US lawmakers are sprinting to pass legislation that would bolster the American semiconductor industry, a sector that’s critical to maintaining national security and countering the rising economic threat of China. Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to get the ball rolling with a procedural vote on a bill that would provide $52 billion in grants for semiconductor manufacturing, plus other tax credits for the industry.

But for a broadly popular policy goal (boosting American chipmaking capacity), the process has been extremely slow and sidetracked by political squabbles. Not since the Star Wars prequels have people agreed that something needs to be done, but disagreed so much on the right approach. For instance:

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has threatened to torpedo the bill if Democrats continue to pursue an unrelated spending package regarding climate, tax hikes, and prescription drugs.
• On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders said that while he supports expanding US chip production, this bill, in his mind, amounts to “corporate welfare with no strings attached to the highly profitable micro-chip industry.”

Even the companies this bill is supposed to help are not ~aligned~

On the one hand, chip companies say that the government subsidies offered in the bill are necessary for them to move forward with planned investments in the US. Intel, which made waves back in January when it announced a new $20 billion plant in Ohio, recently postponed the groundbreaking ceremony on that facility due to the holdup in DC.

On the other hand, some chip firms have reservations about the bill. Companies not named Intel think that it disproportionately helps companies named Intel, giving a leg up to a competitor. And Intel itself is concerned that the bill contains too many restrictions on its business in China, the world’s second-largest economy.

Zoom out: The Covid-era chip shortage, which cramped production in numerous vital sectors, served as a wake-up call around the (deteriorating) ability of the US to make chips on American soil. The US only produces 12% of the world’s chips, down from 37% in 1990. At the same time, China, the US’ top geopolitical foe, has ramped up its chipmaking capabilities and now accounts for almost 10% of global sales.—NF

The heat wave descends: Temperatures in Britain were among the highest ever recorded, Wales notched an all-time heat record, and wildfires raged in multiple countries as an unprecedented heatwave broiled Europe. Among other scenes straight out of Mad Max, flights were disrupted at London Luton Airport and an air force base when the heat damaged the runway. Pushing back on earlier media reports, a Royal Air Force spokesperson said “the runway has not melted,” but anytime you have to clarify that a runway has not melted is not a great sign. Also not great: Tomorrow could be even hotter.

🚙 Uber settles disability lawsuit: Uber will pay more than $2 million as part of a settlement with the DOJ, which accused the company of charging a “wait time” fee to passengers with disabilities who may take more time to get into vehicles. Uber will pay $1.7 million to riders who lodged complaints and $500k to other impacted riders, and credit the more than 65,000 eligible passengers who were handed a fee with double the amount they were charged.

Snapchat comes to desktop: As part of its quest to remind people over 18 that it still exists, Snap is expanding beyond the app for the first time ever. In the newly launched Snapchat for Web, you can snap pictures, send DMs, and video chat with friends on a desktop. (Some caveats: It’ll be only available to Snapchat+ subscribers initially, and won’t work on the Safari browser.) As of May, Snapchat was the sixth-most popular social media app in the US, right after TikTok.

Despite beating profit forecasts in the second quarter, Goldman Sachs said Monday that, in a bid to curb expenses, it would slow hiring and possibly reinstate its annual performance review process (and, with it, year-end layoffs of those deemed to be underperformers).

Goldman’s review process is likely a bit tougher than the average company’s, where you mostly just chat with your manager about how good The Bear was. Typically, the bank ditches about 5% of “underperforming” staff annually. Goldman halted the review process during the pandemic, opting instead to give out record bonuses and undertake a hiring spree in which it grew its workforce by 15% in the past year to 47,000.

It’s not just Wall Street—framing potential workforce reductions as a matter of performance has been a bit of a trend lately. During an internal Q&A last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that there were “probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here,” adding that if more aggressive goals made employees quit, that would be okay with him.

Similarly, during a call with Twitter employees when he still wanted to buy the company a month ago (remember?), Elon Musk addressed potential layoffs with the ominous statement, “Anyone who is obviously, like, a significant contributor, should have nothing to worry about.”—MK

The only thing more distraught than Chris Pratt’s character in his new vengeance-filled military show was you trying to navigate Prime Video to find it. But after nine long years of watching its users give up and switch over to Hulu, Amazon gave its streaming service a makeover. The platform’s new look isn’t groundbreaking (in fact, it looks a lot like Netflix), but it may fulfill Amazon’s goal of highlighting some of Prime Video’s most important features.

Amazon launched its video platform in 2006. In 2012, it entered the original content race and won its first Primetime Emmy in 2015 for Transparent. Still, Prime Video’s clunky interface felt more like an afterthought and was relentlessly roasted.

But that’s all about to change. New features include: a navigation sidebar, a top 10 chart, sleeker organization of Amazon originals, the ability to sort content by genre, and an emphasis on live TV—specifically sports offerings.

That last one is key: Amazon, along with other streaming giants, has begun investing heavily in capturing a live sports audience. The company acquired the exclusive rights for NFL Thursday Night Football games last year and is in talks to strike a deal for the UEFA Champions League.—MM

Stat: OK, it’s not technically a “stat,” but we had to show you this map from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center that looks exactly like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Quote: “Sometime between now and then, I will step down from my current position and pursue other directions in my professional career.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said that he will likely retire by the end of Biden’s current term. Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for 38 years and has served under seven presidents.

Read: The have and the have-yachts. (New Yorker)

Tick tock: This interactive article shows how a mechanical watch works.

Don’t try this at home. This video will make you pessimistic about humans as a species.

Houseplant bible: Here’s a collection of stories offering tips on how to keep your houseplants alive—and maybe even upgrade to more interesting indoor plants.

James Webb vs. Hubble: This website shows images from both telescopes side by side.

Brew Mini: Today’s Mini might appear diminutive, but its clues span everything from Central American languages to the cast of Friends. Play it here.

Baseball trivia

Kinda have to on the day of the All-Star Game, right?

Anyway, here’s your question: On Sunday night, the Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Holliday, the son of former MLB player Matt Holliday, became just the second son of a former baseball pro to be selected No. 1 overall.

Who was the first?

Hint: It was in 1987.

We dive into the profound economic implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in a new YouTube video. Watch now.

For more from The Brew:

On the latest Business Casual episode, Nora chats with bestselling author Susan Cain about creativity and feeling more human at work. Listen or watch here.

Starting your investment journey can be overwhelming, which is why Money with Katie is breaking it down in her free Investing 101 email series. Check it out.