☕️ Corn sweat

Ford is the latest to scrap DEI plans... August 30, 2024 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [Perplexity AI]( Good morning. You’ve been anticipating it as much as the Oasis reunion…the results of the Brew’s first-ever Crossword Contest are in, and we have a few winners to announce. The contest, which was launched on Saturday and asked you to find a secret word, received 1,899 correct submissions out of 9,186 total—that’s a 26% correct response rate. Not bad at all! From the correct submissions, three winners were randomly selected to receive a Brew t-shirt. They are: Stephanie from New York, Kelly Matthews from Austin, TX, and a third person who still needs to respond to their victory email (so check your inbox to see if you got a congratulatory message from Jack). Thanks to everyone who played, and stay tuned for more puzzle contests. —Cassandra Cassidy, Molly Liebergall, Matty Merritt, Adam Epstein, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 17,516.43 -0.23% S&P 5,591.96 -0.00% Dow 41,335.05 +0.59% 10-Year 3.867% +3.0 bps Bitcoin $59,493.52 +0.82% Dollar General $84.02 -32.15% Data is provided by *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 4:00pm ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: Stocks were a [mixed bag]( on Thursday. The Dow hit another all-time high, but the Nasdaq was weighed down by investors’ disappointment with Nvidia’s good-but-not-spectacular Q2 earnings. Meanwhile, Dollar General cratered after it cut its outlook, blaming “cash-strapped” consumers.  BUSINESS [Fearing backlash, Ford abandons DEI]( [Ford logo]( Bleier/Getty Images Ford must have put out the “Canceled Plans” [candles]( at HQ this week. One week after the company reneged on plans for a new three-row electric SUV, it’s also [backtracking]( on its DEI commitments amid backlash from conservative influencers. In a memo to employees on Wednesday, the carmaker said it took a “fresh look” at its DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies over the past year and decided to cut them, along with similar programs: - It will no longer participate in rankings like the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, on which it got a perfect score in previous years. - Ford also said it would make changes to its corporate sponsorships and take a backseat on polarizing issues. We’ve heard this before. Ford joins a growing list of companies that are terrified of getting yelled at on X. Tractor Supply denounced all DEI initiatives earlier this summer, the first major company to do so, and since then, John Deere, Harley Davidson, Lowe’s, and Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman have followed. Behind the pivot Ford’s decision to turn its back on DEI comes four years after it publicly committed to the practice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. At the time, it said, “We are not interested in superficial actions. This is our moment to lead from the front and fully commit to creating the fair, just and inclusive culture that our employees deserve.” What changed? Conservative activist Robby Starbuck has led a charge against DEI, emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action in colleges earlier this year. On X, he attacks large companies that are popular with conservatives and have “woke” policies, like those that promote diversity or lower carbon emissions. Zoom out: Even as Starbuck celebrates his “wins” on social media, he’s inadvertently shined [doubt]( on his argument that DEI is bad for business. Neither Ford nor Lowe’s stock made significant movement in either direction when the companies changed course.—CC PRESENTED BY PERPLEXITY AI [Take the future of search for a spin]( [Perplexity AI]( Calling all Uber One members in the US and Canada: Got a question about the latest tech news? Meditation techniques? Or do you just wanna know what can and absolutely can’t go inside an air fryer? Hit up [Perplexity]( the new AI search engine. Uber and Perplexity have teamed up to offer all Uber One members (a membership to save on Uber and Uber Eats) based in the US and Canada [one free year of Perplexity Pro—offer ends Oct. 31](. Perplexity searches the internet in real time to provide detailed, up-to-date answers with citations for all of your pressing questions (ya know, instead of a handful of blue links from traditional search engines). Go ahead—[get some answers](. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on launch platform]Chandan Khanna/Getty Images The FAA grounded SpaceX after a rocket mishap. Elon Musk’s space company has to put Falcon 9 launches on hold while the Federal Aviation Administration [investigates]( the failed landing of a booster this week, the Associated Press reported. The booster toppled over in flames after landing on an ocean platform, SpaceX’s first landing failure in years. The incidents could further delay the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission, which was set to pull off the first-ever private spacewalk this week before its launch was scrapped twice due to a technical problem and weather. SpaceX is also planning to use the Falcon 9 next month on the Crew-9 mission to deliver two astronauts to the International Space Station and return next year with two others who have been stranded following the Boeing Starliner’s malfunction. The UK is mulling a ban on outdoor smoking at pubs. Somewhere in London, a pint of Guinness was just chucked at the wall. Newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the British government [is considering]( banning the popular practice of smoking outdoors at pubs, restaurants, sporting grounds, and other venues to minimize deaths linked to tobacco use. While health experts applauded the news, pubs and pubgoers were less than thrilled, arguing a smoking ban would hurt businesses and ruin an established social custom. Smoking caused 74,600 deaths in England alone in 2019, per the National Health Service. Apple is reportedly in talks to invest in OpenAI. According to the Wall Street Journal, the iPhone-maker is part of a [funding round]( that includes Microsoft and venture capital firm Thrive Capital, which will value the artificial intelligence startup at more than $100 billion. Apple previously partnered with OpenAI to use ChatGPT to power the more complex tasks in its Apple Intelligence platform, while it uses its own technology for more basic functions. The investment—unusual because Apple rarely invests in startups—would further the company’s commitment to AI and solidify its access to OpenAI tech. HEALTH [Bugs and ‘heavy meat buildup’ at Boar’s Head plant]( [Boar's Head recall sign]( Images This could put you off turkey sandwiches for a bit: Food safety inspectors found a frat-houseful of health violations at a Boar’s Head processing facility that’s linked to a nationwide listeria outbreak, according to new USDA records revealed this week. ICYMI: Last month, Boar’s Head recalled every product that came from its Jarratt, Virginia, plant and paused the location’s operations after officials traced some listeria cases to deli meats produced there. It’s now the worst listeria outbreak since 2011, according to the CDC. At least nine people have died and 57 have been hospitalized in 18 states, mostly [along]( the East Coast. As [details]( emerge, it’ll be even harder for Boar’s Head to win back sandwich-makers’ trust. At the Virginia plant, the USDA [discovered]( what appeared to be: - “Ants traveling down the wall,” a beetle, a cockroach, and “small flying gnat-like insects” in a room with walls that had “heavy meat buildup.” - Mold and mildew on workers’ sinks and along walls, sometimes in spots as large as a quarter. - A puddle with “green algal growth,” condensation dripping onto exposed products, “ample amounts of blood in puddles,” and a “rancid smell.” Check your fridge: Some of the 7 million pounds of recalled Boar’s Head cuts are floating around with October sell-by dates—toss anything with “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the packaging’s USDA mark.—ML TOGETHER WITH MONOGRAM [Monogram]( 8% dividend opportunity: [Monogram (Nasdaq: MGRM)]( known for their autonomous robotic surgical systems, completed a crowdfunded public offering and Nasdaq listing last year. What’s next? They just filed for FDA approval to commercialize their patented tech. Monogram’s currently offering preferred stock with an 8% dividend (in cash or kind) at $2.25/share. Their common shares closed as high as $3.44 in the past week. [Monogram currently plans to close the Series D Preferred offering on September 12, 2024](. AGRICULTURE [Corn is just like us: sweaty as h*ck this week]( [Corn in field.]( Gallup/Getty Images Stop blaming the natural deodorant: You’re sweating because the corn is sweating. For anyone commuting in the Midwest, this week’s heat wave felt even [hotter]( thanks to evapotranspiration, or “corn sweat.” And it will likely only get worse with climate change. Evapo-what now? To beat the heat, corn and other crops that blanket the Midwest (like soybeans) pull a bunch of moisture from the soil and then ditch whatever they don’t need as vapor into the air. All plants do evapotranspiration, but when there’s so much of the same plant in an area getting hit with extreme heat, the vapor can supercharge humidity: - An acre of corn expels up to 4,000 gallons of water each day, according to the US Geological Survey. - Iowa, the top corn-producing state in the US, planted roughly 13.1 million acres of the crop this year, according to USDA data. Not to mention the state is sandwiched between Illinois and Nebraska—Nos. 2 and 3 on that list. It’s not the kernel’s fault. The combination of extreme heat caused by climate change and the growing demand for corn is to blame for making summers stickier.