🌞 Cute Puppy – July 15 2021

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

• Markets: AMC stock dropped another 15% yesterday to half of its record high. Other meme stock companies, such as GameStop, are also down big in July. 
• Economy: Fed Chief Jerome Powell really, really, really sees inflation as a temporary thing, really. 
• Infrastructure: West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin isn't happy with the climate change parts of the $3.5 trillion-dollar proposal. Not surprising as he's been paid millions by the fossil fuel lobby. 

In Case You Missed It

credit: giphy

🔥 The European Union announced plans to end the use of gas and diesel engines by 2035. 

🚗 A new law in Connecticut says that adults in the backseat must wear seatbelts. They didn’t have to before? 

🚴🏻‍♂️ Virgin Galactic acknowledged that Sir Richard Branson did not actually ride a bicycle to his space ride. The jaunt was filmed the day before. 

🔫 Lego issued a cease and desist to a Utah company that was selling a real gun encased in Lego bricks. 

🌞 Johnson & Johnson has recalled spray-on sunscreens after detecting cancer-causing chemicals. Spray-on sunscreens are bad. Don’t use! Click here to watch Natali’s guide to safe sunscreen choices! 

🇧🇷 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been hospitalized for chronic hiccups for 10 straight days, which could be a sign of intestinal problems. 

Coronavirus Update: 🗣 Total confirmed global cases as of 5:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday: 188,148,299 — Total deaths: 4,053,713 — Total vaccine doses administered: 3,495,030,652

• Covid deaths are up 3% globally, according to the World Health Organization. 
• A Spanish court has ruled that lockdowns during the pandemic were unconstitutional, paving the way to void fines that were issued to rulebreakers. 
• Thousands rallied in Greece against vaccinations. 
• Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill banning public schools from requiring vaccinations. 

Today's Live Show

AMC AND MEME STOCKS ARE NEARLY DEAD, CHILD TAX STIMULUS BEGINS

Join us on today's live morning show as I'll be looking at why AMC and other meme stocks are crashing. Fed Chief Jerome Powell has some thoughts on the economy and those child tax credits started hitting bank accounts. Be sure to click here and RSVP to hang out in the chat with our audience. I'll see you at 8:30 AM Eastern live. 

The Lead: Child Tax Credit Starts Today

credit: getty

The U.S. government began sending child tax credits today. Approximately 39 million families with 65 million children will receive these credits. 

The tax credit was established in March with President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. It gives a credit of $300 per month for children under 6 years old and $250 per month for children between the ages of 6 and 17 years old. This will be sent as monthly checks or deposits to families who have an income of $150,000 or less for two adults or $75,000 or less for individuals. 

Families who make more than that do not qualify for payments but do qualify for a credit on their taxes of $2,000 per child under the age of 17. 

So what should you do to make sure you qualify?

Well, the IRS makes that determination, not you. It is based on your most recent tax return, which should be 2020 if you filed on time, or 2019 if you filed for an extension. 

All monthly payments should now happen on the 15th of every month until December but President Biden is pushing hard for legislation that will make this permanent.  

Join Us For Today's Real Estate Investing Webinar

The demand for real estate is at an all-time high this morning. What better time to invest!

Today Morris Invest, a full-service real estate investing team is hosting a live webinar where we'll cover everything you need to know about getting started with real estate investing. Morris Invest helped hundreds of people buy their first rental property in 2020 and 2021 is no different. The video above shows one of our brand new construction duplexes in Texas. Click here to register for today's webinar. We only have a few spots left. 

Imagine creating monthly cash flow from a new construction rental property. You can because the tenants are already living in the property and fully managed by their great property management teams. Visit their website today and see what Morris Invest can do for you. They've got a great video on the front page too!

Made In China

credit: bloomberg

The U.S. Senate passed a law banning imports of all products from the Xinjiang region of China on Wednesday. This is the region accused of human rights abuse and outright violence towards Muslim groups in labor camps. 

The Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act says that goods from this region produced from forced labor will be banned from being sold in the U.S. unless otherwise certified by U.S. authorities. 

The U.S. already banned clothing made with Xinjiang-grown cotton earlier this year. What other products this will affect is unclear. The region is known for exporting silica-based materials, tomatoes, coal, sugar and more. Will this affect the price of U.S. goods and the economy that benefits from cheaply-produced items? TBD. 

Every single U.S. Senator voted in favor of the act. It will now go to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass before President Biden signs it into law.  

News By The Numbers

credit: degisn milk

800 million years old. That is the approximate age of a massive diamond with another diamond trapped inside that was discovered in Russia. It looks like Russian nesting dolls but diamonds!

250. That is how many tanks Poland will buy from the United States government for approximately $6 billion. The country wants to beef up its military due to fears of Russian aggression. 

100. That is how many electric airplanes United Airlines will purchase in its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move towards renewable travel. 

4.9. That is how many full-time jobs one person has to work to pay their rent in San Francisco if they earn minimum wage, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. 

Overdoses Break Records

credit: bloomberg

Drug overdose deaths rose by 30% in 2020 during the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Nearly 100,000 people died from a drug overdose last year, which is 21,000 more than the year before. That averages to 256 Americans per day. The CDC says that suicide attempts are also up. 

This highlights the harmful effect of the pandemic on non-Covid illnesses, particularly mental health. Opioids were responsible for most of these deaths, the drug of choice being fentanyl. 

It Says Here That We Are Screwed

credit: giphy

There are so many stories about how the planet is screwed today so we’re going to do a roundup: 

• Okay first, new research shows that the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it is able to absorb. Many of these emissions come from humans burning the forest for beef or soy farms. The Amazon used to be a crucial carbon sponge, which helped keep balance in the atmosphere but now that it can no longer do that, we’re in big trouble. 
• A new interactive model from Esri’s Living Atlas shows the impending doom of the planet with images of what the Earth will look like by 2050. It’s apocalyptic. It underlines why severe changes are necessary now. Yesterday. Post haste! 
• And a lake in the California desert is so toxic that General Motors is proposing to use it to make lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles. I mean…!!! 

Bad Dog

grover credit: clayton morris

Obedience trainers are busier than ever with the pandemic puppy boom. One trainer reports that he has triple the normal workload and his voicemail is filled daily from frantic dog owners. 

It’s not that humans don’t know what to do with their pets, although some of that is true. A lot of the problem has to do with workplace re-openings. Pups are not doing well with their humans going back to work and leaving them behind for the first time. Cats on the other hand can’t wait for you to go. Veterinarians reported increased anxiety in cats when their humans would not leave the house, which led to a string of stress-induced feline urinary tract infections! 

Trainers say that they see more “severe dog behavioral issues” because the dogs were not socialized with other animals or people during lockdowns and have separation anxiety when their humans leave. Trainers worry that these problems will cause owners to surrender their pets and 20% of surrendered pets are euthanized. 

“We are now seeing dogs that literally cannot cope,” one trainer told Vice. “We have seen dogs that are chewing up an entire household. And we have seen dogs that are completely shut down; drooling, so fearful that they can’t even move.” 

Share The Love and Get a Mug

Become a friend of Morning Invest by sharing this newsletter with someone you love. 

When you do, we don’t just give you a pat on the back and say, “Well done old sport.” We give you actual rewards that’ll make everyone jealous.

Share Now