Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🧑‍🏫 America’s teachers are increasingly feeling burnt out
• 🏞️ The National Park Service received its largest-ever donation
• 🏈 The NFL’s private equity vote

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~5.01-minute read (1,332 words).

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

"Take the attitude of a student. Never be too big to ask questions. Never know too much to learn something new."

–Augustine "Og" Mandino (1923-1996)

Students across the US are showing up to school for the first time, and their teachers are facing the usual mix of excitement and jitters.

However, a growing portion of teachers also report feeling demoralized, exhausted, and burnt out before the school year even starts.

By the numbers: The share of US teachers who say the stress and disappointment of the job are “worth it” currently stands at 42%, or 21 percentage points lower than all other college-educated workers, per a recent survey by nonprofit think tank Rand.

• That figure is down from 72% in 2018, the last year data is available before the pandemic.
• Additionally, US teacher exit rates have reached new highs over the past two years, according to data from several states.

Driving the trend... In recent surveys and interviews, teachers say the single biggest driver of burnout is having to manage students’ misbehavior. Challenges cited by educators include policing cell phone usage in class, dealing with AI-powered cheating, and handling a recent spike in mental-health issues among students.

Low pay was also consistently cited as a major source of teacher stress. Nationally, average US teaching salaries fell 6% between 2019-2021 after adjusting for inflation, and have continued to lag behind most other professions over the past two-and-a-half years.

Big picture: As teachers across the country report increasing rates of burnout and stress, school districts are also scrambling to deal with a nationwide teacher shortage for all levels. Last year, 86% of all US public school districts said they struggled to hire teachers – a trend projected to continue for the foreseeable future, largely due to declining interest in teaching among US college students.

📊 Flash poll (long-form): Calling all 25,000+ classrooms using the DONUT: How would you deal with increasing rates of burnout and stress among teachers in America? The most thoughtful answers will be featured in tomorrow’s newsletter.

• Submit a response here.

Make your life easier with Armoire clothing rental, featuring hundreds of premium brands and styles ranging from casual to professional.

Keeping your closet refreshed has never been simpler…

1. ❓ Take their quiz so they can get to know you’re style
2. 🤔 Choose your items from a dynamic and personalized closet recommended by their algorithm and personal stylists
3. ✨ Wear and enjoy
4. 🔄️ Swap when you’re ready for new items – enjoy your current styles until your new case arrives

Founded by women for women, Armoire empowers you to look your best without the endless shopping. Plans start at just $89/mo and include free shipping, cleaning, and styling.

Save 50% on your first month of Armoire – take the style quiz here.

🇲🇦 Morocco unveiled plans to build what’s touted as the world’s largest soccer stadium. According to developers, the 247-acre Grand Stade Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, will feature a record-high capacity of 115,000 fans (for reference: the largest US football stadium, Michigan’s “The Big House,” has an official capacity of 107,600). Moroccan officials say they hope to finish the stadium in time to host the 2030 men’s FIFA World Cup final.

🇬🇧 British band Oasis is reuniting for a tour of the UK and Ireland. Oasis, best known for its hit song “Wonderwall,” broke up in 2009 following a feud between sibling members Liam and Noel Gallagher. The rock band is massively popular in Britain; it produced the best-selling UK album of the ‘90s, and also saw 4+% of Britain’s entire population apply to attend a local festival in 1996. Tickets for Oasis shows across the UK and Ireland in 2025 go on sale this Saturday, with the band planning to unveil tours outside of Europe later next year.

🇳🇴🇪🇸 Ikea is trialing a secondhand online marketplace in Spain and Norway. The marketplace, called Ikea Preowned, allows customers to buy and sell used Ikea items, positioning the Swedish furniture giant as a direct competitor to sites like eBay and Craigslist. Sellers on Ikea Preowned have the option to either get paid directly, or receive a company gift card with an extra 15% added to the purchase price. Ikea plans to roll out the online marketplace globally by this December.

Pass a park ranger or 14-er enthusiast on the street, and you’ll probably hear them singing “Good Day Sunshine” by the Beatles.

