Good morning. On today’s docket:

• 📈 Homeschooling is on the rise
• 🔋 Exxon Mobil is getting into the lithium game
• 🤔 What do Americans say about paranormal experiences?

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be about a 4.47-minute read.

P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one's time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”

–Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Students across the country are increasingly starting their school homeroom periods… at home, in their room. Since 2017, homeschooling has become the fastest-growing form of education in the US by a wide margin, according to a new analysis by the Washington Post.

By the numbers: Homeschool enrollment for grades K-12 increased 51% over the past six school years in states with comparable figures, reaching an estimated total of 1.9 million–2.7 million students nationwide. And this increase “crosse[d] every measurable line of politics, geography, and demographics,” the Post said.

• For context, US private school enrollment grew by 7% over the same period to reach 5.7 million students, while the public school population saw a 4% decrease to 48.1 million students.

Driving the move… The Post and outside experts point to several reasons why many families believe home is where the heart smart is, and are increasingly opting for homeschooling and sticking with it.

• Homeschool enrollment saw a sharp increase during Covid, when many parents grew frustrated with the shortcomings of online-only education.
• Public high schools aren’t required to give credit for homeschool classes, posing a major roadblock for students who wish to transfer after freshman year.
• Since 2021, school vouchers offering parents thousands of dollars/year for children outside the public school system have been made available to home educators in seven states (covering ~40 million Americans).
• Parents who’ve opted to homeschool their children in recent years also cited concerns about bullying, school shootings, and a general decline in public schools’ academic quality and social environment.

🔀 On the flip side: Some education experts express concern with the rising popularity of homeschooling, since, unlike public schools, many states don’t have mandated progress reports for homeschooled students and don’t require them to learn subjects like social studies or civic engagement.

Voted one of the top snacks of the year with over 30 million sold, Paleovalley goes the extra mile to ensure their 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks are of the highest possible quality…

• 🐄 Made from healthy cows that are only fed grass, not grains, and contain more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• ✅ Naturally fermented so they’re shelf stable without chemicals or questionable ingredients, and preserve naturally occurring probiotics.
• 😋 Seasoned with organic spices, resulting in five flavors so delicious they guarantee you’ll love them.
• 💪 Each serving contains 6g of clean and gut-friendly protein

Almost every other company uses harmful ingredients like encapsulated citric acid that cause huge amounts of inflammation. But with Paleovalley, you know your loved ones are snacking healthy and clean. They’re loved by kids, health enthusiasts, busy moms, and hungry dads everywhere.

Save 15% on Paleovalley 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks here.

🇰🇪🌳 Kenya celebrated a new holiday called National Tree Growing Day. The holiday aims to combat climate change by boosting Kenya's forest cover following the Horn of Africa's worst drought in 40 years. Each Kenyan resident was encouraged to plant at least two seedlings to reach the holiday's 100-million tree target, which is part of a government program to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

🇺🇦📰 A media investigation accused a Ukrainian officer of coordinating the September 2022 Nord Stream sabotage. A new joint report from WaPo and German outlet Der Spiegel says Roman Chervinsky, a 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukraine’s special operations forces, was the “coordinator” of the Nord Stream operation, citing anonymous sources “familiar with his role.” The media outlets claim Chervinsky didn’t plan the six-man operation and took orders from more senior Ukrainian officials, and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was intentionally kept out of the loop. Chervinsky, who’s being held in a Kyiv jail on charges that he abused his power in a plot to lure a Russian pilot to defect to Ukraine, has denied any role in the sabotage.

🇸🇻 El Salvador is imposing a fee on travelers from Africa and India. Since the end of October, citizens of 57 largely African countries and India have had to pay a $1,130 fee when arriving through El Salvador’s main airport. While El Salvador’s new policy came after US officials pressured Central American countries to control migration, aviation officials described the tariff as an “airport improvement fee” and didn’t mention migration.

In an effort to reposition itself long-term for the advent of EVs, Exxon Mobil is embracing a familiar concept: drill, baby, drill. Yesterday, the oil giant announced it’s starting to drill for lithium at a mine in southwest Arkansas, and aims to become a major US supplier for EV battery-makers by 2030.

Exxon acquired the mining rights to 120,000 acres near Magnolia, Arkansas, earlier this year for a reported price north of $100 million. At the time, a consultant for the seller estimated the land contained ~4 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, or enough to power 50 million EVs.

• Mining output: Exxon said it expects to supply enough lithium to enable the production of 1+ million EVs/year by the end of this decade.
• Mining cost: The construction cost to get to that point? A cool ~$5 billion.

Fun fact: Magnolia, Arkansas, is the proposed location for two other major lithium extraction plants in addition to Exxon’s. Collectively, the three projects would require ~6,000 workers – equivalent to roughly half of Magnolia’s entire population.

📸 Big picture: Lithium prices have fallen by more than 70% so far this year, per data published last week by CME Group. Analysts largely attribute the sharp decrease to a recent surge in new lithium supplies hitting the market, combined with lower-than-expected global demand for EVs over the past year.

🚺 Featured on The WMarketplace… Anzy Home is a Ukrainian lifestyle brand of knitted home decor that embraces the principles of social responsibility and sustainability.

Anzy Home's mission is to furnish homes with unique high-quality items hand-made responsibly and consciously, while creating meaningful job opportunities for Ukrainian women. All products are ethically made from scratch in the Anzy Home studio, in Eastern Ukraine.

Shop Anzy Home today at The WMarketplace.

