In Other Brews…
Mail some ice to your friends in Arizona. Phoenix notched its 100th-straight day of 100-plus degree temps this week, shattering its previous triple-digit-heat streak of 76 days (set in 1993). It’s not just uncomfortable; public health officials say that there have been 150 confirmed heat-related deaths and another 443 under investigation.
Phoenix may not be cooling down, but the labor market is. Job openings slumped more than expected in July, hitting their lowest level since January 2021. While unemployment remains low-ish (4.3%), job seekers are competing for fewer opportunities, and bosses are slower to make new hires. For the last three years, employers have been battling for workers… how the turntables.
Boeing’s Starliner is going home alone tonight. The rocket is leaving behind its two-person crew (who’ll orbit the ISS for five more months) due to safety concerns. Still, NASA and Boeing “have confidence” that the spacecraft can land in the New Mexico desert without incident. Watch live coverage of the landing early Saturday morning here.
There’s disagreement over whether a Venezuelan gang has a “stranglehold” on an Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex. A Denver law firm reported that the Tren de Aragua gang has been assaulting, extorting, and prostituting residents in the majority-migrant complex; Aurora’s mayor said reports are “exaggerated.” The city announced a special task force in coordination with the DEA after the situation went viral.
Hunter Biden changed his federal tax evasion case plea from not guilty to guilty yesterday. Prosecutors blocked initial attempts to plead guilty without admitting wrongdoing to avoid a public trial. Instead, Biden took an “open plea,” pleading guilty to nine criminal charges related to not paying $1.4M in federal taxes and leaving his December sentencing up to the judge.