Good morning. On today’s docket:

• 🕰️ Behind the push to make daylight-savings time permanent
• 🏀 Why the NBA is trying something new
• 🤔 US consumers are sending mixed signals

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be about a 4.52-minute read.

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"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature."

Socrates (470 BCE – 399 BCE)

At 2 am ET on Sunday, the vast majority of clocks around the US will perform the modern-day version of time travel and revert back one hour, as daylight-saving time (DST) ends and standard time begins.

But nearly half of Americans would prefer to do away with this change and keep DST year-round, which would lead to more daylight in the evening but less in the morning from November through March.

• Proponents of permanent DST say it would reduce risks for seasonal depression, cardiac issues, strokes, robberies, and car accidents, along with boosting the overall economy by encouraging Americans to be more active later in the day.

✋ But… The US has tried switching to permanent DST before – and it went about as well as the Fyre Festival. When Congress voted to keep DST year-round in late 1973, the decision was swiftly reversed after public sentiment dropped from 79% in support of the change to 42% within the first three months, partly due to early morning darkness proving dangerous for school children.

📸 Big picture: Any US state that wants to opt out of DST entirely and stay in year-round standard time has the right to do so. Currently, Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that use permanent standard time (i.e., keeping the hour behind and not springing forward).

However, federal law prevents states from making daylight-saving time permanent (i.e., keeping the hour ahead year-round), meaning the 19 states with legislation to that effect can’t officially stop clocks from changing without an act of Congress.

• Last year, a bipartisan bill to make DST permanent passed the Senate by unanimous consent, but wasn’t brought to a vote in the House.

📊 Flash poll: Which of the following options regarding daylight-saving time would you most prefer?

• Keep the current system with two annual clock changes
• Permanent DST (later sunrise/sunset year-round)
• Permanent standard time (earlier sunrise/sunset year-round)
• Unsure/other

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🇧🇩 Bangladesh garment workers are protesting for higher wages. In Bangladesh, the second largest garment-producing country after China, clothing factory workers receive a minimum wage of $75/month. Thousands of local garment workers, who are seeking a ~3x increase in minimum pay, joined public protests this week following a proposal from their employers that would boost wages by 25%. Bangladesh’s garment industry accounts for 85% of its $55 billion in annual exports, supplying major Western brands like Adidas, Gap, H&M, and Levi Strauss.

💥 Israel-Hamas war update: Israel's military yesterday said its forces have surrounded Gaza City as part of a push to cut the Gaza Strip in two and isolate the northern half. The Hamas-run health agency updated the Palestinian death toll to more than 9,000 since the war began on October 7, with human rights groups reporting more than half of the Gaza Strip’s ~2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes. On the US side, President Biden said 74 Americans and family members made it out of Gaza yesterday, and called for a humanitarian pause in the war.

🇬🇧 Legendary British band The Beatles released their final song with help from AI (listen here). The new song, “Now and Then,” was originally written and recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s, but was later worked on in 1995 by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. However, it remained unfinished due to a lack of verses and poor audio quality. That changed in 2022, when McCartney and Starr used the same AI-enhanced technical restoration methods that director Peter Jackson utilized in his 2021 Beatles documentary series. A short film telling the story behind “Now And Then” was also released alongside the song.

Pro basketball has a new star attraction – and we’re not just talking about Victor Wembanyama. Tonight, the NBA’s inaugural “In-Season Tournament” officially tips off.

How it works…

• Group play: All 30 NBA teams have been divided into six groups of five. Beginning today and continuing through November 28, teams will play four designated Group Play games on “Tournament Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group.
• Knockout rounds: Eight teams will advance to this stage – the team that wins each group, as well as two “wild cards.” The Knockout Rounds, which begin December 4 and December 5, consist of single-elimination games until only one team remains (the winner).

What’s at stake: Tournament games count towards each team’s regular-season record – with the exception of the championship game. And players can also earn some ca$h money. Depending on where their teams finish, athletes will be awarded between $50,000 (for making it to the quarterfinals) and $500,000 (for winning the tourney).

The NBA is hoping this in-season tournament will drive more eyeballs and revenue. From newly designed courts created to catch the eye of channel-flippers to the timing of the tournament, everything is being geared towards boosting regular season numbers. NBA playoff basketball averages 244% more viewers than your average regular season NBA game (5.47 million vs. 1.59 million). And another wrinkle: The league is currently negotiating new media-rights deals, which will go into effect after the 2024-25 season.

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💬 Quoted… “They are buying less stuff, even within food and beverage.”

