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Good morning. Sorry for starting this newsletter off on a downer, but tonight will be the last time the sun will set at or after 8pm in NYC until May 9, 2022. On the bright side, we weren't sure 2022 was even a part of the plan.

MARKETS Nasdaq 14,860.18 +0.16% S&P 4,432.35 -0.09% Dow 35,101.85 -0.30% Bitcoin $45,097.41 +2.64% 10-Year 1.323% +2.0 bps Tesla $713.76 +2.10% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. Markets: Stocks mostly treaded water yesterday without much market-moving news one way or the other. Tesla got a nice boost after an analyst upgraded the stock. Economy: There were 10.1 million jobs open in the US in June, the highest level on record, according to the Labor Department. While the labor shortage is real, hiring is also picking up. The retail industry led all others in filling 291,000 positions last month.

CLIMATE The UN Sounds All the Alarms The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an official UN task force, released a 3,949-page report from 234 scientists yesterday that called current climate change trends a “code red for humanity.” Here’s what you need to know It’s all our fault. If there was any doubt that maybe we could partly blame volcanoes for climate change, the IPCC put it to rest. “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land,” the scientists wrote. They found that human activity has increased the global average temperature by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Weather goes mid-2000s candy “EXXTREME!” Tropical storms, heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and flooding are all expected to get more severe and more frequent if climate change continues at its current rate, the report said. More extreme weather shouldn't just be thought of in the future tense, but the here and now. Just last week Greece, Turkey, and much of the Western US experienced some of their worst wildfires in history.  All eyes on the energy industry. The report blamed one particular human activity for exacerbating climate change: burning fossil fuels. CO2 levels in the atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in 2 million years.  “This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels before they destroy our planet," UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said.  There’s a little hope. Since the IPCC’s last big report in 2013, countries have done a better job in curbing carbon emissions. But they need to speed up those cuts dramatically, the report argued. Otherwise, it will be nearly impossible to keep global temps from spiraling higher. Looking ahead...world leaders will head to Glasgow, Scotland, in November for the pivotal COP26 international climate talks. They'll be tasked with taking the IPCC's scientific report and turning it into meaningful policy.

GOVERNMENT The Dems' Budget Outline Is Yuge With the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill set to pass the Senate this morning, Democrats want to keep the momentum going with another massive government project—a $3.5 trillion budget framework they released yesterday. Spending will go toward... Universal pre-K and child care of working families Two free years of community college  Expanded Medicare to cover hearing, dental, and vision care  Public housing  Clean energy development  Why it matters: The plan represents the biggest investment in the social safety net in decades, per the NYT. “At its core, this legislation is about restoring the middle class in the 21st century,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a statement.  "Thanks, I hate it," said Republicans, who consider the framework way too expensive and also oppose the tax increases Democrats have put forward to fund it. Unfortunately for them, Democrats could push it through later this year without any GOP support thanks to their thin majority in the Senate. One high-stakes battle remains: the debt ceiling, aka the limit on the US' ability to borrow money. Democrats will need to find a way to raise or suspend it soon to avoid economic chaos.

AUTO Rental Car Companies Are Looking Like New From pandemic-demolished to meme stock legend to actual business turnaround—that's the Hertz story. One year after it filed for bankruptcy, the car rental company posted a 62% jump in sales and plans to relist on a major stock exchange by the end of 2021. The great Covid comeback story: Hertz went bankrupt last June at the peak of the pandemic, weighed down by nearly $19 billion in debt and roughly 700,000 cars parked with no one to drive them. This May, it reached a deal with private equity firms to pull itself out of bankruptcy, rewarding the individual investors who made the company the OG meme stock.  Zoom out: The surge in summer travel and the nationwide shortage of used cars has fueled the rebound of the rental car industry. Searches for rentals nearly doubled in late June over the same period in 2019, according to Kayak. And to cap off a successful Monday for the sector, Turo, the “Airbnb for cars,” filed for an IPO confidentially yesterday. After cutting about a third of its workforce during Covid, Turo reported its first-ever profitable quarter this year.

