Today’s Big Story

The New Wake-Up Call

Productivity-minded guys are now setting their alarms excruciatingly early

Despite writing a morning newsletter, I’m definitely much more of a night owl. But then again, maybe I’m not as ambitious as I could be. Because in the quest to be ever more productive, the morning routines of American men hit new extremes. And now the 4 a.m. wake-up isn’t just for eccentric CEOs.

Maybe you’ve heard that Disney CEO Bob Iger famously begins his day with a predawn workout. And Apple’s Tim Cook famously deals with emails from customers before sunrise. “There’s almost a kind of arms race between different executives and self-styled business leaders over who can claim the highest average workload,” said Erik Baker, author of Make Your Own Job: How the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic Exhausted America.

Of course, if you’re at all online, then you know that the 4 a.m. wake-up achieved new status after Ashton Hall showed his morning routine that involved mouth tape, an ice bath filled with bottled Saratoga water, and a banana peel rubbed across his face—all beginning at 3:55 a.m. “Sin lives late at night,” according to a February social-media post by Hall. “If you’re dealing with a weak mind, bad decisions, or lack of productivity go to sleep early.” In the days that followed, seemingly half the internet—from Ed Sheeran to Duolingo’s owl mascot—posted clips parodying Hall’s routine.

But a lot of people aren’t joking. According to the Wall Street Journal, a wave of productivity-minded writers, thinkers and businesspeople have taken the 4 a.m. wake-up to extremes. Adherents of the scientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman follow a series of “protocols” that include exposure to sunlight upon waking. Tech leaders have adopted cold plunges, sauna sessions and intermittent fasting. And now, all sorts of folks are getting in on the action. The irony of Hall’s buzzy morning routine video is that a self-employed content creator is perhaps the very last person who needs to be up before 4 a.m. But his posts seem to be having their intended effect.

Waking up early provides a handful of health benefits, including improved mental and physical health, enhanced productivity, reduced stress, improved cognitive function and overall well-being. But, as sleep expert Dr. Rebecca Robbins explains, the ideal wake-up time differs from one person to the next, and is largely determined by our genetics. Sleep scientists refer to these personal preferences as chronotypes. “Our research suggests that some of us thrive in the early part of the day, finding ourselves energized and able to wake up and do our best work, while some of us thrive in the latter part of the day, coming alive and doing our best work after sunset,” Dr. Robbins explains. “We colloquially refer to these two different ends of the spectrum as larks (morning people) and owls (evening people). While some of us are true morning people and others truely evening people, many of us are somewhere in the middle, perhaps not waking up terribly early or desiring a terribly late bedtime.” So listen to your body, set your goals and strive to stick to your personal plan.

The Future of Fluoridated Water

Florida set to become second state to ban the use of the mineral in public water

Florida is poised to outlaw fluoride in drinking water under a bill approved Tuesday by the state legislature, adding the state to a growing backlash against a long-standing public health measure. If you didn’t know, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. wants fluoride out of water but about a dozen states require it.

The legislation now heads to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has criticized fluoridation as “forced medication.” The move would make Florida the second state to ban fluoride after Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox, also a Republican, signed a bill in late March that prohibits any person or government entity from adding the cavity-fighting mineral to the state’s water systems, making it the first state to do so. It will go into effect May 7. Legislation to ban the mineral has circulated in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

According to NBC News, major public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—which says drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces cavities—support adding fluoride to water. Hawaii, which has never mandated water fluoridation, has the “highest prevalence of tooth decay in the United States” among its children, with only 11% of its residents served by fluoridated community water systems, according to a study of third graders throughout the state by the State Health Department.

Get Frisky to Get Outta That Funk

New study reveals the ‘optimal’ number of times you should have sex each week to stave off depression

Though it may seem obvious to most people, there are lots of clear links between having regular sex and better overall wellbeing. But now scientists have pinpointed the “magic number” of intimate encounters needed to ward off depression. And good news: there's no need for bedroom marathons—just once a week is enough to boost mental health, the researchers found.

The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, looked at nearly 15,000 adults between the ages of 20 and 59. They had participants report the frequency of their sexual activity into three categories: less than once per month, more than once per month but less than once per week, and at least once per week. Researchers discovered that participants who reported engaging in sexual activity less than once per month were more likely to be depressed than those who got down more often.

Specifically, those who had sex weekly had a 24% reduction in the odds of depression. Those who reported having sex more than once per month but less than once per week were about 23% less likely to develop depression. Researchers determined that an optimal sexual frequency of 52 to 103 times per year best reduces depression odds. That means that, scientifically, couples should be having sex one to two times per week. You can manage that, right? For your health?

How Amazon Is Handling Tariffs

Trump called Bezos after a report that the site would post products’ import charges

Have you heard of Amazon Haul? The site’s discount store—launched in November as the e-commerce giant’s answer to bringing shoppers cheap goods from China and competing against Temu and Shein—had been considering showing the tariff costs on the Haul platform as a way to reflect changes in the “de minimis” exemption, which previously left import duties off goods under $800. But they won’t be doing that …

After Punchbowl News reported the idea, the White House quickly slammed the proposal. “I just got off the phone with the president … this is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. It wasn't the only phone call about the issue on Tuesday: President Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after he learned about the move. Trump told reporters later in the day that Bezos “did the right thing”.

Amazon was the second-largest U.S. retailer by sales last year, according to the National Retail Federation, trailing only Walmart. Trump’s tariffs—and responding retaliation from targeted countries, notably China—threaten to increase prices for both consumers and businesses. Economists warn these import taxes will hike prices for a range of goods consumers buy each day and lead to worse inflationary pressure. At the same time, the tariffs put a lot on the line for businesses like Amazon—and those companies may have to play ball, too, while trying to be transparent with customers.

A Sentimental, Unforgettable Gift

Words that she’ll wear, love and remember

Call it like you see it.