The Daily Valet. - 8/29/22, Monday

✔️ A Summer of Extremes

August 29, 2022

Monday, August 29th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I don’t think I’ve actually sat and watched the VMAs since, like, 2009 (and we all know how that went).

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

A Summer of Extreme Weather

A great drought and a great deluge, at the same time

In an unprecedented age of climate disasters, our past is suddenly brought into the present. Receding water levels in Europe’s second-largest river surfaced a flotilla of Nazi-era German warships that were still packed with ammunition. Sunken villages are emerging and a hidden ancient Roman bridge is suddenly seeing the light of day. They were exposed at a time when Europe is experiencing what appears to be the worst dry spell in half a millennium, with two-thirds of the continent under some form of drought warning.

Across Europe, hot, dry conditions have threatened livestock and increased crop failure. Countries along Europe’s Mediterranean coast, such as Italy, France and Spain, are likely to see warmer and drier conditions until November.

China is also experiencing drought conditions—and in this case, it’s had a massive impact on the Yangtze River—which has, in turn, affected parts of the country that rely upon the river for hydroelectric power. It has been forcing cities to impose rolling blackouts and driving up the country’s use of coal.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Dallas has joined four other U.S. cities that have recently experienced extremely hot—and then suddenly extremely wet—summers. From Death Valley to the Mississippi River, each of these storms has been described as a 1-in-1,000-year event. That means that each year, there is a .1% chance it could happen, based on historical data.

But climate researchers tell NBC News that a warmer atmosphere has juiced the potential for extreme rainfall and damaging flooding. A warmer atmosphere can simply hold more moisture. For every degree Fahrenheit of warming, the atmosphere can absorb about 4.5% more water, one research scientist said.

Pakistan was already dealing with a deadly heatwave before a deadly monsoon season became “a serious climate catastrophe,” according to the country’s top climate official. Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis. The death toll has risen to well over 1,000 people after new fatalities were reported across different provinces.

↦ FYI: There is a link between drought and floods. Soil actually absorbs water better when damp, so parched ground acts like concrete and increases the risk of flash floods.

Trump Search: What Comes Next?

Judge plans to appoint special master in Trump records case

A federal judge in Florida told the Justice Department on Saturday to provide her with more specific information about the classified records removed from former President Donald Trump's Florida estate and said it was her “preliminary intent” to appoint a special master in the case and identify any documents that may be protected by executive privilege.

It's the latest development in the legal conflict over government documents, including national security material, that Trump has kept in violation of the law, according to the affidavit, which was released (after being redacted). The document shows that there is what the law calls “probable cause” to believe that Trump committed various crimes. According to The Conversation, improper storing of classified information is a crime, but that is not what is being investigated here. A much more serious crime under the Espionage Act is at stake.

Trump issued a statement late Friday saying that he and his team have cooperated with the DOJ and that “WE GAVE THEM MUCH ... Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home.” But according to the Associated Press, that's at odds with the portrayal of the Trump team in the affidavit and the fact that the FBI search occurred despite warnings months earlier that the documents were not being properly stored.

Meanwhile, the National Archives has become the target of a rash of threats and vitriol, reports the Washington Post. All because these civil servants—who are tasked with preserving and securing the government's records—alerted the authorities when they recovered “a mess of disorganized papers lacking any inventory.” The archivists said highly classified material was mixed in with newspaper clippings and dinner menus.

↦ FYI: Despite all the legal trouble, a majority of Republican voters believe he should still be the party's nominee in 2024, a new USA Today/Ipsos poll indicates.

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Life moves fast. And you try to stay current and get all the information, but this app can keep you from missing out.

DoorDash Data Breach

A sophisticated attack has left personal and payment information exposed to hackers

Have you ordered DoorDash recently? The food delivery giant confirmed that personal information of some of its customers (as well as delivery workers) was compromised in a data breach that stemmed from a phishing attack against a third-party company it does business with.

