Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🎤 The Eras Tour ends
• 🇸🇾 Syria's Assad ousted
• 👥 New global life expectancy data

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.79-minute read (1,275 words).

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“As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

–Sam Levenson (1911-1980)

TikTok’s US-based users could soon have a few-hour hole to fill in their daily routine. On Friday, a US appeals court upheld a federal law requiring Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell off TikTok’s US operations by January 19 or face a nationwide ban.

Some quick background: Congress overwhelmingly approved a TikTok sale-or-ban law in April, citing the DOJ’s assessment that the app poses a threat to national security (352-65 House; 79-18 Senate).

• TikTok then sued to halt the potential ban, accusing the federal government of violating the free speech rights of TikTok’s 170 million US users and claiming divestiture of the app’s US operations isn’t possible.
• The company lost its case and the following appeals, including last Friday.

The potential impact: The law imposes major fines on app stores if they continue to host TikTok for US users past the deadline (assuming a sale doesn’t occur). This means Americans who already downloaded TikTok could continue to use it – but they wouldn’t have access to future updates, eventually making the app buggy and potentially unusable.

Can Trump reverse the ban?

While President-elect Trump previously tried to ban TikTok from the US during his first term, he more recently indicated he would save the app while campaigning for the 2024 election. However, legal experts say it’s currently unclear whether Trump actually can stop the ban, which is set to take effect one day before his inauguration.

• The most straightforward way for Trump to reverse the TikTok ban would be repealing the law, which requires majority support from both houses of Congress.
• Another possible method involves instructing the Justice Department to opt against enforcing the TikTok ban, or telling it to drop its opposition to TikTok’s ongoing lawsuit.
• Trump could also help TikTok find a buyer for the app’s American operations, with the law allowing for a 90-day extension on the sale deadline – to April 2025 – if TikTok is advancing towards an agreement. But major roadblocks to a sale remain, including potential antitrust issues for prospective buyers as well as China’s commitment to blocking any such sale.

Looking ahead… TikTok says it plans to appeal Friday’s decision to the Supreme Court, which could potentially delay the ban’s implementation if Justices believe the legal challenge has merit.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, will TikTok ultimately end up being banned in the US?

• Yes
• No

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🎤 It’s officially the end of an Eras. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the record-breaking 21-month-long concert run that kicked off an antitrust investigation, prompted terror threats, generated artificial earthquakes, and boosted local economies worldwide, came to its conclusion in Vancouver last night. The final numbers: 149 shows played, 10+ million tickets sold, 1 billion friendship bracelets exchanged (probably), and a record ~$2 billion in revenue. It also boosted the popularity of artists in Swift’s sphere, including Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams (for whom participating in the tour was apparently a Risk worth taking). Abrams saw her Spotify monthly listeners spike from 10 million → 30 million in the lead-up to her 2024 run opening on the tour. As for her next era? Swift has only dropped hints.

🇸🇾 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebel forces. Assad, whose family’s 50-year rule over Syria is widely described as a dictatorship, stepped down as president and fled to Moscow yesterday after Syrian rebels took control of the capital city of Damascus. It caps off 10 days of surprise military advances from Syrian rebel forces, who captured five major cities from Assad’s government over the period. In a statement, President Biden called the fall of Assad a “fundamental act of justice” but also a “moment of risk and uncertainty,” saying the US will continue to monitor the actions of rebel groups in Syria. President-elect Trump reacted to Assad’s ousting by highlighting the weakened state of Russia – an ally of Assad’s government – and calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Russia-Ukraine war.

🏈 The College Football Playoffs are set. Notably absent: two-loss Miami and Alabama. After holding the #11 spot heading into this past conference championship weekend, the Crimson Tide were rolled out of the twelve-team pool by the selection committee following Clemson’s last-second upset over SMU in the ACC conference championship game (which earned the Tigers an automatic bid). Playoff action kicks off December 20; see the full schedule + a first-round preview.

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• ☝️ A pair of iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939) – and later stolen from a museum by a mobster looking for "one last score" – sold for $32.5 million at auction; it’s the most expensive piece of entertainment memorabilia ever sold by a margin of ~$27 million.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Super Greens

• 📈 US markets were mixed last week (S&P: +1.0%; Dow: -0.6%; Nasdaq: +3.3%).
• 💼 The US economy added 227,000 nonfarm jobs in November, above analysts' expectations of ~220,000; the unemployment rate came in at 4.2%.
• 🩳 Lululemon reported quarterly results that beat expectations on top and bottom lines; US sales are starting to slow but the retailer is experiencing strong international growth.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🍿 Moana 2 led the domestic box office with $103.5 million in its second weekend; the film has now earned $300 million domestically ($600 million globally).
• ⚽🏆 The LA Galaxy defeated the NY Red Bulls 2-1 to earn their record sixth MLS Cup title. | 🏎🏆 McLaren won its first F1 Constructors’ Championship since 1998. | 🏟️ Las Vegas officials approved several key agreements clearing the way for the MLB’s Athletics to build a $1.75 billion stadium on the Vegas Strip.
• ⚖️ Rapper Jay-Z was accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Quince

