☕ 1 down, 2 to go

Why an Excel update is good for science... [Advertisement] October 26, 2023 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [Beam]( Good morning. Horrible news of a mass shooting in Maine last night: At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured at a restaurant and a bowling alley in the city of Lewiston. A 40-year-old man has been identified as a person of interest and a massive search is underway to find him as residents stay in their homes on lockdown. [Here are the latest updates](. —Neal Freyman, Cassandra Cassidy, Matty Merritt, Molly Liebergall, Abby Rubenstein MARKETS Nasdaq 12,821.23 -2.43% S&P 4,186.77 -1.43% Dow 33,035.93 -0.32% 10-Year 4.961% +13.5 bps Bitcoin $34,643.00 +2.14% Alphabet $125.61 -9.51% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 9:00am ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: Stocks had a [rough]( hump day, pulled down by Google parent Alphabet’s biggest plunge since March 2020 as investors took in the news that the company’s cloud division fell short of estimates, even though its overall revenue numbers were high. Several other tech stocks fell with it, but not Microsoft, which rose because its cloud numbers looked good.  Markets Sponsored by Fidelity Student loans, joint investing, retirement—there’s a lot to consider over the course of your financial journey. That’s why episode 8 of Fresh Invest, our investing podcast sponsored by Fidelity, sheds light on the [life stages of investing]( you might encounter. Check out Fidelity’s Youtube playlist and [listen here](. AUTO [1 down, 2 to go for the UAW]( [Striking UAW workers]( Bill Pugliano/Getty Images The United Auto Workers union said it reached a tentative labor contract with Ford that, if ratified, would mark the [biggest gains]( for unionized auto workers in decades. The deal includes a 25% pay bump over the four years of the contract, cost-of-living adjustments that had been previously suspended, and a quicker timeline for new workers to reach the highest wage ($40 an hour for assembly workers by the end of the contract). How we got here: The UAW, led by fiery president Shawn Fain, began picketing against the Big Three Detroit automakers—Ford, GM, and Stellantis—in September. Fain channeled Joker with his unconventional “targeted strike” approach: The walkouts started small, but over time expanded to other auto plants in unpredictable fashion with the goal of sparking maximum chaos for carmakers. Over nearly six weeks, the strike got nasty between Fain and carmaker CEOs, who he compared to a billionaire class detached from the real lives of working-class people. Automakers shot back that the UAW’s demands were unreasonable and surging labor costs would hinder the competitiveness of the US auto industry on the global stage. But it seems like the UAW’s strategy worked. Fain [boasted]( that the union “won things nobody thought was possible” in the new contract. What happens next: Fain will have to convince local UAW leaders that the deal is indeed as generous he describes, and then it’ll have to win a simple majority vote by Ford’s union-represented workers to be ratified. The fight now heads to GM and Stellantis With the Ford contract sewn up, the UAW will now intensify negotiations with GM and Stellantis in the hopes they’ll agree to similar terms. The union ramped up the pressure on the two automakers this week when it called for strikes at Stellantis’s [most profitable US factory]( Ram plant in Michigan—and at a GM plant in Texas that makes large SUVs including the Cadillac Escalade. Zoom out: While its strikes are ongoing, the UAW’s record deal with Ford continues the momentum of organized labor—whether it’s UPS workers or Hollywood writers—posting huge Ws this year.—NF   PRESENTED BY BEAM [The sleep of your dreams]( [Beam]( Getting a good night’s sleep is impossible these days. But sleep is crucial for daily energy, healthy skin, stable moods, and maximum brainpower. So invest in better rest and add a sweet, guilt-free treat to your bedtime routine with [Beam’s nighttime hot chocolate]( clinically shown to improve your sleep. In fact, 93% of participants experienced a better night’s sleep with Beam’s Dream Powder. Dream Powder is made from 5 all-natural ingredients and has zero sugars and only 15 calories. It’s super easy to add into your nighttime routine—just sip 30–45 minutes before bed and enjoy some well-deserved rest. And with fan-favorite flavor [Sea Salt Caramel Dream]( back in stock, a great night’s sleep never tasted so good. [Shop Sale Early Access and get 50% off]( Code CYBER auto-applied at checkout. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [Speaker of the House Mike Johnson]Tom Brenner/Getty Images New speaker in the House. The fourth time turned out to be the charm, as Republicans finally banded together and unanimously [elected]( Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker of the House. After 22 speaker-less days when nothing could get done, the House has its work cut out for it: Johnson will have to lead the body through negotiations to pass a budget that keeps the government from shutting down on November 17. The Trump-aligned Louisiana lawmaker, who has opposed funding for Ukraine, will also have to navigate President Biden’s request for a $106 billion funding package that includes money for Ukraine and Israel, and another one for $56 billion to cover [domestic]( priorities. Biden calls for an end to attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. As Israel continues to prepare for a ground war in Gaza, President Biden yesterday [spoke out publicly]( against attacks by “extremist settlers” in the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory, which is not governed by Hamas, saying the violence is merely “pouring gasoline on the fire.” Meanwhile, at the UN, a US-backed resolution condemning Hamas and calling for the group to release Israeli hostages, while also asking for “humanitarian pauses” to allow more aid to reach Gaza, failed. Separately, Israel [demanded]( that the UN secretary general resign over his remarks that Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum,” prompting him to say his statements were being mischaracterized. Zuck’s “year of efficiency” is working. Yesterday, Meta reported its most profitable quarter [in years]( beating expectations with a 23% year over year jump in revenue. That’s thanks in part to cutting costs and expenses by 7%, and achieving an operating margin that’s double what it was a year ago. But despite a belt-tightening that has included mass layoffs, Zuck hasn’t cut out everything unprofitable: His pet Reality Labs unit, which works on metaverse technologies, still [lost]( $3.7 billion last quarter. AVIATION [Boeing’s big Air Force One problem]( [A United plane with money rolls for engines]( Francis Scialabba Boeing’s defense unit is struggling so bad it’s making even the Denver Broncos blush. The aviation manufacturer reported a $924 million loss for the unit in Q3, $482 million of which was lost entirely on the two 747 jets that will make up [the next Air Force One fleet](. That brought the total loss on the presidential planes to an estimated $2.4 billion in the last five years. Boeing blamed higher manufacturing expenses caused by engineering changes, labor shortages, and supplier negotiations. The jets are becoming a financial sinkhole. Boeing signed a $3.9 billion fixed contract with the US government in 2018 to assuage then-President Trump after he criticized the company and threatened to cancel the order. CEO David Calhoun later admitted that agreeing to produce the new Air Force One planes was a “[very unique negotiation]( that the company “probably shouldn’t have taken.” Plus…making a plane fit for a president isn’t easy. Both jets need missile-defense systems, nuclear-protected communications, and (presumably) custom bald eagle wallpaper. Boeing’s task is further complicated because in order to meet Trump’s desire to cut costs, the company had to use two planes that were originally made for a Russian airline.—CC   TOGETHER WITH WAYFAIR [Wayfair]( Way Day, Way Day!: Wayfair’s annual sales extravaganza is back with [up to 80% off everything]( + free shipping. Save up to 40% on major appliances, up to 70% on mattresses, up to 80% on area rugs, and so. much. more. Hurry—these doorbuster [deals end *tonight*](. Don’t miss out. SCIENCE [Excel updates feature that caused scientific errors]( [Screenshot showing how to select File > Options > Data > Automatic Data Conversion that you can now disable.]( Microsoft Microsoft is finally tweaking an Excel feature that has caused nearly two decades of grief for scientists. The feature, known as Automatic Data Conversion, which in the past constantly converted certain human gene names into dates and created massive errors in scientific research, can now be [disabled](. If your science background is more Intro to Geology…every one of the nearly 44,000 human genes has a shortened version of its name and a symbol. So when a scientist typed SEPT1 to represent the Septin-1 gene in an Excel sheet, the program would assume they meant September 1 and change it. And if you’ve ever been the dogsbody who has to comb through an Excel file, you know it’s easy to miss a tiny error like this. But those tiny errors amounted to big problems: A study of 10,000 scientific papers on genes published from 2014–2020 found that more than 30% contained a gene name error that was Excel's fault. It got so bad that by 2020 the governing body behind gene naming had [updated]( 27 gene names so they couldn’t be mistaken in the Microsoft program (i.e. SEPT1 became SEPTIN1). How to turn it off: You can now personalize Excel’s auto correcting functions under File>Options>Data.