☕️ Fortnite returns

Why the game is back on (some) iPhones... August 17, 2024 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [Pendulum]( Good morning. You instinctively know it’s the “dog days of summer” (the back sweat gives it away), but do you know why it’s called the dog days of summer? According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the phrase [originated]( in ancient Roman times. The Romans noticed that the star they called Sirius, the Dog Star, was in conjunction with the sun in late July. They believed the Dog Star’s brightness made things hotter on Earth during the late summer months. So, they named this period diēs caniculārēs, or “days of the dog star,” which was later shortened to “dog days.” Very interested to learn this. We always thought it was an anti-dog smear campaign created by cats. —Sam Klebanov, Molly Liebergall, Matty Merritt, Abby Rubenstein, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 17,631.72 +0.21% S&P 5,554.25 +0.20% Dow 40,659.76 +0.24% 10-Year 3.892% -3.0 bps Bitcoin $59,179.16 +3.12% Bayer $7.99 +8.20% Data is provided by *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00pm ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: A slew of encouraging economic data helped propel the S&P 500 to its [best week]( of the year—a welcome change from the whiplash volatility of the week before. Bayer jumped after scoring an appeals court victory in a case over claims its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.  ELECTION 2024 [Kamala drops economy game plan]( [Kamala Harris economy]( Harnik/Getty Images Vice President Kamala Harris served up the meat and potatoes of her economic plan yesterday, going beyond the detail-light coconut flakes that have floated around ever since she jumped in the presidential race. The aspiring Madam President outlined her [economic menu]( while campaigning in North Carolina. Many points took inspiration from President Biden’s policies, but go a step further: That includes a newly proposed $6,000 tax credit for low- and medium-income families with a newborn, and a revival of the expanded child tax credit that was in place in 2021. Bargains for all! Much of Harris’s presidential pitch is about helping Americans fulfill their basic needs on the cheap. Food: Harris promised the “first-ever federal ban” on grocery price gouging, which she blames for rising prices. In her first 100 days in office, regulators would be directed to crack down on companies believed to be hiking prices to gain “excessive” profits. Shelter: The VP aims to boost housing affordability by promoting the construction of 3 million new units. She promised a tax break to developers of starter homes. She also said she’d lay out $40 billion for local housing initiatives and give first-time homebuyers $25,000 in down-payment assistance. Medicine: Harris wants to expand the $35 price cap for insulin beyond seniors and crack down on anticompetitive practices in the pharma industry. These populist proposals from the newly minted Democratic candidate come after her GOP opponent, Donald Trump, made similar proposals to boost the housing supply while his VP pick, JD Vance, called to expand the maximum child tax credit to $5,000. Wonks react Many economists welcomed the idea of a homebuilding surge and cheered expanded support for families with children, but parts of Harris’s plan raised eyebrows. - Some experts worry that downpayment support could undermine affordability by heating up demand. - Others note that her anti-price-gouging aspirations are built on the [highly contested]( notion that “corporate greed” drives food inflation. Looking ahead…even if Harris wins the election, many items on her policy wishlist could become reality only with congressional approval.—SK PRESENTED BY PENDULUM [Meet this un-hunger hormone]( [Pendulum]( Feeling an overwhelming urge to indulge? Looking for a little balance and moderation in your daily diet? You’ve gotta know about Pendulum’s [GLP-1 Probiotic](. This breakthrough supplement contains gut-loving bacteria that helps curb cravings for foods that leave you feeling…blah. Don’t take our word for it: In a survey of 274 consumers, 91% saw a noticeable decrease in overall food cravings, especially sugary and carb-laden treats. Ready to invest in your health and take charge of unwanted cravings? Try GLP-1 Probiotic and [get 20% off your first month with Pendulum](. