Newsletter Feb 23, 2021

Trump's last-ditch efforts to overturn the election and protect his tax records were unceremoniously shot down Monday by the Supreme Court.

3 Things

Supreme rejection: Former President Donald Trump nominated three of the nine justices currently on the Supreme Court, but not one of them offered so much as a dissenting opinion in a pair of rulings that spelled the end to some of his last-ditch legal efforts.
A knockout blow was delivered to his allegations of widespread voter fraud that resulted in him losing the election to President Joe Biden. After the Trump legal team exhausted its efforts to overturn results in five key battleground states, the Supreme Court put the final nail in the case's coffin due to a lack of evidence to support his claims.
But the punch that might end up hurting Trump the most in the long run is the Supreme Court's rejection of his attempt to keep his tax records private. Although the general public might not finally get to see the records that he pledged to produce years ago but claimed an ongoing IRS prevented him from doing so, prosecutors are licking their chops at the chance to use the information in court.
"The application for a stay presented to Justice (David) Breyer and referred to the Court is denied," the terse Supreme Court order read.
The decision could open Trump up to litigation he was shielded from during his time in office, including the hush payments allegedly made to women to keep silent about affairs, and tax law violations that have been investigated for years. Dominion could add him to their list of legal targets for making false claims about its voting machines, and any number of people he wronged are lining up with lawsuits.
FIND OUT THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF MONDAY'S RULINGS

Florida flag flap: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once again finds himself in hot water, and we're not talking about sitting in a hot tub on one of the Sunshine State's beautiful beaches. More like the same kind Sen. Ted Cruz is in for his overnight Cancun retreat -- only hotter.
DeSantis was already feeling the heat from constituents for his handling of the coronavirus crisis, vaccination malfunctions, and attempts to curb mail-in voting. But the latest controversy seems to be sparking even more criticism since it involves a polarizing figure.
Following the death of right-wing radio shock jock Rush Limbaugh last week, DeSantis announced that state facilities would fly their flags at half-mast in honor of his fallen friend. The order has caused outright defiance from leaders across the state who are refusing to violate protocol, which states that a high-ranking state officials or a member of the Armed Forces are the only ones eligible for the honor.
â€œLowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes and patriots," one Florida official said. "It is not a partisan political tool. We will not celebrate hate speech, bigotry and division.â€
SEE HOW THE FLAG FLAP IS FLYING WITH FLORIDIANS

Somber moment: Biden addressed the nation Monday night to mark a sad milestone with the nation's 500,000th COVID-related death.The speech stood in stark contrast to his predecessor's tendency to downplay the numbers that showed the severity of the crisis. Instead, Biden played the role of healer-in-chief.
Biden also called on a national moment of silence and listened as the Marine Corps Band played "Amazing Grace" during the nationally televised tribute. He reminded viewers that each one of the half-million fatalities are human beings, not a statistic, and encouraged Americans to remember them fondly despite the pain.
"I promise you, the day will come when the memory of the loved one you lost will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye," he told those who lost loved ones.. It will come, I promise you."
Biden also pledged to keep working on getting the virus under control, including vaccination efforts, reforming PPP distribution and protocol, and providing relief for struggling Americans. He earlier took a not-so-subtle shot at his predecessor about his handling of the crisis: "Anything Trump did, we're doing the opposite," he said.
FIND OUT BIDEN'S PLANS FOR COMBATING THE PANDEMIC

The 'Musk Effect'

By now you are keenly aware that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to offering stock tips. That's because he's not just passing them along; he's creating them.

With just a few moves of his Twitter thumbs, Musk can make or break a stock or investment. He's already done it with companies like GameStop, Shopify, Cyberpunkâ€™s CD Projekt and even Etsy, which saw its stock price soar at Musk's mere mention of a hand-knitted hat he got for his dog.

Musk's latest pet project seems to be bolstering cryptocurrencies, more specifically, bitcoin (Tesla purchased $1.5 billion in that top-rated crypto and announced it would begin accepting it to purchase its vehicles) and Dogecoin, the luckiest dog of them all. Musk simply tweeted nine characters -- "Doge 4 Dojo" -- and the price shot up to $0.5 early Monday.

It wasn't the first time Musk has plugged Dogecoin. He tweeted about buying some for his son so he could be a "toddler hodler," and invited big names like Snoop Dogg and KISS rocker Gene Simmons to chime in. That's why some are calling him the "Dogecoin King" (as well as less polite titles) Now investors and companies are hanging on his every tweet.

SEE HOW THE MUSK EFFECT HAS IMPACTED VARIOUS STOCKS

Taco Sandwich Tuesday?

The ongoing Chicken Sandwich Wars have officially gotten out of control and made a run for the border as Taco Bell has announced it is entering the fray with its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco.

Joining in the chicken sandwich showdown between an ever-increasing number of fast-food chains, like Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, KFC, McDonald's and Burger King, Taco Bell has decided to put its own spin on the traditional sandwich by incorporating a fried chicken taco to the mix.

Before you say "no mas," hear Taco Bell out. It describes the Crispy Chicken Taco Sandwich as an all-white piece of chicken thatâ€™s marinated in jalapeno buttermilk and then fried with a tortilla chip coating. Itâ€™s served in a â€œpuffy breadâ€ thatâ€™s shaped like a taco and topped with chipotle sauce.

OK, so this taco-style sandwich might not be for everyone, but it's not the worst addition to the chicken sandwich frenzy (Remember KFC's idea to make the chicken the bread?) and the spice might provide a nice break from the poultry/pastry overload. But the logistics of a fried taco could make it sloppier than a sandwich, so ask for a spork and extra napkins.

SEE TACO BELL'S NEW ENTRY TO THE CHICKEN SANDWICH WARS

Dream job

At long last, there is a career opportunity available where sleeping on the job is not only acceptable, it's required. That's right, a company is looking fr one candidate to earn $2,000 for sleeping at a 5-star luxury resort.

What's the catch? There really isn't one, except that Sleep Standard, a company that specializes in sleep-related products, wants the winning candidate's feedback about how different environments impact a good night's sleep. The five-night stay will feature five distinctly unique sleep environments so researchers can determine which settings are most favorable. In other words, they do all the work while you sleep.

â€œWe are looking for one lucky candidate who will help us learn more about the influence of environmental factors on the quality of sleep," the ad said.

We can save them the trouble of hiring someone. Having stayed in every hotel setting from roach motels with loud leaky faucets to upscale suites nicer than home, we can honestly say the environment plays a major role in the quality of sleep. Those little mints on the pillow are a nice touch too.

FIND OUT HOW TO APPLY FOR A JOB THAT PAYS YOU TO SLEEP