The Daily Valet. - 10/9/20, Friday

✔️ This Is Extremely 2020

Friday, October 9th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Spot me wearing leopard spots this weekend ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

FBI Foils Plan to Kidnap Governor

Authorities charged 13 men, some accused of plotting to storm the Michigan State Capitol building in hopes of starting a civil war

This was one of those 2020 stories that just kept getting stranger the more we found out about it. And we'll likely hear more about it today ... Storming the State Capitol. Instigating a civil war. Abducting a sitting governor ahead of the presidential election.

According to Reuters, 13 men (seven of them associated with an anti-government militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen) have been arrested on charges of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, attack the state legislature and threaten law enforcement. Agents announced the charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch Whitmer from her vacation home.

The men trained together and planned “various acts of violence,” in reaction to what they viewed as her “uncontrolled power,” according to a federal complaint.

Officials said the conspiracy—which was supposed to come to fruition before the election—seemed to be an indication of how America’s civil unrest and frustrations around the COVID pandemic have energized violent extremists, reports the Washington Post.

The president has been publicly critical of Michigan’s leaders because of state-imposed measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, tweeting in April, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”

At a news conference, Whitmer accused Trump of fomenting political extremism, citing his comments during last week’s debate in which he didn't explicitly condemn white supremacy. “When our leaders meet with and encourage domestic terrorists they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit,” she said. Hopefully, these arrests will prove that no homegrown militia is a formidable match for the FBI.

↦ Dig Deeper: A history professor explains how extremist violence has been around for decades and that this failed plot won’t be the last white supremacist threat.

A Debate Over Debates

Trump says he won't participate in a virtual debate

Next week's debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was thrown into uncertainty Thursday as the rival camps offered dueling proposals for the remaining face-offs that have been upended by the president's coronavirus infection, reports the Associated Press.

"I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate," Trump told Fox Business. His campaign manager Bill Stepien, who also tested positive for coronavirus in recent days, said the decision to make the Oct. 15 debate—which was planned as an in-person town hall—a virtual event was "pathetic."

Commission on Presidential Debates co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf has defended the organization's decision saying, "We looked at this thing very carefully, and as I have said many times in this particular cycle, we will be guided by the medicine."

Thursday night, the president's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released a memo saying the president might be able to hold in-person events by Saturday. After Trump said no to a virtual debate, ABC News announced that Biden would participate in a town hall in Philadelphia on the 15th, moderated by George Stephanopoulos. So, really, it's hard to say what we'll be seeing next week.

↦ FYI: While next week's debate is still uncertain, the final debate on Oct. 22 is likely to happen on schedule as planned.

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A Radical Approach to Fight Homelessness

A research project gave homeless people $7,500 each—the results were ‘beautifully surprising’

A Vancouver-based charitable organization recently completed a bold study and social program in partnership with the University of British Columbia. The New Leaf project provided a one-time payment of $7,500 to 50 people who had recently become homeless, with recipients choosing how best to spend the funds.

According to CBC, researchers checked on them over a year to see how they were faring compared to study participants that didn't receive the payment.

Not only did the cash recipients spend fewer days homeless than those in the control group, they had also moved into stable housing after an average of three months. What's more, about 70% were food secure after one month while spending on alcohol, cigarettes and drugs went down by nearly 40%.

The reason this was so successful, according to the National Post, is because it recognized that the homeless are people with varied family situations and goals, some escaping domestic violence or struggling with addiction or mental illness. And this gave them the power to forge their own path into stability.

↦ FYI: The experiment freed up space in shelters and saved the shelter system $8,100 per person over the course of the year, thus paying for itself.

Leopard Print Is Suddenly Everywhere

Can a polarizing print become a menswear staple?

Have you noticed all the spots lately? Of course, leopard print has been around for years, but it's only recently that men have been brave enough to start wearing it regularly.

According to Esquire UK, it taps into the ongoing obsession with outdoor performance gear, with a bit of irreverence. Of course, it also looks good on Instagram, which is something people think about.

This weekend, Carhartt WIP is teaming up with Toyko label Wacko Maria for a collection of sturdy chore coats and button-up work shirts redone with eye-catching leopard prints, reports GQ.

Add to that an already sold-out sweater vest from Noah along with Ovadia's spotted 5-inch inseam shorts. And it's not all high-end. H&M is selling a shirt for less than ten bucks, if you want to try the trend without committing much cash.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

How to tell someone to wear a mask

Fall’s coziest fabric

‘The West Wing’ reunion special

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Your Weekend Pairing

Is This Anything? + a Bixby Coffee

Jerry Seinfeld’s career has been built on clever insights into the human psyche. And it might surprise you, but none of his analyzations have gone to waste. Since his first performance at a New York nightclub as a twenty-one-year-old college student, Seinfeld has saved everything he's ever written. And nearly all of it is presented in his new book, Is This Anything?

At just-over 450 pages, the epic compilation contains the best jokes he's written in his 45-year stand-up comedy career. The collection is split into five sections, with jokes arranged by decade that span from the '70s to now. It's all the piercing observations about work, relationships and everyday annoyances that we've come to expect from Seinfeld. And couldn't we all use a few laughs these days?

↦ Your Pairing:I don't know what Seinfeld drinks when he wants to imbibe, but I do know that the man appreciates a good cup of coffee. “I love when coffee gets poured into a cup, because there's really nothing else like that,” Seinfeld told Food & Wine. And I know just what he means; that rush of aroma and swirl of steam hovering over your cup. Lately, I've been drinking Bixby Roasting Co.'s Tail Waggin' blend and it's made my mornings (and often my afternoons) a whole lot better. The combination of Costa Rican, Colombian and Kona beans makes for a satisfying light roast with a hint of caramel sweetness.

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