A $3 Thrift Find Worth $250K, California Earns Praise, & a $250 Hot Dog

How's the head? The stomach? If you're like the rest of us, you're easing into the chair this morning with a coffee and zero desire to think too hard. Good. That's what we're here for.

And today we start with a minor miracle: praise for California.

The Golden State just passed a law banning streaming platforms from blasting commercials louder than the show you're actually trying to watch. Effective this past Wednesday, July 1, ads can't exceed the volume of the content they interrupt. A problem everyone agrees on, actually fixed.

Mark the date — it may not happen again.

Turns out 38 percent of Republicans think 80-year-old Donald Trump is too old for the job, according to a new survey. Over a third of his own party. The good news for Trump: they still can't name anyone they'd rather have.

Meanwhile, a damning new DHS Inspector General report dropped Thursday confirming Secret Service agents knew Thomas Crooks was on a Butler rooftop with a rifle and a clear shot — and said nothing to Trump's detail. Not a word. The one job, and the radio stayed silent.

Even James Carville has had enough. The veteran Democratic strategist spent Thursday warning that radicals in both parties may have doomed the two-party consensus, and floated a full-on Democratic schism to keep the socialists out. When Carville is proposing his own party split in two, things are going great.

And in Buffalo, the liberal mayor canceled the July 4 fireworks — then raised the Somali flag over city hall for Somali Independence Day. America's 250th birthday: skipped. Somalia's: celebrated. Priorities. 

Gold is heading for its first weekly gain since late May, as investors dial back their bets on Fed rate hikes. Boring, steady, and quietly up while everyone else panics — gold doing what gold does.

Speaking of not panicking, Dave Portnoy is down millions on Bitcoin and refuses to sell. He bought at $100,000, watched it tank, and summed up his track record perfectly: every time he buys, it drops; every time he sells, it soars. A one-man contrarian indicator. Somewhere, a hedge fund is just doing the opposite of whatever Portnoy does next.

And Sam Altman reportedly floated handing 5 percent of OpenAI to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, with other AI companies chipping in similar stakes. Details? Still fuzzy. But nothing says confidence in your business model like offering the government a slice before anyone asks.

Goldman Sachs is kicking in $1,000 to a Trump Account for every eligible employee's kid. Wall Street rarely gives away free money, so enjoy the moment.

Alibaba is paying $600 million and signing a non-prosecution deal with the DOJ after admitting it let tens of thousands of illegal products flow into the U.S. through its marketplaces. The cost of doing business, apparently, is $600 million and a promise to try harder.

Better news: Americans are fueling a $5.8 billion bagel boom, and Einstein Bros. wants in — planning 300 new stores on top of its existing 700. Turns out the economy runs on carbs and cream cheese.

Out in LA, the city delayed its $30 "Olympic wage" until after the 2028 games, because hotels were already cutting jobs to afford it. Mandate a wage, watch the jobs vanish — every time.

Ryanair will "reluctantly" let parents sit with their own kids for free, but only after regulators forced the issue. Nothing says family-friendly like being legally compelled to seat toddlers next to their parents.

And Walmart is rolling electronic price tags out to all 4,600 U.S. stores by year's end, sparking worries about prices that shift on the fly and fewer workers on the floor. The tags say convenience; shoppers hear "the price can change while you're standing there."

Last Week:

52% of you said the USA is the greatest country the world has ever seen, no contest — a slimmer win than we expected, which is a little unsettling. Taxes topped the list of complaints, best summed up by one reader: "TAXED TO DEATH!"

This Week:

We've got an 80-year-old in the White House and a third of his own party saying he's too old for the job. So let's settle it.

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Winners:

Trump’s Crypto Wallet:
The President reported over $1 billion in crypto income on his latest financial disclosure — $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $635 million in royalties from his "Celebration Coins" meme venture. Say what you want about the man, the portfolio is diversified.

Patriotism Is Back:
A new poll found 73 percent of U.S. voters are very proud to be American, with another 13 percent somewhat proud. With the World Cup on home soil and the USMNT giving the country something to rally behind, a wave of visitors reminded everyone what they've got.