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GRAB BAG Key Performance Indicators Josh Edelson/Getty Images Stat: The Forest Service has 10,000 firefighters on staff, including 3,000 seasonal employees—and that’s not close to enough to battle the 100 active fires that are raging across the country, per the WSJ. Firefighting is a tough job to recruit for, paying $15–$18/hr and offering few benefits.  Quote: “AMC’s journey through this pandemic is not finished, and we are not yet out of the woods.” AMC CEO Adam Aron sang a cautious tune after his company, which got clobbered by the pandemic but staged a furious, individual investor-led comeback, beat revenue expectations last quarter. And, because YOLO, the company will accept bitcoin at all its US locations by the end of the year. Read: A riveting history of the ill-fated Segway. (Slate)

SPACE NASA Is Recruiting Human Guinea Pigs NASA If you want to get away from it all—Covid, climate change, people who just text “hey”—NASA is giving you an opportunity to live on fake Mars for a year. The agency has opened up applications for four people to live in a 3D-printed Martian habitat it built inside its Houston HQ. NASA will use this experiment to help prepare for actual missions to the Red Planet. Job responsibilities: Go on simulated spacewalks. Eat space food, grow crops like Matt Damon, and play around with virtual reality equipment. Coexist with three strangers in a 1,700-square-foot room for a year. Job qualifications: American citizen or permanent US resident aged 30–55. A master’s degree in a science, engineering, or math-related field. Or be a fighter pilot. Must not derive pleasure from looking out of windows, because there aren’t any. Bottom line: If you’re basically an astronaut already and don’t want to pay rent for a year, this could be the gig for you. If not, we hear Richard Branson is selling tickets to space for $450,000 a pop.

WORK Let's Talk About Work Thanks to Covid-19, work will never be the same. But how it will not be the same is less clear. As companies prepare to bring workers back to the office (eventually), we’re going to spend the week releasing stories that’ll make you smarter about the thorny politics, awkward vaccination conversations, and workplace attire debates that are bound to arise as employees leave their couches behind. Up first: Why managing a hybrid workplace is going to be a lot more complicated than you think. Read it here.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING The Pentagon unveiled a plan that would require members of the US military to be vaccinated beginning Sept. 15.  Why The Suicide Squad stumbled at the box office. Canada reopened its border to fully vaccinated American tourists. Banff is calling. Uber and Lyft ride-hailing prices in July were up 50% over 2019 levels. Barstool Sports and MLB have had “significant negotiations” about airing midweek baseball games on Barstool’s platforms, per the NY Post.

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BREW'S BETS Time to GET SCHOOLED—on financial wellness. Check out M1nute Money Masterclass, our four-part video series with tips on everything from saving to investing to what to eat for breakfast (the answer is always donuts). Learn more today.* Helpful links: Some good tips for aspiring writers, a comprehensive list of all branches of science, and advice on how to nail interview questions. Tech Tip Tuesday: How to increase the time you have to unsend an email in Gmail (or decrease it, if you want to live on the edge). Your work experience: If you've been working from home during the pandemic, we'd love to ask you a few questions. Take our 30-second survey here. *This is sponsored advertising content

GAMES The Puzzle Section Brew Mini: It’s like a crossword, but smaller. Play the Mini here. Famous book lines Yesterday was Book Lovers Day. We’re book lovers, and we assume you are too, so this quiz will test your knowledge of famous lines from literature. We’ll give you a line from a book, and you’ll have to name the book.  “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” “The answer to the great question...of Life, the Universe and Everything...is...forty-two.” "Aunt Lydia said it was best not to speak unless they asked you a direct question. Try to think of it from their point of view she said, her hands clasped and wrung together, her nervous pleading smile." “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” “A man ain’t a goddamn ax. Chopping, hacking, busting every goddamn minute of the day. Things get to him. Things he can’t chop down because they’re inside.”

