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American Eagle Soars After Sydney Sweeney Ad & Travel Agents Are Back
00:30:11
American Eagle stock is up and Travel Agents are back
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- [00:00]
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- [00:42]
Neal Fryman
Good Morning Brew Daily Show. I'm Neal Fryman.
- [00:45]
Dave Lozo
And I'm Dave Lozo.
- [00:46]
Neal Fryman
Today we don our finest suits to remember fashion icon Giorgio Armani.
- [00:50]
Dave Lozo
And in less fancy fashion news, American Eagle had its best day ever after Sydney Sweeney sold a whole lot of jeans.
- [00:56]
Neal Fryman
It's Friday, September 5th. Let's ride. Dave Lozo. Who the heck are you?
- [01:05]
Dave Lozo
Neil, you hired me literally two years ago.
- [01:07]
Neal Fryman
All right, it's all coming back. No. Dave is an incredible and hilarious writer for the Morning Brew newsletter, one of many great writers on that team, and also works on the Morning Brews social media. He hails from the great state of New Jersey and won three out of four bets on the Eagles game last night. Dave, what is your mindset going into this podcast?
- [01:26]
Dave Lozo
Well, I've heard you call Kyle the six man off the bench because he comes in, he gets buckets, he plays good minutes. I'm more like the 12th man off the bench. I'm the, I'm the coach's kid. I come in in a 40 point blowout with one minute to go and everyone's just like, put up a shot, put up a shot and then I airball it. That's the energy.
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Neal Fryman
You're not going to airball this. Toby is. Has been gone for this week. Kyle did three shows. You're coming in for today's Friday show. I guess that is the equivalent of the 40 point lead we just throw you in on a Friday. But you're going to. You're an absolutely killing. And I'm excited for this particular show. Toby will be coming back on Monday. Unless you do such an incredible job and you take his job.
- [02:02]
Dave Lozo
I mean, it's possible.
- [02:03]
Neal Fryman
We'll find out. All right, now a word from our sponsor. Indeed. Dave, what do you know about AI's application in the hiring process?
- [02:10]
Dave Lozo
Not very much because I haven't applied for a job in a very long time.
- [02:13]
Neal Fryman
Me neither. But I've heard indeed AI powered solutions for job seekers and employers are reshaping the hiring landscape.
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Dave Lozo
Well, that makes sense when you consider just how many people and jobs indeed connects every day. That kind of learning could seriously accelerate and simplify the job search and hiring process.
- [02:29]
Neal Fryman
They're getting into all this and more at future works September 10th and 11th and morning brew will be there for all of it. Learn more at indeed futureworks.com/brew that's indeed futureworks.com/brew the process of being confirmed as a Federal Reserve governor is typically less exciting than hearing somebody else talk about their fantasy football team. Not so yesterday, when Fed nominee Stephen Myron was grilled by senators in a confirmation hearing filled with high drama over the future of the central bank's independence. Myron currently serves as a top economic adviser to President Trump and the White House. When Fed governor Adriana Kugler resigned unexpectedly in August, the president tapped Myron to fill the role and join the Fed's seven member Board of Governors that determines interest rates. The pick of a close ally raised even more concerns that Trump was trying to bend the Fed to his will in order to get lower rates. It comes after Trump has publicly mocked Fed chair Jerome Powell in and fired Fed governor Lisa Cook over accusations of mortgage fraud. Cook is currently suing to keep her position. In the hearing, Myron tried to tamp down worries that he'd be taking marching orders from Trump in his role at the Fed. My opinions and decisions will be based on my analysis of the macro economy and what's best for its long term stewardship, he said. The Federal Open Market Committee is an independent group with a monumental task and I intend to preserve that independence and serve the American people to to the best of my ability. Republicans appear to be comforted by this and could confirm Myron to join the Fed before the central bank's next interest rate decision in less than two weeks.
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Dave Lozo
Okay, first of all, was that fantasy football thing a shot at me? Because it was. I thought that was interesting conversation.
