🇺🇸 Ralph Lauren: “I love America ...”
A patriotic collab worth writing home about — plus a roundup of interesting stories you may have missed during the busy news week.
“... Celebrating the shared aspirations and values that continue to define the American spirit.”
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service announced American Icons, a collection of 13 commemorative stamps curated by iconic American designer Ralph Lauren.
USPS says this marks the first time it has invited an individual to curate an entire official stamp collection.
From Jackie Robinson’s baseball glove to a pickup truck and the Empire State Building, the stamps feature photographs from the designer’s own archive, along with visuals that that have inspired his view of America.
“I love America, and these images symbolize the many ideals and aspirations that bind us together. They are the icons of our country—authentic, timeless, and passed down through generations—and reflect the dream of a better life that has always inspired me.” — Ralph Lauren
The collection releases June 9.
One more note: Ralph Lauren’s connection to American history goes beyond this new stamp collection. He also played a major role in helping preserve the original Star-Spangled Banner — the flag that inspired the national anthem. More on that story below.
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🎧 #ICYMI: Jenna breaks down what to know about a cruise hantavirus outbreak, President Trump’s China summit (more on that below) and the new UFO files released by the U.S. government. Here’s the latest on the outbreak and where things stand now.
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
🇨🇳 13,000 Miles: The total length of China’s Great Wall, a network of fortifications built over a 2,000-year period. NBC News recently visited the 70-year-old helping restore part of the wall “one brick at a time.” Also in China, Pres. Trump met with Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping in Beijing, bringing some of America’s top CEOs along for the trip. Jenna revisited our recent conversation with Asia analyst Gordon Chang for a part of the story receiving little coverage:
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
📅 “Speedy Meetings”: Can this small fix help reclaim your time between back-to-back meetings?
🥤 “Diet Coke Parties”: A Diet Coke shortage in India — linked to aluminum can supply disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz — inspired a 25-year-old marketing executive to throw a party celebrating the drink. The idea caught on, with bars and restaurants tapping into the trend.
🥁 Band Camp: Step aside, high schoolers. Adult music camps now offer grown-ups a chance to learn new instruments and reconnect with others through music. Other camps do not require a hobby: More than 300 women came together to buy a French château and turn it into an all-inclusive luxury camp for women.
👑 Royal Return: The Princess of Wales made her first official international work trip this week since revealing her cancer diagnosis in 2024, traveling to Reggio Emilia, Italy. Wearing this blue suit, Princess Catherine met with educators and learned more about the city’s internationally recognized approach to early learning — an issue she has long championed.
Credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales
💻 OpenAI Lawsuit: A Texas family is suing ChatGPT after they allege the AI platform played a role in the overdose death of their 19-year-old son. The tech company called the situation “heartbreaking” but defended the platform, saying the chatbot does not serve as “a substitute for medical or mental health care.”
🔎 “An agonizingly long time”: The investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance hit the 100-day mark this week, as scientists continue to analyze DNA evidence at the FBI lab in Quantico. Why so long? Investigators have turned to “genetic genealogy” — a slower process that can involve comparing DNA, building family trees, and eliminating possible matches.
🇺🇸 “Continued Sacrifice”: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum announced it will add a seventh moment of silence to this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration, honoring the many responders, survivors and community members who have suffered or died from 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.
🕺 Dancing With Bananas: Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson will join the next season of Dancing with the Stars. His casting marks another milestone for the rapidly growing Bananas, who recently played in front of 102,000 fans at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field — their largest crowd ever and a far cry from the two tickets they sold in their first three months of business nearly a decade ago.
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
No adult summer camp on the calendar — yet. But these three SmartHER favorites have us ready for wherever summer takes us ... ⬇️
- Our go-to summer sandal. The highest quality, so comfortable & perfect for dressing up or down.
- The sunscreen you'll buy over and over again. Zero white film, reef-safe and won't burn your eyes.
- The all-in-one balm, gloss and color we can't live without. And it's on major sale right now.
“I am the product of the American dream, and the flag is its symbol.”
Ralph Lauren, describing why preserving the Star-Spangled Banner mattered to him. The original 30-by-34-foot flag, now on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that became the national anthem in 1814.
However, by the late 1990s, the nearly 200-year-old flag was deteriorating. The Smithsonian launched an $18 million preservation project to protect it for future generations — including placing the flag in a special, climate-controlled display visitors still see today — with Polo Ralph Lauren contributing the majority of the funding.
The backstory of the flag ... 👇🏽
On the evening of September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key watched from a ship as a 25-hour battle between British and American forces took place. Key described the evening as if “Mother Earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone.” He assumed the British would win but instead woke up to see the American flag still waving. The experience inspired him to write lyrics, later set to music and published under the name “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
