Good morning. How did you spend your summer when you were 12? Band camp? Annoying your siblings? Fleecing neighbors at your lemonade stand? Maybe you were that kid who liked to eat insects???👀

Anywho, a 12-year-old from France probably has a cooler story to tell than we ever did at that age… he managed to rescue a family of four in danger of drowning at a beach.

After spotting a man and his five-year-old drowning, the young hero sped towards them on his trusty bodyboard, assisting them, as well as the mother and a second child who were also stranded in a dangerous area, until more help arrived. Bravo.👏

In today’s edition:

• 📑 The Mar-a-Lago raid, explained
• 🧠🕛 What happens to our brains and bodies after midnight
• 🎾 Serena says goodbye

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.84 minutes to read.

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Quick clarification on two points:

1. Yesterday we mentioned that the Inflation Reduction Act contains a provision granting a $7,500 tax credit to anyone purchasing an EV priced above $55,000, when it actually extends to cars priced below that amount.🤦‍♀️
2. Another point: the EV in question must also be North American-made (~40% by 2024, 100% by 2029). An earlier version of the story not containing the North American-made caveat was accidentally sent out.

Apologies for any confusion. To make up for it, we’ve got an extra good newsletter for you today.

The FBI executed a search warrant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home in Palm Beach, FL, on Monday, the former president revealed in a public statement, calling it an “unannounced raid.”

📑📦 More deets… According to multiple news outlets, the search warrant was part of an investigation into whether Trump took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, though both the FBI and DOJ have thus far declined to comment. Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, who was present during the FBI search, confirmed that federal agents “seized paper.”

• The National Archives and Records Administration contacted Trump last year concerning 15 boxes of records he had taken – some of which the agency said were labeled classified – that he later returned this past January.
• In April, WaPo reported the DOJ began investigating Trump for violating the 1978 Presidential Records Act, which requires the White House to hand over all official communications to the National Archives.

🧠 In the know: A search warrant doesn’t necessarily mean criminal charges are near or even expected, but federal officials looking to obtain one must first demonstrate to a judge they have probable cause that a crime occurred. It would also likely require signoff from AG Merrick Garland, though the DOJ has declined to comment.

• Legal historians have told multiple news outlets there’s no precedent for a former president facing an FBI raid – even going back to Watergate.

📝 Bottom line: Federal officials can face up to five years in prison for moving classified materials to an unauthorized location. Other potential penalties include disqualification from holding any federal office (like the presidency, for instance).

📊 Flash poll: Do you agree with the FBI’s decision to raid former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home?

Yes

No

There’s not enough info yet

Unsure/other

Apologies in advance to our dear night owl friends, because you’re not going to like this one. The human mind becomes more susceptible to negative thoughts and destructive behavior past 12 AM, according to a new meta-analysis of peer-reviewed research, resulting in higher levels of suicide and self-harm, violent crime, substance use, and food intake.

🧠🕛 Background… Humans are inclined to feel and act in certain ways based on our circadian rhythms – the 24-hour cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes experienced by most living things on Earth, based on how light or dark their surroundings are.

• This biological clock is controlled by the brain and encoded into nearly every tissue and organ, regulating hormone release, eating habits, digestion, sleep, and body temperature. So just like Ron Burgundy, you could say it’s kind of a big deal.

👩‍🔬 Zoom in: With this👆 in mind, scientists at the University of Arizona, UPenn, and Harvard set out to study how being awake during the witching hours affects the human brain, even when it’s had enough sleep. And after reviewing dozens of peer-reviewed articles and studies on the topic, they proposed the “Mind After Midnight” hypothesis.

According to the researchers, once midnight strikes, negative emotions tend to draw our attention more than positive ones, dangerous ideas grow in appeal, and inhibitions fall away. So kind of like a night out drinking, but if your body just got itself drunk naturally after 12 AM.

• The reason for this is rooted in our evolution, since early humans were much more effective at hunting and gathering in the daylight and faced more risk from predators at night.

+In the know: More research is needed to determine how being awake after midnight affects the decision-making of late-shift workers like nurses, pilots, and doctors.

Imagine: it’s 2026, and China has just decided to attack Taiwan. The US, which maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” is faced with a choice: defend the island or stand by idly. America chooses the former.

👆 This was the exact scenario playing out in a game of strategy in the boardroom (🤦‍♀️) of a Washington DC think-tank late last week – all while at the same time in the real world, China was firing missiles around Taiwan and Japan in protest of House Speaker Pelosi’s visit. Talk about meta.

