The Morning Drop

The American Dream of homeownership is getting harder to reach. According to the Federal Reserve, as reported by Fortune, 49% of adults under 30 lived with a parent in 2025 — up 12% from 2019. About 70% of that group is employed. The problem isn't work ethic: it's that median national home prices are up 34% from pre-pandemic levels, per realtor.com, and in cities like Los Angeles, a studio apartment runs close to $2,000 a month.

Then, two Latino fathers were fatally shot in separate ICE traffic stop encounters just days apart. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a father of three from Houston, and Juan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian father in Maine who was legally authorized to work in the United States, were both killed. Neither was the primary target of the operation. President Trump publicly defended the tactic in all caps. The legal and moral debate around who gets stopped, and why, is very much still open.

And in Bangkok, a fire tore through a packed music venue, killing more than 33 people. Witnesses say flames spread in minutes. Officials are investigating a possible electrical malfunction and whether the building met safety requirements. A reminder to always clock the exits — even on a good night out.

Good morning, fam. Today on The Morning Drop, three stories worth waking up for.

Liam breaks down why Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey just broke the biggest IMAX presale record in history — and why getting a ticket is about more than seeing a movie. The film was shot entirely on IMAX cameras, but only 40 theaters worldwide can project it the way Nolan intended, and only 24 of them are in the US. For many people, this was about securing one of the rarest seats cinema has ever offered.

Then Miranda gives Miss Piggy her flowers. Six Emmy nominations. A newly rethemed Disney World ride. A Las Culturistas award with a name too long to fit in a headline. Half a million social media followers. And a headlining slot at the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show alongside Shakira. What a year for Miss Piggy!

And Jean brings us the Yellowstone story that has been all over your feed: a 65-year-old abuelito, his grandson, a charging bison bull, and about 8 feet of airtime. He is expected to recover. The bison has zero regrets. Park officials are just asking everyone to stay 25 yards back, por favor.

Catch The Morning Drop weekday mornings wherever you get your podcasts.

Yamily opens with the news that stopped Washington this weekend. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, died Saturday evening at 71 after what his office called "a brief and sudden illness." Yamily walks us through who he was: more than 20 years in the Senate, a former Air Force lawyer, the chair of the Judiciary Committee during Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation, and the architect of Trump's tax and spending package through the Budget Committee. Also, the same man who called Trump "a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" on CNN in 2015, and then became one of his closest allies. With Graham gone and Mitch McConnell hospitalized for weeks with no public explanation, the Republican caucus is down two of its most senior members. A special primary in South Carolina is set for August 11. The math just got complicated.

Jenny has a story that starts like an ad and turns into something genuinely unexpected. Gilberto Mora, the 17-year-old phenom on the Mexican National Team, just filmed a commercial. The cameras follow him into the locker room. Everyone expects him to pull out a beer. He pulls out milk. "Recovery, protein, strong bones. It gets the job done." For Jenny, the funniest part is the obvious one: the kid is 17. He couldn't have done an alcohol commercial if he tried.

And Gustavo closes with something hard to put into words, so he just plays the tape. He surprised his friend Laura, who is from Spain, with tickets to the Spain-Belgium World Cup quarterfinal in Inglewood. You will hear her realize what is happening. You will hear her say it is indescribable. You will hear the crowd, the game, and the moment Spain won and punched their ticket to face France in the semifinals. This one is not a news story. It is just a very good reminder of what this whole tournament is actually about.

That's The Morning Drop. Vámonos.

Four things on the drop today: a Trump intervention that backfired, six weeks of parasocial attachment, a betting app you didn't realize you downloaded, and a corruption investigation with the worst possible timing.

Alejo opens with the most American ending to an American World Cup run. Team USA lost 4-1 to Belgium, but not before Trump personally called FIFA to get Balogun's suspension reversed. The call worked. The USA played their star. They lost anyway. The fans who cared about the integrity of the sport got exactly the outcome they were rooting for, and FIFA's reputation took another hit it didn't need.

Joel is here to validate your Love Island obsession, and the numbers back him up. Last season hit 18 billion minutes watched on Peacock. This season grew 74% over that. But Joel's real argument isn't the ratings: it's the ritual. Six weeks of watching strangers become part of your routine, defending them in group chats, cringing with them in real time. The finale is coming, and Joel wants to know what you're doing with your evenings after.

Then Lau noticed something this summer she can't unsee: betting apps have quietly attached themselves to Love Island. Kalshi reported a 106% increase in weekly active female users since this season premiered, with more than $52 million in trading volume on the show's outcomes. The bigger red flag? Alex Cooper promoted Polymarket to her 7.5 million followers without an obvious sponsorship disclosure. Lau understands how advertising works, and even she felt the pull. That's the part worth sitting with.

Daniela closes with the story of Argentina advancing into the quarterfinals: the AFA is under investigation by US federal prosecutors and the FBI for alleged money laundering, bank fraud, and other financial crimes tied to its US business operations. Investigators are looking at AFA president Claudio Tapia's financial dealings and a Florida company called Tour Prod Enter LLC that handled the federation's international commercial revenue from Adidas and Warner. No charges have been filed. But with Argentina playing Switzerland this Saturday, the federation is now under scrutiny on both sides of the ball.

That's The Morning Drop. Vámonos!

Three things on the drop today: grief, urgency, and a very expensive NDA.

Miranda Montenegro opens with everything Mexican households needed to hear after the weekend. México didn't win the match, but as Miranda puts it, it's never about losing. It's about never losing who we are. From carne asada to calling your abuela, she's giving us the energy we're carrying into 2031.

Then, Yamily, with something you need to share right now. Spouses of U.S. citizens have lost a key legal protection. Lawyers used to call them a "privileged class." That protection is gone. Starting July 10, a missing signature on a pending immigration application can result in denial, and USCIS will keep your filing fee. New forms are also coming that will require up to 10 years of social media history, including deleted accounts. If someone you love has a case pending, this segment is not optional.

And Jean Fernandez closes with the tea nobody asked for, and all of us needed: several Madison Square Garden employees were reportedly fired after breaking NDAs and leaking details from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding. Jean's advice? "If Taylor hands you an NDA, don't treat it like a friendship bracelet."

That's The Morning Drop. Vámonos.

Welcome to The Morning Drop, mitú's first audio-only podcast — your three-times-a-week group chat with the team about everything you need to know before you log in. Put it on with your coffee. Play it on your commute. We're showing up so you stay pilas.

In this first episode, Alejo makes the case that Cape Verde's goalkeeper — a man who drives a bus and works as an electrician to support his family — is the most inspiring player at this World Cup. Yamily breaks down the earthquakes in Venezuela: what the numbers mean, who is showing up, and what recovery actually looks like. Jean mourns the end of physical PlayStation discs and shares the story of his mom turning one into a centro de mesa for a quinceañera. Gustavo untangles the Folarin Balogun red card, Trump's call to FIFA, and the thread running through it all: birthright citizenship. And Jenny closes with the video everyone is talking about: a Peruvian widow who perreó on her husband's coffin, and the very real question of what it means to grieve out loud.

Welcome to the drop. We'll see you next time.