| Good morning. Many of you are getting hit with some truly nasty weather (especially in Texas), so we hope everyone's staying warm and safe this Presidents Day. Here's a binge rec while you're riding this out: Search Party on HBO Max. | | | |  | NASDAQ | 14,095.47 | + 9.37% | | | | S&P | 3,934.83 | + 4.76% | | | | DOW | 31,458.40 | + 2.78% | |  | GOLD | 1,824.80 | - 4.04% | | | | 10-YR | 1.210% | + 29.10 bps | | | | OIL | 59.73 | + 23.36% | | | *As of market close. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Government: The Senate voted to acquit former President Trump on a charge of inciting a mob to attack the Capitol. 57 senators voted in favor of conviction, 10 shy of what was required to convict.
- Crypto: The US stock market is closed today for Presidents Day, but the bitcoin store is open and it is busy. The cryptocurrency is closing in on $50,000 after hitting more record highs this weekend (bitcoin doesn't have specific "trading hours" like stocks).
| |  Giphy | Things Walgreens can cure: nasty hangovers, the fungus growing on your pinky toe, and just maybe...slow vaccine rollouts. Last Thursday, the federal government began shipping 1 million Covid-19 vaccines to retail chains across the country, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger, as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. - 6,500 pharmacies will get the doses to start, but the goal is to eventually hit 40,000 locations.
Why it makes sense Retail pharmacies are already experts at filling prescriptions and administering flu shots, which means they can pivot to Covid vaccines without too much trouble. And given their sprawling, nationwide footprints, drugstore chains are already some of the most accessible healthcare providers for many Americans. - CVS and Walgreens have 19,000 stores combined in the US. Publix + Kroger + Rite Aid have 11,000, per the WSJ.
But the real power player in vaccine distribution is—no surprise here—Walmart, which will receive 20% of all doses sent to pharmacies by the government. That's in part because the majority of its stores are located in areas with limited healthcare resources, which the government is trying to target under this pharmacy program. Could this be a biz opportunity? Despite everyone worrying about germs for the past year, the pandemic actually didn't help drugstore chains the way it did bad Netflix shows. People came to stores less frequently, and when they did come, it was for consumer goods products that aren't as profitable as services like photo printing. CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens hope that administering vaccines will lead to higher foot traffic and sales, because why not chug a 5-Hour Energy after you get your Covid shot to keep the good vibes rolling? - All three of those companies are either transforming their businesses or restructuring to stiff-arm increased competition from the likes of Amazon.
Zoom out: The US has administered more than 50 million doses to more than 11% of the country's population. We're averaging more than 1.6 million shots/day. | |  The Washington Post/Getty Images | It's a complete coincidence, but all these quotes happen to start with "we." "We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer." President Biden pledged to enact stricter gun laws on the third anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, that killed 17. "We still have 100,000 cases a day. We still have somewhere between 1,500 and 3,500 deaths per day. And yet we see some communities relaxing some of their mitigation strategies. We are nowhere out of the woods." CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Face the Nation that it's too early to remove mask mandates, like states such as Iowa and Montana have done. "We are not afraid." Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess told a German newspaper that he's not worried about competition from Apple, which is reportedly working on releasing an electric car by 2024. "We live in a society where honor is a distant memory." Jared Leto's Joker alludes to the popular meme in the first full-length trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League. The four-hour supercut is arriving on HBO Max and in theaters on March 18. | | | When TikTok's "For You" page ran dry, many homebound singles switched to dating apps to work their thumb muscles in a different direction. Downloads of the eight most popular dating apps increased 7.4% annually in Q4, and time spent using them rose 13.4%, according to the WSJ. Big picture: Downloads and time spent on dating apps have been rising since the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020. But the same conditions that juiced usage statistics also led to monetization challenges—users were less likely to splurge on premium features if the prospect of an in-person date remained slim. - But dating execs are optimistic for the post-pandemic future. "As lockdowns ease and mobility increases, people do turn to our apps," Match Group CEO Sharmistha Dubey told the WSJ.
- Bumble stock popped 63% in its trading debut last week.
Bottom line: If you're looking for a pickup line that's about 96% effective, talk about vaccination. Between September and December of last year, Tinder reported a 258% increase in vaccine mentions. | |  Francis Scialabba | Back in 2012, the FAA anticipated 30,000 drones operating by 2020. But, like the current temperature in Texas, that was wayyyyy too low. According to data from the government, there are at least 1,746,248 registered drones in the US, and likely many more unregistered ones. What are they being used for? That's a question we don't have enough space to answer in this newsletter. Luckily, Emerging Tech Brew created an in-depth guide outlining what the proliferation of drones means for farmers, emergency responders, the military, and a bunch of other industries and professions. - One potential use case: Boston-based LEK Consulting predicts that drones could account for 30% of same-day package deliveries by 2040. That sound you hear is Amazon's drool hitting the floor.
Bottom line: The drone age is upon us, according to Emerging Tech Brew writer Ryan Duffy. "Commercial drones will eventually be integrated into our everyday lives." Read the drone guide here. | |  Chris Graythen/Getty Images | GameStop hearing: Tickets for this one might be tougher to get than Phish's NYE shows at Madison Square Garden. This Thursday, the House will hold a hearing on GameStop's wild stock fluctuations, and here's just part of the guest list: Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev, Keith Gill (aka "Roaring Kitty" on YouTube), Citadel founder Ken Griffin, and Melvin Capital Management CEO Gabe Plotkin. Earnings: The season to report Q4 financials is winding down, but Walmart is up on Thursday and a few hospitality names (Hilton, Marriott) will also reveal the pandemic's effects on their business. Economy: We'll get a pulse check on the booming residential real estate industry with housing data for January. Monthly retail sales numbers also drop on Wednesday. Everything else: - A North Dakota vote on regulating Big Tech.
- Tuesday is Mardis Gras (or this year, "Yardi Gras"). The next day is Ash Wednesday.
- On Thursday, NASA's Perseverance rover will try to land on Mars.
Speaking of Mars...about a week after the United Arab Emirates spacecraft "Hope" entered a stable orbit around the planet, we have the first image from the mission to survey Elon's intergalactic BFF.  United Arab Emirates Space Agency/AFP via Getty Images | | - New York Stock Exchange President Stacey Cunningham pushed back on comparisons between the stock market and gambling. "The markets are not a casino," she told Axios.
- Texas's power grid is being strained by the ice-cold temperatures in the state.
- New Zealand has put Auckland, its largest city, into lockdown after three members of a family tested positive for Covid-19.
- A strong earthquake (7.3 magnitude) off the coast of Japan left households without power and injured hundreds. In more Japan news, health officials there approved Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine.
- An Israeli study found a 94% drop in symptomatic coronavirus cases among 600,000 people who received Pfizer's vaccine.
| |  | Feeling underappreciated this Valentine's season? MoneyGram is too. They're an international money transfer company who just wants to be with someone who recognizes them for the mission-minded, digitally-savvy brand that they are. Jump-start your relationship today by signing up for their investor newsletter here. | | | Contest reminder: Our Friday Puzzle lasts the entire week, and we're giving a shout out to the winner this Friday. Check out the puzzle and enter to win. Distance to Mars: With the Red Planet in the news, experience just how far away it is from us. Dive back into the week: | | | Longtime readers know we always ask this question on days like today: Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) is one of nine holidays during which the US stock market closes. Can you name the other eight? | | | You only need 5 more referrals to receive Morning Brew stickers. If there's one thing we know about laptops, it's that they hate being naked. Get your comp some fresh Morning Brew stickers. 
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