Welcome to the USA—now that'll be $250!

Today’s topics

• Uber invests $300M in Lucid.

• Trump Greenlights Stablecoin Crackdown with the “GENIUS” Act

• Elon Musk Introduces “Baby Grok” — an AI for Kids, Trained on His Own Chaos

• Astronomers Observe the Birth of a Planetary System

• Scientists Spot Cancer DNA in Blood—Years Before Diagnosis

• Welcome to America — Please Insert $250 to Continue

  and more…

Uber invests $300M in Lucid

Uber’s putting $300 million on the table for Lucid and teaming up with Nuro to deploy 20,000 robotaxis over the next six years — because what the world clearly needs is more metal boxes clogging streets, minus the humans to yell at. Lucid gets the cash like a ghost driver’s tip, while Nuro handles the self-driving tech (yes, the startup that sounds like a wellness gummy). Lucid stock surged 36% on the news. Uber’s? Didn’t flinch. Not even a shrug from Wall Street.

Trump Greenlights Stablecoin Crackdown with the “GENIUS” Act

Donald Trump just signed the GENIUS Act — yes, that’s the actual name — marking the first federal law to regulate stablecoins, those dollar-pegged crypto tokens suddenly beloved by Wall Street. Trump hailed it as a “giant step” for America, casually likening it to the invention of the internet. Modest as ever. The law now requires stablecoin issuers to back their tokens with actual assets — like cash or short-term Treasury bonds — which is basically Congress saying, “No more making money out of thin air.”

Wall Street Suddenly Loves the Crypto It Once Mocked

Wall Street is suddenly head over heels for the crypto it once mocked. Thanks to the freshly passed GENIUS Act (yes, that’s the real name), banks like JPMorgan, Citi, and Goldman Sachs can now legally wade into the stablecoin space — those dollar-backed digital tokens that do what banks do, just without the banks. Jamie Dimon, once a crypto skeptic, has quietly launched JPMD (a stablecoin in a suit), while Citi’s Jane Fraser is already flaunting “Citi Token Services” in four countries like it's her world tour. Goldman is “watching,” Bank of America is waiting for legal approval, and Morgan Stanley is lurking in the shadows — because now that there’s money on the table, no one wants to miss the next big thing they used to laugh at.

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Elon Musk Introduces “Baby Grok” — an AI for Kids, Trained on His Own Chaos

Just weeks after Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok parroted white nationalist rhetoric, denied the Holocaust, and casually praised Hitler, Musk has announced a kid-friendly version: Baby Grok. The reveal came via a tweet — naturally — on X, the very platform Grok was trained on, and the same place overflowing with the toxic content it echoed. So far, no mention of safety measures, filters, or, well, any kind of guardrails. Just a name, a post, and 17 million views. It’s a bold move to aim at kids with an AI that recently suggested locking up Jews. But Grok’s disturbing behavior isn’t some one-off bug — it’s a reflection of the platform it was trained on. A platform Musk owns. The feedback loop is complete: the product, the problem, and the promotion all in one.

Meta Refuses to Sign EU AI Transparency Pact—Innovation Over Safety (Again)

Meta just gave the EU’s voluntary AI “Code of Practice” the cold shoulder—claiming legal red tape and overreach are holding it back. This comes as Brussels gears up to enforce binding AI rules starting August 2, including fines up to 7% of global revenue. Meanwhile, OpenAI is on board, but Meta says, “Thanks, but no thanks”—painting a clear divergence between EU regulators and Silicon Valley’s biggest social-media player.Read more

Astronomers Observe the Birth of a Planetary System

For the first time, scientists have caught a solar system in its earliest stages — watching space dust begin to clump into baby planets. The action is unfolding around a young star called HOPS-315, located about 1,300 light-years away, and it might just resemble our own Sun’s earliest, most chaotic years. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA, astronomers detected hot minerals beginning to harden — like cosmic Legos clicking into place for the very first time.

NASA & ISRO Team Up on NISAR Satellite

The U.S. and India are gearing up to launch the NISAR mission on July 30, 2025—a groundbreaking joint effort combining NASA and ISRO expertise. This Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite will scan Earth’s land and ice every 12 days with inch-level precision, revolutionizing our ability to monitor natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, and glaciers—no matter the weather or time of day . It's set to be a game changer for global climate science and disaster response. Read more

Scientists Spot Cancer DNA in Blood—Years Before Diagnosis

Your blood’s been whispering secrets long before doctors catch on. In a breakthrough that feels equal parts genius and eerie, scientists at Johns Hopkins have managed to detect cancer DNA in blood samples taken more than three years before an official diagnosis. They dug into decades-old blood draws from the ’80s and ’90s—yes, from freezers older than most interns—and still found cancer’s genetic fingerprints using just a teaspoon of plasma, from tubes never meant to preserve DNA. Out of 26 people who later developed cancer, eight already had telltale DNA signs floating in their blood. Even more incredible? The same red flags showed up in samples taken years before cancer appeared. It's early, but the potential here is game-changing.

U.S. Wildfires Rage as Trump-Era Cuts Hamper Response

As wildfire season intensifies, critics say staffing cuts under the Trump administration have stretched firefighters thin—some are even being tasked with cleaning facilities—while battling increasingly frequent blazes.Read more

Community Groups Urge Restoration of $14M for Environmental Projects

Conservation Law Foundation and nearly 20 local organizations are urging a federal court to reinstate $14 million in funding that supports critical environmental restoration efforts across New Hampshire and beyond. Read more

Bengals Rookie in Contract Limbo After Owner’s Controversial Remark

Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart remains unsigned as training camp opens, but it's not just dollar negotiations holding things up—team owner Mike Brown sparked headlines with a provocative comment about paying players who land in jail . Stewart is training independently but missing camp drills, fueling speculation and drama around the rook’s future in Cincinnati.Read more

Welcome to America — Please Insert $250 to Continue

Starting October 1, most international travelers needing a U.S. visa will face a shiny new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” — a name that sounds like satire but isn’t. This fee joins the already pricey visa process and stacks neatly on top of the recently hiked I-94 form fee (now $24, up from $6). The result? Visitors are paying premium rates for the privilege of standing in line at customs and possibly being side-eyed by TSA. The government claims you might get that $250 back — eventually — but only if you play a flawless game of immigration Jenga: no overstays, no sketchy jobs, no paperwork errors. Do everything right, wait patiently, and maybe they’ll mail you a refund. Or maybe not.

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