The Daily Valet. - 3/2/21, Tuesday

✔️ Too Soon?

Tuesday, March 2nd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

For some reason, I think Seth Rogen would make pretty tasty edibles.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Too Soon?

States ease virus restrictions and inch toward normal, despite experts’ warnings

Monday brought a new wave of re-openings and liftings of pandemic restrictions across the country, reports the New York Times. Tens of thousands of students walked into classrooms from Chicago to Las Vegas for the first time in nearly a year. Restaurants in Massachusetts were allowed to operate without capacity limits, and South Carolina erased its limits on large gatherings.

It’s a hopeful sign that more Americans are emerging from months of isolation—even if not everyone agrees on the timing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky on Monday warned states against lifting coronavirus restrictions, pointing to the threat of variants and the “stalling” of recent declines in new cases. The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is leveling off at a concerningly high number, she said, following weeks of declining cases and deaths.

Cases and hospitalizations have plunged since the end of January, and deaths have also dropped sharply, but they are still running at dangerously high levels and have even risen slightly over the past several days. “We cannot be resigned to 70,000 cases a day and 2,000 daily deaths,” Walensky said.

An infectious disease specialist told the Associated Press he believes states and cities have leeway to ease some restrictions because hospitals no longer are at capacity in most communities. But “I do think that masks are likely going to need to be kept in place for some time until we get more of our vulnerable populations vaccinated,” he said.

States are hoping that the surging vaccine supply will help tamp down new infections. Nearly 20% of American adults—or over 50 million people—have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and the White House said the current seven-day average has returned to 1.7 million shots per day, following disruptive winter weather.

So my takeaway from all this is to be grateful we’re making some serious progress and that some restrictions are being lifted, allowing us a modicum of normalcy at this time. But let’s not gather, maskless, in large groups and ruin it, okay?

↦ FYI: The amount of COVID testing in the United States has fallen by 30% in recent weeks. Why? It’s complicated.

White House Seeks Help on Border

Biden meets with Mexican president amid growing pressure on immigration

President Biden met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday amid growing pressure to find a workable immigration policy—as he faces criticism from liberal Democrats for detaining migrant children and accusations from Republicans that he is recklessly throwing open the nation's borders, reports the Washington Post.

Facing an uptick of illegal migrant crossings at some parts of the southwestern border, Biden is now hoping that López Obrador will become a partner in preventing another cycle of out-of-control migration from Central America. But without resorting to the kind of policies that Trump embraced (which were then supported by the Mexican president).

It seems hopeful, as the two issued a joint declaration affirming their willingness to cooperate on migration issues, but whether Biden can get Mexico's immediate help to contain the growing border influx wasn't exactly clear. Since taking office, Biden has frozen construction of the border wall, curbed deportations and welcomed more asylum seekers.

But a surge of unaccompanied minors at the southern border has become an issue. On Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said it was the previous administration's fault, claiming they were left with a “gutted” immigration system that will need to be rebuilt “virtually from scratch.”

↦ Meanwhile: The Biden administration will let migrant families separated under Trump reunite inside the United States.

Nike Exec Resigns After Reselling Scandal

North American VP’s son ran a sneaker resale business

Nike said Monday that the vice president and general manager of its North America division, Ann Hebert, has left the brand, effective immediately. The abrupt departure comes after she's served more than 25 years with Nike—and days after a lengthy Bloomberg piece focused on her son, a 19-year-old sneaker reseller named Joe.

Joe acknowledged that Ann is his mother, but said that she was high up enough in the company to be removed from what he was doing. He told Bloomberg that he'd never received inside information, like discount codes, from his mother. But he spent more than $100,000 on her corporate credit card while using bots to score limited-edition shoes and flip them for a profit.

According to CNBC, Ann disclosed relevant information about her son's business to Nike in 2018. But the brand famously does not permit its employees to participate in sneaker reselling, and the practice of buying shoes at their retail price only to sell them at a higher price is still taboo to many collectors, reports Complex.

Commenters on the original story questioned whether the younger Hebert was gaining unfair access to limited-edition sneakers, and perhaps buying shoes in large quantities from Nike outlets using his mother's discount. Obviously, something in the story sparked the quick departure.

↦ Dig Deeper: Read the original Bloomberg Businessweek report about the sneaker boom and Joe Hebert's resale business.

Seth Rogan Launched a Cannabis Brand

And the internet was so excited, the site crashed

Seth Rogen has pretty much founded his public image on his affection for marijuana. You saw it in the characters he played and heard him speak on it during talk show appearances. But what seemed like a beloved hobby proved to be something more: As Rogen himself calls it, his life's work.

The actor-writer-producer announced Monday the launch of his own marijuana company, Houseplant. Apparently, he's been developing this company for the past 10 years with his longtime creative partner, Evan Goldberg. The announcement ping-ponged around the internet so fast that the brand's site crashed.

Rogen says that his business will also offer accessories like ashtrays, lighters... “and yes, even ceramics.” (Anyone who follows Rogen on Twitter knows that his second favorite hobby during quarantine has become making ceramics.)

What's more, the brand will work with criminal justice and drug policy reform organizations, Houseplant told Fast Company, and will provide funding to Marijuana Policy Project, Cage Free Cannabis, Cannabis Amnesty and NORML.

↦ FYI: Houseplant will be available to purchase directly from its site next week. The weed, however, will only be available within California for now.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

This clever keychain mask

Amazon’s newly updated app icon

The 2022 Bolt EUV

How to Drink Scotch Right Now

The best bottles to try and cocktails to mix

It's never a bad time to talk about whiskey right? Or should I say whisky ... because we're talking about Scotch. And our resident cocktail expert, Christopher Doell, informs us that the ‘e’ in whiskey is only for the American and Irish spirits.

He speaks with Robert Ferrara, Whisk(e)y Brand Ambassador for Pernod Ricard USA, for some guidance about this most gentlemanly spirit. And Ferrara sifted through his collection to bring us some top notch selections on both bottles to buy for our home bars and a few cocktails to mix up when we're not enjoying the Scotch on the rocks.

↦ Read: The best ways to enjoy Scotch in 2021.

Sales We’re Eyeing

Killshot 2 Leather sneaker$90 / $55.97

Nike, we know, makes great stuff. We also know that a blowout sale is a great time to stock up on the gear you know and love. Right now, the brand is offering fan favorites and seasonal items for up to 40% off. Act fast before things sell out.