✈️ Americans' craving for travel overseas is soaring to new heights, Axios' Avery Lotz writes.

• Why it matters: Much like the resilient consumer, the American tourist keeps on riding the post-COVID travel wave.

🔢 By the numbers: More than 56 million U.S. residents traveled overseas last year, according to estimates from the International Trade Administration.

• That's up from roughly 53.7 million in 2024 and around 32.7 million a decade prior.

🌍 Nearly 24 million traveled to Europe, a record high, according to Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) data going back to 2012.

• 🇬🇧 Where did most people visit? The U.K., Italy or France.
• 🇵🇹 Portugal and Greece also saw the biggest growth in U.S. visits between 2015 and 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported.

🔬 Zoom in: The wealthiest income bracket is driving overseas travel — followed by those with a combined household income of $100,000 to $119,000.

• Older travelers, in the 55-64 age range and above, led the pack, followed by the youngest jet-setters, aged 18-24.

💡 Zoom out: This is all happening as debt delays life milestones, affordability concerns sour sentiment and global perceptions of the U.S. slip.

• Still, people feel the need to hit the road and see the world.

Rich Harrill, the director of the University of South Carolina's International Tourism Research Institute, tells Axios: "Among my students, travel's a must-have. You're not cool unless you go somewhere."

• Explore the data ... Share this story.

🏛️ Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty today in federal court to stalking charges tied to the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Axios' Donica Phifer and Avery Lotz write.

• Mangione, 28, told the court: "On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died."

Mangione faced a potential life sentence if convicted in a federal trial.

• The guilty plea could mean his lawyers ask to dismiss separate state charges, including second-degree murder.

🗓️ What's next: His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.

• The judge told Mangione he will still be required to serve at least 85% of his sentence for the federal charges.

👀 What we're watching: Mangione is still facing a trial in New York state court next month.

• He has pleaded not guilty to all eight state charges in New York. He could face a life sentence if convicted.

Share this story ... Timeline of events.

1. 🪖 A woman was arrested and faces felony charges for allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial on the National Mall by tagging it with spray paint and filling the fountain with bubbles. Go deeper.
2. 🌀 A hurricane warning was issued this morning for the Big Island of Hawai'i as Tropical Storm Lala approaches, with predictions of 8-inch rainfall and potential life-threatening floods. Go deeper.
3. 🛍️ Retail sales hit an air pocket last month, falling 0.6% in July in what was the weakest performance in more than a year and well below the gain analysts expected, Axios' Neil Irwin reports.
4. 🛳 President Trump said he isn't concerned about the state of the USS Abraham Lincoln, despite calls from lawmakers to investigate reports of mental health issues for those on board, Axios' Donica Phifer reports.
5. 🕰️ Tickets for Marvel's next mega-hit "Avengers: Doomsday" went on sale worldwide today. Thousands of Disney-branded theaters began selling tickets last month. See the announcement ... Go deeper.

College dorms are becoming customized, social-media-ready micro-apartments, Axios' Josephine Walker writes.

• Why it matters: Dorm rooms are tiny. The decor economy is not.

💵 The "designer dorm" industry — which includes decked-out rooms worth thousands — has grown alongside viral TikTok dorm tours and hauls.

• Parents are also trying to make their child's transition to college easier.

🥊 Reality check: The market looks wildly different depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon line your campus sits.

• ⭐ In SEC country, dorm rooms are often personalized with monograms and items reflecting school spirit.
• 🚚 In the Northeast, dorm design can be couture, but the biggest luxury is having someone else wrestle with a U-Haul on a cramped city street.

Go deeper.