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

✔️ Well, This Is Awkward

July 07, 2020

Tuesday, July 7th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Who’s got groceries being delivered today?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

More PPP Loans Are Now Public

Yeezy, Burning Man and Bird e-Scooters were listed as coronavirus paycheck loan recipients

On Monday, the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration released the list of companies that applied for and received money from a $660 billion program to save jobs and protect wages during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Washington Post, the detailed information was released after weeks of pressure from media outlets and lawmakers. And it paints a picture of a haphazard first-come, first-served program that was not designed to evaluate the relative need of the recipients.

Companies applying for the money were required to certify that the funds were “necessary to support the ongoing operations,” while taking into account “their ability to access other sources of liquidity,” the SBA’s website states.

But several major chains who have private-equity investors, including PF Chang’s and Silver Diner, received millions of dollars. This will, no doubt, bring back the question about whether large companies with Wall Street connections should accept the money or return it.

Sprinkled among the beneficiaries were businesses that are likely to attract scrutiny, including a fancy sushi restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in Washington; Kanye West’s company, Yeezy; and President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, reports the New York Times.

A number of tech companies and Silicon Valley venture firms were also listed among the recipients Business Insider found—including Bird scooters, Eat Club and the Burning Man festival (pictured above), which received between $2 million and $5 million.

↦ Dig Deeper: You can check out the Paycheck Protection Program loan data by state for loans of $150,000 and above. The data for all 56 states and territories is available in a single CSV file.

Fauci: The Situation Is ‘Really Not Good’

U.S. sees 250,000 new cases in just five days

The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. is “really not good,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said Monday amid an alarming rise in new cases and hospitalizations, reports ABC News.

Just five days into July, 250,000 new coronavirus cases were reported across America, with no sign the numbers will get any better. Ten states have already notched record single-day highs in the number of cases since the start of the month, according to the latest NBC News tally.

Fauci noted that we are “still knee deep in the first wave of this. And I would say this would not be considered a wave, it was a surge, or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go.”

His comments contrast starkly with those of President Trump, who played down the danger as hospitals hit capacity in states struggling to control outbreaks—outbreaks the president has called “embers.”

↦ FYI: Atlanta's Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms confirmed that she has tested positive for COVID-19 but has shown no symptoms.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Popular Vote

States can bar electors from supporting someone other than the candidate chosen by voters

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that states can require Electoral College voters to back whoever wins the popular vote in that state, reports CNBC.

Justice Elena Kagan authored the opinion of the court as it considered for the first time whether the Constitution sees members of the electoral college—whose votes ultimately elect the president—as representatives of the intent of their state's voters or as independent thinkers.

Why does this matter? The 2016 presidential election saw 10 electors vote for someone other than their state's chosen candidate. This, Axios points out, highlights how “faithless electors” could have the potential to swing an election.

In an opinion that referred to both the Broadway musical Hamilton and the HBO sitcom Veep, Kagan added: “The State instructs its electors that they have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens. That direction accords with the Constitution—as well as with the trust of a Nation that here, We the People rule.”

Black-Owned Businesses Are Booming

Some good news amid all the uncertainty

The death of George Floyd sparked a worldwide outcry against racism and police brutality. It also lead to conversations about how people can better support the Black community as a whole.

Many encouraged people to spend their money at Black-owned businesses. According to the Associated Press, searches for “Black owned businesses near me” reached an all-time high last month on Google. The AP shares several success stories of how sales are up, despite the economic uncertainty of the moment.

Yelp has also made it easier for customers to search for Black-owned establishments and Uber Eats says it's waiving delivery fees for purchases from Black-owned restaurants through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, today has been designated Blackout Day, a call to action and “day of solidarity in America where not one Black person in America spends a dollar” outside of businesses owned by Black people.

↦ Shop: We've rounded up over a dozen Black-owned brands. Open your wallet and support creativity and ingenuity. In return, you get some really cool stuff.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

What we’re buying right now

The Slip ’n Slide origin story

Old school sneakers with new-school tech

Online Grocery Orders Hit Record Numbers

I may never return to the store ...

Despite the slow reopening of the U.S. economy over the past several weeks, online grocery shopping is continuing to reach ever-higher numbers as Americans seem to be in no rush to return to supermarkets, reports Tech Crunch.

U.S. online grocery sales reached a record $7.2 billion in June, up nearly 10% from May, according to a survey from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.

I can't remember the last time I shopped for my weekly groceries at a store. I've got my Instacart ordering down to a science. Speaking of which, Instacart just announced another $100 million in funding to help the company expand since it's grown so quickly during the pandemic.

Just how big? About 45.6 million households reported buying groceries online during the last month. A year ago, that figure was only 16.1 million customers and online grocery sales rang in at a little over a $1 million.

↦ Dig Deeper: Forbes looks into what the grocery stores of the future will be (or need to be in order to survive).

Sales We’re Eyeing

For Filson's big seasonal sale, the brand is offering discounts starting at 50% off. And some discounts go even further. And since all of their products boasts the Filson lifetime guarantee, this is the time to stock up on pieces that will last you decades.