DoorDash stated that an “undisclosed number of customers had their names, email addresses, delivery addresses, phone numbers and partial payment card numbers” stolen. But based on their investigation, the info accessed did not include passwords or full payment card numbers. I wonder if the crooks could see how often I order the exact same thing from my favorite Korean chicken place?

Security experts told Bloomberg that those who use the app should be on alert for phishing texts and emails. You know, those annoying and seemingly innocent texts carrying a tiny link just begging to be clicked on. Ignore them.

According to Mashable, DoorDash did not state any timeline of discovery of the breach, but a spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company took time to “fully investigate what happened, which users were impacted and how they were impacted” before disclosing the data breach. You might remember that back in 2019, hackers stole customer data from DoorDash, resulting in 4.9 million customers, drivers and merchants having their information compromised—which the company also blamed on an unnamed third-party vendor.

↦ FYI: Digital heists are big business. According to a new report, over $100 million worth of NFTs were stolen over the past 12 months.

Here’s What Went Down at the VMAs

The show included some genuine surprises and a few firsts

In an attempt to get back to the way things used to be, the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards brought back some classic traditions after last year's semi-virtual (and semi-entertaining) show. But this being MTV, the traditions were a bit ... twisted.

For example, the Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award went to Nicki Minaj. She's had a great career so far, but are we at “lifetime achievement” status? Meanwhile, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who've been at it since before the iPod) received a different honor, the Global Icon Award.

Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X lead this year's winners with three Moon People each. Swift is the first artist to win video of the year three times. BLACKPINK won new best metaverse performance (a newly added category this year) designed to honor virtual performances. And Lisa, a member of BLACKPINK, won best K-pop for her solo hit “Lalisa,” beating out favorite BTS—who had won in this category in each of the last three years.

In a historic win, Bad Bunny was named artist of the year. It's the first time a Latin artist has taken a marquee, all-genre award at the VMAs. And in another surprise, Johnny Depp made a cameo as a digital Moon Person. Floating above the stage, his face was digitally added to the helmet's void in brief moments when returning to the broadcast from commercial

↦ FYI: Billboard has the full list of winners.

In Other News

↦ NASA Moon Rocket on Track for Launch This Morning Despite Lightning Hits

↦ Mickey Mantle Card Breaks Record, As Sports Memorabilia Soars

↦ The World’s Tallest Skyscraper Could Soon Feature a Crazy Addition

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Shooting off our own rocket

Shirt jackets

Getting older

Partner

An Efficient Way to Catch Up

Never miss an opportunity to know more

There's no shortage of news today. It seems like there are countless alerts popping up on our phones, crawls on the TV and don't get me started about social media. Unfortunately, that means I don't always get to the more thoughtful, analytical long-reads. And those are what really helps us understand an issue or break down a complicated subject.

News Over Audio (Noa) is an app that allows you to listen to thought-provoking journalism from the world of finance, tech, careers and world affairs that you don't have time to read. From The Economist's in-depth market analysis, to the newest thinking from Harvard Business Review, Noa's editors hand-pick the best articles for you and craft topic-specific “Series” to help you understand the story behind the news. Personally, I enjoyed the one about who decides when the U.S. is really in a recession.

Articles are read by a team of celebrated narrators and within each series collection, Noa's editors aim to guide listeners from the A to Z of the story. In the process, they provide multiple perspectives so that you get a well-rounded view on the topic. And since it's available on mobile, desktop or smart speakers, I can listen to it while I'm showering, commuting or getting ready for bed.

↦ Start Listening for Free: Sign-up today and get free access to a 30-day trial.

What We’re Eyeing

This line was a long time coming. Jack Carlson, the founder of Rowing Blazers, has teamed up with another designer, Karl Blanchard, to launch a label in honor of tennis legend Arthur Ashe. The two worked with his estate to create a line featuring both archival replicas and new pieces inspired by his on- and off-court style. This leopard-print piqué polo ($98) is the perfect example. What's more, a portion of all proceeds are split between the UCLA's Arthur Ashe Legacy Fund and the Social Change Fund United, two organizations the estate still supports to this day.

↦ Want more? 5 stylish items to buy this week