💬 Quoted… “[It] would change everything.”

• Insilico Medicine, an AI-driven biotech company, used artificial intelligence to develop an experimental drug for the incurable lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The treatment is in mid-stage trials in the US and China, with some results expected in early 2025. And these trials are being monitored by the industry more closely than a magician on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us stage – according to UK-based researcher Deep Pharma Intelligence, Insilico’s drug is the global industry’s first fully AI-based preclinical candidate, and comes at a time when large drugmakers, including Pfizer, are tapping into AI. Morgan Stanley estimates the use of AI in early-stage drug development could translate into an additional 50 novel therapies worth more than $50 billion in sales over the next decade. But – that may be putting the proverbial cart before the horse. AI’s use in drug development remains nascent and is littered with failures, and an editorial published in Nature in October cautioned that claims by drugmakers working with AI need independent verification and clinical trials to determine what’s bogus and what’s not.

😬 Stat of the Day: The main economics expert for Google pulled a Ginny Weasley and accidentally opened the Chamber of Secrets. While on the stand in the company’s antitrust trial yesterday, Kevin Murphy, the previously mentioned economics expert, let it slip that Google pays Apple 36% of the revenue it earns from search advertising on the Safari browser. According to Bloomberg Law, Google attorney John Schmidtlein "visibly cringed" when Murphy revealed the confidential info.

🤔 Did You Know?... A YouGov survey from 2022 found that 67% of Americans said they’ve had a paranormal experience👻.

📰 Worth a Read: The Biggest Questions: Are we alone in the universe? → (MIT Technology Review)

• ☝️ Over the past decade, Danish artist Thomas Dambo has created more than 100 massive wooden troll sculptures up to 20 feet high in natural settings around the world, including the first six US sculptures in recent months.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Tugboat

• 💰 US markets closed mixed (S&P: -0.1%; Dow: +0.2%; Nasdaq: -0.2%).
• 🚗 Stellantis is offering buyouts to roughly half of its US white-collar employees (~6,400 workers).
• ⚖️ The FDIC hired a law firm to look into alleged workplace sexual harassment and discrimination at the agency following a WSJ investigative report that was published yesterday.

*From our partners: ⛵📢 Don’t be ignored by insurance companies… Negotiate your home insurance claim like a pro with Tugboat instead. Most users see denials overturned, and increase their settlements by $15,000 on average – satisfaction guaranteed. Save 15% on Tugboat Claim Support Tools with code DONUT.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 📝 Read the full SAG-AFTRA deal summary released ahead of the union ratification vote.
• 🎤 Drake and J. Cole announced the dates for an upcoming joint tour yesterday; it runs from January to March of next year.
• 🏈 Monday Night Football: The Broncos (4-5) beat the Bills (5-5) 24-22.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Coop

• 📝 Preliminary data indicates gene-editing (i.e., CRISPR) can reduce high cholesterol.
• 🧰 A NASA toolbox worth ~$100,000 was accidentally lost during an ISS spacewalk; however, it’s still viewable in orbit from Earth’s surface.
• 🥄 Reducing salt intake by one teaspoon can lower blood pressure as much as a common blood pressure medication, according to a new study published in JAMA.

*From our partners: 🎁😴 Give the gift of better sleep… Whoever’s on your list, treat them to the sleep they deserve with The Original pillow from Coop. Made with hypoallergenic memory foam and microfiber and adjustable to suit anyone’s needs. Get The Original from Coop.

MISCELLANEOUS

• ⚡📈 Texas has seen electricity sales grow at 5x the national rate for the past decade, roughly like adding Louisiana to its grid, per a new report. | 🔥 LA traffic is set to get worse: A fire has indefinitely closed part of the I-10 freeway used by 300,000 motorists/day.
• ✌️ Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. | ✍️ The Supreme Court issued a code of conduct/ethics that was signed by all nine justices yesterday.
• 🔫 Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in Washington DC; no one was injured in the incident.

CLICKBAIT

• 🍀 Some people are just lucky. You can make yourself one of them.

Yesterday, we covered a new analysis that found the annual interest payments on America’s national debt crossed $1 trillion at the end of October, a figure that’s doubled over the past 19 months.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, how should the US government deal with its rising national debt?

• 📈 Raise taxes: 13%
• 📉 Cut spending: 41%
• 🖨️ Print more bonds/money to cover interest: 8%
• 👆 Some combination of the above: 22%
• 🙅 Nothing needs to be done: 7%
• 🤷 Other/unsure: 9%

Click here to read some of the best longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 8,750 votes and 439 longform responses.

Alessandra Hayden has loved crocheting since she was a little girl. Taught by her grandmother, the Washington state resident just claimed the world record for longest marathon crocheting after an astounding 34 hours and 7 minutes.

🧶 Extreme crocheting... Alessandra crocheted for 34 hours straight – she was only allowed to eat and drink if someone did it for her.

• She ended up finishing an entire blanket and started on a second before calling the attempt just after 34 hours.
• According to Guinness World Records, after the marathon, Alessandra donated the blanket to her daughter’s school auction where her good friend bought it for over $2,000 and gave it back to her to keep as an heirloom.

🐑 Trivia: What do you call an adult female sheep?

🐦 True or False?... Geese are notoriously promiscuous.

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize. (Pro tip: there's no need to ration points, you're entitled to a prize at each tier.)

Start referring.👇

🐑 Trivia: An ewe

🐦 T/F: False, they’re among the most faithful animals and choose their mates for life