On Monday, the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of the National Park Service, received a record $100 million donation from an endowment created by pharma giant Eli Lilly, its largest since being founded in 1967.

Parks could use the money. The US national park system – which encompasses 430+ areas including national parks, memorials, rivers, trails, and more – is currently facing a $23+ billion maintenance backlog due to unfunded projects.

Other issues exist as well:

• Park maintenance and personnel is declining. Park staffing has declined 20% between 2010 and 2023, while park visitation rose 16% over the same period, leaving less staff to oversee more visitors (and more land). In all, the National Park Service manages 85+ million acres of protected lands, which span across every state in the US and are frequented by 320+ million visitors annually.
• More ecosystems and wildlife are classified as threatened. A 2021 NPS study found 57% of national parks in the Lower 48 states are at high risk from at least one high-impact factor (fire, drought, sea level rise, forest pests/disease, etc.).

This all 👆 comes amid a declining budget. This year, the NPS will receive $150 million less than in 2023.

👀 Looking ahead… The new funds are earmarked for several priorities, including conservation efforts in Florida and grants to facilitate more visits from young people.

Whether perfecting the look for your dorm, studio, or a full home makeover, Spoak has the design tools you need…

• ✏️ Plan out your design dreams with Spoak’s drawing tools
• 🛍️ Source gorgeous fixtures and furniture right inside Spoak
• ✨ Transform your floor plan into a full 2D visualization using their intuitive software
• 💕 Invite friends to collab on your project

Hailed as “One of the best design software programs out there right now” by Architectural Digest, you can try a free demo of Spoak right on their site.

Save 45% on your first month of Spoak with code POWDERDONUT.

"All it is is a silent position that would allow access to capital.”

NFL owners channeled Cuba Gooding Jr. yesterday👆, voting 31-1 to alter the league’s ownership rules to allow private equity firms to show them the money and purchase minority stakes in franchises.

However, the private equity fox isn’t quite allowed all the way in the henhouse (at least not yet) – these new rules have numerous guardrails in place to prevent private equity funds from influencing daily operations, including a 10% cap on ownership and an investment holding period of at least six years.

In the know: Team owners or their immediate family members can also invest up to 3% in a fund – and funds can own stakes in up to six teams. This means franchise owners can, in theory, indirectly own pieces of opposing teams. The NFL also plans to take a percentage of the profits PE firms make on transactions.

Big picture: The NFL (avg. franchise value: $6 billion) is the last of the major US sports leagues to allow private equity funding. Over the past 20 years, the league’s total value has risen 710% to reach $190 billion, according to Sportico. The S&P 500 has risen ~660% during the same period.

👀 Looking ahead… College football – the next private equity frontier?

• ☝️ Citadel CEO Ken Griffin unveiled plans for the hedge fund’s new 1.7 million-square-foot headquarters in downtown Miami; it’ll take the form of a 54-story glass tower with two restaurants, a rooftop hotel, and a public waterfront terrace.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with JadeYoga

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board (S&P: +0.2%; Dow: +0.02%; Nasdaq: +0.2%) | 📈 US consumer confidence rose to a six-month high in August, per new data from the Conference Board.
• 🚫💰 Edgar Bronfman Jr. withdrew his $6 billion bid for Paramount Global, paving the way for the entertainment giant to merge with Skydance as planned. | 🤖📝 Super Micro Computer is the target of a new report from short seller Hindenburg Research, which accuses the AI server maker of "accounting manipulation."
• 🏘️ Average US home prices rose 5.4% over the year-long period ending in June to reach a new record high, per the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index.

