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Tuesday, August 18th, 2026
Good morning! Welcome to The Tradesman, a 5-minute newsletter tailored just for America’s tradesmen.
Congratulations to Evan M. of Old Skool Construction for winning our gas card giveaway!
Evan, reply to this email if you’d like the card to be from Sheetz, Shell, or Speedway, and we’ll get it sent over to you!
Also, we have a secret giveaway hidden in today’s edition. Scroll down to see if you can find it!
Put All Laptops And Cannonballs In The Tray
The TSA has finally gone too far.
By now we all know the basic rules of flying. Liquids stay under 3.4 ounces, and the firearms stay home.
All this we put up with. But now the TSA says we can't carry on our stolen Civil War-era cannonballs? This is government overreach at its finest.
On July 14, agents at Gulf Shores International Airport pulled five stolen cannonballs dating to the Civil War out of a kid's suitcase.
Who cares about "safety" or "the law"? If a kid wants to be Indiana Jones, we say let him.
Thursday Night Football Is Back (Sorta)
If you're like us, you've been waiting on football season like it's Christmas.
Well, we've got news: it's officially begun. Kind of.
Last Thursday kicked off the NFL preseason with the Bengals beating the Lions 16-14. The Browns also played on August 15, but we, uh… we'd rather not talk about the score.
These games "technically" don't count, but they mean one glorious thing: from now until the end of the year, there will be football on Thursday nights.
If you don't want to wait until September 9 for the real thing, here's the rest of the preseason schedule.
Morning Meme
Is Burger King Good Again?
Cue up that famous Whopper song, because we're talking about Burger King today.
Back in February, the chain overhauled the Whopper with a new bun, new packaging, and upgraded ingredients.
Since then, its sales have grown faster than McDonald's, and it passed Wendy's to become the country's second-biggest burger chain.
Reviews are calling the changes a home run, but we want to know what you think.
We're giving away five $15 Burger King gift cards so you can try the new Whopper for yourself. Enter for a chance to win here!
Find The Cheapest Gas Near You
Let's just accept it: a trip to the pump now costs enough to ruin the rest of your day.
As you know, we'll keep fighting the gas price battle by giving away a gas card every Thursday. In the meantime, we found another strategy.
This gas price finder lets you enter your ZIP code, payment method, and fuel type, then points you to the cheapest station nearby.
Does it fix gas being too expensive everywhere? Sadly, no. But every penny counts.
POLL
Will you be watching any preseason football games?
Previous Results
Should former NBA players be allowed to play in the WNBA?
Yes, the rules don't say they can't - 47%
No, the players are being ridiculous - 33%
I don't care. The whole thing is stupid - 20%
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