"A Taste of Fall"
Happy Saturday! We’re catching you up on everything - from global relations and home sales to cooler, "fall-like" temps rolling into parts of the northern United States. But first ...
Worth A Read 👇🏽
Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, The Washington Post features a series of essays on the nation’s founding. This week's comes from a University of Virginia history professor, who explores George Washington’s early months as commander of the Continental Army and how his leadership shaped the Revolution.
You can read previous "When America Was Born" contributions HERE.
P.S. Professor Andrew O’Shaughnessy wrote an award-winning book on the American Revolution called "The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire." You can grab it HERE.
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
‼️ Friday Release: The Department Of Justice released recent conversations (transcript AND audio) between convicted Jeffrey Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Expect potentially more news on this - it comes as the DOJ started to release more info to a powerful House committee.
📫 "Highly Inaccurate" or "Baseless Claims"? President Trump aims to cut back on mail-in voting and voting machines, citing fraud and waste in previous elections. But this law professor says only Congress can regulate federal elections. Noteworthy: Mail-in ballots accounted for about 30% of votes in the 2024 election, down from 43% in 2020.
🍂"A Taste of Fall": Thanks to an air mass from Canada and Hurricane Erin, parts of the northern U.S. can expect "fall-like" temps by mid-week. If you're not in the north, don't despair: 45 states will see below average temps as well.
💰 Gold Rush? 150 years after settlers first flocked to the area in search of riches, rising gold prices are drawing miners back to the Black Hills in South Dakota. But Native American tribes and environmentalists aren’t happy – warning the renewed activity could harm the environment and sacred lands.
💸 Scooch Over, Cali: Zillow now ranks Florida as home to the nation’s most expensive neighborhood. Gables Estates, a gated community in Coral Gables, dates back to the 1920s and features about 180 properties. To even be CONSIDERED for a home in this pricey neighborhood, buyers must pay a nonrefundable $100,000 application fee. Chump change, right? 😂
🏡 2.0%: The rise of existing home sales last month. Main contributors to the growth? More homes on the market and a slight ease in mortgage rates.
💪🏼 "The legging's dead": WHAT? (WSJ breaking this news - we remain unconvinced)
🔨 Home Depot Prices: That DIY project may cost more due to tariffs. The good news? Price hikes will apply only to certain products and “won’t be broad based,” according to the CEO.
🛌 Smart Sleeping: Or just expensive sleeping? Billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg use $3,000 ‘smart mattress covers’ to help them sleep. But the company is trying to market its product to ‘normal people’ and those in medical fields. How much would you pay for better sleep?
📺 New Name, Who Dis?: Known as MSNBC since 1996, the cable news channel will switch its name to MS Now (My Source News Opinion World) and update its logo. Some are baffled by the branding decision.
🥞 Nostalgia No More: Speaking of change...the internet (and Wall Street) erupted over Cracker Barrel’s recent rebranding. The country-style restaurant recently underwent a remodel in some of its stores and simplified its logo.
🇺🇦 Ukraine Meeting: After meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders at the White House earlier this week. So, what’s next for the ongoing war in Ukraine? And will the U.S. put "boots on the ground?"
🎙️ This Week From Jenna:
Insight you won’t hear anywhere else:
Journalist David Satter joined us to discuss the historic meeting between President Trump and President Putin, and what to watch for next as the White House welcomed European leaders – including Ukraine’s President Zelensky – to work towards a peace agreement.
As you may remember, David lived and worked in Russia for decades before becoming the first U.S. correspondent to be expelled since the Cold War. He witnessed both the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of President Putin to power.
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
Recently, I gave you a sneak peek inside the new SmartHER News podcast studio. While still a work in progress, here’s a first look at some of my favorite finds for the space – all from Wayfair. One you're loving? This framed map. ⬇️
“We have nothing, nor does the nation have anything similar to this.”
Investigative archivist Mitchell Yockelson on the recent recovery of a misplaced Pearl Harbor logbook. Airbases kept logbooks to track events and observations, and the recovered volume covers 16 months before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The book was taken from the trash in the 1970s by Michael William Bonds’ mother, and stored away for decades until Bonds and his fiancé rediscovered it during a move.
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
