The Daily Valet. - 9/4/20, Friday

✔️ This Could Get Interesting

Friday, September 4th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Bring on the long weekend ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

↦ We’ll be off on Monday for Labor Day.
↦ See you back here on Tuesday.

Today’s Big Story

Google Is In Trouble

The Justice Department could file a lawsuit against the tech giant this month

The U.S. Department of Justice is aiming to file a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google parent company Alphabet in September. This is likely going to be a story that we're going to hear a lot about in the coming weeks.

However, The New York Times reports Attorney General William Barr is fast-tracking the action against the recommendation of career lawyers who believe the government is not prepared to successfully argue its case.

The competition inquiry, which began last year, focuses on Google’s sprawling search and advertising empire and the extent to which it harms rivals and consumers alike. According to the Washington Post, Amazon, Apple and Facebook have undergone similar scrutiny at either the Justice Department or its sister agency, the Federal Trade Commission, as well as on Capitol Hill—lawmakers are currently exploring a rewrite of the country’s competition laws.

The concern is really about how when Google or another one of its peers in Silicon Valley expand, they become too big and wield too much power over multiple industries. I feel like the larger the company, the less trust I end up having in them. And apparently, I'm not alone.

All 50 states support antitrust action against Google, reports the Times. That's definitely a reflection of the broad bipartisan support that a DOJ case might have. But state attorneys general conducting their own investigations into the company are split on how to move forward. Democrats are perceived by Republicans as slow-walking the work so that cases can be brought under a potential Biden administration. And some Democrats have accused Republicans of rushing it out under the current administration.

Of course, big doesn't always mean bad. But the numbers are pretty staggering: Google controls about 90% of web searches around the world. It also captures a third of every advertising dollar spent across the internet. We basically interact with Google any time we search for information, watch a video, hail a ride, order delivery through an app or simply see an ad online.

↦ Meanwhile: Google is giving employees today off to avoid burnout as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its seventh month.

About That Coming Vaccine ...

A top advisor calls an October vaccine ‘extremely unlikely’

Successfully rolling out a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 1 will rely on clinical trials conducted at unprecedented speed, coupled with public release of research that shows it is both safe and effective, reports NBC News.

The CDC may've asked states to get ready to distribute next month, but that doesn't mean an effective treatment will be ready quite so soon.

In separate interviews Thursday with NPR, the chief scientific adviser to the Trump administration's vaccine development effort and the former director of the CDC's office of public health preparedness cautioned that a viable vaccine is likely still months away.

Currently, tens of thousands of volunteers are participating in clinical trials, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday that he believes federal regulators will only allow a coronavirus vaccine to be distributed this fall once it’s based on science and hard data.

↦ FYI: Filming for The Batman has been halted after Robert Pattinson reportedly contracted COVID-19.

The New Sports Hero

Athletes are no longer just "sticking to sports"

No one knows better than a professional athlete that being first matters. And over the past few weeks, many athletes and whole teams were brave enough to take a stand when for so long they've been told to simply stick with what they're paid to do and play the game.

Mitchell S. Jackson writes in Esquire, that being first to stand up (or more fittingly, kneel) today means that "someone cared so much that they imagined something no one else had and hazarded a risk no one else thought to take, or dared to."

The Bucks’ strike lsat week was a monumental moment, reports The Ringer. One that temporarily shut down the league and caused team owners to commit to change. But as players returned to the court, they were vocal about what they’re fighting for.

Of course, male athletes have garnered the bulk of the media coverage. But many female athletes—from the WNBA' Maya Moore to pro tennis player Naomi Osaka—have been advocating for equality for years, and with a lot more to lose. I'm not a huge a sports fan myself, but I know as Americans, we idolize our athletes. It's nice to see that they're now giving us even greater things to admire in them besides their raw talent.

Rebirth of an Auto Icon

Jeep is reintroducing the Grand Wagoneer

After years of rumors, spy shots and speculation, Jeep has officially announced Thursday that the Grand Wagoneer is returning. Now as a proper luxury SUV.

When it goes on sale next year, CNBC reports it will top $100,000—making it the brand’s highest priced vehicle, competing against Cadillac's Escalade and Land Rover's Range Rover.

According to Acquire, the The Grand Wagoneer concept's big and boxy exterior opens to reveal a spacious seven-seat cabin with front and second-row captain's chairs, customizable ambient lighting, expansive windows, sustainable materials, and a whole array of screens. Not to mention, an impressive 23-speaker McIntosh audio system with a 24-channel amplifier.

And while concept vehicles are intentionally flashy to announce a new direction the Jeep execs promise that much of what we see here will be included in the actual production SUV that'll be sold.

↦ Dig Deeper: Car and Driver has 50 in-depth photos of the Wagoneer concept's exterior, interior and interesting details.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

This new throwback Nintendo

The latest James Bond trailer

Living in a hotel

Your Weekend Pairing

The Boys + a Rusty Nail Cocktail

Did you catch the first season of Amazon's darkly comic superhero mash-up, The Boys? Some compared it to Deadpool: irreverent, slightly obnoxious and very violent. But according to The Verge, it showed real heart. Now, it's back for a long-awaited second season. Apparently, it's just as vulgar but maybe a bit messier.

Vulture says many heads explode this season. “Some are figurative, like when a character's surprising backstory is revealed, or a particularly surprising twist arrives.” Others are literal, for a show that doesn't shy away from gore. In other words, this world of The Boys, in which superheroes are test-marketed like a new breakfast cereal and authoritarian law and order comes in form-fitting spandex and capes, makes for a hard-to-look-away escape from our current unsettling reality.

↦ Your Pairing:I felt like I might need a drink with an extra kick—a secret super power, if you will. The Rusty Nail seems to fit the bill. It's a fairly straightforward yet strong cocktail: a combination of Drambuie (the most distinguished of Scotch-based liqueurs) and the whisky it's made from. There's something swanky about this cocktail and there's a honey sweetness from the Drambuie elixir that softens the bite of the whisky. Old school recipes call for a 50/50 mix but this modern version from Liquor.com is far drier, suggesting four parts whisky to one part liqueur.

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The only deals you’ll want to check out.

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TVs on sale, starting at $99.99

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adidas Ultraboost 20 $180 / $110

Get up to 66% off select items

Shinola card case $125 / $75

Up to 50% off select items

Leather tray table $199 / $149

Take an extra 25% off w/code LABORDAY

Bradford loafer $145 / $67.49

Take an extra 50% off outerwear w/code FINAL50

Julian M65 jacket $298 / $104.30

↦ Want More? See all 93 sales

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↦ Shop the full Labor Day Sale