Trump Accounts Go Live, Philosophy Majors Find Their Moment, and a Synthetic Cell Breakthrough

The Fourth of July weekend brought more than fireworks: the Trump administration launched its signature children's investment accounts on Saturday, and the rollout was accompanied by a historic joint opening bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Meanwhile, a synthetic biology lab in Minnesota created something that looks and acts almost like a living cell from scratch, and philosophy majors are suddenly in high demand at AI companies. Here's what happened and why it matters.

Trump Accounts Are Now Live

The centerpiece of the weekend was the official launch of Trump accounts — tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under 18 that invest in a low-cost S&P 500 index fund. For babies born between 2025 and 2028, the Treasury Department provides $1,000 in seed money. Other children may also be eligible thanks to a $6.25 billion pledge from billionaire Michael Dell and his wife, which the administration called the largest ever donation to American children. Under that pledge, children born between 2016 and 2024 who live in zip codes where median income is $150,000 or less receive $250 in seed money. Several companies including SoFi, Charter Communications, BNY, BlackRock, Robinhood, Charles Schwab, and MikeRoweSoft have also pledged matching contributions f