Today’s Big Story

Car-Free Streets Open Worldwide

Paris is leading the way, challenging car dominance and expanding pedestrian access

For far too long, cars took up too much in our cities. Most American towns and suburbs were designed with car usage as a primary consideration—often at the expense of pedestrian and cyclist safety, and overall livability.

As Mateusz Borowiecki—a public health researcher and creator of Eco Gecko, a YouTube channel about urban planning and the issues with American suburbia—told Vox that the sorts of “spontaneous encounters” with friends and strangers most of us experienced in our college campuses are much more difficult in car-dependent suburbs. Distance and isolation are fundamentally built into the urban areas—defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as any area with at least 5,000 people—where most of us live. State and local governments prioritize building infrastructure for cars, and public transportation remains underfunded and unreliable.

But more and more cities are trying to adapt and improve walkability. Earlier this week, Paris voters opted in a referendum to close 500 more city streets to cars, making way for more pedestrians, bikers and greenery. The plan, which will also remove 10% of Paris’ current parking spots, will expand on a green push by Mayor Anne Hidalgo that has already seen 300 streets planted and cleared of cars since 2020.

What happens when you close down a city street to cars? More people do non-driving things, like walking, biking, skating and strolling in the space normally reserved for motor vehicles. Building on earlier green remodelings of major city hubs, the aims of these conversions are multi-fold. They are intended to reduce pollution, to encourage walking and biking to and from school, to reduce the urban heat island effect by introducing temperature-moderating greenery and to improve flood resilience by replacing impermeable surfaces with open soil that can absorb more rain.

What’s more, it’s good for business. Open streets across cities like New York are seeing lower storefront vacancy rates than their car-filled counterparts, according to a report from NYC’s Department of City Planning. Its analysis shows a clear correlation between open streets programs and thriving local businesses, suggesting that removing cars from certain areas is boosting economic activity.

Appeals Court Allows Trump Tariffs to Continue

President baselessly suggest judges blocked tariffs because of ‘hatred’

Well, this won’t help the trade negotiations: A federal appeals court agreed to temporarily preserve many of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on China and other trading partners. The “judgments and the permanent injunctions entered by the Court of International Trade in these cases are temporarily stayed until further notice,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said in a brief ruling.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the intervention blows a hole in global trade talks, already under way with more than a dozen nations, which began after the reciprocal tariffs were imposed. It also throws into question recent agreements with the U.K. and China. “Congress typically holds responsibility over tariffs but has delegated many powers to the president over decades. When he imposed the levies in April, Trump said the ongoing U.S. trade deficit had created a national emergency that has hobbled the economy and posed an unusual and extraordinary threat.”

According to The Guardian, Trump turned to baseless speculation that the three judges on the federal trade court must have been motivated by hatred for him (without noting that he had appointed one of the judges himself in 2018). “Trump’s curiosity as to what could possibly explain the decision did not, apparently, extend to reading any of the 49-page explanation written by the court because he does not deal with any of the legal issues raised in the opinion in his post.” But, for now, the administration can maintain many of the tariffs they have imposed on China, Canada and Mexico and preserve the threat of “reciprocal” rates.

The Most (and Least) Affordable States to Live

Based on rents, mortgages and the median monthly costs of essential household bills

It’s not exactly a secret that housing prices in the U.S. have soared for homeowners and renters alike. Two years ago, rents were deemed unaffordable for nearly 23 million households—the highest-ever recorded number, according to NerdWallet, and in many places, prices keep increasing.

But, of course, the costs aren’t as burdensome in every state. WalletHub set out to find where renters spend the most and least to keep a roof over their head. It analyzed the cost of rent and utility bills across all 50 states to create its list. “In some states, housing costs can take up around 50% of the median income,”WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told Quartz.

And earlier this month, bill pay service doxo released its 2025 Cost of Bills Index, which breaks down comparative household costs across the country. They found that the average U.S. household spends $24,695 annually on the 13 essential household bills. California dethroned Hawaii as the most expensive state based on the cost of monthly household bills, while West Virginia ranked as the least expensive state for the third year in a row.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Dept. Q’ + a Holyrood Bramble Cocktail

Upgrade His Grooming Routine

Give Dad the the gift of great facial hair from Live Bearded

Stay present.