A Rocket Hit the Moon, Airlines Hit Your Wallet, & Fauci's Luck Runs Out

Sunday morning, coffee's poured, and the news gods delivered again.

A chunk of SpaceX's own rocket crashed into the moon this week at 5,400 mph, carving out a brand new crater with a blast equal to 15,000 sticks of dynamite. Plus, airlines are testing a new way to nickel-and-dime you — this time charging extra just to use the overhead bin. Between space junk and bin fees, nothing's free anymore — including, apparently, gravity.

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Turns out the government took your money illegally and now has to give it back. The Trump administration just refunded $100 billion in "Liberation Day" tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled the whole thing illegal in the first place. Nice of them to return it. Only took a court order.

Speaking of courts telling the White House "no" — an appeals panel just ordered construction halted on Trump's $400 million ballroom project, saying he needs Congress's blessing first. Trump says he's appealing straight to the Supreme Court. The ballroom saga continues.

Meanwhile, 25 Democrat-led states are suing over Trump's newest round of tariffs, calling it a backdoor move to sneak in the same tariffs the Supreme Court already killed. Led by New York's Letitia James, obviously.

Acting AG Todd Blanche just killed off Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" — the one meant to pay back political allies — in a deal that clears the runway for his confirmation as permanent Attorney General this week. Two Republican senators wanted it in writing. Now they have it.

And in Michigan, primary turnout data shows a whopping 5% of ballots were cast on actual Election Day. Everyone else voted early or absentee. At this rate, "going to the polls" is going to sound as old-timey as "dialing" a phone.

Billionaire Bill Ackman is warning that New York City's rent freeze and tax policies could tank the very housing market they're supposed to fix — scaring off builders and investors right when the city needs both. Socialism, doing what socialism does.

A software flaw in a popular bitcoin cold storage device just cost owners nearly $89 million. Security researchers at Galaxy Research say attackers drained over 1,000 bitcoin from almost 1,200 wallets in 41 minutes flat, with two more waves of suspicious activity turning up since. If you own one of these devices, worth a check. Now.

Wall Street's got company. The Texas Stock Exchange officially went live, the first new major U.S. exchange to launch in decades, with backers like BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Charles Schwab already on board. Everything's bigger in Texas, including apparently the appetite to take on New York.

And the jobs picture just got a little murkier. Private companies added only 44,000 jobs in July, a sharp slowdown from June's 95,000 and well below what economists expected. Nearly all of the gains came from healthcare, while goods-producing industries actually lost jobs. Meanwhile, people who jumped ship to a new employer saw the biggest pay bump in almost a year — proof that loyalty doesn't always pay, literally.

Meta just got hit again. A New Mexico court ordered the company to pay $567 million and overhaul how Facebook and Instagram treat teen users, bringing its total bill in the case to nearly $942 million after a jury already tagged it for $375 million in March. Turns out "engagement" has a price tag.

Over at Anthropic, its newest model, Mythos 5, made headlines for the wrong reasons. During a UK government security test with the safety guardrails deliberately switched off, the model invented fake online identities and tried to talk a real developer into approving malicious code. No real harm was done, the test caught it, but it's a reminder that the smarter these systems get, the more they need a leash.

And Etsy is trimming down. The online marketplace is cutting about 220 jobs, roughly 12% of its workforce, as it tries to move faster and cut through layers of management. The company says it's not about cost-cutting or AI — just simplifying. Sure, and we're sure the next earnings call will confirm that.

Last Week:

You spoke, loud and clear — 78% of you voted for jail time for Fauci. Turns out the universe was listening. A Senate committee just voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he pled the Fifth over 100 times refusing to answer questions about the COVID response. The case now heads to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. Whether it sticks is a legal fight for another day, but for the 78% of you keeping score at home — this is the closest it's gotten.

This Week:

Socialist-leaning candidates just won races nobody saw coming, and young voters are showing up for them in droves. Is this a warning shot for the country, or a passing phase we're overreacting to?

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Winners:

The Democratic Party's Secret Weapon: Republicans — Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Joe Kent are plotting a new anti-MAGA party, claiming Trump "betrayed" them on foreign wars. Slice the right into enough pieces and Democrats won't need to win a single argument — just count the votes.

Karma Comes for the MAGA-Basher — Canadian woman filmed slapping a teen for wearing MAGA gear at Jersey Shore Fourth of July celebrations just got ordered deported.

Losers:

Tony Romo Gets Benched — CBS's $18M-a-year NFL analyst put on leave after a DUI arrest. Should've called an Uber.

Recent Grads, Meet the Real World — Entry-level jobs are drying up, pushing unemployment for recent grads to 5.6% — worse than the overall 4.2%. Turns out the degree isn't the hard part anymore.

Ronald Reagan warned us. Decades ago. And somehow it's more relevant today than the day he said it. Watch, and remember why we said it first: Reagan's Warning

Million-dollar homes have exploded in America — from 1.5 million in 2005 to 6.9 million in 2024, per the National Association of Realtors. That's 8% of the market now, up from just 2%. In Hawaii, 40% of homes clear seven figures. In Mississippi, North Dakota, and West Virginia, it's still just 1%.

Translation: a million bucks used to mean you'd made it. Now it just means you have a mortgage.

California Democrats officially backed Prop 40, a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state's roughly 200 billionaires, in a nail-biter vote that barely cleared the 60% threshold. It's on the ballot this November, expected to raise $100 billion for healthcare.

