| 1. CALIFORNIA TO PERMIT WEED SALES AT OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL: Outside Lands in San Francisco will be the first major music festival in the U.S. to sell cannabis and allow consumption on site. California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control approved the sale and consumption of weed in a fenced-off area of the festival grounds for people 21 and older. Los Angeles Times: “The state approval came shortly after San Francisco granted its own permit for cannabis use at the event in Golden Gate Park. Other festivals in the city where illegal cannabis use has occurred in the past may also get permits, officials said. ‘Permitting Grass Lands as the inaugural event is the first step in creating a safe cannabis event space for those aged 21 years and older,’ said Marisa Rodriguez, director of the San Francisco Office of Cannabis. ‘Attendees will be able to purchase and consume lab-tested products away from the rest of the venue’s attendees.’” 2. TRUMP TO ATTEND TWO HAMPTONS FUND-RAISERS—INCLUDING ONE HOSTED BY SOULCYCLE OWNER: President Trump is attending two fund-raisers in the Hamptons, where tickets will cost upward of $250,000. One event will take place at the home of New York real estate developer Stephen Ross, who owns the Miami Dolphins and SoulCycle. The other event will take place at a 17,000-square-foot mansion in Bridgehampton, owned by real estate developer Joe Farrell. The events will raise money for Trump’s 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee. Washington Post: “Trump has made collecting six-figure checks a centerpiece of his reelection fund-raising effort. The day after his official reelection campaign launch in June, Trump appeared at a high-dollar fund-raiser luncheon at the Trump National Doral hotel in Florida that officials said raised about $6 million. … Several senior members of the administration, party, and campaign are also scheduled to appear, as are some Trump family members, according to the invites.” 3. BUMBLE FORMS ALL-WOMEN FORTNITE TEAM: Dating and networking app Bumble has partnered with Gen.G, a global esports organization, to form the first-ever all-women Fortnite team, titled Team Bumble. The partnership’s goal is to empower women gamers and drive more female involvement in esports. CNBC: “Given that the gaming industry has traditionally been male-dominated, Chelsea Maclin, Bumble’s vice president of marketing, said connecting female gamers has become paramount to not only fostering healthy communities, but to growing gaming and esports as a whole. … Bumble’s partnership with Gen.G gives the platform access to an industry that research firm Newzoo predicts will generate more than $1 billion in revenue for the first time this year, up 27 percent year over year. The total global esports audience is expected to see growth of 15 percent by the end of the year to about 454 million, the researcher said.” 4. ABC TO AIR LIVE ‘LITTLE MERMAID’ EVENT: ABC will air a live production of The Little Mermaid on November 5, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Disney film. The event has announced Moana star Auli’i Cravalho as Ariel, Queen Latifah as Ursula, and Shaggy as Sebastian. The production, which is officially titled The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live!, is produced by Done & Dusted. Deadline: “ABC originally announced in May 2017 that it would stage a live production of the beloved underwater tale under the long-dormant Wonderful World of Disney banner, which was slated for October 3, 2017. In August of that year, the network announced that the live event had been put on hold. Since joining ABC last December as president of entertainment, Karey Burke has expressed strong support for live specials. Her commitment was likely reaffirmed in May after the success of Jimmy Kimmel’s live staging of two classic.” 5. OLYMPIC SAILING TO INTRODUCE NEW EVENTS TO ACHIEVE GENDER EQUITY: Olympic sailing has long been a male-dominated event, but due to pressure from the International Olympic Committee to achieve gender equity at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, World Sailing has upped the number of roster spots for women’s events; the governing organization also voted for complete gender equity in the number of athletes and medals at the Paris 2024 games. While sailing in 2020 will award two more medals to men than women, the 2024 games achieved equity by adding two new events—a mixed kiteboarding relay and a mixed two-person offshore race. The New York Times: “In addition to gender equality, the I.O.C.’s Agenda 2020 included initiatives for sustainability and universality, asking sports to increase their broadcast appeal with new formats and technology. The World Sailing Annual Conference in November voted to make four of 10 sailing events at the 2024 Paris Olympics for mixed teams. The 2024 program also will include three all-women’s and three all-men’s races, the same as in 2020.” | 