🌎 Load of Rubbish

Historic flash flooding kills dozens in Texas

It marks one of the deadliest floods in the state’s history. At least 91 people, including 28 children, have died after historic flash flooding ravaged central Texas over the weekend.

Flash flood alley

Between July 3 and 6, heavy rains dropped up to 12 inches of rain over the Texas Hill Country, overwhelming the Guadalupe River. The area around the river, known as “flash flood alley,” is especially vulnerable as its soil doesn’t absorb water quickly, which rapidly leads to flooding.

Just before sunrise on Friday, the river surged, rising a staggering 26 feet as tropical moisture dumped what would normally be months of rain in just 45 minutes (see video).

• The sudden surge caught residents and 750 members of Camp Mystic, a Christian, all-girls summer camp, by surprise, tearing through cabins, campsites, and riverside homes.

• Camp Mystic was hit particularly hard, leaving 28 girls and counselors dead and others still missing. See photos of the camp here.

As of writing, it’s still not clear if campers were notified ahead of time or why an evacuation wasn’t carried out. View a breakdown of when weather alerts were issued here.

Search, rescue, and questions raised

Rescue efforts mobilized over 1,000 responders, including boats, helicopters, drones, and volunteers sifting through wreckage. Within the first 36 hours of search efforts, over 850 individuals were rescued.

• In a heroic story, Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan rescued 165 people single-handedly, many of them children at Camp Mystic. It was his first-ever mission.

In the aftermath, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the county, giving more resources to first responders while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s state-level disaster order is still active across multiple Texas counties.

Questions surface about emergency preparedness: While National Weather Service alerts were issued before dawn, local cell coverage and sirens reportedly were not effective enough to warn those sleeping.

Malaysia ends US trash deal, millions of pounds pile up in California

I knew it all went somewhere… just not Malaysia. Last week, Malaysia officially banned imports of US plastic and hazardous waste, leaving the US (and particularly California) with millions of pounds in excess trash.

Why reject US waste?

Under Malaysia’s new policy, countries that haven’t ratified the Basel Convention—an international agreement on hazardous waste—will no longer be allowed to export plastic waste. While the US signed the treaty in 1990, it never ratified it.

Since China banned imports of trash in 2018, Malaysia has become the main hub for the US to send its recyclables:

• Last year, the US shipped nearly 80 million pounds of plastic to Malaysia, including 10 million pounds from California alone.

It’s not just the US: Malaysia is a key destination for much of the world’s plastic waste, importing close to one billion pounds in 2024. Much of the plastic waste shipped to Malaysia is ultimately incinerated, releasing toxic emissions, or discarded in already overcrowded landfills.

A big load of rubbish

The ban leaves California, along with other US states that export recyclables to Malaysia, in a bind. Now that Malaysian ports are closed to US trash:

• The state is already facing huge buildups of waste, rising disposal costs, and increasing criticism of its recycling systems.

Advocates argue the ban marks a turning point for the state and an opportunity to invest in local recycling facilities, circular economy programs, and reduce reliance on exporting waste.

Rejecting rubbish: After China banned plastic waste imports in 2018, Southeast Asian nations in particular saw a surge in shipments. In response, countries like Thailand and Indonesia enacted bans of their own earlier this year.

Elon Musk just formed his own political party

Probably the most consequential thing to happen because of a Twitter poll. Elon Musk announced Saturday that he has launched a new political party, called the America Party, aiming to disrupt the US two-party system.

Playing politics

Musk’s political venture is a response to what he calls the Republican-Democrat “uniparty,” which he accuses of propagating government waste and inefficiency. But how does one challenge the two longest-standing political groups in America with influential backers and billions in funding?

According to Musk, by focusing on a handful of key legislative races:

• Musk said targeting just a few Senate races and around 8–10 House districts could give the party enough influence to sway tight votes in Congress.

• However, the party has yet to file with the Federal Election Commission, and no leadership structure has been publicly announced as of writing.

