The Daily Valet. - 11/17/20, Tuesday

✔️ Hunker Down for the Holidays

November 17, 2020

Tuesday, November 17th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

The upside to not traveling during Thanksgiving? More time and more leftovers for me.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Hunker Down for the Holidays

Governors ratchet up restrictions ahead of Thanksgiving

Governors and mayors across the U.S. are ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions amid the record-shattering resurgence of the virus that is all but certain to get worse because of holiday travel and families getting together over Thanksgiving, reports the Associated Press.

On Monday, drug giant Moderna announced that its latest vaccine candidate is 94.5% effective at preventing the illness. Which means we now have two promising vaccines, but both are many months away from the start of any realistic widespread distribution—most likely well into 2021.

First, we’ll have to get through what’s likely to be a long and difficult winter, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. And worse, we are entering this dangerous period without a clear, national plan. It’s been months since Trump attended a meeting of the White House coronavirus task force, which is led by Vice President Mike Pence, NBC News has confirmed.

So local leaders are battening down the hatches and not counting on guidance from Washington. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is pulling the “emergency brake” on efforts to reopen the economy, saying the state is experiencing the fastest growth in cases yet, and if left unchecked, it will lead to “catastrophic outcomes.”

Thanksgiving was top of mind because the fatigue setting in has many people considering trips and get-togethers. But when the numbers are this large, it’s very easy for them to get much larger. Over the past week, there has been an average of 155,442 cases per day, an increase of 82% from the average just two weeks earlier.

According to The Atlantic, when community transmission is this high, every kind of exposure is more dangerous. And get-togethers, especially if they are multigenerational, can spark even more dangerous and deadly outbreaks.

↦ Dig Deeper: Learn more about the Moderna vaccine, how it works and how it differs from the recently announced Pfizer vaccine.

The Transition Tug of War Continues

Are we still doing this? Really?

President Donald Trump still refuses to concede the 2020 election to Joe Biden, despite no realistic path to an electoral win. Three more lawyers representing the Trump campaign have asked to withdraw from his lawsuit challenging the election results in Pennsylvania, just before today's hearing.

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday evening joined a small group of GOP senators referring to Joe Biden as president-elect after the presidential race was called for him more than a week ago, reports Politico. Most Republicans have been reluctant to contradict Trump's claim that he can still hold the White House.

And while the Biden transition is stuck in limbo, Trump is barely addressing the coronavirus spikes across the country, let alone cooperating with the incoming administration on vaccine distribution efforts.

When asked Monday what is the biggest threat of Trump obstructing a smooth transfer of power, Biden said, “More people may die if we don't coordinate ... If we have to wait until January 20th to start that planning, it puts us behind, over a month.” But that's not stopping him from moving forward—Biden is expected to formally announce key members of his White House staff later today.

↦ First 100 Days: Chuck Schumer says Biden could make a serious dent in America's student debt crisis with an executive order.

Hate Crimes Surged to a Record High in 2019

Hate-based murders more than doubled

Hate crimes in the United States rose to their highest level in more than a decade last year, while more murders motivated by hate were recorded than ever before, the F.B.I. said on Monday.

There were 7,314 hate crimes in 2019 and 51 hate crime murders—which includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas.

The data coincides with a growing number of white nationalist hate groups, which rose by 55% between 2017 and 2019, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In 2019, anti-Jewish crimes rose 14% and anti-Hispanic crimes rose nearly 9%—the fourth year of increases, reports CBS News. And nearly half of race-based hate crime offenses last year were anti-Black. Meanwhile, while attacks motivated by bias against sexual orientation stayed about the same, hate crimes motivated by gender-identity bias rose another 18% following a 41% increase in 2018.

↦ FYI: Axios says underreporting remains an issue, so the data is likely incomplete. Lack of trust between police and the community also affects data aggregation.

The Suit Is Dead ...

Long live the suit

Menswear is a game of inches, they say. The changes are small, but every now and then something like the the suit is declared dead. But in reality, while there may be shifts, I wouldn't go pouring one out for the suit.

But that doesn't mean it's easy to be a suit maker these days, with so many people working from home and formal events canceled. But the New York Times has an excellent piece on the clever ways that England's famed Savile Row tailors are innovating to maintain their quality and traditions without jetting around the world to measure clients.

Even before the pandemic, a lot of men were choosing to wear suits despite more relaxed office dress codes. “Men are going back to suits by choice,” Tom Kalenderian, strategic adviser to Ermenegildo Zegna, told WWD. “They like the way it makes them look and feel.”

I know I'll feel more inclined to dress up once I'm actually leaving the house to go places again. And that's something a brand like Suitsupply is counting on. They're currently expanding—betting on a retail recovery and boost in demand for more dressed up options after many months in sweatpants.

↦ Not Having It: Designer Jil Sander says it's time to ditch the sweats because “down-dressing is a drainer.”

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

A cashmere bandana

Harry Styles

Exercising in the cold

Hulu Is Raising Prices

What's live television worth to you?

Streaming used to be relatively inexpensive once upon a time, rememberer? But then it got bigger, broader and able to show live TV. That raised the cost.

And on Monday, Hulu with Live TV became the latest virtual TV bundle to get a price hike—this time to $64.99 a month. (This will put it on par with YouTube TV.)

The change will go into effect in December for both new and existing subscribers to the live TV bundle, which offers access to around 65 channels in addition to Hulu's ad-supported content library, reports The Verge.

While these types of packages were originally meant to help cord-cutters who still wanted access to some live programming (like news and sports) but didn’t want to pay big cable fees, prices have been increasing across the board. As content gets more expensive for companies to license, and as they try to find more channels to offer consumers, the monthly costs also increase. Oh, the irony.

↦ Currently Streaming: The newest episode of The Simpsons is a send-up of the true crime podcast craze.

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This is just what it sounds like. The full lineup built to tackle any skincare concerns. Plus, it's paired with a Deluxe Microfiber Washcloth and a premium case for storage and organization.

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↦ Browse More Gifts from Lumin