SHARE THE BREW We think you should share the Brew. Not only is it a smart thing to do for your friends, it’s also the smartest way to get showered in free Brew swag and exclusive content. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a17a7110

ANSWERS 1984 by George Orwell The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Lord of the Flies by William Golding Beloved by Toni Morrison

 

 

August 10

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Born On This Day Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida Spanish painter READ MORE

FEATURED EVENT 1792 Louis XVI of France imprisoned

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ORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2008: American singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes—a pioneering figure in soul music whose recordings influenced the development of such musical genres as disco, rap, and urban-contemporary—died at age 65. [Take our music quiz.]

1993: American jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the second woman to serve on the court. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]

1977: American serial killer David Berkowitz was arrested after murdering six people in New York City and plunging the city into a panic; he later confessed and was sentenced to 365 years in prison. [Read about seven of history's most notorious serial killers.]

1970: American musician Jim Morrison, lead singer of the Doors, went on trial in Florida, charged with various crimes after allegedly exposing himself during a Miami concert in 1969; he was later found guilty. [Test your knowledge of musical groups.]

1950: Sunset Boulevard, considered one of Hollywood's greatest films, had its world premiere; the film noir is especially noted for Gloria Swanson's portrayal of a fading movie star. [Take our quiz about women in classic cinema.]

1793: The Louvre opened in Paris, and it later became the most-visited museum in the world. [Take our quiz about museums of the Western world.]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1874 Herbert Hoover president of United States

1960 Antonio Banderas Spanish-born actor and director

1951 Juan Manuel Santos president of Colombia

1962 Suzanne Collins American author and screenwriter

1729 William Howe British military commander

1909 Leo Fender American inventor and manufacturer

SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY

1 big thing: One place Trump still wins

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The first three big post-presidency books about Donald Trump have shot up the bestseller list. But actual sales are nothing like the blockbusters when Trump was in the White House and the nation was obsessed, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer reports. The new books have held top spots on the N.Y. Times bestseller list for several weeks: "I Alone Can Fix It," by the WashPost's Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, sold more than 124,000 copies in the U.S. through the end of July, according to NPD BookScan data. That figure represents about half of all books sold. Ebook, audiobook and international book sales make up the other half. The book ranked No. 2 on the Times' hardcover nonfiction list for the past two weeks. "Frankly, We Did Win This Election," by The Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender, has sold over 75,000 copies, including hardcovers, ebooks and audio downloads, according to a statement from the publisher. The book debuted at No. 3 and has been on the list for three weeks. "Landslide," by Michael Wolff, has also been on the list for three weeks. NPD BookScan data suggests that "Landslide" sold nearly 45,000 print copies in the U.S. through the end of July.

Reproduced from NPD BookScan. Chart: Axios Visuals Context: Those figures are nothing like Trump book sales last year. In their debut weeks, "Too Much and Never Enough," by Mary Trump, sold 1.3 million ... "The Room Where It Happened," by John Bolton, sold 780,000 ... and "Rage," by Bob Woodward, sold 600,000. The big picture: More political books were sold across all formats during the Trump presidential term than at any point in NPD BookScan history. Share this story.

2. Pediatric COVID hospitalizations rise

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Doctors are increasingly worried about COVID's impact on kids, Axios health care editor Tina Reed reports. While serious illness in kids is rare, pediatric hospitalizations in some areas of the country have reached worrying levels. Infectious-disease doctors agree the high level of transmission of the Delta variant, particularly in regions of the country with low vaccination rates, is in large part to blame for the uptick. These doctors fear the level of pediatric hospitalizations may also be due to the Delta variant being more virulent in kids. What's next: Experts expect back-to-school surges in the next few weeks. Share this story.

3. Office politics hit home

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

The tense dynamics once confined to the office have infiltrated people's houses and apartments, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Families are haggling over who gets prime workspace. In many homes, women get stuck with less-than-ideal offices. "Women have become nomads," says Liz Patton, a professor of media and communication studies at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the author of "Easy Living: The Rise of the Home Office." "There have always been spaces in the home that have been masculinized, like garages and basements," she added. "We already have ideas about who these spaces belong to, and so we default." Keep reading.

A message from Facebook

Internet regulations are as outdated as dial-up

Facebook supports updated regulations, including four areas where lawmakers can make quick progress: Reforming Section 230. Preventing foreign interference in our elections. Passing federal privacy law. Setting rules that allow people to safely transfer data between services.