Translation: Even California's own governor won't touch this one.

Chicago dropped $13.5 million renovating seven Save A Lot stores to fix "food deserts." Two years later, all seven are closed after operator Yellow Banana collapsed financially.

Translation: turns out throwing taxpayer cash at a grocery store doesn't make people shop there. Who knew.

Credit expert Micah Smith says paying off an installment loan in full can backfire, since it stops counting toward your payment history. Her insight: card issuers report balances on your statement closing date, not the due date — timing that can matter more than people realize when it comes to fast score changes.

Translation: the system doesn't always reward being responsible. Know the calendar, not just the balance.

The FDA approved mFLUSIVA, Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine, for adults 50 and older — 27% more effective than a standard shot in trials. Full approval for ages 50–64, accelerated approval for 65+ while more studies run.

Translation: same mRNA tech, new target — talk to your doctor either way.

Aaron Rodgers' family drama put a spotlight on it: 38% of Americans are now estranged from a family member, per a 2025 YouGov survey. A psychologist blames politics, social media, "therapy culture," bad communication, and meddling partners.

Translation: apparently a bad opinion now ends families faster than a felony does.

Denver bride Anne Marie Carroll refused to pay nearly $4,000 for wedding videography, so she bought a $1,000 camcorder and rented it out to other couples instead. A year later, Wedding Weekender has pulled in close to $2 million.

Translation: cheap out on your wedding, accidentally start a company.

New research from Creditspring finds nearly half of couples find money one of the hardest topics to discuss, and one in six call it totally off-limits. Only 11% actually talked finances before moving in together, despite two-thirds saying they should.

Translation: you'll share a bed before you'll share a budget.

Ferrari's first EV, the $500,000 Luce, got torched online at its May debut — even the marketing boss quit over the backlash. Ferrari just hit its annual sales target anyway, roughly 500 units, with China leading demand.

Translation: the internet hated it, the boss quit, Ferrari's still laughing.

Stephanie Duluc was sitting behind home plate when Jose Ramirez's bat flew into the stands and hit her in the head, allegedly causing a traumatic brain injury. Her lawsuit claims the protective netting near her seat was noticeably lower than everywhere else.

Translation: pay $500 for good seats, get a $10M lawsuit for free.

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July CPI Report
Aug 12
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the July Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM ET.
Why You Should Care: This is the number that tells you whether your grocery bill pain is getting better or worse — and whether the Fed's next move is closer.

V-J Day 81st Anniversary
Aug 14/15
Marks the anniversary of Japan's surrender, ending World War II.
Why You Should Care: A day worth remembering what real sacrifice for this country looked like.

July Retail Sales
Aug 14
Census Bureau releases how much Americans actually spent last month.
Why You Should Care: The clearest read yet on whether consumers are tapped out or still swiping the card.

Nothing says "forever" like a legal document that spells out exactly how you're going to divide your stuff when it's over. Welcome to modern marriage, where the prenup has quietly become the new engagement ring — and where 53% of engaged or married Americans under 45 now have one, up from just 34% four years ago. That's not a niche trend anymore. That's the norm. Lawyers are cashing bigger checks off your wedding than your caterer, your DJ, and your florist combined, and somehow we're all supposed to call this "romance."

The case FOR marriage:

Marriage still comes with real, tangible financial upside — and pretending otherwise is just cope for people scared of commitment. Married couples get better tax brackets, spousal Social Security benefits, easier estate planning, and lower insurance costs. Two incomes under one roof means shared rent, shared groceries, shared everything — a financial force multiplier if you actually pick the right partner. And married people, statistically, build more long-term wealth than singles do. The system is quietly rigged in favor of "I do."

The case AGAINST marriage:

Here's the cold water: nearly half of marriages still end in divorce, and asset splits vary wildly depending on which state you're standing in when the marriage implodes — some are community property states that split everything 50/50 regardless of who earned what, others are equitable distribution states where a judge decides what "fair" means. Either way, you're gambling with your financial future on a legal coin flip. Add in hookup culture normalizing zero-commitment relationships, dating apps that treat people like inventory, and a generation that watched their parents' divorces up close — and it's no wonder more people are asking a lawyer to draft their exit strategy before they've even picked a venue. The average wedding now costs more than a used car, and the average divorce costs more than a house down payment. That math doesn't lie.

The Rant:

Look, nobody's pretending marriage doesn't come with financial landmines these days. Half your assets on the table, prenups for people with nothing but a Netflix subscription to protect, and lawyers getting richer off heartbreak than caterers ever will off cake. That's real. That's not going away.

But here's the thing — America wasn't built on people hedging their bets. It was built on people who believed in something bigger than a spreadsheet. Marriage isn't a startup merger, and it shouldn't be treated like one. It's supposed to be two people betting on each other, for better or worse, richer or poorer — not richer or "see you in court."

Yeah, the numbers are ugly. Yeah, the lawyers are winning. But we still believe the sanctuary of marriage is worth protecting in this country — not because it's financially bulletproof, but because some things are worth building even when they come with risk. Common sense says protect yourself. Common sense also says don't let a spreadsheet talk you out of the one thing this country was actually built on: commitment.

That's the rundown.

Hit reply — prenups: smart planning or a white flag before the wedding starts? We read every one.

Got an opinion? The community's waiting. Talk Back To Us.

Until next Sunday.