BREW AND HEADLINES THURSDAY

 

September 17, 2020 View Online | Sign Up TOGETHER WITH Good morning. Two days, four computers, a lifetime of memories. Our MacBook Pro giveaway has come to a close, but not before we announce Jay M. and Sanford M. as the winners from yesterday's contest. To everyone else, thanks so much for sharing the Brew. And take comfort in this: As long as Apple keeps making computers, we'll keep giving them away. One more note before you keep scrolling—if any of you are interested in the marketing industry, today we're launching a Brew-approved list of resources to help you learn the basics. Call it a Marketing 101 syllabus for the 21st century. Check it out below.

MARKETS NASDAQ 11,050.47 - 1.25% S&P 3,385.58 - 0.46% DJIA 28,033.77 + 0.14% GOLD 1,965.80 - 0.02% 10-YR 0.690% + 0.80 bps OIL 40.11 + 4.78% *As of market close Fed: The central bank held rock-bottom interest rates steady and members forecasted they wouldn't budge before 2023. Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed's "accommodative" monetary policy would help the U.S. economy recover from this steep pandemic-spawned recession.  Economy: Retail sales, a closely watched indicator of the economic recovery, increased 0.6% in August. It’s the fourth straight month of growth but lower than projections.

TECH Facebook Gives a Reality Check Francis Scialabba Facebook held its annual virtual/augmented reality conference yesterday, and you have to respect its commitment to 2020 themes—it was held remotely and we'll never look at the world the same way again. Before we get into the gadgets and gizmos, let’s put Facebook’s growing presence in virtual reality in context.  Zuckerberg likes smoking meats But he loves virtual reality. In 2014, Facebook acquired the virtual reality pioneer Oculus for $2 billion, signaling its ambitions to bring VR to the masses. While other Facebook acquisitions like Instagram and WhatsApp have mainly operated outside of Zuck’s immediate gaze, Oculus leadership has taken up a unique position close to Facebook’s core. But its consumer products haven’t always flourished.  Set back by supply chain issues and bulky hardware, 2018’s Oculus Quest headset settled into more of a niche product for gamers than the multi-purpose device Facebook envisioned.  Enter yesterday’s event. Facebook rolled out a lighter, cheaper, higher-res version called the Quest 2 that’s earned positive reviews so far. It’s not Elon Musk’s Neuralink, but you can still do a lot, like play a growing catalog of videogames or watch Netflix in a virtual movie theater.  But wait, there’s more Facebook wants its VR devices to be used for more than weekly Social Network screenings—it also demoed Infinite Office, a new feature that will allow users to spawn a virtual office environment right at their physical desk.  Other companies, including Microsoft, have also dipped their toes into VR-enhanced work environments, and mass WFH-ing is accelerating adoption.   But if immersive VR headsets aren’t your thing, Zuckerburg also confirmed Facebook will be releasing its first pair of consumer “smart glasses” next year. While details on the wearable tech are murky, you may not look as nerdy as you think—the glasses will be made and branded by Ray-Ban.  Bottom line: The scope of yesterday’s announcements shows that Facebook is serious about a future where virtual reality is as much a part of the company's offerings as ignoring your high school gym teacher's friend request.  + While we’re here: If you want to dive deeper into the future of virtual reality and other emerging technologies, check out our Emerging Tech Brew newsletter.

PHARMA There Is an I in Vaccine Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images Which may explain why U.S. health officials weren’t on the same page in their public statements about a coronavirus vaccine yesterday.  CDC Director Robert Redfield told a Senate subcommittee that he anticipates a widely distributed vaccine coming in “late second quarter, third quarter of 2021.” But Department of Health and Human Services deputy chief of staff for policy Paul Mango said in an interview every American could get a vaccine by the end of next March.  Top infectious disease official Dr. Fauci is Team Redfield, putting a return to normal “well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021.”  Zoom out: Health officials’ projections consistently estimate longer timelines than the Trump administration (Mango is a political appointee), and some critics have said the administration is pressuring health agencies. President Trump has claimed a vaccine may be approved within four weeks. Once a vaccine is given the green light by the FDA, we'll witness a breathtaking race to get it to top-priority individuals. Pharma companies are already making doses, and the government released a plan yesterday to ship out Covid-19 vaccines within 24 hours of regulator approval.

