Saturday, July 10, 2021

BREW WITH HEADLINES

Daily Brew

TOGETHER WITH

Hoka

Good morning. The marketing folks at ESPN are calling this the “Weekend of Champions,” and they’re not wrong. Sports fans will be treated to the Wimbledon finals, Argentina vs. Brazil in the Copa América final, England vs. Italy in the Euro final, an NBA Finals game, and the rubber match of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

See you at the pub .

MARKETS


Nasdaq

14,701.92

S&P

4,369.55

Dow

34,870.16

Bitcoin

$33,872.21

10-Year

1.360%

Biogen

$358.16

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Markets: After a bumpy Thursday when investors questioned economic growth prospects, stocks rebounded to close at all-time highs. Biogen stock fell after the FDA’s acting head called for a federal investigation into the controversial approval of the company’s Alzhiemer’s drug.
  • Covid: The CDC released new guidance around school reopenings this fall. It wants schools to stay open for in-person instruction and said teachers and students who are vaccinated don’t need to wear masks or physically distance.

ANTITRUST

Biden Likes Fair Competition More Than Ice Cream

Biden signing an executive agreement

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Tired of Teddy Roosevelt getting all the “trustbuster” recognition in the history books, President Biden signed a beefy executive order yesterday containing 72 measures meant to target big business and promote competition in the US economy.

The order, which is less, “You must do this or else!” and more, “Here’s a guide to what I think,” reflects the Biden administration's focus on slowing corporate consolidation in order to help the US consumer. “In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year,” the White House said.

So what’s the game plan? 

The James Harden approach: Take an egregious amount of shots and hope you score some. The executive order mentions everything from shipping fees to over-the-counter hearing aids to banking mergers. Let’s look at some of the most interesting bits:

  • Noncompetes: The White House wants to limit employers’ ability to stop their employees from going to rivals, which Biden says would increase worker mobility and wages.
  • Transportation: Biden encouraged the Transportation Department to compel airlines to disclose fees and hand out refunds when your bags get lost or delayed.
  • Tech mergers: The order calls for “greater scrutiny of mergers, especially by dominant internet platforms...” 

Not everyone agrees that Corporate America is too concentrated. For example, the CEO of the Bank Policy Institute said in response to Biden’s order, “Banking is among the most competitive, least concentrated industries in America, as anyone who has shopped for a credit card, mortgage, or deposit account knows.” Republicans generally agree that consolidation isn’t a huge problem (at least outside of Big Tech).

Bottom line: Don’t expect Facebook to spin off Instagram because of this executive order. But it shows where Biden is focusing his attention, and it puts more pressure on Congress to revamp antitrust laws for the 21st century. 

        

SPACE

Branson’s Finally Getting the Space He Wanted

Virgin Galactic's Carrier Aircraft, VMS Eve and VSS Unity Prepare for Flight

Virgin Galactic (2018)

If all goes according to plan tomorrow, Richard Branson will win the first leg of the billionaire space race in time for brunch. Branson will be onboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity flight, nine days ahead of Jeff Bezos’s expected launch for Blue Origin on July 20.

VSS Unity isn’t like other spaceships. Instead of a traditional launch, the craft will take off in the air attached to a larger mothership called WhiteNightTwo at an altitude of 50,000 feet. 

When the ship reaches peak altitude, Branson and the three other passengers—all Virgin Galactic employees—will feel weightless. The whole trip will last about an hour and a half.

  • Peak altitude = 57 miles above the ground, which won’t pass what scientists call the “Kármán line,” or the invisible boundary to outer space. 
  • Blue Origin bragged on Twitter that it would be taking Bezos past the line at the end of the month.

Big picture: Branson is using this trip to show that space tourism is a legitimate industry, even if it will only be available to the ultra-rich for a while.

        

CRYPTO

Old Faithful, Meet New Currency

Brad Pitt as a cowboy tipping his hat

Giphy

Wyoming became the first US state to officially recognize a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) this week, its latest step to becoming the country’s most crypto-friendly place to live.

To be specific, the Cowboy State announced that the American CryptoFed DAO is now an LLC.

DAO 101: A DAO is any community that uses blockchain to govern itself without the intervention of a central authority. American CryptoFed’s mission, for instance, is to “create and sustain a monetary system with zero inflation, zero deflation, and zero transaction costs.”

If you already knew that…

Wyoming wants you to round up your buddies and settle down in Cody. The state has been writing new legislation to make its Zillow listings stand out to crypto folks, and it’s working: Major crypto companies Ripple and Kraken both set up operations there, as well as about 50 smaller LLCs with “bitcoin” in their names. 

