Why the U.S. Decided to Acquire Intel

Today’s topics

• U.S. Invests in Intel

• Meta Leases Midjourney’s Mind

• SpaceX’s Starship Nails 10th Test Flight — Major Milestone Achieved

• Federal Research Freeze Hits Harvard Hard

• Paris Claims No. 1 Spot for Urban Stress

  and more…

U.S. Invests in Intel

The U.S. just grabbed a 10% stake in Intel. Trump funneled leftover CHIPS Act cash and other awards into nearly $9B of stock—now worth $11B. He bragged on Truth Social that America “paid nothing,” glossing over taxpayers footing the bill. Intel pockets cash, Washington gets equity, and Wall Street rewarded it with a 6% jump Friday. No board seats for D.C., but the government holds warrants for another 5% if Intel spins off its foundry. Officially, it’s about securing chips. Unofficially, Washington’s playing hedge fund.

“Mortgage Rates Won’t Budge”

Mortgage rates are still stuck around 6.6% — steady, stubborn, and frustrating. The 30-year fixed hasn’t moved much, bouncing up and down like a bad remix. Many thought the Fed’s cuts would bring relief last year, but instead rates spiked, dipped, then spiked again. Back in 2021, buyers could snag 2.65%. Those days are gone unless another global crisis hits. For now, buyers face ~7% rates. The only break? Builder buydowns, squeaky-clean credit, and low debt ratios. Otherwise, welcome to the new normal.

“Musk Takes On Apple and OpenAI”

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of running an AI monopoly and blocking his apps from climbing the App Store charts. Filed in Texas, the suit claims Apple’s deal with OpenAI locks out rivals like xAI and Grok, and Musk wants billions in damages. OpenAI called it “harassment,” Apple stayed silent. Antitrust experts say Apple’s iPhone dominance could boost Musk’s case, though Apple will argue it’s just business. Meanwhile, Musk is juggling lawsuits coast-to-coast while still pushing Grok into Tesla dashboards and memeing about it on X.

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Meta Leases Midjourney’s Mind

Meta has signed a deal with Midjourney to license its AI image and video tech—essentially admitting its own tools weren’t up to par and opting to rent someone else’s creativity. Midjourney, founded in 2022, already pulls in hundreds of millions through subscriptions of up to $120 a month without outside funding, while Meta’s in-house projects like Imagine and Movie Gen looked more like student experiments. With Midjourney in the mix, Meta hopes to shed its latecomer image and better compete with OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and other AI content players—proving once again that while Meta may lack originality, it has the cash to buy whatever it needs.

Musk Tries to Out-Microsoft

Elon Musk is launching yet another venture—because Twitter, rockets, and cars apparently aren’t enough. His latest project, cheekily named Macrohard, takes a direct swipe at Microsoft. The idea: a “purely AI” software company where machines handle everything from writing code to managing workflows, leaving little room for humans (except Elon, of course). According to his chatbot Grok, Macrohard aims to churn out coding agents, image generators, and automation tools. It’s pitched as the anti-Microsoft—though the name feels more like a rejected Viagra pitch.

SpaceX’s Starship Nails 10th Test Flight — Major Milestone Achieved

SpaceX successfully launched the massive Starship rocket—its 10th test flight—to orbit from Starbase, Texas, and deployed eight dummy (Starlink-like) satellites into space for the very first time. The upper stage then made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, and the Super Heavy booster returned safely, landing in the Atlantic. This success follows several failures earlier in 2025 and marks a key step toward a fully reusable spacecraft system, vital for NASA’s Artemis moon missions and Musk’s Mars ambitions. Read more

U.S. Space Force’s X-37B Spaceplane Launches on Eighth Mission

The Pentagon’s X-37B, an unmanned reusable spaceplane developed by Boeing, has embarked on its eighth classified mission from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX rocket. This autonomous spacecraft is used to test advanced technologies—such as laser communication and quantum navigation systems—and plays a strategic role in enhancing U.S. space operations amid rising global competition.  Read more

Federal Research Freeze Hits Harvard Hard

The Trump administration’s freeze on over $2 billion in federal research funding has severely impacted scientific work at Harvard University—putting groundbreaking projects in areas like cancer and neurodevelopment at risk. Several labs face layoffs and halted progress, despite Harvard stepping in with $250 million in bridge funding to keep key initiatives alive. The University is pushing back legally, decrying the freeze as unconstitutional and warning that the wider fallout could weaken the U.S. scientific research pipeline. Read more

New EPA Data Reveals 7 Million More Americans Exposed to “Forever Chemicals

Recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that an additional 7 million Americans are now drinking tap water contaminated with PFAS, the persistent and toxic “forever chemicals.” This update pushes the total number of affected individuals to over 172 million across the nation—a staggering environmental and public health concern. Read more

Invasive Mussels Threaten Lake Superior’s Ecosystem

Lake Superior, the only Great Lake that has so far avoided invasive quagga and zebra mussels, is now under threat. Scientists have discovered both adult mussels and microscopic larvae around Isle Royale and other isolated areas. If left unchecked, these invaders could devastate fisheries and native biodiversity. Increased boat traffic, climate shifts, and inconsistent cleaning enforcement heighten the risk—though monitoring, manual removal, and proactive boat surveillance are underway as stopgap defenses. Read more

U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team Gears Up with Bold Call-Ups

With the 2026 World Cup under a year away, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino has released a 22-man roster for upcoming friendlies against South Korea (Sept 6) and Japan (Sept 9). Notably, Christian Pulisic returns to the squad, but several familiar faces—like Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna—are notably absent. In their place, the coach is evaluating new talent, including 18-year-old Noahkai Banks and goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, marking their first senior call-ups. Pochettino made it clear: no one has a guaranteed spot heading into the World Cup. Read more

Paris Claims No. 1 Spot for Urban Stress

Paris has been named the world’s most stressful city to visit, transforming the “City of Love” into the “City of Long Lines and Pickpockets.” A study of 51 global destinations found Paris the worst offender, with nearly 50 million tourists squeezing into a space smaller than Dallas—making it ten times more crowded than New York. While crime and weather played a role, the real headache is tourist density: sardine-packed metros, endless Louvre queues, and pickpockets thriving in the chaos. Other high-stress spots include Hanoi, with stifling humidity, and Shanghai, with 300 million annual visitors. Paris, however, tops them all—still stunning, but best enjoyed with patience, deodorant, and a firm grip on your bag.

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