Plus: The FBI and DOJ reveal there is no "Epstein list" and confirm Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide

Good afternoon,

We hope everyone is easing into their Monday after the long holiday weekend — we know it’s not always the smoothest transition. But new research shows it might be important to reduce stress levels at the start of the week, because the “Anxious Monday” effect could have lasting impacts on your health, even after retirement.

Researchers found that older adults who reported experiencing anxiety on Mondays — as compared to other days — had 23% higher long-term cortisol levels. That’s because the stark transition from weekend to weekday disrupts our body’s stress regulation systems, making Monday anxiety potentially more harmful to long-term health.
- “Mondays act as a cultural ‘stress amplifier,’” said Professor Tarani Chandola, who led the research. “This isn’t about work — it’s about how deeply ingrained Mondays are in our stress physiology, even after careers end.”
- Only about 25% of the “Monday effect” has to do with higher anxiety levels on the first day of the week; the rest is due to the disproportionate impact that stress has on our bodies, as compared to stress on other days.
This could explain why there is a nearly 20% increase in heart attacks on Mondays. Repeated disruption of our stress regulation systems leads to higher cardiovascular risks.

So what can you do? Researchers say structured weekly routines may train the body to respond better to any Monday whiplash.

I already have a glass of wine and ice cream ready to avoid the Sunday Scaries — now I have to worry about the Anxious Mondays, too?

Sari
Mo News Senior Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Death Toll in Texas Flood Rises As National Weather Service Comes Under Scrutiny For Staffing Shortages

The death toll from the July Fourth weekend flooding in central and southern Texas has risen to at least 95 as of Monday afternoon, while ten campers and one counselor from a summer camp in Kerr County remain unaccounted for. The catastrophic event is raising urgent questions about whether cuts to the National Weather Service impacted its ability to warn the public in time. Though, officials are pushing back on that assertion.

What happened: Catastrophic floods took place in areas around the Guadalupe River area overnight Friday, including at Campy Mystic, a century-old all-girls summer camp northwest of San Antonio. People sleeping in tents, cabins, and homes were swept away in the middle of the night by waters that surged at about 30 feet during one of the nation’s worst floods in decades. Camp Mystic has said they lost 27 young campers and counselors as of Monday.

Kerr County experienced the worst of the flooding, where officials reported 75 deaths so far, including 48 adults and 27 children. The remaining fatalities occurred in five other nearby Texas counties.
Flood watches remain in effect today across central Texas.

CHALLENGES WITH THE WARNINGS
On Thursday at 1:18 PM local time, the National Weather Service (NWS) of Austin/San Antonio announced an initial flood watch, highlighting Kerr County in central Texas as a hotspot for overnight flooding. The warning was to last until Friday morning.

On Friday at 1:14 AM, the NWS upgraded it to a Flash Flood Warning. An alert went out to mobile devices — though most people were likely asleep, and some areas reported having no cell phone coverage. At 3:35 AM, another warning told people to “move to higher ground now.”
The Guadalupe River began surging to more than 30 feet between 4 AM and 6 AM. The NWS warned, “A very dangerous flash flooding event is ongoing” and urged residents to evacuate immediately.
- By Friday at 7 AM, Kerr County begins to evacuate people near the river.

Some Texas officials have criticized the NWS communications. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the messages didn’t match the level of urgency. Officials in Kerr County proposed a county-wide flood warning system in 2017, but it was rejected at the time for being too expensive.

The NWS said that warnings issued in the run-up to the flooding were as timely and accurate as possible given the available weather data at the time, and that the agency was adequately staffed to handle the crisis.

BUDGET CUTS & STAFFING
Accusations began emerging that recent budget cuts to the NWS impaired its ability to deliver advance notice. The Trump administration laid off roughly 600 workers from the NWS and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in April amid national budget cuts. As of Friday, the NWS of Austin/San Antonio had six job vacancies, including for a warning coordination meteorologist after the previous employee took an early buyout in April.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) told CNN, “I don't think it's helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies.”
Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the NWS Employees Organization, acknowledged the staffing shortages but said the offices had enough meteorologists to respond to the event.
In fact, the NWS office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, said they had extra staff on duty during the storm: up to five employees, as opposed to the normal two on clear weather nights.