  • To make things official, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis temporarily added laser eyes to her Twitter profile picture earlier this year.

What’s in it for Wyoming? The US’ No. 1 coal-producing state is looking to crypto as a new means of revenue generation and jobs as it weans itself off Santa’s little punishment rock. 

        

SPONSORED BY HOKA

A Day in the Shoes of Our Overachieving Boss

Hoka

We can all thank him for bringing the Brew into our lives, but this high-performer also 1) has a life outside of work and 2) is in pretty good shape tbh.

Turns out, Alex Lieberman’s life outside of work includes a killer—and pup-tastic—fitness regimen that helps him tackle his work week as:

  • Executive Chairman
  • Podcast host
  • LinkedIn enthusiast
  • Etc. (etc., etc.)

We gotchu a behind the scenes look at what fuels our fave boss-man to rise and grind on the weekdays and unwind on the weekends

TL;DR: He runs along the most iconic trail in New Jersey when most of us are reading our Brew in bed. Rambo, his pup, demands a healthy dose of hiking. And he only does it in shoes engineered for easy and seriously supportive experiences—like HOKA ONE ONE runners and hikers

See a different side of the media mogul in Grind and Unwind with Alex Lieberman

GRAB BAG

Key Performance Indicators

Zaila Avant-garde competes in the first round of the the Scripps Nationa...

Jim Watson/Getty Images

Stat: Zaila Avant-garde not only became the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night, she also holds three Guinness world records for basketball: most basketballs dribbled simultaneously (six for 30 seconds), most basketball bounces (307 in 30 seconds), and most bounce juggles in 1 minute (255 with four basketballs). 

Quote: “Hollywood as we know it is irrelevant. It no longer has any meaning or whatever. Streaming and everything, movies. It’s all really changed, and it no longer has hegemony over anything.”

Media mogul Barry Diller acknowledged at the Allen & Co. conference that the old-guard movie studios no longer have the power to shape culture that they once did.

Read: Great Jones cookware and the illusion of the millennial aesthetic. (New Yorker)

        

PERSONAL FINANCE

Money Matters: How to Stay Patient When Saving?

Piggy bank GIF

In this 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.

What are some tips for being patient when saving money? I’m currently doing a good job, but knowing how long it'll take to build up sizeable savings is bothering me.—Zach

Before I get to your question, a story: A few years ago, I had a (free) gym session with a trainer, and knowing my goals was of paramount importance. I told him I had none...which didn’t go over well.

Well, to be fair I had goals, but like you, I thought it’d take too long before I’d see results. I wanted abs, arms, maybe even a nice butt, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get there.

You see where I’m headed, Zach. Saving is like hitting the gym in that months and years may pass before you notice results, and consistency and persistence is the key. To stay motivated:

  • Maintain your focus by plastering pictures that represent your savings goals somewhere you can see them.
  • Periodically look back at how much you’ve saved (kind of like looking at “before” gym pics), because you might surprise yourself to see how far you’ve come from where you started.

Bottom line: Consider the alternatives to saving. If you stopped now and bought a cheaper version of whatever you’re saving for, would you be just as satisfied? The answer is probably no.

P.S.: 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

  • Finance ministers are meeting in Venice to finalize their plan to overhaul the global tax system.
  • President Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call that he expects Putin to act to stop ransomware attacks coming from Russia even if they weren’t state-sponsored.
  • Chinese regulators ordered the removal of 25 more apps owned by the ride-hailing company Didi.
  • The US Anti-Doping Agency wrote a letter to lawmakers basically saying it can’t change the rules that led to the suspension of American track star Sha’Carri Richardson, who tested positive for marijuana. 

BREW'S BETS

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Remembering the victims of Surfside: Here is a running list of the missing and the dead from the condo tower collapse in South Florida. 

Weekend Conversation Starters:

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GAMES

Brew Crossword

Crossword

If this isn’t the most summer-feeling crossword puzzle we’ve ever encountered...play it here and let the nostalgia flow through your veins. 

Will You Fly this IMPEACH BIDEN Flag to Show Your Disapproval of His Presidency?

Fellow Conservative,

The fake news media continues to sweep stories under the rug about all of the inconsistencies and potential fraud of the 2020 election.

They also conveniently ignore all of Biden's past transgressions with Ukraine, China and the cover-up with his son Hunter.

I've personally chose to make sure everyone near me knows that I fully expect Joe Biden to be IMPEACHED soon and flying this flag is my way of showing my disapproval for his presidency.

