Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📝 Michigan ditches freshmen letter grades
• 🌗☄️ Solar eclipse + meteor shower peak
• 🦞 Lobster statues take over Pompeii

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.43-minute read (912 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

"Correct what you can. Learn from what you can't."

–Toni Morrison (1931-2019)

Incoming freshmen at the University of Michigan can leave one thing off their checklist of “firsts” next year: a first-semester GPA.

Starting in fall 2027, all first-year students in Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts—which enrolls ~50% of the university’s ~8,000 incoming freshmen—will receive “pass” or “no credit” marks on their transcripts during their first semester, with their usual letter grades hidden.

The marks aren’t disappearing entirely. Professors will still assign letter grades internally to determine eligibility for scholarships and academic awards, but they won’t appear on students’ transcripts or count toward their GPA as part of the pilot program.

What’s behind the move?

The University of Michigan says the pilot program is designed to help students acclimate to the demands of college, pursue classes based more on their interests, and “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals.”

Supporters argue the protected semester could give freshmen more room to explore academically without worrying that one rough class will follow their GPA around for years.

• Michigan history professor Derek Peterson, a former chair of the faculty government, says today’s students face added stress from social media, weaker job prospects, and broader economic uncertainty.
• He argues that temporarily protecting their GPAs could encourage academic experimentation without hurting future employment prospects.

On the flip side: The policy has faced immediate criticism from people who argue that shielding students from hard feedback delays necessary skill corrections, and isn’t good preparation for workplaces and post-grad programs where students will have to deal with low marks or criticism.

• Critics also question whether reducing the importance of grades is the right response when universities are already confronting concerns over students arriving unprepared for college-level work.
• At UC San Diego, some 8.5% of students required elementary- or middle-school math remediation before taking precalculus in 2025, up from 0.5% in 2020.

Meanwhile…Some people, like former Michigan professor Kenneth Lowande, argue rampant grade inflation in recent years has already made grades largely irrelevant as a measure of academic excellence.

• Some 74.1% of undergraduate grades at Michigan in 2022 were an A+, A, or A-, up from 57.6% a decade earlier.
• Harvard faculty recently approved a 20% cap on A’s per undergraduate course in an effort to curb grade inflation, after the schoolwide proportion of A grades rose from 25% to 60% from 2006-25.

Zoom out: Michigan joins several other elite universities that have adopted policies that mask official letter grades on student transcripts. The list includes MIT, which currently gives first-semester freshmen Pass/No Record grades, and Caltech, which uses pass/fail grading for many first-year courses during students’ first two terms.

📊 Flash poll: Do you support or oppose the University of Michigan’s move to mask official letter grades for incoming freshmen in their first semester?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

You've already tried the usual advice: more fiber, more water, maybe even another probiotic. The catch? A probiotic can't help much if it never makes it where it's supposed to go, AKA your stomach acid destroys it before it can take effect.

Seed engineered DS-01®, the #1 Digestive Health Probiotic.* ViaCap®, capsule-in-capsule, technology helps protect live probiotics through digestion so they reach the colon where they actually support your gut microbiome.

In a clinical trial nearly 80% of participants reported minimal discomfort from constipation, alongside significant improvements in bloating and gas.**

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 CoreWeave reports better-than-expected earnings and revenue, while its 2026 revenue forecast exceeds consensus; shares of the AI infrastructure provider rise ~14% in after-hours trading.
• 💵 Treasury Dept. announces guidance that could allow parents to fund their dependent children’s Trump Accounts with pretax dollars straight from their paychecks.
• 🍘 Goldfish unveils its first-ever gluten-free cheese crackers, set to roll out to retailers nationwide in November.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎶 Taylor Swift to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame; the 36-year-old will become the youngest writer ever to receive the honor. | YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel and her husband, Mr. Aron, to release their debut album I'm So Happy on September 25.
• ⚾ Texas judge backs decision to disqualify a Tulsa, OK, team from Little League World Series contention after league officials determined one of their players was ineligible based on falsified information; judge had initially issued a
• 🏀 NBA announces 2026-2027 opening week and Christmas Day schedules, including the Knicks vs. the 76ers (and LeBron James) on Opening Day.

We charge what runs out. But mental health challenges are a normal part of life — and so is asking for help. Your mental health is your health. It’s worth taking care of. With BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist in as little as 48 hours, from the comfort of your home. And, insurance options may be available for eligible BetterHelp members.*

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌓 Total solar eclipse to occur this morning starting around 10:30 CT, with the path of totality crossing Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and a small part of Portugal; millions of people across Europe, northern North America, and northwestern Africa will witness a partial eclipse.
• ☄️ Ongoing Perseid meteor shower expected to peak overnight from tonight into tomorrow; shooting stars should still continue to be visible over the next two weeks.
• 🧴💧 Researchers develop uniquely strong, reusable underwater superglue that takes just 10 seconds to apply, and lasts for several years underwater.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🗳️ Primary elections were held yesterday in six states: AL, CT, MN, SC, VT, and WI; Sen. Darline Graham advances to Republican special primary runoff in South Carolina, though her GOP opponent was unclear as of late last night.
• 🚢 US military forces fires on Panama-flagged ship that tries to pass through the American blockade of Iranian ports early Tuesday.
• ✈️ President Trump reportedly used a catering container truck to secretly switch planes while flying out of Turkey last month, in an effort to dodge a potential Iranian assassination threat.

☝️More than 30 giant lobster sculptures have popped up among the ancient ruins of Pompeii as part of British pop artist Philip Colbert’s largest installation to date. Pompeii: Pop Mythology places Colbert’s signature lobster characters alongside the nearly 2,000-year-old Roman city, in the first contemporary sculpture exhibition at Pompeii in 30 years.

🤔 Did you know? The Caesar salad isn’t named after Julius Caesar, but rather the restaurateur who created it: Caesar Cardini. In July 1924, Cardini first threw the simple salad together when a holiday rush left his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico short on supplies.

📰 Worth a read: How healthy is coffee, really?

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Can a monkey have a pet?
• The smashing success of the first self-driving vehicle on Mars
• Welcome to the age of veneer regret

Energy that lasts past 2 pm… MTE combines 11 adaptogens, nootropics, and ancient superfoods that support steady energy for work, the gym, and the evening ahead without impacting sleep. No crash or jitters. Save 40% here.

How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Your challenge is to guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

1. 🐢 100 years: How long a leopard tortoise can live 
2. 🌡️ 120°F: Highest temperature ever recorded in Death Valley
3. 🌲 4 trillion: Estimated number of trees on Earth 

(keep scrolling for the answers)

🦛 The Toronto Zoo is celebrating the arrival of an endangered pygmy hippo calf, who came crashing into the world earlier this month in all its slimy, wrinkled glory. Pygmy hippos are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, making each new calf a welcome boost for the dwindling species.

1. 🐢 Over; 100-150 years
2. 🌡️ Over; 134°F
3. 🌲 Under; about 3 trillion

Seed disclaimers:

*Source: SPINS, Combined Amazon + Target Sales data, Last 24 weeks ending in January 2026.

**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.

BetterHelp disclaimer:

*Insurance availability and coverage may vary by state, plan, provider network, and therapist availability. **Offer valid for first time users. Cannot be combined with insurance.

Advertise with us: Want to reach other smart and inquisitive readers like you? Become a DONUT partner.

Made it this far? Let us know what you think:

👍 👋 👎