🤔 Wait, what?... Geopolitics is basically one big game of Risk – almost literally. The Pentagon plays classified games to simulate how various real-world scenarios would play out, and the one that unfurled at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank last week is the only such one in the public domain.

It was specifically designed over two years with experts from MIT and the Naval War College with the goal of sharing its results with a broader audience… since the Pentagon isn’t exactly sending out press releases.

• The setup is also a little bit more complex than a game of Battleship. It requires “Red” and “Blue” teams, computers that calculate everything from the size of aircraft runways to how long it takes submarines to rearm, 20-sided dice to introduce an element of randomness, and seven free hours to see it all play out.

👀 Looking ahead… Last week’s exercise was the 22nd in a series of games being played by retired US generals and Navy officers and former Pentagon officials, with the overall results to be released in December.

+Sneak-peek: In 18 of the 22 rounds of the game played to this point, Chinese missiles sink a large part of the US and Japanese surface fleet and destroy “hundreds of aircraft on the ground,” Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and retired US Marine, told Bloomberg. “However, allied air and naval counterattacks hammer the exposed Chinese amphibious and surface fleet, eventually sinking about 150 ships.”

If you grind your teeth, you’re probably aware of accompanying issues like sensitive teeth, poor sleep quality, headaches, or sore jaw. But did you know that if left untreated, it can lead to broken teeth, enamel erosion, and tooth decay?😬

You may have even gotten an expensive custom night guard from a dentist, which are often less-than-stellar:

• Many people complain night guards from the dentist are expensive, uncomfortable, require multiple fittings, cause them to gag, and leave their teeth sore in the morning. And then when you need it replaced, you get to start the entire fitting process over again… 🥳

Look, if you’re a tooth grinder, you need to know about Remi. They listened to people’s concerns and designed a custom night guard that’s affordable, comfortable, and convenient.

⚙️ How it works… First, order and receive impression kit.

1. Easily take impressions in 10 mins
2. Send impressions
3. Receive your custom night guards!😁

🌜 Remi Night Guards cost a fraction of the $500-700 you’ll pay at the dentist, and many users find them more comfortable. They use the highest quality materials, and if you aren’t satisfied within 30 days they'll refund your purchase!

Improve your smile AND your sleep today with Remi.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a research organization owned by The Economist, recently published its annual global liveability index ranking the 172 best – and worst – cities to live in around the world.

🏙️ How it works… The EIU scored the cities based on five categories: stability, health care, culture and entertainment, education, and infrastructure. Overall, the top 5 places to live in 2022 are:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Calgary, Canada
5. Vancouver, Canada

On the flip side, Damascus, Syria, ranked as the least livable city in the world, followed by Lagos, Nigeria, and Tripoli, Libya.

🇺🇸 Closer to home: Atlanta, GA, ranked as the most livable US city, coming in at number 26 on the list; D.C. ranked 30th, Honolulu was 31st, and LA was 37th.

+In the know: The EIU said its liveability rankings for 2022 closely resemble those seen before the pandemic, as most countries have rolled back Covid restrictions.

💬 Quoted… “I have never liked the word retirement."

Serena Williams, the 🐐 of women’s tennis, published an essay in Vogue yesterday indicating that she plans to retire “evolve away from tennis” after the US Open (which begins September 11) to focus on her family and venture-capital firm.

• Williams began her professional career in 1995 as a 14-year-old. Over the next 27 years, she amassed 73 singles titles – including 23 Grand Slams, the most in the pro era – won four Olympic gold medals, and spent 319 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world. She also has 14 major doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.

🦠 Stat of the Day: More than 4 in 10 Americans (41%) say they’ve already returned to their "normal, pre-COVID-19 life," according to new data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. 

• That’s up from 16% who said they had done so in January.

🤯 Did You Know?... The world’s longest bus route ran from London, England, to Calcutta, India, in the 1950s. The trip took about 50 days in all, but travelers probably had a great time – the bus featured a fully-stocked kitchen, individual sleeping arrangements, fan-operated heaters, and a music system for parties.

