Good morning, and Happy Friday the 13th. In today’s edition:

• 📝 Breaking down the gender wage gap
• ☕ Keurig pays an SEC fine over recycling claims
• 📱 Uncle Sam, the data hog

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.64-minute read (1,235 words).

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

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

–Lao Tzu (b. ~571 B.C.)

Last year, US men and women both saw their respective paychecks get fatter, on average – but the wage gap between genders also widened for the first time in over two decades, per new Census Bureau figures published this week.

Let’s break it down: Census data shows median earnings for US men rose at an annual rate of 3% last year, compared to 1.5% for women. Overall, the median woman working full-time in 2023 made $55,240, compared to a salary of $66,790 for the median man (or 83% as much).

• This ratio is above pre-pandemic levels, but down slightly from 84% in 2022.
• When it comes to all earners, including those in part-time/seasonal roles, the median female worker made 75% as much compared to the median male last year.

Driving the trend

Analysts widely attribute America’s existing – and growing – gender wage gap to two main factors:

1. Many women juggle the dual responsibilities of work and child care. As such, they tend to occupy jobs that accommodate this schedule, which are typically lower-paid roles. It also means women are more likely to take time off from work due to child care, which further depresses their average wages. Overall, men worked ~3 hours/week more than women on average in 2022.
2. The composition of America’s female workforce is slowly shifting. There was an influx of Hispanic women joining the labor force in 2023, as well as younger women and/or those new to the labor market – all of whom tend to earn less than the average female employee.

Bottom line: America’s gender wage gap doesn't mean women earn less than men for the same occupation (though that does happen). Instead, it serves as an indicator of broader trends in the labor market and US society as a whole.

📊 Flash poll (long-form): What steps, if any, do you think the US government should take to address America’s gender wage gap?

• Click here to leave a response.

Performance Polos from NoNetz are unlike anything you’ve ever worn – featuring a 3-step system to keep you cooler than a cucumber even in brutal heat…

• ❄️ Cooling minerals reduces skin temperature
• 💧 Advanced moisture-wicking material keeps you fresh
• 🌬️ Breathable fabric specially engineered to maximize airflow
• 🎨 Available in a variety of trending colors

NoNetz’s mission is to harmonize comfort, style, and sustainability. Every purchase helps clean the environment, and they prioritize sustainable practices every step of the way.

Save 15% on NoNetz with code DONUT15.

🇬🇧📜 British researchers say they’ve deciphered the oldest map of the world. The Imago Mundi is a ~2,600-year-old Babylonian clay tablet that contains a circular map depicting ancient Mesopotamia – located in modern-day Iraq – as well as other written inscriptions. According to a recent video from the British Museum, its researchers have deciphered the tablet and found several paragraphs describing the Babylonians’ beliefs in the creation of Earth, including a reference to a king who survived an epic flood (similar to Noah’s Ark).

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia launched a major counterattack to recapture its territory from Ukraine. Russia says it recaptured 10 settlements in its Kursk border region since launching the counterattack on Tuesday. Yesterday, Ukrainian forces confirmed the counterattack and said they had shot down 44 out of 64 drones launched by Russia. As of last week, Ukraine had captured ~100 settlements and ~500 square miles of territory in Russia's Kursk region, per President Volodymyr Zelensky.

🇺🇬 Uganda has seen a recent uptick in coffee bean heists. In recent years, a cost-of-living crisis in Uganda combined with surging prices for coffee – both locally and globally – have driven thieves to snatch unharvested beans straight from trees at night, with local farmers saying such thefts have recently reached unprecedented levels. In response, farmers are increasingly investing in security measures like dogs and bee hives to scare thieves away.

They say convenience comes at a cost – just ask Keurig. This week, the SEC fined the maker of the oh-so-convenient K-Cup pods $1.5 million for withholding information about its products’ recyclability.

• The fine is related to statements made by Keurig in 2019 and 2020, when the company claimed its K-Cup pods could be "effectively recycled," even though two of the largest US recycling companies had doubts and refused to accept them.
• The SEC accused Keurig of withholding this information from investors in violation of securities law, which requires companies to make accurate disclosures.

