Today’s Big Story

Lactose-Free Milk’s Moment

The new “healthy milk” is now more popular than plant-based alternatives

Move over oat milk, there’s a new star of the dairy aisle. Axios reports that lactose-free milk (think: brands Fairlife and Lactaid) is now more popular than plant-based alternatives. “Health-conscious consumers—many of them lactose intolerant—are redefining what ‘healthy milk’ means and moving away from almond and oat drinks.”

Soy milk led the alt-milk charge back in the ’90s, followed by almond (still the category leader despite a recent dip) and eventually oat milk. But now, sales of lactose-free and lactose-reduced dairy milk grew about 14% in the past year, and the boost has driven dairy's overall comeback, per NielsenIQ data.

I’m sure you’re aware, but Americans’ milk drinking has been on the decline for decades. Between 1975 and 2024, the country’s per capita milk consumption dropped by 47%, according to USDA data. It’s the kind of dragged-out downslide that suggests more than just a slump, but the steady drift toward cultural obsolescence. But thanks to the removal of that lousy lactose, milk’s half-century-long flop era is showing signs of reversal.

Consumers are returning to cow's milk because they're getting wise to the fact that there are additives like texturizers in many plant-based alternatives, Chris Costagli, NIQ VP of food insights and a dairy industry veteran, tells Axios. Plus, lactose-free dairy milk offers inherent protein and calcium, which is why dietitian Tamara Duker Freuman says she's switched lactose-intolerant patients to it.

Taste is a big factor, too. Unlike plant-based milks, dairy milk tends to froth better, taste creamier and not curdle in hot beverages. If you’re wondering where the lactose goes, the milk is typically standard cow's milk with an added natural enzyme that breaks down the lactose. And it’s big business. Lactose-free milk Fairlife, which is filtered to have high protein and low sugar, surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales two years ago and shows no signs of slowing down.

Hollywood Is Shaken by Trump’s Tariff Threats

The president calls for 100% tariff on foreign-made films to save ‘dying’ film industry

Filmmakers and Hollywood financiers are baffled, to say the least, by President Donald Trump’s announcement that he wants a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States. Several movie studio and streaming industry executives who spoke with Reuters are downright apoplectic because, they believe, the president hasn’t thought about the ramifications of his proposal. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

The announcement came one day after Trump met with actor Jon Voight to discuss his proposals to bring film production back to the U.S.—which only suggested that tariffs could be used “in certain limited circumstances”. The Midnight Cowboy and Heat actor, who was appointed a “special ambassador” to Hollywood by Trump, has been meeting with studios, streamers, unions and guilds for months to develop a plan to lure film and television productions back to the States. As The Guardian points out, production companies have, for years, been seeking more cost-effective locations or tax incentives in other countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Hungary, Italy and Spain.

But on Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom attempted to salvage the situation, announcing that he wanted to team up with the Trump administration to craft a $7.5 billion federal film tax credit program to aid the entertainment industry. The proposal, if approved, would represent by far the largest single government subsidy program ever for the industry in the United States, and the first of its kind at the federal level.

Congestion Pricing Is Working

Crashes are declining, horns are quieting and commutes are quicker

The wildest fact from all the news reports about how well New York’s congestion pricing is working? The city’s 311 collects information about how many people call about what is called “excessive car-honking” … and the number of complaints about excessive car-honking now is 70% lower than last year. This is according to what the deputy chief of the MTA told Curbed.

There is far, far less traffic on the streets. The Holland Tunnel, at rush hour, has 65% fewer delays than it did before, and the time it takes to get through is down 48%. In the congestion zone, there’s been half as many traffic-related injuries. The bus routes in Manhattan are so much less clogged that the drivers are being forced to slow down to maintain their schedules. In other words: What’s not to like? In fact, more cities will likely follow suit.

A cynic might suggest that Manhattan has lost valuable consumers. If people aren’t driving into the city, then they’re not shopping and eating and going to see Broadway shows. But, in reality, the train ridership is up. Broadway-ticket sales are up, too, and the city’s Business Improvement Districts say they’ve seen 1.5 million more visitors year over year. And the pricing itself has generated $159 million in the first three months of 2025, which the city says remains on track for its 2025 $500 million goal.

Where Did All the Fast Food Dollar Menus Go?

How do we get those quick-bite bargains now?

Let’s face it: The fast food dollar menu has always been contentious. Individual items upset people, brands announce and remove items, but now, in the face of rising costs everywhere, it’s hard to even find a dollar menu. The Takeout says it’s safe to mourn the loss of the one-dollar cheeseburger, because it's likely gone for good. And it's also okay to blame inflation—partially.

From 2019 to 2024 costs of running a restaurant have gone up significantly, with a 29% increase in food costs alone, according to Push Operations. The dollar isn't as mighty as it once was, and for fast food restaurants, the dollar menus were already difficult to keep available without losing money. When McDonald's began offering items for one dollar in 2002, it resulted in customers spending an average of $0.03 less per visit. 

Still, it’s possible to find some bargains, if you know where to look. In January 2025, McDonald's launched its McValue menu with a “buy one, add one for $1” model. Burger King’s value menu offers two or three items for five dollars or seven dollars. Of course, life was simpler when one could cruise into the drive-thru line to order enough dollar menus to fill your stomach, but with technology comes more ways to save. Now, restaurants incentivize consumers to download (and use) their apps by giving access to features like faster pick-up times and online exclusive discounts you don’t get if you just show up.

Send Him Off Right

Huckberry offers plenty of timeless gifts that will grow with your grad

It’s all about timing.