Is America Going Sober? & The Decline of the Working Man

Summary

Morning Brew Daily Podcast Summary
Episode: Is America Going Sober? & The Decline of the Working Man
Release Date: August 14, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman and Toby Howell

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I. The Man in the Bean Saga

The episode kicks off with a quirky tale from Chicago's Millennium Park. Hosts Neal Freyman and Toby Howell discuss a burgeoning conspiracy theory claiming that a man is trapped inside the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, commonly known as "The Bean."

Neal Freyman [01:02]:
"As any visitor to Chicago knows, you simply must snap a selfie in front of the Bean, a famous sculpture in Millennium Park. But are you unwittingly taking a picture of a prison?"

A group named "Man in Bean" has been protesting, alleging that the artist Anish Kapoor hid a person within the sculpture. However, Toby Howell [01:48] clarifies the situation:

"The man in the Bean conspiracy is growing to such a scale that a local councilman had to step in and put an end to the rumors... So, yes, there's no one trapped inside the Bean. Maybe."

Despite official denials, the viral nature of the conspiracy highlights the blend of humor and misinformation in modern social discourse.

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II. The Sobering Trend: Decline in Alcohol Consumption

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the declining alcohol consumption in the United States, based on Gallup’s latest survey.

Toby Howell [03:09]:
"Next time you say cheers at a birthday party, look around at the contents of people's glasses. About half of them won't be filled with alcohol."

Key Findings:

• Consumption Drop: Only 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol in the past year, the lowest since Gallup began tracking in the 1930s.
• Health Awareness: Over half (53%) now believe drinking is bad for health, up from 45% the previous year.
• Demographic Trends: The decline spans all demographics, notably among young adults aged 18-34, with 66% viewing moderate drinking as unhealthy.
• Economic Factors: Reduced discretionary spending may also influence lower alcohol purchases.

Neal Freyman [04:52] adds: "What's fascinating is that Gallup noted people aren't shifting to other mind-altering substances to substitute for drinking... It does seem to have to do with the changing scientific consensus of a few decades ago."

The hosts discuss how shifts in scientific understanding and economic pressures are contributing to a gradual decline in alcohol use, particularly impacting beer sales, with major breweries like AB InBev seeing consecutive quarters of falling sales.

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III. The Decline of the Working Man: Labor Market Challenges

Transitioning from lifestyle trends to economic issues, the hosts examine the troubling labor market dynamics affecting young men.

Neal Freyman [07:26]:
"There's a strange and concerning dynamic going on in the labor market. If you are a young guy who just graduated college, you are less likely to have a job than a guy who doesn't have an undergrad degree."

Key Points:

• Rising Unemployment: Young men (ages 23-30) with bachelor's degrees face a 6% unemployment rate, surpassing their counterparts without degrees.
• Gender Disparity: Young women enjoy a lower unemployment rate of 3.5%, benefiting from growth in stable sectors like healthcare and education.
• Economic Shifts: The so-called "college employability premium" is evaporating, leaving young men more financially dependent on parents (62% compared to 74% of young women).
• Tech Industry Impact: Heavy layoffs in traditionally male-dominated tech fields contribute to the spike in unemployment among young men, though the narrative linking it solely to generative AI is disputed.

Toby Howell [09:05]:
"Labor experts have been flummoxed by a recent spike in joblessness for recent grads. And it's become clear that the unemployment rise is almost entirely concentrated among young men."

The hosts delve into the broader implications of these trends, suggesting that structural changes in the economy and specific industry contractions are disproportionately affecting young male workers.

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IV. Amazon's Foray into Fresh Food Delivery

Shifting gears to the retail sector, Neal and Toby explore Amazon's latest initiative to challenge grocery delivery giants like Walmart and Instacart.

Toby Howell [10:11]:
"Amazon customers can order bananas alongside their batteries and milk, next to manga novels, the fresh food fight is on."