*From our partners: 🏆🧘‍♀️ Discover the ultimate yoga experience… JadeYoga makes the world’s best performing, most environmentally friendly yoga mats and gives back to the earth for each item sold. Natural rubber provides ideal grip, comfort, weight, and unmatched resilience. Explore JadeYoga.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎙️🏈 Travis and Jason Kelce signed a three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery worth ~$100 million for the distribution rights to their New Heights podcast.
• 🏜️ Paramount is in active negotiations for a sixth season of Yellowstone that won’t feature Kevin Costner, per multiple reports.
• 🎶 Martin Shkreli, aka “Pharma Bro,” was ordered by a federal judge to turn over all copies of Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album; the order is part of a lawsuit from crypto collective PleasrDAO, which previously purchased the album’s “only” known copy from Shkreli for $4.75 million.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Niphtio

• 🐋🫧 Humpback whales can skillfully blow bubbles that confuse and snare their tiny prey, per a new study; this method allows the whales to capture up to 7x more prey in a single feeding dive without using extra energy.
• 🦟🦠 A New Hampshire resident recently died after being infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus, according to state health authorities.
• 🚀 The estimated cost to build a launch tower for a larger version of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket – which will bring humans back to the Moon – is now $2.7 billion, or 50% larger than previous estimates, per a new inspector general report.

*From our partners: 🌊 Lost in a sea of open tabs?... You need Niphtio – the smart way to save and organize bookmarks. Easily save multiple tabs, attach notes, and search them later. Perfect for study/research. Get Niphtio for any browser or device FREE here.

MISCELLANEOUS

• ⚖️ A federal judge in Texas paused a Biden administration policy that would grant legal status to unauthorized immigrants who are spouses of US citizens without them having to first leave the country.
• 🏛️📲 In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was “wrong” for the Biden administration to pressure the social media company to censor Covid-related content in 2021; Zuckerberg also said he doesn’t plan to repeat efforts to fund nonprofits that help states conduct elections like he did in 2020 (to the tune of $400+ million). (The letter)
• 📝 Former President Trump is facing a new criminal indictment filed yesterday by special counsel Jack Smith related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election; Smith says the case was refashioned to conform to the Supreme Court’s July ruling granting sweeping immunity to former presidents; Trump faces the same four federal offenses he was originally charged with. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 📧🏖️ The Out-of-Office Reply That Says ‘Stay Out of My Inbox.’

🧾 Stat of the Day: Someone better call Ben Affleck – because America has an accountant problem. Since 2019, the overall number of accountants in the US has fallen by 18% to reach 1.6 million, per a recent Bloomberg analysis. And the trend shows no signs of slowing. An estimated 75% of existing US accountants are at retirement age, while the number of new candidates who took the CPA exam this year was the lowest since 2006.

🤔 Did You Know? The Magna Carta, issued in June 1215, was the first known document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law.

📰 Worth a Read: How to Strengthen Your Happiness Muscle → (NY Times)

Matt and Karen Smith became empty nesters 16 years ago after their youngest son went off to college. The Seattle-based couple loved to vacation in Europe whenever they could, but over the last couple of years, they decided to explore something a little closer to home: every single US National Park in the country. 

✈️ The couple started their journey two years ago, traveling to the parks closest to Seattle. Now, they've officially crossed all 63 official "National Parks" off their list, completing a journey they say has given them a newfound appreciation for America.

• “We had almost seen every country in Europe, but we never really saw what was in our own backyard. Before we did this, we wouldn't have been able to name all the national parks – and now we’ve visited them. It is such a life-changing experience.”

The DONUT + Chalo cowboy boot giveaway is winding down, but you still have time to take advantage.

Enter free for a chance to win gorgeous boots that suit everything from a night out to everyday life, or wherever the adventure takes you.

• The winner gets a free pair of boots plus a 30-minute consultation with Chalo’s founder. The runner-up will get a 20% discount.

Also, tell your friends to enter… the top referrer gets a 15% discount.

Enter FREE here.

What are the three highest-rated television shows of all time (according to IMDb)? Hint: Two answers are docuseries from the same franchise.

Working your way towards a sweet tumbler? Airpods? The $100 gift card? Good news – prizes stack, so when you’re emailed to claim your prizes, you don’t have to wait. Just reply to this email for more info or with any questions🍩✌️.

1. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
2. Planet Earth II (2016)
3. Planet Earth (2006)

Source