Indulging Trump's big lie enters seventh costly month

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, an Oversight Board of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - Let’s [end Trump’s Facebook ban … never](? How’s never work for you? - [Peloton blew it](. - Toward a [carrot-stick theory of ending vaccine hesitancy](. - America is running [dangerously low on babies, immigrants](. Big Lie, Big Problems It’s been almost exactly four months, or 75 eternities, since Donald Trump’s LARPer army stormed the Capitol to steal souvenirs and also democracy. But in more subtle ways, the big lie that inspired the insurrection — that Trump actually won the 2020 election, six months ago — is still doing violence to the country. For one thing, America’s once-ruling political party is consumed with this fiction, passing voter-suppression laws across the country and purging nonbelievers from its own ranks. Liz Cheney, of the Wyoming Cheneys, is about to lose her leadership role in the House because she keeps observing that the sky is, in fact, blue. Most Republicans don’t really believe the sky is [atomic tangerine](, as Trump insists, writes Ramesh Ponnuru. But [they apparently feel a desperate need to humor Trump](, lest his rabid base insurrect them into early retirement. This will only get worse if Trump is ever allowed back onto Facebook to promulgate his lies more directly. Facebook’s Oversight Board today kept his suspension in place but gave Facebook six months to be more specific as to the rationale and duration. “Forever” is one possible such time frame, and Tim O’Brien writes [it’s the only appropriate one in this case](. Facebook is nostril-deep in toxic sludge already, but setting standards and applying them to Trump and everyone like him equally might ease a bit of the pressure on our democracy. Might. Paid Post This company is disrupting a $200 billion industry. Businesses have seen the value of becoming more consumer-centric for years, but the auto insurance industry is one of the last sectors to do so. Historically, drivers have to do the bulk of the work when it comes to shopping for competitive rates. With hundreds of insurance companies to choose from, it’s hard to find the best quote for you. Everquote is on a mission to change that. [Learn more about how Everquote is helping drivers across the country take control of their savings.]( EverQuote How to Shed That Quarantine 15 The pandemic has taught us that many activities are perfectly fine to do in the comfort of our own homes. Working. Watching movies. Drinking heavily. Exercising is another one. Turns out you can do it just fine without being surrounded by other sweaty people. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. No judgments! But surrounding yourself with sweaty people is expensive, not to mention germy. This discovery has dealt [a devastating blow to gyms and apps such as ClassPass that get people into gyms](, writes Tara Lachapelle. Until this morning, this has been a boon to Peloton, which makes stationary bikes, [horror films]( and what have turned out to be potentially [dangerous]( treadmills. In a second column, Tara Lachapelle wonders if maybe [Peloton skimped too much on quality]( as it chased sales. Whatever the cause, it has blown its pandemic jackpot. But will it send people back to the gym? How to Win Friends and Influence People: Vaccination Edition It’s too easy for the vaccinated to judge the unvaccinated as paranoid, selfish or dumb. But simple inertia explains why many people aren’t getting vaccinated against Covid-19 as much as they once were. Not everybody has the time or [sneaker-bot](-level internet skills to dedicate to getting a vaccine. Bloomberg writers came up with some ways to [make it easier for people, or at least give them the proper motivation](. Virginia Postrel envisions parking vaccine trucks outside fast-food restaurants, so people can get a Cheesy Gordito Crunch and Covid immunity in one trip, which will be very confusing to [diabetes](. Sarah Green Carmichael writes employers can help employees get shots, as a certain employer that rhymes with Flumeberg has done for its employees. If these lures fail, Joe Nocera suggests wielding the mighty cudgel of FOMO by giving the vaccinated wild luxuries such as the ability to be around sweaty people. Or have [gainful employment](. Further Vaccine Reading: President Joe Biden’s [new vaccination goals are now suitably difficult]( to achieve. — Jonathan Bernstein Telltale Charts America’s [population growth has slowed nearly to a halt]( because it stopped having babies and welcoming immigrants as much, writes Noah Smith. This could quickly become an economic problem. We’re just two years away from the lights going down on Libor, and [there’s no clear leader to replace it](, writes Brian Chappatta.  Further Reading The European Super League (RIP) had the right idea: [A salary cap would save the economics of the game](. — Bloomberg’s editorial board The [biggest surge of post-pandemic economic growth]( may be behind us. — Conor Sen Yes, corn prices are at nine-year highs. No, this is [not evidence of a commodities supercycle](. — Liam Denning Some [House seats should be assigned to states randomly](, making the process fairer. — Ariel Procaccia Brexit and Covid vaccinations have helped [Boris Johnson fend off Keir Starmer](. — Therese Raphael [Europe wants state-champion tech firms](. But it needs a culture of innovation first. — Lionel Laurent ICYMI The U.S. plans to [back a waiver of vaccine IP protection](. How Jeff [Bezos beat the National Enquirer](. In: [butt implants. Out: hair transplants](. Kickers Japanese town spends Covid relief funds [on a giant squid statue](. (h/t Zoe DeStories) [Two words: worm tornado](. Two more words: New Jersey. (h/t Mike Smedley) Your favorite droids [would get stuck on Tatooine](. (h/t Scott Kominers) Mali woman expects seven babies, [has a baseball team]( instead. Notes: Please send squid statues and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net.  Like Bloomberg Opinion Today? [Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more](. You’ll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](.  You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022