementation. To whit, the cheddlines:

• Will Donald Trump Go to Jail Before He Takes Office? Uh, No.
• Costco Just Recalled 80,000 Pounds of Butter for a Surprising, Dumb Reason
• Sandwiches Are Big Business, Says CEO Who Sells Sandwiches
• What Will Elon Musk Do as Duke of the DOGE?
• 'Girls' Writer Lena Dunham to Write Movie About Sam Bankman-Fried

Good DOGE! Good boy!?

—Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor

Quote of the Day

"It's really just sort of an advisory type of situation." — Nathan Bomey

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1. Will Trump Go to Jail Before Taking Office? Definitely Probably Not

A judge overseeing Donald Trump's New York criminal trial has postponed a decision on whether to dismiss the former president's hush money conviction. The delay allows the prosecution more time to "consider" its "next steps" following Trump’s re-election as "president-elect." Both Trump's legal team and the prosecutors have been granted a week's delay to present their positions. State Judge Juan Merchan received a letter from the prosecutors, agreeing with Trump's request for a stay to deliberate on the new circumstances his presidential election victory represents.

Prosecutors emphasized the need to balance the integrity of the jury's guilty verdict with the implications of Trump's office as president-elect. The development pauses all previously scheduled court dates, including Trump's sentencing, originally set for November 26. The prosecutors are expected to state their position by November 19, 2024. Trump's campaign has lauded the decision, arguing it reflects a public "desire" to end the "politicization" of the "justice" "system." In May, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts related to payments made to adult film "actor" Stormy Daniels, a charge he denies.

The judge's much-awaited decision concerns Trump's appeal to overturn the conviction, citing presidential immunity—a claim complicated by a recent Supreme Court ruling on the issue. That ruling said Trump has immunity for some of his conduct as president in his federal election interference case but maybe not for other actions. This case marks the only one of four criminal cases against Trump to reach trial, and his conviction is historic for a former president. The odds of his going to prison, I think, are close to zero "at this point." Read More

2. Costco Just Recalled 80,000 Pounds of Butter for a Surprising (i.e., Dumb) Reason

Food recalls normally happen because of contamination, but a latest recall involving Costco products has the Internet scratching its head. On October 11, the retailer announced a voluntary recall of almost 80,000 pounds of butter due to its packaging not having the phrase “Contains Milk.” Yes, you read that right.

The butter was recalled because its packaging failed to mention an undeclared allergen: milk… which, as we all know, is a main ingredient of butter, and cheddar, too, of course. In unrelated news, it’s Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. Does anybody need 80,000 pounds of recalled butter with which to baste their turkeys? Because I have an idea where you might be able get that from, at a hefty discount. #NotFinancialAdvice Read More

3. Sandwiches Are Big Business, Says CEO Who Sells Sandwiches

Potbelly CEO Bob "Not Wrong" Wright joined us to talk about the sandwich shop company’s ambitious expansion plans to open 2,000 new locations. The firm’s net revenue is up 150% year-on-year, and despite consumers' growing sensitivity to prices, Potbelly has managed to thrive by focusing on “overall value” rather than by offering deep discounts, he said. "We haven't gone after significant discounts of our core menu items,” he said. “What we've done instead is packaged some meal deal options."

Wright also highlighted the importance of digital engagement in today's market. "People like being recognized as an important part of the brand... and they love the rewards that go with that relationship in the digital space," he said. Wright expressed enthusiasm for franchising as a key driver of the firm’s growth. "I love franchising,” he said. “I love franchisees, and they can make a brand much stronger and much more stable over time." Read More

4. What Will Elon Musk Do as Duke of DOGE?

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be co-headed by Elon "Il Doge" Musk and Vivek "Iller Doge" Ramaswamy, is “specifically intended to be housed outside of government,” said Axios reporter Nathan Bomey. “It's really just sort of an advisory type of situation."

Efficient! Although…its advisory role raises questions about DOGE’s actual power and influence.

"They can make these recommendations, but then will the department heads actually implement them?" Bomey asked. He also pointed out potential hurdles to the advisory body, such as resistance from entrenched federal bureaucracy and the challenge of making significant cuts without impacting programs like Social Security, Medicare, or the U.S. military budget. Bomey also raised concerns about Elon Musk's capacity to take on this new role, given his existing commitments to Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter (not to mention the mothers of his 11 children). There could be a potential for "conflicts of interest," he said. Whatever could he mean by that?

"I think we're in uncharted territory because we just haven't seen any presidents in the past really stand up a significant external effort like this...having a really direct influence on the government," he said. Read More

5. Writer Who Created 'Girls' Is Making a Movie About Crytpo Fraud Fried

Lena Dunham has been attached to write the script for a film adaptation of Michael Lewis's book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” which is in early development by Apple Studios and A24. The book, a New York Times best-seller, explores the dramatic rise and fall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and of its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried.

Lewis's narrative delves into the life of Bankman-Fried, once the world’s youngest billionaire, portraying him as the crypto era’s Jay Gatsby, who suddenly found himself at the center of financial and celebrity attention before his empire's swift collapse amid charges of fraud and money laundering. To be clear, Bankman-Fried found himself at the center of that attention because he was a criminal guilty of fraud and a host of other crimes.

It’s not like this stuff just happened to him for no reason. Amazon and other streamers are also developing their own shows based on FTX’s dramatic collapse. But Dunham, renowned for her work on the critically acclaimed HBO series “Girls,” brings a storied background in television and film to this new project. Let’s hope they cast Adam "Enzo Ferrari" Driver as Bankman-Fried! Read More

Matt Davis is a writer who lives with his wife and son in New York.