ENTERTAINMENT Finish the Netflix Library? Help Is Coming. Giphy Vaccines are one thing, but this story is about the return of one of life’s absolute essentials—TV. Shows from teen drama (Riverdale, Outer Banks) to medical drama (Grey’s Anatomy) to police drama (Law & Order: SVU) have resumed production.  Game shows and variety shows are also cold opening their doors—Saturday Night Live is bringing in Jim Carrey to play Joe Biden in its upcoming season, and veteran Maya Rudolph will return to play Kamala Harris. Jeopardy! returned Monday for Season 37.   TV-making during a pandemic takes some adjustments. Jeopardy!’s crew is serving as its audience, and players have to apply their own makeup and mics. Contestants are being recruited via all-remote casting.  SNL is experimenting with limited audiences for its signature live shows. “With comedy, when you don’t hear the response, it’s different,” executive producer Lorne Michaels said.  Not everyone is adjusting well. Riverdale star Lili Reinhart said she “genuinely [felt] like a prisoner” shooting in Canada.

SPONSORED BY FIDELITY The Next Big Thing: Investment Edition As a newsletter dedicated to finance and business, we know it can be pretty daunting to uncover the next big investing opportunity. Well, allow us to introduce you to the next big thing for investors: Fidelity's thematic mutual funds. These funds give you exposure to long-term trends shaping today’s world, by utilizing Fidelity’s vast global research capabilities and active management expertise. Fidelity has created funds that allow you to invest in companies across a range of thematic categories, including: Disruption funds: Invest in companies that challenge the status quo and have the potential to disrupt their industries. Megatrend funds: Seek companies most likely to benefit from major global transformations. So if you're looking for actively managed funds that help you invest in the things that matter most to you, go to Fidelity. Learn more about thematic investing with Fidelity right here.

AVIATION House Panel: Boeing, FAA Need to Clean Up Their Act A Democrat-controlled House committee spent 18 months investigating the two fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 Max planes and came to one conclusion: They didn’t have to happen. The committee slammed a) Boeing for a culture that didn’t prioritize safety and b) its regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, for punting on its responsibility to keep an eye on Boeing.  “The fact that a compliant airplane suffered from two deadly crashes in less than five months is clear evidence that the current regulatory system is fundamentally flawed,” the report stated.  Democrats called for a total overhaul of the FAA’s plane certification process...but Republicans aren't on board. The 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling plane, has been grounded since two crashes killed 346 people in the span of five months. Boeing and the FAA have been working to get the plane in the air again, but the ordeal has undermined both their reputations. Looking ahead...the Max began test flights this summer, and could get approval to fly again by this winter.

FITNESS Might Be Time for a Living Room Bike Rack Zwift Stop us if you’ve heard this before: An at-home fitness company is crushing it during the pandemic. Zwift, a training aid that hosts virtual bike and running races, raised $450 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion yesterday.  It’s not a Peloton clone Instead of a roster of toned instructors yelling fortune cookie phrases at you, Zwift takes training a step further, immersing athletes in a 3D virtual world on a device of their choosing.  Investors are confident there’s a healthy appetite for screaming “On your left!” at your iPad; about 117,000 riders participated in a virtual Tour de France Zwift hosted in July.  But Zwift says it’ll eventually use the funding to go handlebar to handlebar with Peloton—it plans to introduce an indoor bike of its own in the near future.  Zoom out: Zwift is hoping its unique product will help it stand out in the crowded at-home fitness industry; Apple's Fitness+ service just entered the gym on Tuesday.