Losers:

Costco’s Rotisserie Chicken:
For years the $4.99 bird has had a cult following, but Consumer Reports just handed the crown to Sam's Club. After testing chickens from 10 chains, the Member's Mark Seasoned Rotisserie edged out Costco's Kirkland Signature for the top spot. A bitter day in the food court.

Your July 4th Cookout Host:
Cookout prices hit a record high this year, up roughly 4 percent from last summer — just in time for America's 250th. Freedom isn't free, and apparently neither are the burgers.

Still riding the Fourth of July high? Then you have to see this.

Before the USA World Cup match, the entire American crowd belted out the national anthem — and it's the kind of thing that gives you chills. This is what our anthem sounds like on the world's biggest stage. No politics, no agenda, just a stadium full of Americans singing as one. Take note, NFL. USA, USA, USA.

The June jobs report landed Thursday, and it wasn't pretty. Employers added just 57,000 jobs — barely half the 110,000 economists predicted. The one silver lining: unemployment actually dipped to 4.2 percent, better than the 4.3 percent forecast, even with inflation still running hot and the Iran war clouding the outlook.

Translation: Fewer new jobs, but somehow fewer people out of work. Make it make sense.

Tesla delivered 480,126 vehicles from April through June, a record second quarter and up roughly 25 percent from a year ago, easily topping the 402,776 analysts expected. A rebound in Europe fueled hopes the company can get back to annual growth. Wall Street's response? Shares fell about 7 percent midday, with analysts saying the good news was already baked into the price.

Translation: Beat the numbers, still got punished. Welcome to owning Tesla stock.

Legal experts say a Democratic House majority in the midterms would open the door to a wave of investigations into Trump, with critics calling the scandals "target rich." On the list: claims the DOJ was weaponized against political foes, a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund for MAGA allies, the ballooning costs of his White House ballroom, and $1.4 billion in crypto earnings in 2025 tied to policies he championed.

Translation: The midterms just became a referendum on subpoenas.

The DOJ and attorneys general from 17 states announced proposed settlements Tuesday with three of the country's largest egg producers — Cal-Maine, Hickman's Egg Ranch, and Versova — accused of coordinating to manipulate a key pricing benchmark and inflate egg prices nationwide. The companies agreed to pay a combined $3.3 million to participating states, donate roughly 53 million eggs to food banks, and adopt antitrust compliance measures. A civil antitrust suit was filed alongside the settlements.

Translation: So that's why breakfast cost a fortune.

Henrico County manager John Vithoulkas is urging county employees to conserve electricity as Virginia rates climb 25 percent — the state with by far the most data centers. In a June 26 email, he warned that the increase would cost roughly $5 million next fiscal year, with more hikes likely ahead, and asked staff to turn off lights, shut down computers, close blinds, and unplug chargers.

Translation: The data centers get the power, the taxpayers get the electric bill.

Forget burgers and potato salad. To mark America's 250th, the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort debuted a $250 hot dog on July 4 — five ounces of Florida spiny lobster tail in place of the frankfurter, topped with smoked oyster remoulade and a half-ounce of caviar. Each order comes with a bottle of Pommery Brut Royale Champagne, which somehow costs more than the dog itself.

Translation: Nothing says freedom like a hot dog that costs more than your grill.

Someone threw their kid a birthday party — water guns, a slide, inflatables, the works — at a backyard pool she rented for the day. She paid $381 through Swimply, an Airbnb-style service that lets you book someone's private pool by the hour. The owner says she's hosted over 1,000 guests a year in Birmingham for graduation parties, book clubs, even photo shoots. As one host put it, taking over someone else's pool for the weekend is just part of the culture now.

Translation: The American dream now includes renting out your deep end.

A growing number of young Americans are trading traditional jobs for buckets, pressure washers, and polishing cloths — turning car detailing into real businesses. No degree, no formal qualifications, and a few hundred dollars in gear to start. Erick Ortiz, 27, quit a $15-an-hour Amazon warehouse job in 2021 and began washing cars for $20 apiece. Today he charges around $150 per detail, employs six people, and runs three mobile vans. His detailing work brings in roughly $18,500 a month, but his 946,000 social media followers are the real prize — coaching classes have added another $50,000 monthly.

