Good morning. In this edition:

• 🚫 Proposed Congress stock ban
• 🇨🇳 China could have hacked all Americans
• 🤖 Robot badminton

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.91-minute read (1,041 words).

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

"By seeking and blundering we learn."

–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of House members announced an agreement on a new bill that would ban members of Congress from trading or owning stocks—an effort to prevent profiting from insider knowledge.

It represents the strongest attempt to ban congressional stock-trading in recent years, with the bill’s supporters spanning the political spectrum.

• They include hardline conservatives like Reps. Chip Roy (TX) and Tim Burchett (TN)
• Moderate Republicans like Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
• And progressive Democrats like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and Pramila Jayapal (WA)

Quick background: Lawmakers are currently prohibited from using non-public information for private profit under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012. This also requires lawmakers to disclose any stock trades they make within 45 days.

However, the penalty for violating the STOCK Act’s disclosure requirements is a $200 fine, which critics say doesn’t go far enough to disincentivize such behavior.

This proposal aims to add some bite to that bark

The new measure would require lawmakers to sell all individual stocks within 180 days, even if those assets are held in a blind trust. Newly elected members of Congress would also have to divest of all individual stock holdings before being sworn in.

• Members who fail to divest would face a fine equivalent to 10% of the stock’s value, and also be forced to get rid of any profits from that investment.
• The proposed ban and all of its penalties also extends to lawmakers’ spouses and dependent children.
• However, it doesn’t cover any executive branch officials, including the President, unlike a similar bill from Sen. Josh Hawley, (R-MO) that advanced to committee in July.

But…Despite the growing momentum in support of a trading ban, significant pushback still exists in Congress. Opponents of the move, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), argue that it would result in fewer worthy candidates from the private sector who are willing to run for office, further increasing the number of career politicians in office.

Zoom out: Congressional stock trading has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, following disclosures that several lawmakers made highly profitable trades while receiving classified briefings warning of Covid’s danger to the US economy in early 2020. Additionally, certain lawmakers—or their spouses—are so active in the markets that traders have launched exchange-traded funds (ETFs) allowing ordinary Americans to mimic their moves.

📊 Flash poll: Which of the following best describes your opinion on how the financial investments of Congress and their immediate family should be governed?

• They should be allowed to participate in the market without insider info
• They shouldn’t own individual stocks, but other investments like ETFs are okay
• They shouldn’t own any market-based financial investments
• Unsure/other

People go to extremes to get their energy right, whether through medication or unhealthy amounts of caffeine. But what if there was an all-natural solution guaranteed to help you perform and feel your best?

• That’s MTE. Its ingredients are scientifically proven to support clean energy, sharper focus, and a better mood.

It’s effects are immediate without tradeoffs to your health. No crashes. No Jitters.

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

📊 For the first time in history, there are more exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed on the US market (4,400) than American public companies (4,200).

🏛️ 93% of Republicans currently approve of President Trump's job performance, compared to 1% of Democrats—a 92-point difference that matches the largest-ever partisan gap in Gallup polling history (seen in October 2020).

🎾 The US Open, which wraps up this weekend, sells one of its signature cocktails—called the Honey Deuce—every 15 seconds. The drink is responsible for $12+ million/year in revenue alone.

💊 1.13% of Americans subjected to randomized workplace drug tests last year tested positive for fentanyl, up from 0.91% in 2023 and double the rate in 2020, per Quest Diagnostics.

🇺🇸 Globally, average US favorability is currently at -3.24 percentage points, meaning more people have a negative view of the country than a positive one. In January, the US had a positive rating of 15.34 percentage points.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 Private US employers added 54,000 jobs in August; that’s below the 75,000 jobs expected by economists, and down from 104,000 in July; the Labor Dept.’s August jobs report is set to be released this morning.
• 🍺 Garage Beer, backed by Kelce brothers Travis and Jason, closes its first institutional round of funding in a deal valuing the company at ~$200 million.
• 🏛️ DOJ reportedly opens criminal investigation into Fed governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud; Cook is currently suing to block President Trump’s attempt to fire her last month. | Stephen Miran, Trump's pick for Fed board, faces Senate confirmation hearing.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Worthy

