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Good morning. A statement from Morning Brew, Inc.:  “Morning Brew is aware of recent reports circulating of a Newsletter Super League that would create an international competition over inbox space, upending existing internet communications systems that have been in place since the 1960s. We can neither confirm nor deny these reports...but if invited, of course we'd join are you kidding?"

MARKETS 1-DAY PERFORMANCE   Nasdaq -0.98% 13,914.77 S&P -0.53% 4,163.26 Dow -0.36% 34,077.63 Bitcoin -1.98% $56,103.58 10-Year +1.9 bps 1.603% Tesla -3.40% $714.63   *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. Markets: Tech stocks dropped and Tesla dragged down the S&P after a car crashed on Saturday, killing two, with no one in the driver's seat.  Nation: With closing arguments having concluded, the jury in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial is now deliberating in one of the most consequential civil rights cases in years. Many businesses in Minneapolis have boarded up their windows, and schools are closing for in-person learning Wednesday through Friday as we await a verdict.

CANNABIS Cannabis Is Officially Mainstream Francis Scialabba Today, on 4/20, a record 43% of Americans live in states where they can legally ponder the fact that we're all just pieces of furniture when you really think about it. For everyone else, it might not be much longer.  In their latest survey, Pew found that 60% of US adults now support legalized recreational and medical use and an additional 31% back medical marijuana. We'll save you a trip to the Calculator app: That leaves just 8% of adults who oppose legalized marijuana.  With the public behind them, more politicians are backing legalization. This month, New Mexico became the 17th state to allow recreational use. Even the traditionally anti-pot South is cracking; starting in July, Virginia will allow adults to watch Cats as it was meant to be consumed without breaking the law.  States are also addressing unjust outcomes from the war on drugs. New York, Illinois, and Vermont are automatically expunging criminal records of some marijuana-related charges, and other states will prioritize awarding licenses to entrepreneurs from impacted communities. Zoom out: North America's turning into the greenest continent in the world. Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, and Mexico could follow soon. Growing weed, growing pains  Making the transition from the frisbee team's homemade brownies to direct-to-consumer Botanical White Grapefruit gummies takes work.  Marijuana is still illegal under federal law and many banks are reluctant to work with the industry, making it harder to access loans, secure payment processing, and procure other financial services. And a lack of federal standards has led to inconsistency around testing, labeling, and marketing. Legalization can bring big economic opportunity: The US marijuana industry already supports 300,000+ full-time jobs—more than the number of dentists in the country. And in Q1, Illinois made more off cannabis taxes than it did off liquor taxes. But the pot industry isn't a sure bet. Canada's legal market kicked off with an investment boom, but today many cannabis businesses there are struggling due to tightly regulated distribution, restrictions on marketing, and less demand than expected. Bottom line: "Legalization will eventually win, and the vast majority of states, if not all, will soon join the ranks of the legalizers," Vox writes.

SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook Joins the Club Francis Scialabba Like a middle schooler who saw all the cool kids wearing Hollister tees and said, "I want one!", Facebook announced yesterday an aggressive move into audio formats. New features include rooms for hosting live audio discussions, a feed of short audio clips similar to Instagram's Reels, and tools for podcasters. "At a high-level picture here, we think audio is also going to be a first-class medium," CEO Mark Zuckerberg told tech journalist Casey Newton.  That's not exactly a spicy take. After the social audio startup Clubhouse caught fire during the pandemic, internet companies including Spotify, LinkedIn, Twitter, Discord, Slack, and Reddit have all announced some sort of "social audio" function to host spontaneous conversations. The number of Clubhouse copycats has sparked a heated debate over whether live audio can work as a standalone product or exist simply as a feature in a social media company's suite of offerings. For proponents of the "feature" argument, you have some new ammo: Clubhouse installs globally are down 68% in April compared to March.

