Kyle Nowak

🔥 It’s Wednesday, December 20th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

🏓 Dozens of pro pickleball players have formed a collective to preserve their own interests in contract negotiations with the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP), per a recent letter obtained by CNBC.

⌚✌️ Apple will stop selling the latest versions of its Apple Watch this week in response to an ongoing patent dispute.

“They who are not contented with what they have, would not be contented with what they would like to have.”

–Socrates (470 B.C. – 399 B.C.)

🌏 Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Jimmy Lai is facing a new trial; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi was re-elected for a third term with little opposition; & more.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you consider yourself better off, worse off, or about the same compared to before the pandemic?

🌬️💡 Many US offshore wind-energy projects are running behind schedule and over budget, as companies are finding it more difficult than expected to place their turbines in the ocean. The culprit? A lack of custom installation ships.

🖱📰 Click to see a list of bite-sized stories you should know for today.

🔥 It’s Tuesday, December 19th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

🔠 Yesterday, the NY Times issued its first report analyzing how players approach its daily Wordle puzzle, which drew more than half a billion attempts over the past year.

🌏 The Vatican’s criminal court convicted a cardinal for the first time; Prince Harry won a partial victory in his phone hacking lawsuit against a UK tabloid group; & more.

🖱📰 Click to see a list of bite-sized stories you should know for today.

🔥 It’s Monday, December 18th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be. ”

–Wayne Dyer (1940-2015)

📈 US retail sales rose unexpectedly last month, extending a week of positive readings for America’s economy. But are the positive vibes being felt by US consumers?

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, is the US government spending too much, too little, or about the right amount on its defense budget?

What you can look forward to this week...

🏘️ The median rent in Manhattan, America’s largest rental market, fell last month on an annual basis for the first time in over two years, per a new report. Rents are dropping elsewhere, too.

📝 This week, the House and Senate both overwhelmingly approved a new $886 billion defense spending and policy bill, sending the measure to President Biden who is expected to sign it into law shortly.

🌏 An EU-funded project launched an encyclopedia of historical European smells; Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a four-hour address to the public; & more.