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Good morning. Start reaching out to your friends with pools now because a "heat dome" is going to hit the US next week. Most of the country will see highs of about 10–15 degrees above average, so if there’s a plus side, at least we’ll all be miserable together.

MARKETS Nasdaq 14,836.99 +1.04% S&P 4,411.79 +1.01% Dow 35,061.55 +0.68% Bitcoin $32,642.23 +0.82% 10-Year 1.276% -0.4 bps Facebook $369.79 +5.30% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. Markets: Delta who? The major US stock indexes closed the week at record highs despite rising Covid-19 case numbers in all 50 states. The Dow closed above 35,000 for the first time, and, as you’ll read about in a sec, social media companies got a big boost. Covid: The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine offers strong protection against severe illness caused by the Delta variant, but it's possibly less effective in preventing infection, according to a new study from Israel’s health ministry.

SOCIAL MEDIA No, Snap Didn't Ghost Us Snap is TikTok’s older cousin who just came back from living abroad for a couple years and now looks...pretty hot.  The social media company’s stock catapulted nearly 24% after reporting its biggest growth quarter in four years Thursday. Daily active users climbed to 293 million in the second quarter, up 23% annually. Revenue more than doubled to $982 million, which was way above analysts’ estimates.  In short, it’s “hard to see anything that’s not firing on all cylinders,” Bernstein tech analyst Mark Shmulik said. What’s working?  Lockdowns ending: Posting on Snap is way more fun when you can travel and brag about it to your friends. In a previous earnings report, CEO Evan Spiegel said that easing Covid restrictions boosted Story posting and engagement with Snap Map. Digital ad boom: Snap’s improvements to its ad offerings and higher digital ad spending overall means brands are willing to pay more for a placement with Snap. That’s translated into mega revenue growth. No poison from Apple: Snap said that the rollout of Apple’s iOS 14.5 privacy update did not impact it as much as expected. They’re going through changes Social media companies are evolving as they transition from youth to middle-age. Snap has invested heavily in augmented reality and commerce—it wants you to shop online and “try on” clothing using its AR technology. Twitter, which also reported a stellar quarter Thursday, has introduced live audio, newsletters, and tip jars. Facebook’s goal is to become a “metaverse company,” which we’re not even sure Zuck knows the meaning of but we’ll be eager observers. Platforms are also responding to the emerging power of “creators” to pull in users, exemplified by the success of TikTok. At one point Snap was doling out $1 million per day to creators on its TikTok-clone Spotlight, and Facebook is paying $1 billion to creators through 2022.

SPORTS Hajimemashite, Tokyo Olympics

Wally Skalij /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images A song from the video game Final Fantasy blares over the speakers to a mostly empty stadium as masked Olympic athletes parade around the track. Meanwhile, a small group of protestors outside can be heard chanting, “No to the Olympics!” and “Save people’s lives!” in reference to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. You look up and 1,800 drones form a spinning orb, visible throughout Tokyo—which is currently in a state of emergency due to a rise in coronavirus cases... That was the scene at the Opening Ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Here are a few other standout moments: Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron. A Kabuki performer cleansed the stadium’s negative energy with traditional dance while Hiromi Uehara made everyone wish they could play piano.  Keith Urban, John Legend, and other singers from across the globe sang “Imagine” together, because we learned nothing from Gal Gadot’s version. Now comes the fun part: Here’s the master TV schedule for the athletic competitions.

BEVERAGE The Bubbles of Bubbles Has Finally Popped

Truly We should’ve known when our mom texted us asking if we’d had the “white claw drink,” but hard seltzer is no longer the golden child of alcoholic beverages. Shares in Boston Beer, the company that makes Truly hard seltzer, collapsed 27% yesterday after it warned the seltzer party was over. Hard seltzer was a fast-growing segment that reached $4.5 billion in global sales in 2020. But whether beer has made a comeback or people are just drinking less overall, Boston Beer said it “overestimated” the growth of hard seltzer in Q2 and said the future was “uncertain.” Founder Jim Koch blamed the miss on a maturing market and customer confusion, given all the options.  We blame Truly Punch. Zoom out: More than 150 brands are all competing to be your lake day drink, and the industry’s realizing that’s probably too many. Just a few weeks ago, Coors said it would be discontinuing its Coors Seltzer...so it can devote more resources to its other seltzer products.

