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Tonight: New Yorkers get an ultimatum on vaccines; Americans load up on debt; and, somehow, minivans are having moment. Let's get into it.  

By Allison Morrow

💉 NO VAX, NO SERVICE 

New York, once the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak, is about to become the first American city to require proof of vaccination to get into restaurants, gyms and performance venues. 

 

"If you're unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated."

 

It's a sweeping order from the mayor, who like many government and business leaders has tried with limited success using incentives, rather than mandates, to persuade people to get vaccinated. 

 

But only 55% of New York residents are fully vaccinated — higher than the national average, but far from the 70%-80% goal that scientists say we need to reach to achieve some level of herd immunity. As schools prepare to reopen in September and thousands of workers contemplate returning to their offices full-time, de Blasio is taking a more aggressive tack. 

 

The strategy, similar to the "health pass" law France passed on Monday, requires proof of at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine for anyone wanting to dine or work out indoors. That's a shrewd move by de Blasio, too, because although New Yorkers are tough, we are also an impatient lot who love to eat — another season without restaurants could start a riot.

 

Of course, the burden of enforcement will ultimately fall on businesses. 

 

Restaurants, many of which are already operating with a skeleton crew because of the labor shortage, are understandably wary. One trade group warned that putting the responsibility on the restaurant could put employees at risk, citing the "terrifying backlash" that many faced when mask mandates were rolled out last year. CNN Business' Alexis Benveniste has more. 

 

RELATED: Tyson Foods is requiring all its workers to be fully vaccinated by November — one of the first manufacturers to institute such rule on frontline workers. 

💰 NUMBER OF THE DAY

$15 trillion

Americans have more debt than ever before. A surge in credit card spending and home purchases caused US household debt to increase by more than 2% in the second quarter, hitting nearly $15 trillion. That's the biggest pile of bills on record, and $812 billion more than what was owed at the end of 2019, before the pandemic hit.

🚙 MINIVAN RENAISSANCE

Sexy? Nah. But it's what's inside that counts. 

 

Ah, minivans. They're the Crocs of the auto world. Comfortable, affordable, practical, and ugly as all hell. 

 

And in both cases, the pandemic has only endeared people to them more. 

 

Minivans sold for, on average, 8% above sticker price last month, my colleague Peter Valdes-Dapena writes. That's certifiably bonkers. (Cars, trucks and SUVs, meanwhile, sold for sticker price, which is surprising enough in its own right.) 

 

Why the comeback? The same reason we're no longer squeezing ourselves into low-rise skinny jeans or pointy-toed ballet flats (RIP early-aughts fashion, you won't be missed). Comfort is in. Normcore is now just core. We can all stop fighting to stand out and accept what we really are: Regular boring people who like minivans and sensible clothes. 

 

Minivans, like a good pair of loose-fitting, high-waisted mom jeans, provide what everyone needs: space and flexibility. Pockets to put things in. Room to stretch out. 

 

And for better or worse, minivans have had a makeover of late. You're unlikely to find the wood-paneled 90s variety anymore. (Though if anyone from Chrysler is reading this, consider that a free idea for a special throwback edition that'll be a hit among a certain irony-prone millennial crowd.) They're a little less boxy now. And many of the newer models come with a built-in vacuum, which honestly is the smartest innovation I've ever heard of. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

🏡 The Biden administration is expected to announce a new eviction moratorium for 60 days in areas of the country with high or substantial transmission of Covid-19 after letting a previous moratorium expire over the weekend.

 

🍊 PepsiCo is selling a controlling stake of its juice brands, including Tropicana and Naked, to a private equity firm in a multibillion dollar deal. 

 

🚇 Love it or hate it, commuting is good for the economy — and that's why remote work is dragging on the recovery.

 

🎮 Accusations of discrimination and harassment are roiling Activision Blizzard, one of the world's biggest video game makers. The scandal could be a turning point for tech.

🐦 TWEET OF THE DAY