🐤 Dear diary...

🏦 Markets: It was touch-and-go for a while midweek, but Wall Street is heading into the long weekend with eight straight weeks of gains after Friday’s positive trend.

The S&P and Nasdaq were up a fraction of a percent while the Dow Jones was off by a hair. Investor optimism was fueled by inflation numbers that showed consumer prices are now rising just over the 2% annual rate that the Federal Reserve has cited as its target.

Even the biggest fans of our current digital society can acknowledge that most of us spend too much time staring at our phones. But from Apple’s point of view, there’s always something new that the iPhone can add to make us even more dependent on these pocket-sized computers.

And now, the tech giant is focusing on a new use for its devices: Journaling.

Just in time for New Year’s

Many people will be pursuing self-improvement goals to kick-start 2024, and experts say recording personal thoughts and ambitions is a great way to achieve some important personal growth.

Apple claims to have an even better option than a pad and pen. Keeping with its reputation for app names that are accurate (if not all that creative), the latest iOS update involves a new option simply called “Journal.”

So what does it do? Early reports offer a pretty comprehensive overview:

• It begins with a blank page that only includes a plus-sign button at the bottom.
• Clicking it allows you to add photos, activities, and other memorable moments from the day.
• Built in algorithms can suggest new content for you to include as journal entries.

Privacy is still a major concern

Just like your locked childhood diary, it’s important to ensure that digital journals remain safe from the prying eyes of others. Some previously released journaling apps have included robust encryption and security measures to achieve this privacy, but it usually comes with a one-time or monthly fee.

Apple, which has built its brand largely around privacy (or at least the illusion thereof) says it can provide ample protection and customization through the existing operating system.

You should still exercise caution, but some say this could be a big step toward introducing more people to the benefits of journaling.

While any wrongful conviction is both a personal and societal tragedy, some cases are more upsetting than others. And one Oklahoma man’s story is among the worst.

“Justice was done today”

A liquor store robbery in late 1974 cost one woman her life and one man nearly five decades of his freedom. Glynn Simmons was just 22 when he was convicted and despite consistently pleading his innocence, he remained in prison until earlier this year.

Now, at the age of 70, a judge has added the final punctuation to this unfathomable chapter in his life, declaring him innocent of the charges.

“This is a day we’ve been waiting on for a long, long time,” he said after Tuesday’s hearing. “It finally came. We can say justice was done today, finally — and I’m happy.”

With over 48 years of his life spent incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit, records indicate Simmons has served more time than anyone else in American history who was wrongfully convicted and ultimately released. The average term is a little over nine years before being exonerated.

A bittersweet victory

While it’s clearly a good thing that Simmons was released and subsequently exonerated, he’s facing some serious challenges during his twilight years. For starters, the world has changed tremendously since his conviction in the ‘70s.

But on a personal level, state law limits the amount of compensation he can receive to just $175,000, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll even get that.

The declaration of innocence this week is the first step toward ensuring he gets some money for the unimaginable hardship he’s endured over the past several decades. For a retirement-age man without any real-world skills that would translate to a lucrative career, he’s dependent on others (including an online fundraiser) for his income.

👟 The other shoe drops: It’s one of the world’s most influential sneaker and sports apparel companies, but that hasn’t saved Nike from an uncertain economic landscape. According to recent financial reports, the corporation has revised its 2023 sales forecast downward to a disappointing 1%. Not only did that negatively impact Nike’s stock price, but it highlighted a need to trim its budget by $2 billion over the next three years, which will inevitably involve layoffs.

🍃 Beg your pardon: With states across the country relaxing or repealing laws against marijuana possession, the federal government is showing some signs that its approach to the issue is also evolving. This week, President Joe Biden announced a plan to increase the number of pardons being issued to individuals convicted of low-level weed-related crimes — notably simple possession or use. Those who have not yet been charged or prosecuted are also included.

⚽️ Moving to Miami: If soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s move to the Inter Miami team isn’t enough to pique interest in the sport among Americans, maybe the news announced on Friday will do it. Luis Suarez, a skilled striker from Uruguay who played alongside Messi in Barcelona, is also coming to the Miami team. The free agent signed a one-year contract, meaning that a Barcelona reunion is officially in the cards and Miami is quickly becoming the epicenter of American soccer.

👨‍⚖️ Courting controversy: The 2024 presidential race is heating up even as former President Donald Trump finds himself both leading the GOP primary field and facing multiple criminal trials. His attorneys argue he’s immune from prosecution for his actions while in office and federal special counsel Jack Smith disagrees. Smith wanted the Supreme Court to weigh in sooner rather than later, but justices announced this week that they wouldn’t be rushing a decision on the matter.

Lawmakers have left D.C. for the holiday recess and as 2023 draws to a close, they really don’t have too much to show for their time in Congress this year.

Let’s be fair

Before we dig into what elected officials did (or more accurately, didn’t do) while on Capitol Hill this year, let’s start by acknowledging one important factor: Both chambers are very narrowly divided.

The Democrats have a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate and Republicans control the House by a razor-thin margin. Anytime there’s such an equal balance of power in a divided Legislative Branch, there’s going to naturally be some serious gridlock.

Nevertheless, 2023 has been particularly unproductive with President Joe Biden receiving a paltry 27 bills from Congress.

What they did

It’s easy to point fingers and wonder what legislators are actually doing with their time, which is reflected in the rock-bottom approval rating that Congress currently has among voters. Of course, the job isn’t as easy as it might appear and much of it involves negotiation and debate that can move at a snail’s pace.

And even if you might have to look a little harder than usual to find it, there were a few accomplishments sprinkled throughout the year, including:

• Avoiding default: You might say that the initial problem was created in large part by Congress, but at least they reached a deal in June that prevented a government shutdown.
• Troop support: Active-duty servicemembers and military veterans (particularly those who are disabled) often depend on government aid, and Congress was able to approve a meaningful boost in funding.
• Emergency ending: After three long years, lawmakers finally brought the COVID-19 emergency order to an end and also moved to declassify relevant documents about the pandemic’s origins.