BREW WITH HEADLINES

July 27, 2020 View Online | Sign Up TOGETHER WITH Good morning and welcome back to the week. This intro is dedicated to college students: We can't imagine how weird things are for you right now, but...if you are looking for community, check out our Brew U Ambassador Program. It'll give you direct business/marketing experience and allow you to connect with people both on your campus and at universities across the country.  For readers who aren't college students, we wish you an equally exciting week ahead.  MARKETS YTD PERFORMANCE NASDAQ 10,363.18 + 15.50% S&P 3,215.63 - 0.47% DJIA 26,469.89 - 7.25% GOLD 1,900.30 + 25.02% 10-YR 0.587% - 133.30 bps OIL 41.34 - 32.46% *As of market close Crypto: Bitcoin finally did something worth reporting—it jumped above $10,000 for the first time in six weeks. Election: With less than 100 days to go until the presidential election, a new poll shows Joe Biden leading President Trump in three battleground states Trump won in 2016.  ECONOMY Summer, We Hardly Knew Ye

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Things have never been so quiet and so busy at the same time. Here's what you need to know about the most hectic and high-stakes week we can remember.  Stimulus Republicans will unveil their latest stimulus proposal today as a starting point for negotiations. We have a general sense of what it’ll include—funding to help schools reopen, another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, and liability protections for businesses. That expiring $600/week in extra unemployment benefits probably won’t be there...at least in full. The White House supports capping supplemental unemployment income at 70% of workers’ lost wages. Earnings Now’s not the time to get sick of hearing about corporate earnings, because this week is the busiest yet. Everyone from Apple to McDonald’s to Comcast to GM will share their financial results for the previous quarter. Expect to hear lots of synonyms for "unprecedented."  But at least they’ll have a low bar to clear. The S&P is on track for its worst quarter of earnings growth since 2008. Big Tech antitrust hearings The blockbuster event of the summer starring Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg will now take place on Wednesday. The CEOs of these companies, which along with Microsoft account for more than 20% of the S&P 500, will defend their records against lawmakers and smaller companies who say they’ve unfairly used their market dominance to squash competition.  Fed meeting When the Federal Reserve held its last meeting six weeks ago, things were bad but appeared somewhat stable. Now, with a renewed outbreak and a stall in the recovery, things are bad and appear somewhat unstable. Chair Jerome Powell is expected to emphasize he’ll keep interest rates near zero for the foreseeable future to juice the collapsed economy.  How collapsed? We’ll find out on Thursday with the first reading of Q2 GDP numbers. Economists estimate that GDP fell around 35% last quarter.

STOCKS With Nothing Else to Do, People Trade Stocks

Wall Street Journal “Everyone’s a day trader now,” writes the WSJ. And it’s hard to disagree—in March alone, the trading platform E-Trade recorded more new accounts than any full year in its history. Rival app Robinhood reported 3 million new accounts in Q1, also a record. Zoom out: Individuals now account for 20% of all stock market activity, the head of execution services at Citadel Securities told the Journal.  So what are individuals buying?  Top 10 most popular stocks on Robinhood right now 1. Ford 2. GE 3. American Airlines 4. Disney 5. Delta Air Lines 6. Apple 7. Microsoft 8. Tesla 9. Carnival 10. GoPro You can find all that info and more at Robintrack.

COVID-19 COVID-19 Around the World It’s not just the U.S. struggling to stamp out the coronavirus. Nearly 40 countries reported record single-day bumps in cases over the past week, per Reuters. Here's the latest. Spain: As new hotspots crop up, the government instituted new restrictions on nightlife in Barcelona and neighboring areas. The UK also made the surprise move of putting Spain on its “unsafe” travel list, meaning that travelers coming back from Spain must self-quarantine for 14 days.  North Korea: A city near the border with South Korea has been placed under lockdown after someone was found with coronavirus symptoms. It would be North Korea’s first confirmed case, but few experts actually believe that.  United States: Florida passed New York in confirmed cases following the major outbreak over the past few weeks (California is No. 1). The good news is that upward trend seems to be reversing. Germany and Taiwan: Both countries sent cruise ships sailing for the first time since the lockdowns began. Germany’s ship had 1,200 passengers compared to the typical 2,900.

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RETAIL 2020's Biggest Gathering Is Retail Bankruptcies More retailers have filed for bankruptcy so far this year than in all of 2019, Retail Brew’s Halie LeSavage reports.  The latest? Ascena Retail Group, parent to Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week.  Ascena will close 1,600 of its 2,800 stores, including all locations of its plus-size label Catherines.  This one's especially going to hurt malls. Ascena is one of the biggest tenants at mall owners Brookfield, Simon, CBL, and more.   Zoom out: The list of other retailers filing for bankruptcy in July include Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, Muji, Sur La Table, and major Pizza Hut/Wendy’s franchisee NPC International.  Here’s a chart to-go.

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CALENDAR The Week Ahead

Disney Plus We gave you the high-level overview in the first story. But that didn't include critical developments with the NBA and Beyoncé.  Monday: Durable goods orders Tuesday: Consumer confidence; earnings (Visa, 3M, Pfizer, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Altria, AMD, Visa, eBay)  Wednesday: Fed interest rate decision; antitrust hearing into Big Tech; Michelle Obama’s podcast launches; earnings (Facebook, GE, Boeing, General Motors, Qualcomm, PayPal, Spotify, Shopify)  Thursday: Q2 GDP estimate; the NBA is back; National Intern Day; earnings (Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Procter & Gamble, Comcast, Ford, Dunkin' Brands, Comcast, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, Electronic Arts) Friday: Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King comes to Disney+; Harry Potter turns 40; earnings (Caterpillar, Merck, Exxon Mobil, Chevron)

CIVIL RIGHTS 'The Final Crossing'

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The body of late Rep. John Lewis, an American hero and civil rights icon, is carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, one final time yesterday. In 1965, Lewis led a voting rights march of nonviolent protestors across this same bridge, before he and others were beaten by police.