The good news is my friends over at Patriot Powered Products just announced that they're giving away 350 of these flags to other fellow Trump supporters who want to show that we don't approve or support Creepy Joe Biden!

>>Click Here To Grab Yours<<

They've set aside a flag just for YOU!

This FREE Impeach Biden flag is a great way to show your dissent against Biden, his politics and the crooked way he got into office in the first place.

Grab yours today before they run out!

They'll cover the cost of the flag. All they ask is you cover the cost of shipping, handling and processing and they'll get them to you PRONTO!

Go here now to enter your shipping information for your FREE flag!

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July 10

SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY
ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY
1807
Solomon Northup
American farmer and writer
1972
Sofía Vergara
Colombian American actress
1509
John Calvin
French theologian
1922
Jake LaMotta
American boxer
1871
Marcel Proust
French writer
1943
Arthur Ashe
American tennis player

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY
Volkswagen Beetle
2019: German automaker Volkswagen ended production of the Beetle, the first model of which had been introduced in 1938. [Take our quiz about machinery and manufacturing.]
Omar Sharif
2015: Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who garnered international acclaim for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), died in Cairo. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about films.]
Boris Yeltsin
1991: Russian politician Boris Yeltsin was sworn into office as the country's first elected president. [Test your knowledge of Russian history.]
1985: The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk by two bomb explosions while berthed in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand; it was later revealed that French intelligence agents had planted the explosives.
The
Bahamas
1973: The Bahamas gained independence from Britain within the Commonwealth. [ Take our quiz about islands.]
the Rolling Stones
1965: British rock band the Rolling Stones topped U.S. charts for the first time with the single (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. [ How much do you know about rock and roll?]
SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY
Columnists
Tyrant Becerra Shows His Cards

Katie Pavlich


There Has to Be a Price for Betrayal

Kurt Schlichter


Hey Lefties, Why ISN'T CRT Being Taught In Schools?

Larry O'Connor


Tired of Biden's Bull

Larry O'Connor


Biden and Democrats Are Failing to Keep Americans Safe

Ronna McDaniel


The Media Can Pin Down the Problem of the Condo Collapse, But Not Who Was Behind It

Brad Slager


Who Are the Real Bullies on Race?

David Limbaugh


Terry McAuliffe Isn’t Ready for Primetime

Gabriella Hoffman


The Critical Conservative Race 'Panic'

Tim Graham



Tipsheet
Twitter Thread Nails Why Trump Supporters Feel the Way They Do About the 2020 Election

Matt Vespa


New Study Delivers a Kill Shot to Another Anti-Gun Narrative

Matt Vespa


Man Arrested and Charged In Georgia Country Club Killings

Landon Mion


Illinois Offering Vaccine Lottery System, Though Study Suggests Such Incentives Don't Work

Rebecca Downs


Biden: 'Capitalism Without Competition Isn’t Capitalism, It’s Exploitation'

Landon Mion


NYT Treats Sex Educator Who Teaches 'Porn Literacy' Courses to Children as a Martyr

Rebecca Downs


There's Something Happening with Phoenix 911 Dispatchers...And It's Serious

Matt Vespa


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Secure Law and Order in America

Josh Hammer


Where Have All the Economists Gone? (Racism)

John C. Goodman


Brnovich Turned the Tide in Election Integrity War

Ken Blackwell


Is Afghanistan a Failed Mission?

Pat Buchanan


Meghan McCain Often Did What Political Media Wouldn't

David Harsanyi


Both Parties Fail to Respond to Signals in the Political Marketplace

Michael Barone


Ken Buck: Proven Conservative for Colorado

Mike Davis


China Wants Your Data

Will Coggin


Longest Suffering Political Prisoner in Modern History of Hemisphere Dies in Miami. Media Silent.

Humberto Fontova


Priest's Arrest Part of Larger Problem

Kathryn Lopez



Poll Finds Majority of Democrats Believe Virus Came From Wuhan Laboratory

Rebecca Downs


CBS Reporter Acknowledges Media's Failure in Avenatti Coverage

Landon Mion


Ken Buck Isn't Worried About Big Tech's Bias Because He's Concerned About Something Much Worse

Matt Vespa


Political Cartoons
Bearing Arms
Boston Globe Wants To Dox Gun Owners | John Petrolino

Study Finds Gun Sales NOT Driving Crime Surge | Tom Knighton

New York Anti-Violence Activist: Guns Themselves Are Not The Problem | Cam Edwards

Mental Illness Not As Tied To Mass Shootings As Some Think | Tom Knighton

25K Applicants In First Week After Indiana Ends Fees For Carry Licenses | Cam Edwards

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