The Daily Valet. - 7/28/20, Tuesday

✔️ Some Good News for a Change?

Tuesday, July 28th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I’m hoping for some ‘Succession’ Emmy nominations today.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Relief Talks Ramp Up

GOP proposes a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks

It’s the question that seems to have been on everyone’s minds: Will there be a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks? The answer is likely yes, based on a proposal introduced on Monday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The measure includes new $1,200 stimulus payments, with similar terms to the last set of checks, reports CNBC. The stimulus checks have been a sticking point for Republicans, many of whom expressed reluctance to spend the money on another round of one-time payments. (The first checks, authorized through the CARES Act in March, cost an estimated $300 billion.)

Perhaps the most immediately controversial aspect of the Senate Republican plan is that it includes a cut of $400 to the enhanced unemployment benefit program for out of work Americans, a provision that generated swift backlash from Democrats.

The plan would reduce enhanced federal unemployment benefits—set to expire at the end of this week—to $200, as states transition to implement a system designed to provide approximately 70% wage replacement for laid off workers versus today’s near 100%.

NPR actually makes an interesting argument about how these benefits ushered in a type of “basic income.” This added cash has kept many low-income families afloat and is even allowing them to spend a little more than they normally would.

The GOP proposal also sets aside $190 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Democrats are expected to embrace the stimulus checks, having included a second round in their own original proposal, the HEROES Act, that was passed by the House in May. But other issues, particularly how much expanded unemployment benefits to provide, could take longer for both sides to come to an agreement on.

Vaccine Heads to Widespread Testing

Biotech company Moderna announced that it’s beginning Phase 3 trials

The first Phase 3 clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine in the United States began Monday.

The investigational vaccine was developed by the biotechnology company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The trial is to be conducted at nearly 100 U.S. research sites, reports CNN.

This phase is called Phase 3 efficacy testing, and it is designed to see if the vaccine actually prevents disease. According to NPR, up to 30,000 volunteers will be assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive two injections spaced approximately 28 days apart of mRNA-1273, as the vaccine is known.

The other group will receive an injection containing only salt water. Neither the volunteer nor the person administering the injection will know what's in the syringe in order to avoid bias in favor of one outcome or another. Of course, people running the trial will know who is getting what.

↦ Dig Deeper: Bloomberg reports that the world's supply chain actually isn't ready for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Big Box Stores Will Sit Out Thanksgiving

Ending a decade-long tradition of jump-starting Black Friday sales

Two of the biggest retailers in the U.S. are closing their doors on Thanksgiving this year, breaking with a recent tradition of kickstarting the savings for customers hungry for Black Friday bargains, reports CNBC.

Target announced Monday it will close up for Turkey Day, following Walmart's announcement of the same plans last week. (No official word on Black Friday itself.)

According to ABC News, stores have long depended on big holiday crowds and work as much as a year in advance with manufacturers on securing exclusive items. But in 2020, the pandemic has turned the holiday shopping model upside down. Stores have slashed orders and crowds are literally dangerous.

Instead, Target says it will launch holiday product deals in October instead of November and make 20,000 additional products available for pickup and delivery. It also encouraged customers to spread out their holiday shopping. So maybe this year, we'll all do what we always say: “I'm going to start shopping early so I'm done before the rush.”

↦ FYI: Typically, a little more than 50% of all retail employees work on Thanksgiving Day.

A Game Boy Tribute

Pre-orders for the ‘Pocket’ begin next week

When first introduced last year, the Analogue Pocket promised to be an incredible retro game player, and maybe the best Game Boy ever made, according to CNET.

The elegantly designed device that can play virtually any Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance game, as well as Game Gear, Atari Lynx and Neo Geo Pocket games through optional adapters, reports Acquire.

There's also a collection of accessories such as a slim Dock, which lets you plug into a TV to play games through a compatible wireless controller.

Due to the pandemic, the release date has been pushed back to May 2021, which is a bummer for anyone hoping for distractions from our current mess—but pre-orders are opening up next week.

↦ Dig Deeper: It's time to dust off Wii Sports, where "everything is beautiful and nothing hurts."

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

A masculine home investment

Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz

Building concrete furniture

The Indestructible Pants We All Need

Turns out, adventure pants are ideal for a summer close to home

What have you been wearing on your lower half lately? Me? I'm not much a sweats person, so it's been a mix of shorts and relaxed jeans.

But then I got a pair of “performance” chinos and was genuinely surprised at how much I wanted to wear them. Like, I just kept grabbing them—pairing them with T-shirts, basic polos and the bold graphic camp collar shirts I wore specifically for Zoom meetings.

The nice thing about them is that they're made to keep you comfortable and take a beating. So you can wear them over and over—they don't stink, they resist stains and wick away moisture, and work as well on a bike as they do sitting behind a computer.

Our own Scott Woolf did some research, asked around and pulled together the best options currently being sold. They cover the style spectrum and are available in a range of prices.

↦ Buy: The best technical pants for men.

What We’re Buying

Rhodes partners with family-run factories in Portugal, Italy and Mexico for handmade footwear crafted from fine calf leather and suede that only gets better with every wear. They've currently got one of our favorite pairs, the Dylan suede chukka, on sale for less than a hundred bucks. You won't find a better deal for a quality shoe.

↦ Get It Dylan chukka, $150 / $97.98 at Huckberry