☕ Centuries of soot

TikTok is running out of time... December 07, 2024 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( Presented By [Pendulum]( Good morning. As that dry frigid air sets in, a reminder to set up your ChapStick infrastructure before it’s too late: One at your desk, one by your bed, one in your backpack, one in your car, and one in your puffer coat pocket for the day you inevitably lose all of them. (Though Holly recommends Blistex, because it’s “totally superior.”) —Matty Merritt, Sam Klebanov, Molly Liebergall, Adam Epstein, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 19,859.77 +0.81% S&P 6,090.27 +0.25% Dow 44,642.52 -0.28% 10-Year 4.151% -3.0 bps Bitcoin $101,209.25 +1.74% Lululemon $399.60 +15.89% Data is provided by *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 4:00pm ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: Stocks [popped]( on Friday after investors parsed the solid jobs report. Meanwhile, Lululemon took off faster than you can say ABC Slim-Fit Trouser Warpstreme, gaining more than 15% on the day thanks to Q3 earnings that revealed robust international sales.  SOCIAL MEDIA [TikTok is running out of time]( [TikTok app on an phone]( Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images We might all have to start watching Instagram Reels in earnest. A three-judge federal appeals court [denied]( TikTok’s petition yesterday to overturn the sell-or-ban law that President Joe Biden signed earlier this year. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been hemming and hawing about TikTok poisoning the youth for a while, but in April, Biden signed a bill requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a US company or face a ban. - Lawmakers cited national security concerns, claiming that the company could hand over data on its 170 million US users to the Chinese government. - TikTok’s lawyers say the law violates freedom of speech—an argument that the most recent court decision rejected. Trump’s TikTok takes: The ban is expected to go into effect on Jan.19, 2025, just one day before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump tried to ban the app with an executive order during his first term, but has since changed his tune, saying he would fight to protect the app in order to prevent Meta’s Facebook from getting more business. Still, members of his proposed cabinet are [split]( over supporting the ban. TikTok has two options Sell before the deadline. This may be the most unlikely option, as the company has said many times that even if it wanted to, Beijing would stop the sale (it’s China’s most successful app globally). Plus, the cost of the app could be $200+ billion, and any buyers with that much cash would have a hard time fitting it into their portfolio without antitrust problems. Fight. TikTok has promised to appeal the latest decision, hoping to let SCOTUS make the decision. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech,” a spokesperson for the company said after yesterday’s ruling. But even if the Supreme Court hears the case, there’s a possibility it ultimately punts TikTok’s fate to the incoming commander-in-chief.—MM Presented By Pendulum [That’s a lot to digest]( [Pendulum]( Your gut health can dictate your whole day. If you’re bloated, irregular, and lagging in digestion, your day will likely center around your tummy troubles. Enter [Pendulum’s Metabolic Daily](. Based on preclinical studies, Metabolic Daily strengthens gut lining and improves gut health. It also reduces cravings, so you’re less inclined toward sugar and carbs. The secret: Akkermansia muciniphila. (Gesundheit.) Docs from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Berkeley, and Stanford put their heads together to develop Pendulum Metabolic Daily, which includes Akkermansia muciniphila, a next-gen probiotic strain. It helps [improve metabolism,* support digestive health, and sustain energy levels](. [Taste the difference]( treat that tummy right. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [Help wanted sign] Catherine Mcqueen/Getty Images The labor market rebounded with 227,000 new jobs. Following October’s hurricane- and strike-affected hiring slowdown, the market [bounced back]( in November by adding 227,000 jobs, which beat estimates. The data confirmed that the measly 12,000 jobs added in October (revised up to a 36,000 gain) were the result of costly strikes and natural disasters cutting into job growth—and not a worrying overall trend. Analysts expect that the positive report all but guarantees the Fed will slash interest rates again later this month. The USDA ordered milk testing for bird flu. Companies that handle raw milk, like bulk transporters and dairy processors, [must comply]( with the Department of Agriculture’s mandate, NBC News reported. More than 700 herds across 15 states have been affected by the H5N1 strain, which scientists say could pose a risk to humans. Testing will start Dec. 16 in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Fallout from the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting. As police continue to search for the suspect, executives across the US are reportedly [on edge]( while companies are upping security for their leaders. Allied Universal, which provides security for 80% of Fortune 500 companies, said its phones are “ringing off the hook,” the New York Times reported. Meanwhile, several healthcare companies, including CVS, have removed executives’ images and bios from their websites. On UnitedHealth Group’s official Facebook post about CEO Brian Thompson’s murder, the majority of users reacted with the laughter emoji.—AE GOVERNMENT [Trump’s cabinet is the richest ever]( [Trump's rich nominees]( Emily Parsons The venn diagram of Trump Administration 2.0 and Forbes 400 is basically a circle. Trump has nominated at least 10 billionaires (or billionaire spouses) to cabinet positions and other top roles, making the incoming presidential team the wealthiest in history. Just his cabinet nominees are collectively [worth more than $9 billion]( according to New York Magazine. Though Biden’s cabinet is also a moneyed persons club, its wealth amounted to just $118 million in 2021, per Forbes. Loaded lot To name just a few of Trump’s staff picks who won’t have trouble renting in DC: - Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon shares a $3.2 billion fortune with her husband, WWE founder Vince McMahon. - The prospective US Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, is a real estate tycoon worth $2.9 billion—and the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. - Entrepreneur-turned-astronaut Jared Isaacman, who’s nominated to head NASA, has $1.8 billion. And while not officially part of the administration, the world’s wealthiest person, Elon Musk (worth $348 billion), will co-head the newly formed “Department of Government Efficiency” with biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. Looking ahead: Details of potential conflicts of interests, and the exact bank balances of Trump’s picks—like the Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent, a prominent hedge fund manager with unknown finances—will crystallize as they file public financial disclosures due soon after their nominations become official.