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“I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit,” the terrified neighbor said.

Bye-bye boarding lines.

Second Lady Usha Vance opened up about welcoming her fourth child with Vice President JD Vance and managing her newly outnumbered household.

A Wisconsin Socialist Democrat candidate for governor is facing renewed scrutiny after declining to directly answer whether she still believes Thanksgiving should be canceled over its historical ties to colonialism. Her latest comments are fueling fresh debate as old social media posts criticizing several major holidays resurface. Also, the armed Good Samaritan credited with helping...

Every week, The Post will bring you our picks of the best one-liners and stories from satirical site the Babylon Bee to take the edge off Hump Day.

Inside Ford's "Passionate" Reinvention

Ford has reshaped its business by narrowing its lineup to vehicles with stronger brand appeal and higher profit potential. Instead of offering a wide range of sedans, hatchbacks, and family cars, the company is concentrating on trucks, SUVs, sports cars, and models that customers can personalize with factory-backed upgrades, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.

At a recent event, Ford showcased customized Broncos, F-150s, and Mustangs, underscoring the company's emphasis on vehicles that stand out rather than blend in. As Matt Simpson, who leads Ford's customization business, put it, "This is the most passionate lineup that Ford has ever had."

The strategy reflects CEO Jim Farley's belief that Ford should focus on distinctive products instead of competing in crowded, low-margin segments. Rather than trying to match rivals across every category, Ford is investing in vehicles that reinforce its identity and command premium prices.

Executives argue that mainstream models such as the Focus and Escape often required costly incentives and discounts to remain competitive, making them less attractive from a financial standpoint.

The Journal writes that the company's decision also mirrors broader changes in the U.S. auto market. Buyers have increasingly gravitated toward larger pickups and SUVs, while the average price of a new vehicle has climbed to roughly $50,000. At the same time, tariffs, labor expenses, and other production costs have made it more difficult to manufacture inexpensive vehicles profitably in the United States.

As a result, Ford's least expensive models now start at close to $30,000—roughly double the entry price buyers could find in Ford's lineup a decade ago.

Although Ford has reduced the number of vehicles it sells, the company has improved its financial performance by emphasizing higher-margin products. U.S. sales in 2025 reached their highest level in six years, fueled by strong demand for models such as the F-150, Bronco, Maverick, and Mustang.

Still, total sales remain well below where they stood a decade ago because customers now have fewer choices. Dealers have also noted that eliminating familiar entry-level models makes it harder to attract first-time buyers and shoppers looking for affordable transportation.

Looking ahead, Ford says it has not abandoned the affordable segment altogether. The company plans to introduce five new vehicles priced below $40,000 before the end of the decade, beginning with a new electric pickup expected to cost around $30,000. Unlike earlier electric models that struggled to generate profits, these vehicles are being designed from the ground up with lower production costs and higher sales volumes in mind.

Ford hopes this approach will allow it to compete with market leaders while avoiding the financial challenges that affected its first generation of EVs.

Another pillar of Ford's strategy is vehicle customization. Roughly half of its customers now purchase accessories or performance upgrades, ranging from decals and cargo equipment to suspension packages and engine enhancements.

By incorporating personalization opportunities during the design process instead of after a vehicle is launched, Ford enables dealers to bundle these upgrades into financing at the time of purchase, creating an additional source of high-margin revenue.

Despite the financial logic behind the strategy, it comes with trade-offs. Longtime customers who previously drove compact cars or midsize SUVs have fewer options within the Ford brand and are often pushed toward larger, more expensive vehicles. Dealers also lose the ability to serve buyers looking for basic transportation, leaving competitors to capture those sales. Even so, Farley has made the company's priorities clear: "Every dollar must earn durable returns and drive profitable growth."

Ford is betting that a smaller lineup of distinctive, profitable vehicles will deliver stronger long-term results than offering something for every type of buyer.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/05/2026 - 06:55

The impact was unintentional, SpaceX said.

The carrier will charge passengers for stowing carry-on bags in the overhead compartments, beginning in February 2027.

Onetime Jets teammates Matt Simms and Geno Smith spent three days working together before training camp alongside fellow Jets quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and rookie Cade Klubnik.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman joins Pod Force One and predicts humans will be on Mars in just over a decade. He also discusses the global space race the United States is winning, life on other planets, and the importance of Elon Musk to America’s space program.