- [04:05]
Neal Fryman
It was not.
- [04:06]
Dave Lozo
Okay, so there is some pointed criticism from senators about the potential conflict of interest at play here, with Myron taking an unpaid leave of absence but not resigning his position as an economic adviser to Trump during his four month stage stint. He did say he would resign if he were to stick around for a full term, but it still left senators wondering about a potential conflict. Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode island, said, quote, your independence has already been seriously compromised by your statement you are going to be technically an employee of the President of the United States, but an independent member of the board of the Federal Reserve. That's ridiculous. Anytime you can say that's ridiculous during a confirmation hearing, that's got to feel pretty good. But the issue here is really the Fed independence and what that means. And so according to an analysis from Goldman Sachs, quote, a scenario where Fed independence is damaged would likely lead to higher inflation, lower stock and long dated bond prices, and an erosion of the dollar's reserve currency status. So it's not even necessarily is he or is he not independent? It's about the perception of it. If the perception is that he's not, that could be bad for the markets. Goldman also said that if just 1% of the privately owned U.S. treasury market were moved into gold, a historical safe haven for skittish investors, the price of gold could rise to $5,000 per ounce. And they are already sitting near an all time high of $3,600 per ounce.
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Neal Fryman
Yeah, so administration officials were simultaneously serving on the Fed in the early days of the United States. You would be the Chairman of the Fed and also the Secretary of the treasury at the same time. No one thought too much of it. But then in the early 1900s they said, Wait, we need to separate the Fed from the White House to insulate the Fed from political pressures. So they make decisions based on the long term health of the economy rather than the short term interests of anybody who's in the White house. So after 1936, there was never anyone serving simultaneously on the Fed board as well as in the White House. Myron did raise eyebrows by saying he wouldn't resign from his position in the administration. He said he would take in a leave of absence and then come back after this term expires in January. As you mentioned, he said, well, if I get confirmed for even longer, then I will resign. But because of this short term stint, he's not going to officially resign. And he cited his lawyers as saying that's what he should do. He just offloaded everything to them, said, well, I talked to my lawyers, they said it was fine if I just took a planned leave of absence and then I'll come back. You can understand why a lot of Democratic senators were saying, well, this presents, even if it's not a conflict of interest, you're right, it is the perception and that's what the investors will be looking for. We also have this big report coming out later today. There is the jobs report. Myron and everyone else on the Fed is going to be looking at this because we've had this weakest, weakest stretch of job growth since COVID pandemic. We've had four straight months of job growth coming in sub 100,000 jobs added to the economy and it looks like that is going to Continue. Economists expect 75,000 jobs were added over the course of this week. Had some really bad other jobs reports, though. The jobs report that comes out at the end of every month is the super bowl of jobs reports. But there have been other data points that show a weakening labor market. So we'll find that out at 8:30am Eastern time.
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Dave Lozo
Should be interesting. It should be very, very interesting. Moving on to our next story, Some sad news from the fashion world as iconic designer Giorgio Armani passed away at the age of 91 in Milan on Thursday. The Italian trailblazer established his brand that became synonymous with luxury and elegance in 1975 with $10,000 in startup money and grew his personal net worth to an estimated $9.5 billion as the sole shareholder of the private company. Armani's original career path wasn't even in fashion, as he attended medical school and later joined the army where he worked in an infirmary. Now, when you think of Armani, you probably think of that name being the answer to the who are you wearing question on Oscars, red carpets? Nobody asks me that because the answer is always Old Navy and Gap. It's a question absolutely nobody would ever ask me. But Armani also pioneered business attire for women in the 1980s with power suits that allowed them to stand on equal footing with men. Armani had no children, but he has discussed a succession plan for the company. In a 2024 interview, he said he envisioned, quote, a pool of trusted close to me and chosen by me to lead Armani into the future, pointing toward partner and head of men's design, Leo Del Orco and several nieces and nephews. Armani always cared deeply about maintaining the company's independence. Independence is kind of the theme of the first two stories.
