☕️ Playing chicken

SpongeBob is getting ready for the Super Bowl... February 08, 2024 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [AT&T In-car Wi-Fi]( Good morning. We’ve all been there—you work tirelessly on a project only to have it spiked at the last minute by your boss. But the plight of Richard Plaud might be on another level. The Frenchman spent eight years creating a 23.6-foot model Eiffel Tower out of 700,000+ matchsticks to set the record for tallest matchstick sculpture. But last week, Guinness Book of World Records [disqualified it]( because the matchsticks he used weren’t commercially available. Guinness acknowledged its decision may have been “heavy-handed” and will review the judgment. Still, Plaud threw shade at London-based Guinness, writing, “Clearly, the English are really different.......” Which is exactly what we thought when they first created a book of people with long fingernails. —Sam Klebanov, Cassandra Cassidy, Matty Merritt, Abby Rubenstein, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 15,756.65 +0.95% S&P 4,995.06 +0.82% Dow 38,677.36 +0.41% 10-Year 4.110% +2.0 bps Bitcoin $44,209.00 +2.60% NYCB $4.48 +6.67% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 1:00am ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: Stocks [climbed]( as investors got good news from companies reporting their quarterly earnings, including Chipotle and Ford. NY Community Bancorp continued its wild ride since reporting surprise Q4 losses, finishing on an upward swing yesterday after reassuring investors about its liquidity and deposits—though it’s still down 31% from the beginning of the month.  INTERNATIONAL TRADE [US buys more from Mexico than China]( [Mexico surpasses China]( Francis Scialabba If sending stuff to America were an Olympic sport, Mexico would be biting a gold medal before thanking geopolitics and market forces. The country [surpassed China]( as the top exporter to the US last year for the first time in 20 years, according to data the Census Bureau shared yesterday. It's as much a China flop as a Mexico triumph: The US-China trade deficit (aka the difference between imports and exports) shrank to the lowest level last year since 2010. While that might be partially due to the US pulling back on its post-pandemic shopping spree, [according]( to the WSJ, the trend signifies China losing its status as America’s go-to trade partner. Here’s why it’s happening… - Trump-era tariffs on select products, and the Biden administration’s climate rules aimed at limiting dependence on clean tech from China, have made the country’s imports pricier. (A group of economists [showed]( that US imports of many Chinese goods unaffected by tariffs kept growing after the trade war began in 2018.) - US-China political beef further convinced some manufacturers serving the American market to set up shop south of the border instead, Jesús Carmona, Mexico and Central America president at Schneider Electric, told NYT. - Hiring workers in China became more expensive as the country got richer. Goodbye China? Foreign investment in Mexico rose 21% last year, partially due to exporters ditching China. Other countries are also vying to become America’s factory: The share of US imports coming from South Korea and India grew over the past year. But…China still plays a major role in making the products that get shipped to US shores. Even for US imports made elsewhere, Chinese companies often supply the components, and they’ve been [pouring]( billions into manufacturing facilities in Mexico as a way to sidestep the US’s punishing tariffs. Looking ahead…US-China trade might get squeezed even more. Donald Trump recently said he’s considering a 60% tariff on Chinese goods if he’s elected president again.—SK   PRESENTED BY AT&T IN-CAR WI-FI [Webify your wheels]( [AT&T In-car Wi-Fi]( Looking to hit the open road but still gotta show up to your weekly all-hands? A tale as old as time, really. Here’s how to cruise while staying connected: Say hi to AT&T In-car Wi-Fi. This [next-level feature sets up your whip with AT&T In-car Wi-Fi]( so you can get to your next adventure while staying connected with AT&T In-car Wi-Fi. Powering features like real-time GPS, Voice Assistance, and Wi-Fi keep your passengers connected on the way. Best of all, AT&T In-car Wi-Fi lets you [connect multiple devices]( allowing each of your passengers to stream, browse, and share. Use your car to its fullest potential on your next road trip with AT&T In-car Wi-Fi. [Cruise with connection](. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [Bob Iger on Fox Business Network's ]Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Disney’s got game. Not only did Disney blow past [expectations]( for its quarterly earnings and cut its streaming losses, the House of Mouse also [announced]( a new $1.5 billion stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games. It’s the company’s largest ever investment in gaming, and it plans to work with Fortnite on new games and an “entertainment universe” featuring characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar. Disney may also soon get the Taylor Swift bump: Her Eras Tour film will stream on Disney+. And that wasn’t the only big movie surprise—Disney also revealed a planned Moana sequel for theaters. Senate Republicans block border bill. A bill intended as a bipartisan compromise that paired strict border security measures with billions in aid to Israel and Ukraine [failed]( in the Senate yesterday in a 49–50 vote (it needed 60 votes to move forward). Although Republicans had insisted on tying the foreign aid to securing the US border, many rejected the election year bill—especially after former President and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump opposed it. Hoping to salvage the foreign aid package, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer moved to advance a standalone bill instead, but the Senate stopped work last night without voting on it. A vote is expected this afternoon. Netanyahu rejects Hamas cease-fire proposal. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [dismissed]( Hamas’s terms for a cease-fire deal as “delusional.” Hamas had said it would release its Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including Hamas leaders, and a permanent cease-fire in a three-phase multi-month plan. Netanyahu’s remarks demonstrated how far apart the two sides remain despite a cease-fire framework negotiated by Israel, the US, Qatar, and Egypt, and another visit from the US secretary of state to help facilitate a deal. ENTERTAINMENT [Slime and SpongeBob are headed to the Super Bowl]( [Noah Eagle and Nate Burleson next to SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star in a broadcast booth]( CBS Sport/Paramount If you’ve ever watched the Super Bowl and thought, “This would be better with Mr. Krabs,” Paramount has answered your prayers. On Sunday, Nickelodeon will air an alternate Super Bowl broadcast, live from Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star will [don headsets]( and go live in the booth to call the game alongside CBS Sports analyst Nate Burleson and announcer Noah Eagle. Other Nick [characters]( are expected to make appearances throughout the game, which will be enhanced with kid-friendly visual effects through augmented reality technology. While we’re mostly looking forward to watching Dora the Explorer [explain]( intentional grounding, the alt-cast is a savvy [advertising move]( by Nickelodeon parent company Paramount: - While some ads will air on both CBS and Nick, 15 advertisers opted for a Nickelodeon-only package. - Most ads on the main Super Bowl broadcast this year went for an average of $7 million. But Nickelodeon sold its spots for just $200k–$300k, making Big Game ads accessible to a new class of advertisers. Zoom out: As the future of sports on TV remains [in flux]( alt-casts like Nickelodeon’s are gaining advertiser interest. [Univision]( which will air the game in Spanish for the first time, is nearly sold out of ads—some of which, like Metro by T-Mobile’s, will air only on the Spanish platform and forgo airtime on CBS.—CC   FROM THE CREW [The Crew]( Marketing AI event is going virtual! Didn’t snag an event ticket before they sold out? We have good news! In partnership with Mailchimp, we’re bringing the event to you [via livestream on Feb. 28]( so you can tune in from wherever you are (well, wherever you have Wi-Fi). FOOD & BEV [Who invented butter chicken?]( [Butter Chicken.]( NurPhoto/Getty Images The courts don’t care who makes the best butter chicken, just who made it first. That’s because Moti Mahal, a legendary staple of Delhi cuisine, [sued]( rival restaurant chain Daryaganj, hoping to put an end to its claim of inventing butter chicken. In a 2,752-page lawsuit that will be heard by the Delhi High Court in May and that has captured India’s attention, Moti Mahal says it wants $240,000 and bragging rights for creating the iconic dish. Two origin stories Moti Mahal is run by the family of Kundan Lal Gujral, who claim Gujral created butter chicken ~80 years ago by adding leftover tandoori chicken to a tomato gravy at the end of the night so the chicken pieces didn’t dry out. Meanwhile, Daryaganj claims the dish wasn’t created until Gujral met their family’s patriarch and his soon-to-be chef, Kundan Lal Jaggi. Their story is that Jaggi invented the dish by using the buttery sauce to stretch a few pieces of tandoori chicken for a large group of diners. Or maybe three…another restaurant just entered the game of chicken. A different family who bought the original Moti Mahal restaurant in the ’90s say they invented butter chicken and might consider heading to court as well.