Good morning and welcome to Thursday. A HUGE thank you to everyone who's reached out over the past couple of days to show support in the face of our malware/spam debacle. These times only serve to remind us why we put this newsletter together in the first place… y’all are literally the best.🙏❤️

Some things you’ll know after reading this email:

• 🧠🦟 How scientists can control the minds of fruit flies
• 📈 Which cities saw the largest year-over-year increase in home prices
• 🏔 Where eight out the world's ten tallest mountains are located

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.49 minutes to read.

“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”

–Sun Tzu (544 B.C. – 496 B.C.)

President Biden announced a new series of executive actions yesterday aimed at addressing climate change, referring to the situation as an “emergency” but stopping short of making a formal emergency declaration (which would give federal agencies heightened powers).

📝 More deets… The unveiled measures include $2.3 billion in funding to help states tackle climate-related issues like dealing with excessive heat, controlling floods, or retrofitting old buildings.

• Biden also directed federal agencies to move ahead with a project to eventually power 3+ million US homes using offshore wind turbines located off the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

📸 Big picture: The White House’s announcement comes days after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told Democratic leaders that he isn’t prepared to support any climate legislation in the evenly-divided Senate while US inflation remains elevated, effectively killing any chance of a bill passing Congress.

🌍 Zoom out: Rising temperatures around the world have caused a record number of heat waves, droughts, and wildfires in recent years, per the WSJ.

• This week in Europe – where temps rarely reach above 100°F – several countries recorded temps at or near all-time highs, including the UK (104.5°F), Wales (98.8°F) and France (104.9°F). More than 1,900 people in Portugal and Spain died from heat-related causes over the same period.

Heads up, Wall Street: Gen Z is here.

FaZe Clan, one of the biggest esports companies in the world, went public via SPAC yesterday in a deal valuing it at $725 million. According to CEO Lee Trink, it’s “the first Gen Z native brand to go public.”

🎮📱 A deeper dive… The online media company, which started in 2010 with gamers posting videos on YouTube, has 93 total members, consisting mostly of esports competitors and celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Yachty, Kyler Murray, and LeBron James Jr.

• The group boasts more than 500 million followers across its combined social platforms, and earns revenue through branded streetwear, ads on YouTube/Twitch, and money from esports competitions.
• About 80 percent of FaZe’s audience is between the ages of 13 and 34.

👀 Looking ahead… Per Trink, FaZe’s esports business will be a smaller part of the company’s revenue in the future. Upcoming ventures may include expanding a gambling partnership with DraftKings, a ghost kitchen/delivery-only dining option similar to MrBeast’s Burger, and creator-focused initiatives like fan clubs or play-to-earn gaming.

The median existing home price in the US hit a record $416,000 in June, a 13.4% increase from the previous year, per new data published yesterday by the National Association of Realtors.

🔢🏘 The housing market by the numbers…

• US existing home sales declined 5.4% month-over-month to an annual rate of 5.12 million, the lowest since June 2020.
• Some 60,000 home sales were canceled last month, equal to 15% of all transactions, per Bloomberg.
• Mortgage demand fell last week to its lowest point since 2000, per the Mortgage Bankers Association. Average interest rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage (5.5%) have nearly doubled since last year.

📸 The big picture: Despite higher prices and fewer overall deals, homes are selling faster than ever – properties remained on the market an average of 14 days in June, the fewest on record going back to 2011 (down from 16 days in May and 17 in April, per the NAR).

+One interesting thing: The largest year-over-year jump in home prices occurred in Miami (+40.1%), Orlando (+30.6%), and Nashville (+30.6%).

Flying can be a pain, especially when it’s for work. Between long flights/layovers, uncomfortable seating, and trying not to misplace anything, it’s rarely smooth sailing.😕

So when we learn about any way to improve the experience, we’ve got to share.

🥁 Introducing… the ULTI from CONMIGO, the travel bag with every feature you could ever want including:

• Ultra-lightweight, water-resistant, durable construction/materials
• Bright interior with intuitive pocket design (no more endless rummaging!)
• Built-in slide-out cushion to save your back/bum from hard chairs; also protects electronics

...and a whole lot more. Better yet, the ULTI is backed by a lifetime warranty and shipping is FREE!

🐶 Animal lover?... CONMIGO is a woman-owned company founded by Dr. Bernadine Cruz, a companion animal veterinarian. They make a donation to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation for every bag sold.

Want to spoil the whole team? Bulk orders and personalization are also available!

Upgrade your travel experience today with the ULTI.

TVs, drones, toy cars…. and fruit flies?

Researchers at Rice University successfully hacked the brains of fruit flies to make them remote-controlled, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in Nature Materials.

😳 Um, what?!... Yeah, really. Here’s how it works:

• The team initially started by genetically engineering the flies to possess certain heat-triggered brain circuits.
• When these circuits sense heat, they activate the neuron – in this case, one causing the fly to spread its wings (a gesture often used during mating).
• To provide the heat necessary for activation, researchers injected iron oxide nanoparticles into the insects’ brains. When a nearby magnetic field was switched on, those particles heated up, causing the neurons to fire and the fly to spread its wings.

👀 Looking ahead… While the university team wants to use their process to help restore vision in people whose eyes don’t work, the Defense Department’s R&D agency – which is funding the project – has other plans.

• Ultimately, DARPA wants to develop a headset that can read the neural activity in one person’s brain and then write it to another brain, aka transferring thoughts or perceptions between people.

