Good afternoon. Here are the top stories so far today.
For more daily and weekly briefings, sign up for our newsletters here.
What happened today:
Biden wants more EVs - but analysts are skeptical. President Joe Biden set a target to make half of all new cars sold in 2030 produce zero emissions, including battery-electric, fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Analysts say the White House order will prove to be mostly hot air unless policy makers and car companies can figure out how to make selling electric cars a profitable venture.
Messi's out. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is leaving FC Barcelona. The club said that it and Messi had reached an agreement to keep him on the team, but "financial and structural obstacles" had stopped it from going through. FC Barcelona has struggled for many years with an inflated wage bill.
Retail workers brace for renewed "rebellion and anger." Insider spoke with eight retail workers on the return of mask mandates as COVID-19 cases surge. Some workers said they feel safer if shoppers wear masks, but they worry about new levels of anger and violence. "At this point in the pandemic, nobody has the energy for that crap anymore," one Ikea worker said.
Card-carrying members - literally? Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry "Trump Cards." Trump's PAC sent two emails on Wednesday asking supporters to get on board with carrying the red-and-gold cards, which look like credit cards and bear the former president's signature. Unfortunately, one of the designs has a typo.
"I thought I'd lost my eye." Team GB's Hector Pardoe hurt his eye so severely that he thought it might have come out of its socket during the Tokyo Olympics. The 20-year-old swimmer was competing in the 10-kilometer marathon swim when another swimmer's stray elbow struck him, forcing him to retire.
That's all for now. See you tomorrow.