Good morning. In this edition:

• 🚫 America’s record-low drinking
• 🧠 This week’s news quiz
• 🤖 Scientists are teaching AI to be evil

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.44-minute read (916 words).

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“Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity.”

–Augustine "Og" Mandino II (1923-1996)

For the first time since Prohibition ended, nearly half of Americans are saying “no thanks” to booze, according to new Gallup polling published Wednesday. To pour over the data:

• Just 54% of US adults say they consume alcohol, the lowest figure in the survey’s 90-year history.
• It marks a relatively sharp decrease from 1997 to 2023, when at least 60% of Americans regularly raised a glass.
• Even Americans who do drink are trending towards moderation. A record-low 24% say they had a drink in the past 24 hours, while 40% say they haven’t had alcohol in over a week—the highest percentage since 2000.

A partisan split has also emerged. For decades, Gallup found little difference in the percentages of Republicans and Democrats saying they drink alcohol. But that’s changed over the past two years, with a sharp drop in reported drinking among Republicans (down 19 points, to 46%) but not Democrats (holding fairly steady at 61%).

A healthy decline

Researchers say these new results coincide with a growing body of research published in recent years that indicates alcohol has zero health benefits—and that consumption could actually pose a health hazard, regardless of the amount.

This guidance marks a sharp reversal from previous scientific recommendations that moderate drinking could offer some protective benefits. And it seems consumers are picking up what’s being put down (or more accurately, putting down what’s been picked up).

• A record-high 53% of Americans currently think moderate drinking is harmful to their health, up from 28% as recently as 2018, according to Gallup.

But…It may not be the last call for alcohol, as younger generations are increasingly finishing their whiskeys and beers. A new survey from IWSR Bevtrac found the proportion of Gen Z adults at a legal drinking age who consumed alcohol in the past six months rose from 46% to 70% between March 2023 and March 2025, bringing them in-line with other generations.

📊 Flash poll: To all our readers of legal drinking age: do you personally consume alcohol, or are you a total abstainer?

• Yes, I consume alcohol
• No, I’m a total abstainer
• I’m too young to drink

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Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

🤖 There are currently 498 AI “unicorns”—private companies with valuations of $1+ billion—around the world worth a combined $2.7 trillion, according to CB Insights.

🎰 Las Vegas saw an 11.3% decrease in tourists this June compared to last year, or ~400,000 fewer visitors.

🗣️ Influencers, podcasters, and authors have sold nearly 500% more tickets so far this year compared to 2024, per new StubHub data.

🌎 817 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, defined as earning less than $3/day, new figures show.

🎶 Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was officially announced on August 12, at 12:12 am ET, after a 12-pic carousel on Instagram. Purely coincidence, to be sure.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🥦 Fresh and dry vegetables see 38.9% price increase from June to July, per new federal data; it marks the largest monthly jump since 2022.
• 💰 Intel and the Trump admin reportedly discussing the possibility of the US gov’t taking a financial stake in the troubled chip giant. | Berkshire Hathaway reveals new ~$1.6 billion stake in UnitedHealth.
• ✈️ Air Canada cancels most of ~700 daily flights ahead of planned Saturday strike by its flight attendant union; total shutdown would affect ~130,000 passengers/day.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Fat & Weird Cookie

• 🏟 The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics to sell nami ng rights to the competition venues, a first for the Olympic Games.
• 🏆 77th Emmy Awards unveils winners in select categories; Beyoncé wins her first Emmy for costume design for Netflix's Beyoncé Bowl NFL halftime special.
• 🪦 Wednesday Season 2, Part 2 receives first trailer ahead of Sept. 3 premiere date; the four episodes in S2 Part 1 racked up 50 million views in its first week.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖 Leaked internal Meta document reveals the company's AI chatbots were allowed to engage in "sensual" or "romantic" conversations with minors; company says it has since struck the guideline. | Samsung is reportedly developing AI-powered smartglasses without a display that could launch in late 2026.
• 🦠 Brain-eating amoeba found in Missouri resident who water-skiied at Lake of the Ozarks; amoeba can cause a rare, but nearly always fatal brain infection.
• 💊 MIT researchers use AI to design two entirely new antibiotics that could kill drug-resistant gonorrhea and MRSA. | New treatment involving unique drug delivery system cured 82% of bladder cancer patients in recent clinical trial.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🌍 President Trump to meet with Russian President Putin in Alaska later today to discuss potential ceasefire in Ukraine war; Trump promised European leaders ahead of meeting that he won’t negotiate territorial issues with Putin.
• 🗳️ California Democrats to move forward with redistricting effort to gain more US House seats; Gov. Gavin Newsom says the move aims to counter-act a similar Republican effort in Texas.
• 🏛️ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces plans to open second immigration detention facility, as federal judge considers whether “Alligator Alcatraz” violates environmental laws.

☝️ China’s first all-service robot store recently opened in a high-tech district of Beijing. See more photos here.

🤔 Did You Know? In 1908, six cars left New York for a 22,000-mile race to Paris—crossing three continents with a little help from steamships—in the first-ever automobile race around the world. Only three finished, with the single American car (a Thomas Flyer model) claiming victory.

📰 Worth a Read: Does progress seem slower when you constantly check on it?

🖱️ Clickbait: Five astounding ways humans are driving animal evolution

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How well did you pay attention this week? Find out here.

🎶 An era past: Dive into the rise and fall of music ringtones.

🏎️ Sorry, Batman: This is actually the first car that can be driven upside down.

🤖 That’s one approach: Scientists want to prevent AI from going rogue by teaching it to be bad first.

🤓 #Sporty: Stay “in the know” on the world of sports with The GIST, who provide equal coverage to both women’s and men’s sports with a fresh female perspective. Subscribe today.*

✈️ For travelers: Chris’s Newsletter delivers weekly money hacks, travel upgrades, and deals you'll wish you knew sooner. Subscribe today.*

*A message from our partners

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

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Jalapeno chile
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Rice
• Chicken stock
• Water
• Mint leaves
• Cilantro
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Cooking spray
• Oreos
• Salt
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Powered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy cream
• Cold milk
• Instant chocolate pudding mix
• Chocolate shavings

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Flatbreads
• Olive oil
• Garlic cloves
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kalamata olives
• Red onion
• Pepperoncini
• Feta cheese
• Oregano

☝️ Recipe #1: Spicy zucchini soup

✌️ Recipe #2: Chocolate delight

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Mediterranean flatbread