🐤 It's so basic

🏦 Markets: Cautious optimism is the prevailing sentiment on Wall Street this week, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average extended its winning streak to the longest run of the year. The S&P 500 was up slightly and the Nasdaq Composite dipped a bit in what was a generally uneventful day for the stock market.

Disney was one of the day’s biggest losers, dropping 9.5% in response to its earnings report, but Peloton chalked up a 15.5% increase on news about a possible buyout.

🏕️ Name change: For more than a century, it’s been known as Boy Scouts of America. But over the past several years, allegations of abuse and concerns about gender inclusion have dogged the organization. Now, BSA President Roger Krone is taking action by introducing a new name: Scouting America. The moniker is expected to be fully implemented next year and Krone said that it will reflect the entity’s identity as “an organization for all” while allowing it to “chart a course toward continued growth, relevance, and impact.”

📱 TikTok counterpunch: By now you’ve probably heard about the U.S. bill aimed at forcing Chinese-owned ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban on the popular social media app. But the company isn’t taking the attack lying down. This week, it filed a lawsuit against the federal government asserting that the legislation’s ultimatum is illegal. TikTok said it would be forced out of the country by 2025 while “silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere.”

🏁 Race to the booth: One of the most prominent names in NASCAR history is about to try his hand at broadcasting. According to reports from TNT Sports and Amazon Prime, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will begin announcing on their platforms during next year’s season. He expressed his excitement over TNT and NASCAR working together again and his opportunity to participate in upcoming broadcasts. “I’m looking forward to joining their team and also getting the chance to work with Bleacher Report creating content that our fans will enjoy.”

🎤 Drake drama: Authorities taped off the area around hip-hop star Drake’s home in Toronto, Canada, this week as part of an investigation into a shooting at the location. According to police reports, a security guard on the premises was “seriously injured” and was rushed to an area hospital early Tuesday but was expected to survive. Officials indicated a subject was seen running from the mansion but additional details about the incident were not immediately available. Drake has been embroiled in a feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar recently.

There’s been a growing call among some elected officials and business leaders for a shift toward so-called “universal basic income,” which at a fundamental level simply refers to providing all applicable individuals with a set amount of money regardless of employment or other factors.

Now, an influential tech company is putting some money where its corporate mouth is.

Details of the plan

Although still in its infancy, recent reports laid out some of the basics included in Google’s plan, which include:

• A total of $2.8 million in total guaranteed income
• 225 families will receive $12,000 per year
• Another 225 families will get $50 monthly payments
• 70% include a single mother and children under 5

As it stands, the individuals set to benefit from this program are all living in the Bay Area of California and have been identified as in danger of slipping into homelessness. The root goal of Google’s program is to gauge how effective UBI is at helping those most at risk to secure adequate housing.

There have been a number of other efforts to implement such guaranteed income on a trial basis, but with Google’s deep pockets and a partnership with an MIT research center, this could have a better chance than most at propelling the idea forward.

Part of a bigger vision

This aspect of Google’s outreach is focused specifically on those believed to be within months of losing pivotal housing assistance, but it’s just one facet in a broader mission to tackle homelessness around San Francisco.

In total, the Big Tech titan has vowed to distribute $1 billion to aid to those struggling to find long-term housing. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has seen its value soar in recent months as revenue spiked by a whopping 15% during the first quarter of 2024.

As technology and creature comforts become a bigger part of our everyday lives and EVs are increasingly common on U.S. roads, America’s demand for electricity has never been greater. At the same time, environmental concerns have led to a push for clean energy sources. On the surface, it might seem that solar power is a perfect answer to a pesky problem.

But it’s not that easy

You don’t have to be an energy-sector expert to understand one basic reality about solar power: It requires sunlight. And while some of the electricity produced can be used right away or stored, much of it is lost if there’s not an immediate need.

That brings us to the problem of timing. Since most of the demand occurs in the evenings, the formerly ample supply of solar power has dwindled, meaning that energy providers are forced to once again turn to fossil fuels or natural gas to ensure consistent service.

Of course, researchers are well aware of this fact … and there’s an ambitious project underway to meet the nation’s modern energy needs.

All about the batteries

California has long been at the forefront of advancements in solar power production, and now experts in that state are taking on the role of leading in the development of new batteries capable of storing that energy so it doesn’t go to waste.

In fact, more of these massive batteries have been produced in California than in any spot on the planet aside from China.

Here’s the deceptively simple goal: Batteries store excess solar power collected during the day and send it back out after dark when there’s a spike in demand. States like Texas and Arizona are also taking a leading role as the nation’s battery storage capacity is expected to double this year alone.

Anyone who’s been to a supermarket in the past year knows that inflation is taking an especially large toll on the cost of groceries. Price hikes have received a lot of media attention in the U.S., but they’ve caused shoppers around the world to tighten their belts as well.

And there’s one particular item on countless German menus that’s simply become too costly for comfort.

Demanding relief

The item in question is doner kebab, which might not ring a bell to American consumers but it’s a big deal in Deutschland. Very briefly, it’s a rotisserie-cooked meat (usually lamb) dish that was introduced in Germany by Turkish immigrants decades ago and became a ubiquitous dish nationwide.

But with the average cost doubling since the era of inflation began about two years ago, many German citizens are finding it difficult to afford. So many folks are demanding that the government implement price caps aimed at keeping the cost from soaring even further — and one political party is taking up the cause.

If this effort is going to be successful, however, proponents are going to have to deal with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has shot down such suggestions in the past.

Exploring options

On one hand, if the price of ingredients and labor is increasing, it’s only natural that businesses selling doner kebabs will have to pass on the added cost to their customers. But according to the Left Party and others proponents of price caps, the government needs to step in. One party spokesperson asserted that such intervention is necessary to “prevent food from becoming a luxury item.”

The plan being put forth would cap the price of a serving at the equivalent of just over $5 and around $3 for young people, using public resources to subsidize the cost.