The White House said that accusations that cuts to the NWS affected its ability to deliver warnings were "shameful and disgusting."

RESCUE EFFORTS
“The real heroes were the kids,” said Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan of the girls at Camp Mystic, who helped each other stay calm and alive as floodwaters tore through their cabins.

Ruskan was lowered from a helicopter during the storm and helped rescue 165 campers and staff — his first mission ever. “These were kids just trying to have a summer,” Ruskan, 26, told ABC. “And nature didn’t give them a chance.”

🚨 ONE CONTROVERSIAL THING

The FBI And DOJ Confirm Jeffrey Epstein Died By Suicide, Did Not Have “Client List”

President Trump’s Justice Department and the FBI have concluded that Jeffrey Epstein did not have a “client list” of people he was blackmailing, and that he indeed died by suicide, the government confirmed in a memo Sunday.

The administration released a video from the night Epstein died in 2019, showing that nobody had entered his cell after it was locked for the night. The 10-hour video, available to the public, is also corroborated by a medical examiner’s findings that Epstein died by suicide. Officials have previously acknowledged that two other cameras closer to his cell malfunctioned that night.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The memo asserted that one of the government’s “highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” but “perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”

Since Epstein died in 2019 from an apparent hanging, conspiracy theories have spread asserting that he was instead murdered by powerful people he was attempting to blackmail. These theories gained popularity in part due to a number of right wing influencers — including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, before Trump appointed them to run the FBI.
- Right-wing social media has turned on FBI Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino for allegedly now caving to the so-called “Deep State.”
The Trump administration entered office promising to release the “Epstein Files,” but came under criticism for mostly releasing already-public information. Attorney General Pam Bondi said as far back as February that she had a “client list” for review on her desk, which the administration has now debunked.

The memo declares that no further information regarding Epstein will be released.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Officer shot and man with rifle killed after exchange of fire at Border Patrol facility in Texas (CNN)
Elon Musk announces “America Party” to compete with Republicans, Democrats (MO NEWS)
U.S. to revoke Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Honduras and Nicaragua, putting them at risk of deportation (CBS)
Bodies of all 7 missing people found at California fireworks warehouse that exploded (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Trump hopes to align with Netanyahu on Gaza war endgame during visit (AXIOS)
King Charles leads 20th-anniversary commemoration of 7/7 London bombings (NBC)
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts in Indonesia, sending ash cloud 11 miles in the air (AP)
Australian Woman Is Convicted of Murder in Mushroom Poisoning Case (NEW YORK TIMES)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

US measles cases surge to highest since disease was ‘eliminated’ (THE HILL)
Tesla stock tanks after Trump dismisses Musk’s new political party plan (CNN)
The declining dollar faces more headwinds after posting worst first-half return in 52 years (CNBC)
American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds (AP)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Diddy received standing ovation from fellow inmates after jury found rapper not guilty on RICO charge, lawyer says (FOX)
Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron leaves band after 27 years (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Wimbledon line-call failure came after operator turned cameras off by mistake (GUARDIAN)
Mexico defeats the US for the nation’s 10th Gold Cup soccer title (CNN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… You have a few more hours left to get Krispy Kreme’s limited-time-only Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts! In celebration of World Chocolate Day, Krispy Kreme is re-releasing its popular flavor — this time with a twist. For the first time ever, the doughnuts will be coated in Hershey’s chocolate glaze. 🍫

Originally introduced in 2017 for the solar eclipse ☀️, the Chocolate Glazed Doughnut quickly became a Krispy Kreme fan favorite, although it has only made a few brief returns since then.

They will be available in-store and online while supplies last — a one-day only celebration you dough-not want to miss. 🍩