Good morning. Who do you think was the most consequential person of 2021? What was the biggest flop of the year? How about the "most 2021" headline? Later this month, we'll be handing out the inaugural Golden Mug Awards to crown the best, the worst, and the cringiest from the year that was. We've done the work of creating a list of categories and nominees but, Brew readers—you must select the winners. Cast your votes for the Golden Mug Awards here. | | | READ THIS TO REMAIN A SUBSCRIBER Want to keep receiving Morning Brew? Clicking on newsletter links is the only way for us to know you are reading (and enjoying) Morning Brew. If you don't click by next month, you will stop receiving this newsletter. Click here to let us know that you're still an active subscriber. Thanks! | | | |  | Nasdaq | 15,225.15 | | | | | S&P | 4,591.67 | | | | | Dow | 35,227.03 | | | | | 10-Year | 1.435% | | | | | Bitcoin | $50,501.71 | | | | | Tripadvisor | $26.95 | | | | *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 7:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: Investors hope that the only thing more contagious than Omicron is a stock rally, and they got the week started off right yesterday as travel and hospitality shares soared. The Fed's tapering plan is more of a threat to stock valuations than the Omicron variant, Morgan Stanley analysts argue.
- Geopolitics: President Biden's big video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin is happening today. Biden will reportedly warn Putin that if he decides to invade Ukraine, then the US and its allies will move to unplug Russia from the global financial system.
| | Dianna "Mick" McDougall; Getty Images/Neil Emmerson All private-sector employees in New York City, from Wall Street traders to Times Square Power Rangers, will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday. In justifying the new rule (a "first-in-the-nation" measure, per de Blasio), the mayor said the spread of Delta + the incoming Omicron variant + more inside activities during winter = a potent mix that could lead to a worsening Covid picture in the city over the next few months. - The Xs and Os: Employees at ~184,000 businesses in the city will need to have at least one dose of the vaccine by Dec. 27. There is no testing option alternative.
NYC currently requires proof of vaccination for adults to enter restaurants, work out at gyms, or watch the Knicks be mediocre at MSG, but it's tightening those requirements as well: Children ages 5–11 will need to flash their vax cards to participate in indoor activities starting Dec. 14. Business groups are pushing back "We were blindsided," Partnership for New York City President Kathryn Wylde said. "There's no forewarning, no discussion, no idea about whether it's legal or who he expects to enforce it." Wylde added that the requirement was counterproductive to de Blasio's efforts to get workers back in the office and revitalize business districts (the vax mandate only applies to employees who work in-person). De Blasio is probably thinking, "Not my problem." On Jan. 1, he's being replaced by bitcoin bull and certified party animal Eric Adams, whose office said he will "evaluate" the policy. Big picture: NYC is pushing ahead with a private-sector vax requirement while Biden's federal mandate has hit a legal brick wall. That proposal, which would apply to all companies with 100+ employees and was set to go into effect on January 4, has been blocked by a federal appeals court.—NF | | Han Haidan/China News Service via Getty Images The US will stage a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, citing the Chinese government's human rights abuses and "crimes against humanity" in the Xinjiang region. What's a diplomatic boycott? The US won't send any officials to Beijing, but the cool people—athletes—are free to go and compete. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle supported a diplomatic boycott as a way for the US to protest China's crackdown on political dissidents and ethnic minorities. But some politicians, such as Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said the US is just figure skating around the issue and should have fully boycotted the games. - During the Cold War in 1980, the US barred athletes from competing in the Summer Olympics in Moscow following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Big picture: The Biden administration's move is sure to escalate tensions between the world's two largest economies and was immediately labeled "outright political provocation" by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The announcement also gives an opening to other governments that have considered a diplomatic boycott (Australia and the Netherlands, for two) to go through with it.—NF | | It was another normal one for Digital World Acquisition Corp., folks. On Monday morning, the SPAC that's taking former President Trump's media startup public disclosed that it's the subject of a probe by the SEC and another financial regulator, FINRA. - You may remember DWAC for its dizzying autumn rally of more than 1,200% in just two days, following the announcement that it would merge with Trump Media & Technology Group.
