BLUE COLLAR AND BOUJIE

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Negotiators reached NAFTA at 12:40 a.m. in 1992. Bush called it a new era from the Rose Garden hours later. The guys on the factory floor called it something else entirely — and thirty-some years on, we're still arguing both sides of it.

BUSINESS BREAKDOWN

Cisco reports after Wednesday's closing bell — Wade and Boujie preview what to watch for: AI order growth still driven by the giants, a 19% product-order gain that says Cisco's broader business isn't. And nearly 4,000 layoffs sitting right underneath all that growth talk.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS

Housing stays stuck below 5 million sales a year while prices keep climbing anyway. Small business optimism hits an 11-month high — but nobody can find anyone to hire. GM quietly buys itself $4.5 billion in supply-chain insurance. And six railroads lose their fight over two-person crews.

SPORTS

The NBA turns Christmas Day into a soap opera with hamstrings. Flag football's actual specialists keep beating NFL All-Stars ahead of the 2028 Olympics. Aaron Rodgers would rather not play a game he doesn't consider real football. And Germany brings back standing sections because — in Boujie's words — football stadiums are not theatres.

TRENDING ROUNDUP — TOP 10

Colombia digs for survivors after its worst earthquake this century. Washington reopens the vaccine-schedule fight. Young people worldwide can't find a first rung on the employment ladder. Spain chases an eclipse without setting itself on fire. Spotify starts labeling AI artists. Sony and TSMC bet $4.7 billion on better phone cameras. Toyota loses the accountant who rebuilt it. Dogs, it turns out, really can read your face. And grandparents in Singapore are doing parkour.

📬 MAILBAG

Got a question for Wade and Boujie? mail@bluecollarandboujie.com — may air next Saturday.

P.S. — Made with AI. If either host tells you to buy a stock, that's hallucination, not advice — talk to a licensed human first.