Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📊 Analyzing infant mortality rates post-Dobbs v. Jackson
• 📈 Why Tesla had its best day since 2013
• 📺 Younger Americans want more “nomance”

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.75-minute read (1,264 words).

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"In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story."

–Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)

US infant mortality rates increased by more than expected over the 18 months following Dobbs v. Jackson, the SCOTUS ruling that overturned the federal right to abortion, according to a new study from Ohio State University.

More details: The study involved comparing US infant mortality rates in the 18 months following Dobbs to historical trends. Upon doing so, Ohio State researchers found rates were ~7% above normal levels in three specific months, and never fell below expected levels over the entire span.

Driving the trend… The researchers say the recent increase in infant mortality can largely be attributed to a rise in the number of women carrying fetuses with fatal birth defects to term.

• According to the study, ~80% of all additional infant deaths since the Dobbs decision can be attributed to congenital anomalies (birth defects), which typically aren’t detected until 18-22 weeks of pregnancy or later.
• And, since abortion is now banned during that time frame in 21 US states following the Dobbs decision, mothers who discover fatal abnormalities in their unborn child are often too far along in their pregnancies for medical abortion to be an option.

Big picture: The US infant mortality rate stood at 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, based on the most recent available data. This figure is 3% higher compared to 2021, marking the first annual rate increase since 2002.

On a global scale, a 2023 analysis of 11 of the world’s wealthiest countries – including the UK, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Australia – found the US has the highest infant mortality rate of the group.

📊 Flash poll: In general, how do you want your state to handle abortion?

• Enact strict abortion restrictions
• Establish strong abortion rights
• Something in the middle
• Unsure/other

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🏘️ US mortgage rates increased for the fourth straight week, per Freddie Mac. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.54% this past week, up from 6.44% the week prior. Mortgage rates fell to a two-year low in September as the Fed began lowering interest rates, but they’ve risen over the past month as strong economic data – like retail sales and weekly jobless claims – caused traders to reevaluate expectations for future Fed rate cuts.

⚾ The World Series begins in LA tonight. The Yankees-Dodgers showdown features the top-two MLB teams in terms of payroll, as well as the presumed MVPs for both leagues (Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani). And while the first pitch has yet to be thrown, one player is already guaranteed to win a ring: minor leaguer Taylor Trammell. Another fun fact: the cheapest available WS tickets are ~1,000x more expensive than when the Yankees and Dodgers first played in the World Series in 1941 ($1,085 vs. $1.10).

📰 News deserts abound, per a new report. A total of 127 newspapers across the US have closed over the past year, a rate of ~2.5/week, according to data from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Overall, 56% of America’s 3,143 counties – spanning 55 million people – have one or zero local news sources.

Tesla shares are like Alex Honnold during Free Solo – on a climb. After reporting Q3 earnings after the bell on Wednesday, the company’s stock experienced its best single-day performance since 2013 on Thursday, increasing ~22%.

Some earnings highlights:

• Revenue came in slightly below expectations ($25.2 billion vs. $25.4 billion) but still increased 8% year over year.
• Profit was much better than expected ($0.72/share, adjusted vs. $0.58/share expected), boosted by $739 million in automotive regulatory credit sales.
• Tesla sold 16,000+ Cybertrucks in the US in Q3.

CEO Elon Musk also painted a Bob Ross-esque rosy picture of the future. He said on the earnings call that “vehicle growth” could reach 20%–30% next year, and that Tesla would eventually be producing 2 million Cybercabs/year.

But… The company will need to increase spending for its transition into an AI company next phase of growth, which includes rolling out a $30,000 self-driving Cybercab, AI-powered robots, and more-affordable vehicles.

And funding these capital-intensive projects – in addition to other regulatory and operating hurdles – could pose a challenge. Per the Wall Street Journal: Musk expects the cash for these new ventures to come in part from Tesla’s automaking operations, a historically low-margin business that’s highly competitive and sensitive to economic swings.

📈 Investors are still bullish: Thursday’s jump puts Tesla’s stock price at ~83 times forward earnings – more than twice what tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon fetch.

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“I believe that they have paid their debt to society.”

Today, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is expected to recommend the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving life without parole after being convicted of killing their parents in a famed 1990s murder case.

As outlined by NBC News:

• The brothers fatally shot their parents, entertainment company exec José Menendez and Kitty Menendez, with shotguns in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 21 and 18 years old at the time.
• Defense attorneys for the brothers argued they were sexually abused by their father, and, after two trials, they were convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. Less time was devoted to the abuse claims in the second trial.

Going free? Gascón – against some internal opposition – is recommending life without the possibility of parole be removed, and the brothers be sentenced for murder. The crime would typically hold a sentence of 50 years to life, but because of their age – under 26 at the time of the crimes – the pair would be eligible for parole immediately (should a Superior Court judge agree with Gascón’s recommendation).

📺 The streaming effect: The brothers’ possible step toward freedom follows a recent Netflix series that drew renewed attention to the case.