Key Highlights:

• Service Expansion: Amazon has launched same-day fresh food delivery in over a thousand cities, with plans to expand to 2,300 by year-end.
• Competitive Edge: Offering free same-day delivery for Prime members on orders over $25 aims to attract quick, impulse purchases.
• Market Impact: This move poses a significant threat to competitors such as Instacart, evidenced by Instacart’s stock falling by 12%.
• Strategic Importance: As Amazon seeks new growth avenues beyond cloud computing, grocery delivery represents a vital, albeit lower-margin, expansion to lock consumers into their ecosystem.

Neal Freyman [14:01]:
"They see this as a growth area for their company because right now cloud computing, which was the growth engine over the last decade for Amazon, that's been petering off a little bit."

The discussion underscores Amazon's persistent drive to dominate various market segments, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges in the competitive grocery delivery landscape.

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V. Neil's Numbers: Taylor Swift's Podcast Explosion and Cristiano Ronaldo's Diamond Ring

In the "Neil's Numbers" segment, notable viral moments and extravagant displays capture attention.

Taylor Swift and "New Heights" Podcast [15:53]:
Neal highlights the explosive popularity of the "New Heights" podcast episode featuring Taylor Swift and her relationship with Travis Kelce.

Neal Freyman [16:13]:
"The Taylor Swift Effect... you get what analysts predict will become one of the most popular podcast episodes of all time."

Key Points:

• Viral Success: The episode garnered 8.2 million YouTube views within 12 hours, attributed to Taylor Swift's appearance.
• Cultural Shift: The success signifies a shift from traditional media platforms to podcasts for major announcements and celebrity interactions.
• Impact on Podcast Industry: The collaboration between high-profile personalities illustrates the evolving landscape of content consumption.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Engagement Ring [19:15]:
The hosts also discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's extravagant engagement ring, which has captured global attention.

Toby Howell [21:23]:
"I think we've reached peak ring... Jennifer Lopez got an eight and a half carat radiant cut green diamond from Ben Affleck. Victoria Beckham got a 10 carat one from David."

Details:

• Ring Specifications: Estimated at $5 million and 35 carats, the ring has sparked conversations about luxury and excess in celebrity engagements.
• Cultural Comparisons: References to other notable large rings highlight a trend towards increasingly ostentatious displays of wealth.
• Economic Irony: Despite the high cost, Ronaldo’s annual earnings enable such extravagant purchases, reflecting broader discussions on wealth distribution and consumption.

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VI. Wyoming's Escalator Trivia

A lighthearted trivia segment reveals quirky facts about Wyoming's infrastructure.

Neal Freyman [22:40]:
"Across the state of Wyoming, there are just two escalators. They're both in banks in Casper."

Highlights:

• Population Impact: With fewer than 600,000 residents, Wyoming's low density negates the need for extensive escalator installations.
• Historical Context: The state's sole operating escalators date back to 1979 and 1958, respectively, with no new additions in 46 years.
• Cultural Note: This trivia serves as an amusing testament to Wyoming’s vast landscapes and sparse population.

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VII. Final Headlines: Culinary Shifts and Marketing Missteps

Concluding the episode, the hosts cover recent newsworthy events in the culinary and marketing worlds.

Eleven Madison Park's Menu Reversal [26:07]:

• Context: The prestigious New York City restaurant, Eleven Madison Park (EMP), known for its vegan menu since 2021, is reinstating meat and fish options.
• Reasons: Chef Daniel Humm cites the need to be more inclusive and financially viable, noting decreased wine sales and private bookings due to the restrictive menu.
• Industry Impact: This move reflects broader trends in the restaurant industry balancing ethical considerations with customer preferences and financial sustainability.

McDonald's Japan's Pokémon Card Promotion [26:07]:

• Campaign Details: McDonald's Japan launched a promotion offering limited-edition Pokémon cards with Happy Meals.
• Consumer Behavior: Rapid resale of the cards on eBay led to mass purchases and subsequent food waste, prompting public backlash.
• Outcome: The promotion was abruptly ended after three days due to unforeseen exploitation by collectors.
• Analysis: This incident underscores the challenges of balancing promotional creativity with consumer behavior and operational logistics.

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Conclusion

In this episode, Neal Freyman and Toby Howell navigate a range of topics from viral urban myths and shifting social habits to significant economic trends and high-profile celebrity news. Their engaging discussions, punctuated by insightful quotes and timely analysis, provide listeners with a comprehensive overview of current events shaping American society.