This withholding also impacted the company’s sales positively, per the SEC. K-Cup sales made up a significant portion of the company’s coffee sales in 2019 and 2020, and internal company research showed environmental concerns about pod disposal were a significant factor for consumers thinking about buying Keurig machines, the WSJ reports.

• As part of the arrangement, Keurig will pay the fine, but did not formally accept nor decline the SEC’s claims of withholding information.

♻️ Par for the course: Oftentimes, items marked recyclable that end up in the recycling bin aren’t actually recycled. Only an estimated 5% to 6% of used plastics are recycled each year in the US, with the rest ending up in landfills next to your trash ex-boyfriend.

Healthy eating shouldn’t require hours in the kitchen, nor should it require you to choke down bland meals day after day.

• 🥕 Purple Carrot is changing the game with fully plant-based meals that taste great and will help you feel like the best version of yourself.
• 🍂 This fall, they’re making the deal sweeter by offering five new meals packed with seasonal ingredients.

Transform your meals this season. Use code ONTHEGO30 for $30 off your first order.

“This new online system is brilliant.”

Your key to traveling the real world can now be secured in the digital world. The State Department’s recent pilot program for online passport renewals has proven so successful, the agency is increasing the number of applications it accepts each day, officials told the Washington Post this week.

• Since mid-June, the agency has successfully processed 175,000 Americans’ passport applications using the online portal.
• US officials say they expect that figure to eventually reach 5+ million/year – though they haven’t revealed when the program will exit beta-testing and become a permanent feature.

In the know: The State Department’s online renewal program takes about 15 minutes to complete – but the processing time is the same as all other US passport applications, ranging from six to eight weeks.

📝 Zoom out: Last fiscal year, the US government issued 24+ million passport books and cards, the highest total on record going back five decades.

• ☝️ The 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards announced its winning images yesterday, which will go on exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in November.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Flip Side by Game Show Network

• 💰 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +0.7%; Dow: +0.6%; Nasdaq: +1.0%).
• 🚫 33,000 Boeing production workers voted to strike yesterday; the strike began overnight. | ✈️ American Airlines flight attendants ratified a new five-year labor deal yesterday; cabin crews will receive immediate ~20% raises.
• 🤝 Mastercard is acquiring Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, for $2.65 billion. | 🏦 JP Morgan and Bank of America are reportedly planning to limit and track young bankers' hours more stringently; a previous Wall Street Journal investigation detailed a culture of overwork on Wall Street, with some young bankers putting in 100-hour weeks.

*From our partners: 🥳 Flip Side premieres Monday on Game Show Network… An exciting new addition to Game Show Network, Flip Side, hosted by Jaleel White, challenges players to guess how different groups of people feel about the same issue. Watch the Flip Side trailer.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈 Thursday Night Football: The Bills beat the Dolphins 31-10. | 👀 The NFL drew an average of 21 million viewers per game in Week 1, its most-ever for opening week.
• 📣 The Pac-12 conference announced plans to add Boise St., Colorado St., Fresno St., and San Diego St. starting in 2026; it would bring the Pac-12 to six teams, along with existing members Oregon St. and Washington St.; the Pac-12 has two years to increase its membership to eight – or lose its status as an NCAA conference.
• ⚖️ Harvey Weinstein was indicted on unspecified new charges by a New York grand jury; the disgraced media mogul was previously convicted in New York of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sex act, but his conviction was overturned in April; Weinstein is also facing a separate 16-year prison sentence in Los Angeles.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Armoire

• 🤖 OpenAI unveiled o1, a new AI model representing the first of an upcoming series of “reasoning models”; o1, nicknamed Strawberry, is reportedly better at complex math, science, and coding questions than OpenAI’s previous iterations.
• 🧑‍🚀 A new record was set this week for the most people orbiting Earth at one time (19), following the launch of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission. | 🚀 Speaking of Polaris Dawn: Its crew successfully conducted the first-ever commercial spacewalk early yesterday morning.
• 🌎 Earth’s worst mass extinction in history – which killed off ~90% of all living species around 250 million years ago – may have been caused by a supercharged El Niño cycle, per a new study.