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Neal Fryman
It is.
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Dave Lozo
But in that same interview, he said, quote, what has always characterized the success of my work is an ability to adapt to changing times. Neil, I say this as someone wearing $20 ripped jeans and a $6 t shirt, but Armani's impact on the world through fashion is almost immeasurable.
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Neal Fryman
Yeah, I mean, I can't say I am either very plugged in to the world high fashion, but of course, I know Armani's name because everyone does. He was one of the most influential people in the fashion world for the past half century and changed nearly the way everyone dressed. What was very interesting about Armani was his bet on Hollywood, and he got his breakthrough in 1980 when Richard Gere in the film American Gigolo wore Armani suits. He looks absolutely incredible in that film. Armani identified Hollywood and celebrities as his way to the wider fashion world. And so he was the first designer to open an office in Hollywood in 1983, and later went on to dress people in more than 250 films, including Christian Bale suits in the Dark Knight in 2008. And we're all wondering why this was the best Bruce Wayne ever. Well, it's probably because he looks so good in these Armani suits. So very interesting the way that Armani was inspired by fashion and leveraged Hollywood celebrities, especially on the red carpet, to get his name out there.
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Dave Lozo
Yeah, the 1990 Oscars was kind of the first one where people dressing and people asking, hey, who are you wearing? Kind of became a thing, because in 1990, he dressed Julia Roberts, he dressed Jodie Foster, he dressed Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, and he continued doing it through current times with Zendaya Hunter Schaefer, Rihanna, and Cate Blanchett. So he figured it out, and he even said that the synergy between the fashion and film world is what was what made him the designer he was. And so he. He's. He's a businessman and a designer. He realized Hollywood was the key to growing his business, and I think it worked out pretty well.
- [10:09]
Neal Fryman
Well, let's talk about his business. So one very interesting thing about Armani, specifically in the constellation of Italian fashion brands, was that it has stayed independent. Now, a number of his arrivals have been scooped up by French conglomerates and Italian conglomerates. LVMH owns Fendi and Bulgari. Kering owns Gucci. Tapestry owns Versace. But no one owns Armani, and he has maintained this for decades. It could have been very easy to sell this company to a larger conglomerate, but maybe it's just his quirks or his very, you know, his iconic attention to detail. He's tried to keep Armani private, and he was the sole shareholder right now, which makes succession a little more interesting, because you're right. He didn't have any kids. He has a close advisory group of nieces and nephews who he's worked closely with. He also has a few business partners, and he said, I'm fine with them taking Armani in whatever direction they choose. And he did, near the end of his life, float that potentially they could get acquired by a bigger fashion house. But so far, through his entire career since the 70s, Armani stayed independent.
- [11:12]
Dave Lozo
And that's probably one of the biggest reasons why they were so successful, or why Armani was so successful, I should say.
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Neal Fryman
Moving on to our stock of the week, Dog of the Week, the segment where Dave and I pick one stock that scored free pizza and another that ponied up for a $17 salad out of desperation. Dave, you won the pre show game of blackjack. Clean me right out so you get to go first.
- [11:33]
Dave Lozo
All right, I'll go first. And I will say my stock of the week is American Eagle, which popped nearly 38% yesterday. It's best day on record because apparently Sydney Sweeney has great powers to insulate a company from bad publicity. Let's journey back to the end of July when American Eagle launched that Sydney Sweeney has great jeans marketing campaign and faced almost immediate backlash. It led to a fierce debate over whether the jeans jeans homophone was not so subtle commentary on genetics, race and beauty standards and even led to President Trump calling the campaign quote, the hottest ad out there. There were some ups and downs with the stock in the weeks that followed and foot traffic at American Eagle locations was down 9% during the first week of August. But on Wednesday, the company reported an earnings beat and increased sales projections attributed to Sweeney, which led to euphoria. Do you get it? Euphoria? You got the reference for investors. CMO Craig Bromers told Marketing Brew quote, sydney Sweeney is worth every single dollar that we invested. He also said the campaign generated an unprecedented spike of 790,000 new customers in the US as well as near 320,000 new social followers. And Sweeney isn't going anywhere. Bromer said Sweeney will still be involved with American Eagle over the rest of the year. Neil, how many pairs of jeans did you buy because of this ad campaign?