• 🤖 OpenAI announced ChatGPT Pro, a new $200/month subscription tier providing unlimited access to all of its models; the company is also rolling out the full version of its new o1 “reasoning” model. | 🤖📲 X’s Grok AI chatbot is now available for free to all users.
• 🦕 The Museum of Natural History in NYC unveiled its latest resident: "Apex," a 150-million-year-old Stegosaurus fossil widely considered the most complete and well-preserved specimen of its size ever discovered.
• 🖥️ Frontier, the world’s second-fastest supercomputer, has created the most complex computer simulation of the universe to date.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🚨 The NYPD released two new photos of the suspected shooter of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who remains at large; police also said they recovered the suspect’s backpack, which contained a jacket and Monopoly money.
• 🥛 The USDA ordered nationwide testing for bird flu in America’s milk supply amid a rise in human cases. | 🔴🏛️ FDA officials said the agency will soon consider a petition to revoke authorization of artificial red food dye (called Red No. 3).
• 🇰🇷 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who briefly declared martial law last week, avoided impeachment after lawmakers from his ruling party boycotted the vote; the ruling party’s leader said Yoon will no longer be involved in running the country as he seeks an “orderly early retreat” from office. | 🇷🇴 Romania’s top court ordered a redo of the first round of its presidential election over an alleged Russian influence campaign supporting populist candidate Calin Georgescu (who won the first round).

CLICKBAIT

• 🛣️ All 50 US states’ weirdest roadside attractions.

🏥 Stat of the Day: When it comes to America, the latest global life expectancy data is like a suitcase after being searched by the TSA – a mixed bag. While US life expectancy is expected to increase from 78.3 years in 2022 to 80.4 years in 2050, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet, the pace of this rise is slower than that of many other nations. America's global rank in life expectancy is projected to drop from 49th in 2022 to 66th in 2050.

Per the study, the expected increase in US life expectancy is due to a decline in mortality rates, including a drop in heart attack, stroke, and diabetes deaths rates. But the researchers say Americans would live even longer with increased access to preventive health care. If risk factors such as obesity, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure were eliminated by 2050, 12.4 million deaths could be averted in the US, the study said.

🤔 Did You Know? If Taylor Swift were her own genre, she’d be bigger than jazz. The pop sensation accounts for nearly 2% of the US music market – more than any other artist – compared to jazz’s ~1% market share, per data-tracker Luminate.

📰 Worth a Read: What happens when you fall in love with an AI? → (The Verge)

Monday: Two Democratic replacement senators (from CA and NJ) are officially sworn in; Heisman Trophy finalists announced

Tuesday: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu expected to take the stand in his long-running corruption trial

Wednesday: November inflation data, courtesy of the CPI; deadline for US states to certify election results

Thursday: National Gingerbread House Day

Friday: the 13th; Marvel’s Kraven the Hunter hits theaters nationwide (the first eight minutes are on YouTube)

On Friday, we covered what to expect in Washington over the two years, when Republicans will have control of the House, Senate, and presidency.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, how much of their legislative agenda will Republicans be able to enact over the next two years?

• The vast majority: 19%
• A good deal: 38%
• Not so much: 28%
• A small minority: 15%

Click here to read more of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 2,279 votes and 247 longform responses.

When Southwest Airlines pilot Matthew Prebish volunteered to fly an emergency airlift plane full of animals displaced in Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton to shelters in Milwaukee, he had no intention of adopting any of them.

That is – until he locked eyes with Avery, a three-month-old kitten who immediately stole his heart. The pilot is a self-proclaimed dog person, but something about Avery’s “explorer personality” made him immediately want to bring her home.

🐾 And he did just that. Matthew flew back home with Avery in tow, where the kitten met his wife, son, and golden retriever. And she fit in perfectly with the family.

+Note: This story first appeared in Positive DONUT, a weekly newsletter delivering awe (and awww) inspiring stories you won't hear in the news. Sign up for free here.

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

1. Ar
2. Ced
3. Fort
4. Gust
5. Hospit

As you may have noticed, we’re no strangers to bargains around these parts.

If there’s one that caught your eye but you let it slip by, it’s probably on our DONUT Dealz page. And we’re updating it all the time with new deals and partners, partner.

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1. Ar = Dry (e.g., arid)
2. Ced = Go (recede)
3. Fort = Strong (fortify)
4. Gust = Taste (disgust)
5. Hospit = Host (hospitality)

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