MARKETING Marketing for Beginners: The Best Articles and Expert Resources Francis Scialabba The marketing and advertising industry is a multitrillion-dollar colossus with exciting professional opportunities. But for people looking to begin their journey in marketing, it’s impossible to know where to start. There are just too. Many. Articles. And, frankly, too many boring articles. That’s where we come in. The expert curators at Morning Brew have tapped industry pros, sifted through years of blog posts, and watched every Nike ad since sneakers were invented to bring you a 10-step guide to the best resources in the marketing industry.  What you won’t find here: Fluffy listicles that tell you what you already know, like "it's all about authenticity."    What you will find: Insightful case studies, videos, articles, and more that people in the industry actually use to make them better professionals. Check it out.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING Snowflake jumped 112% in its IPO debut, making it the biggest software company IPO ever. The cloud data company is now worth $70 billion. Sen. Marco Rubio and other GOP senators urged President Trump to reject any TikTok-Oracle deal that leaves Chinese company ByteDance with ties to TikTok in the U.S. The Big Ten reversed course, saying it’ll play football again starting the week of Oct. 24.  The U.S. Open tees off today at a time when the golf industry is surging. Not The Onion: Rapper Travis Scott’s collab with McDonald’s has led to ingredient shortages.

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BREW'S BETS Level up: Take any of LinkedIn’s 20 most popular courses for free through the end of the month, or try a Coursera class from universities like Stanford and Yale. Wind down: If you’ve already rewatched Vampire Diaries this year, it might be time to spin the Netflix Roulette wheel for a fresh pick.  The offline option: Grab a recommendation from Whichbook, browse this sea of classics, or check out all the business reads on Brew's Bookshelf.

FROM THE CREW Your Ears Need More Brew On our podcast Business Casual, host Kinsey Grant goes beyond the headlines and explores the business world from diverse perspectives. Here are some recent topics you should check out: Are recessions good for startups? What if the worst of times for the economy is actually the best of times for entrepreneurs?  There’s a lot to unpack with Netflix. Specifically, what's behind its success?   With birth rates falling across the U.S., we need to change the system to make it more accommodating for people who want both a career and a family. Here’s how to do it. Bottom line: Sign up for Kinsey's Sunday column and subscribe to the pod here. We also partnered with one of our favorite business podcasts, Popcorn Finance—check out the 13-minute episode.

COLLEGE TOWN TRIVIA To mark the Big Ten's return to playing football, let's do some college town trivia. We'll give you the town, you have to figure out the university/college that's located in it. (If there are multiple, go for the bigger/more famous one).  East Lansing, Michigan Hanover, New Hampshire Provo, Utah Ames, Iowa Fort Collins, Colorado West Lafayette, Indiana

FEATURED Truly Remarkable - Could This Be The End to War? What do you think? >> Read it Here >> Breaking News     Breaking News: Michelle Finally Snaps - Melania Sent Her Over The 'Edge' High Ranking Officials Are Furious! {Continue Reading} September 17 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Wenceslas II READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1978 Camp David Accords concluded READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2011: The first Occupy Wall Street protest was held in the United States , as some 1,000 demonstrators marched in Manhattan before occupying Zuccotti Park; the movement, which eventually went global, sought to highlight corporate greed and income inequality, among other issues. 1991: North Korea and South Korea were admitted to the United Nations. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world organizations.] 1972: The American TV series M*A*S*H, based on the Robert Altman film (1970), debuted on CBS, and the show was hugely popular with both critics and viewers. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about pop culture.] 1948: Folke, Greve (count) Bernadotte, was assassinated by Jewish extremists while serving the United Nations as mediator between the Arabs and the Israelis. 1939: During World War II the Soviet army invaded Poland from the east—joining Germany, which had launched its attack several weeks earlier—and the Polish government fled to Romania. [ How much do you know about World War II?] 1926: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was severely injured in a bus accident, and during her recovery she began painting and soon abandoned her plans for a career in medicine. [Watch an overview of Frida Kahlo's life and career.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1950 Narendra Modi prime minister of India 1923 Hank Williams American musician 1945 Phil Jackson American basketball player and coach 1985 Alex Ovechkin Russian hockey player 1935 Ken Kesey American author 1944 Reinhold Messner Italian explorer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   BREAKING: Ted Cruz Decision STUNS Trump - This Is Shocking Read the details... Ron Paul Blows The Lid Off The Worldwide Coronavirus SCAM    The liberal media is desperate to keep this shocking message undercover until the 2020 election...   What's happening in America right now is being taken advantage of by those who want to profit politically from the panic.   To them, it's a perfect chance to steal more of our constitutional freedoms and set America up for a socialist future.   If that sounds too extreme, just consider: The Department of Justice recently asked Congress for the ability to detain Americans—without trial—during "emergencies" like this... Others have proposed we "eliminate all political borders"... And according to a recent story in Politico, the White House Coronavirus Task Force is considering creating a national surveillance system to track Americans' health information – essentially a healthcare Patriot Act!   Don't forget: In many states, it's now illegal to publicly worship at a church. A blatant disregard for the First Amendment. (And many state constitutions, as well.)   But this is just a foreshadowing of an even greater crisis...   One former Trump advisor is warning that this could spark the next Great Depression.   But I think the results could be even worse...   I explain why – and the #1 first step every American should take to prepare right now – in a short new video I put together.   You can watch it right here.   Sincerely,   Dr. Ron Paul   Republicans Work to Heal America's Divides Read More HERE->>

