Good morning. In this edition:

• 🤖 Great AI debate
• 🙏 Brown mass shooting
• 🤼 John Cena retires

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.71-minute read (987 words).

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“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

–Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Last week, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to solve the main question on lawmakers’ minds when it comes to AI: should it be regulated by states, or at the federal level?

Trump’s executive order calls for “a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones” when it comes to regulating AI, though it doesn’t specify what that national standard should be.

• It authorizes the AG to sue states over any AI restrictions deemed too burdensome, and also instructs federal regulators to withhold broadband project funding from any states with such laws.
• White House AI czar David Sacks said the Trump admin will target the “most onerous examples of state regulation,” and won’t push back on efforts like child safety.

However…The order has drawn backlash from Democrats and a handful of Republicans who say states should be able to enact their own AI regulations. Congress already voted down two previous attempts to pass a similar moratorium on state AI laws in the past six months.

The arguments

Many experts and policymakers from both sides of the political aisle have come out in favor of a single national standard for AI regulation.

• They argue that making companies follow a patchwork of laws from 50 different states would create an impossible compliance environment, and force national AI firms to follow the strictest state regulator to avoid being sued.
• In their view, this would harm America’s ability to compete against China on AI development, and also make it harder for startups to take on established companies.

On the flip side…The idea of preventing states from enacting AI regulations has drawn opposition from many Democrats, as well as prominent Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Critics of the move stress the need for common-sense AI guardrails like data privacy, parental controls, and consumer protections—and argue that in the absence of any such federal laws or regulations related to AI, states should have the ability to protect their own citizens from the technology’s potential dangers.

Looking ahead…Trump’s executive order is likely to be challenged in court by states on the grounds that only Congress has the authority to override state laws, legal experts say.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should AI regulation be handled at a federal level, or be left up to the states?

• Federal level
• State level
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏦 President Trump says his pick to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell in May will likely be either former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, or National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
• 🤖 68% of CEOs at public companies with $1+ billion in revenue say they plan to increase AI spending in 2026; 67% also believe AI will increase their entry-level head count.
• 💰 Older adults lost up to $81.5 billion to financial fraud in 2024, driven by an increase in scams where victims lose over $100,000, per new FTC report.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🍿 Zootopia 2 becomes fastest Hollywood animated film to earn $1 billion globally (17 days; T8th-fastest all-time).
• 🏈 Indiana rules CFB: Hoosier QB Fernando Mendoza wins Heisman Trophy for top player in college football; he’s the first Heisman winner in school history. | Indiana’s Curt Cignetti becomes first coach in history to win Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
• 🏟️ NFL: Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes suffers serious knee injury as Chiefs eliminated from NFL playoffs for first time since 2014; see a full Week 15 recap (link).

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌿 Scientific review of 15 years of medical marijuana research concludes the evidence of its benefits is often weak or inconclusive; it also finds ~30% of patients meet criteria for cannabis use disorder.
• 🧬 Indoor tanning beds cause DNA mutations within skin cells beyond ordinary sunlight, and are linked to a nearly 3x higher risk of melanoma, new study finds.
• 🐈 Pet cats meow at male owners more than twice as often as female owners on average, new research shows.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🥶 Cold arctic front to spread across the Central Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, and US East regions early this week. | 🌧️ Pacific Northwest and western Canada face the prospect of potentially life-threatening floods following several days of heavy rain.
• 🏛️ Indiana lawmakers reject a President Trump-backed plan to draw new congressional maps with the goal of creating two more Republican House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. | National Trust for Historic Preservation sues President Trump seeking to halt his White House ballroom project.
• 🙏 Two Brown University students were killed and nine other people were injured in a mass shooting on campus Saturday; a “person of interest” was arrested on Sunday. | At least 15 people were killed and 25+ others injured after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach; authorities described the incident as a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people; it marks Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years. | Two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed and three others injured in Syria by a suspected Islamic State attacker, US officials said.

☝️ Superstar John Cena, arguably the greatest superstar in WWE history, officially ended his 24-year wrestling career at Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, DC. Cena went out with a loss, as is tradition, tapping out to rising superstar Gunther.

🤔 Did you know? Due to Alaska's Aleutian Islands crossing the 180th meridian, Alaska is simultaneously the US state that’s furthest north, furthest west, and furthest east.

📰 Worth a read: The 26 most important ideas for 2026

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• 7 things people in the happiest relationships do on weeknights
• 10 of the greatest murder mysteries ever
• Where do humans fall on the animal kingdom’s monogamy scale?

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On Friday, we covered the widespread issue of affordability in America, where paychecks may still outpace inflation for many residents—but prices for essentials are growing even faster, as paycheck gains continue to shrink.

❓ Our question to you: Which of the following best describes the current financial situation in your area?

• Cost of living is the worst I can ever remember: 67%
• Cost of living is bad, but I can remember worse: 21%
• Cost of living isn’t bad: 12%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 628 votes and 77 longform responses.

Monday: President Trump expected to sign EO reclassifying marijuana

Tuesday: Federal jobs report for November; National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

Wednesday: Fallout Season 2 debuts on Prime Video

Thursday: Consumer Price Index for November

Friday: Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters

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

1. Ann
2. Chron
3. Frag
4. Lip
5. Narr

❤️ You’ll never believe the story of Zach Zarembinski and Isabelle Richards. The two met in the hospital after they each woke up from comas following separate accidents, in a coincidence that changed both of their lives—and led to them getting engaged.

+Note: This story previously appeared in Positive DONUT, our weekly newsletter surfacing all the good things you don't hear about in the news.

1. Ann = Year (e.g., annual)
2. Chron = Time (chronological)
3. Frag = Break (fragment)
4. Lip = Fat (lipid)
5. Narr = Tell (narrative)