The Daily Valet. - 2/27/20, Thursday
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Thursday, February 27th Edition
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Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Trump Puts Pence in Charge
The Vice President will lead the coronavirus response as concern about the outbreak grows around the world
At a press conference on Wednesday evening, President Trump said the risk to Americans from coronavirus remains “very low.” He put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of federal response efforts as leaders from both parties said they would seek billions of dollars in emergency spending beyond the $2.5 billion Trump has proposed, reports the Wall Street Journal.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the coronavirus poses a low risk to the American public, despite more cases being discovered. According to Bloomberg, a new case in California was found in someone who had no exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual.
About 81,000 people around the globe have been sickened by the virus as it keeps finding new targets. With Brazil confirming the arrival of Latin America’s first case, the virus now has a hold on every continent but Antarctica.
Most countries continue to brace for the illness to breach their borders in one way or another. Even the Olympics—five months away—isn't far enough off to keep people from wondering if it will go on as planned.
Meanwhile, worries over the ever-expanding economic fallout continue to grow, with Chinese factories sitting idle, trade routes frozen and tourism crippled. Investors were hoping that the markets would stabilize, but both the Dow and S&P 500 fell Wednesday for the fifth consecutive session—erasing all of the gains made this year.
↦ Got Facial Hair? The CDC warns that stubble or beards can be hazardous during an outbreak.
Six Dead in Shooting at Milwaukee Brewery
The shooter was an employee of Molson Coors
A Molson Coors employee stormed the brewery’s sprawling campus Wednesday afternoon, killing five of his coworkers before turning the gun on himself, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Authorities didn't identify the 51-year-old shooter, who the company’s CEO said was a current employee at the facility, which employs more than 1,000 people. Nor did they mention a possible motive for the killings.
The rampage is the first mass shooting of 2020, according the Washington Post’s database, and it adds half a dozen people to a list of victims that continues to grow as gunmen invade schools, houses of worship and workplaces.
According to the Sentinel, just hours before the shooting Wisconsin's lawmakers made it clear that the state's gun laws would not change under a Republican-controlled Legislature, despite a call for review from the Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
Lynching Will Now Be a Federal Crime
Congress previously failed to pass anti-lynching legislation nearly 200 times
Sixty-five years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi, Congress has approved legislation designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law, reports NBC News.
Congress has tried and failed for over a century to pass measures that make lynching a federal crime. The bill, named after Till, was introduced by Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush and follows a version of the bill that passed unanimously in the Senate last year.
The measure was approved 410 to 4 on Wednesday. Three Republicans voted against it, citing "government overreach": GOP members Ted Yoho of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The chamber's lone Independent, Justin Amash of Michigan—who switched from Republican to Independent over his support for impeaching President Donald Trump—also voted no.
According to the New York Times, President Trump is expected to sign the act into law—which will then designate lynching as a federal hate crime and punishable by up to life in prison, a fine or both.
↦ FYI: 4,075 African Americans were lynched in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia between 1877 and 1950, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.
Drivers of Expensive Cars Are Dangerous
Science backs up what we already suspected
In news that may not entirely shock you, drivers of expensive vehicles are less likely to stop for pedestrians crossing the road, according to a new study published in the Journal of Transport & Health.
After analyzing hundreds of interactions between volunteer pedestrians and drivers in Las Vegas, researchers found that for every $1,000 that a car is worth, the chances of the driver slowing down decreased by 3%, reports The Times of London.
The scientists theorized that high-end car owners likely have less empathy toward the pedestrians, caused by "disengagement and a lower ability to interpret thoughts and feelings of others, along with feelings of entitlement and narcissism."
No surprise there, right? But interestingly, CNBC reports on another study that found that "disagreeable men who are argumentative, stubborn and unempathetic were more likely to drive high-status cars." Does this mean I shouldn't want a vintage BMW? Because I definitely do.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Economy Sleep Pods?
Air New Zealand unveils affordable lie-flat beds
Air New Zealand, which operates some of world’s longest flights, unveiled a new concept for their economy class on Wednesday called the Skynest.
According to The Gaurdian, each plane's Skynest would contain six full-length sleep pods that measure in at six and a half feet long and two feet wide. There will be three levels of beds and two beds on each level.
Like a flying pod hotel, each bunk comes outfitted with a full-size pillow, sheets and blankets, along with ear plugs, a reading light and a privacy curtain.
Customers could book a session in the bed during the flight, rather than the whole flight, and the cabin crew would change and freshen up the pods with new bedding for each session. The concept will begin testing sometime next year and no doubt will become a game-changer for coach passengers.
↦ FYI: The Auckland to New York flight takes 17 hours and 40 minutes.
Weekend Shopping Plans
From home audio to early spring staples, our picks from three can’t-miss sales going on this weekend.
15% off Tivoli speakers
Cube speaker $199 / $169.98
50% off select items
The North Face Alpine hoodie $120 / $60
Up to 40% off select items
Adidas Nite Jogger sneaker $130 / $64.98
Morning Motto
You’ve probably got more time than you think.
↦ Follow: @wetheurban
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