MARKETING McDonald's Takes a Dynamite Approach to Marketing Giphy There's famous, and then there's "get fast food named after you" famous. McDonald's announced a new partnership with Grammy-nominated K-pop sensations BTS as part of its Famous Orders program. Starting May 26, you can order the new celeb meal: 10-piece McNuggets with sweet chili and cajun dipping sauces, medium fries, and a medium Coke. Big picture: This is the third celebrity collab for the fast-food chain since September, when its Travis Scott meal led to a significant sales bump and a Quarter Pounder shortage. And while the burger brand’s previous partnerships have been applauded by investors, BTS is a whole new song and dance. The Korean boyband has 34.5 million Twitter followers, 31.8 million TikTok followers, and was the top-selling act of 2020 globally, beating out artists like Taylor Swift and Drake. Looking forward…the BTS meal is the first partnership that McDonald's will make available globally, but it definitely won't be the last, especially when it hears about the Morning Brew meal: four cups of coffee in a wet drink holder being carried six blocks to the office.

SPONSORED BY FUNDRISE Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Stock Market Listen, the stock market can be great. Sometimes it’s stable, everything’s in the green, and you put “investing genius” in all your dating profiles. But the stock market can also be unpredictable. And when you wake up to see all your highly considered positions in the red, you should give yourself some peace of mind by diversifying your portfolio. Here’s where Fundrise comes in. They make it easy to invest in private market real estate, an alternative to the stock market, but one that used to only be accessible to the ultra-wealthy. Fundrise has changed that. Now, with just a $500 minimum investment, you can access real estate’s historically strong, consistent, and reliable returns. No need to feel all that stock market stress, reader. Start diversifying with Fundrise today.

GRAB BAG Key Performance Indicators Workers crowd a bus station in New Delhi, India, after the capital went into a week-long lockdown. SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images Stat: Last week, more people globally were infected with the coronavirus (5.2 million) than in any other week during the pandemic, according to Bloomberg. Covid-19 is currently ripping through lower-income countries, which have been far slower than wealthy ones to vaccinate their citizens. Quote: "They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches."  UEFA's president said players who compete in soccer's breakaway Super League could be banned from competing in the World Cup and the European Championship. The legal battle over the future of European fútbol has begun.  Read: Hollywood mega-agent Ari Emanuel's second act. (New Yorker)

SPACE One Small Step for Man, One Giant Step for Drones NASA The Perseverance rover's younger brother, the Ingenuity helicopter, became the first aircraft to fly on another planet when it took off on Mars early Monday morning. And just like any baby of the family, it worked for 40 seconds and everyone made a big deal about it.  Two of the biggest hurdles Ingenuity had to overcome: The extremely thin atmosphere on Mars. The helicopter's rotors had to spin >2,500 rpm—5x the average rpm of a helicopter on Earth—just to "bite into" something. 173 million miles between the two planets. Even if something did go wrong, the radio signals would take too long to reach a human operator for much to be done. Ingenuity had to fly completely on its own with no direct contact from its handling team on Earth. What's next for the lad? The $80 million helicopter's air-time is being heralded as a "Wright brothers moment" for space travel, opening up future drone missions to areas that might be inaccessible to rovers and astronauts. But first, a few more test flights over the next two weeks. Gotta learn to walk before you can fly around craters, baby bro.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING Apple is reinstating the social media app Parler on its App Store, months after taking it down due to harmful content. It's also hosting its spring event today.  The union defeated by Amazon in a vote this month is officially filing an objection to the results. IBM posted its first revenue gain in five quarters. GameStop CEO George Sherman is stepping down, handing even more power to the company's largest shareholder and e-commerce vet Ryan Cohen.  Coca-Cola said case volumes in March have returned to 2019 levels thanks to easing Covid-19 restrictions. The US’ largest coal mining union said it would back Biden’s push for renewable energy in exchange for job opportunities in the sector.

BREW'S BETS These plusses add up. With Walmart+ you get free shipping, no order minimum, as well as free delivery from your store*. It’s a membership that will save you time + money. Your 15-day free trial awaits.* “Ooh, Kayla, those lash extensions look great, where’d you get them?” “They’re not extensions, Krista, it’s Thrive Causemetics mascara, and it has over 11,800 five-star reviews.” Become Kayla and get 15% off your entire first order here.* New pod alert: Columbia University sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh spent years embedding himself in the exclusive worlds of crack gangs, teenage kids of billionaires, and most recently, Facebook and Twitter. He explores our digital revolution in the new pod, Sudhir Breaks the Internet—check it out.  What they're really thinking: Hear Ikea customer complaints through the ears of an employee.  Tech Tip Tuesday: Learn how to use Google Chrome's Reading List feature, which is similar to Pocket.  *This is sponsored advertising content

FROM THE CREW Getting Real on Feeling Like a Fake Our cofounder and CEO, Alex Lieberman, is no stranger to faking it til he makes it. And he’s discussing just that on this episode of his (he didn’t pay us to say this) terrific podcast, Founder’s Journal. On “How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome,” Alex shares some techniques for dealing with self-doubt and anxiety while growing a successful business. Listen to Founder’s Journal on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

GAMES Do You Want the Good Lands or the Badlands? To celebrate National Park Week, we're going to ask you five trivia questions about these natural treasures. How to grade yourself: Get a 5/5 and maybe you should consider a second career as a Park Ranger. Get a 2/5 or worse, and you must remove "Love National Parks!" from your dating profile. It’s one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It’s the oldest national park. It’s the most visited national park.  It’s the state where Great Sand Dunes National Park is located. It’s the national park where Managing Editor Neal Freyman took this picture :

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ANSWER

1. Grand Canyon
2. Yellowstone
3. Great Smoky Mountains
4. Colorado
5. Grand Teton

 

Breaking News: Donald Trump Makes Unexpected Announcement Live Today

Liberals Are Furious Over Trump's...

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JUST IN: Trump Tells Hannity He is “Beyond Seriously” Considering a 2024 Presidential Run (VIDEO)

Sydney Powell Talks About Dominion Lawsuits And The 2020 Election At Health And Freedom Conference

Stanford Study Results: Facemasks are Ineffective to Block Transmission of COVID-19 and Actually Can Cause Health Deterioration and Premature Death

BREAKING: Maxine Waters Has Sassy Response for Judge After His Threat of Mistrial in Chauvin Case

NARRATIVE DESTROYED: Stunning New Data Proves New York Had Worst COVID Response In The Country

Latest News

WH Press Secretary Says Biden Wants to Allow More Refugees, Just Can’t Due to Trump-Era Policies On Friday President Biden said he declined to raise the refugee cap, upsetting liberals and Democrats who, rightly so, c [...] Read More     Hot Today Speaker Pelosi: ‘Growth of Country…Might Necessitate’ Packing Supreme Court Read More   REPORT: Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Died From ‘Natural Causes’ Day After January 6th Riot Read More   Desperate Dems; Even Liberal Legislator Telling Biden, Harris Visit Border ‘ASAP’ Read More

April 20

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Adolf Hitler READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 2010 Explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig READ MORE

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2008: American race car driver Danica Patrick won the IndyCar 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar championship event. [Test your knowledge of auto racing.]

1999: Two disgruntled and heavily armed students entered Columbine High School in Littleton , Colorado, and murdered 13 people before killing themselves.

1968: Pierre Elliott Trudeau of the Liberal Party became prime minister of Canada ; in that post, he discouraged the French separatist movement, oversaw the formation of a new constitution, and established relations with China. [ Sort fact from fiction in our Canada quiz.]

1949: American actress Jessica Lange, who was known for her versatility and intelligent performances, was born. [Take our actors and acting quiz.]

1924: Finalizing the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's Grand National Assembly voted to adopt a full republican constitution, with General Mustafa Kemal , who had first proclaimed the Turkish republic about six months earlier, becoming the first president of the republic. [Watch an overview of Turkey.]

1920: U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was born in Chicago. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

 

April 20th, 2021

Chauvin Trial Judge: Maxine Waters' Statement 'May Overturn This Whole Trial' Comments made by Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California could result in whatever verdict is delivered in the trial of former Minnesota... Read More ›

Simple Trick To Have Unlimited Battery Power What if you could have nearly unlimited battery power for nearly no cost? Enough to live off-grid and power all of your electronics and devices? Well, there's a new… Read More ›

JUST IN: Trump Tells Hannity He is “Beyond Seriously” Considering a 2024 Run Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity Monday evening that he is very seriously considering a 2024 presidential bid.“Are you running... Read More ›

LATEST: Convicted Felon Arrested After Firing on National Guard in Minneapolis As reported by Cassandra: Local news station WCCO reported that the Minnesota National Guard said its members, along with Minneapolis... Read More ›

BLM Protesters Kneel, Rally for Man Killed by Police, Turns Out To Be White Black Lives Matter has led the charge to make seemingly every issue in America a referendum on race. One example of this came during a... Read More ›

BLM activist calls for more looting because America owes black people [VIDEO] A BLM activist named Kim Brown, whose podcast is on Youtube, calls for more looting because America owes black people or... Read More ›

This Will Make You Feel Helpless...

