Good morning! Fifty-seven years ago today, 400,000 people settled onto a dairy farm in Bethel, New York — the photo below is worth the scroll. First, though: the estimate for next year's Social Security raise just moved.
Worth Knowing
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Social Security's 2027 raise estimate just slipped to 3.6%The Senior Citizens League now projects a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, down from 3.8% a month earlier, as inflation moderates. A 3.6% COLA would add roughly $70 a month to the average retirement benefit. It's still an estimate: the official number arrives in mid-October, once September inflation data is in. Two more monthly reports will decide where it lands. |
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A salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeños has reached 27 statesThe USDA issued a public health alert for 18 ready-to-eat meat and poultry products — salads, wraps, and snack trays from brands including Taylor Farms, Walmart's Marketside, and H-E-B — made with recalled jalapeños. The outbreak has sickened 345 people across 27 states, and the products were sold at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, H-E-B, and other major chains. Check the list against your refrigerator; anything that matches should be thrown out or returned. |
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1.27 million Ram pickups need a seat belt inspectionChrysler is recalling 2019–2026 Ram 1500s because the second-row seat belt buckle anchors may not have been installed correctly, which could keep a belt from holding in a crash. Dealers will inspect and repair them free, and owner letters start mailing August 18. If one of these trucks is in your driveway, it's worth checking now rather than waiting for the letter. |
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⚠ Scam alert
The "we can get your money back" call is the second scamThe signal: after someone loses money to a scam, they get an unsolicited call, email, or social media message from a "recovery service" — or someone posing as a government official — offering to retrieve the lost funds for an upfront fee or a bank account number. What to do: don't pay, and don't share account information. The FTC is unambiguous: legitimate agencies never charge to return money to fraud victims. Verify it: report fraud, and check on real recovery efforts, only at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or ic3.gov. If a caller claims to be from either agency, hang up and contact the agency directly. |
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An extra $6,000 tax deduction if you're 65 or olderA temporary provision in last year's tax law gives taxpayers 65 and older an additional $6,000 deduction — $12,000 for a married couple when both qualify — for tax years 2025 through 2028. It phases out above $75,000 in modified adjusted gross income for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers. If that describes your household, it belongs in your fall tax planning conversation. |
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Southwest brought back free extra seats for travelers who need themAfter a spring of backlash, Southwest reversed course on its tightened extra-seat rules: plus-size travelers who need more room can once again get a free neighboring seat at the gate, instead of buying one up front and requesting a refund. The airline is also installing larger overhead bins, with the rest of its 737 fleet due to have them by the end of 2026. Both changes soften the rougher edges of this year's move to assigned seating. |
Remember When?
Woodstock opened its gates 57 years ago today
On August 15, 1969, the festival billed as "3 Days of Peace & Music" began on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York. More than 400,000 people showed up — several times what anyone planned for — and Richie Havens opened the music that Friday afternoon. The rain came, the fences came down, and the weekend became shorthand for an entire generation.
Swami Satchidananda leads the opening invocation before the Woodstock crowd, August 15, 1969. Photo: Mark Goff (public domain)
| Gallon of regular gas | $0.35 → $2.90 |
| Dozen eggs | 62¢ → $3.59 |
| Movie ticket | $1.42 → $16.30 |
| First-class stamp | 6¢ → 82¢ |
| New car, average | $3,400 → $49,900 |
| New home, average | $27,900 → $400,000+ |
Average U.S. prices; today's figures as of August 2026.
Test Yourself
| 1 | Born on August 15, 1912, what chef brought French cooking into American kitchens and became public television's first cooking star? |
| 2 | On this date in 1914, what waterway opened to ship traffic, sparing vessels a nearly 8,000-mile trip around South America? |
| 3 | Which swimmer won a record eight gold medals at a single Olympics — and at which Games? |
| 4 | "OK" may be the most widely understood word on Earth. What did it originally stand for? |
| 5 | By surface area, which Great Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the world? |
Answers are near the bottom of today's email. No peeking.
Live Better
How quickly you step may matter as much as how far you walk
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University and the University of Minnesota measured how quickly older adults could initiate a step while their attention was occupied by a second task — the kind of distracted reaction that catches a stumble before it becomes a fall. In results published in the journal Gerontology, each tenth of a second of added quickness was associated with a 28% lower risk of dying during the years researchers followed participants. The practical version: balance and reaction work, such as tai chi, agility drills, or twice-weekly strength training, trains exactly that kind of speed.
Clean the gutters now, not after the first fall storm
Late August is the window. Flush gutters and downspouts with a hose, check that hangers are tight and each run slopes toward its downspout, and make sure extensions carry water well away from the foundation. Clogged gutters push water under shingles and into basements, which is why gutter care sits near the top of insurers' fall maintenance checklists. Doing it now means doing it once — before leaves start coming down.
Medicare's shopping season starts October 15 — set up now
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, and plans must mail their Annual Notice of Change by September 30. Read that notice when it arrives; premiums, drug tiers, and provider networks shift every year. Three things make October comparison shopping faster: a current medication list with doses, the names of the doctors and pharmacies you want to keep, and a rough tally of what you've spent on care in 2026.
Enjoy Yourself
Kyle Chandler's new HBO mystery lands Sunday night
"Lanterns" premieres Sunday, August 16, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. Chandler and Aaron Pierre play two generations of intergalactic lawmen pulled into a murder investigation in the American heartland — and despite the comic-book badge, it plays as a slow-burn crime drama, closer to a detective story than a superhero picture. Eight episodes, arriving weekly.
Fall airfare drops soon — these are the weeks to fly
Domestic fares typically run 25% to 40% below summer peaks during two windows this fall: September 8–21 and October 5–24. The best prices go to people who book two to six weeks ahead, which makes the next couple of weeks the moment to lock in September trips. Shoulder season also means thinner crowds and cooler weather at the marquee destinations.
Women's pro baseball is back for the first time since 1954
The Women's Pro Baseball League opened its inaugural season August 1 with four teams: the Boston Hunters, New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, and San Francisco Firebells. It's the first professional women's baseball league in the United States since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — the league "A League of Their Own" made famous — dissolved in 1954. Every game of the first season is being played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
One Last Thing
1. Julia Child, born 114 years ago today · 2. The Panama Canal · 3. Michael Phelps, with eight golds in Beijing in 2008 · 4. "Oll korrect" — a joking misspelling of "all correct" that first appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1839 · 5. Lake Superior, at about 31,700 square miles
The new world surfing champion is a Labrador
At the 10th World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica, California, a five-year-old Lab from Santa Cruz named Rippin' Rosie swept the large-dog division, took the tandem paddleboard title with her owner, and carried home the Spirit of Dog Surfing award for good measure. The judges score wave choice, ride length, and confidence on the board. Rosie, by all accounts, has plenty of all three.
More tomorrow. — The editors