SPONSORED BY GRYPHON Route Some Investment $$$ This Way In a perfect world, the Internet would be a cheery place full of memes and adorable cat videos. But let’s be honest: The internet can be kinda sketch. With the rise in ransomware and cyber attacks on the weird wide web, folks are turning to the protective power of Gryphon. Gryphon’s powerful intelligent mesh WiFi routers beef up cybersecurity with network-based solutions easily managed in the cloud. It’s the kind of tech that makes you go: “Dang, wish I could’ve gotten in as an investor.” Well, wish no more, reader. This cybersecurity sensation is bringing on investors as they expand beyond the $5 million in sales they’ve done since 2018. That’s 160% annual revenue growth in a market positioned to reach $270B in value. Who knew the cybersecurity biz had so much potential for serious stacks? Invest in Gryphon right over here.

GRAB BAG Key Performance Indicators

Cleveland Guardians Stat: MLB’s Cleveland Indians will change their name for the first time since 1915 to the Cleveland Guardians after acknowledging that the previous name was offensive to many Native Americans. Here, let Tom Hanks tell you all about it. Quote: “I want to be the biggest podcast in the world.”  Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper was the most popular person on the internet Thursday, with profiles in the WSJ, Time, Bustle, and Refinery29. Cooper’s podcast became exclusive to Spotify this week after she signed a $60 million contract with the streamer. Read: The resurgent appeal of Guinness world records. (The Ringer)

PERSONAL FINANCE Money Matters: Getting the Mix Just Right

In this new Summer 2021 segment, the Brew’s personal finance writer Ryan Lasker is nose-diving into our inbox to address your personal finance questions. Submit your money woes here. How much money should I be investing and saving in cash every month?—Sean from California You can do three things with your income: spend it, save it, and invest it. Let your income, life situation, and goals inform your ideal mix. But cash comes first. An emergency fund is your license to invest. Keep enough cash to cover three to six months of expenses in a savings account that you can tap in the face of financial hardship. Your job stability and risk appetite should guide how big you grow the emergency fund. Depending on your financial goals, you might not need to save any more cash beyond that. Perhaps only Elon Musk appears in this newsletter as much as inflation, which is just one reason not to hoard more cash than is necessary.  If you don’t have any major purchases coming up—like buying a house—invest away in the stock market. But, money you’ll need in the next three years is best held in an FDIC high-yield savings account. Don’t forget debt: Check out my column from a few weeks ago for help deciding between investing and paying down loans. PS: Later this summer, Ryan will be writing a twice-weekly personal finance newsletter to make you smarter about your money. Become one of the first subscribers.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING Food delivery company Zomato, India’s first billion-dollar tech startup to go public, soared 65% in its trading debut. GM announced the second recall of its Chevy Bolt EV over potential fire risk. Some hospitals in Florida have more Covid-19 patients than during last summer’s surge. Rivian, an electric vehicle startup, raised $2.5 billion in a round led by Amazon, Ford, and T. Rowe Price.

BREW'S BETS The fountain of metabolic youth. Sakara’s Metabolism Super Powder helps you break your sugar habit while improving digestion, controlling cravings, and eliminating bloat. A younger metabolism can be yours for 20% off with the code JULYBREW.* Your digital assets, your way. Bakkt® is the digital wallet of the future that lets you manage a variety of digital assets all in one place. From loyalty and rewards points to gift cards and bitcoin. Manage it all with Bakkt here.* Weekend Conversation Starters: Best video ever? (language warning)  What’s better: The cool side of the pillow or warm laundry? Is there a wrong way to grocery shop?  What are teens buying these days?  Did your college town have the best sandwich in America? Tell us about it.  Non-Kanye listening: In the words of Brew writer Matty Merrit, “this playlist is so gooooood.”  *This is sponsored advertising content

GAMES Brew Crossword This puzzle may or may not be related to the celebration of a particular type of booze today. Only one way to find out...play it here.

