Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📚 Bookstores turn a new page
• ⚽️ Team USA eliminated in World Cup
• 📱 Is your tech giving you “phone body”?

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.00-minute read (1,063 words).

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

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

For years, one of the biggest knocks against electric vehicles has been the fear of an eye-wateringly expensive battery replacement. But recent data suggests many consumers may be worrying about yesterday's technology, not today's.

Battery tech has come a long way

Replacement costs for batteries are cited as the No. 1 reason potential buyers avoid EVs, according to a recent AutoPacific survey.

That concern wasn't unfounded when EVs first started to regain steam among US buyers a decade-and-a-half ago, with an estimated 1 in 12 EVs built between 2011-16 eventually needing a battery replacement (~8.5%), per the WSJ.

But modern EVs are a different story. A miniscule 0.3% of EVs built since 2022 have required a battery replacement to date, according to battery analytics firm Recurrent.

• The average EV also retains up to 95% of its original driving range after five years on the road, outperforming what many in the auto industry expected.
• Additionally, the cost of batteries has fallen by 90%+ since 2010, as manufacturers increasingly design batteries so individual sections can be replaced, rather than the entire unit.

Improvements in battery chemistry, battery-management software, and cooling systems have also contributed to the positive change.

Concerns haven’t disappeared entirely. Batteries that rely heavily on high-power DC fast charging lose range about twice as quickly as batteries charged at lower power, forcing drivers to pony up as much as $16,000 for out-of-warranty replacements.

Regularly charging to 100%, letting the battery sit at 0% for long periods, and driving in extreme hot or cold weather can also accelerate battery degradation or reduce driving range.

Zoom out: US enthusiasm for EVs has waned following the Trump admin’s decision to end EV subsidies and emissions regulations, with sales down ~25% year-over-year so far in 2026. But analysts say the overall trend of growing adoption is expected to continue, with EV market share projected to double to 11% of all new-car sales in the US by 2030.

For millions of women, the disruption begins decades earlier. Inner Balance Oestra® is prescription hormone support that works with your body to restore balance.

Oestra® doesn’t override your biology, it replenishes it with bioidentical hormones. Even a subtle shift in estrogen or progesterone can reshape how you think, sleep, and feel every day. Whether you’re diagnosed with PCOS, endometriosis, or more, or even dismissed, Oestra® gets to the hormonal root behind the symptoms.

Your biology deserves better than being told to wait it out.

The latest chapter for US bookstores is providing more plot twists than an Agatha Christie page-turner.

• The number of US bookstore companies rose by ~70% between 2021 and 2025, according to data from the American Booksellers Association.
• And 73% of booksellers reported higher sales last year, with nearly half saying sales grew by at least 6%.

It marks a major turnaround for an industry many expected Amazon, e-books, and the demise of Borders to permanently flatten.

So, what changed?

Both independent bookstores and major chains like Barnes & Noble have leaned into a similar playbook: betting big on non-book offerings like toys and games, while also providing access to coffee, author events, and a place to spend time without staring at a screen.

There are still warning signs. A June CBS News poll found 36% of Americans are reading fewer books than they did a decade ago, compared to 23% who are reading more. AI tools could also take a bite out of practical nonfiction, while certain categories, including political books, have slowed.

But bookstores may be selling something harder to download: discovery and community. As more people, especially Gen Z, seek out analog experiences, bookstores have adapted to embrace their role as a screen-free hangout spot.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 Microsoft lays off 4,800 employees (2.1% of its workforce) with immediate effect, with plans for 1,600 more through FY 2027; layoffs reportedly include ~20% of all Xbox employees.
• 🔔 President Trump rings opening bell for New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Oval Office, in historic first; markets close up across the board, with the Dow delivering another record closing high (S&P: +0.7% | Dow: +0.3% | Nasdaq: +1.1%).
• 🛻 Toyota to invest $3.6 billion to bring Tacoma midsize pickup production back to the US by 2030, adding 2,000 jobs at its San Antonio plant.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚽ World Cup: Team USA loses 4-1 to Belgium in Round-of-16 match, ending the Americans’ tournament run; Spain defeats Portugal 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals, ending Ronaldo’s storied World Cup career.
• 🤖🎭 Tilly Norwood, the AI “actor” who drew pushback across the industry in late 2025, is set to star in her first feature film by Particle 6, the AI-focused studio behind Norwood.
• 🍿 The Odyssey holds its world premiere in London, with director Christopher Nolan joined by stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, and more.

