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“People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.”

–Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Hollywood may have duped us yet again.

Michael Oher, the retired NFL player whose upbringing was chronicled in The Blind Side, filed a lawsuit this week alleging he was never actually adopted by the Tuohys (the family that took him in), and that they made millions from his story by tricking him into entering a conservatorship, which allowed the family to have the legal authority to make business deals and decisions in his name.

A quick timeline:

• 2003: Oher, while attending a private Christian school in Memphis, is named Tennessee’s Division II Lineman of the Year, first team All-State, and a five-star football recruit. Because of his unstable housing situation, Oher frequently stayed over at the homes of his classmates, including the Tuohys.
• 2004: The Tuohys and Oher enter into a conservatorship, which Oher wrote in his 2011 book: "They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account."
• 2006: Michael Lewis publishes The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which focuses on Oher’s story and the importance of the left-tackle position in modern-day football.

Per the petition filed by Oher, the Tuohy family began negotiating a movie deal shortly after the release of Lewis’ book in 2006.

Oher alleges that while he unknowingly signed (or potentially didn’t even sign) away the rights to his life story for free in 2007, a deal was reached to pay the Tuohys and their two children $225,000 each, plus 2.5% of future defined net proceeds of the film. The Blind Side, released in 2009, went on to gross more than $300 million at the global box office.

💬 The family’s response: Steve Farese, a lawyer for the Tuohys, told The AP they’ll file an answer to the allegations in court. Sean Tuohy told The Daily Memphian the conservatorship was done to satisfy the NCAA as Oher considered Tuohy’s alma mater Ole Miss for college, and that he and his wife would end it if that’s what Oher wants.

👀 Looking ahead… Oher is seeking to end the Tuohys' conservatorship and bar them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks a full accounting of the money the Tuohys earned using Oher's name, and to have the couple pay him his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

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🇨🇳 Chinese scientists claim to have developed a laser weapon that can fire indefinitely. While laser technology has existed since 1960, the high-energy beams typically produce too much excess heat over time, causing damage to the laser chamber and reducing the quality of the beam. But Chinese military scientists say they recently developed a new cooling system allowing high-intensity lasers to fire indefinitely, though their results have yet to be verified outside of China. Both the US and China have spent years trying to develop laser weapons that can shoot fast-moving aerial targets at the speed of light at a lower cost than interceptor missiles.

🇷🇺 The Russian ruble is at its lowest level since the early days of the Ukraine War. The value of a single ruble fell below $0.01 yesterday, continuing a slide that’s erased about one-third of the currency’s value since January. Analysts say the ruble’s recent decline is being driven by increased domestic defense spending and falling exports – particularly in the oil and natural gas sector, which has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western governments since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

🇦🇺🍄 An Australian woman at the center of a deadly mushroom mystery has given her account of the events. The ongoing case is centered around a mushroom lunch, prepared by the woman, that was attended by four relatives of her estranged husband (who was also invited but declined). In the days following the lunch, three of the four attendees died and a fourth was hospitalized in critical condition due to suspected poisoning from death cap mushrooms, which grow freely in the surrounding area. The woman, who is being treated as a suspect, sent a letter to police this week saying she purchased the mushrooms from an Asian supermarket and that she also fell ill after eating the meal.

Federal student loans will start accruing interest next month for the first time in more than three years. And, once payments officially resume on October 1, a large portion of the 44 million US borrowers are worried about their ability to make ends meet.

According to a new Credit Karma/The Harris Poll survey, more than half of all borrowers (56%) say they’ll soon be forced to choose between making loan payments or covering necessities like rent and groceries. That figure includes 68% of borrowers with household incomes under $50,000, as well as 45% of borrowers with household incomes above $100,000.

Some other findings:

• 45% of borrowers expect their loans to enter delinquency when payments resume (though late penalties won’t be assessed for a one-year period).
• October will mark the first time that 36% of borrowers have ever had to make any payments toward their federal student loans.
• 44% of borrowers do not think the value gained from higher education in the US is worth the cost to attend.

📸 Big picture: The upcoming student-loan restart is projected to have a ripple effect across the US economy, as potentially billions of dollars each month start flowing towards student debt and away from retailers, credit card balances, medical debt, and other sectors, per the WSJ.

This year, Americans have been popping on red berets and traveling internationally at rates rivaling pre-pandemic times. And they’re shelling out cash to do so in comfort.

According to data reported by CNBC, economy seats currently account for ~79% of airline tickets sold between the US and Europe, down from ~82% in 2018. However, people paying for premium seating – which includes everything from extra legroom seats to international business class, and can cost 2x-5x more than economy – is on the rise.

• In 2009, ~9% of the tickets Delta sold were premium seats. The airline expects that number to be 30% in 2024.
• To meet demand, American Airlines is working to increase premium seating on its long-haul aircraft by more than 45% before 2026. And they’re not alone.
• Other major airlines in the US have also announced plans to modify planes to increase the amount of premium seating on flights anywhere between 25%–75%.

📸🗺️ Big picture: Demand for domestic travel is starting to flatten, but according to estimates from AAA, international travel bookings for 2023 were up 40% year-over-year through May.