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Notable Quotes:

• Neal Freyman [04:52]:
  "What's fascinating is that Gallup noted people aren't shifting to other mind-altering substances to substitute for drinking... It does seem to have to do with the changing scientific consensus of a few decades ago."

• Toby Howell [07:26]:
  "There's a strange and concerning dynamic going on in the labor market... The evaporation of what's known as the college employability premium is alarming."

• Neal Freyman [14:01]:
  "They see this as a growth area for their company because... cloud computing... that's been petering off a little bit."

• Toby Howell [21:23]:
  "I think we've reached peak ring... it's pretty insane."

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the "Morning Brew Daily" podcast episode, providing a coherent and comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

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[Neal Freyman]

Good morning, Brew Daily Show. I'm Neal Freyman.

[Toby Howell]

And I'm Toby Howell.

[Neal Freyman]

Today it's a HE session. Why men are finding it so hard to land jobs Then pour one out.

[Toby Howell]

For the alcohol industry. Americans are laying off the booze in record numbers. It's Thursday, August 14th. Let's ride.

[Neal Freyman]

Good morning and happy Thursday. As any visitor to Chicago knows, you simply must snap a selfie in front of the Bean, a famous sculpture in Millennium Park. But are you unwittingly taking a picture of a prison? For the last two weeks, a group calling themselves man in Bean has been protesting outside the artwork, saying that there is a man trapped in the bean. As one of them said in a now Viral video In 2004, Anish Kapoor, the chief architect of the Bean, spoke, stole a baby and put that baby inside the bean. We're calling for the immediate release of the man trapped inside the Bean. Don't believe these guys. Well, they say if you look closely, when the sun hits the Bean just right, you can see the faint outline of the man. Toby Comedy stunt or a shocking conspiracy?

[Toby Howell]

The man in the Bean conspiracy is growing to such a scale that a local councilman had to step in and put an end to the rumors. I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped Inside Cloud Gate, aka the Bean, for the past 21 years, Brendan Riley said in a statement. In fact, the man was freed years ago. Further, we can neither confirm nor deny that Soldier Field is actually a flying saucer. So clearly in on the bit. But then he got a little bit more serious and said, I appreciate a lighthearted parody as much as the next guy. However, this online hoax has led to a heavy uptick in calls to my office. So respect the commitment to the bit, but also respect the dude saying, hey, as soon as it makes my job a little bit harder, the bits got to end. So, yes, there's no one trapped inside the Bean. Maybe.

[Neal Freyman]

And now a word from our sponsor. LinkedIn ads. We talked a lot about bad ads this week. Yeah, mine never calls ads, Toby. Not dads.

[Toby Howell]

I know, I know. I'm kidding. My dad's great. You know who else you can depend on? LinkedIn ads. They can help you stop wasting resources like money, time and effort. Like 71% of B2B ads, they can find the right audience for your brand and they never go out to buy cigarettes for weeks at a time.

[Neal Freyman]

They've got over 130 million decision makers, more than 10 million C suite execs, aka the people you need for your business on their platform, target by job title, industry company and more.

[Toby Howell]

So try LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn will even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. So you can try it yourself. Just go to LinkedIn.com/MBD. That's LinkedIn.com/MBD. Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads. Next time you say cheers at a birthday party, look around at the contents of people's glasses. About half of them won't be filled with alcohol. According to Gallup's latest consumption habit survey, only 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol over the last year, compared to 58% the year prior and 62% in 2023. That is now officially the lowest percentage since Gallup began tracking alcohol drinking habits going back nine decades. The reason for the steady and consistent drop? People know that drinking is bad for you. A majority Of Americans surveyed, 53%, say that drinking is bad for your health, up from 45% last year. That's the first time ever in the survey's 90 year history that over half of America agreed with what your doc has long been warning you of. Even moderate drinking is bad for you. That has pushed average intake down to below three drinks a week, the lowest it's been since 1996, while 40% of people said it's been more than a week since their last drink, the Highest percentage since 2000. This drop off is happening across all demographic groups, too, regardless of age, income level, gender and and even political affiliation. Only 46% of Republicans reported drinking this past year, a drop of 19 points from two years ago. Democrats, meanwhile, clipped 3 points off from 64% to 61% over that period. Neal, alcohol is tied up with the very fabric of human civilization dating back to the dawn of our species. Are we witnessing the end of drinking here?