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Neal Fryman
I already have all the pair of jean I need for the fall. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised that the one of the biggest influencers on this planet can get people to buy products. American Eagle called it their best advertising campaign in history and they released a ton of numbers related to why it was their best campaign in history. They said the ad drew 40 billion impressions. Her signature jeans sold out within a week of the campaign's launch. In terms of search interest online, it jumped 186% in the week ending August 3rd. Compared to the week prior, traffic on its website was up 15%. And you mentioned Sydney Sweeney's jeans ad, which did extremely well for American Eagle, but they Also had another ad campaign that they released recently, which was with a collab with Travis Kelce and his lifestyle brand. And they also attributed that to insane sales. And they got very lucky with Kelsey because the. The announcement of his collab with Kelsey came the day after he proposed to Taylor Swift. So everyone is already searching for Travis Kelsey. And then Travis Kelsey goes and does a partnership with American Eagle. So just a lot of tailwinds for American Eagle. People are very curious about whether the, you know, the phrase all publicity, any publicity, is good publicity. And I think we're finding out that at least for American Eagle, that held true.
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Dave Lozo
Yeah. And I was starting to think this isn't a sustainable business model is to just have Sydney Sweeney do an ad. But then I thought about Nike. Nike said, hey, Michael Jordan, you want to sell shoes for 40 years? And that's worked out pretty well for them.
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Neal Fryman
And it was important for American Eagle to get this going because their Stock was down 18% on the year going into yesterday. Obviously, it recouped a lot of that. Their performance was not good. They had merchandising issues. They're dealing with tariffs. They already think that tariffs are going to hit its bottom line by $70 million. Sales were down 5% in the first quarter. Sales were down 3% in the second quarter. But they're projecting actually sales growth. And that's what investors were really responding to because sales were declining. And now they're saying that because of these ad campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelsey that they're actually projecting sales will grow in the low single digits. That's good enough for investors to send this stock up 38%. There might be some meme stock flavor to American Eagle. Remember when this campaign was first announced, American eagle stock spiked 20%. And a lot of that was attributed to retail investors euphoria. So American Eagle is absolutely going to be leaning into these celebrity partnerships going forward. And not just Sydney Sweeney has established herself as an influencer, but Travis Kelce as well. He is. He can sell some products.
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Dave Lozo
Yeah. And Sundays are NFL Sundays now. So we're going to see Travis Kelce during every other commercial break for the next, what, five months? That's going to be fun. Or should I say Taylor Swift's husband? I mean, let's. Let's call him what he is, Travis.
- [15:26]
Neal Fryman
The future Travis Swift. All right, speaking of commercial breaks, we're going to take a quick one, but we will be right back with our dog of the week.
- [15:34]
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- [16:11]
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- [17:01]
Neal Fryman
My Dog of the week is September, because for whatever reason, September has been by far the worst month for the stock market. In a seasonal quirk that's held for nearly a century, since 1928, the S P500 has declined in September 55 of the time, the only individual month that it's dropped at least 50% of the time. Over that period, the S and P has averaged a 1.1% decline, the worst performance of any calendar month. The most recent Septembers have not been ones to remember. In the last decade, six Septembers have ended lower, including a massive 9.3% drop in 2022 as the Fed was jacking up interest rates. It's not just an American phenomenon either. The September blues have been found across 47 countries, with markets in Canada, the UK and Hong Kong, all falling in September in the past 50 years. So what is going on? Why does this amazing month that brings us football sweaters and nutmeg also send the stock market into a death spiral? No one exactly knows, but a number of theories have been raised, mostly that involve investors coming back from summer vacation and pruning their portfolios, which leads to selling pressure. Dave, I want you to put on your tinfoil hat. What is your conspiracy theory for why September is so bad for the stock market?