That’s exactly what U Beauty set out to resolve. The SCULPT Neck + Décolleté Concentrate is a targeted serum that visibly lifts, smooths, and contours skin from the chest to the jawline. It delivers the same radiant, refined results you expect from your face to your neck, which ages faster due to thinner skin and constant movement.

With continued use, fine lines soften, crepey skin improves, and your neck and décolleté look visibly firmer and more youthful for age-defying results.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚶 Sitting for 30+ minutes at a time each day is linked to a higher risk of cancer death, recent study finds; but a light activity to break up sitting is associated with a ~12% lower risk. | Fast walkers in their 80s are ~50% less likely to experience cognitive decline, per new study.
• 💻 AI tools are altering users’ drafts and inserting their own political biases in online messages, sometimes fully reversing views on topics like climate change, abortion, and religion, new research finds.
• 🪐 James Webb Space Telescope observes Jupiter-like planet orbiting a dead star, offering scientists a glimpse into how outer planets in our Solar System may survive the Sun's death.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• ⚖️ Preliminary hearing for alleged Charlie Kirk assassin began Monday, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty for the 23-year-old charged with aggravated murder.
• 🏛️ Graham Platner, Maine’s Democratic Senate nominee, is taking a step back to “reflect on the best path forward" after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2021, which he denies.
• ⚖️ Supreme Court allows Texas to continue enforcing a law that requires app stores to verify a user's age and requires parental consent for minors to download apps and purchase in-app content.

☝️ Kelsey Pfendler, a 32-year-old Grand Canyon river rafting guide, became the the first American woman, youngest woman, and fastest woman to row solo from California to Hawaii, with the 2,400+-mile journey taking her nearly 1.5 months in a 21-foot row boat.

🤔 Did you know? A 2013 survey of 500 licensed US drivers found that 44% of them would fail a written driving test if they had to take it today, based on an 80% passing score.

📰 Worth a read: America’s greatest unsung innovation is a simple white line.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Popcorn buckets are having a moment
• Highly successful people do 5 things to get luckier in life
• Weak hands and blurry vision: Is your tech giving you 'phone body'?

Cross Bali off your bucket list…$10 enters you into a chance to win a 7-night Bali getaway with a private villa and flights included, all while supporting GLAAD. Get 150 extra entries with code DONUT150.

Yesterday we covered new US gov’t data that shows Americans of every age have spent less time socializing in-person over the past 20 years, with experts pointing to several potential explanations behind the trend.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, what’s the biggest factor behind why Americans of all ages are spending less time socializing in-person?

• Rise of remote life (work, food delivery, etc.): 21%
• Smartphones/social media: 55%
• Decline of “third places”: 10%
• Other: 14%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 543 votes and 63 longform responses.

🛒 Deal, or no deal? Lowtein is a free site that checks whether your grocery store’s “sale” is actually below the average price, using government data for your US/Canadian city.

📖 Read: New Sweden, the US’s long-lost 'secret' colony.

🚦 Watching the watchers: DeFlock Maps is an open-source project that maps where license plate readers are located across the US.

💼🚀 One small habit that can upgrade your career…Start your mornings with The Assist. The 4x-weekly newsletter delivers practical resources, leadership insights, and career tips trusted by 310,000+ professional women. Subscribe free to The Assist.*

*A message from our partners

❓ Trivia: What was the first state to declare July 4th as a state holiday?

🦟 True or false?… There are more than 3,000 different types of mosquitoes worldwide.

🤔 Riddle me this: What breaks yet never falls, and what falls yet never breaks?

📚 Thousands of teachers in San Francisco received an email earlier this year that they first wrote off as spam. But as it turns out, an anonymous donor was giving away $1.6 million to the school district in the form of ~$250 gifts to every single educator.

❓ Trivia: Massachusetts

🦟 T/F: True; there are over 3,700

🤔 Riddle: Day and night

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