☕ Going blue

You might get to see Wile E. Coyote sue Acme... [Advertisement] November 16, 2023 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [Indeed]( Good morning. We woke up feeling a little like Michael Jordan on the Wizards. A Pew [survey]( released yesterday found that 14% of US adults regularly get their news from TikTok, quadruple the share from just three years ago. There’s more: - Nearly a third (32%) of Americans ages 18–29 regularly get news from TikTok. - And 43% of TikTok users overall say they get news on the platform, up from 33% last year. These are stats you can bring up to make Thanksgiving dinner truly go off the rails. —Abby Rubenstein, Cassandra Cassidy, Matty Merritt, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 14,103.84 +0.07% S&P 4,502.88 +0.16% Dow 34,991.21 +0.47% 10-Year 4.528% +8.3 bps Bitcoin $37,743.74 +6.18% Target $130.46 +17.75% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 3:00am ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: Inflation going down equals stocks going up: Stocks [climbed]( after new data showed wholesale prices dropped last month by the most they have since April 2020. Target hit the bull’s-eye because its earnings beat investor expectations.  LABOR [Hot Strike Summer comes for sweater season]( [Strike protest signs, one in the shape of the US]( Francis Scialabba You may be ready to switch from pumpkin to peppermint, but the labor movement seems to still be on cherry popsicle, because as far as unions are concerned, Hot Strike Summer isn’t over yet. At GM…The vote by union members on whether to accept the tentative contract that led the UAW to end its six-week strike against the automaker was [too close to call]( yesterday. Though the contract looks poised to ultimately be approved this week as tallies continue to be counted, the vote was tenser and tighter than anticipated, with several plants voting against it. The deal, which included a 25% pay bump, was hailed as a win for the union (alongside similar but separate contracts with [Ford]( and Stellantis) and prompted non-unionized carmakers Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai to hike wages to keep up. But some union veterans felt they weren’t getting as much as newer workers, while others were [disappointed]( the UAW didn’t get even bigger concessions, according to CNBC. If it doesn’t squeak through, union leaders will have to decide whether to restart the strike, reopen negotiations, or both. At Starbucks…Starbucks Workers United plans to mount its largest [strike]( ever today. The choice of date wasn’t random: It’s Red Cup Day, when Starbucks gives out reusable holiday-themed cups…and does blockbuster drink sales. But it may not make a huge impact—last year, Starbucks reportedly had its best single sales day ever on Red Cup Day despite a walkout. More than 360 of Starbucks’s 9,000 corporate outposts have unionized, but none has secured a contract. At pharmacies…Staff from Walgreens and CVS staged a walkout earlier this month, and its organizers want to aid a national unionization [campaign]( with IAM Healthcare, a union that represents thousands of healthcare workers. Even “woke” employers are feeling the heat: The 48-person field staff of the nation’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, [voted unanimously]( this week to authorize a strike in hopes of securing higher pay. And workers at REI, which has eight unionized stores, [claim]( the company has dragged its feet in negotiations and that managers’ anti-union statements have included saying unionization throws off the co-op’s “vibes.”—AR   PRESENTED BY INDEED [Are you overlooking *this* talent?]( [Indeed]( HR pros know the benefits of a diverse talent pool (inclusivity and increased revenue, to name a few). So why do job seekers with military experience remain an underutilized group in today’s workforce? In honor of [National Veteran and Military Families Month]( Indeed teamed up with Hiring Our Heroes to conduct a survey of over 5k US veterans and service members to shed light on the specific difficulties they face when job searching. Data shows that [although employers want to hire veterans]( their job postings don’t reflect this priority, and onboarding resources are sparse. [Snag helpful employer strategies for improving the hiring and retention]( of military talent by reading the article’s full findings. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping]Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images Biden and Xi got their face time in. President Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping had their first face-to-face [meeting]( in a year yesterday at the APEC summit in San Francisco, with both world leaders hoping to dial down the tension between their countries. In their public remarks, both stressed cooperation, with Biden saying, “We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,” and Xi asserting that “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.” The pair also met privately and reached agreements on curbing illicit fentanyl and reestablishing military communications. Possible deal for Hamas to release ~50 hostages on the table. Israel is [weighing a deal]( that Hamas has agreed to in principle for the group to release at least 50 women and children among the 240 hostages being held in Gaza, the Washington Post reported yesterday. According to the Post, the deal calls for a three-to-five-day ceasefire, more humanitarian aid, and the release of some women and children from Israeli prisons. Axios reports that much of the negotiations, which are being mediated by Qatar, have centered on [how long]( a ceasefire Israel will agree to. If the deal moves forward, it would be the biggest release of hostages since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and the war began. Americans are still spending money. Retail sales in the US [slipped]( last month for the first time in seven months, dipping 0.1%, according to new government data. But that was less than anticipated…and a lot of it can probably be chalked up to people spending less on gas. If you take out auto and gasoline spending, sales actually went up 0.1% from the month before, showing that although some may be pulling back on big purchases, people are still shopping as the holiday quarter begins. ENTERTAINMENT [The ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ saga’s falling action]( [Looney Tunes GIF]( Looney Tunes/Warner Bros. Discovery In true Wile E. Coyote fashion, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is trying to get itself out of a great caper of its own making. WBD has [reversed its controversial plan]( to shelve Coyote vs. Acme, a movie about the Looney Tune joining forces with a lawyer to fight the Acme Corporation. The studio is now allowing director Dave Green to shop for a different distributor, with Amazon Prime, AppleTV+, and Netflix reportedly in the running to bring it to screens. The backstory: After three years of filming and positive audience tests, WBD announced [last week]( that it would keep Coyote in the vault to get a $30 million tax write-off, echoing its 2022 decision to cancel Batgirl, and even more egregious, Scoob! Holiday Haunt, for tax breaks that make the company’s earnings look better in the short term. Why did WBD reverse course? The announcement that it killed Coyote went over as well as telling your grandma that you already ate: Many filmmakers canceled meetings with WBD—and one director even called the studio “[anti-art]( Meanwhile, US Rep. Joaquin Castro [tweeted]( that WBD’s actions were “predatory and anti-competitive.” But…WBD CEO David Zaslav’s decisions favoring tax strategies over creators could still deter filmmakers from working with the studio.—CC   SPONSORED BY GERBER [Gerber]( Want to level up your multi-tool game for up to 50% off? Legendary outdoor brand Gerber is holding a [multi-tool sale]( from Nov. 16–20, and it’s packing all the hits. We’re talkin’ top picks like the Lockdown Pry and the Suspension-NXT, plus full-size options and minimalist compact tools—something for everyone. [Shop the sale](. TECH [A solution for Android users with blue bubble FOMO]( [Text bubble changing from green to blue that reads “wyd?”]( Francis Scialabba There may be a future where your stubborn friend can finally send a non-garbled video. The tech startup Nothing announced it’s [releasing]( its “Nothing Chats” feature on Friday, allowing Android users to shed the stigma of their green bubbles and send and receive blue iMessages just like their iPhone-using pals. Despite pleas from blue and green bubblers alike, Apple only permits iPhones to officially run iMessage. Nothing’s app would give Android owners most of iMessage’s perks—like better-quality media, seeing when people are typing, and sending voice memos—without needing an iPhone. There are some hiccups. Users won’t be able to “heart,” “thumbs down,” or react to messages at launch. Group chats only work if everyone else in the chat has iMessage, and sometimes messages just don’t send. Privacy is also a huge concern: - The app works by routing your messages through a server farm of mini Macs and requires you to give Nothing (a company with no affiliation to Apple) your iCloud login. - Nothing claims all messages are encrypted, but critics still say the setup is a [red flag](. It might be a minute before it’s mainstream. Nothing said only owners of its newest phone will be able to download the app right now, which means at least 100,000 users will have access. Other similar services like Beeper also have extremely long waitlists. And there’s no guarantee that Apple will be chill with any of this.