Good morning. In this edition:

• 🥛 “Got Milk?” comeback
• 🙏 Charlie Kirk shooting
• 🫧 Bubble wrap’s surprising origins

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.26-minute read (1,132 words).

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“Thinking is a habit, and like any other habit, it can be changed; it just takes effort and repetition.”

–John Eliot (1604-1690)

NATO-member warplanes shot down several Russian drones over Poland late Tuesday evening, according to officials from the military alliance. It marks the first time in history that NATO forces have engaged Russian military hardware in airspace over a member nation’s territory.

• The incident, which Polish authorities said involved 19 total drone incursions into its airspace and four downed craft, caused the closure of major airports across Poland for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
• “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before,” Polish PM Donald Tusk told parliament on Wednesday. “This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II.”

Russia responds: In a statement, Russia’s military said it carried out a “mass strike” on military-industrial targets in Western Ukraine on Tuesday night, and insisted “there had been no plans to target facilities on the territory of Poland." Russia’s embassy in Poland later denied claims that the drones shot down by NATO planes were Russian.

The incident follows a familiar pattern

Russian warplanes have long tested NATO’s defense responses by flying near—or even briefly into—the airspace of alliance members, who rotate air-policing duties along NATO borders.

• These encounters, typically involving traditional crewed aircraft, have become more common since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
• But Tuesday night’s drone incursions reached deeper into the military alliance’s territory than any other in recent years.

Why did Russia provoke NATO? The drone incursion was likely meant by Russia as a test of NATO’s response and resolve, four senior European officials told the Wall Street Journal. However, some officials acknowledged that the drones may have entered Poland’s airspace because they veered off-course from neighboring Ukraine due to malfunctions or electronic warfare/jamming.

Looking ahead…Poland yesterday officially invoked Article 4 of NATO's treaty in response to the Russian drone incursion, meaning all alliance members will soon meet to discuss the security concerns involved. No military action is obligated by Article 4, which has only been invoked eight times in NATO’s 76-year history.

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Thirty years ago, milk mustaches were all the rage. Now, California aims to bring them back.

The state’s Milk Processor Board is launching a new series of “Got Milk?” ads for the 30th anniversary of the iconic campaign, which was introduced by the same board in 1993 as a response to falling milk consumption.

This time, their new ads will take the form of posters featuring 12,000+ California residents sporting milk mustaches, as part of an effort by the board to cash in on US consumers’ renewed interest in dairy.

It comes as the industry is quietly reinventing itself. While traditional milk varieties have seen modest declines in recent years, a surge in demand for “value-added milks”—including high-protein, lower-sugar, and lactose-free options—has fueled growth as more shoppers seek functional benefits.

• Overall, dairy milk sales grew 4.6% during the year-long period ending Aug. 10, reversing a yearslong trend of declines.
• Analysts largely attribute this turnaround to the popularity of those premium options.

Meanwhile, the plant-based milk industry saw sales fall 4.4% in 2024, which experts say is due to a combination of rising prices and consumers’ desire for “clean” ingredient labels.

Looking ahead…California’s Milk Processor Board is hoping to replicate the success of the OG marketing campaign, which boosted milk sales both statewide and across the US.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📊 Mortgage demand hits highest level since 2022, as interest rates fell to their lowest level in nearly a year. | Health insurance costs for US businesses projected to rise 9.2%–9.5% next year; it would mark the steepest increase since at least 2011.
• 🌐 Oracle shares jump 36% in first day of trading after reporting massive cloud demand numbers, resulting in a $244 billion market cap gain; founder Larry Ellison added ~$100 billion to his net worth, passing Elon Musk to become the world’s richest person. | Klarna IPO’d yesterday; shares finished the day up 15%.
• 🥪 Potbelly to be acquired by gas station and convenience store chain RaceTrac for ~$566 million.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Wantable

• 📺 ESPN signs deal with EverPass Media to distribute ESPN+ content to bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments across the US.
• 👩‍❤️‍👨 Taylor Frankie Paul, star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and popular #MomTok influencer, named leading lady for next season of The Bachelorette.
• 📝 NCAA bans three men’s college basketball players for betting on their own games. | Eight Detroit Tigers employees accused of sexual misconduct in the past two years, report reveals.

