Good Morning!

It's Friday, July 10, 2026, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• The gender pay gap is widening again.

• ‘Panic pouches’ for anxiety are winning hearts!

• This syndrome affects 90% US adults but we don’t even know of it.

Every good story has its final page, and today, ours does too. Thank you for being part of Rise & Recap. Your support meant more than words can say, and we hope our paths cross again.

Top headlines

SPILL THE NEWS

Social Media

Meta’s AI Is Using Your Images

Meta just dropped Muse Image, a slick new AI creative partner that blends photos, renders crisp text, and redesigns rooms. The catch? It automatically turns your public Instagram feed into AI remix fodder. Anyone can tag your handle to generate images using your likeness, and Meta won't even send you a notification.

If that gives you Cambridge Analytica flashbacks, you aren't alone. Tech giants love using data first and asking questions later. Just look at OpenAI, currently facing a massive copyright lawsuit from The New York Times for allegedly obstructing evidence about its training logs.

If you want out of Meta’s new playground, head to your Instagram settings, find "Sharing and reuse," and toggle those AI permissions off immediately.

Finance

The Gender Pay Gap Is Widening

The aesthetic of high-glam domesticity is taking over feeds everywhere — think making everyday cravings completely from scratch while dressed in full evening wear, surrounded by an impeccably clean kitchen. It’s peak viral content, but it’s hitting a nerve at a bizarre cultural moment: after decades of professional gains, progress for women at work is actively hitting a wall.

For the first time in a generation, the climb to the top has stalled out. Boardroom advancement has leveled off, the gender pay gap is widening, and hundreds of thousands of university-educated mothers are stepping away from full-time jobs. Between skyrocketing childcare costs, return-to-office mandates, and severe burnout, the corporate hustle is losing its shine. Instead of fighting for a seat at the table, many are simply heading for the exit.

Health

Metals In Tampons Aren’t Harmful, FDA Says

If reports about heavy metals in tampons left you worried last year, the FDA says there's little reason to panic. A new agency study found trace amounts of 19 metals, including arsenic, cadmium, and lead, in tampons sold in the US, but concluded the amounts released during normal use are far below levels that could harm health. 

Researchers say the metals likely come from raw materials like cotton and rayon, as well as soil, water, and manufacturing processes. Tampons remain regulated as medical devices, requiring safety testing before reaching store shelves. The findings aim to ease concerns sparked by a widely shared 2024 study that first detected metals in popular tampon brands.

What's happening

US & WORLD

🕯️ US-Iran continue to trade strikes as Tehran buries late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after six days of funeral events. 

✈️ The Palm Beach International Airport in Florida has now been renamed as the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. 

🔥 At least 28 people have died as a fire broke out at a shoe factory in China’s Fujian province. 

🚔 Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, who was shot by an ICE agent in Houston was not the target of their immigration operation.

🔍 The lawyer of Nolan Xavier Wells has said that the family of the 18-year-old, who died in Mississippi, will conduct an independent autopsy as new details emerge. 

⚖️ Another fatal shooting by a Memphis federal task force member marks the unit's fourth death since September.

✈️ President Trump's new Qatari-gifted Air Force One got nearly $1 billion in security upgrades before its debut trip to NATO, but security concerns sent him home on the old presidential jet.

In the know

DON’T MISS

🧠 Your everyday carry just got more emotional. "Panic pouches" are becoming anxiety's newest sidekick.

😠 There might be a scientific reason why you’re likely to get more aggressive due to heat waves. Chill out and try these fixes!

🦠 This is probably the worst place to put your suitcase and over a third of people do it!

🤔 Most Americans have never heard of this syndrome that, experts say, affects about 90% of adults.

🎨 “Joydrenching” is a kitchen design that might be here to stay. Time to bring back the color.

🤝 Wait, can you really ever cancel plans and not be considered a villain? This might help you save your friendships.

🧪 The state of New York sues multiple companies alleging they hid the dangers of toxic "forever chemicals".

🎬 Britney Spears' blockbuster memoir ‘The Woman in Me’ is officially getting the Hollywood movie treatment.

Interactive

WEIGH IN

For years, marijuana has been promoted for easing pain and nausea. But doctors are warning about a little-known condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), which can cause severe vomiting, dehydration, and repeated hospital visits in some long-term, heavy cannabis users. Experts estimate millions of Americans may experience it each year, though many cases go undiagnosed. The only proven long-term treatment is stopping cannabis use completely.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca