🌞 Shih Tzu – January 11 2022

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00am ET. 

• Markets: The markets started out Monday flat and then recovered as investors await the the key inflation data today. European stocks bounced back from their biggest decline in six weeks as Treasury yields steadied. Meanwhile, Bitcoin recovered to around $42,000 after dipping below $40,000, putting it on track for its worst start to a year since the earliest days of digital currencies. Oil prices are also up. 

The Lead: Universities Colluding Over Financial Aid

credit: ap

A new lawsuit alleges that major U.S. universities have colluded to unfairly limit access to financial aid. Named in the lawsuit are Yale, Georgetown, Northwestern, Brown, Cornell, Duky, Dartmouth and others. 

The suit was brought by five students who claim that the universities shared their calculations regarding the “financial need” of applicants. They are allowed to do that but they are not allowed to consider the applicants’ financial situation when doing so. The suit claims that they did. 

This suit is one amongst many that have pointed out that college admissions are not based on meritocracy. Lest anyone thought that they were. U.S. colleges are for profit and behave as such but now students are using the court system to bring those practices to light. 

A Yale spokesperson rejected the claims and said that the school is “100% compliant with all applicable laws.” The plaintiffs lawyers say that over 170,000 students may be eligible to join their case. 

In related news, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced major funding increases for state universities if they promise to close achievement gaps for underserved students. 

Whatever Way The Wind Blows

credit: getty

General Motors came to the state of California with its tail between its legs regarding carbon emissions standards. This is a story about how corporate interests follow the political party in power. 

Here is some context.

California set tough emission standards for automakers and President Trump sued the state for this while he was in office. GM joined the lawsuit while other carmakers sided with the state of California. 

Then President Biden was elected and the Trump lawsuit was deflated. GM immediately renounced the lawsuit and threw their support behind President Biden. 

This week GM published a letter to California Governor Newsom saying that it “recognizes California’s authority to set vehicle emissions standards” and that the company is “committed to complying.” The company’s plan is to stop selling gas-powered cars by 2040 and will spend $35 billion on EVs by 2025. Unless a different president is elected to allow them to do otherwise we presume. 

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It's Getting Hot in Here

credit: giphy

New data shows that Planet Earth's last seven years were the warmest on record. 

This comes from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The data showed that 2021 was the fifth-warmest year on record. It sure felt like it. 

Scientists have been warning that a 1.5-degree warming of the planet could have disastrous consequences. The report shows that we are 73% there with an average increase of 1.1-degrees.

Another study shows that the world’s oceans recorded the hottest temperatures on record for the sixth year in a row.

And is there an end in sight to this warming trend? Outlook not good. Another report released on Monday shows that greenhouse gas emissions rose by 6.2% in 2021 alone. 

What's Trending?

#ExposeFauci is trending because of newly released documents from Project Veritas. They show that DARPA, a U.S. defense agency, rejected a proposal to study bat-borne coronaviruses because it was considered “gain of function.” According to the documents, the project was later greenlit by Dr. Fauci when he ran the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which seems to contradict his congressional testimony that he never participated in any “gain of function” research. 

The Bachelor is trending because season 26 of the bachelor has begun with contest Clayton Etchard. He was formerly a contestant on season 18. Monday’s episode featured Disney star Hilary Duff and people on Twitter had a lot to say about it. The Bachelor will trend every Tuesday until it’s over folks. Sorry. 

Katy Perry is trending because she released a new music video called “When I’m Gone” featuring DJ Alesso. 

Freddie Mercury is trending because Barstool Sports released a list of Top 10 male singers of all time and Twitter is pissed that the Queen frontman is missing. These lists regularly trend due to omissions. Marc Anthony is also unforgivably absent! 

Sarah Palin is trending due to a segment she did on Fox News about feminism. 

Snake is trending because of this video of a tiny mink dragging a snake across a dirt path in the Everglades. Dinner time! 

News By The Numbers

25.2 million. That is how many streams “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” had last week alone earning its second week on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a breakout hit from Disney’s Encanto but Disney put “Dos Oruguitas” up for an Oscar instead because it didn’t see this coming. My daughters play this song incessantly and I have a major case of earworm. I hear it in my dreams. 

30%. That is how many dog bites in New York were from Pit Bull Terriers between 2015 and 2017. That is the highest bite rate of any other breed. Shih Tzus were second with 364 bites and Chihuahuas were third with 344 bites. 

1 million. That is how many trees were planted by the Cardano Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports the Cardano blockchain and attempts to give back to the earth to offset what blockchain technology takes from it.

97.5%. That is how many U.S. apartments were rented out in December, an all-time high for occupancy. 

Salt of the Earth

credit: netflix

Salting the streets is a great way to melt the ice to make roads safer but is it a great way to take care of the Earth? Research suggests it is not. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, salt used to melt ice has killed or endangered wildlife because it washes into soil, lakes and streams. This is not like salt you use on your food. In fact, the National Poison Control Center warns about the chemicals in this salt. 

Experts say that these salts also erode roads and bridges. Some states are introducing legislation to curb the use of salts and others are switching to salt brine solutions that can reduce the amount of salt in the environment by 75%. 

We stopped salting around our home after we began gardening but it's hard to eliminate the impact if the city and the neighbors still do. We get it, slipping on ice is serious and scary but so are chemicals in the environment. 

Today's Live Show

JOIN US FOR MORNING INVEST LIVE AT 9AM EASTERN

I hope you'll join us on today's live morning show. We'll be analyzing how Americans are leaving their jobs and changing the economy for 2022. Jerome Powell is testifying before the Senate today and investors will be watching to see how many interest rate hikes are coming. All that and more on today's show. Click here to RSVP and I'll see you at 9 AM Eastern. 

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