Musk seemingly formed the new party after launching a poll on X asking, “Should we create the America Party?” More than 1.2 million people took part in the poll, with 65.4% voting in favor, to which Musk said, “You shall have it!”

Why form a new party?

The announcement follows Musk’s split from President Trump, especially after he signed the wide-ranging domestic policy bill, formerly known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” into law.

• Musk has long criticized the bill for its potential to increase national debt and pledged to establish a centrist party aimed at representing the "80% in the middle" of the political spectrum.

• The America Party's platform focuses on fiscal conservatism, including deficit reduction, military modernization using AI, regulatory cuts, and pro-natalist policies.

Trump responded by calling Musk’s new party “ridiculous” and raised the possibility of withdrawing federal subsidies from Musk’s companies.

Can it succeed? It’s difficult to say, but the odds aren’t in its favor. Experts say that America’s winner-take-all system, strict ballot access, public demand, and lack of grassroots structure may dampen the party’s prospects.

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Paramount to pay Trump $16 million over edited interview

Trump alleges it’ll be worth millions more. Last week, Paramount Global agreed to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuit with its subsidiary CBS News, agreeing to pay $16 million and ending the dispute over a 2024 Kamala Harris interview.

Why settle?

The suit accused CBS of manipulating the interview to benefit then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, citing the exclusion of a lengthy answer and the editing of separate clips to appear as one continuous response.

• Trump said the edits regarding Harris’s responses about Gaza were made to benefit Democrats in the upcoming election.

• CBS maintained that it edited the interview for clarity purposes.

See the published interview here and the unedited footage here.

Paramount did not admit wrongdoing nor issue an apology, though it did agree to release full transcripts of presidential interviews after they air going forward.

Looking forward: While Paramount says the $16 million covers legal costs and a library donation, Trump claims a side deal could be worth up to $20 million in ads, just as Paramount awaits FCC approval on its $8.4 billion Skydance merger.

Sperm freezing is the hottest new business venture

Not really what I expected to be invested in this year. Sperm freezing has become an increasingly lucrative field as the global male infertility market surges to up to $4 billion a year, per a recent Bloomberg report.

Swimming investment

The boom in the male infertility market is partly due to a surge of startups, including Legacy and Fellow, that are now offering mail-in sperm-collection kits that let men collect and send samples from home.

So far, things have been going, well, swimmingly:

• Legacy has attracted 40,000 customers and $50 million in venture funding, with backers including Justin Bieber, Orlando Bloom, and DJ Khaled.

• Fellow, a fertility startup working to reduce the cost of sperm analysis and storage, has secured more than $40 million in funding and partners with 11 hospitals and 2,500 clinics.

Whether it’s career ambitions, health concerns, or family planning, more men are choosing to bank their fertility now, while it’s easier and cheaper. With streamlined shipping and strict quality control, the model is leaning into accessible, at-home fertility care.

What makes sperm freezing such a hot investment? Dropping sperm counts. A widely cited 2017 study found that global sperm counts have dropped to 50% of what they were four decades ago, with possible causes including diet and stress.

FAST FACTS
Catch up on this week’s weird news

Fat Factory: Archaeologists uncovered evidence that Neanderthals operated “fat factories” over 125,000 years ago, breaking and boiling hundreds of large mammal bones to extract calorie-rich marrow and grease.

Epstein Evidence: A newly released DOJ/FBI memo states there’s no evidence Epstein maintained a “client list,” blackmailed elite figures, or was murdered, affirming he died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial in 2019.

Lots-a-LEGOs: China’s first-ever Legoland Resort officially opened in Shanghai, featuring 85 million LEGO bricks, eight themed lands, and a massive 26‑meter “Dada” figure. Tickets range from $44 to $84.

Safe Swimming: For the first time since 1923, the Seine has reopened as a safe swimming venue, complete with lifeguards, daily water tests, and changing facilities following a century-long ban.

Final Farewell: Ozzy Osbourne performed his last live show in his hometown of Birmingham—joined by Black Sabbath’s original lineup and cheered on by 40,000 fans—as he bowed out amid Parkinson’s-related health challenges.