BP Retreats Further From Green Energy With Archaea Sale

Via City A.M.,

• BP plans to sell Archaea Energy after the US biogas operation delivered weaker-than-expected returns.

• Second-quarter adjusted profit climbed to $5.7 billion as Middle East disruption lifted oil and gas prices.

• Meg O’Neill is simplifying BP’s portfolio, reducing debt and concentrating investment on its most profitable assets.

BP has announced that it will offload its US biogas business just days after confirming its exit from the North Sea, as the firm looks to shift its focus back to core oil and gas products.

The London-listed oil giant has previously told investors it planned to market assets across its operating regions as part of a restructuring overseen by new boss Meg O’Neill.

BP acquired Archaea for $4.1bn in 2022, but the business has since faced financial underperformance and slower-than-expected growth, forcing the FTSE 100 giant to reassess the asset’s worth.

O’Neill said the firm must simplify its portfolio “based on value, not sentiment, nor history” and instead focus on assets which “deliver competitive returns and long-term value”.

She has previously announced plans for a major overhaul of the group’s energy channels, splitting it into two divisions, dubbed upstream and downstream, and focusing solely on profitable assets.

The push has also seen the group confirm its exit from the North Sea, leaving the British energy giant without any petrochemical production in its home market for the first time in decades. It also sold its Gelsenkirchen refinery and retail business in Austria.

O’Neill said:

“We are not making the most of our potential. Our performance over the past few years has not met our own expectations, let alone those of our shareholders. 

“We have not delivered consistently; we have written off too much value; and our costs and liabilities are not resilient enough in a low price environment.”

The stock is up over 20% since the start of the year.

Middle East conflict spikes profits

Profits spiked in the second quarter as the group continued to capitalise on volatile oil prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

BP reported a surge in profits to $5.7bn (£4.2bn), a $2.5bn increase from the prior period.

This surpassed analyst expectations of $5.1bn.

The firm’s gas and low carbon energy arm reported profits of $1.6bn, up from $1.1bn the prior quarter.

Oil production and operations saw profit climb to $3.4bn from $1.7bn.

Mark Crouch, market analyst at eToro, said:

“Having retreated from its previous push into renewables, BP is accelerating asset sales, simplifying the business and directing more capital towards higher-return oil and gas operations.

If tensions across the Middle East persist or escalate further, energy prices could remain elevated, providing an additional tailwind for the sector. The key question for investors is whether BP can use this favourable backdrop to create lasting shareholder value long after today’s geopolitical uncertainty eventually fades.”

Disruption ahead

The firm anticipates production in the third quarter to range from 2,100 to 2,250 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (mboe/d), compared with the second quarter 2,201 mboe/d.

This has caused the group to drop its upstream production expectations for the year to 2,180 to 2,270 mboe/d, compared to last year’s 2,312 mboe/d.

BP pinned its outlook on the “continued disruption in the Middle East” and the likelihood of potential “weather events in the Gulf of America”.

The group expects income taxes paid in the quarter to be roughly $1bn higher, “mainly due to timing effects”.

O’Neill said: “We need to take a clear look at ourselves: assessing what needs to change, stopping what holds us back and building strength where it matters. We have to get fit to grow.”

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/05/2026 - 06:30

The bug killed seven New Yorkers last year in Harlem, but the Health Department still didn't have its act together in 2026, six months after Mamdani's inauguration.

A few smart decisions early on can make all the difference in whether you stick with it.

The deal takes the maker of titles including The Sims and EA FC into private ownership - and loads it with debt.

Police escorted the Afghan migrant accused of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross and hiding her body in a suitcase to court on Wednesday after he was charged with murder and robbery.

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) announced early Wednesday that he was ending his bid for a third House term, two days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured by his colleagues for "unprofessional and inappropriate conduct" toward two female staffers.

A Welsh ghoul dressed as the “Grim Reaper” has been busted after he climbed onto a hospital building’s roof armed with what appeared to be a scythe and stared at doctors and patients. Leon Gillespie, 26, was fined $269 (£200) last month after scaling the Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital to pull off the menacing stunt...

Believing what you see in training camp is risky business.

Critics on the left and the right alike claim "unaffordable" food prices are the crisis of our time — but the data shows they’re all wrong.

Administrator Jared Isaacman has grand plans for the United States and space travel.