—MM   GRAB BAG [Key performance indicators](#) [A pixelated image on a TV]Francis Scialabba Stat: Gen Z knows what it wants from its onscreen entertainment, and it’s less sex. A recent UCLA [survey]( found 47.5% of people age 13–24 think sex isn’t needed to move the plot along in most movies and TV shows, and 51.5% reported that they wanted more content focused on friendships rather than romantic relationships. Meanwhile, 39% said they’d like to see more asexual or aromantic characters represented. They may be over romance in real life too: In a separate survey from January, 44% of Gen Z agreed “I would rather clean the toilet than go on another online date.” Quote: “This small change will help reduce single-use plastic waste in restaurants.” Much like it did to Mayor McCheese, McDonald’s [is retiring]( the hollow McFlurry spoon that was maybe also supposed to be a straw. McFlurryheads who know the pain of a broken ice cream machine also know that the hollow spoon served as a spindle for staff to measure the toppings going into the soft serve to make the blended treat. But in a move toward sustainability, the McFlurry will now be made with a reusable spindle and will be served with a smaller spoon that requires less plastic to make as the restaurant chain tries to cut back on unnecessary packaging. Read: The subtle ways Microsoft Word has changed the way we use language. ([BBC]( NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [Apple]( is hiking the price of AppleTV+ to $9.99 per month, up from $6.99/month. Hope you have room to keep Ted Lasso in your streaming budget, since Netflix and Disney+ also recently raised prices. - [Donald Trump]( was fined $10,000 for violating a gag order in the New York civil fraud trial against him after he appeared to allude to the judge’s clerk when speaking to reporters. It’s the second fine he’s been hit with over the order in less than a week. - [A judge in Australia]( ruled that Carnival was negligent for not canceling a cruise on which 663 passengers caught Covid—and 28 died—early in the pandemic. - [Mattel’s doll]( sales jumped 24% thanks to the popularity of Barbie, the summer’s biggest blockbuster, helping the toy company beat earnings estimates. RECS [To do list Thursday] Learn: The history of how [the donut]( became America’s favorite treat. Explore: [A map]( of bird migration. Silver lining: Student loans are back, but Domino’s is marking the occasion with [a free pizza giveaway](. Look up: Get a daily dose of [art made from clouds](. Free classes: We’re partnering with Miss Excel for two free live classes. Learn to master key Excel features and productivity hacks with an industry expert. [Reserve your seat now](. Brain boost: Wanna sharpen your mind? Spend 5 mins a day with [Brilliant’s bite-sized lessons]( in math, data, programming—you name it. [Try it free for 30 days]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew Mini: It’s hard to describe the unique shape of today’s puzzle—it’s like a backward “s” on a diagonal. Either way, it’s really cool and [you should play it](. Three Headlines and a Lie Three of these headlines are real, and one is faker than a “costume optional” Halloween party. Can you spot the odd one out? - Herds of wild javelinas keep [ripping apart]( an Arizona golf course despite its best efforts to stop them - Leonardo DiCaprio totally [wore]( butt padding to get spanked by Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon - Kurt Cobain’s daughter [ties]( the knot with Tony Hawk’s son - Google Maps [testing]( feature that includes bathroom door codes for restaurants 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 one about Google Maps. Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: dogsbody, meaning “a person who is given boring, menial tasks to do.” Thanks to the mysterious PCA from the Tidewater area for the humble suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✷ A Note From Fidelity Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity and Morning Brew are independent entities and are not legally affiliated. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917 Written by [Neal Freyman]( [Abigail Rubenstein]( [Molly Liebergall]( [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]( Business education without the BS - Programs in [Business Essentials]( [Analytics]( and [Leadership]( Interested in podcasts? - Check out ours [here]( [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