[Neal Freyman]

What's fascinating is that Gallup noted that people aren't shifting to other mind altering substances to substitute for Drinking. They wrote that the decline in alcohol consumption does not appear to be caused by people shifting to other substances, in particular recreational marijuana, which is now legal in about half of US states. They also called out GLP1 drugs like WeGovy and Zepbound and said that's not really influencing this decline in consumption of alcohol that we are seeing. It does seem to have to do with the changing scientific consensus of a few decades ago. There were a few papers published that said one to two glasses of red wine was actually good for your heart. Now that now scientists are realizing that that is not true. The outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy earlier this year recommended we put labels on bottles of beer, wine and liquor similar to cigarettes, showing that there is a well established preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths, deaths annually. Linked back to alcohol.

[Toby Howell]

And economics probably plays a role as well because, you know, over the past few years, as people have gotten more squeezed, discretionary spending is going to fall a little bit and a lot of that money would go to alcohol.

[Neal Freyman]

And the type of alcohol that's getting hit, the worst seems to be beer. Gallup said that there was a record low number of people who claimed the beer was their alcoholic beverage of choice in the early 90s. At the peak, 47% of respondents said beer was their drink of choice. Now it's down to 34%, which is on par with wine. And beer companies are getting smacked. AB InBev, which is the biggest beer company in the world, has reported beer sales are falling for nine consecutive quarters. The guy hopped on the earnings call, the CEO, and one of the things he touted was that non alcoholic beer revenue was up by 33%. So clearly people are shying away from those IPAs.

[Toby Howell]

And if I want, if I was being dramatic saying like, are we witnessing the end of drinking? This stat alone probably shows that it is a real possibility that it will be a long and slow decline because 66% of 18 to 34 year olds, you know, kids who technically should be the ones who are getting into drinking, they believe that drinking in moderation is bad for your health as well. So that is, you know, 2/3 of kids growing up now are not saying we're going to, we're going to go at the abstinence. Ralston said, we know it's not good for us. So if you wanted a data point that says maybe drinking is on this long slow decline, that that's probably your data point.

[Neal Freyman]

And much of the Global population growth is happening in countries and areas where people don't drink their Muslim majority. So I would say that's maybe another data point to show that perhaps we have reached peak booze. There's a strange and concerning dynamic going on in the labor market. If you are a young guy who just graduated college, you are less likely to have a job than a guy who doesn't have an undergrad degree. An NBC News analysis found that the unemployment rate for men ages 23 to 30 with bachelor's degree has risen to 6%, which is higher than the unemployment rate for young men with high school diplomas. And compared to young women, it's not a fair fight. Young women with bachelor's degree have a low 3.5% unemployment rate. Plus they are likelier to be employed if they graduated from college than women who didn't. The evaporation of what's known as the college employability premium. The idea that if you went to college or job prospects should increase is alarming. Economists who are scrambling to figure out why men, and young men specifically, are falling behind in today's labor market. Because it's a clear pattern that's showing up in other data. Young men are likelier than young women to be financially dependent on their parents. According to a Pew survey last year, 74% of women say they're mostly financially independent, compared to 62% of young men. And male participation in the labor force has been declining significantly since the Great Recession. Toby. Labor experts have been flummoxed by a recent spike in joblessness for recent grads. And it's become clear that the unemployment rise is almost entirely concentrated, concentrated among young men. They're calling it the heat session, the HE session.