The regulators asked DWAC for information related to its trading policies, investors, and communications with Trump's media company. A NYT report in October found that the Digital World CEO and Trump met as early as March about the SPAC deal, which would be a potential securities violation—SPACs are not allowed to pick merger targets prior to raising money. That seemed like the end of it, until…GOP Congressman Devin Nunes of California said he would resign from Congress in the coming weeks to become CEO of Trump's fledgling social media company in January. Although a well-known Trump loyalist, it's still a surprising move for Nunes, who was in line to be the Ways and Means chairman if the Republicans took back the House next year.—MK | | | Mugsy Jeans are the most comfortable dang jeans on the dang planet. They're built (that's right, BUILT) with a proprietary stretch denim that look like jeans but feel like your coziest pair of sweatpants. We could keep saying all of that stuff; you know, how these jeans are nice enough to wear to work but also comfy enough for a day spent on the couch. But you're smart and you get it. You understand that Mugsy Jeans stretch. They look like fashionable jeans. And one guy even said (with an eloquence we can only dream to achieve), "I used to hate jeans. Now I don't." We should also mention the good people at Mugsy are even stretching themselves to offer super comfy chinos, shorts, pullovers, and hoodies. It's not a stretch to say you want to check out Mugsy's Jeans (and more!) today. | | Patek Philippe Stat: Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe is releasing 170 limited-edition versions of its famous Nautilus Ref. 5711 watch in partnership with Tiffany. It's retailing for $52,635, but if you can get your hands on one you can likely resell it for a much greater fortune. Patek recently announced it will be retiring the Ref. 5711 next year. Quote: "If you're on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off." Vishal Garg, the CEO of online mortgage company Better.com, told about 900 employees at the company they were out of a job in a single 3-minute Zoom call last week. A few days later, Garg posted messages on an anonymous professional network accusing at least 250 of those employees of "stealing" from their colleagues and customers by working an average of 2 hours a day, Fortune reported. Read: A profile of Jeremy Strong, the enigmatic but brilliant actor who plays Kendall Roy on Succession. (The New Yorker) | | Francis Scialabba DoorDash is launching an ultrafast delivery pilot program in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood to compete with the rush of other 15-minutes-or-less delivery startups in the city. That's not the only new play in the playbook. After exclusively relying on a workforce of gig workers and spending $47 million on a California ballot measure to keep it that way, DoorDash is hiring 60 full-time couriers with benefits and standardized pay to work under a new subsidiary, DashCorps. - DoorDash said the decision to make the positions full-time (and some additional roles part-time) was a mix of logistics and outdated employment laws.
Everyone wants their ham in 10 minutes. Ultrafast grocery delivery services, which operate by strategically plopping "dark stores" in urban neighborhoods, have become more popular this year than making fun of Lin-Manuel Miranda. In fact, speedy delivery startup Jokr hit unicorn status last week after launching just six months ago. Looking ahead...Instacart could be the next delivery dinosaur to shove its way into the crowded ultrafast delivery market next year, according to The Information.—MM | | - Tesla shares declined for a fourth straight day after it revealed an SEC investigation into the company.
- Medina Spirit, the colt who won the Kentucky Derby, died of a heart attack after a workout in California.
- Drake has withdrawn his two Grammy nominations, per Variety.
- Jack in the Box is buying Del Taco in a $575 million fast-food deal.
- The Nasdaq is set to beat its rival exchange, the NYSE, in IPOs in 2021 for the third year running.
| | Snow easy.* It takes only minutes to apply for Apple Card, and you can use it right away with Apple Pay. Also easy? Getting up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on all of your holiday purchases. Apply with no impact to your credit score. Terms apply. Now trending up: your biz. Staples has been a resource for business owners who need to get scrappy for a long time—AKA, they were the perfect partners to create our Navigating Trends 101 guide. To turn trends into strategy for your small biz, read here.* Life Tip Tuesday: Here are the dates to know to make sure your presents arrive in time for Christmas. Cool, random links: 1) A map of global shipping routes 2) Amanda Gorman's poetry collection is out today 3) who can relate? 4) reminder to vote for the Golden Mug Awards. *This is sponsored advertising content | | Brew Mini: Today's puzzle is called, "Hello." Find out whether it's a reference to a certain British singer by playing the Mini here. Stage names For every Bob Dylan, there's a Robert Zimmerman. We'll give you a famous musician's birth name, and you have to figure out what they're known by professionally. - Shawn Corey Carter
- Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini
- John Roger Stephens
- Peter Gene Hernandez
- Megan Jovon Ruth Pete
- Montero Lamar Hill
- Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
| | Day 8 of our 12 Days of Giveaways has us where we started: giving away $2,000 in cold, floppy cash. There isn't a whole lot more to say—it's two grand, and that's a lot of money. When you share the Brew before midnight (ET), you and a person you refer will have a chance to win $2,000 each. And every confirmed referral is one entry to win. So the more you refer, the more entries you get. Share to win* Disclaimer: Only readers with US addresses are eligible to participate. Here are the terms and conditions. | | - Jay-Z
- Doja Cat
- John Legend
- Bruno Mars
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Lil Nas X
- The Weeknd
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