The Trump administration has been fixated on truck drivers, with the president arguing there should be English-language requirements for people behind the wheel of commercial trucks. The White House has put regulatory pressure on trucking companies and recently threatened to withhold federal funding to states that don't comply with English requirements. 

Americans are 'a lot safer'
The Trump administration is taking these steps after "high-profile examples of fatal crashes involving truckers who could not speak English and did not understand all of the road signs in front of them," said Newsweek. A recent probe claimed that California, New Mexico and Washington "did not properly put drivers out of service for violations of rules around English-language proficiency."

Federal guidelines already "require truck drivers to pass roadside English tests and demonstrate the ability to read and speak English, though enforcement is left to individual states," said NewsNation. This has led the Trump administration to claim that lax enforcement is behind road deaths. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order "directing enforcement of a rule requiring commercial drivers in the U.S. to meet English proficiency standards," said Reuters. Americans are "a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can understand and interpret our traffic signs," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement. 

Concerns over racial profiling
Enforcement could be "uneven around the country," trucking consultant Adam Wingfield said to USA Today. Given possible biases, it's "a lot like stop-and-frisk — you are going to have some states do more enforcement and others do less."

Many "foreign-born drivers worry their careers could be in jeopardy if they are unfairly penalized by arbitrary inspections," said The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Some truck drivers have a "strong accent. So if the officer doesn't understand you," they may write off a driver's English ability, said Khadar Hassan, a Somali-born truck driver, to the outlet.

Language barriers "pose a challenge not so much in driver capability or proficiency but in the level of communication required to understand and cooperate with regulators and authorities," said Seth Millican, the CEO of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, to the Journal-Constitution. Language and nationality may have little to do with driver safety altogether. "Just because you are an American doesn't mean you are going to follow the rules," Wingfield said to USA Today.

Losing a suitcase is every traveler's nightmare, but what begins as misfortune for some can end up as a jackpot for an increasing number of luggage "gamblers" bidding on lost property at auction houses and finding everything from designer clothes to ancient artifacts. This once-niche pastime has now found a huge online audience. Lost luggage hauls can "attract millions of views on social media from people keen to get a glimpse inside a stranger's life," said The Guardian. 

Emeralds, scarabs and a mummified falcon 
"If these bags could talk, what a story they would have to tell," Bryan Owens, the CEO of lost-luggage seller Unclaimed Baggage, said to The Guardian. Standout finds he recalls include an "old dingy, dirty bag" with a "40-carat solitaire emerald swaddled inside it." One Gucci suitcase yielded Egyptian artifacts dating back to 1500 B.C., including "scarabs," "burial masks" and a "mummified pet falcon." 

These auctions face criticism. Becky Chorlton, a TikToker who regularly shares her hauls to millions online, has viewers expressing outrage, with one commenter saying they felt "violated" at the prospect of a stranger being able to purchase their lost items, said the Daily Mail. "New fear unlocked: watching an influencer gleefully rip apart my lost luggage on TikTok," said another viewer.

Transit risks 
Of course, not every lost suitcase ends up under the hammer. Almost 92% are eventually reunited with their owners. Only if they remain unclaimed for three months are they sold, said The Guardian. International flights carry the greatest risk, with "46% of losses occurring when a passenger transits through a second airport." 

For those who want to keep their belongings out of the auction room, there are a few preventative measures travelers can take, said the Mail. "Take photos of your items to document their condition before packing them, and where possible, keep receipts to prove their value." Other precautions include making bags stand out with "unique decorations and labels," keeping essentials in carry-on bags, and "investing in a GPS tracker."

A crowd hurls tomatoes at each other during the 78th annual Tomatina Festival in Buñol, Spain. Thousands of participants took to the streets after trucks delivered more than 120 tons of tomatoes to the town.
Pablo Garcia / Anadolu via Getty Images

The days getting shorter and the air becoming (a tiny bit) cooler are reminders that summer is starting to fade. Before it slips away entirely and your attention turns to pumpkin patches and leaf peeping, head to one of these underrated lakes for summer's last gasp.

Convict Lake, California
There are no prisoners here — just deer, aspens and beautiful mountain views. Picturesque Convict Lake (pictured above) is "perfect" for electric boating (the only type allowed), swimming and trout fishing, said SFGate. Photographers should bring their gear and snap as many pictures as possible of the scenery, like stunning Laurel Mountain and its reflection in the lake's "vivid" cerulean water.

Lake Ouachita, Arkansas
This is the largest lake in Arkansas, and the "refreshing" lack of development around it means the area still feels "wild and untouched," said Outside. Spend the day here spearfishing, scuba diving or kayaking on the Geo-Float Trail, an aquatic interpretive trail with 12 exploration zones spotlighting the lake's "unique geological formations."

Torch Lake, Michigan
Swimming, snorkeling and fishing are some of the activities that bring adventurers to Torch Lake's "dazzling" turquoise waters, said Travel and Leisure. Its glacial origins give the lake a "striking" color and clarity, with visibility of up to 30 feet. A natural gathering spot is the "iconic" Torch Lake Sandbar on the southern tip of the lake, a "serene" stretch of white sand.