[Toby Howell]

Part of the reason behind the he session is that tech has been kind of getting wrecked over the past few years. Tech is traditionally male dominated as a field in general, and they've just been hit by heavy periods of layoffs. I mean, in 2025 alone, 132,000 tech workers have been laid off. That's on top of 238,000 being laid off in 2024. And now the easy explanation for that is, oh, that corresponds perfectly with the rise of generative AI. These entry level coders are being replaced with AI. That's a lot of the headlines we've been seeing. But the evidence doesn't necessarily super support that era. A lot of what you're seeing is just a contraction from that massive hiring spree that a lot of big tech went on during the pandemic. And coming out of the pandemic. And actually recruitment of entry level software developers is now rebounding from the trough that it hit post pandemic. So AI is not taking all the coding jobs that tech is has suffered a contraction of workers. But it does look like that hiring is rebounding. This is a broader story than just AI replacing jobs.

[Neal Freyman]

And let's look at women. Why are women doing so well or much better than they had been in the current job market? Well all, virtually all of the net job growth in the United States in the past few years has come from one sector and that is health care. And women account for 80% of health care and social services work. So wherever the jobs are growing, women are taking more of that share compared to men are in more cyclical sectors like tech, like construction, like manufacturing. So those their job prospects rises and falls with the ebbs and flows of the economy. Meanwhile, sectors where women account for the majority of the workforce, things like education and health care and social services, those are more recession proof or economic downturn proof. And that's why you're seeing this huge delta in job prospects between men and women.

[Toby Howell]

Moving on, Amazon has taken its fight with Walmart to the perishable aisle, rolling out same day fresh food delivery to more than a thousand cities and towns yesterday. That means you can mix in some fresh strawberries and avocados while you're shopping for books and bedding. As of now, shoppers in cities from Phoenix to Raleigh to Tampa can get doorstep delivery right from the dairy, meat, seafood, baked goods and frozen foods departments within a few hours. Amazon plans to expand to over 2,300 cities by the end of the year. Before, if you had the munchies while shopping in the Amazon ecosystem, your order would be fulfilled through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods. But now Amazon's logistics locations for same day goods will handle your fresh foods as well. Amazon is also offering free same day delivery for its prime members on orders over $25. That is a pretty low minimum order threshold which allows customers to make quick one off purchases at their whim. A major threat to competitor like Instacart for instance, who thrives on those same type of orders. You could see shareholders thinking along the same lines. Instacart stock fell 12% yesterday. This also sets up a full on grocery brawl with Walmart, who has the biggest grocery business in the country position that Amazon has tried to chip away at. Walmart also offers free delivery, but with a $10 higher minimum order threshold than Amazon. Neal now that Amazon customers can order bananas Alongside their batteries and milk, next to manga novels, the fresh food fight is on.

[Neal Freyman]

I mean, watching Amazon try to crack grocery has been like watching a little baby trying to walk. They stand up a little bit, stumble, get back up, bruise their knee and you're just saying, come on, can you guys figure this out already? You're a massive $2 trillion company and they do so many things well, but they've had such struggles getting grocery off the ground. They bought whole foods, they tried rolling out physical grocery stores and Amazon Fresh. Now I think based on what they've seen in all of their various failed experiments, is that when people go straight to the Amazon app and order fresh food, they will be repeat customers and keep coming back. And that might be what they're zeroing in on, is just keep everything in House. The Amazon.com marketplace, yeah, they've already seen.

[Toby Howell]

In test locations people adding fresh fruit to their orders. And then once they become first time, they're twice as often to do same day delivery going forward. So once you have that magical moment of going, oh, I can get strawberries to my house in, in hours, that is a wonderful experience for them. But they also, the reason why they've, you know, stumbled and walked and crawled or whatever you want to say into the grocery business is they see it as a growth area for their company because right now cloud computing, which was the growth engine of the, over the last decade for Amazon, that's been petering off a little bit. So they have their eyes set on the US grocery delivery market. They think it's an $800 billion market. So yes, it's a tough nut to crack, but it's one that they think they need to crack because their growth prospects elsewhere are dimming a little bit.

[Neal Freyman]

Though it is a much, much lower margin business than cloud computing. But they are looking at various consumer trends and saying started to order delivery, grocery delivery a ton during the pandemic and they still are doing that. That hasn't gone back to pre pandemic levels. If you look at earnings reports recently from other delivery companies like Uber, DoorDash and Instacart, they all say demand is booming. And so Amazon sees this as a growth area, even if it's a low margin growth area. It's a way to lock people into your ecosystem so that when they, when they add stuff like blueberries and strawberries, also add maybe higher margin goods as well.

