The Daily Valet. - 6/16/23, Friday
✔️ Over a Decade of Dreamers
A programming note ... We will be off on Monday, in observance of Juneteenth. See you back here on Tuesday.
Friday, June 16th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
There are no “convenience fees” baked into the price of this newsletter.
Today’s Big Story
Over a Decade of Dreamers
Despite bipartisan support, the fate of DACA is stuck in legal limbo, 11 years later
It was supposed to be a temporary fix. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was intended as a stopgap measure to protect some of the nation's most vulnerable undocummented immigrants—young people who were brought to the country as children and have grown up essentially as Americans—until Congress could agree on a comprehensive immigration overhaul or, at the least, pass a bill to offer them a path to citizenship.Officially launched in June of 2012, Thursday marked the program's 11th anniversary. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris praised the contributions of the “Dreamers,” who've so far been shielded from deportation. “DACA has provided more than 800,000 Dreamers the ability to work lawfully, pursue an education, and contribute their immense skills and talents to better our communities.”The program survived efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle it, but Congress has yet to provide the population any certainty about their future legal status (despite bipartisan interest in the issue). The Biden administration has tried to fortify the policy against legal challenges, but a Texas judge could soon end DACA's protections for more than half a million beneficiaries.Polling shows that Americans widely support providing Dreamers legal status. That included more than half of Republicans in a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. But efforts to turn that support into U.S. law have been repeatedly stalled in Congress.The large number of migrants and asylum seekers illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has recently made some Republicans less likely to get behind bills offering protection to Dreamers without first addressing border security. According to ABC News, the number of people in immigration detention recently hit about 30,000, marking a 40% increase since the end of pandemic-era measures used to justify fast-track border protocols to remove migrants.
Dig Deeper:
What happens if DACA ends? According to FWD, around 1,000 jobs will be lost each and every business day for the next two years.
Are We Done With “Junk Fees”?
Biden announces Live Nation and Ticketmaster will allow consumers to see all fees up front
President Biden announced from a White House roundtable on Thursday that Ticketmaster, along with Live Nation and SeatGeek, have promised to disclose the full price of tickets upfront, essentially removing the haunting prospect of those nasty hidden fees at checkout, reports Reuters.These so called “junk fees” jack up ticket costs so they are higher than the sticker price on many ticketing sites—undercutting accessibility to some of the hottest shows as demand for concerts is soaring. Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been the focus of regulatory ire for years, but scrutiny hit a fever pitch last November when Live Nation canceled ticket sales for Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour'.Biden has urged Congress to pass legislation targeting other hidden costs paid by consumers throughout the economy. According to CNN, this is the president's latest effort to address “kitchen-table issues as economic concerns remain top of mind for voters heading into the 2024 election.” Other companies including Airbnb and DICE made similar commitments to transparent pricing.
FYI:
For tickets sold on the primary market, fees increase the sticker price by an average of 27%, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Reddit CEO Slams Protest Leaders
He Says, “It’s time we grow up and behave like an adult company”
Well, this could get ugly. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said Thursday that he wants to bring an end to a user-led protest that has made large parts of the influential website inaccessible this week. But he also said that he plans to institute rules changes that would allow Reddit users to vote out moderators who have overseen the protest, comparing them to a “landed gentry.”According to The Verge, Reddit originaly said it would respect the blackout where thousands of subreddits are currently staying dark — but it's not clear the company actually will. In fact, this new stance sounds like they plan to eject the moderators who support a blackout, replacing them with those who would re-open the sub.“We made a business decision that upset them,” Huffman told NPR in his first interview since nearly 9,000 subreddits went dark. Reddit, which is used by more than 57 million people every day, has long relied on advertising. But with a slowdown in digital ad spending, the company is looking to find new ways to generate revenue, including the new proposed fees for allowing third parties to access the site's data. Huffman said the reckoning that Reddit now finds itself in has been long overdue.
You Out?
If you plan to delete your Reddit account, there are a few things you should do first, advises Lifehacker.
The Stick Shift Is Dying. Or Is It?
Automakers can’t quit manual transmissions so they’re cramming fake stuff into Electric Cars
Pour one out for the third pedal and that masculine urge to shift into high gear. It's certainly not news that the manual transmission's days are numbered. As Gear Patrol put it, “the forces at work against the manual transmission are insurmountable,” and even the #savethemanuals hashtag popping up on social media has profound old man shouting into the wind energy.But that doesn't mean that automakers aren't interested in experimenting with ways to modernize their cars, stay ahead of the curve when it comes to EVs and delight those who still want to drive a stick shift. What does that mean? Manufacturers are trying to bring the manual experience into the electric era by using synthetic gear shifts and engine sounds. Toyota confirmed on Thursday that it's developing a performance EV with a manual transmission.Other examples include an all-electric Ford Mustang with a six-speed manual gearbox (right now, it's just a one-off) and Jeep's Magneto concept with a manual transmission. Lexus, which leads Toyota's high-performance EV efforts, is also developing a kind of shifting system that mimics the feel of a clutch and a stick shift in an electric car.
FYI:
Toyota's new system even “stalls” if a driver fumbles the controls. But the company is still debating whether to keep that feature when it offers it to the public.
In Other News
Jack Teixeira was charged with six counts of willful retention and leaking classified documents.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Extraction 2’ + a Seven and Seven Cocktail
Chris Hemsworth returns to kick some ass in Extraction 2, the sequel to Netflix's 2020 action movie that became the streamer's most-watched original film with 99 million viewers in its first four weeks of release. Director Sam Hargrave is also back and attempting to craft even more insane action sequences, including a highly touted set piece that's designed to look like a 21-minute single take.Given that Hemsworth's Tyler Rake was last seen shot in the neck and falling into a river, audiences aren't exactly sure what to make of the sequel. According to IGN, the film adheres to the '80s and '90s action movie logic, where probably-should-be-dead heroes return to combat like they're some indestructible G.I. Joe. Without giving too much away (I don't want to spoil any of the action), the reviews are pretty favorable, calling the film (which currently ranks 78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) “pure cinematic adrenalin.”
Pair It With
This film doesn’t ask much of you … so neither should your drink pairing. A good, reliable Seven and Seven is a simple, yet satisfying highball you can whip up in no time and knock back. It doesn’t get easier than this sweet and spritzy drink.
Also Worth a Watch:
‘Nora From Queens’ season 3 on Max; ‘Chevalier’ on Hulu
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A ripstop tote
Madewell's tote is constructed of sturdy ripstop and suede. It has internal compartments for ample storage, and has a small pocket on the outside for your EDC.
Get It:
Rush hour tote, $128 / $88.99 by Madewell
Morning Motto
Your reaction is what matters.
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