Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🌐 Cyberattacks enter AI-enhanced era
• 💼 Strong October jobs report
• 😃 7 habits to make you likeable

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.23-minute read (1,124 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

Due to an error in Friday’s News Quiz, the correct answers were unavailable to respondents. That issue has now been remedied—you can take the quiz again here. Apologies for the mistake.

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.”

–Chinese proverb

Hackers have been making headlines for some pretty unusual targets lately, from grocery store freezers in Europe to US military commissaries, and stolen billions in cryptocurrency along the way.

Their methods are also becoming more sophisticated, with some now using AI to do much of the work involved in breaking into computer systems.

A string of unusual attacks

Hackers reportedly tampered with refrigeration systems at dozens of European supermarkets earlier this month, sending temperatures soaring, leaving stores with spoiled food instead of frozen goods, and affecting some French blood banks.

• Similar trouble has been reported at US military bases, where the Pentagon is investigating suspected cyberattacks on freezers at roughly six commissaries since late August.
• Investigators are examining possible ties to Iran, though no culprit has been confirmed. It's also unclear whether the US and European incidents are connected.

Crypto con: At Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, North Korean hackers reportedly tricked two engineers into downloading malicious software via a sophisticated scheme:

• One engineer thought they were interviewing for a new job after being contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn. The interview process included a coding assignment that contained malicious software, which the engineer unknowingly downloaded.
• Another engineer was looking to download Homebrew, a popular software management tool, when they clicked an online ad promoting a fake version. That download also contained malicious software, giving the hackers another foothold in Binance's systems.

The attackers ultimately gained access to crypto wallets and stole ~$6.3 billion, though Binance says ~$2.5 billion has since been recovered.

What’s been changing?

Hackers have long relied on tricks like convincing people to download malicious software or finding weaknesses in computer systems to break in. Now, AI is helping them pull off those same attacks much faster and on a larger scale, while potentially giving less experienced hackers access to tools that once required serious technical expertise.

Case in point: A China-linked hacking group called VaporPanda launched an effort last month that used AI tools like DeepSeek and Artex to research potential targets, identify security weaknesses, and help exploit those vulnerabilities.

• Over 11 days, the group targeted 200+ organizations across at least 14 countries, successfully compromising the systems of at least nine orgs.
• The AI handled much of the legwork, allowing hackers to pursue multiple targets at once under human supervision.

Looking ahead…The UK's National Cyber Security Centre warned last week that AI-powered ransomware could hit the country's critical infrastructure by 2028. Governments and businesses are also fighting back with AI tools of their own, including a newly announced UK Cyber Shield designed to strengthen the country's defenses.

📊 Flash poll (long-form): How concerned are you about a major cyberattack targeting the US government, companies, or infrastructure in the near future?

• Extremely concerned
• Somewhat concerned
• Not very concerned
• Not at all concerned

A great outfit gets noticed, but the right fragrance can make you unforgettable. MERIT's New Wave L’Extrait de Parfum captures that finishing touch with a warm, sensual scent that makes an impression long after you've left the room.

Created by master perfumers Dominique Ropion and Meabh McCurtin, New Wave features nearly 30% fragrance oil, with bright pink pepper, sunlit florals, and a rich base of incense, woods, and vanilla. Designed with big sillage, it projects beyond the skin, leaving a warm, lasting scent trail rather than fading into the background.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 US economy added 165,000 jobs in October, well above economists’ estimates of 59,000, while the US unemployment rate fell to 4.1%; Labor Dept. also revised August (+53,000) and September (+31,000) jobs reports up substantially.
• 🛻 Tesla to wind down Cybertruck production next year to make room for its autonomous Cybercab, CEO Elon Musk announced; Cybertruck sales stood at ~11,600 through the first nine months of 2026, down 28% year-over-year.
• ✈️ Airline tickets bought with frequent flyer miles for flights between large US airports will cost ~32% more over this year’s Thanksgiving travel period compared to last, per new data from Seats.aero.

SPORTS, MEDIA, & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏈 College football: #11 Notre Dame upset #1 Miami, #2 Georgia blew out #10 Ole Miss, #3 Utah took down rival #9 BYU, #5 Alabama beat #14 LSU, #13 Tennessee routed #6 Kentucky, and #23 Oregon upset #12 Ohio St. | NFL: Read a recap of all Week 9 action.
• 🍿 Godzilla Minus Zero tops the domestic box office with $31.6 million in its opening weekend; it’s the largest opening for a foreign language live-action film in North American history.
• 🏎️ McLaren’s Lando Norris wins São Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes earns its ninth F1 World Constructors’ Championship, adding to the racing team’s 2026 World Drivers' Championship

Unlock real-time intelligence, seamless collaboration, and performance you can trust. All of this from one cloud-native workspace powered by next-gen connectivity from T-Mobile for Business. Dialpad’s AI Recaps handle the summaries and to-dos while you handle everything else.