📖 Worth a Read: In Remote Alaska, Meal Planning Is Everything → (Eater)

• ☝️ ​​A treasure trove of gold and jewels was recently recovered from a 366-year-old shipwreck referred to as "one of the great treasure-laden Spanish galleons" in history.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🕹 Roblox reported weaker-than-expected Q2 earnings yesterday; shares fell more than 12% in after-hours trading.
• 💰 Meta raised $10 billion in its first-ever bond offering; it’s currently the only Big Tech company without any debt on its books, per Reuters.
• 📺 Walmart is in talks with executives at Disney, Comcast, and Paramount about adding a streaming service to Walmart+ as it looks to compete with Amazon Prime, per multiple sources. (NYT | WSJ)

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚖️ Actor Ezra Miller was charged with felony burglary in Stamford, Vermont; it comes roughly a year before Warner Bros. Discovery is slated to release its $100 million film The Flash starring Miller, which CEO David Zaslav praised during an earnings call last week.
• 🙅‍♂️ ESPN has reportedly ended contract discussions with the Big Ten after rejecting the conference's seven-year, $380 million offer for limited media rights.
• 🏌️ A federal judge ruled against three LIV Golf players who filed for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed them to play in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Championship this week. (Background)

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• ⛏️ A new startup backed by Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and other billionaires aims to drill precious metals from below melted glaciers in Greenland, including elements critical to EVs and batteries.
• 🤖 AI systems can’t patent inventions because they’re not humans, a federal judge ruled.
• 🧲☄️ ​​Astronomers are planning to use a massive magnet to fish out what’s thought to be an interstellar meteorite that crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2014. (Plot twist: It was actually aliens.🤞)

EVERYTHING ELSE

• 🚨 Police charged a 51-year-old Afghan man with killing two Muslim men in Albuquerque, NM; he's also the prime suspect in two other related killings of Muslim men; the AP reports the suspect is also Muslim.
• 🇺🇦 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Western countries to ban all Russian visitors; the EU will consider his proposal at its next meeting of foreign ministers.
• ✍️ President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act into law yesterday; the measure allocates ~$280 billion towards the US semiconductor industry, including $53 billion in subsidies to chip manufacturers. (Background)
• 🗳 Four states – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Vermont – held primary races yesterday. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

Quick recap: In this section, we’re aiming to crowdsource details about epic trips – then provide the whole playbook for the experience to y’all.

• Have you ever gone on an epic, once-in-a-lifetime trip? Tell us about it here.

🚶‍♂️ Who: Deon D. from Satellite Beach, FL

☀️ Length of trip: 15 days

💬 Quick recap: During the early 1990's, my husband travelled quite a bit as a motivational speaker. This allowed him to build up a store of airline miles which could be used to pay for travel. He arrives home one day and announces that we are going to London and, wait for it.....on the Concorde! Yep, we flew up to JFK, spent the night in New York and then took a taxi to the British Airways terminal. Amazing breakfast before we boarded the plane. The take-off was a thrill and before we knew it, we reached a cruising altitude of 57,500 and travelled at a speed of Mach 2.00 (1,325 mph we were told!) arriving in London three and a half hours later! It was a whirlwind trip of 15 days consisting of traveling to Paris via the Chunnel, to Amsterdam (trains are great in Europe!), then back to Great Britain. Trained up to Scotland, down to Liverpool and boarded the fast ferry out of Holyhead over to Dublin. Spent a few days in County Cork, Ireland before going to Wales (great fish & chips) and then took a train back to London for our return flight. And yes, on the Concorde!

🤿 Want to learn more? Dive deeper into Deon's must-dos, must-don'ts, and trip expenses here.

P.S. Have your own epic trip you’d like to share? Tell us about it here for a chance to be featured in next Wednesday’s newsletter.

When ten-year-old Reid Habbart released a note tied to a bunch of balloons from his home in Kansas, he wasn't sure if ever he'd receive a response. 

Reid's dad figured the balloons might fly a few miles away, or if they were lucky, maybe soar over to Nebraska. They never dreamed they would make it all the way across country borders. 

• But nearly 1,900 miles away, in Cree nation territory up north in Canada, Reid's note drifted down.

📝 Finders, keepers... The balloons were found by 51-year-old David Bertie Longchap as he was out hunting. "Hi, my name is Reid," read the note. I'm 10-years-old and I live in Manhattan, Kansas… These are my sister's balloons. If you find these, please write me."

• David wrote back, and the two have become official penpals; David is even teaching Reid all about the unique Cree culture.

Below are the top-five female musical artists of all time – at least according to number of records sold. Rank them in the order of most- to least-sold.

• Mariah Carey
• Whitney Houston
• Madonna
• Taylor Swift
• Rihanna

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 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.

1. Madonna
2. Rihanna
3. Mariah Carey
4. Taylor Swift
5. Whitney Houston

Source: Wikipedia