The top destinations for Americans wanting to have their Emily in Paris moment? Spain, Italy, Greece, and – of course – France.

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💬 Quoted… "We've had rats the size of Crocs just running up and down the street. Like a Croc shoe? An average size eight, running up and down the street.”

• New York City keeps cracking down on its rat problem. The Big Apple celebrated its first Anti-Rat Day of Action in Harlem on Saturday, where city officials and nonprofit organizations gathered to instruct residents on how to cut off rats’ natural food sources and habitats.

🍿 Stat of the Day: $50 million = how much money Margot Robbie, the star and producer of Barbie, stands to earn in salary and box office bonuses from the film, Variety reports. Barbie has earned $1.18 billion and counting at the global box office since its debut on July 26.

🤔 Did You Know?... The price of a Disney World ticket has increased 3,871% over the past 50 years; US inflation rose ~630% during that time.

📰 Worth a Read: Ozempic Settles the Obesity Debate: It’s Biology Over Willpower → (WSJ)

• ☝️ Photographer Barry Butler recently captured this image of a triple lightning strike in Chicago that hit the John Hancock Center, Trump Chicago, and Sears Tower all at the same time.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Chartr

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board (S&P: +0.6%; Dow: +0.1%; Nasdaq: +1.1%).
• 🏦🏠 UBS agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement related to its offering of residential mortgage-backed securities dating back to the global financial crisis; it’s the final case brought by prosecutors over misconduct in the mid-2000s related to the sale of mortgage-backed securities by big banks.
• 🏗️💗 A steel business love triangle: Esmark made a $7.8 billion all-cash offer to acquire United States Steel yesterday, one day after United States Steel rebuffed an acquisition offer from Cleveland-Cliffs valuing the company at $7.3 billion.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈 The preseason AP Top 25 college football poll was released yesterday; two-time reigning champ Georgia occupies the top spot, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, and LSU.
• 📺 Hollywood studios have reportedly made a new offer to striking screenwriters that includes concessions on a range of issues, including the use of artificial intelligence and access to viewer data.
• 🎮 Netflix is launching a beta test of its new video game service that allows subscribers to play games on any Netflix-capable device at no additional cost.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Flume

• 🍄 The first professional guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy were published last week by the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association.
• 📝 People who underwent gender-affirming chest reconstruction surgeries as adults have virtually no regrets several years later, as well as overwhelmingly high levels of satisfaction, per a new peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Surgery.
• 🦑 Marine researchers in the Antarctic Ocean recently discovered a new species of strawberry-like invertebrate with a total of 20 arms.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• ⚖️ A Montana state court yesterday ruled in favor of a group of young people who claimed the state's policies violated their constitutional right to a clean environment by prohibiting agencies from considering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
• 🏫🚌 Kentucky’s largest school district, located in Louisville, canceled classes indefinitely after “disastrous” new bus routes had children arriving home as late as 10 pm last week.
• 🚨 A group of up to 50 people, some armed with bear spray, swarmed a Los Angeles mall on Saturday and stole ~$100,000 worth of luxury handbags and high-end clothing.

CLICKBAIT

• 💪 The shortest workout ever: 3 seconds of exercise 3 times a week grows muscle.

Yesterday, we covered new CDC data that found nearly 50,000 Americans died from suicide in 2022, the highest number in recorded history.

❓ Our question to you (long-form): In your opinion, what steps should the US take to reduce the amount of suicides among its population?

• “Start a health campaign that rewards spending time off line and away from social media; advertise resources for free mental health care and make insurance companies cover it in basic policies; and work on improving the economy, which is a major stressor towards suicide.”
• “Transition to universal free healthcare that also includes mental, dental, and eye care. We are the only 1st world nation without it, and one hospital visit even with insurance can bankrupt anyone.”
• “Expand mental health services and make them accessible. Support the professionals who do this type of work. Benefits should be true benefits and not the kind with all of the stipulations and loopholes, and everyone should have the same baseline package.”

Click here to read more of the best responses from yesterday’s poll.

+Note on sample size: We received 775 longform responses.

+IMPORTANT: If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Earlier this year, Andrew Silverwood in England rescued an injured crow from the side of the road.

The kind rescuer placed the crow in a hutch, along with his wife's five rabbits, as they rehabilitated him. They thought the bird would heal from his injuries and be released back to the wild.

Jake the Crow had other plans. 

🐦🐰 Just call him a Crabbit? Rab-ow??... It quickly became evident that Jake was bonding with the bunnies. The crow began to hop around the cage and squak at the rabbits as if they were his mother. 

• Even now, Andrew always leaves the door open for Jake to fly home, but it seems the crow is content to stay put. 
• “The rabbits have accepted Jake as one of their own,” said Andrew. “He really does think he’s [one of them].”

❓ Trivia: Which famous guitar player teamed up with Michael Jackson for his 1982 song "Beat It?"

🐸 True or False?... A group of toads is called a bloat.

🤔 Riddle Me This… What keeps working after it’s been broken?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

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Start referring.👇

❓ Trivia: Eddie Van Halen 

🎓 T/F: False, they're called a knot.

🤔 Riddle: A heart (an escalator is also accepted)