—MM   GRAB BAG [Key performance indicators](#) [Tom from Parks and Rec making it rain]Parks and Recreation/NBC via Giphy Stat: Young Americans have been securing the bag since the pandemic, largely thanks to their portfolios popping off. The [combined wealth]( of adults under forty has shot up 80% since 2019, compared to 10% for people 40–54 and 30% for the over-55 set, according to economists at the New York Fed. That’s in part because they were poorer than their elders to start with, so they got more Covid stimulus cash that they put into stocks, which have since had a good run. But money from stocks leaves young people exposed to a volatile asset, since the market…doesn’t always go up. Quote: “There aren’t many things that haven’t been done with a chicken nugget. This was definitely one of them.” The nugget innovation that so excited an employee tasked with making a marketing splash for the 50th anniversary of a UK supermarket was sending the processed meat [up to space](. Kinda—he worked with Sent Into Space, a company that specializes in getting objects into “near space,” ~20 miles above the earth’s surface, and photographing them with the planet below. And he’s not the only marketer boldly going where no product has gone before, according to the Wall Street Journal: A Stanley Quencher was shipped up for the TikTok fave’s European debut—and sold out 24 hours later. Read: How sci-fi author Cory Doctorow got scammed, and why he thinks AI will make it worse. ([Pluralistic]( NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [The Supreme Court]( will hear arguments today over whether Donald Trump should be barred from ballots because of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. In other election news, Nikki Haley [vowed]( to keep fighting even though she came in a distant second to “none of these candidates” in Tuesday’s Nevada primary, which Trump didn’t participate in. - [A US drone strike]( in Iraq killed the leader of an Iran-backed militant group believed to be behind attacks on US troops. - [Uber]( reported its first annual profit since going public in 2019. - [Tesla]( sold only one car in South Korea in January, giving it its worst month in the country since July 2022, when it sold zero. - [Coca-Cola]( has released its first permanent new flavor in three years, Spiced, which…mostly tastes like raspberry. RECS [To do list Thursday] Zzzzz: A [napping polar bear]( took the people’s choice prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. Keep it short: Here’s a printable full year [calendar]( that fits on a single page. Watch: How to [use your microwave]( including its most important button. Are PJs at work ever ok? A [new poll]( shows the generational divide over what’s acceptable behavior in a Zoom meeting. Master Excel: Attending Miss Excel’s free 60 minute live workshop on pivot tables and charts can make you 10x cooler and better at your job. Reserve your spot [here](. Ride, connect, enjoy: We know you’re busy, but vacation beckons. With [AT&T In-car Wi-Fi]( you can transform your wheels into a hot Wi-Fi zone. [Get rollin’ and stay connected]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew Mini: “Make out, in Manchester” (four letters) is your spicy sample clue for today’s Mini. [Solve it here](. Three Headlines and a Lie Three of these headlines are real and one is faker than a Real Housewives “Galentine’s Day” party. Can you spot the odd one out? - Apple Vision Pro doesn’t do VR porn—and users are already trying to [hack]( it - Why every astronaut’s [first meal]( back on earth has to be a McDouble - Wilson’s new Airless basketball costs $2,500, but it will [sell out]( in seconds - ‘Hurkle-Durkling’ is the [newest]( TikTok trend. Should we all be doing it? 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 the astronauts. Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: plight, meaning “an unfortunate, difficult, or precarious situation.” Thanks to Sam Hostettler from La Grange Park, IL, for the tough suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✢ A Note From AT&T In-car Wi-Fi Requires eligible car and wireless service plan. Additional restrictions apply. Written by [Neal Freyman]( [Abigail Rubenstein]( Sam Klebanov, [Cassandra Cassidy]( and [Matty Merritt]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Take The Brew to work - Marketers: [Marketing Brew]( - Corporate: [CFO Brew](  [HR Brew]( - Tech: [IT Brew](  [Tech Brew]( - Retailers: [Retail Brew]( - Healthcare: [Healthcare Brew]( Get smarter in just 5 minutes - Money & Career: [Money With Katie](  [Bossy]( Interested in podcasts? - Check out ours [here]( [ADVERTISE]( // [CAREERS]( // [SHOP]( // [FAQ]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](. Copyright © 2024 Morning Brew. 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