July 24

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Born On This Day Julie Krone American jockey READ MORE

FEATURED EVENT 1917 Beginning of Mata Hari's trial

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MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2020: American TV personality Regis Philbin, who was best known for hosting the talk show Live! With Regis and Kelly and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, died at age 88. [Take our pop culture quiz.]

2013: American sex researcher and therapist Virginia E. Johnson—who, with William H. Masters, formed Masters and Johnson, a pioneering research team noted for their studies on human sexuality—died at age 88.

2005: American cyclist Lance Armstrong became the first rider to win the Tour de France seven times; however, he was later stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy while he compiled his Tour victories. [Sort fact from fiction in our Tour de France quiz.]

1998: The World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, was released, and it became a critical and commercial success, earning five Academy Awards, including best director for Steven Spielberg. [Test your knowledge of the Academy Awards.]

1969: American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez—who was one of the highest-paid Latina actresses in the history of Hollywood and later found crossover success in the music industry with a series of pop albums—was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors.]

1959: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon engaged in the “kitchen debate” at an American exhibition in Moscow. [Learn what a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union might have looked like.]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1969 Jennifer Lopez American actress and musician

1897 Amelia Earhart American aviator

1783 Simón Bolívar Venezuelan soldier and statesman

1802 Alexandre Dumas, père French author [1802–1870]

1963 Karl Malone American basketball player

1964 Barry Bonds American baseball player

SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY

Columnists The Biden Money Laundering Scheme Katie Pavlich I Hate American Women's Soccer Kurt Schlichter De-CRT Your School Larry O'Connor The Ratings for President Biden’s Town Hall Are In Line with CNN’s Dismal Numbers Brad Slager What Is Rand Paul Thinking With This Endorsement? Brian McNicoll Democrat-Media Complex Highly Embarrassed by Anti-Socialist Uprising Humberto Fontova Mississippi Takes Aim at Roe Kathryn Lopez Will Congress Now Try to 'Amnesty' Us? Mark Thies A Defense of Patriotism in Sports Jake Bequette		Tipsheet Burgess Owens Calls Out Stacey Abrams on Rewriting Her Opposition to Voter ID Katie Pavlich U.S. Women's Soccer Team Appeals Dismissal of 'Equal Pay' Lawsuit Landon Mion It's Official: The NSA Unmasked Tucker Carlson Katie Pavlich D.C. Police Chief: Marijuana 'Undoubtedly is Connected to Violent Crimes' Landon Mion Rep. Cawthorn Says Fauci Should Be Prosecuted if Republicans Win the House in 2022 Landon Mion Florida Dems Slammed For 'Flat Footed' Response to Pro-Freedom Protests in Cuba Reagan McCarthy Is The Biden White House Hiding Breakthrough COVID Infections on Its Staff? They Won't Say. Matt Vespa
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A Palestinian Paradise? Donald Losman Environmentalists Want a World Without Single-use Products. They’re Insane. Madison Dibble How to Temper 'Woke Capitalism' with More Inclusion and Transparency Jack Kalavritinos Prospects for Spread of Khuzestan Uprising to Other Parts of Iran Cyrus Yaqubi		DC Police Chief Incensed After Another Shooting In Broad Daylight: You Cannot Coddle Violent Criminals! Julio Rosas It Will Never Be Easy Congressman Andy Biggs GOP Senator Says Biden Has a 'PhD in Lying' Over 'Defund the Police' Claim Reagan McCarthy NY Post Op-Ed Zeroes In on What the CDC Is Missing When It Comes to Kids and Forcing Them to Mask Up Matt Vespa Political Cartoons Bearing Arms West Virginia's Gov't-Run Gun Auction Raises Cash For Cops | Cam Edwards Philly City Councilwoman's Double Speak On "Gun Violence" | Tom Knighton Trump Jr.: You Can Support 2A or Chipman, But Not Both | Cam Edwards "The View" Host Claims Second Amendment Designed To Protect Slavery | Cam Edwards ABC News Targets Guns In Week-Long Special "One Nation Under Fire" | Cam Edwards
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