• 🙏 Giorgio Armani, the legendary Italian designer who ran a multi-billion-dollar fashion empire, dies at 91.
• 🏈 Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 to open the NFL season. | Ohio State-Texas was the most-watched Week 1 college football game in history, with Fox averaging 16.6 million viewers. | NFL RedZone to have “an incredibly small ad load” this season, starting with four 15-second spots across seven hours for Week 1.
• 🍿 Superman sequel announced by director/DC Films co-head James Gunn; release is set for July 2027. | The Office spinoff The Paper renewed for a second season ahead of yesterday’s series premiere on Peacock.

*From our partners: 💍 A new era in jewelry selling... Worthy guides your sale from start to finish—insured shipping, expert grading, and a personal auction manager help you get the best offer possible. Put your jewelry in the spotlight with Worthy today.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🐜 Queen Iberian harvester ant marks first-known organism that can give birth to children from two separate species; queens mate with males of another species and then clone them, per new study.
• ✈️ Amazon’s Project Kuiper announces deal to provide ~25% of JetBlue airplanes with in-flight Wi-Fi.
• 🚗 Alphabet-owned Waymo is expanding to Denver, Seattle, and San José Mineta International Airport (its first airport in California).

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with MorningSave

• 🎰 Powerball jackpot reaches $1.7 billion, the third-largest prize in US lottery history; the next drawing is Saturday night.
• 🇨🇳 China's recent Salt Typhoon hacks, which targeted 600 companies across 80+ countries, may have stolen information from nearly every American, per a NY Times report ($).
• 🏛️ Northwestern University President Michael Schill resigned yesterday; he becomes the latest school head to step down following high-profile battles with the Trump admin over alleged antisemitism on campus. | Washington, DC, attorney general sues to stop President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the city for crime-related reasons.

*From our partners: 👩‍🦱✨ Curl up with this hot deal…Harry Josh Pro Cordless Ceramic 1" Curling Wand for 89% off. Nano Silver Tourmaline barrel for smooth, shiny, frizz-free curls. Includes 2 batteries. Save $290 here (reg. $325) at MorningSave.

☝️ Scientists have taught an AI-powered robot dog how to play badminton against humans—and it’s surprisingly good. The robo-dog can predict trajectories, move like a seasoned player, and consistently play rallies of up to 10 shots against human opponents. Researchers say it marks a significant step towards training robots for fast-paced real-world tasks in the future.

🤔 Did you know? Koalas are one of the few non-primates with fingerprints so eerily similar to humans’ that, even under an electron microscope, it can be tough to tell them apart.

📰 Worth a read: Organ transplants and immortality: Might Xi and Putin be onto something?

🖱️ Clickbait: Ranking US colleges by the best dorm rooms

One morning routine that's helped make Prevagen America's top-selling brain supplement for over a decade. Apoaequorin—originally from jellyfish and found nowhere else—offers tested safe support with minimal side effects. You already prioritize your physical health daily, why not add brain support to the mix?

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

🤖 What goes around: AI expert explains the cyclical nature of AI hype—in a surprisingly familiar article from 1988.

🧸 Playing dead: How a stuffed animal named Billy Possum tried, and failed, to replace the Teddy Bear.

🔥 Hot shot: He co-founded Burning Man. It was the least interesting thing he ever did.

😏 Finance: Short Squeez dishes out finance and biz news with a side of laughs to 200K readers. Insider members get VIP access to Wall Street’s secrets. Sign up today.*

✅ Simplify your life: Check out Wonder Tools. Every concise issue introduces you to practical AI, productivity, and creativity apps and sites, saving you hours of trial and error.*

*A message from our partners

1. I’m the smallest positive number evenly divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. What am I?
2. What is the only number whose value equals the number of letters in its name?

🚂 Logan Smallwood has always loved trains. Now, at just 18, the County Durham teen has become one of the youngest qualified train drivers in all of the UK.

1. 60
2. Four