• ☝️ 🗽🏀 The New York Liberty held their WNBA championship parade yesterday, in celebration of the franchise’s first-ever title (and New York City’s first pro basketball championship since 1973).

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Dyce Games

• 💰 US markets closed mixed (S&P: +0.2%; Dow: -0.3%; Nasdaq: +0.8%); the Dow is on a four-day losing streak, its first since June. | 💼 227,000 initial jobless claims were filed last week, down from 241,000 the previous week and below the 242,000 economists expected.
• ✈️ Southwest Airlines reached a deal with activist firm Elliott Management to avert a proxy fight.
• 🥤 Keurig Dr Pepper is acquiring energy-drink maker Ghost for $1+ billion. | 👝Tapestry's acquisition of Capri was blocked by a federal judge, who ruled the $8.5 billion deal would reduce competition in the luxury handbag market; a tie-up between the two companies would result in Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Versace, and Jimmy Choo under the same roof.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🤝 TKO, which owns WWE and UFC, is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from its parent company Endeavor Group, in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
• 🙏 Amir Abdur-Rahim, 43, the head coach of the University of South Florida’s men’s basketball team, passed away due to complications with a medical procedure; Abdur-Rahim led USF to a program-record 25 wins and their first conference title last season.
• 🏈⚖️ Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed two practices this week with a unique injury-report designation: jury duty; he’s still expected to play in Sunday night’s game against the 49ers.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Beam

• 🤖💬 Google researchers developed an invisible “watermark” for AI-generated text, and successfully deployed it to millions of chatbot users, per a new study. | 📅 Google Calendar is getting a UI redesign and a new dark mode for web.
• 💉🧠 Ozempic and other GLP-1 treatments may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, per a new study of electronic health records.
• 🤖⚖️ A Florida mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AI chatbot company Character.AI after her 14-year-old son, who was active on the site, died by suicide.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🎓📉 Freshman enrollment at US colleges and universities fell 5+% this fall compared to last year, the largest decline since 2020, per new preliminary data.
• 🇷🇺 Russia provided targeting data that helped Houthi rebels in Yemen with their attacks on Western ships earlier this year, per a Wall Street Journal report. | 🇺🇦💰 G-7 allies finalized a new $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral.
• 🚢⚖️ The owner and operator of the cargo ship responsible for the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore this past March have agreed to pay $102+ million in cleanup costs, settling a DOJ lawsuit.

CLICKBAIT

• 🥇🌏 The 25 best places to travel in 2025, according to National Geographic.

🚫💋 Stat of the Day: The old adage “sex sells” is due for a modern-day upgrade. Younger Americans are increasingly interested in “nomance” content, according to UCLA’s annual Teens and Screens report. Researchers found 63.5% of Americans aged 14-24 say they want to see more platonic relationships – as opposed to romance and sex – in movies, TV shows, video games, and on social media. That figure is up from 51.5% of US adolescents who said the same thing last year.

🤔 Did You Know? There was a ~2,200% increase in the annual number of objects launched into space between 2010 and 2023, largely due to the emergence of SpaceX, according to UN data.

📰 Worth a Read: The rise of exclusive communities in America → (The Hustle)

We bring you the most unusual, off-the-wall and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week.

• Saskatchewan, Canada, town can't find anyone to run for mayor → (UPI)
• Senator Lidia Thorpe says she pledged allegiance to the queen's 'hairs', not heirs, in defense of royal protest → (ABC News Australia)
• ‘King Conker’ cleared of cheating at World Conker Championships → (The Guardian)
• German police bust pizzeria with cocaine on the menu → (CNA)
• A wild cat native to Africa and Asia is captured in a Chicago suburb → (Associated Press)

It's common to forget to return materials to the library for a few days – but how late is too late? 

📘 The staff at New Jersey's Paterson Library are asking themselves this very question, after a book was returned this week 101 years past its due date.

• Cynthia Delhaie found the book, a copy of Shakespeare's Life of King Henry the Fifth, while sorting through her late grandmother's possessions. It was checked out in 1923.
• “It’s never too late to return overdue library materials,” Corey Fleming, the library's director, told TAPinto Paterson. "This is the first time I have encountered something like this in over 20 years of working in this field."

👀 Watch: New Victor Wembanyama anime just dropped. It goes hard.

🗣️ Dr. Dolittle, but a robot: Using AI to decode animal communications.

💧 Gripping stuff Dripping stuff: Did you know you can watch the world’s longest-running laboratory experiment? Click this link.

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Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Ground pork
• Water chestnuts
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Egg
• Fresh ginger
• Soy sauce
• Shaoxing rice wine
• Sesame oil
• Sugar
• White pepper
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Vegetable oil
• Chicken stock
• Dark soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Cabbage

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Country-style bread
• Eggs
• Milk
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Apples
• Butter
• Sugar
• Maple syrup

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Puff pastry sheets
• Butter
• Red onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Brown mushrooms
• Russet potatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Vegetable stock
• Milk
• Peas
• Parsley
• Egg

☝️ Recipe #1: Lion’s head meatballs

✌️ Recipe #2: Apple-cinnamon French toast muffins

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Vegetable pot pie