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Dave Lozo
So obviously this has been going on for a century at this point. So I can't attribute this to all 100 years of it. But four of the past five have been especially rough. Six Septembers in the last decade have been in the red. Sports betting has become legal in the last seven, eight years here in the United States and a lot of the states. And I think a lot of people are moving their money over to sportsbooks and they're not winning it and they're not putting it back into anything. And so that's why September looks so bad. That's my, that's my theory.
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Neal Fryman
I think there is probably a kernel of truth to that because we saw so much stock trading during peak Covid in 2020 when there was no sports to bet on. So there does seem to be some sort of correlation. I don't know if it's driving this, that this particular Sept. Phenomenon because it has been going on for so long and it's very curious. It stumped a lot of academics and investors. But you know, one theory that I think makes a little bit of sense is something called the post holiday blues, which is that people are on vacation in the Hamptons and they're not necessarily looking at all the bad news that's been coming down the pipeline over the summer. So when they get back to their deaths on Wall street in September, they're saying, whoa. Like there's tariffs and whoa. The Fed independence could be at risk here. Maybe I got a sell. So that's maybe one thing where they're just not paying attention to bad news and they're coming back from vacation. Another one that's a little more technical and not as fun, but probably is driving a lot of the selling pressure in September is that many mutual fund companies and their fiscal year and September, so they are harvesting their losses, they're looking through their portfolio and saying, what stinks here? Like what can I get rid of to make my books look good? So they are selling, they are selling stocks in September as their fiscal year closes. I know, not exciting, but probably driving a lot of the September bearishness. But what's going on right now? Let's talk about this September. The S&P 500 gained 1% yesterday to reach a record high. There was a great earnings season that we just came off of. About 80% of the S&P 500 reported better than expected second quarter results. So despite a lot of the headwinds. We have a big Fed meeting coming up in the middle of September. We have the jobs report out later today, there's an inflation report out next week. So it's this real big 14 day gauntlet that investors are dealing with right now. But stocks are at a record high in the beginning of September. There's still a long way to go.
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Dave Lozo
It also feels a little bit like a self fulfilling prophecy where every August everyone gets warned about how bad things are going to get in September. And then people panic and they just, they just repeat history. No one learns from history, Neil.
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Neal Fryman
They don't. And I think there's something there too because you know, the markets are sort of a self fulfilling prophecy and they are guided by what are called animal spirits, those things that are not particularly tangible. So the fact that maybe people believe that stocks will go down in September is the reason that they have, but maybe we'll, we'll buck the trend. This month, people with steady jobs in finance, law and other white collar positions are ditching their high paying jobs to become travel agents, Bloomberg reported. Yep, this is a real trend. The number of people describing themselves as travel agents or Advisors on LinkedIn jumped by more than 50% in the past three years and it's the fifth fastest growing title over that period. You might be thinking, what are these people doing? This is like applying to be a clerk at Blockbuster. Turns out the online booking and itineraries haven't killed the travel agent. They've only made her stronger. Travel book through advisors such as flights and accommodation is expected to rise to $141 billion next year in the U.S. accounting for 26% of the total travel market. And by 2021, 76% of advisors reported more customers than before the pandemic. The travel agent surge is being fueled by tourists in the 1% ultra net worth clients who easily shell out six figures on personal travel each year. But working with advisors has also become popular among Gen Z and millennials who simply won't be bothered to plan a trip on their own. In a 2023 survey, 38% of Gen Z and millennials said they preferred a travel agent over online booking. Dave, it's been a good run as a podcast host, but I think I'm out of here. This gig seems pretty great.
