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US Fertility Rate At Record Low | Case For Sleeping Naked | “Slow Dopamine” For Ultimate Happiness?
Plus, fibermaxxing gets an upgrade!
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Good Morning!
It's Friday, April 10, 2026, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:
US fertility rate falls to an all-time low.
Best sleepwear is no sleepwear?
“Slow dopamine” the ultimate secret to happiness?
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Top headlines
SPILL THE NEWS
Space
Artemis II Astronauts Face Dangerous Phase Ahead
The four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen — are set to return to Earth on Friday after 10 days in space. The Orion capsule will begin re-entry at 7:53 pm ET and splash down at 8:07 pm ET. “It’s 13 minutes of things that have to go right,” said Jeff Radigan. See the squad’s captured moon images.
Re-entry temperatures may reach 5,000°F. NASA identified heat shield damage after Artemis I. “We have to hit that angle correctly,” Radigan said. NASA said it has “high confidence” in the modified re-entry plan.
Reproductive Health
The Baby Bust Age?
The US fertility rate fell to a record low of 53.1 births per 1,000 women in 2025, down from 53.8 in 2024, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Total births declined 1% to 3,606,400. The rate has trended downward since 2007. Teen birthrates dropped 7% year over year and are down 72% since 2007.
Birthrates for women in their 30s and 40s increased, including a 3% rise among ages 30 to 34. The total fertility rate reached 1.57 births per woman. Nearly half of 30-year-old women are childless, compared with 18% in 1976. What is the reason behind it?
Bloomberg: "No reliable safe havens." Billionaires have been investing elsewhere. Here's how to get in.
Bloomberg's Marcus Ashworth wrote plainly recently: "No more reliable safe havens."
After all, the S&P fell over 7% from the February peak. Bonds, even with less risk, are barely keeping pace with inflation.
So-called "diversified" portfolios have gotten hit from multiple directions.
Meanwhile, the world’s wealthiest have been setting records in another asset class.
Circumstances are always unique, but after the dot-com bust, it grew roughly 24% annually for a decade. After 2008, roughly 11% annually for 12 years.
Blue-chip art.
Why? It trades globally in multiple currencies, has scarce supply, and has shown near-zero correlation to equities since 1995.*
With Masterworks, 70,000+ investors allocated $1.3B fractionally across 500+ artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.
Accredited? You can invest in a diversified portfolio of postwar and contemporary art alongside two other real assets. From 2017-2025, the mix would’ve beat the S&P 500 by 3.1x.
See if you can improve your portfolio performance all in one diversified strategy.
*According to Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd
US News
‘Super El Niño’ Enters The Chat
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said La Niña ended in April 2026 and El Niño is likely to develop later this year. Forecast models show a 61% chance of El Niño forming by May–July and persisting through 2026. Some projections suggest a potential “Super El Niño”, though federal scientists do not use that term.
El Niño is associated with warmer Pacific Ocean temperatures and has previously coincided with record global heat, including 2024. NOAA said outcomes range from neutral to very strong conditions. La Niña began in December 2024 and influenced rainfall, cooling global temperatures slightly and supporting more Atlantic hurricane activity.
In the know
DON’T MISS
🏛️ Clearing the air, Melania Trump denies any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in rare White House statement.
🥗 We’re leaving fibermaxxing in the past — “fiberlayering” is the trend to know now.
🪖 Eligible men will be automatically added to US military draft pool starting December under new rule.
🐧 Emperor penguins listed as endangered as climate crisis destroys their habitat.
💼 Barron Trump’s into business — as his brand unveils first product ahead of May launch.
🛋️ As socializing gets tough, Gen Z’s getting softer. “Soft socializing” is this generation’s chill answer to exhausting hangouts.
📝 That overwhelming to-do list? It’s less about tasks, more about bad planning. The fix — seven small hacks.
😴 For the best sleep, wear … nothing?
Health & Wellness
FOR YOUR WELLBEING
📱 Burnt out from constant scrolling? As per TikTok (ironically), “slow dopamine” is a fix to your constant need for instant gratification.
🧠 New research says a mini phone break could rewind 10 years of cognitive decline, and you don’t even have to quit it completely.
💪 Protein is everywhere right now, but dietitians say most of what you think you know about it is wrong. Some shocked us, too!
😴 Funnily enough, better sleep could come down to one simple thing: your sleepwear — or the lack of it.
Fashion & Beauty
BEYOND THE MIRROR
👕 A white shirt is a classic staple in every wardrobe, but if you have found yourself pondering over how to make it feel fresh for 2026, look no further.
💼 Looking for an alternative to basic slides? The peep-toe loafer is your smartest choice. Don’t worry, you’ll still “slide” into your 9-to-5 just fine.
⚫ We’re seeing spots all over the runways this season — only this time, polka dots have come with a little edge.
💅 Mismatched art, negative neons, and now …. milkbath nails? If you’re looking to refresh your April manicure, skip the literal Easter egg manicure and go for this sophisticated trend.
Hollywood
THE FAME FRAME
🥇 Wait! Did Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu pop up in Laufey’s TikTok?
🌃 Taylor Swift was spotted on an NYC girls’ night amid wedding planning buzz. Speaking of which, some details are starting to surface!
👶 Jonah Hill confirmed he’s married and now a dad of two — and yes, no one saw it coming.
🎶 Following a very public fallout, musician Labrinth is out of ‘Euphoria’ Season 3.
🎬 The Cannes Film Festival has revealed its 2026 lineup. Where’d Hollywood disappear?
Interactive
WEIGH IN
A growing “Food Is Medicine” movement is reshaping healthcare training, with over 60 medical programs now teaching future doctors how to cook and prescribe nutrition. Studies show medically tailored meals can reduce hospital visits and cut costs, yet many students still receive little to no nutrition education. Supporters say food-based treatment can prevent and manage chronic diseases, while critics question scalability, costs, and whether doctors should take on roles traditionally held by dietitians.
What do you think? |
“Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.”
— Mark Manson
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