In less than 30 minutes, one man's life turned into a nightmare... And not even the police could do anything about it! Unsuspecting Americans have never been more vulnerable, and it's only going to get worse! Read More ›

 

Medical Examiner: Sicknick Died of Natural Causes

Judge: Maxine Waters May ‘Overturn’ Chauvin Verdict

SPECIAL: Weird new hemp actually GROWS brain cells?

Apple Caves, Lets Parler Back into the App Store

George W. Bush Resurfaces to Pitch for Amnesty for Illegals

Detroit Police Chief Demands Rashida Tlaib Resign After ‘Reckless’ Comments

Pentagon Now Says Russian Troop Build-Up Near Ukraine “Bigger” Than In 2014

WHO Rejects Vaccine Passport For International Travelers

Pro-Life Event Continues Battle with Abortion Industry Through Prayer

Columnists What Joe Biden and Obama Have in Common When It Comes to Handling Crises Matt Vespa The Lies Liberals Need to Tell Themselves Derek Hunter Whites Aren't Hated for Slavery but for Making America and the West Dennis Prager Trump Didn't Form a Populist Coalition; He Was the Result of One Salena Zito Gretchen Whitmer Traveled to Florida After Blaming That State for Michigan’s Spike in Covid Cases Brad Slager Journalism’s Mounting Issue with Baiting the Narrative Brad Slager I’m Running for Governor of Georgia Because Brian Kemp Let us Down. Vernon Jones GOP Trustbusters Are Embracing Progressives' Agenda Stephen Moore The Hysterical Reaction to the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Endangers Lives John R. Lott, Jr. ADVERTISEMENT Who Will Be the Next 'America First' President? Pat Buchanan Parents, Beware of Public Schools Oliver North Another Mass Shooting Cal Thomas Woke Dems and Enviros Scoff at Original Earth Day Concern: Population Growth Leon Kolankiewicz Democrats Sacrifice D.C. Statehood on Electoral College Alter Rick Manning Guns Are Not the Real Issue Michael Brown Shaking Hands Sooner: We Must Decide When the Emergency Ends Jason Killmeyer The Feds Are Funding Fantasy EV Charging Stations David Wojick America’s Police, the Last Line of Defense Against Anarchy D.W. Wilber Police Officer Mistaking Her Gun for Her Taser Was Not Racism Rachel Alexander INVESTING New Document Reveals Woke Shareholder Activists' Battleplan For 2021 COVID-1984

Tipsheet White House Walks Back Biden's Border 'Crisis' Comment Leah Barkoukis The True History of COVID From a Freedom Perspective Congressman Andy Biggs Maxine Waters Just Set Off a Nuke With Chauvin Remarks...And A LOT of Democrats Are Furious Matt Vespa Ron DeSantis Tells Tucker How Long It Took To Realize 'We're Not Doing Fauciism' Scott Morefield BUSTED: Gov. Whitmer Kept Her Residents Locked Up Over COVID While She Absconded to Florida Matt Vespa One Glaring Issue With Twitter's Case Against James O'Keefe Matt Vespa Judge: Maxine Waters' Actions 'May Result in This Whole Trial Being Overturned' Spencer Brown Vandals Seek to Intimidate Chauvin Defense Witness with Pig's Head and Animal Blood Julio Rosas BREAKING: Medical Examiner Releases Officer Sicknick's Cause of Death. It's Not What You've Been Told. Katie Pavlich 'Rioting and Violence Have Absolutely No Place in Florida': Ron DeSantis Signs Anti-Riot Bill Into Law Julio Rosas Fact Check the Left: Was Daunte Wright Stopped by Police Because of a Car Air Freshener? Matt Vespa ADVERTISEMENT Political Cartoons Bearing Arms Ohio Bill Would Turn State Into Second Amendment Sanctuary | Tom Knighton Rhode Island's Tough Gun Laws Miss the Mark | John Petrolino Texas House Passes Permitless Carry | Tom Knighton Armed Man Taken Into Custody At Bowling Green State University | John Petrolino Anti-Gun Activists Target State-Level 2A Protections | Cam Edwards