Torr Leonard 🧵

Americans Are Snapping Up London Mansions Like Never Before U.S. buyers are taking advantage of the falling prices for high-end homes in the U.K. capital.

@anveebhutani.bsky.social

“prompted by favorable exchange rates”

Huh?? This year the dollar has been weaker against the pound than it’s been at any point since modern record-keeping began in the 1970s!

So what did you mean by that line? I am so confused.

www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

Americans Are Snapping Up London Mansions Like Never Before U.S. buyers are taking advantage of the falling prices for high-end homes in the U.K. capital.

“London’s high-end home market is seeing a drop in sales due to new tax policies that deter wealthy international buyers.

Americans now account for 25% of prime purchases in London, a rise from 18% in 2023, becoming the largest group of overseas buyers.

www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

Once a leading killer, tuberculosis is now rare in rich countries — here’s how it happened As much as one quarter of deaths in Europe and the United States were once from tuberculosis.

"TB disease used to kill about 1% of people in London every year, but has been all but eliminated in the rich world.

In poorer countries, though, it has not:

In the Central African Republic, 327 people out of every 100,000 die of it every year, compared to 0.114 in the US."

“They have already killed hundreds of people in Europe and left law enforcement and scientists scrambling to detect them in the drug supply.”

“They’re called nitazenes, a highly potent synthetic opioid that can often pack a far stronger punch than fentanyl.

Even trace amounts can trigger a fatal overdose.

Nitazenes have been found mixed into heroin and recreational drugs, counterfeit painkillers and antianxiety medication.”

Stronger Than Fentanyl: A Drug You’ve Never Heard of Is Killing Hundreds Every Year Ultrapotent synthetics, mostly from China, are easy to smuggle and mix into heroin, recreational drugs and gray-market pharmaceuticals.

“Stronger Than Fentanyl: A Drug You’ve Never Heard of Is Killing Hundreds Every Year -

Ultrapotent nitazenes, mostly from China, are easy to smuggle and mix into heroin, recreational drugs and gray-market pharmaceuticals.”

www.wsj.com/health/healt...

Global Trade Raised Living Standards for Millions. New Barriers Are Reversing the Trend. In Indonesia and elsewhere, export manufacturing helped narrow the wealth gap with the West, creating a consumer class, but that transformation has stalled.

“Global Trade Raised Living Standards for Millions.

New Barriers Are Reversing the Trend.

In Indonesia and elsewhere, export manufacturing helped narrow the wealth gap with the West, creating a consumer class, but that transformation has stalled.”

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...

Inside Ukraine’s Effort to Fortify Hundreds of Miles of Defensive Lines Kyiv must install hundreds of lines of defense fast enough to outpace Russia’s advance. But the effort faces increasingly long odds.

“Ukraine is building extensive defenses, including trenches and obstacles, to halt Russia’s summer offensive in the east.

Ukraine is adapting its fortifications to counter Russian tactics, such as drone warfare, while also using traditional defenses.”

www.wsj.com/world/europe...

bsky.app/profile/gary...

All the time.

The fact that we had a forum that allowed us to directly, publicly pressure electeds and hold media institutions and public figures and companies accountable... for all its warts, we had that for a brief flicker of a moment and it was incredible.

YouTube video by Jonathan Clark Gordon Lightfoot - "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" - Chicago - 1979

Tune.

youtu.be/tV9PoWQVga0?...

Eric Holder on Why He Reversed Course on Gerrymandering

“But this week, something changed. Amid a contentious, Republican-led redistricting effort in Texas, Holder reversed course, arguing that Democrats should respond in kind, with their own aggressive gerrymander as a temporary salve in an increasingly fraught battle.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/u...

“With slim pickings, jobs that are available often can be a step down, economists say.

Though wage growth for people switching jobs typically eclipses growth for those who stay—reflecting that job hoppers often can negotiate a pay bump—that premium has evaporated this year.”

“Positive early data could drive more funding from investors, biotech executives said.”

“Anytime I can safely, legally and ethically have more patients trying my medicine, it’s a net benefit because it’ll tell us if it works,” said Chris Bradley, CEO of longevity biotech Matter Bio, which is preparing to start a Phase 1 trial of a cancer therapy.

“Company executives said they are excited about the prospect of gathering real-world data from patients on their drug candidates while the therapies are still in development

“Patients are unlikely to receive their first therapies under the law before 2026, while the state’s health department establishes operating and safety standards for new and existing facilities, people involved with the legislation said.”

“Montana’s expanded “Right to Try” law in 2023 allowed any patient to access an experimental treatment, not just those with a terminal illness.

In May, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill to create a framework for licensed treatment centers to offer these interventions.”

Who?

“Rising home values and stock prices helped boost millennials’ wealth, with both hitting record highs in recent years.”

Millennials Are Richer Now. So Why Can’t They Stop Worrying? A generation who came of age during the 2007-09 recession—and then lived through the Covid-19 pandemic—remains anxious.

“In 2016, the median net worth of older millennials, those born in the 1980s, was more than 1/3 lower than expected based on past generations’ wealth trajectories.

By 2022, when that cohort was in their early 30s to early 40s, their median net worth was more than 1/3 *higher* than expected.”

Unemployed Americans Endure Longer Job Searches in a Cooling Market The number of people unemployed for at least 27 weeks has topped 1.8 million: ‘I’m considering myself semiretired at this point.’

“More than 1.8 million people have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, the highest level since 2017, excluding the pandemic.

ha Job switchers’ wage growth is no longer higher than those staying put.”

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

Not Just NYC: ‘Mamdani of Minneapolis’ Nods to Widening Rift in Democratic Party Like Zohran Mamdani in New York, the rise of Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh highlights the Democratic Party’s diverging centrist establishment and progressive wing.

“Both Mamdani and Fateh have put affordability at the center of their campaigns—be it with promises of free buses or rent freezes.

(Fateh prominently identifies himself as a “renter” on his campaign website.)”

www.wsj.com/politics/ele...

Trump’s Border Wall Is Back—and So Is His Fight With Texas Landowners Efforts to build wall are more expensive than in the president’s first term, with $46 billion in new funding

“US govt is restarting eminent domain lawsuits against TX landowners to build more border wall.

Congress allocated $46B to continue building the wall, a promise from Trump’s 1st term.

Some landowners are fighting back, while others hope for local jobs & sensitivity to bright lights.”

Woman says NBC News report helped her recognize liver damage from turmeric supplements "I had essentially poisoned my liver": The 57-year-old's daily high dose of turmeric pills caused stomach pain, nausea and fatigue.

"Pyrsopoulos said he has seen an increase in liver injuries caused by supplements, though they are still rare.

Turmeric, which is promoted as a way to reduce inflammation in the body and treat osteoarthritis, is one of the most common herbal ingredients that have been linked to toxic hepatitis."

Longevity Firms Push Montana to Become Hub for Biohacking, Experimental Treatments “Right to Try” laws aim to boost access to unapproved therapies, but hurdles and safety concerns linger.

“Montana might be turning into a medical tourism hub, easing access to experimental drugs and therapies not approved by the FDA.

A new law would allow patients access to therapies that have passed Phase 1 trials, sparking interest from biotech companies.”

www.wsj.com/tech/biotech...

A Steep Mountain Drive, a Brake Failure and a Volvo Recall A longtime Volvo fan’s terrifying ordeal prompted warnings from regulators and heightened scrutiny of software patches for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

“A Steep Mountain Drive, a Brake Failure and a Volvo Recall -

Longtime Volvo fan’s terrifying ordeal prompts warning from regulators over software update for recalled plug-in hybrids and EVs.”

www.wsj.com/business/aut...

“They argue that Sylvanian Drama has injected new life into the brand and that Epoch should be thanking Von Engelbrechten, not suing her.”

“Epoch, which filed the suit in April in the Southern District of New York, is seeking damages of up to $150,000 for each copyrighted work infringed.

The suit is sending fans of the fuzzy chaos into a collective crisis.”

Videos of Cute Dolls Behaving Badly Have Gone Quiet. Fans Are Freaking Out. A Japanese toy company is suing the creator of crude skits starring its Calico Critters

“Epoch is suing Thea Von Engelbrechten, the Irish woman in her mid-20s behind the IG and TikTok account.

It accuses her of profiting off the brand without permission, including by posting sponsored content using the toys.”

www.wsj.com/lifestyle/sy...