[Toby Howell]

I think it's so funny that Amazon and Walmart are just slowly converging to become the same company because Amazon's diving deeper into grocery they're making more rural investments. Whereas Walmart is trying to build up its advertising verticals, are trying to build up its online marketplace as well. So slowly but surely, these two companies that are competitors are just becoming the same company. Next thing you know, Walmart's going to be launching a cloud computing division as well. Up next, It's Thursday, which means it's time for Neil's Numbers. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card I'm a person who really appreciates simplicity, and when it comes to credit card rewards, the simpler the better. That's one of the many reasons I have an Apple Card. The rewards are super straightforward. I earn up to 3% daily cash back on my everyday purchases. There are no points to calculate, no limits or deadlines. Plus it's super easy to access my card and make payments from the Wallet app of my iPhone. If that sounds like the kind of simplicity you want in a credit card, apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app on your iPhone. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Brands terms and more@apple card.com Just like you have regular.

[Neal Freyman]

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[Toby Howell]

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[Neal Freyman]

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[Toby Howell]

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[Neal Freyman]

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[Toby Howell]

Head to SBS commerce.com/morning brew to get your supply chain checkup. That's SBS commerce.com/morning Brew.

[Neal Freyman]

Welcome to Neil's Numbers, the segment where I share three stats from the week's news that will free your mind from any bean it's being held captive in. My first number is 8.2 million, which is the number of YouTube views the latest New Heights podcast episode has as of 6am this morning, despite being released less than 12 hours ago. It's the Taylor Swift Effect. Swift joined the podcast, which is hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, to discuss her upcoming album the Life of a Showgirl. And when you combine the most famous couple in the country. With exclusive details about new music, you get what analysts predict will become one of the most popular podcast episodes of all time. New heights began in 2022 as two brothers yapping about football and life. But over time, it's grown into an audio juggernaut. Last year, Travis and Jason signed a deal worth more than $100 million with Amazon's podcast company, Wondery. They have the Taylor Swift halo effect to thank. After Travis and Taylor made their relationship public in the fall of 2023, the podcast weekly reach quadrupled and the share of female listeners rose from 32% to 50%. You have to expect the numbers from last night's episode to trounce anything that came before it. Toby this isn't only huge for New Heights, but also the podcast industry in general. That someone like Taylor Swift would go on a podcast, not late night TV or another old school platform, to hype up a new album.

[Toby Howell]

New Heights Taylor version was a smashing success. The comment section was insane. People were saying, this is proof my attention span is just fine. Honestly. Props to Jason for doing one of the best Taylor Swift interviews ever, which, I mean just an insane sentence. If you go back even five years ago, they finally mixed business with business. There's been plenty of jumbotron features of Kelsey at a concert or Taylor Swift at a game, but now they're joining their moneymaking apparatus. And I do think one plus one here is clearly going to equal three. This was a very opportune moment because you're timing up a new album rollout with the new NFL season simultaneously. So it was a very savvy moment to actually do this. It was the opportune moment to do this. And yes, this feeds into that cultural commentary of, hey, late night TV shows are not what they used to be. Traditional, you know, media is not what it used to be. Taylor Swift used to announce albums at, you know, the MTV Music Awards. Now she goes on her boyfriend's podcast to do an album rollout. So a lot of factors combined into this. My butt was seated in the couch last night, put it on the big screen, doing my research by watching this whole podcast. And it was quite compelling to hear Taylor Swift just talk off the cuff like that for so long.