- [22:11]
Dave Lozo
Yeah, I think one morning brew daily is enough for me too. I think I want to get a taste of this $141 billion we're throwing around. I got to admit when I whenever I see headlines that are about, you know, Gen Z this or Millennials this. I always feel like it's a made up trend and I'm like, this can't be a thing. Especially when every Gen Z trend is we can't afford a house we can't afford. And I'm like, so you're going to spend money on a travel agent, but you look and it's not really that expensive for most, for most situations it's between 100 and $400 per person. And sometimes it doesn't even cost you anything because the travel agents are taking a cut, they're taking a commission from the bookings. But if you look. A survey of a travel advisors Trade Group from 2024 found that the biggest proportion of clients spent between 100 and $400 per person per night for their travel planners, which means a week long trip for a couple would range from $1,400 to $5,600. I don't know what you're getting paid for the podcast today, but it's not that. And I would love to be able to just put that in my back pocket. And you know, like I said, and while it sounds pricey, most of the travel advisors are doing it through commission. So I get it. I love the idea of planning a trip. I'm one of those people like where I'm like planning, it's more fun than the vacation. But there is times when you're going to go someplace where you haven't been before. No one you know has been there before. It's nice to kind of have a professional. Especially when a lot of people are seeing vacation destinations on TikTok that's in the middle of nowhere. You don't really have a trip advisor for something like that. You don't want to read the reviews and figure out like, how do I get climb the Alps to get somewhere.
- [23:29]
Neal Fryman
Right.
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Dave Lozo
So it makes a lot of sense. And quite frankly, I'm going to say it again. This is my last episode and I'm going to become a travel agent in about 20 minutes.
- [23:36]
Neal Fryman
Good luck, Dave. I mean, I do get it because in the past travel agents had this taboo around them that they would give you the most touristy things. And now people don't want that. They want those quote unquote authentic experiences and maybe off the road destinations that they saw on TikTok. But at the same time, travel agents are also finding people on social media as well and they're talking directly to potential customers. So it's this whole new marketing world for travel agents as well. And they can say, I know what you think about us. We are going to give you the most. You know, we're going to send you to the Eiffel Tower. We're going to get you in the most popular hotel in downtown Paris or any other, you know, well traveled city. But at this point, they know what people want. It's these more authentic experiences and these more specialized experiences. So they can say, hey, I specialize in hiking, I specialize in snorkeling, I specialize in food. And I can really craft an itinerary for you that will speak to your particular interest. There is so much information out there, especially on travel. We all have AI and chat CBT as well that we can ask for itineraries. But maybe people are looking for that human touch to get something that's a little more unique and they're finding them on social media. So I totally get it. It's very interesting. This travel agent, boom.
- [24:46]
Dave Lozo
Just hang on one second. I got to update my LinkedIn to say I'm a travel agent.
- [24:49]
Neal Fryman
All right, you go do that. I'll move on to the next story, which is our headlines are sprinting to the finish here. People with a net worth of approximately $5 billion ate dinner at the Rose Garden last night. The wine was probably a decent vintage when Silicon Valley titans Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Bill Gates, and more had dinner with President Trump and his wife, Melania, who recently launched a project encouraging students to use AI to help out in their community. One name you didn't hear is the richest of them all, Elon Musk, whose invite apparently got lost in the mail. Musk and Trump, once BFFs had a falling out earlier this summer, and it appears the two have not yet made up. The White House is becoming a familiar place to tech executives who have all made pilgrimages to D.C. to get on Trump's good side and pledge investments in the usa. Last month, Apple's Tim Cook gifted Trump a custom glass plaque with a 24 karat gold base, and his company's smartphone was later exempted from tariffs. Funny how that works.
- [25:45]
Dave Lozo
I think Trump and Musk will get back together at some point.
- [25:47]
Neal Fryman
You think so?
- [25:47]
Dave Lozo
I think they need to just kind of have that accidental on purpose bump in at the grocery store, like, oh my God, what are you doing here? They reach for the same flower and.
- [25:54]
Neal Fryman
Then they're just, hey, let's get lunch.
