Welcome back, Comets! And to any freshmen, welcome and thank you for picking up a copy of AMP! We’re excited to see plenty of new faces on campus (and at our pitch meetings, if you are so inclined). But before we can get into that toasty autumn vibe that comes with a new school year, we have to cover everything that went down this summer.

“Barbenheimer” (the simultaneous releases of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which became a meme because of the films’ totally different tones) ruled cinemas across the country, even spawning fun fashion trends along the way. Both movies have had some mixed reviews, but if nothing else, they both had distinct and intentional visual direction that made them interesting to watch even beyond their plots.

Elon Musk’s latest stint was changing the name of Twitter, one of the most recognizable and (previously) well-designed social media apps, to X. Maybe he was trying to create the next “artist formerly known as Prince” moment. This actually isn’t the first time he’s tried this, as X was also the original name for PayPal before Musk was voted out as CEO and the name was changed. Not only is X arguably a much less recognizable name than Twitter, it was also probably a spur-of-the-moment decision, considering all the logistical issues that came up immediately after the announcement. X.com, which was supposed to redirect to Twitter, was not yet linked correctly and took users to an unrelated page. The company started removing the Twitter signage from their headquarters, but didn’t get the city’s permission to do so and had to stop halfway through. All in all this change was a messy one, and one that nobody asked for.

Former President Donald Trump has now been indicted four times, the most of any president in history. (We’re starting to think he believes “most” is the same as “best.”) Trump was arrested this August on felony charges for his attempts to manipulate the Georgia election results in 2020. This time, however, an official mugshot was released from his arrest, and it has quickly become a meme. Trump’s expression, a mix between an angry glare and an almost flirtatious smolder, is so baffling it can’t be taken seriously. Trump is now using this image as a symbol of his martyrdom that his supporters can buy on shirts and mugs, which only makes it funnier. Even now, Trump continues to deny his charges and has not dropped out of the presidential race for 2024. Maybe he sees all these accusations as just a toxic gossip train.

Finally, the issue of parking at UTD has reared its multicolored head once again. There have been reports across campus of lower tier parking spots getting painted over with more expensive pass colors, making it even harder to find parking for green pass holders. Additionally, much of the parking near JSOM has been completely covered by the construction for the upcoming art museum being built there. Parking is a necessity for many students, but their options are slowly becoming more and more limited. If, however, you manage to find a place to park, we hope you find something on campus that piques your interest this semester! ‘Something’ being the next issue of AMP, obviously.