—MM STAT [Prime number: Pirates lose their plunder](#) [Police crime scene tape wrapped around a computer monitor]Francis Scialabba One of the world’s biggest piracy operations has been shut down, and it didn’t even require cannon fire to do it. Fmovies, an illegal streaming platform with dozens of affiliate sites, was disabled by police in Vietnam working with a group of Hollywood anti-piracy advocates this week. The platform was [popular]( At its peak last year, it was the 11th-most-visited site on the internet in the entertainment category, accumulating nearly 7 billion clicks from people who were probably just there to stream Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey because they didn’t want to be seen at the theater. Studios say that the shuttering of piracy platforms directly increases their digital revenues, like when Megaupload was powered down in 2012. These operations have since grown more sophisticated, appearing like sleek Netflix clones to camouflage their marauding. QUIZ [Breath of fresh quiz]( [New Friday quiz image]( Getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to when someone else has already ordered an Uber for the group. It’s that satisfying. [Ace the quiz](. NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [Japan]( told 4 million people to evacuate as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall, bringing hurricane-force winds and storm surges to the southern part of the country. - [Gap]( shares were halted for much of Thursday morning after the retailer accidentally reported its earnings early, showing that it beat revenue estimates. - [The US Army]( rebuked former President Trump’s 2024 campaign for an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery this week. - [Bill Ackman]( is reportedly reviving his attempt to take Pershing Square public after the previous effort was shelved due to weak demand. - [United Airlines]( raised concerns with the Biden administration about the proposed merger between Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, Bloomberg reported. RECS [Friday to-do list] Pass the time: This site uses the [digits of pi]( to tell you what time it is, down to the second. Steak your claim: See how much Chipotle items cost at locations [across the US](. Chew on this: Why bubblegum [is pink](. Chill out: Turn your living room into Blade Runner with [this 10-hour]( ambient cyberpunk 4K video wallpaper. Don’t zzz on Gen Z: As [Gen Z]( enters the workforce, business leaders could use a crash course on what makes them tick. That’s why HiBob put together [this article]( to help do exactly that.* SaaS party: Wanna attend? Then you better have your cybersecurity game on lock—and [Rhymetec can help](. They know what it really takes to run a SaaS biz. [See for yourself]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Jigsaw: This might be the most challenging jigsaw puzzle we’ve ever published—it’s just a pack of sea lions that took over a California beach. Don’t worry; you can’t smell them from here. [Check it out](. Friday puzzle A man has been prescribed two different tablets, X and Y. He needs to take one of each tablet every day, and if he doesn’t take the tablets according to this schedule, he’ll get sick. The tablets are very expensive, so he cannot throw them away and get a new prescription. When the man has just a two-day supply left, he accidentally drops all four tablets on the floor. He picks them up and notices they look, smell, and weigh exactly the same. How can he make sure that he maintains his tablet schedule? SHARE THE BREW [Share Morning Brew]( with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 [Click to Share]( Or copy & paste your referral link to others: [morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a905682a]( ANSWER Cut all four tablets in half, and then take half of each tablet. [Here’s a more in-depth explanation](. Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: evapotranspiration, which is the process by which water moves from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration. Thanks to Kevin from Illinois for the moist suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✳︎ A Note From Monogram This is a paid advertisement for Monogram Technologies’ Series D Preferred Stock offering. A prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus have been filed with the SEC. Before making any investment, you are urged to read the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus carefully for a more complete understanding of the issuer and the offering. ([( The securities offered by Monogram are highly speculative. Investing in these securities involves significant risks. The investment is suitable only for persons who can afford to lose their entire investment. Investors must understand that such investment could be illiquid for an indefinite period of time. There is no existing public trading market for the Series D Preferred Stock. Monogram does not intend to apply for listing of the Series D Preferred Stock or the common stock purchase warrants on a national securities exchange or quoted on an over-the-counter market. DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. Written by [Adam Epstein]( [Cassandra Cassidy]( [Molly Liebergall]( [Matty Merritt]( and [Neal Freyman]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Interested in podcasts? - Check out ours [here]( [ADVERTISE]( // [CAREERS]( // [SHOP]( // [FAQ]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](. Copyright © 2024 Morning Brew. All rights reserved. 22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011