|  Riots, Crime Not Favored by Most Americans |  [Sponsored] Antifa is a terrorist organization |  Corporations Warned Against Funding Far-Left Groups | Big Moves Coming from the GOP

Columnists So, How Do They Dump Biden? Kurt Schlichter Stop Lowering Expectations for Biden's Debate Performance Larry O'Connor The News as We Once Knew it Is Dead Victor Davis Hanson Stop Getting Ripped Off By Political Grifters Derek Hunter Simple Ideas to Ensure a Trump Victory Ann Coulter Dems Call Trump a Mass-Murdering Racist; His Poll Numbers Rise Larry Elder The Problem Isn't Netflix. The Problem Is Us Laura Hollis The Export-Import Bank's China Program Lacks Vision Veronique de Rugy History Starts with People Armstrong Williams ADVERTISEMENT Is Joe Biden a Victim of Elder Abuse? Jeff Davidson Response to 'I Just Can’t Vote for Trump' Republicans Loyd Pettegrew Why So Much Anger? Cal Thomas On Constitution Day, 'Doing the Work' Should Include Reading the Constitution Anastasia Boden Conservatives Must Be Ready to Sacrifice Everything Gavin Wax The Durability of the US Constitution Jerry Newcombe Support for Iranian Resistance Signals Global Opposition to Appeasement of Regime David Jones Wisconsin Dems Suppressing Green Party Voters M.D. Kittle Nothing Cute About 'Cuties' Penny Young Nance President Trump Is Tapping Into a New Demographic: The Stoolies Matt Rosborg Arab Enabling Prevents Peace Jonathan Feldstein 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 Don't Be Fooled: Joe Biden Is A Leftist, Not A Moderate Global ADAS & Autonomous Driving Technology Report 2020 | Personal Finance, Financial Advice, Money, How Do We Rescue Young People From Socialism? Why The Founding Fathers Despised Democracy The 2020 Election And Your Portfolio Democrats Willing To Kill 90,000 COVID Patients To Discredit Trump

Tipsheet No Cause for Alarm...It's Just That Some North Carolina Voters Received Multiple Ballots Matt Vespa Here's a Look at Some of the Thugs Kamala Harris and Biden Staff Helped Bail Out Bronson Stocking Trump Explains How Democrats Became Anti-Vaxxers Bronson Stocking Over 300 Airmen Swear-In During Space Force Ceremony Bronson Stocking Numbers Don't Lie: Trump Answers a Lot More Questions From Reporters Than Biden Bronson Stocking Perdue Campaign Exposes Lie From Ossoff and Schumer Reagan McCarthy Locked Down Forever: The Large Percentage of Businesses That Have Closed for Good Bronson Stocking Trump Announces Military Will Help Administer Wuhan Coronavirus Vaccine Katie Pavlich President of College In Lancaster Tries to Raise Bail Money for Student Charged with Rioting Julio Rosas Flip-Flop: Biden Indicates He May Have Presidential Authority to Implement Mask Mandate Reagan McCarthy ADVERTISEMENT Political Cartoons Bearing Arms Two Dead, Four Wounded In San Jose Shooting | Tom Knighton The Million-Dollar Bail For Lancaster Rioters Is A Tactical Mistake | Cam Edwards Details Emerge In Milwaukee Arrest Of Armed Homeowner | Cam Edwards Negligent Discharge Takes Woman's Life | Tom Knighton When The First And Second Amendments Collide | Cam Edwards