[Neal Freyman]

Seem like that was the. That was. One of the big responses to this was that we'd never heard Taylor Swift, who is this mega superstar, just talk candidly and openly about her life, about how much she likes sourdough baking for two hours nonstop. Clearly in an environment that she was comfortable with. Let's talk about this new album. I know you are desperate for details or at least some of you is going to be released October 3rd. 3rd and she said it will only include 12 songs, which is huge after the 31 Frank track Frankenstein of the Tortured Poets Department. And Sabrina Carpenter is going to be featured on the new album's title track. It's going to be an upbeat album according to Travis Kelce. You said you will dance a lot. My next number is about the rock that broke the Internet. And by rock I mean the massive diamond engagement ring that Portuguese soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo gave to his now fiance Georgina Rodriguez. Rodriguez posted a picture of the ring on Monday that went mega viral. And Toby, no offense to your recent engagement, but Ronaldo one up to you. Jewelry experts estimate that the ginormous ring, which covers about one third of her finger, cost at least $5 million and weighs 35 carats. Influencers were foaming at the mouth to analyze its every last detail. One remark to wear this stone regularly, you're going to need finger reconstruction surgery. Just imagine wearing a 100 pound kettlebell on your finger all day, every day. Painful, but worth it. There are few comparisons in history for a ring that big, that expensive and that in your face. Some were reminded of Mariah Carey's 35 carat engagement ring in 2016 given to her by James Packer, her billionaire ex fiance. Others brought up Elizabeth Taylor's 33 karat stone from her ex Richard Burton in 1968 which was sold for $8.8 million at auction in 2011. If you're wondering whether Ronaldo can afford it, yes, the man gets paid more than $210 million per year to play soccer for a Saudi Arabian club and brings in lots more from promoting brands on his Instagram account, the most followed in the world. So if you follow the three month salary rule, he's actually being super cheap.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah, what the heck Cristiano, you're cheaping out. I think we've reached peak ring. I mean we just came off Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos with a another gargantuan ring. And if you look back to the early 2000 at what was kind of considered a big ring during that time. Jennifer Lopez got an eight and a half carat radiant cut green diamond from Ben Affleck. Victoria beckham got a 10 carat one from David. Angelina Jolie's had 16 carats. Beyonce's which seemed huge at the time, was 18 carats. And now we're getting into you know, the 30 carat threshold. It is pretty insane. But also it kind of ends a saga of an interesting relationship between Cristiano and is now fiance because technically in, in Saudi Arabia, you are not allowed to live with an unmarried woman. Over that time. They kind of lacks those rules or interpret them differently to allow Ronaldo to come because they've been trying to, you know, show a different side to the world. And bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo has been a big part of that because he's one of the most visible sports figures in the world. So just a fascinating kind of culmination of this, this relationship that necessarily wouldn't be always allowed in Saudi Arabia. Accumulating into a gigantic diamond. Being gifted. Just a fascinating, you know, flashy end to this whole saga.

[Neal Freyman]

Let's head to my final number, which I readily admit is not relevant to this week's news. But it is an amazing piece of trivia I just heard, and you need to hear it. Across the state of Wyoming, there are just two escalators. They're both in banks in Casper. One is at the main branch of Hilltop national bank and the other at the downtown branch of First Interstate Bank. Wyoming used to have three escalators, with one located at the JCPenney Building in Cheyenne, but that was removed when the building was renovated. And not only does Wyoming have just two escalators, it hasn't felt the need to add one in 46 years. The one at Hilltop bank is the most recent, opening in 1979. The first escalator was constructed in 1958. But why does Wyoming have as many escalators as senators? Don't think too hard. It's simply because it has a ton of land and virtually no people. With a population of nearly 600,000, Wyoming is the least populated US state and has the second least dense population behind Alaska. It doesn't need to build up since there aren't many people around to fit into buildings. In fact, the tallest building in the state is a dorm at the University of Wyoming at 12 stories. So if you have escalophobia, maybe consider moving to Wyoming.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah, take the stairs. Escalators in architecture occupy this middle of the road status because a lot of places, stairs will do just fine. And then they're less expensive than going and installing an entire elevator. So typically they occupy places where there's a lot of foot traffic and they have high occupancy rates, which doesn't describe a lot of places in Wyoming. Which is funny too, is that escalators are pretty expensive. They're not as expensive as elevators, but if every Wyoming resident gave a dollar, they probably wouldn't be able to muster enough money to build a single escalator because you know, there's just under 600,000 people in the whole state. So this is just one of those trivia facts that you got to bring up late night at bar trivia like hey, do you know has two escalators? So thank you for surfacing it on this podcast.