*From our partners: ✨👗 Make life easier with Armoire… Enjoy designer clothes from hundreds of premium brands with Armoire Clothing Rental – never worry about what to wear again. Starts at just $89/mo. Free shipping. Save up to 50% on your first month of Armoire.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🗽 NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigned yesterday; the move follows reports that Caban’s phone was seized as part of a federal investigation involving several members of NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle.
• 💰🗳️ Kalshi, a startup predictions market featuring wagers on real-world events, began taking bets on the 2024 US presidential election yesterday following a federal court ruling allowing such activity (at least temporarily). | 🗣️ Former President Trump yesterday said he won’t participate in a third presidential debate; the Harris campaign called for another debate with Trump in October following Tuesday’s contest.
• ⚖️ A Georgia judge dismissed two more counts in the election interference case against former President Trump, but separately upheld the charge of racketeering; Trump now faces eight total counts after originally being charged with 13. | 💻 The Justice Department is preparing criminal charges in connection with an Iranian hack that targeted Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, sources told the AP.

CLICKBAIT

• 🍫 5 Ways You Can Resist Food Cravings And Stick to Healthy Eating.

🌐📲 Stat of the Day: If Uncle Sam were on a family plan, he’d be the one member who causes everyone to hit their data cap three days into the month. The US used a record 100+ trillion megabytes of wireless data in 2023, representing a 26% increase over the previous year (the highest annual jump on record), according to a new industry survey.

🤔 Did You Know? The youngest person ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest was 13 years old, while the oldest person to do so was 80 years old.

📰 Worth a Read: Medieval theology has an old take on a new problem − AI responsibility → (The Conversation)

We bring you the most unusual, off-the-wall and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week.

• World's largest string cheese ball made in Mexico → (UPI)
• Shaq introduces new candy with his face on It → (FOX 59)
• Ancient Impact Crater Discovered on Google Maps? A Casual Click Could Unlock a Cosmic Mystery → (ZME Science)
• Austin's Central Market earns Guinness World Record for largest charcuterie board → (CBS Austin)
• Traffic jam: Grape spill causes sticky situation on Bear Mountain Boulevard → (BakersfieldNow)

Clowns are experts at fixing a funny bone – but they may be able to help treat pneumonia, too.

🏥 A recent study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Vienna tested the effects of twice-daily "medical clown" visits for children fighting pneumonia.

• While not as typical a treatment as antibiotics or other methods, the clown visits were fairly effective. 
• According to the study, the group of children visited by a medical clown had a shorter hospital stay (43.5 hours on average vs. 70 hours), and only needed two days of IV antibiotics treatment, compared to three days in the control group.

It turns out, laughter really is the best medicine.

🤔 Interesting: How social media posting correlates with healthy romantic relationships (hint: those always online happy couples probably aren’t all that happy).

💐 Fresh: Your next body wash could be made from flowers.

🍩 Admire: These artistic funk ceramic doughnuts.

📧 Read: ICYMI, we recently acquired a leading sports media platform. Subscribe free to the Press Sports newsletter, and get smarter about the sports world in just five minutes each week.

🧠 Expand: The bcc newsletter from Letterlist is the simplest way to discover other amazing newsletters. The fresh new Letterlist website also features in-depth interviews with writers like Dave Pell, Ann Handley, and Sari Azout.*

👍 Use: Ready to live anywhere, work anywere, and play everywhere? The PrideNomad Letter delivers business strategies and travel tips every Tuesday for LGBTQ+ digital nomads and those dreaming of the location-independent lifestyle. Subscribe free.*

*A message from our partners.

Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Whole milk
• Sugar
• Yeast
• Egg
• Egg yolk
• Flour
• Salt
• Butter
• Cooking spray
• Dark brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Apples
• Cream cheese
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Water
• Instant dashi powder
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Salt
• Soy sauce
• Mirin
• Canola oil
• Grated daikon

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Bell pepper
• Lean ground beef
• Jalapeno
• Tomato paste
• Mild chili powder
• Garlic
• Salt
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Fire-roasted tomatoes
• Green chiles
• Pinto beans
• Beef broth
• Pumpkin purée
• Lime

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🍩✌️.

☝️ Recipe #1: Apple cinnamon rolls

✌️ Recipe #2: Tamagoyaki

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Pumpkin chili