In Other Brews…

• Hackers might have stolen the Social Security Numbers of… every American. According to a recent class-action lawsuit, National Public Data—which aggregates data for background checks—was breached in April, putting 2.9 billion records (names, SSNs, birthdays, and emails) into hackers’ hands. The company confirmed the breach, and authorities are investigating. Learn if you were impacted (and what to do) here.

• Medicare has negotiated down the price of 10 common medications, including diabetes drugs and blood thinners. The Biden administration says the price reductions (which range from 38%-79%) will save taxpayers $6 billion and Medicare recipients $1.5 billion; the new prices kick in on January 1, 2026. Price negotiations on another 15 drugs are set to begin next year.

• “Ewww Yay David!” Eugene Levy and son Dan will become the first father-son duo to ever host the Emmys. The Canadian co-creators of Schitt’s Creek, which pulled off a historic sweep of the comedy category in the 2020 Emmys, will emcee ABC’s September 15 broadcast. Eugene himself is up for an Emmy, for the Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler. 

• People in India are protesting after a young female doctor trainee was raped and murdered at a Kolkata Medical College last week. Hospitals have turned away non-emergency patients as 1+ million doctors were expected to join a 24-hour strike demanding increased security and “safe spaces for women” at hospitals. Protests began August 9th, intensifying as more incidents of assault made headlines.

• NBC announced a daily average of 30.6 million Americans watched the Olympics, way up from the 2021 Tokyo Games (16.9 million). NBC saw a surge in viewership on its streaming platform, Peacock, and increased interest in women’s sports (even without Caitlin Clark); 35 million Americans watched Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Sha’Carri Richardson win medals.