New FICO Model Disrupts Credit Bureau Status Quo
Fair Isaac Corp., the Montana-based company behind the FICO credit score, is shaking up the industry with a new pricing model aimed at mortgage lenders, per The Wall Street Journal. The shift could significantly weaken the grip of credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, which have long controlled how credit scores are sold. Under the …
Used EV Sales Surge Ahead of Tax Credit Deadline
Used electric vehicles (EVs) are having a moment. Pre-owned electric-car purchases jumped 40 percent year over year in July to 36,670 units—about 2.2 percent of the used market—per Cox Automotive’s monthly market monitor (the industry standard headcount for EV sales). “As we move toward the end of Q3, when EV incentives are set to expire, …
Fed Cuts Rates for First Time Since December
The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday by 0.25 percentage points, lowering the target range to 4–4.25 percent—its first reduction since last December, Reuters reported. The move reflects mounting concerns about a cooling labor market even as inflation remains above the Fed’s 2 percent goal. Officials also signaled they expect two additional …
The Year-End “Lock-In”
“The Great Lock-In” has become fall’s catchphrase—a September-through-December sprint to clean up sleep, screen time, fitness, finances, and work habits before year-end. The trend has seen a swift rise on TikTok and Instagram, where creators post rule sets that include weekly workout minimums, cold showers, nine-hour sleep targets, strict screen-time caps, and the elimination of …
Emmys 2025: Records, Firsts, and Surprises
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles last night felt like a reset button for TV. The show pulled in 7.42 million viewers across CBS and Paramount+, an eight percent jump from last year and the biggest Emmy audience since 2021, according to the AP. It was not just the numbers that stood out—the …
Wyoming Launches First State-Issued Stablecoin
Wyoming has become the first U.S. state to launch its own stablecoin, part of a broader push to make the state a hub for digital finance, according to CNBC. The Frontier Stable Token (FRNT) officially went live on August 19. Each token is backed one-to-one with U.S. dollars and short-term Treasuries, plus a two percent …
The Engagement That Broke the Internet
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially engaged, and the announcement has triggered a cultural earthquake far beyond their fanbases. Their joint Instagram post—a carousel of proposal photos captioned, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨”—complete with a dynamite emoji—racked up millions of likes in hours, quickly becoming one of the …
Mars, Pairwise Team Up to Gene-Hack Hardier Cocoa
Mars Inc.—the Virginia-based giant behind M&M’s, Dove, Snickers, and Twix—is turning to biotech to future-proof chocolate. The company has partnered with Durham-based startup Pairwise, tapping into its Fulcrum™ CRISPR platform to fast-track the development of climate-resilient cacao, according to Bloomberg. Through the deal, Mars gains access to Pairwise’s CRISPR toolkit—including its proprietary SHARC enzyme and …
Plastic Pact Stalls in Geneva
After nine long days in Geneva, global envoys ended negotiations on a United Nations treaty to curb plastic pollution without a deal, as reported by The Guardian. The failure frustrated many delegates, but negotiators insisted the effort isn’t over. “We are truly sad to say that we will not have a treaty to end plastic …
Beavers Outsmart Bureaucracy
While the government stalled, a team of wild beavers in the Czech Republic quietly delivered what officials couldn’t: an eco-friendly dam system built in the right place, at the right time—no delays, no cost overruns, no red tape. Back in 2018, Czech authorities proposed a $1.2 million project to protect a sensitive wetland and endangered …