It also has enterprise-grade security and 100% uptime, because “the app crashed” isn’t an excuse anyone wants to use more than once. Plans start at $25 a user per month.

SCIENCE, SPACE, & EMERGING TECH

• 🧑‍🚀 NASA is taking applications for its next class of astronauts from now through December 3; it’s the first time in two years the agency has opened up astronaut applications.
• 👂 People with tinnitus, which affects ~15% of the global population, have significantly higher blood levels of a protein called prestin, which could be the first-ever biomarker for the condition, new study shows.
• 💡 Exposure to bright light for 42+ mins/day is associated with a ~17% lower relative risk of dementia in older adults, new study finds; lack of such bright light exposure was a better predictor of dementia than obesity, alcohol consumption, air pollution, hearing loss, and other factors.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🏛️ Stephen Miller named by President Trump as chief of staff, replacing Susan Wiles; Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, has played a leading role in the admin’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement in Trump’s second term. | President Trump says he was joking in social media post on Saturday that said he’d offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary.
• 🇨🇳 Nvidia’s board launches independent investigation of CEO Jensen Huang following reports of his connection to a Chinese businesswoman who allegedly ​passed information to China’s government.
• 🇮🇱 Israel’s opposition leader, Gadi Eisenkot, tapped by the country’s president to try forming a coalition gov’t following last week’s elections, in which Eisenkot's bloc and PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition both failed to secure a majority in parliament.

☝️ This historic home overlooking Nantucket Harbor recently sold for $42.5 million, setting a new high mark for the Massachusetts island—and coming just $500,000 shy of the state record. The ~6,400-square-foot house has eight bedrooms set on 0.62 acres, featuring direct beach and harbor access.

🤔 Did you know? Google pays Mozilla $450+ million/year to be the default search engine on its Firefox browser. This payment accounts for over 75% of Mozilla’s entire revenue, with executives testifying that Firefox might not survive without it.

📰 Worth a read: Have I befriended a murderer?

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• 7 habits proven to make you more likeable
• World’s #1 restaurant crowned as contest draws scrutiny
• The 'Hell Chicken': a dinosaur with an extremely rare diet

Main character cleavage… CAKES Cleavage™ Bra brings the girls together with sculpting cups and a front clasp for fuller-looking cleavage, while razor-thin silicone keeps everything seamless under your favorite outfits. Shop CAKES Cleavage™ Bra.

On Friday, we examined exit polling data that shows how Democrats emerged from Tuesday's midterm elections with firm control of both the House and Senate after flipping Republican-held seats across the country, in a marked shift in voting patterns nationwide.

❓ Our question to you (long-form): What are your thoughts on the Democratic Party’s historic sweep of Congress in the 2026 midterms?

• “This should be a clear sign to politicians, if you can’t speak for the people, the people will step up and require a change. Demonstrates need to now prove positive change.”
• “As someone who voted exclusively democrat this mid-term election, I am still reserving judgement. Actions speak louder than words, and establishment democrats have let me down nearly as much as republicans have. If Trump was not so damaging, I would have voted third party in mid-terms and the last election to show my dissatisfaction with both parties.”
• “I am hopeful that this sweep will mean that Congress gets back to doing its job—first and foremost, passing a budget and checking presidential power. The Democrats have the majority in both houses. I just hope they get to work.”

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 43 longform responses.

Monday: Berkshire Hathaway reports earnings; Monday Night Football: Bills v. Vikings

Tuesday: Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October

Wednesday: Veterans Day (no newsletter); The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 debuts on Prime Video

Thursday: Weekly jobless claims; National French Dip Day

Friday: Ebenezer (Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Ian McKellen) and How to Rob a Bank (Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, John C. Reilly, Zoë Kravitz) hit theaters; Producers Price Index (PPI) for October

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Anim
2. Dem
3. Gran
4. Merc
5. Phys

(keep scrolling for the answer)

🧩 British runner George Scholey recently took multitasking to a new level, solving four Rubik’s cubes (one per lap) while running a mile in 5 minutes and 9.25 seconds to set a new Guinness World Record. George also holds records for solving 500 cubes on a skateboard and 6,931 cubes in 24 hours.

1. Anim = Breath (e.g., animate)
2. Dem = People (democracy)
3. Gran = Grain (granule)
4. Merc = Reward, wages, hire (merchant)
5. Phys = Nature (physics)

Advertise with us: Want to reach other smart and inquisitive readers like you? Become a DONUT partner.

Made it this far? Let us know what you think:

👍 👋 👎