Translation: Turns out the American Dream still runs on elbow grease.

Questions are piling up over how Erica Lee Carter, 46, daughter of the late Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, landed a $411,000-a-year job as Harris County Administrator — beating out more than 400 applicants, including three who reportedly scored higher in interviews. Per a review by ABC13, Carter placed fourth after the first round and second after the second, yet still got the job over the unnamed top candidate. Harris County covers over five million people, and the applicant pool included CEOs and politicians from across the country.

Translation: Turns out the best qualification is still the last name.

Quinn Brown, 19, of Portland was digging through the bins at a Hillsboro Goodwill in January when he spotted a bright yellow Lakers jacket with "Chamberlain" stitched across the back. He grabbed it for $3.07, did some online digging, and posted it to Instagram — which caught Sotheby's attention. The auction house drove it to New York in an armored vehicle, where it was authenticated as Wilt Chamberlain's warm-up jacket from the 1972 NBA Finals, when he led the Lakers past the Knicks for the title. It's now expected to fetch up to $250,000. The jersey he wore under it once sold for $4.9 million.

Translation: Somewhere, the person who put it back in the bin is having a very bad day.

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FOMC June Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, July 8
Info: The Fed releases the minutes from its June meeting — the first under new Chair Kevin Warsh, who paused rates with inflation still running hot.
Why You Should Care: These pages are the clearest look at what the Fed does next with your mortgage rate, savings, and borrowing costs.

Second-Quarter Earnings Season Kicks Off
Week of July 6 onward
Info: The big banks and blue chips begin reporting Q2 results, setting the tone for the market's summer.
Why You Should Care: These reports move the market your 401(k) is riding on, and they signal how businesses see the rest of the year.

USA vs. Belgium — World Cup Round of 16
Monday, July 6
Info: The USMNT takes on Belgium in Seattle. Win and they're into the quarterfinals; a rematch of the 2014 heartbreak.
Why You Should Care: The whole country is watching, and a win puts the U.S. one game from the final four on home soil.

You know what grinds our gears? Getting asked for 25% by an iPad.

Visitors to America have raised it again — the tipping thing. They come here, grab a coffee, and get spun around to a touchscreen demanding a quarter of the bill before they've so much as sat down. At a self-serve Dunkin. For handing you a donut. And they're right to be baffled, because it's gotten completely out of hand.

Here's the real question nobody wants to ask: why are service businesses allowed to pay their workers next to nothing and hand the bill to you? Pay people at least minimum wage. Guarantee them a fair floor. Then leave the tip where it belongs — as a reward for great service, not a toll you pay for existing near a cash register.

Because here's what the touchscreen crowd gets wrong. Tipping isn't some uniquely American virtue that vanishes the second you leave the country. Travel a little and you'll find it exists nearly everywhere — it's just OPTIONAL, and it's FOR REWARDING A GREAT EXPERIENCE. Imagine that. You get excellent service, you leave a little extra because you want to, not because a screen guilt-tripped you in front of a line of strangers.

And no, paying a worker minimum wage doesn't suddenly make them rich enough to stop caring. That's a fantasy. What it does is take the desperation out of the equation, so the extra tip becomes what it was always meant to be — a bonus for going above and beyond, not a substitute for a paycheck the employer refused to cover.

The worst part? The backlash is now hurting the very people it's supposed to help. Americans are so worn down by the guilt screens that some are tipping nothing on principle — a quiet protest against the whole racket. But the CEO who designed the 25% prompt isn't the one who loses out. The worker is.

So here's the common-sense fix. Pay a fair wage. Make the tip optional again. And let great service — the kind this country is actually capable of — earn the reward it deserves.

Flip the iPad back around. We'll decide.

Now we want to hear from you. Agree with the tipping rant? Think we got something wrong? Sitting on a take we didn't cover? Hit reply and tell us. We read every response, and the sharpest ones have a way of ending up in next week's issue.

Don't forget to vote in this week's poll — and if you've got a friend who'd enjoy a little common sense with their Sunday coffee, send them our way.

See you next Sunday.