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$14 for a coffee? That's the reality for these Americans
The owner of a cafe in Lansing, a Michigan battleground district, says she passed rising costs to customers; consumer prices rose 3.7 percent in the year to September.

At a glance
- First reported by ABC Australia: “$14 for a coffee? That's the reality for these Americans”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 4:08 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Kenji Moonfield, Gloria Vance and Dale Bearman.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA cafe in Lansing, Michigan, charged one customer fourteen dollars and twenty cents for a coffee once a ten dollar tip was included, and ABC in Australia says the average cup nationwide is nine dollars and thirty-three cents.

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe federal minimum wage is seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour. So one cup now outruns an hour of work.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorAn hour of labor for one coffee. Voters head to the polls Tuesday, and they'll be wide awake.
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, November 2, 2026 · the Money archive · all months