4. Pic du jour: Global mood

Photo: Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg via Getty Images A wildfire approaches this lady's house in the village of Gouves, on the island of Evia, Greece, on Sunday. Extreme heat is driving massive fires in Greece and Turkey, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called yesterday's climate report "a code red for humanity."

5. Tokyo ratings spiral

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Primetime ratings for the Tokyo Games were down 42% from the 2016 Games, Axios' Sara Fischer writes from NBCUniversal data. Why it matters: It's further evidence that the decline of traditional television is happening faster than initially expected. The Games averaged 15.5 million primetime viewers across the two weeks that NBC aired the events, according to an analysis of total audience delivery measured by Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. That's down from roughly 26.7 primetime viewers who tuned into the Summer Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. NBCU says the declines were partially offset by digital gains, and still expects the Olympics to be profitable. Keep reading.

6. Cuomo impeachment "increasingly inevitable"

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's dog, Captain, looks at members of the media across the street from the Executive Mansion in Albany on Saturday. Photo: Cindy Schultz/Reuters Impeachment "appears increasingly inevitable" for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the N.Y. Times reports (subscription): New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie "believes he has the support from most, if not all, of the Democratic majority to impeach." Cuomo believes "his best chance at political survival is to drag out the process," The Times reports, adding that the "prospect of a protracted and public battle has disheartened many close to Mr. Cuomo." His top aide — Melissa DeRosa, who resigned Sunday — "no longer wanted to have to defend the governor in public."

7. First look: Recess bus

Illustration: DNC The DNC plans to pump up President Biden's agenda during the August recess with a nationwide bus tour featuring mayors, governors and members of Congress, Axios' Alayna Treene reports. Why it matters: The tour comes as lawmakers in both parties gear up for a messaging war ahead of the 2022 midterms. Dems' three-part message: Job creation through infrastructure ... tax cuts for middle-class families ... and lower health care costs. Axios reported Sunday that Republicans believe inflation, crime and illegal immigration are their key to regaining at least the House. Share this story.

8. J.D. Vance boost from right

Via Fox News.

An influential House Republican is endorsing Senate candidate J.D. Vance of Ohio, as the author and venture capitalist fights for the seat vacated by Sen. Rob Portman's retirement, Jonathan Swan reports. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) — chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, the largest bloc of House Republicans — tells Axios that Vance "isn't afraid to stand up to the woke elites." State of play: Former state treasurer Josh Mandel leads early polls of the crowded 2022 GOP Senate primary field. Tony Fabrizio, who polled for Donald Trump, found in polling for Vance's super PAC that Vance held a 6% share of the vote in April and 4% in June — well behind Mandel's 25% and 22%. But in a July survey of 800 likely Ohio Republican primary voters, Vance's share rose to 12% — second to Mandel, Fabrizio wrote in a memo to the Vance super PAC. The highest-rated host on cable TV, Tucker Carlson, has been promoting and praising Vance. Share this story.

9. Inside the #PsakiBomb factory

Photo: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue Twitter fans of White House press secretary Jen Psaki deploy the #PsakiBomb hashtag when she dispenses with a "foolish or spuriously framed question," Lizzie Widdicombe writes in Vogue's September issue: Many of her cheerful quips are actually ways of shutting down a line of questioning. .... [S]he'll brush aside questions about tense dealmaking by chirping, "Democracy in action!" Psaki tells Widdicombe that along with tone, President Biden wants to eliminate bureaucratic jargon that might confuse or alienate the public. She recalls briefing him on COVID-relief checks. "He said, 'How are you explaining how people are going to get these checks if they don’t file taxes?' I said, 'Well, if you are a non-filer—'" Biden interrupted her. "He’s like, 'Non-filer? Nobody knows what that is. That’s not how anybody speaks.'" Keep reading.

10. 1 for the road: Your day — every day

Photo: Ed Zurga/Getty Images) The Yankees' Joey Gallo leaps over teammate Brett Gardner as he goes for a ball in Kansas City, Mo., last night.

