• ☝️ A group of orcas off the west coast of North America have begun wearing a single dead salmon on their heads like a hat for reasons unknown, per researchers; this trend was initially observed in the late 1980s, but ceased soon after.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Pique Life

• 📈 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +0.6%; Dow: +0.7%; Nasdaq: +1.3%); all three indexes ended the day at record highs. | 🪙 Bitcoin passed $100,000 for the first time.
• 🚗 GM will take a $5 billion charge in Q4 as a result of weakness in its China business.
• ✈️ Airline execs appeared before a US Senate subcommittee yesterday; the hearing revolved around the companies' use of seat and bag fees. | ✂️ JetBlue is cutting more unprofitable routes and tweaking its Europe service in a bid to cut costs.

*From our partners: ⌛✨ Last day for Piques Cyber Monday sale… Shop their best-selling Sun Goddess Matcha, BT Fountain Beauty Electrolyte, Elderberry Liposomal Vitamin C, and more to get free, curated gifts with your purchase. Shop Pique Life’s Cyber Monday sale – ENDS TODAY.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 📺 ESPN content is now available on the Disney+ app, including a curated selection available to non-ESPN subscribers.
• 🏈✍️ CFB National Signing Day: See the top commitments, flips, and moments from the start of the early signing period for Class of 2025 HS football recruits.
• 🥇🎤 Billboard ranked the greatest pop stars of the 21st century, with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna topping the list. | 🥇🍿 Moana is the top-ranked movie in all of streaming over the past five years combined, racking up 44.8 billion total minutes.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Commons

• 🤖🌧️ GenCast, an AI weather program from Google DeepMind, performs up to 20% better at weather prediction than the ENS forecast, which is widely regarded as the world leader in the field.
• 🌳📈 US scientists discovered a photosynthesis gene that boosts the height of poplar trees by ~30% in the field, and ~200% in a greenhouse; it also boosted biomass when injected into another plant species.
• 🤖🏀 Toyota’s humanoid robot, CUE6, broke the world record for longest basketball shot by such a machine (80 feet, 6 inches).

*From our partners: 🌎🛒 Skip the greenwashing and find brands that work for you… Commons independently evaluates and rates brands with their team of sustainability experts. Spend intentionally, and power a sustainable future. Discover sustainable brands.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🏛️ President-elect Trump selected Peter Navarro as his top trade adviser, nominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, and tapped Paul Atkins to run the SEC.
• 🇰🇷 South Korea’s opposition party began impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol following his short-lived declaration of martial law on Tuesday night.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case seeking to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🤝 Meet this year's Forbes 30 under 30.