—MM   GRAB BAG [Key performance indicators](#) [A pūteketeke]Auscape/Getty Images Stat: It was a sweeping victory for the pūteketeke—a species described by its biggest booster as “weird puking birds with colorful mullets”—which was crowned New Zealand’s [Bird of the Century]( yesterday. The water bird got more than 290,000 votes, more than 22 times the second-place finisher, the nation’s iconic kiwi bird, in a contest run by a local conservation organization after comedian John Oliver threw his weight behind the pūteketeke on television and with billboards touting it in NZ and abroad. Oliver defended his controversial participation, saying, “This is what democracy is all about—America interfering in foreign elections.” Quote: “I’ve been on the East Coast and on the West Coast in many of those stores that you’ve talked about where items have been locked up, and actually what we hear from the guests is a big thank you, because we are in stock with the brands that they need when they’re shopping in our stores.” Target CEO Brian Cornell [says]( shoppers are grateful the chain is keeping the toothpaste they want behind more glass than the Mona Lisa, since it keeps items from getting boosted by thieves who leave shelves bare. The executive’s comments on shoppers' gratitude for the high security around their deodorant came as the retailer released its third-quarter [earnings]( report showing that while sales dipped, profits surged by 36%, thanks largely to tight inventory management and tamping down expenses. Read: Three hackers who took down Netflix, Slack, and more, then went to work for the FBI, tell their story. ([Wired]( NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [New York’s attorney general]( sued Pepsi, accusing the company of harming the environment with its single-use plastic packaging. - [Microsoft]( debuted its first AI chips in a potential effort to compete with Nvidia’s dominance. - [SpaceX]( got FAA clearance to launch a second Starship flight, clearing the way for an attempt tomorrow. It’s also mulling [an IPO]( for its Starlink satellite business as soon as next year, Bloomberg reports. - [Donald Trump]( is seeking a mistrial in the New York civil fraud trial against him, claiming the judge overseeing the case is biased. - [Thanksgiving dinner]( will cost less to prepare this year than last year, so we can all say we’re thankful for falling turkey prices. RECS [To do list Thursday] Fly: Just in time for the holiday rush, here’s a [ranking of US airports](. Accept no imitations: The [25 best]( and the [25 worst]( cover songs of all time. Look: The photos [National Geographic editors]( picked from a pool of 2 million as the images of the year. Watch: The recent discovery that’s made a 28-by-22-mile-wide area in Nevada and Oregon the [most valuable plot of land]( in the US. Say goodbye to complicated budgeting: Money with Katie’s latest and greatest Wealth Planner is coming soon, so you can stay on top of your 2024 finances. Join the waitlist now for an exclusive 10% discount when the product officially launches. [Sign up here](. Cleaner biopharm: Testing vaccines for contamination usually takes days. With [LexaGene’s tech]( As little as 2 hours. [Invest in LexaGene and be part of their growth]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew Mini: Did you know there are only two countries in the world named after women? You’re asked to name one of them in today’s Mini. [Play it here](. Three Headlines and a Lie Three of these headlines are real and one is faker than the dusty gray floors in every new build. Can you spot the odd one out? - This small Canadian village is on track to be the world’s [No. 1]( tequila supplier - Taylor Swift themed cruise sets [sail]( from Florida in 2024 - Cop [pulled]( gun on fellow officer who threatened to spoil Top Gun: Maverick; jury gives him 100 hours of community service and more - Steam will soon let you [hide]( the porn games you play 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=4904f90a]( ANSWER We made up the tequila one. Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: egregious, meaning “conspicuously bad, flagrant.” Thanks to Derek from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and several other horrified folks for the suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✤ A Note From LexaGene This is a paid advertisement for LexaGene’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at [invest.lexagenelifesciences.com](. Written by [Neal Freyman]( [Abigail Rubenstein]( [Cassandra Cassidy]( and [Matty Merritt]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Get smarter in just 5 minutes - Money & Career: [Money With Katie](  [Raise](  [Bossy]( [ADVERTISE]( // [CAREERS]( // [SHOP]( // [FAQ]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](. Copyright © 2023 Morning Brew. All rights reserved. 22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011