Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📊 Trump 2.0 public polling
• 🤖 Major AI outage
• 👠 Men first wore high heels

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.29-minute read (1,140 words).

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“You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

–Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Approval of President Trump’s job performance has turned further negative over a year-and-a-half into his second administration, with his popularity likely to play a major role in the midterm elections two months from now.

The current polling picture

Recent data shows more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump’s job performance by a significant margin. Trump’s approval rating currently stands at 40.0% (vs. 56.6% disapproval), down from a peak of 50%+ approval in early 2024 and close to the lowest level of support seen in Trump’s second term, per RealClearPolitics’ polling aggregator.

The Iran war has been a particular pain point, with 68% of Americans saying Trump isn’t handling the war well compared to 25% who say he’s handling it somewhat or very well in a recent UMass Amherst poll.

Trump’s marks on the economy aren’t much better:

• A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey found 71% of Americans say they disapprove of Trump's handling of the cost of living.
• This category ranks as the top issue for voters, with 47% of people in the same poll saying cost of living is the most important factor in deciding their midterm vote.
• Most Americans also say Trump is handling inflation “not well at all” (57%), compared to 22% who say he’s handling it somewhat or very well, UMass Amherst found.

Despite those numbers, President Trump is planning to have a major presence on the midterm campaign trail, including a star role in next week’s unusual midterm GOP convention. He urged voters last week to treat November as though his own name were on the ballot, with some Republican leaders betting Trump can help turn out their base in key races across the country.

That strategy isn’t necessarily being embraced across the GOP.

• Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) says some of Trump’s recent actions “smell like chaos,” and has urged Republicans in competitive races to break with the president on issues like tariffs.
• Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) recently warned that some traditional Republican voters could stay home or vote Democratic in the midterms amid what she described as “Trump fatigue.”

Across the aisle: Democrats believe the current political environment gives them an opening to win control of Congress, with election analysts recently shifting several competitive races in their direction. Democrats would need to pick up three House seats and four Senate seats to win back majorities in both chambers from Republicans.

Looking ahead…This week, Trump told GOP lawmakers he plans to spend the final 30 days before Election Day campaigning in the ~35 House and Senate races that could determine control of Congress, including key Senate contests in Alaska and Texas.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you approve or disapprove of President Trump’s job performance so far during his second term?

• Approve
• Disapprove
• Unsure/other

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

🧓👶 People 65 and older now outnumber children ages 5 and younger globally for the first time in recorded history, with each at ~10% of the global population. By 2060, seniors are projected to hit 20%, while young kids are set to fall to 7%.

🍎📈 When Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO in August 2011, the tech giant’s stock traded at $13.44. When Cook stepped down as CEO on Monday, the stock stood at $316.85. That’s good for 2,258% growth (23.5%/year compounding), or ~3.6x what the S&P 500 returned over that period.

🇺🇸 89% of US adults say government corruption is widespread, up from 79% last year, per new Gallup polling. It’s a stark contrast to the 38 OECD developed countries, where median levels have fallen from 69% in 2009 to sub-60% since 2022.

🪙 The price of bitcoin jumped by 5%+ to briefly eclipse $82,000 yesterday, its highest price since May, as worries about a Federal Reserve rate hike eased and Treasury yields dropped.

🏡 A ~31.5-acre waterfront estate on Martha’s Vineyard recently sold for $43 million, marking an all-time high for the island as well as the state of Massachusetts.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 US stocks close up across the board after Fed Gov. Christopher Waller’s comments that he would vote to hold interest rates steady this month if inflation data is solid. (S&P: +1.1% | Dow: +1.2% | Nasdaq: +1.4%)
• 🏘️ Average 30-year mortgage rate rises to 6.71%, up from 6.66% last week and the highest level since July 2025.
• 🚘 Volkswagen approves plans to double job cuts at the automaker to 100,000 by 2035, and cut the number of model variants it offers by ~75% over that period; automaker says it’s the “most strategically profound transformation program” in its history.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈⚖️ Southeastern Conference (SEC) sues LSU and head football coach Lane Kiffin over allegations that the school violated the conference’s First Amendment right of expressive association by ignoring SEC rules that ban former NFL players.| Louisiana judge grants injunction to players seeking to return to LSU for a fifth year of college football after getting cut by NFL teams.
• 🎮 Xbox is imposing monthly cloud gaming time limits of 5-15 hours/month for Game Pass subscribers, after years of unlimited access.
• 🙏 Gloria Steinem, the renowned journalist, feminist movement icon, and activist, died at 92. | Carla Jefferey, who starred in Disney’s Zombies film franchise, passed away at 33 years old.

Quick story: I posted my dumb little car insurance comparison site (StopOverpaying.org) on social media last year.

I expected to get a few clicks, but somehow it went viral and we just hit 2,000,000 users. I am SO grateful to all of you!

If you’re sick of overpaying for insurance, check it out. Some recent results:

• J.S. saved $1,200 a year
• Mike M. saved $2,300
• Larry D. saved $560
• D.S. saved $1,000

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🚫 Major AI outage reported across OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, xAI's Grok, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Cursor yesterday morning, according to Downdetector; problems were resolved by the afternoon.
• 🍄 Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms," shown to protect patients’ peripheral nerves from painful chemotherapy damage in new Science study.
• 🍺🎗️ Alcohol-linked cancer deaths doubled in Americans aged 20+ between 1990 and 2023, with alcohol increasing risks for a wide range of cancer types—including liver, colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate—new research finds.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🎓 Trump admin proposes new rules to let the IRS strip tax-exempt status from private schools and colleges if the government determines they have racial preferences or discrimination in admissions, scholarships, policies, or other programs.
• 🗳️📬 Trump admin files emergency SCOTUS appeal seeking to let the US Postal Service immediately implement new rules that would give USPS power to reject mail ballots that don’t comply with new conditions ahead of the midterm elections.
• 📺 Fox News fires Maria Bartiromo, a longtime host considered one of the network's most high profile names, in a move the company said was for business reasons.

☝️ Tesla has begun offering rides in "limited ​areas of Austin, Texas," in its two-seater Cybercab, a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, the Elon Musk-led automaker announced at its Cybercab Launch Event yesterday.

🤔 Did you know? High heels were first worn by men in the 9th century—specifically by Persian cavalry soldiers, who used the raised heels to lock their feet securely into stirrups while riding horses and shooting arrows.

📰 Worth a read: Doing random acts of kindness is good for you

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• 29 new TV shows to watch this fall
• How much money do millennials actually have in their 401(k)s?
• The one trip to take in every decade of your life

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1. A movie ticket costs $16. If the price increases by 20%, and sales tax is another 10%, what’s the total price that you now pay?
2. What is the greatest common factor of 36 and 48?
3. A car travels 210 miles in 3 hours at a constant speed. How far will it travel in 5 hours?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

🐱 A stray cat who was rescued and nursed back to health by employees at a Japanese train station has found a new home and a new job. Now known as Nakano-san, the friendly feline serves as stationmaster at Nakanocho Station, greeting visitors and charming travelers who pass by.

1. $21.12 ($16 + $3.20 + $1.92)
2. 12
3. 350 miles

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