A message from Facebook

Why Facebook supports the Honest Ads Act

Advertising means something different than it did 25 years ago — the last time comprehensive internet regulations were passed. At Facebook, we've already implemented the Ad Library and a 5-step verification process for political advertisers. See why we support passing the Honest Ads Act.

‘Racist’ Rock Removed From College Campus After Black Student Union, Activists Complain

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Dan Crenshaw ‘Thanks’ Birthday-Bash Obamas For Lockdown Message: ‘Do Not Comply’

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Rogan Blasts Vaccine Passports: People ‘Don’t Understand History,’ ‘One Step Closer To Dictatorship’

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‘Strap In. It’s A Doozy’: Mike Rowe Blasts Critic Who Bashed Him On Vaccines

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Patriotic Gold Medalist Tamyra Mensah Uses Prize Money To Buy Food Truck For Widowed Mother

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Columnists The Democrats Finally Did It on Immigration...And It's the End of Us If They Succeed Matt Vespa Dems Try to Disqualify DeSantis As RINOs Disqualify Themselves Kurt Schlichter Impeach 46! Larry O'Connor Liberals Show You What They Really Think Of The Country (And You) Derek Hunter I Was Wrong About the Olympics Derek Hunter Maggie Haberman Declares Politicians Referring to Notes Are Not Ready for the National Stage Brad Slager Don’t Bash Obama’s Birthday Bash, Demand It! Kevin McCullough Decentralization, Not Central Planning, Is the Future Gabriella Hoffman Abortion Activist 'Eats' Abortion Pills on Camera 'Because I Can' Katie Yoder		Tipsheet Florida Department of Health Calls Out CDC For Screwing Up State's Covid Count Leah Barkoukis Watch: French Police Check COVID Passports, But It's the Reactions That Are More Disturbing Matt Vespa Religious Victory: Judge Blocks Mandate Requiring Doctors to Perform Gender Reassignment Surgery Landon Mion Fauci: 'Hopefully' Masking Up Children Will Be Temporary Enough to Avoid 'Lasting Negative Impact' Landon Mion CDC Shreds Its Own Narrative on Breakthrough Cases With Latest Data Matt Vespa DeSantis' Message to Schools Reinstating Mask Mandates: Salaries Could Be Reduced Landon Mion Fmr. CDC Dir. Robert Redfield Acknowledges Lack Of Data Behind CDC School Masking Recommendation: 'It's A Fair Criticism' Scott Morefield
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Republicans Must Not Save the Biden Administration from the Ashbin of History Ken Blackwell Is America Becoming a Failed State? Pat Buchanan Fixing the Biden Bug Out in Afghanistan Oliver North Progressives Will Never Get Unity Until They Kill Cancel Culture Young Voices Contributors DeSantis Is Standing Up to the Weenies Cal Thomas The Border Patrol's Failure to Protect Our Border Exposed Rachel Alexander Roe v. Wade Must Meet Its End at Supreme Court Thomas Glessner Republican RINOs Betray GOP Grassroots Once Again Jeff Crouere Woke Politics Destroyed the Marine Corps I Knew Will Alexander		CNN's Brianna Keilar Doubles Down After Being Called Out for Downplaying Illegal Immigrant COVID Cases Julio Rosas Biden Has Confirmed Zero U.S. Ambassadors in 200 Days Carson Swick No Surprise: Trust in Liberal Cable News Dropped in Last 6 Months Landon Mion Political Cartoons Bearing Arms Utah Man Claims Self-Defense After Shooting Another In The Back | Tom Knighton After Another Chinatown Robbery, Will Oakland Chief Change His Tune On Armed Citizens? | Cam Edwards Is Philly Martial Arts Program An Answer To Violence? | Tom Knighton Gun Safety Advocate Busted For Illegal Gun Sales | Cam Edwards Lightfoot Blames Guns For Cop's Murder, Not Anti-Police Sentiment | Tom Knighton
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SPECIAL: [Yes or No] Was the 2020 Election Rigged Against Trump?

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