The Daily Valet. - 6/10/22, Friday

✔️ The Landmark Hearings Begin

June 10, 2022

Friday, June 10th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Are you as ready for the weekend as I am?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Hearings Begin

The televised Jan. 6th hearings put Trump at the center of the plot that resulted in the Capitol riot

The congressional Jan. 6 committee held its first prime-time hearing Thursday night about the attack on the Capitol and the events leading up to it. Over about two hours, the panel offered new information about what it characterized as an attempted coup.

They opened the historic set of hearings by showing video of aide after aide to former President Trump testifying that his claims of a stolen election were false, as the panel laid out in meticulous detail the extent of the former president’s efforts to overturn his defeat and keep himself in office.

The top Republican on the committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said that over the next few weeks, the committee will present evidence that Trump made not a single call to the Defense Department or other national security agencies during the attack. The committee played testimony from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying that it was Vice President Mike Pence who made those calls. It was “President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said.

To help paint a portrait of the mayhem and cruelty that unfolded during the attack on the Capitol, the panel introduced witnesses who were caught in the crowd of rioters, and whose personal retelling of the day’s events helped underscore how violent the riot became. Ultimately, the carnage left more than 140 law enforcement officers injured.

Amid graphic images of the siege at the Capitol, the committee rolled out never-before-seen video of interviews with Trump’s inner circle. The former president and his top aide were specifically told there was no widespread ballot fraud by former Attorney General William Barr—an assessment that even his daughter Ivanka said under oath that she accepted.

Of course, last night served as something of a teaser. The panel plans to hold at least six more public hearings and flesh out various pieces of the plot to keep Trump in power. Coming hearings will spell out how Trump wanted to fire senior Justice Department officials and how Pence told Trump repeatedly that it’d be illegal for him to refuse to count certain electoral votes. Cheney also left open the possibility that the hearings might extend through the summer. (The next hearing is scheduled for June 13 at 10 a.m.)

↦ Dig Deeper: NPR pulls together five key questions the committee will tackle in its hearings, from the schemes to the money to who is cooperating.

Unemployment Rose Last Week

Though total unemployment remains at the lowest levels since 1970

More Americans applied for jobless aid last week, but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment remains at a five-decade low. First-time applications increased by 27,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 4, and the four-week average of claims was up by 8,000, according to the Department of Labor.

Two years after the pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a freefall, causing unemployment to spike to nearly 15%, America has nearly returned to the employment highs of February 2020. The strong demand for workers has created a labor shortage with 11.4 million job openings across the economy, more than the number of unemployed people.

Last week, the government reported that U.S. employers added 390,000 jobs in May, extending a streak of solid hiring that has bolstered an economy under pressure from high inflation and rising interest rates. The data indicates that layoffs may have ticked up, though the job market remains favorable for workers.

According to the Associated Press, last month's gain reflects a resilient job market that has so far shrugged off concerns that the economy will weaken in the coming months as the Federal Reserve steadily raises interest rates to fight inflation. The unemployment rate remained 3.6%, just above a half-century low.

↦ Meanwhile: The Government Accountability Office has warned that the nation’s unemployment system is underfunded and has trouble keeping track of its spending.

Impending Sriracha Shortage

The largest maker of sriracha is low on stock because of “unexpected crop failure”

The baby formula shortage turned into a real crisis for parents. On a more trivial note, though, frustrating shortages of certain foods at the grocery store has made life at least a little less enjoyable for the rest of us. And now, sriracha lovers might not be able to get their fix this summer.

Huy Fong Inc., one of the world's largest producers in the Asian hot sauce market, says it anticipates a major shortage of its beloved rooster sauce. According to Bloomberg, Huy Fong has suspended all foreseeable production of the highly addictive spicy condiment. But this isn't due to supply chain problems.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” the company told CNN. “We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest.”

CBS News reports the sauce drought could last until Labor Day. And this might all be due to a literal drought, given that Mexico and the Western U.S. are experiencing unfavorable weather conditions to grow chili peppers.

↦ An Alternative: Gear Patrol says there’s hope for heat fans, and introduces us to “yellow sriracha.”

The Grammys Add New Categories

The five new competitive categories brings the total of awards to 91

It just became easier than ever to EGOT.

On Thursday, the Recording Academy announced that the Grammy Awards have expanded to include five new categories for the 2023 ceremony. If you're keeping track, that means next year's awards show will give out trophies for 91 total categories, which is the most awards given out in over a decade.

The new categories being recognized at the 65th Grammys include: Songwriter of the Year, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Americana Performance, Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, and Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. Plus, there will also be a new special merit award given out for Best Song for Social Change. That last one will be based on lyrical content that addresses a timely social issue and promotes “understanding, peacebuilding and empathy.”

Other amendments include changes to the Grammys entry and voting processes—including a rule that ups the minimum new content for album eligibility from 50% to 75%. But really, can you believe there hasn't been a specific Grammy for songwriting until now?

↦ FYI: Classical conductor Georg Solti is the musician with the most Grammys. His 31 victories span a career from 1962 all the way to 1997.

In Other News

↦ Gas Prices Hit $5 National Average for First Time Ever

↦ Enjoy This Definitive Ranking of Pop Culture Dinosaurs

↦ Why Did the Early Aughts Have Such Weird Sexual Energy?

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

A used N95 mask under a microscope

The ‘Laundry Jet’

Strong silent types

A Weekend Pairing

‘For All Mankind’ + a Homemade Zima

I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but For All Mankind has been one of my favorite Apple TV+ shows since it debuted in 2019. And while it has never drawn much social media buzz or awards, the grittier third season might get the attention it so rightly deserves. The show is set in an alternate history where the 1960s Cold War space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union took a completely different turn. The result was a lunar base, military escalation in space and eventually, a manned mission to Mars.

And that's where season three picks up. We're now in the 1990s, as three separate groups compete to see who will be the first to reach Mars: NASA, their Russian counterparts, and a tech company called Helios, whose enigmatic founder, Dev Ayesa (played by Edi Gathegi), has long been fascinated with space. Reviews have been extremely positive. Rolling Stone says the show mixes science fiction with a workplace drama, but “it's also a fascinating look at many roads not taken in the history of the final third of the 20th century, and a spy thriller, and an action show.”

↦ Your Pairing:If you were of drinking age in the '90s (or especially, perhaps, if you weren't yet), chances are you cracked open a bottle of Zima. The fizzy malt beverage was the White Claw of that era. But this homemade take on Zima is surprisingly refreshing: A mix of vodka, citrus and the Japanese milk soda Calpico, topped with club soda for extra effervescence.

What We’re Eyeing

Wales Bonner and adidas have teamed up for their fourth collaboration, and once again they're dropping serious heat. This collection pays homage to the influences of the 1970s and '80s, which is evident from the shoes to the tracksuits. The country sneakers ($160) are lined with lavish satin, suede and premium leather details. Keep the laces as is or swap them out for a summery crochet pair. But sizes are going quick, so if you want them you better move.

↦ Want more? 5 new shoes on our radar