[Neal Freyman]

Two other interesting Wyoming stacks While we're on the subject, it is fewer residents than any of the 31 most populous US cities and there is only one area code code for the entire state which is 307. Doesn't look like Wyoming is going to get a new escalator anytime soon, which they're probably okay with. Let's sprint to the finish with some final headlines. One of the world's most famous restaurants is putting meat back on the menu. And in 2021, the three Michelin star Eleven Madison park in New York City went completely vegan for environmental reasons, stunning the culinary world who could not conceive of such a thing. But four and a half years later, chef Daniel Humm is reversing himself. Come October 14, the new menu at EMP, as it's known among regulars like myself, will include some fish and meat options for diners who want them while staying mostly veggie. In an interview with the New York Times, Hum, the chef said he knows he'll be called a hypocrite, but the change back was necessary for a couple of reasons. One, he learned that the all vegan menu was exclusionary, with some diners not able to bring their partners because they were interested in the food options. Second reason was financial wine sales have declined because diners often order wine to pair with meat, and private event bookings are down because no company is going to gather all of their bigwigs over plates of algae. Toby, it's the end of a very short vegan era.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah, sometimes green, as in money, wins out over green, as in the type of food that he was looking to sell. He thought that philosophically this is just too much of a limiting approach. Hume said the all or nothing approach was necessary to develop our expertise, but that too comes with its own limitations. And then he also talked about how the move back to meat came after months of contemplation, which included a research trip to Greece. He told the New York Times he traveled to the mountains to watch a shepherd slaughtered a goat. End quote. It's very moving and there's such respect. He said if you had seen the whole cycle, of course you would never waste a bit of this. So he's adding this almost spiritual layer to maybe a financial decision. And I'm sure some of it is true. But Chef Hume, I support you if you need someone to taste test your famous honey lavender glazed duck to make sure it's up to par. After a few years off, I got you. Finally, McDonald's cooked up a promotional campaign in Japan that seemed like a hit. Order a Happy Meal and inside find a limited edition Pokemon card. Great idea. Japan is the birthplace of Pokemon. What a fun way to introduce a new era of kids to Pikachu. Well, of course adults went and ruined the fun. Videos circulating on social media show customers buying the Happy Meals in mass, which cost about $3.50, and then just throwing them away sometimes on the ground right in front of stores in order to get the Pokemon cards inside, which have been going on ebay for around $28. The Happy Meal arbitrage has left Japan, usually a model of cleanliness, in a shock and dismay, prompting public outcries against the food wastage. McDonald's ended up pulling the plug early on the three day promotion. Never underestimate the Pokemon card collector Neil it's simple math.

[Neal Freyman]

The Happy meal costs about $3.50, but the Pokemon cards inside them can go for anywhere over $100 on eBay if you have a super rare one. So I don't know exactly what McDonald's Japan was thinking. They had to cut this off a few hours after they launched it. Clearly people are going to be so obsessed with the Pokemon because they're way more valuable than the meal itself. Reminded me of going to baseball games these days where people go in and get the bobblehead special and then just leave the stadium because it's worth far more than the ticket and you have to wait around for three hours watching maybe a regular season summer baseball game.

[Toby Howell]

Which you did not do at Seinfeld. Now you stay.

[Neal Freyman]

I was locked into the baseball game of course. But yes, I think a learning lesson for McDonald's Japan that is all the time we have. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us and have a wonderful Thursday. If you have any thoughts or feedback on today's show, send a note to Morning Brew daily@morning brew.com Toby what is today's password clue?

[Toby Howell]

Today's password clue is when you insert the letter E and w as in you. Somewhere in the password you get something gross. Yesterday's clue was the password's first and last letter together form a US State abbreviation. Today's clue is when you insert the letters E and W as in you. Somewhere in the password, you get something gross. Head to the link in our podcast description or on Instagram to submit your guess. Good luck.

[Neal Freyman]

Let's roll the credits. Emily Milian is our executive producer. Raymond Lu is our producer. Our associate producers are Olivia Graham and Olivia Lake. Hair makeup is in Chicago to save the man in the Bean. Devin Emery is our president. President. And our show is a production of Morning Brew.

[Toby Howell]

Great show today, Neil. Let's run it back tomorrow.