Good Morning!

It's Friday, August 15, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• A breakthrough study comes closer to reading your mind’s thoughts.

• Trump-Putin set to meet today. 

• ‘Menodivorces’ are rising among women.

Love this newsletter? Don’t keep it all to yourself—share it with your friends!

Reading for the first time? Join over 50,000 intellectually curious women.

Help us be better, write at: [email protected]

SPILL THE NEWS

Florida Set To Setup ‘Deportation Depot’ Immigration Jail

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that his administration will open a second immigration detention facility, dubbed the “Deportation Depot”, at the Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson. The move comes as a federal judge considers whether to close the state’s month-old Everglades detention center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz”. Staffing will be handled by the Florida National Guard and contractors. The state estimates the build-out will cost $6 million, with operations expected to begin within weeks.

The Baker facility will initially hold 1,300 detainees, with capacity expandable to 2,000. “There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.” He called the prison a “ready-made” site, adding, “It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply.”

DeSantis said the facility supports “the important mission that President Trump was elected to implement, securing the border and enforcing immigration laws, and removing illegal aliens”. He emphasized, “The reason is not to house people indefinitely; we want to process and return illegal aliens to their home country. That is the name of the game.” 

Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock

When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs who backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso.

Disrupting the real estate industry once again, Pacaso’s streamlined platform offers co-ownership of premier properties, revamping the $1.3T vacation home market.

And it works. By handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has already made $110M+ in gross profits in their operating history.

Now, after 41% YoY gross profit growth last year alone, they recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Your ‘Inner Voice’ Might Be Audible Soon

Scientists have taken a major step toward allowing patients to “speak” using only their thoughts. In a new Cell study, researchers in the BrainGate2 clinical trial showed that computers can now decode not just attempted speech, but also “inner speech” — words a person merely imagines saying.

The breakthrough builds on work with A.L.S. patient Casey Harrell, who uses a brain implant to converse after losing his voice. Electrodes on his motor cortex let a computer synthesize nearly 6,000 words in his own voice with 97.5% accuracy. “We wanted to investigate if there was a risk of the system decoding words that weren’t meant to be said aloud,” said Erin Kunz, a Stanford neuroscientist. She noted that inner speech might also be “less tiring, so they could use the system for longer.”

Tests showed imagined words produced similar, though weaker, brain patterns than spoken ones. With AI training, accuracy improved sharply — even for full sentences. To protect mental privacy, the team devised an “inner password” system. One participant’s device decoded thoughts only after she imagined saying “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. “This study represents a step in the right direction, ethically speaking,” said bioethicist Cohen Marcus Lionel Brown.

Costco To Stop Selling Abortion Pill Amid Pressure

Costco Wholesale Corp. will not sell the abortion pill mifepristone at any of its more than 500 U.S. pharmacy locations, citing low demand. “Our position at this time not to sell mifepristone, which has not changed, is based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients, who we understand generally have the drug dispensed by their medical providers,” the retailer said.

The decision was welcomed by a coalition of religious activist groups — including Inspire Investing and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — that had urged Costco not to dispense the medication. “It’s a very significant win and it’s one we hope to build on this coming year,” said Michael Ross, legal counsel at ADF. The group now plans to focus on Walgreens and CVS, which provide mifepristone in states where abortion is legal.

Critics called Costco’s move “disappointing and short-sighted,” warning it could limit access to an FDA-approved medication. The pill, approved in 2000, is typically used with misoprostol to terminate pregnancies within 10 weeks. The decision comes amid escalating state-level abortion restrictions and increasing pressure from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights advocates.

DON’T MISS

📅 Trump, Putin set to meet today — what to know and what’s at stake.

📉 Lowest rated US cities to live in. Is yours in the list?

🌍 Global plastic treaty talks collapse amid deep divisions among nations.

🧘‍♀️ Is improving your posture the ultimate secret to longevity?

📜 As California moves towards redistricting, Texas Dems return to allow vote.

👩‍🦳 From menopause, women are now opting for ‘menodivorce’.

☕ Love working from cafes? You might be bad for their business.

👧 Time releases its first ‘Girls of the Year’ list!

🚔 Man fleeing immigration officers killed on busy Los Angeles freeway.

🍼 What’s with Silicon Valley’s growing obsession with “smart babies”?

IN GOOD HEALTH

🧠 New research links ADHD treatment to decreased suicide rates, lower addiction risk, reduced crime, and fewer accidents over time.

🦷 Dentists reveal five everyday mistakes that could quietly damage your teeth and what to do instead for a healthier smile.

🌳 A short walk in nature can sharpen focus by 20%, offering mental restoration that city streets simply can’t provide.

🧂 Could adding a pinch of sea salt to water actually boost health, or is it just another viral wellness trend?

IN STYLE, IN BEAUTY

👟 From sleek cuts to bold fabrics, 2025 activewear merges fashion and function with smart, stylish gear you can wear all day.

👩‍⚕️ Tretinoin cream delivers powerful anti-aging results — boosting collagen, fading dark spots, refining texture, and reducing fine lines with prescription strength.

🎨 Long or short nails? Gen Z and millennials know that manicure says less about age, more about personal expression.

👕 Build a summer wardrobe with basics you actually love wearing from soft fabrics to versatile jeans, these pieces would make outfits effortless.

THE FAME FRAME

🎬 Tom Cruise declined Kennedy Center honor invitation from Trump.

🎤 Fans think Taylor Swift’s new song might be about Blake Lively.

👗 Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Bella Hadid show how to dress for girls’ night out.

📺 Does Samantha Jones return on ‘And Just Like That’ finale?

🙄 Pete Davidson criticizes media for obsessing over his d*** size.

WEIGH IN

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen.” 

– Brené Brown