🌎 The First Reptile

Taxpayers could save $5 trillion under new Congress bill

But then again, it probably won’t pass. House Republicans began unveiling the details of a massive tax and immigration bill this week—a legislative package aimed at cementing several core priorities from the Trump administration.

The bigger the better?

The sweeping package, which involves 11 House committees, includes an estimated $5 trillion in tax cuts and aims to trim federal spending by about $1.5 trillion. The tax breaks for Americans would include (but aren’t limited to):

• A boost to the standard deduction that many Americans use to $32,000 per household.

• An increase to the child tax credit from $2,000 to $2,500 for four years.

Where will this money be coming from? Mostly from Medicaid, which provides healthcare coverage to over 70 million Americans, specifically those with disabilities, the elderly, and low-income households.

• The changes to Medicaid policies include requiring able-bodied adults without dependents to complete 80 hours a month of work, education, or service.

• That rule alone would reduce the number of people covered by 8.6 million and cut $625 billion in federal spending, per Politico.

The bill would also cut spending by raising limits on the state and local tax deduction, called SALT (see overview), putting a tax as much as 21% on endowments for private universities, and more.

Will it pass? It’s hard to say. The package faces full floor votes in both the House and the Senate. House Republicans, who hold a slim majority, would need to work out final changes and overcome opposition from members of their party.

Oldest footprints of the first “reptile” rewrite evolution

The creatures are the oldest walking ‘reptile’ known to man. Scientists in Australia found the world’s oldest reptile-like footprints, dating back 350 million years, suggesting animals evolved the ability to walk much earlier than we thought.

Archaic evidence

The fossilized footprints, preserved in a 35 cm sandstone slab, indicate that reptiles existed about 35 million years earlier than previously known, suggesting a faster pace in the evolution of land vertebrates.

• The animal, which likely resembled a small monitor lizard, was about 2.5 feet long and had long toes with hooked claws.

• Its footprints suggest it scurried across wet ground just after a light rain, while two others crossed paths heading in the opposite direction.

The tracks provide an insight into the creature’s behavior, something that isn’t possible with skeletal remains, and show just how early reptiles made the crossover from water to land.

Evolving evolution

The discovery challenges the long-held belief that the earliest animotes—the ancestors of birds, reptiles, and mammals—evolved around 318 million years ago.

• Animals emerged from the ocean around 400 million years ago, putting a roughly 80 million-year gap between them and what we believed were the first animotes.

• However, the newest tracks are dated between 354 and 358 million years old.

Now, that gap has shortened: The Australian footprints speed up the timeline of the evolutionary journey of vertebrates from water to land, and also suggest that these animals might have originated in Gondwana, the ancient southern continent (see overview), rather than the northern hemisphere.

Trump’s newest executive order is putting pressure on drugmakers to lower prices

I have a feeling Big Pharma won’t without the right incentives. On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order that yet again takes aim at drug companies, asking them to lower prices for Americans or face the consequences.

Americans pay top dollar

Worldwide, the US ranks first in prescription drug spending, with consumers frequently paying over three times more than those in other developed nations, fueling calls for legislative action on pharmaceutical costs.

• Europeans tend to pay less for prescription medications since healthcare systems can negotiate prices with drugmakers.

In 2022, the US gained the same privilege for a few select medications under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. However, it hasn’t had much of an effect:

• The first 10 prescription drugs the government lobbied were still, on average, more than double (and occasionally five times as much) what drugmakers agreed to in other developed nations.

An ongoing process: Last month, the Trump administration signed an executive order that largely focused on expanding Medicare drug price negotiation, a policy Americans largely agree with (see AARP study), and the first step in lowering drug prices in the US.

So, will the US get lower prices?

The answer is up to pharmaceutical companies. Under the new executive order signed on Tuesday:

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to introduce price targets for drug manufacturers, giving them six months to demonstrate measurable progress toward lowering costs.