• In a CNBC interview yesterday, Target CEO Brian Cornell said US consumers appear to be cutting back on essential items like groceries in addition to discretionary items, forcing the retailer to take a more conservative approach to inventory. And his comments come as US consumers are sending more mixed signals than Michigan’s next football opponent. Last week, the Commerce Department reported a sharp increase in Q3 GDP, with a majority of the jump attributed to higher-than-expected consumer spending (though overall savings are declining).

💊📈 Stat of the Day: In Q3 of this year, sales of weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro rose 734% and 650%, respectively, compared to the same period a year ago. Most of that demand is being driven by the US, where 90% of Mounjaro sales and 95% of Wegovy sales took place.

🤔 Did You Know?... Sir James Dyson spent 15 years creating 5,127 different prototypes before shipping his first bag-free Dyson vacuum cleaner in 1993. Which may be why their vacuums don’t suck – but they do actually suck (get it??).

📰 Worth a Read: The murky math of the New York Times bestsellers list → (The Hustle)

• ☝️ Space Perspective, a Florida-based space tourism startup, plans to start taking passengers to the edge of space in 2024 with a pressurized capsule suspended from a high-tech balloon, which features a “loo with a view.”

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with The GIST

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board (S&P: +1.9%; Dow: +1.7%; Nasdaq: +1.8%).
• ☕ Starbucks, fueled by strong US demand for pricier drinks, reported earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations. | 🍏 Apple reported falling sales for the fourth consecutive quarter, its longest slump in years.
• 🪙⚖️ Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of all seven criminal counts against him; sentencing is scheduled for March; he faces a max of 115 years in prison.

*From our partners: 🏆⛹️‍♀️ Founded and operated by women… The GIST is changing the game in the male-dominated industry by spotlighting female and male sports equally. Join the community of 838,000+ sports fans who get their fix from The GIST every week.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎟️ Live Nation reported selling 140 million live-event tickets through Q3 of this year, already eclipsing the company’s 2022 full-year total of 121 million. | 📈 CBS is sold out of 2024 Super Bowl commercials; spots were selling for up to $7 million per 30-second ad.
• 🎢🤝 Six Flags merged with Cedar Point's parent company; it forms a $8 billion theme park giant with 42 amusement and water parks across North America (in addition to nine resort properties).
• 🏈 Thursday Night Football: The Steelers (5-3) defeated the Titans (3-5) by a score of 20-16.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Floof

• 🧬 A human gene that first originated when early Homo sapiens interbred with Denisovans – another early human species – may be responsible for an increased risk of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
• 🚀☄️ NASA’s Lucy spacecraft, which is currently exploring a series of asteroids around Jupiter, successfully "phoned home" after a high-speed asteroid encounter this week, officials said.
• 💡💧 Light can cause water to evaporate without any heat under certain conditions, per a new MIT study published in PNAS.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🤖🏫 A New Jersey high school is investigating an incident in which at least one male student created and shared AI-generated fake nudes of female classmates.
• 🗽🚨 Federal prosecutors and the FBI are investigating whether NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s 2021 election campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations, per a search warrant obtained by the NYT.
• 🏛️ The House voted against expelling Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from the chamber over 23 federal charges accusing him of campaign fraud and other criminal violations; the vote was mostly split by party line, with 24 Republicans voting for removal and 31 Dems voting against. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🌌👂 NASA just released haunted recordings from the Solar System.

Cedar City, Utah, has a rich agricultural history, and a unique celebration to celebrate it each year. 

🤔 Where's Bo Peep... The sheep parade, involving around 1,000 sheep being herded through the city's main street, is the main event of the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival each year. 

• The sheep are herded from the high mountain ranges to the desert for the winter months. The tradition has been held every year since the first sheep were brought through the town in 1870. 

💬 What they're saying: “May we never forget the people, animals, and resources that built such a great community and legacy!" reads the festival's website.

Our weekly news quiz is live. In just two minutes or less...

Find out how your news superpowers stack up against the team.

Below are three lists of ingredients. All you have to do is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Cloves
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Caramel sauce
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• Flour
• Baking powder & soda
• Salt
• Sugar

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Salt & pepper
• Baking powder
• Olive oil spray
• Butter
• Hot sauce
• Chicken thighs
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic granules
• Cayenne pepper

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Sirloin
• Baking soda
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Sugar
• Soy sauce
• Shaoxing wine
• Chinese 5-spice powder
• White pepper
• Green beans
• Vegetable oil
• Onion
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Beef stock
• Sesame oil
• Rice
• Sesame seeds

(keep scrolling for the answers)

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☝️ Recipe #1: Brown butter caramel chai cookies

✌️ Recipe #2: Baked Buffalo chicken thighs

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Beef & green stir fry