The Daily Valet. - 11/10/20, Tuesday

✔️ Two Post-Election Worlds Emerge

November 10, 2020

Tuesday, November 10th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Want to feel old? Election Day was one week ago.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Two Post-Election Worlds Emerge

Welcome to the country’s existential crisis ...

Any hope that politics would go back to being boring was dashed on the first Monday since Joe Biden clinched the presidency. The presumptive president-elect and President Donald Trump continued proceeding on vastly different tracks, reports Politico.

Biden named 13 scientists and public health specialists to a COVID-19 advisory board. He then called on the country to “come together,” take precautions and prepare for a potential “dark winter” by wearing masks.

Meanwhile, the latest outbreak within Trump’s orbit keeps expanding. Complicating their refusal to concede: the man tapped to lead the campaign’s legal effort tested positive for the coronavirus. Perhaps that’s why we’ve yet to hear specifics about any new lawsuits. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the president is “100 percent within his right” to pursue recounts and litigation.

According to a new Morning Consult poll, 70% of Republicans now say they don’t believe the 2020 election was free and fair—a stark rise from the 35% of GOP voters who held similar beliefs before last Tuesday. And it’s now swapped for Democrats, many who took to the streets to celebrate Biden’s victory this weekend. Ninety percent of Democrats now say the election was free and fair, up from 52% before the election.

Attorney General William Barr waded into President Trump’s unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud on Monday, telling federal prosecutors that they were allowed to investigate “specific allegations” before the results of the presidential race are certified. According to the New York Times, the announcement prompted the DOJ official who oversees investigations of voter fraud, Richard Pilger, to step down.

And President-elect Biden’s transition team is considering legal action as well in order to force the White House to recognize his victory. Without a Trump appointee’s formal designation, Biden’s transition team can’t properly get up and running, be able to view detailed classified information or conduct background checks for potential Cabinet officials.

↦ Dig Deeper: Vox examines why Biden's national mask mandate will be a national mask suggestion.

Pfizer Announces a COVID Vaccine

And it may be 90% effective. Here's what's next.

Pfizer’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drugmaker said on Monday—a potential victory against a virus that has already killed over a million people and battered the world’s economy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, told the Associated Press, that the 90% effectiveness is “just extraordinary,” adding: “Not very many people expected it would be as high as that.”

But the FDA said it wants to see two months’ worth of safety outcomes after vaccination for at least half of the people participating in any large, final-stage clinical trial before it considers authorizing a Covid-19 vaccine.

So, when might we be able to get the shot? Production has already begun, but initial supplies will be limited. Pfizer says it expects to produce up to 50 million doses globally in 2020—enough for 25 million people because the vaccine is given in two doses—and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. That means only the highest risk groups, such as front-line health care workers, would be inoculated this year.

↦ Dig Deeper: Behind Pfizer's vaccine, an understated husband-and-wife "dream team."

Special Promotion

How’ve you been sleeping? Not great? Join the club. But that all changes when you’re able to quiet your mind.

The Economy Is Healing

Just not fast enough to prevent serious damage

The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that for the sixth straight month the U.S. added jobs and unemployment fell.

The most recent employment report, from October, showed genuine evidence that the economy is healing from its pandemic-induced collapse last spring. But it also uncovered fresh scars suggesting that the harm it did will likely linger for a long time to come.

Despite 638,000 new jobs being created, the American economy still has more than ten million fewer jobs than in February before the pandemic, reports NPR. At the current rate of improvement, the country would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022.

↦ FYI: Part of what made the 2008-2009 recession so damaging was that the slow recovery left many people on the sidelines of the work force for months or years.

The Tiny Phone Being Talked About

Is the iPhone 12 Mini worth it?

The new iPhone 12 mini is small. Like really small. Which is why it's getting so much attention lately. Tech reviewer Joanna Stern says these days, "the best smartphones are the size of a garage door." So you can see why the arrival of a phone sized to fit the appendages you actually hold it with is such an anatomically historical event.

In her review for the Wall Street Journal, she says it comes so close to being the only no-compromise compact phone on the market except for one thing: It's missing the iPhone battery-life gains of the past year or two.

Gear Patrol says it will surprise you with just how light and tiny it feels in your hand. Plus, it supports 5G, making it pretty future-proof. And the mini is compatible with Apple's slick-new ecosystem of MagSafe chargers and accessories.

And while The Verge warns that it's not the best iPhone for most people, they remind us that the mini is going to be a favorite for a lot of people because it's so easily handled and pocketable.

↦ Buy: Get the iPhone 12 Mini for as little as $29 a month or $699 before trade-in.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

A divisive drink

BMW’s electrified wingsuit

Michael J. Fox’s secret to happy living

Special Promotion

Don’t Skimp on Quality Sleep

A good night’s rest is you best chance at a good day

Between a long, drawn-out election and the upcoming holidays, we’ve all got a lot on our minds. Add to that the usual WFH stress, and it’s harder than ever to quiet the mind before bed. But we know that quality sleep is important. It’s the key to better concentration, faster muscle recovery after a workout and a greater resilience against illnesses.

Elite Sleep supplementfrom Momentous

Guarantee yourself a better day tomorrow by popping the right supplements the night before. Elite Sleep, by clean sports nutrition company Momentous, is a unique, research-backed formula created to help athletes fall asleep easier and achieve higher quality sleep in order to boost their performance. I figured if it works for pro and elite athletes, it’ll definitely work for me. These little capsules are the key to quieting my mind before bed and helping me slink into a deep, restful sleep—with no grogginess come morning. I just take these 20 minutes before bedtime (when I finally put my phone down), fall asleep fast and wake up ready to take on the day.

↦ Learn More: Elite Sleep from Momentous

What We’re Buying

Sure, you could get up from the couch and dig out a lighter from a drawer. Or you can pull a match from this old school apothecary jar. This luxe glass bottle is full of 75 wooden matches with white tips that light easily by striking against the back of the bottle. Plus, it looks cool on your coffee table, desk or bookcase.

↦ Get It $14 by Paddywax

Special Promotion

Stress Isn’t Good for Your Skin

The pressure we’re under has a way of showing up on our skin. Which is why I reach for this skin-saving sheet mask on days when I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed. Just by slapping it on, I’m giving myself a 15 minute break to sit back and relax. The award-winning Marine Layer formula combines potent yet soothing botanical extracts to soothe and hydrate a worn-out or sleep-deprived face. What’s more, the cooling coconut-derived mask really clings to your skin, so you’re actually able to sip a cocktail while treating yourself. When you pull the mask off, you'll notice an immediate improvement in your skin and you’ll feel a whole lot better. Trust me.

↦ Get It $46 / $26 (for a four-pack) w/code VALET20 at Port Products