Good morning. In this edition:

• 🐈 Ozempic for cats
• 🚘 Ford’s $19.5 billion EV hit
• 🪴 How rare are Venus flytraps?

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.81-minute read (1,014 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

“If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through.”

–Chinese proverb

For a growing number of Americans, the calendar flipping to “fall” is a sign for speakers to start playing “fa-la-la.” Winter holiday music has never been more popular across the country, and it’s now arriving earlier than ever before, new data reveals.

On December 1, 2019, only 14 holiday songs cracked Spotify’s Top-50 chart. On the same date this year, that number had more than doubled to 30.

• And by December 10 of this year, 20 of the top-25 songs were about Christmas, with the only non-holiday songs being heavy-hitters like “The Fate of Ophelia” by Taylor Swift and “Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters.
• Thanksgiving is also slowly losing the custody battle over November, with holiday playlists popping up earlier than usual, and a growing number of listeners going all-in on Christmas music in early November.

So why the early surge in sleigh bells and sax solos? Experts say it’s more than just increased seasonal cheer. Matt Bailey, founder of music analytics firm Hit Momentum, told the Wall Street Journal that during periods of high stress—like the current economic climate, with rising costs and a shaky job market—listeners are more likely to return to familiar comforts. Bailey noted that Christmas streaming also spiked early during the pandemic in 2020.

But…While the holiday listening season is changing, the soundtrack has largely stayed the same.

Classics like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” continue to top the charts, with just a handful of more recent tracks—Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe”—also sprinkled in.

Describe what's slowing you down in plain English, and watch Enso automate it in minutes. Skip the workflows, integrations, and IT tickets and just prompt what you need done. The recurring tasks eating your day? They run automatically now, freeing you to focus on growth.

Small businesses use Enso to handle reporting, research, outreach, and content creation—all with simple prompts.

Scientists are putting a version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Ozempic in the paws of a new test group: house cats who’ve been hitting the kibble a little too hard.

The first-ever GLP-1 weight-loss clinical trial in cats or dogs is now underway, according to a press release from pet drug company OKAVA Pharmaceuticals.

• The new feline-focused drug, called OKV-119, is administered as an implant just below the skin, where the drug is slowly released into the cat's system for a period of up to six months.
• It’s a GLP-1 receptor agonist, similar to Ozempic or Wegovy, meaning the drug mimics the body’s natural hormones that tell the brain “I’m full.”

Why it’s a big deal

More than half of the world's pet cats are overweight, according to experts. And while they might look extra huggable with all that weight, the health risks aren’t so soft.

• Overweight and obese cats face a higher risk of serious issues like osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, diabetes, and heart problems.
• The new long-term drug delivery system also represents a potentially key breakthrough, since losing weight too quickly can be dangerous for cats.

Looking ahead…Researchers say it’ll likely take some time before “Ozempic” for cats is widely available, assuming their current 12-week clinical trial produces good results.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🚗 Ford Motor says it expects to take a $19.5 billion hit mainly tied to its EV business, announces plans to scale back EV production; the sum, among the largest impairments in corporate history, amounts to an admission by Ford that it overestimated EV demand and underestimated the staying power of gas-powered vehicles.
• 🏢 iRobot, maker of the Roomba, files for bankruptcy and says it will be taken over by its main supplier, Chinese firm Picea Robotics.
• 💰 Elon Musk becomes the first person ever to reach a net worth of $600 billion—now $677 billion—following reports that SpaceX plans to go public at a ~$1.5 trillion valuation, according to Forbes.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🙏 Actor–director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday; their son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on suspicion of their fatal stabbings and is held on $4 million bail; Rob is best known for his role in All in the Family, and his accomplished directorial career (This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, and more).
• 🤖 Merriam-Webster unveils 2025 word of the year: “slop,” referring to digital content of low quality that’s usually produced in large quantities by AI.
• 🍿 Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 drops first trailer ahead of its debut this month; Volume 2 consists of the middle three episodes dropping on Christmas Day, followed by the finale on New Year’s Eve (which will play in theaters). See the trailer.

Buy Rosetta Stone's Lifetime Unlimited today for $149 (normally $399), pick a future delivery date, and you're done. They get forever access to 25 languages, real-world conversation practice, and pronunciation coaching.

Perfect for 2026 travelers, resolution-keepers, or anyone ready to connect in new ways. Buy now, deliver anytime. No department store chaos necessary.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌕 Molecules from Earth's atmosphere have been traveling across space to settle on the moon for billions of years, new study suggests; the findings imply the Moon could contain a source of life-sustaining substances for future astronauts.
• 👁️ Humans tend to blink less when they’re listening to someone else speak, especially when there’s background noise, new research suggests.
• 💊 US health officials expand approval of drug aimed at boosting female libido, okaying it for postmenopausal women up to 65 years old.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🚨 Police release person of interest in Brown University shooting who was initially detained on Sunday; authorities published new video footage of a potential suspect, as manhunt for lone gunman stretches into a third day.
• 🇺🇦 Two days of intense negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and European officials have brought clear progress on security guarantees for Ukraine, but left significant gaps on territorial issues, according to US officials.
• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong court convicts Jimmy Lai, an activist and media mogul who was a major figure in 2019 pro-democracy protests; he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison; the landmark national security trial was seen as a symbol of China’s crackdown of Hong Kong.

☝️ You’re looking at some of the best aerial photographs of the year taken by Reuters’ photography team over the past 11+ months.

🤔 Did you know? Venus flytraps are only found in North and South Carolina—and nowhere else in the world. More specifically, all known natural occurrences of Venus flytraps can be found within 56 miles of Wilmington, NC.

📰 Worth a read: We’re losing trust in civic institutions – can we get it back?

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• This math trick makes gift‑wrapping easy
• Why doing good also makes us feel good
• 8 animals that recently went extinct

🐑 Cozy footwear for slow, happy moments… Kyrgies are felted by hand in a women-owned Kyrgyzstan workshop—fair wages, zero plastics, and centuries-old traditions kept alive. They’re the slippers and house shoes you'll wear every single day. Save 20% with code DONUT20 here.

Yesterday we covered President Trump’s new executive order regarding AI regulation, which calls for “a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones,” as well as backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike who say states should be able to enact their own AI laws.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, should AI regulation be handled at a federal level, or be left up to the states?

• Federal level: 58%
• State level: 30%
• Unsure/other: 12%

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

+Note on sample size: We received 550 votes and 57 longform responses.

❓ Trivia: What element has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals?

🎓 True or false?… Sound travels faster in water than in air.

🤔 Riddle me this: I’m always in front of you, but can't ever be observed. What am I?

🐾 A mobile farming game is helping real shelter dogs. During a Hay Day holiday event, players are earning donations for food and vet care simply by interacting with in-game pets, supporting NYC rescue Muddy Paws.

❓ Trivia: Silver

🎓 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: The future