—SK Together With The Points Guy [The Points Guy]( Protect your payments. Ever heard of the [Credit Card Competition Act]( This proposed legislation could change credit card rewards programs in a big way and put your financial security at risk. And initiatives on the state level could impact your convenience and security when it comes to credit card transactions. [Learn more]( let your elected representative know where you stand. INTERNATIONAL [Notre Dame is reborn]( [Notre Dame]( Stephane de Sakutin/Getty Images What doesn’t burn you down completely makes you shinier: After more than five years of construction, France’s Notre Dame Cathedral officially reopens today, looking more pristine than before the 2019 fire that wrecked it. Centuries of soot, gone. Restoring the treasured building required cleaning every surface that got contaminated by the melted lead roof. Workers wiped so much age-old grime off the walls and ceiling that it looks like a whole new “cream-colored” building inside, Patrick Sisson [wrote]( for Fast Company. Dozens of world leaders, including First lady Jill Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, are expected in Paris today for Notre Dame’s move-that-bus [moment]( which French President Emmanuel Macron managed to deliver, thanks to: - Nearly $1 billion in donations, largely from the families behind French luxury titans including LVMH, Gucci-parent Kering, and L’Oreal. - About 2,000 architects, historians, and trade workers who used laser scans and traditional building techniques to reconstruct everything from the iconic 315-foot spire to the roof, gargoyles, and 1,200 trees worth of support beams. Modern twists: The attic got a new misting system, Paris 2024 Olympics organizers donated one of three new bells, and there’s a controversial contest to design one of the cathedral’s stained-glass panels. Looking ahead…the renovation cost about $740 million, so Notre Dame has leftover money for its next phase of restoration—preserving structural integrity.—ML STAT [Prime number: $295m mansion, 95% chance of flood](#) [Gordon Pointe mansion in Florida] The Dawn McKenna Group of Coldwell Banker Realty “It’s almost a certainty this property will experience a flood” is not what you want to hear a flood expert say about your new $295 million coastal compound. Then again, if you are buying a $295 million coastal compound, you probably don’t care. That dilemma will face whoever buys nine-acre Gordon Pointe, the Naples, Florida, palace that’s believed to be the [most expensive property]( for sale in the US, the Guardian reported. It’s surrounded by water on three sides, sports its own yacht berth, and has 24 bathrooms. But all those toilets will be for naught when it floods...which it will. According to the nonprofit flood analysis group First Street Foundation, Gordon Pointe has a 68% chance of flooding in the next 15 years and a 95% chance in the next 30 years. One expert told the Guardian that insurance for the property is likely to cost seven figures annually, due to the risk of climate-related disasters. But that’s par for the course for Florida, where home insurance was already the costliest in the country before rising 42% last year.—AE NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [Syrian rebels]( continue to advance through Syria, marking the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s authoritarian government in years. - [The US Naval Academy]( can consider race and ethnicity in its admissions process, a federal judge ruled, in a rare blow to anti-affirmative action advocates. - [Paul Krugman]( the renowned economist who won a Nobel Prize in 2008, is retiring as a columnist at the New York Times after nearly 25 years. - [Chipotle]( is raising prices by 2% in response to inflation. - [National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day]( is today. On this day in 1941, an estimated 2,403 Americans were killed in the attack, which drew the US into World War II. RECS [To-do list banner] Watch: A jazz band hears a Nirvana song for the first time and covers it [on the spot](. Listen: [The best podcasts]( of 2024 (other than Morning Brew Daily). Brush: An infographic on how to brush your teeth [correctly]( because most people don’t. Live longer: The single [best predictor]( of longevity, according to biostatisticians. Hosting gifts made easy: Make party-hopping a cheaper endeavor this season with [15 wine bottles for only $79.99]( from [Naked Wines]( Golf: Stumped on what to get [the golfer in your life]( who has everything? Have you considered [a golf simulator]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew Crossword: Don’t get turned off by today’s crossword—it’s just the theme. [Play it here](. Open House Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that enjoys long, exclusive walks on the beach. We’ll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price. [California beachfront fortess]Zillow Today’s [home]( gives off the vibe of a gaudy resort your parents would ogle before settling on a Sandals. It’s in La Jolla, California, and so close to the water that it has one of the few on-property private beaches in the entire state. Amenities include: - 10 beds, 17 baths - Boat bar (if you have to ask, you can’t afford it) - Sea walls to block any gross fish How much for your oceanside fortress? SHARE THE BREW [Share Morning Brew]( with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 [Click to Share]( Or copy & paste your referral link to others: [morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=4904f90a]( ANSWER $108 million Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: naught, meaning “nothing.” Thanks to Alejandro from Wilmington, DE, for the suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✢ A Note From Pendulum *Based on preclinical studies. 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