Today’s Big Story

Young People Are Driving Less

Zoomers are shunning cars and driver’s licenses. Will it last?

Times are changing. Turning 16 and earning your driver's license is a major rite of passage for many young Americans. Though this milestone represents more freedom and access for teenagers, data shows that Generation Z no longer values driver's licenses the same way past generations did.

Of course, driving is an essential part of American culture and has been since the automobile was invented, right? It makes sense: Our country is 3,000 miles wide, and many people live in suburban, spread-out areas so a car is needed to get around. Or so we thought. Ask a teen and they’ll tell you that there are plenty of options these days. There are electric scooters, bikes and ride-shares.

Olivia Rodrigo launched her music career with 2021’s “Driver's License,” that catchy record-breaking single about the quintessential experience of driving past your crush’s house. But access to technology is one reason why young people are opting out of driving. Teenagers find community online and can connect with friends any time they please. Why drive by his house when you can stalk his social media?

Put simply: young Americans may be falling out of love with cars. “Polls, studies and surveys show younger generations are less likely to drive, less likely to have a driver's license, have less access to vehicles, and when they do get behind the wheel, are driving fewer miles,” said Business Insider last year. And according to data from the Department of Transportation, only one in 25 licensed drivers in the U.S. is 19 or younger—which makes for a huge decline from more than two decades prior. Since 2000, the number of 16-year-olds with driver’s licenses decreased nearly 30%.

The decline in younger consumers’ interest in cars is partly due to how expensive the endeaver is now. Average new car prices are up 32.2% since 2019, J.D. Power data shows. The average is $44,604 as of July. And then there’s the cost of gas and insurance. According to the Wall Street Journal, younger drivers, in a cohort more likely to get in accidents, encounter some of the larger price increases. If you add it all up, you likely are better off just calling up a Lyft.

Harris Accepts Nomination

She laid out her vision for America and promised to chart a ‘new way forward’

The Democratic National Convention concluded Thursday with Vice President Kamala Harris capping weeks of a whirlwind run for her party’s nomination with her acceptance speech. She presented herself as a pragmatic leader who could unite all Americans behind a “new way forward,” painting her opponent, former President Trump, as a dangerous and “unserious man” whose election would ultimately alter the foundation of American democracy.

The Washington Post says she made a simple and easy pitch to the American people: Normalcy and competence. “Our nation with this election has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past.” She promised to be “a president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people.”

With a steady voice and a straightforward gaze, Harris, a former prosecutor, presented the lengthiest and most serious case she has made against Trump as a candidate while also making several appeals to bipartisanship and patriotism during her speech. As she spoke, a packed, jubilant crowd of supporters clapped and waved American flags. Many were wearing white, the color associated with the suffragist movement. Also on Thursday, a new Gallup poll confirmed that Harris’ favorability has grown among Americans (to 47%) since becoming a presidential nominee while Trump’s dipped five points to 41% as the two edge towards what's expected to be a close contest in November.

Women’s Soccer League Signs Historic New Agreement

Players agree on new agreement with no draft, better pay, expanded leave

What would happen if a sports league had no draft? After a radical decision to ditch one of the cornerstones of American sports, the National Women’s Soccer League is about to find out. This could get very interesting.

After all, for the better part of a century, team executives have taken turns picking the best young stars—while athletes have no say in whether they start their careers in Seattle or Tampa, on the league’s winningest franchise or under its stingiest owner. On Thursday, that picture changed forever. The National Women’s Soccer League announced it’s doing away with its draft. That means that this winter, when top college players typically would wait to hear where they will be sent, they will instead each be free agents—able to choose from among their preferred teams, negotiate a deal and start playing. Under the league’s new collective-bargaining agreement, all player contracts will be guaranteed and no player may be traded without her consent.

Under a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that is set to last through the 2030 season, players also negotiated a higher salary cap, a sizable increase in minimum salaries and expanded parental leave and childcare benefits. “These are tectonic shifts in the American sports landscape,” Meghann Burke, the executive director of the NWSL Players Association, told Vanity Fair. Sources told ESPN that the agreement also addresses workload management, requiring teams to charter flights for certain midweek games, and establishes a midseason break for players.

Instagram Adds a Musical Feature

Relive the Myspace days by adding a favorite song to your Instagram profile

If you’re of a certain of age, you might remember the days of Myspace. Well get ready for a shot of nostalgia, as Instagram just launched a new feature that allows you to add music to your profile. The feature is kicking off as a collaboration with singer Sabrina Carpenter, who released a teaser of her new song “Taste” on her profile ahead of her album release today.

The music added to a user’s profile shows up in the bio area, reports The Verge. A song will be featured on a profile until the user removes or replaces it. But unlike Myspace, songs won’t autoplay—people viewing a profile with a song can play and pause the track.

According to TechCrunch, music has become increasingly more important to Instagram. The app began experimenting with music on profiles in 2022. The new feature aims to enhance user profiles by enabling them to express their song tastes and enhance their creative expression on the platform. The app first added the ability to add music to Stories way back in 2018. Last year, it rolled out a way for users to add music to Notes and photo carousels.

A Weekend Pairing

‘*Sunny’ + a Japanese Whisky

Have you heard of *Sunny on Apple TV+? I completely missed it until recently and there are only two more episodes due in the first season, so you can stream nearly the whole thing right now. Vulture says Rashida Jones “does the best work of her career in this unexpectedly surreal and striking genre hybrid.” She plays Suzie, a low-key American living in Kyoto of the near future. When her husband and son go missing in a presumed plane crash, she is given a robot to help her get through her days, but ends up partnering with the bot (which was built by her husband) to figure out what happened to him. Each episode has laughs and thrills, but is surprisingly moving at the core. The show's been called stylish and smart by reviewers and while it might sound silly, the quirkiness is what makes the show excellent.

Little actions have big impacts.