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Ever wonder what happens to the bags that never make it to baggage claim? Some of them are now turning up in influencers lost luggage hauls. Its every travelers nightmare: you land, but your suitcase doesnt. Across social media, creators are buying unclaimed luggage and unboxing the contents on camera. @luciasland Part 1/2 – unboxing someones lost luggage #lostluggage #traveltiktok #traveltok #lostandfound #airportlife original sound – Lucia Most of the time its just piles of unwashed clothes, but the chance of uncovering valuablesor simply something bizarrehas fueled a viral trend. In one viral video, a TikTok creator pulled out hair straighteners, Pokémon cards, and an iPad. In another, the haul included a Ziploc bag of an unidentified brown substance and a plug-in air freshener. @beckysbazaar Replying to @hannahhuskinson5342 PART 2!! The most random selection of things were in this suitcase from @undelivrd Do you think it was worth 129? #lostluggage #suitcase #unclaimed #unclaimedmail #airport #thrifted #unboxingvideo #mystery #mysterybox original sound – Beckys Bazaar Nearly 92% of lost bags are eventually reunited with their owners. But if a bag goes unclaimed for three months, its sold off to third-party resellers. In the U.S., the Alabama-based Unclaimed Baggage store is the only retailer specializing in lost luggage, where items can be bought individually or in mystery boxes. In the U.K., shops now auction off suitcases to the highest bidder, sight unseen. That element of surprise makes for good content, and many unboxing hauls rack up millions of views from curious onlookers eager to peek inside a strangers life. If youre worried about your own belongings being unboxed online, know that the risks are highest on international flights, where mishandling is five times more likely than on domestic routes, according to a 2024 report from the International Society of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA). Of the 33.4 million mishandled bags that year, 8% were lost or stolen. If your missing suitcase ever does resurface in one of these mystery hauls, you might get your items back, though sometimes only by buying them back piece by piece.
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E-Commerce
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday night that Susan Monarez has been removed from her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, who began her tenure just under one month ago after being confirmed by the Senate on July 31, was reportedly asked to resign on Wednesday because she clashed with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over proposed changes to vaccine policies. After refusing to resign, she was fired. Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the HHS wrote on X Wednesday night. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. The announcement of her removal came just hours after the FDA approved new COVID-19 vaccinationswith limits for who qualified to receive them. The new vaccines are available to only younger adults and children with certain medical conditions, a significant change from past policies that approved them for everyone 6 months or older. Lawyers representing Monarez have asserted that her firing is legally deficient and that, as an appointee, she will remain in the position until President Trump himself fires her. Even though her firing is contested, Monarezs departure is making waves. It sparked a series of resignations by other top CDC officials and calls for Kennedys ouster. Here’s what to know. Who is Susan Monarez? A longtime civil servant, Monarez is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate, following a 2023 law requiring confirmation for the position. She is also the first person without a medical degree to be chosen for the role since the 1950s. Earning her PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of WisconsinMadison, Monarez spent years researching infectious diseases. Her expertise led her to serve in several government agencies, helping to transform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts for infectious diseases. She became director of the CDC after serving as acting director for the seven months between Trumps inauguration and her confirmation. Before that, she served as director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, another HHS agency. “Dr. Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” Kennedy said in a statement after Monarez was confirmed as CDC director. Why do Monarezs lawyers contest her firing? Soon after the HHS announced Monarezs departure, her lawyers issued a statement condemning the agency for weaponizing public health and denying that her termination had come through proper channels. When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda, Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, Monarezs lawyers, wrote in a statement posted to X on Wednesday night. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign. Later that night, Zaid confirmed that White House staff had notified Monarez that she was fired, but they did not accept this notification. As a presidential appointee, senate confirmed officer, only the president himself can fire her, Zaid wrote on X. For this reason, we reject notification Dr. Monarez has received as legally deficient and she remains as CDC Director. We have notified the White House Counsel of our position. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Monarezs job status, but at a press briefing Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that the president issued her termination and was within his rights to fire her. It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on November 5th. This woman has never received a vote in her life, and the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission. What are other leaders in medicine and politics saying about this? Monarezs ousting seems to be the final straw for many public health and political officials who disagree with the new administrations approach to public health, which has undermined federal health institutions with budget and personnel cuts while public trust in these institutions continues to fall. Last nights removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of other senior CDC leaders are highly alarming at a challenging moment for public health, Bobby M. Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), said in a statement Thursday. In the wake of CDC budget cuts and the termination of hundreds of employees earlier this year, the AMA is deeply concerned that this turmoil leaves us highly susceptible to public health threats. At the CDC itself, at least three leadersincluding Demetre Daskalakis, Debra Houry, Daniel Jernigaresigned Thursday, citing ongoing changes at the agency and issues with RFK Jr.s values and approach to managing the agency. Top Democrat lawmakers have also weighed in on the agencys turmoil, calling for the replacement of RFK Jr. RFK Jr. is a catastrophic failure and a clear danger in office, Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado wrote on X. He never shouldve been confirmed in the first place, and every day he stays in power puts the American people at risk. He needs to be fired. In a statement, Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia wrote that putting a quack like Bobby Kennedy in charge of public health was a grave error and that the administration is putting lives at risk. Who will replace Monarez as CDC director? With Monarez out after just under one month at the helm, the CDC is once again looking for a new director. At a press briefing Thursday, Leavitt said a decision would be announced by President Trump or Secretary Kennedy very soon.
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E-Commerce
One of the many mysteries surrounding today’s housing market in the United States is why existing homes are now more expensive than new ones. Traditionally, it’s the other way around. A look at the June housing numbers showed that the medium sale price for an existing home was $441,500, while new ones sold for $401,800, according to Forbes. Do that math and that means brand-new homes were 9% cheaper, than old, or “existing” onesa new record. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the medium price for a new home sold in July 2025 was 0.8% below June 2025 prices, and 5.9 percent from July 2024. So, not only are new builds less expensive, they are now selling at a sharp discount. That’s especially true in some of the weakest markets, where new construction prices are falling the fastest. (For example, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the $321,520 median listing price was down 15.6% from a year ago; in Austin, Texas, it’s down 8.5%); Wichita, Kansas, it’s down 7.9%; and in Jacksonville and Cape Coral, Florida prices are down 7.8% and 7.4% respectfully.) Why are new homes cheaper than old homes? There are a few other reasons for the trend. “The affordability difference goes beyond sticker price, too, as many builders are offering incentives like cash at closing or reduced mortgage rates that make a major difference in upfront costs and monthly payments,” Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner explained. New homes are also relatively cheaper now because, in an effort to keep costs down, builders are creating new homes with smaller floor plans. And geography plays a role, too, with new home builds more often located in lower-priced markets. And that brings us to the sellers, themselves, who have low or no mortgages thanks, in part, to rate drops during COVID-19. With little to no incentive to move, home owners are more likely to stay put, and reject an offer to sell, rather than cut prices. Data shows nearly 40% of U.S. owner-occupied housing units in 2023 were mortgage-free, marking a new high. Factor in with that a huge inventory of unsold new-builds, especially in softer markets like the Sun Belt, and a clearer picture begins to emerge.
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E-Commerce
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