Don't panic about your 401(k) just yet

+ Harris' VP pick; Bangladesh’s protests explained US Edition - Today's top story: Attention, jittery investors: Stop panicking ... this is what a soft landing should look like [View in browser]( US Edition | 6 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Tim Walz and what a VP brings to White House]( - [Harris is a candidate of many firsts]( - [Lessons from an ancient Arctic poppy seed]( Lead story “Is this 1987 all over again?” So pondered one Wall Street Journal columnist yesterday after markets fell in a plunge that, for some, brought to mind the Reagan-era crash known as Black Monday.
 To be fair, things aren’t as bad now as they were then. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 2.6% on Monday, which is a tiny fraction of its 22.6% plunge on Black Monday. Similarly, the S&P 500 saw its biggest one-day drop in nearly two years – notable, but hardly a generation-defining sell-off. Markets seemed to be rebounding slightly by Tuesday. Still, even if some headlines were a bit hyperbolic, [investors were spooked](. And the strikingly fast shift in sentiment could have implications for the Federal Reserve. Economist Chris Decker of the University of Nebraska Omaha explains why the latest job figures have investors so worried and what's likely to happen next. [ [Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter, with interesting perspectives from experts around the world](. ] Tracy Walsh Economy + Business Editor Dark skies ahead? Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images [Attention, jittery investors: Stop panicking … this is what a soft landing should look like]( Christopher Decker, University of Nebraska Omaha Slowing job growth should come as no surprise. Politics + Society - [Walz pick turns focus on what a VP brings to White House – 3 essential reads]( Howard Manly, The Conversation With a few notable exceptions, historians have found little evidence that vice-presidential picks actually help their presidential tickets. - [Bangladesh’s protests explained: What led to PM’s ouster and the challenges that lie ahead]( Tazreena Sajjad, American University School of International Service Military leaders have formed an interim government and promised a transition to civilian rule. Protesters who brought down the previous government are demanding nothing less. - [Grassroots efforts to increase voting are gaining momentum in these states, even as other states make voting harder]( Tova Wang, Harvard Kennedy School Americans have been hearing for years that democracy is being eroded and is literally at stake in the upcoming presidential election. But there is good news on the voting front as well. - [Kamala Harris’ identity as a biracial woman is either a strength or a weakness, depending on whom you ask]( Jennifer Ho, University of Colorado Boulder While many voters embrace Kamala Harris’ candidacy and the fact that she is a multiracial woman without any biological children, some Republicans are using her identity as fodder for attacks. Science + Technology - [Readers trust journalists less when they debunk rather than confirm claims]( Randy Stein, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Caroline Meyersohn, California State University, Long Beach Providing a correction can affect how the audience feels about the journalists trying to set the record straight. - [Chang'e 6 brought rocks from the far side of the Moon back to Earth − a planetary scientist explains what this sample could hold]( Jeffrey Gillis-Davis, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis The far side of the Moon has a very different composition from the near side − so researchers are eager to see what stories these samples will tell. - [Brain implants to restore sight, like Neuralink’s Blindsight, face a fundamental problem − more pixels don’t ensure better vision]( Ione Fine, University of Washington; Geoffrey Boynton, University of Washington Engineers have tried for decades to develop bionic eyes to reverse blindness. But the brain is far more complex than a computer. International - [Assassination is always unlawful − regardless of who is killed and on whose orders]( Mary Ellen O'Connell, University of Notre Dame The release of a Russian hit man and the assassination of Israel’s enemies in Lebanon and Iran have shone a spotlight on killings carried out on state orders. Environment + Energy - [Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheet’s last meltdown and a glimpse into a warmer future]( Paul Bierman, University of Vermont; Halley Mastro, University of Vermont Our discovery of a tundra ecosystem, frozen under the center of Greenland’s ice sheet, holds a warning about the threat that climate change poses for the future. Trending on site - [I researched the dark side of social media − and heard the same themes in ‘The Tortured Poets Department’]( - [Israel’s military starts drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews – but the battle over serving ‘the army of God’ vs. the army of the state isn’t over, and points to key questions for the country’s future]( - [The French baron who revived the Olympics believed they were more than sport – they were a religion of perfection and peace]( Today's graphic 📈 [Since 1983, when federal agencies began using the current method of tracking wildfires, the annual number of acres burned in the U.S. has trended upward, with more high-severity fires. Acreage burned in 2024 by the end of July was already well above 2023's total for the year.]( From the story, [Wildfires can create their own weather, including tornado-like fire whirls − an atmospheric scientist explains how]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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