Quartz

The toys might suck this Christmas — and batteries won’t be included: Toymakers are stripping out batteries, accessories, and features as Trump’s trade war drives up costs ahead of the holiday season dlvr.it/TM5TVR

Why billionaires aren’t bidding: Art sales fall to decade low: Big-ticket art is stalling, but demand for luxury items and lower-priced collectibles is on the rise. dlvr.it/TM6pMM

Republicans defended Jerome Powell during Trump's first term. That firewall is weakening: A small but growing contingent of Republican lawmakers are comfortable in demanding Powell’s ouster as Federal Reserve chair dlvr.it/TM6mLL

Tesla’s big bet on humanoid robots may be hitting a wall: Optimus humanoid robots reportedly are behind schedule, and Tesla’s once-unshakable narrative is starting to crack. dlvr.it/TM6k8p

Sam Altman has a warning about using ChatGPT as your therapist: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said personal conversations with ChatGPT aren’t necessarily private due to a lack of legal protections dlvr.it/TM6dTB

Tesla could be fast-tracking its robotaxi service to San Francisco: From Marin to San Jose, Tesla reportedly is gearing up to launch its self-driving, ride-hailing service — just don’t expect an empty driver’s seat yet. dlvr.it/TM6dN2

Trump's FCC has cleared Paramount’s merger with Skydance: The regulator approved a merger between Skydance and Paramount, citing Skydance's commitment to end DEI policies dlvr.it/TM6ZQZ

Elon Musk pushes back on Trump's subsidies claim: Elon Musk fires back at Trump’s “subsidies” comment, saying his NASA contracts save taxpayers money. dlvr.it/TM6ZM4

The paradox eating AI's profits: AI startups promise sky-high margins. But a 160-year-old concept known as the Jevons Paradox may be dragging them back to Earth dlvr.it/TM6B8S

The 8 best lakes in the U.S. for a summer vacation: From mountain retreats to classic Midwestern getaways, these lakes are perfect for swimming, paddling, and unwinding this summer dlvr.it/TM6B1l

Google is betting billions more on its cloud business: Google Cloud beat Wall Street’s expectations in the second quarter. Next, Alphabet is investing billions more in the service to meet demand dlvr.it/TM5nRb

U.S. car companies could face higher tariffs than Japan. Howard Lutnick says they're 'cool' with it: A trade deal with Japan put a 15% tariff on cars it exports to the U.S. But American firms must pay 25% tariffs for cars they manufacture in Canada and… dlvr.it/TM5nJs

American Airlines' CEO calls out Delta's 'bait and switch' AI tactics: While Delta experiments with AI fare models, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says the move risks customer trust dlvr.it/TM5nDF

Even Elon Musk sounds unconvinced by Elon Musk: The Tesla CEO once sold the future with nothing but confidence. But after a downbeat earnings call and a rocky quarter, even he sounds like he’s waiting on results dlvr.it/TM5lCm

McDonald’s is testing new drinks, despite its CosMc’s flop: The fast food chain will test new cold drinks at 500 U.S. restaurants to appeal to younger customers. dlvr.it/TM5hyX

Restricted Nvidia AI chips worth $1 billion reportedly smuggled into China: A Financial Times report discovered Nvidia's B200 chip is the most “sought-after” and “widely available” chip on China’s black market dlvr.it/TM5fX8

Elon Musk's Neuralink predicts 20,000 brain-chip implants a year by 2031: Musk expects Neuralink's brain chips to generate an estimated $1 billion in annual revenue by 2031, but he has a long history of overpromising. dlvr.it/TM5bmT

Microsoft says SharePoint hackers have escalated attack with ransomware: Hackers have escalated their attack on SharePoint software with the use of ransomware, Microsoft said dlvr.it/TM5Xmn

Sydney Sweeney just sent American Eagle stock soaring: Sydney Sweeney is the star of a new ad campaign for the clothing retailer, lighting a fire under its struggling stock dlvr.it/TM5Tr6

Trump is visiting the Fed himself today as he turns up the pressure on Jerome Powell: Trump will be the third president to visit the Fed in an official capacity, a rare occurrence that illustrates the institution’s usual insulation from politics dlvr.it/TM5Tg2