*From our partners: ✨🍂 COZYTOBER® has arrived…Wantable’s #1 best-selling style for five years running has officially returned. Fashion made for crisp air and comfy vibes. Four Edits to choose from, free gifts with each. Get styled with Wantable.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🪐 Martian rock sample collected by NASA’s Perserverance rover contains chemical signatures that could have come from ancient microbial life; the rocks “very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars,” said acting NASA administrator Sean P. Duffy.
• 🌌 New research indicates black holes get bigger as they merge, providing the best evidence yet for a decades-old theory put forth by famed physicist Stephen Hawking.
• 🔥 ~87,000 premature deaths globally can be traced to the impact of Canada's 2023 wildfire season, new study finds; the 2023 season saw fires burn ~5% of Canada’s total forested area.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🙏 Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder/CEO of conservative youth org Turning Point USA and close ally of President Trump, died after being shot onstage at an event at Utah Valley University; at least two people were taken into custody and later released; leaders from both parties denounced political violence.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Federal judge temporarily blocks President Trump from firing Fed Gov. Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud while her lawsuit challenging the firing plays out in court.
• 🗽 New York City’s Airbnb ban hasn’t made any material impact on increasing the Big Apple’s housing supply, new WSJ report indicates.

☝️Many deep-sea creatures adapt to pitch-black waters with scary features like sharp teeth, glowing bodies, and expandable jaws. But the newly discovered bumpy snailfish took a different route—it evolved to maximum cuteness instead. Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered the tiny charmer over 10,000 feet down off California’s coast, alongside two other new snailfish species.

🤔 Did you know? Bubble Wrap originally began as textured wallpaper. Inventors ran plastic shower curtains through a heat-sealing machine in hopes of creating the trendy home décor, but were left with a flimsy sheet of plastic filled with air bubbles. After their initial idea fizzled, they reimagined the film as packing material—transforming the shipping industry and laying the foundation for e-commerce as we know it today.

📰 Worth a read: How does AI affect how we learn?

🖱️ Clickbait: The happiest states in America in 2025

Veriheal connects you with licensed physicians who help you obtain an official cannabis certification letter—which can be the difference between acceptance and denial.

• Provides legal documentation supporting your cannabis use
• Helps employers and case workers understand your medical needs
• Reduces legal hurdles when applying for services

Yesterday, we covered new results from a national exam known as “America’s Report Card,” which found that teen students across the US have fallen even further behind in the years following the Covid pandemic.

❓ Our question to you: What do you think is needed to get America’s students back on track?

• “There are so many factors. This is my 26th year teaching and there have been big changes. Over emphasis on testing, curriculum that doesn’t meet students’ needs, lack of parent support and involvement. As educators our hands are tied. We are told to do the curriculum, stay on pace and achieve higher test scores without support and funding. Let teachers do what they are meant to do.”
• “I believe it starts at home--the pendulum has swung too far with parents being tentative about setting standards for their children. This isn’t to say parents need to push to a point of crisis, but rather, expecting their children to think through issues, apply critical thinking and rigor to their thoughts and to understand that details matter.”
• “We are a huge country and these numbers are painted with a wide brush. Whatever the answer is, it needs to be nuanced and address the needs of individualized communities. Lower scores make for great clickbait, but make no mistake, there are tons of districts that are thriving, as well. More community involvement and more teachers at the decision making table would be a great start.”

Click here to read more of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note: Some responses may be slightly edited for clarity/length; Sample size: We received 86 longform responses.

Can you name the world’s second-largest rainforest?

🏡 A Canadian man who lost his house in a fire this summer just won a brand-new lakeside cottage with a $150 raffle ticket. Sometimes life really does deal you a cottage-sized comeback.

The Congo Rainforest