Ford’s $30,000 truck

Presented by Hey Snackers, Goodbye: after 34 years, AOL will be shutting down its dial-up internet services in September. While we were shocked at the number of users still using dial-up in 2025, what's even more shocking is that according to data from Pew Research Center, roughly 13 million Americans polled last year said they don't use the internet at all. We charted the year that dial-up peaked and the year it was overtaken by wired high-speed internet. US stocks ended Monday near session lows as traders scaled back risk ahead of inflation data due today. The S&P 500 fell 0.2%, the Nasdaq 100 gave back 0.4%, and the Russell 2000 declined 0.1%. News that the US-China trade truce has been formally extended for another 90 days did little to move markets, as this outcome had been well telegraphed in advance. SKUNKWORKS Ford's EV "Model T" moment starts with a $30,000 truck  Look out, Slate Auto: there's a new upstart in town promising a low-cost electric truck. OK, it's not really a startup per se, but rather the result of a "skunkworks" project within the storied, 122-year-old automaking giant Ford. But what that project has created is already drawing parallels to Ford's iconic Model T and the way it revolutionized the production line. According to CEO Jim Farley, Ford will build multiple low-cost EVs at its Louisville assembly plant through a new production process that leaves the single assembly line behind, instead shifting to three concurrent lines that join together at the end. The first vehicle produced through the new platform is planned for release in 2027 and will be a midsize EV truck starting at $30,000.  It comes at a time when the carmaker could use some good news: Ford has struggled to maintain momentum in its EV business, which has already lost more than $2 billion this year through June.  While tariffs haven't hit Ford as hard as some other automakers, like Porsche or Toyota, as we've plotted out in this graph, it still reported an $800 million hit from levies in its latest earnings. And though sales have been strong due to Ford's successful pricing promotion and the rush of customers trying to front-run tariff-driven increases, the tariffs are now in play and the price slashing is over. THE TAKEAWAY Ford's EV chief, Doug Field, seems bullish on the company's $30,000 future and unworried about the competition, saying, "I don't think that the new EV startups will be able to keep up with the kind of innovation that you're seeing in manufacturing, and how they can actually turn this into a reality." He added that Ford has the chops to deliver, not just dream. Read more Presented by Hylio Texas Drone Company Takes Flight in American Agriculture Picture this: a farmer controlling three drones at once, treating hundreds of acres while sipping their morning coffee.  That's the reality Hylio is building for American farmers. This Texas-based company has an end-to-end solution that forms the holy trinity of modern farming: drones that spray, software that plans, and a controller that runs the whole show. With over 1 million acres already treated and partnerships with agricultural giants, Hylio is showing that American-made drone technology can compete globally. While tariffs and regulations create headaches for foreign drone makers, Hylio's Texas manufacturing gives them a competitive advantage in the US market.   Their current funding round closes August 15 — which could be good timing as demand for domestic drone tech surges. Learn more about Hylio's expansion plans and explore investment opportunities.1 ON THE FRIGHT TRACK "Weapons" debut helps horror creep toward a US box office record Since the first trailer we saw for "Barbarian" director Zach Cregger's new horror mystery, "Weapons," we knew how one thing would end. No spoilers here — don't worry! We just knew we'd end up seeing it in the theater. And we weren't alone: it opened to an impressive $42.5 million at the US box office over the weekend. It's the latest entry in the recent horror renaissance, and continues a trend of high-grossing horror films finally getting critical praise alongside audience raves. In fact, "Weapons" was already making headlines for debuting at a perfect 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes before it opened! "Weapons" is just the latest flick to help boost the genre to a potentially record-breaking year. The share of ticket sales for horror movies at the US box office is at an all-time high, as we've charted here. What's interesting is that while sequels like "28 Years Later" and "Final Destination Bloodlines" are powering some of the blood-filled box office blowouts, the most successful horror film of the year is a complete original. This is a big shift from the last time we saw big horror success stories, which was a period dominated by franchise follow-ups.  THE TAKEAWAY While some in the industry warned of a "horror glut" — with Variety counting a total of 29 wide-release horror films across seven major studios coming out this year — the huge box office haul of 2025's biggest hits so far suggests that the appetite for big scares on big screens is still there. Read more THE BEST THING WE READ TODAY America's biggest fast-food winners and losers We charted which fast-food chains had growing and shrinking same-store sales last quarter. With sales up 4%, Taco Bell crushed Chipotle and every other chain except for one. Meanwhile, as the chicken wars rearrange the pecking order, KFC had the third-worst performance, with same-store sales falling 5%. See the full list of fast-food champs and chumps. MOVES Yesterday's Big Daily Movers Pot stocks like Tilray, Canopy Growth, Cronos Group, and SNDL rallied on a report that President Trump is considering weed reform Cosmetics company e.l.f. Beauty jumped after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock Both TKO and Paramount Skydance rose on news of their seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for the broadcast rights to UFC SoundHound AI notched a second straight day of options-fueled gains Clover Health, a company that specializes in Medicare Advantage plans, surged after a large insider purchase What else we're Snackin' Everyone thinks stocks are overvalued and no one cares The stock market's "flight to crap" faces a big test this week Amazon and Apple are struggling with their AI voice assistants  OpenAI backtracked on its plan to mothball old AI models after public outcry Ethereum's price passed $4,300, making nearly all ethereum addresses profitable Elon Musk said that Tesla's robotaxi service will open to the public next month Snack Fact of the Day US companies will spend $1.1 trillion on stock buybacks this year. Tuesday July Consumer Price Index  Earnings expected from Cardinal Health, Cava, Circle, CoreWeave, On Holding AG, and Rigetti Computing   Advertiser's disclosures: 1 The minimum investment is $328.60. Please read the offering circular and related risks at https://www.startengine.com/offering/hylio.This is a paid advertisement for Hylio's Regulation CF Offering. This Reg CF offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities. This was a paid for ad. 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