There is currently a debate over renaming the bridge. Edmund Pettus was a Confederate officer and KKK leader.

The Secret Source Behind The Anti-Trump Dossier Is Finally Exposed

The fabulist behind the infamous and discredited anti-Trump dossier has finally been exposed.  His name is Igor Danchenk [...]

Read More

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FEATURED EVENT 1996 Terrorist attack at Atlanta Olympics READ MORE FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Charlotte Corday READ MORE July 27
ON THIS DAY 1993 Jordan Spieth American golfer 1975 Alex Rodriguez American baseball player 1922 Norman Lear American producer, writer, and director 1938 Ernest Gary Gygax American entrepreneur 1768 Charlotte Corday French noble 1612 Murad IV Ottoman sultan MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2017: American playwright and actor Sam Shepard—whose plays adroitly blend images of the American West, Pop motifs, science fiction, and other elements of popular and youth culture—died at age 73. [ Take our history of theatre quiz.] 2003: British-born American entertainer and comic actor Bob Hope, who was known for his rapid-fire delivery of jokes and one-liners, died in California. [Test your knowledge of actors and acting.] 1953: The armistice agreement ending the Korean War was signed at P'anmunjŏm in central Korea. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Korea.] 1946: Avant-garde writer Gertrude Stein, whose Paris home was a salon for leading artists and writers, died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. [Take our famous authors quiz.] 1940: Warner Brothers released the Looney Tunes animated short film A Wild Hare, featuring the debut of Bugs Bunny in his familiar incarnation; embryonic versions of the character had appeared in earlier cartoons. [ Watch a clip from Fresh Hare (1942), featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.] Armed standoff between motorist and road-blocking ‘protester’ captures powder keg in American streets Left cries foul when Trump says he won’t throw out first pitch at Yankees game, but old video proves haters off base Cops confirm shots were fired at Austin motorist who killed BLM protester armed with AK-47 Democrat calls C-SPAN, threatens ‘a lot of bloodshed’ to Trump supporters and federal agents No, Tom Cotton did not say he thinks slavery was a necessary evil, he calls out ‘fake news’ Nadler says violence against federal officers in Portland is a ‘myth’ being spread only in D.C. Lindsey Graham teases reveal of evidence the FBI ‘lied their ass off’ to Congress about the Steele dossier The violent left: How nasty can they get? Columnists Biden’s Revenge Agenda Kurt Schlichter Is the Southern Poverty Law Center Taking Things Out of Context Again? Marina Medvin A Top Doctor Answers My Burning Questions About Coronavirus Scott Morefield Czech Yeah for Gun Rights Gabriella Hoffman The Democrats Declare a Jew Ban Jeff Ballabon Media Must Keep Reporting: China Weaponizes Abortion, Women’s Bodies Katie Yoder Should We Rename the Democratic Party? Part I John C. Goodman Give Parents School Choice Terry Paulson ‘Uncle Tom’: A Quiet Earthquake Will Alexander ADVERTISEMENT America’s Second Civil War Has Already Begun George Mullen Strong Men Are the New Nails Pamela Garber 'We Are Not The New York Times' Michael Brown Shock Poll! No, It Just Surveys More Democrats and People Unlikely to Vote Rachel Alexander We Have the Right to Cultural Preservation Jeff Davidson Video Gov. Evers: Saying Abortionists 'Execute Babies' Is 'Blasphemy' Trump blasts Schiff as 'political hack' Pelosi's condescension offers some laughs Pelosi open to border infrastructure INVESTING What Really Matters To BLM? An Analysis Of Their Own Web Content Marxism Isn’t About Equality, It’s About Power Why Mainstream Economists Can’t See The Icebergs We Don’t Need to Add Morality to Market Economics: It’s Already There Christian Individualism Vs. Pagan ‘Common Good’ AOC’s Dumb Economics And Dangerous Politics Tipsheet Former Chicago Bears Coach Has a Message for Kneeling Athletes Beth Baumann WATCH: Ted Cruz Pinpoints Dems' Strategy for Winning in November Beth Baumann WATCH: Woman Becomes Unhinged Over a Couple Not Wearing a Mask... and Sprays Them with Mace Beth Baumann No, Nancy. Your New Nickname for Trump Isn't Cute or Clever. Beth Baumann Third Operator of Houston Stash House Ring Sentenced to Prison Bronson Stocking Mnuchin Reveals What the Next Coronavirus Relief Package Will Look Like Beth Baumann WATCH: Leftist Mob Gathers Outside the Home of Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf Bronson Stocking CBP Official Sounds Off on Portland's So-Called 'Peaceful' Protests Beth Baumann Main Source Behind the Steele Dossier Was Outed Beth Baumann Hey, Joe, That Letter from Field Organizers in Florida Could Show a Very Serious Problem For You 100 Days Out Matt Vespa ADVERTISEMENT Political Cartoons Bearing Arms Media, "Experts" Act Like Only Gun People Kill Themselves | Tom Knighton Chicago Men Face Charges In Operation LeGend Busts | Cam Edwards 1919: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 was ignited after a young black man was stoned and drowned in Lake Michigan for swimming in an area reserved for whites. [Read more about this and nine other riots in U.S. history.]