Hey y’all 👋

On this episode of “Everything Costs More Money,” the price of aluminum has been surging worldwide since the US entered a war with Iran. The Strait of Hormuz’s closure has affected everything from the price of car repairs to the cost of packing supplies, but where you’re probably feeling it most is in your fridge. Canned drinks are becoming more expensive, and, in some cases, increasingly harder to find.

You may have heard about India’s Diet Coke parties, meant to celebrate a pleasure that’s quickly becoming scarce. But why Diet Coke over other sodas? In India, Diet Coke is only sold in cans—no plastic bottles to pivot to. Also, sugar-free drink options are huge in the country, as 10% of India’s adults have diabetes. And all over the world, many Diet Coke lovers will tell you that the product tastes better in a can than in plastic bottles or from a fountain. Coca-Cola says it’s rationing the product during the shortage.

If it’s not Diet Coke for you, maybe it’s cracking open a can of cold beer or that first cup of strong coffee in the morning. What simple pleasures help you feel alive? India’s partygoers are using humor and creativity to process the threat to something they really love, and even on the other side of the planet, that feels really relatable.

Exhaust rises from smokestacks in front of piles of coal in Thompsons, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

By Brian McManus

By now you’ve no doubt seen the headlines: Corpus Christi is facing a severe water crisis. Texas needs $174 billion over the next 50 years to avoid its own crisis statewide as it runs out of water. Rivers and streams are slowing. The Ogallala Aquifer is depleting. Drought grips nearly every corner of the state.

At the heart of it: Texas coal and gas power plants. 

That is the central finding of a new report from the Sierra Club, “Watts Wasting Texas Water,” which analyzed water consumption data from the US Energy Information Administration and dug through Texas water rights records to paint the most complete picture yet of how much water the state’s fossil fuel plants are using—and how much they are legally entitled to use.

😋 The tastiest in DFW: Check out what local restaurants and chefs took home the top prizes at Culture Map’s Tastemakers Awards. See the Dallas winners here and the Fort Worth winners here. (Culture Map)

🛞 Till the wheels fall off: Tesla is recalling its Cybertruck again, because the manufacturer used the wrong grease to prevent cracking around the wheel stud, which could cause it to separate from the wheel hub—the wheels could literally fly off while in use. Get all the details on the Cybertruck’s eleventh recall. (Wired)

👩‍🍼 Talarico’s maternal health plan: On Sunday, Senate candidate James Talarico announced a plan to address Texas’ maternal mortality crisis, which includes guaranteed time off for all new mothers, a requirement that insurance providers cover doula and midwife services, and extended eligibility for the WIC program. See his complete plan here. (The Grio)

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Brian McManus. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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