• ☝️ You’re looking at Emo Wendy’s, a unique fast-food restaurant in the UK that recently rebranded to stand out in its London neighborhood that’s ​​known for music and fashion.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 Annual inflation in the UK rose to 9.4% last month, the highest rate in 40 years and tops among all G7 economies.
• 🚘 Tesla reported $2.3 billion in second-quarter profit after the closing bell yesterday; the automaker also disclosed that it's converted ~75% of its bitcoin holdings into fiat currency.
• ⚖️ META is suing Meta. Now that’s meta: Art installation company META is suing the social media giant, saying it can no longer use its own name since it’s “associated with the toxicity that is inextricably linked with Facebook.”

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏙️ NASCAR announced plans to host its first-ever street race next July in Chicago.
• 🧑‍🎤🎓 Texas State University is offering a course on Harry Styles starting next year.
• 🧙‍♀️🏐 Professional quidditch is rebranding as “quadball.”

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🔭🪐 The James Webb Space Telescope just spotted the oldest known galaxy in the universe.
• 👓 Google will begin testing its latest AR glasses in public; features include real-time translation and navigation.
• 🚀 NASA's Artemis mission, which will eventually return humans to the moon's surface for the first time in 50 years, could launch its initial uncrewed test flight around the moon as soon as August 29.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• 🇮🇹 Italian PM Mario Draghi resigned (again) yesterday after his coalition government fell apart.
• 🪖 The Army said it’ll likely fall 10,000 soldiers short of its recruiting goals for this fiscal year, blaming current labor market conditions.
• 🇪🇺 The EU asked its member states to their reduce natural gas consumption by 15% until next spring, citing risks from "the Kremlin's weaponization of gas exports."
• 🥱 Snack selection getting stale? Expand your taste bud’s horizons with a monthly box from Good Food Brands, featuring uniquely delicious foods from small brands with big dreams and a purpose! Use code DONUT to save 20%!😋*

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💬 Quoted… ​​“Ooooh, I’m so scared.”

• Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador yesterday dismissed US claims that Mexico favors its state energy sources at the expense of American companies, paraphrasing a line from a popular Mexican song.

🪙 Stat of the Day: The price of bitcoin briefly rose above $24,000 yesterday for the first time in over a month; the cryptocurrency has gained more than 20% over the past week.

🌍 Around the World: The race to replace Boris Johnson as UK prime minister and Conservative Party leader is down to two: former finance minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

🤯 Did You Know?... In the middle of the 19th century, downtown Chicago was raised by more than four feet so the city could build its sewer.

📖 Worth a Read: Inside America's Massive Rocket Factory: How NASA Is Going Back to the Moon → (CNET)

📊 Poll results: Yesterday, we asked if you think Congress should approve the $52 billion CHIPS Act (which passed a procedural vote by a 64-34 margin late Tuesday).

• 41% of y’all think the law should be enacted, 25% think Congress should vote it down, and 34% were unsure or had a more nuanced opinion.

See the full 360° view here.

🤯 Did you know?… Until recently, only the wealthy and elite (aka accredited) investors could get in on early-stage startups?

And by the time the average joes can invest (IPO stage), the share price is often MUCH higher.

⚽ A level playing field… But now, everyone can invest in certain early-stage startups. You can now get the same deals as the ultra-rich – and you don’t even have to be accredited!👍

And, as you probably noticed, Piestro is currently raising money!

• Their robotic pizza kiosks TRIPLE profit margins for pizzerias and they’ve already secured $580M in preorders, including 3,600 units for 800 Degrees Pizza!🔥

🍕🏆 The best part?... Piestro is positioned to take a huge bite out of the $155B global pizza market by selling kiosks to restaurants AND operating their own robotic pods around the world.

Learn more about investing in Piestro (open until July 28th).⌛

Last week, we announced this section was going crowdsourced… and then proceeded to throw up a solid goose egg. That’s right: out of the 40,000+ people reading this email, we received a grand total of zero usable reader submissions – a shutdown worthy of the start of the pandemic.

🤷‍♀️ Anyways… Today we’re going to do two things:

1. Revert back to our old format of aggregating a few outlandish stories from around the news.
2. Get on our knees and beg for submissions. So if you’ve encountered a glitch in the matrix, quirky animal behavior, or even a hilarious first grader, tell us about it here (pretty please with a cherry on top).

📰 Without further ado… Here are the top five stories from this week.

• A Shrek-themed rave is coming to major US cities → (EDM.com)
• A man is using his nose to push a peanut up to the summit of Colorado's Pikes Peak → (NPR)
• Indiana personal trainer claims running on all fours like a dog daily has made him 'crazy ripped' → (ABC 7 Chicago)
• Woman uses 'teacher voice' to chase bear away from North Carolina deck → (UPI)
• UK heatwave leads movie theaters to offer free tickets to redheads → (NY Post)

27th Letter Books is a book-lover's dream, with classic titles and new underground authors alike sharing space on their Detroit shelves.

• After opening its doors last May, the bookshop quickly became a staple in the local community.

💵📚 We've got your back... That's why, when the store fell victim to online credit card fraud costing them $35,000 and threatening to close the store, Detroit's book lovers quickly rallied to help. 

• The shop set up a GoFundMe to cover the costs of their newfound debt; the goal was reached and then some in just under 10 days. 

💬 What they're saying: “We’re just really happy that we’re seen as a viable part of the literary community, and that readers want us here," said co-owner Jazmine Cooper.

☝️🗻 Eight out of the world’s ten tallest mountains are located in this country. Can you name it?

(keep scrolling for the answer)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone you think would like the DONUT.

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