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [A stop sign being held up to a TV with a Venu Sports logo]Francis Scialabba Disney-Fox-WB sports streamer blocked over antitrust concerns. A federal judge [temporarily halted]( launch plans for Venu Sports, the new sports streaming service the media giants teamed up to launch. The ruling was a win for rival streamer FuboTV, which sued, saying the media heavyweights’ new competitor would destroy its business. The judge ruled that Fubo would likely succeed in proving its claims that the service would lessen competition. The companies behind Venu said they disagreed with the decision and are appealing. They had planned to debut Venu before the start of the NFL season and to charge consumers $42.99 a month for the service. Mediators are hoping for a Gaza cease-fire deal next week. After talks toward an agreement for a cease-fire in Gaza and a return of hostages were paused yesterday, the US, Qatar, and Egypt said America had [presented]( a proposal that bridges the gaps between Israel and Hamas. The three mediating countries said they hoped for a deal when negotiations resume next week. However, Hamas, which declined to participate directly in the talks, said the proposal differed from the framework it had previously agreed to in principle. The international push for a deal comes as Palestinian health authorities reported that the war’s death toll had reached more than 40,000. Meanwhile, Israel is bracing for a retaliatory attack from Iran, raising fears of a regional war. Woman arrested over alleged plot to steal Graceland from Elvis’s family. A 53-year-old Missouri woman was [charged]( with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft for allegedly orchestrating a plan to steal the family’s interest in the music legend’s Graceland mansion. Prosecutors claim Lisa Jeanine Findley cooked up a phony story that Elvis Presley’s now deceased daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, had used the property as collateral for a loan and didn’t pay it back. The government argues Findley should now be the one singing “Jailhouse Rock.” In May, Elvis’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, convinced a judge to [halt]( a planned foreclosure sale based on the supposed loan, raising questions about whether it had ever existed. HEALTH [Mpox is threatening to go global]( [Scientist in lab]( Posner/Getty Images A more dangerous version of the virus formerly known as monkeypox spread outside of Africa for the first time this week, leading European officials to raise the Continent’s risk level from low to moderate. ICYMI: The World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency on Wednesday, about two years after pulling the same alarm on a different variant that [infected]( almost 100,000 people worldwide and 32,000+ in the US, according to the New York Times. The new version is deadlier and spreading. On Thursday, Sweden reported that a traveler who returned from Africa contracted the variant, and yesterday, Pakistan reported its first case. In Africa, infections have sprung up in at least a dozen countries, in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 15,600 people caught the virus and 537 died from it this year, per the WHO. The virus appears to spread through skin or fluid contact with another infected person or their items. Vax news: Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic—the only company with an FDA-approved mpox vaccine—submitted data to EU regulators yesterday for approval to use its shot on teens, who account for more than 70% of the cases in Africa, Bavarian’s CEO [told]( CNBC. The vax-maker says it has 300,000 doses ready to ship out and could deliver 10 million by the end of 2025. Its stock soared 50% this week.—ML TOGETHER WITH FINANCEBUZZ [FinanceBuzz]( Rare unlimited cash-back match turns heads. If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances. On top of all that, [this top credit card]( offers a whopping cash-back perk of up to 5% that gets matched after your first year. That’s up to 10% back on qualifying purchases! [Click through to see what all the hype is about](. TECH [Fortnite returns to EU iPhones amid Apple fight]( [Fortnite logo on phone screen in user’s hands.]( Delmas/Getty Images Latvians will be reunited with their beloved Tender Defender once more. EU iPhone users will be able to [download]( Fortnite and an app store made by its developer, Epic Games, nearly four years after Apple kicked the game out of its own app store. Under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Apple has to allow iPhone users to download other app stores, like Epic’s. But the game-maker claims Apple is still adding unnecessary steps to the process to dissuade people from downloading it, while Apple says it’s protecting users’ privacy. - Epic has been [beefing]( with the tech giant since it found a way to skirt Apple’s in-app purchase fees in 2020. - This started an avalanche of lawsuits, and antitrust regulators in Europe and the US got involved. In the US, Apple and Epic are still [sparring]( in court over payment methods, but bottom line: You can’t download Fortnite on your iPhone in the US (but you can still play via cloud gaming). Big picture: Epic is taking on a huge quest trying to unseat Apple from its app store throne, and it’s reportedly courting other big apps to join its fledgling store. But there’s too much money at stake for Apple to just roll over: The company’s service unit (which includes its App Store) brought in $85.2 billion last fiscal year—or 22% of Apple’s total revenue.—MM STAT [Prime number: A million dollars](#) [A house made out of $1,000,000 price tags]Emily Parsons Mortgage rates are finally coming down, making owning a home slightly more affordable—but that doesn’t mean the scolds who insist that you’d be able to buy one if you would only give up bougie brunches have been vindicated. In fact, the number of homes across the US that’ll set you back a cool million has hit an [all-time high]( according to the Wall Street Journal. Redfin found that 8.5% of US homes have an estimated value of $1+ million—up from 7.6% last year and 4% before Covid hit. And in many areas, there’s nothing cheaper to buy. Even if the old money aesthetic is just your usual wardrobe, prices are still sky high: This year has seen six $100+ million home sales so far, putting it just three megadeals away from tying [the record]( set in 2021, per Bloomberg. NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [OpenAI banned ChatGPT]( accounts linked to an Iranian effort to use the chatbot to create content about the US presidential election. - [The Supreme Court]( refused the Biden administration’s request to let it enforce rules protecting transgender students in Republican-led states that have won injunctions blocking them. - [A Florida jury]( found a white woman who fatally shot her Black neighbor during an argument, guilty of manslaughter in a high-profile case. - [Deadpool & Wolverine]( is officially the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, having made more than $1.085 billion globally at the box office so far. - [Californians]( will soon be able to carry their driver’s licenses in their Apple or Google wallets. - [Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu]( received the bronze medal for her floor exercise, originally given to Jordan Chiles, after a dispute over the timing of Chiles’s coach’s challenge to her score at the Paris Olympics. - [Dan and Eugene Levy]( have been tapped to host this year’s Emmy Awards. RECS [Saturday To-Do List graphic] Pop quiz: Find out [what vegetable]( you would be. Feel old: Marvel at the accomplishments of the finalists for Time Magazine’s [Kid of the Year](. Reach for the stars: How to view [the supermoon]( and other upcoming astronomical phenomena. Watch: Unexpected ways to [use salt]( in your cooking. Leg up: Wanna up your legging game? [Vuori’s AllTheFeels™ Legging]( is moisture-wicking, lightweight, and supremely soft, with Vuori BlissBlend™ fabric. Plus, get 20% off your first purchase at email sign-up. [Get yours]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew crossword: Today’s crossword will make you think twice about hitting the “snooze” button. [Play it here](. Open House Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section with enough fruit trees to keep you busy all summer. We’ll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price. [Oklahoma home on farm.]Zillow Today’s [home]( is in Yukon, OK, a town about 17 miles west of Oklahoma City that’s best known for [Grady the Cow]( a 1,200-pound Hereford who got stuck in a grain silo in 1949 and attracted worldwide attention. The house is a little nicer than Grady’s accommodations were. Amenities include: - 6 beds, 5 baths - Covered pool - Decorative house silo to honor Grady How much for the OK palace? SHARE THE BREW [Share Morning Brew]( with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 [Click to Share]( Or copy & paste your referral link to others: [morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a905682a]( ANSWER $1.25 million Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: fledgling, meaning “one that is new, like a young bird.” Thanks to Cynthia Perez from Illinois for the high-flying suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. Written by [Neal Freyman]( [Abigail Rubenstein]( Sam Klebanov, [Molly Liebergall]( and [Matty Merritt]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Get smarter in just 5 minutes - Money & Career: [Money With Katie](  [Bossy](  [Brew Markets](  [The Playbook]( Interested in podcasts? - Check out ours [here]( [ADVERTISE]( // [CAREERS]( // [SHOP]( // [FAQ]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](. Copyright © 2024 Morning Brew. All rights reserved. 22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011