What if they don’t? Trump has proposed a grab bag of options—including tariffs on certain companies, regulatory moves, and more overseas drug imports—though details remain vague.

The lack of clear enforcement measures hasn’t stopped Big Pharma from sweating: With US prescription prices among the highest in the world, even a moderate price drop could mean billions in lost annual revenue, leaving industry insiders to see the new executive order as a potential threat. Axios is calling the order “a step toward a worst-case scenario for the pharmaceutical industry.”

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Remote workers are more engaged, but have lower well-being

Such is the price of working from home. According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report, remote workers lead the pack in engagement but are suffering emotionally.

Frayed feelings

Working from home has long been considered a sought-after perk for many, but a new poll shows a couch-bound position has its ups and downs. While they might be more engaged, the isolation of a home position has proven difficult:

• 31% of remote workers say they’re enthusiastic and connected to their work, higher than both hybrid (23%) and fully in-office (19%) peers.

• However, remote workers are also the most likely to report daily stress and negative emotions, including anger, sadness, and loneliness. 45% say they experience these feelings, compared to 38% of on-site workers.

While those stuck in a cubicle might roll their eyes, it’s important (for employers and employees) to know why remote workers are struggling emotionally.

So what’s the problem? Working from home can mean trading office camaraderie for cat company, which can get lonely fast (plus your cat can’t fix a computer like IT can). Additionally, the lack of clear boundaries between work and personal time can be mentally draining and create more stress.

Is WFH worth it?

For many, the clear answer is still yes. Despite the additional stress and emotional strain, working from home hasn’t lost its appeal, particularly among those just entering the workforce.

• A LinkedIn survey (see here) of 4,000 US workers found that 40% of Gen Z and millennials—and nearly a third of all respondents—would take a pay cut in exchange for location flexibility.

The takeaway? Remote work might boost focus and productivity, but without the right support, it can quietly erode morale. Employers eager to keep their teams both effective and happy might need to think beyond Zoom and invest in better tools… and better boundaries.

Memorial Day will see a record number of American travelers

Nothing like spending $500 to grill in another state. Get ready for packed roads and airports… more than 45 million people plan to travel across the US this Memorial Day, the most ever for the weekend, according to AAA data.

Record travel

Instead of staying close to home for backyard barbecues, Americans are planning to pack their bags and hit the road this Memorial Day. AAA expects over a million additional Americans to travel more than 50 miles between May 22 and May 26.

That would make this the busiest Memorial Day for travel in 20 years, outpacing even pre-recession 2005 levels:

• Over 45 million people are projected to travel 50+ miles from home during Memorial Day weekend (see report), about 1.4 million more than last year.

• Cars will dominate Memorial Day travel again this year, with roughly 39.4 million people expected to drive and 3.61 million set to fly, according to forecasts.

Why the uptick? The spike in movement suggests an appetite for vacations even amid increased economic uncertainty, continuing a trend of record-breaking travel numbers for Americans in the post-pandemic years.

Flying may be the better option: Airfare might be a little easier on the wallet this year, as average flight prices dropped 7% compared to last year across more than 100 cities, per a new report from Kayak.

FAST FACTS
Catch up on this week’s weird news

Max Mishap: After a brief identity crisis, "Max" is pulling an Uno Reverse… Warner Bros. Discovery is renaming the streaming service back to "HBO Max," proving that sometimes, you just can't beat the original.

Elder Electronics: MIT researchers have developed an eldercare robot designed to assist seniors with sitting, standing, and preventing falls, aiming to enhance safety and independence at home.

Invisible Inverters: US officials have discovered undocumented communication devices in Chinese-made solar power inverters, raising concerns about potential cybersecurity threats to the national power grid.

Fluoride Fallout: The FDA announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription products for children from the market, citing studies that suggest potential health risks, including gut microbiome alterations and thyroid dysfunction.

Diplomatic Deal: During a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia, President Trump announced a $142 billion arms deal and pledged to lift sanctions on Syria, signaling a shift in U.S. foreign policy.