Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 👤 Asocial America
• ⚽ FIFA shocks world, lifts US suspension
• 🚚 Food truck mafia

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.56-minute read (947 words).

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"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

–Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018)

The group chat may be doing a little too much heavy lifting for many friend groups, according to new research.

Americans of every age have spent less time socializing in-person over the past 20 years, per new data from the US government’s American Time Use Survey.

• Overall, the average time spent socializing each day fell from 45 minutes in 2005 to 35 minutes/day as of 2025.
• The largest drop was seen among 15-to-24-year-olds, whose daily socializing dropped from 1 hour to just 35 minutes on average.

Behind the decline

While there isn't one clear explanation, many experts point to the general trend of everyday life gradually shifting indoors, which was accelerated by the Covid pandemic.

• The recent rise of remote work, food delivery, streaming services, and larger, more comfortable homes have made staying in easier than heading out.
• On any given night, Americans are currently ~30% less likely to be grabbing dinner or drinks with friends than they were 20 years ago.

Smartphones and social media have also made it easier to stay connected digitally, but researchers say that convenience often comes at the expense of face-to-face interaction. Studies show that Americans’ leisure time is increasingly spent watching TV or interacting with pets, rather than socializing with other people.

There’s also the gradual decline of "third places," or spaces outside of home and work where people naturally gather. A 2025 CU Boulder report found widespread closures of many everyday meeting places—libraries, churches, coffee shops, community centers, etc.—over the past decade or so.

Why it’s a big deal: Decades of research has linked strong social connections to better mental and physical health, from lower rates of depression and anxiety to longer life expectancy. As everyday social interactions become less common, researchers are paying closer attention to how that shift impacts the health of Americans.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, what’s the biggest factor behind why Americans of all ages have spent less time socializing in-person over the past two decades?

• Rise of remote life (work, food delivery, streaming, etc.)
• Smartphones/social media
• Decline of “third places”
• Other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 US economy added 57,000 jobs in June, with the unemployment rate falling from 4.3% to 4.2%; job additions were well below economists’ expectations, as labor force participation rate falls to lowest level since March 2021 (61.5%); Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised new job figures for April and May downwards by a combined 74,000.
• 🛢️ OPEC+ nations agree to further increase oil output targets from August, adding to global supply as oil prices continue to fall amid Strait of Hormuz’s gradual reopening; brent crude prices closed at ~$72/barrel on Friday, back to levels seen in February.
• 🥪 Jersey Mike’s, America’s second-largest sandwich chain behind Subway, files for an initial public offering; the company also reports same-store sales growth of 3% in 2025.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚽ World Cup Round-of-16 kicked off Friday, with Team USA set to face Belgium tonight (7 pm CT); FIFA lifts suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun for earning a red card in Team USA’s previous match, clearing him to play tonight following phone call from the White House to FIFA’s president. | ⚾️ MLB announces 2026 All-Star Game rosters, with 26 first-timers, including four rookies.
• 💍 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married in star-studded ceremony at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening.
• 🎥 Minions & Monsters leads domestic box office with $36 million in its first weekend ($61 million since debuting on Wednesday); Supergirl drops to $9.6 million in its second weekend (-74%).

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌐 Amazon says it has launched enough satellites to start offering its Leo internet service in select areas later this year, challenging SpaceX's Starlink.
• 🌏 Astronomers discover potentially habitable “super Earth” exoplanet 25 light-years away, located in one of the closest star systems to our planet.
• 🚀 NASA launches three-armed spacecraft on $30 million rescue mission to save the space agency’s Swift Observatory from crashing back to Earth.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🇺🇸🎆 President Trump delivers 37-minute national address at Salute to America 250 event on the National Mall after a weather delay; his comments were followed by a world-record-setting fireworks display, per officials.
• 🤖🏛️ OpenAI is reportedly in early discussions to give the US gov’t a 5% stake in the company in an effort to soften mounting political pressure on the AI industry.
• 🇮🇷 Massive crowds gather in Tehran on Saturday for the start of a six-day funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in initial US/Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28; authorities predict up to 20 million people will attend, marking one of the largest gatherings in history.

☝️ Americans across the country celebrated the nation’s 250th birthday on Saturday, braving a widespread heat wave to attend cookouts, parades, fireworks, and other events.

🤔 Did you know? The Smithsonian Institution houses an estimated 155 million artifacts, works of art, and scientific specimens, making it the largest museum and research complex in the world. The collection, which spans 19 museums, galleries, and the National Zoo, would take nearly five years to count at a pace of one item/second.

📰 Worth a read: Inside the food truck mafia wreaking havoc around the National Mall

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• The Founding Fathers use AI
• Why humans find fire so mesmerizing
• What’s really in a hotdog?

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Monday: ISM Services PMI for June, providing insight into US services sector

Tuesday: Two-day NATO summit kicks off in Turkey, with President Trump set to attend

Wednesday: National Raspberry Day

Thursday: World Cup quarterfinals kick off; Fed publishes minutes from first FOMC meeting chaired by Kevin Warsh; Little House on the Prairie debuts on Netflix; Backyard Baseball debuts for PC

Friday: Disney’s live-action Moana hits theaters; Great American State Fair concludes; Rolling Stones publish 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Cent
2. Frater
3. Log
4. Nomin
5. Pent

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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1. Cent = Hundred (e.g., century)
2. Frater = Brother (fraternity)
3. Log = Thought (logic)
4. Nomin = Name (nomination)
5. Pent = Five (pentagon)

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*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease