America Unleashes “Economic D-Day” on Iran & US Open Faces Backlash Over Ticket Prices

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**Neal Freyman** (0:25)
Good Morning Brew Daily show. I'm Neal Freyman.

**Toby Howell** (0:28)
And I'm Toby Howell.

**Neal Freyman** (0:29)
Today, the US Open faces backlash over soaring ticket prices.

**Toby Howell** (0:33)
Then Blank Street is taking their VC-backed coffee business out to LA.
It's Tuesday, August 25th. Let's ride.

**Neal Freyman** (0:48)
Imagine you're at home just trying to go about your life, but every 30 seconds for 10 straight hours, you hear a bunch of people shriek at the top of their lungs.
That's the reality for residents of Toluca Lake, California, who live next door to a new roller coaster at Universal Studios Hollywood. Screams, blood-curdling screams, one local told the New York Times. Some people can hear it inside their homes with the windows closed. Talk about unintended consequences. When constructing the roller coaster, Universal went to extraordinary lengths to make it whisper quiet, even lining the track with pea gravel to mute the vibrations. And it worked too well. Because the coaster itself is so silent, the human screams can be heard much more vividly, sparking an angry reaction from the homeowners of Toluca Lake. Toby, you a screamer?

**Toby Howell** (1:34)
I mean, it sounds like hell on earth. One homeowner, Judith Angel, who has lived there for 38 years, told the New York Times, Our brains are designed to respond to screaming. It's biology. The hairs on your neck would just constantly be on high alert. The craziest part is not only did Universal account for the vibrations and the actual noise of the coaster, they did try to dampen the screens from the start. Designers used computer models to predict the loudest parts of the rides and added glass screen screens and a 940-foot sound wall that's made out of acoustic block, which is the same stuff that they use to insulate houses from airports. They even programmed the cars to turn riders away from nearby homes so when they might scream hasn't worked at all. The screams are still blood-curdling and people are still upset.

**Neal Freyman** (2:23)
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**Neal Freyman** (3:14)
With aerial bombardment failing to bring the Iran war to an end, the Trump administration is trying Plan B, Wholesale Economic Isolation. In an announcement previewed as Economic D-Day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened additional sanctions against Iran, hoping to ramp up the pressure by cutting Tehran off from the global financial system. We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran's financial connections around the globe, he said, calling the move economic asphyxiation of this regime. As part of Operation Economic Outcast, Bessent said the US was sanctioning more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels around the world that facilitate Iranian oil revenues and cyber abilities. He demanded that countries home to branches of Iran's largest bank, Bankmeli, to shut them down. And he said that President Trump is making calls to individual leaders with quote, specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime or else face punishment from Uncle Sam. Still, for an offensive build as Economic D-Day, some question the metaphor likening Bessent's threats to more preparing for D-Day instead of storming the beaches of Normandy itself. Bessent also acknowledged that his economic onslaught would not go into effect immediately to give countries time to sever their relations with Iran. He said, We are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior. Why would I want to blow up the global financial system? What remains to be seen, whether more economic pressure from the US will allow it to wind down the war in Iran, which is unpopular at home and has dragged on for nearly six months.