• ☝️ You’re looking at some of the winners from the sixth annual International Pet Photography Awards, which fielded 3,621 entries from 41 countries.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Dan Miller Wellness

• 💰 US markets closed mixed (S&P: +0.4%; Dow: -0.1%; Nasdaq: +0.6%). | 📈 Super Micro shares rose ~25% in extended trading after the company said it hired BDO as its new auditor and submitted a plan to avoid delisting from the Nasdaq; shares have fallen ~65% since short seller Hindenburg Research published an August report accusing Super Micro of accounting malpractices and other financial misdeeds.
• 🏢 US venture-capital firms’ profits this year are around their lowest level since 2011; analysts attribute the dip to relatively few acquisition deals or IPOs.
• 🪙 Trump Media is reportedly in “advanced talks” to buy cryptocurrency trading firm Bakkt. | 🤖🚗 The incoming Trump administration will develop a federal regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles, clearing many existing regulatory hurdles, per a Bloomberg report.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏟️🎤 Beyoncé will be the halftime performer for Netflix's Christmas NFL doubleheader; her show will come during halftime of the second game (Ravens @ Texans, 4:30 ET).
• 📺🤝 SpringHill, the entertainment company founded by LeBron James, is merging with Fulwell 73, producer of The Kardashians; the deal will see existing shareholders invest an additional $40 million to fuel growth initiatives.
• ⚔️👀 Paramount staged the biggest “roadblock” promo in history last night, broadcasting a 60-second Gladiator II trailer across 4,000 global TV, radio, and digital channels at the same time (covering ~300 million consumers).

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with MANSCAPED®

• 🤔🥚 The egg came first, not the chicken, according to science: A new study found life on Earth likely developed the ability to form embryos before the very first animals emerged. | 🪐 Humanity’s initial biological experiments on Mars, performed by a pair of Viking landers in 1976, may have inadvertently killed the life it was searching for in Martian soil samples, per a recent commentary from astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch.
• 🐹🦠 Japanese researchers successfully injected chloroplasts – the cell components responsible for photosynthesis – into hamster cells, per a new study; it marks the first time an animal cell has been given the ability to photosynthesize.
• 💉🇨🇳 Novo Nordisk is launching its Wegovy obesity drug in China for ~$193/month, significantly lower than its ~$1,350/month US list price.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🚫🥕 Dozens of organic carrot brands are recalling bags sold in 18 US states for potential E. coli contamination after an outbreak of the disease hospitalized 15 people and killed one.
• 🏛️ President-elect Trump nominated Brendan Carr, the senior Republican at the FCC, to head the agency during his term; Trump also tapped energy executive Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy, a role requiring Senate confirmation.
• 🎓 32 American students were named 2025 Rhodes Scholars, and will pursue graduate degrees at the UK’s Oxford University. | 🌁 India’s capital of New Delhi canceled most activities yesterday after air pollution reached its worst level this season (over 50x higher than recommended). | 🇮🇳 India’s government announced a successful hypersonic missile test, becoming the fourth confirmed nation to ever do so (alongside the US, China, and Russia).

CLICKBAIT

• 🍗👀 The CEO of KFC and Taco Bell China sits for hours and watches customers eat. It’s led to many popular menu items.