- [25:55]
Dave Lozo
You look great. You look great. And next thing you know, they're gonna be all together Hanging out again. And this is what happens when people break up. You know, the friendship group gets all weird. You get left out of a big dinner at the White House. And, hey, the Fourth of July. I believe we're gonna be doing a little UFC fight at Mar a Lago north, apparently, is what we got going on right now. I'm betting that they're going to be friends again by then. I think Elon's going to want tickets to that. They're going to apologize. They're going to have a nice little apology. They're going to make up.
- [26:18]
Neal Fryman
And.
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Dave Lozo
And I believe in them. I really.
- [26:21]
Neal Fryman
And Elon Musk is a notorious fighter, right? Like, he wanted to fight Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Zuckerberg is training there. And Elon Musk. I'm being sarcastic here. Elon Musk did not want to fight in that particular bout with Mark Zuckerberg, but maybe he'll be all right. So you're going on the line and saying that they'll make up by the UFC fight and perhaps the renovated Rose Garden, but elsewhere around the White House grounds coming next July 4th.
- [26:42]
Dave Lozo
I think it could be an undercard fight, too, quite frankly, but we'll see.
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Neal Fryman
I would watch. Okay. Finally, power generation at one of France's largest nuclear plants was shut down by nearly half. Because you're probably not going to guess what I'm about to say. A swarm of jellyfish got swept into the filters of the pumping station, causing major disruptions. And this wasn't even the first time this happened. Last month, a, quote, massive and unpredictable swarm of the invertebrates caused another nuclear plant in France to temporarily stop operations. Messing with nuclear power is a big deal in France, where it accounts for about 70% of the country's energy consumption. How does a jellyfish even get into a nuclear plant? Well, reactors typically use seawater to cool down their extremely hot systems, and the seawater is full of jellyfish. The English Channel has been unusually warm this summer, causing the jellyfish to have more baby jellyfish. Dave, I'm surprised this wasn't a Simpsons episode.
- [27:36]
Dave Lozo
It does sound like a Simpsons episode. It also, I keep hearing stories about how birth rates are declining in all these countries. And these jellyfish are like, no, we're good, man. Like, we're making baby jellyfish like you wouldn't believe. And also, we're assuming that this is happening by accident. How do we know the jellyfish aren't protesting nuclear power? Maybe they're pro clean energy. Maybe they want to see solar. Maybe they want to see wind.
- [27:55]
Neal Fryman
Nuclear power is clean energy.
- [27:57]
Dave Lozo
It is, it's dangerous, it's more dangerous.
- [28:00]
Neal Fryman
Some people say it's dangerous. But for France it is absolutely necessary. 70% of their power generation comes from nuclear. So any disruptions and these reactors are being cut by in half are kind of a national emergency. And they're trying to figure out how to prevent jellyfish and other fish from the English Channel who are breeding like rabbits from getting into these systems. Well, one example from England that they're trying to do at this plant called Hinkley Point C is they want to blast speakers underwater to prevent fish from coming in and they're calling it a fish disco. And in France they're also experimenting with high frequency sounds and other underwater noise blasting to keep these swarming jellyfish from coming and disrupting whether it's intentional or not. That is all the time we have. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us. Have a wonderful Friday and an even better weekend. Dave, he killed it as the 12th man. Appreciate you for joining us.
- [28:55]
Dave Lozo
Thank you. I feel like I got my shot up with two seconds left and it went in and the whole crowd went nuts. We won by 43.
- [29:00]
Neal Fryman
And be sure to check out Dave's work in the Morning Brew newsletter and across our social media. If you have any thoughts or feedback on today's show, send a note to Morning Brew daily at Morning Broadcom. Let's roll the credits. Emily Muliron is our executive producer. Raymond Lute is our producer. Our associate producers are Olivia Graham and Olivia Lake. Hair makeup is wearing Armani. Devin Emery is our president and our shows a production of Morning Brew.
- [29:29]
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