Nvidia Shakeup, NYC Building Collapse, and Friday the 13th

Good morning, it's Friday, Nov. 13. Nvidia has a new interim CEO. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: rescue crews end search of Brooklyn rubble after building collapse (Need To Know), Netflix's Russell Brand documentary (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), home sales drop to 16-year low (Bus. & Mkts.), what to know about Friday the 13th (Etc.), and much more. 

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 Need To Know 

New Nvidia CEO

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned yesterday amid reports of extramarital affairs and an investigation into whether he was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the company searches for a successor.

Huang faced mounting pressure after admitting to infidelity amid reports linking him to Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Nvidia customer Megaspeed whom US officials suspect of spying for China. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported a second affair with a senior executive who reported directly to Huang, while Reuters reported allegations of a third affair yesterday, after his resignation. Independent directors and outside counsel are examining potential espionage risks, while the FBI is conducting a separate inquiry. Nvidia has lost more than $550B in market value since its board announced an investigation Sunday. (Explore a timeline of the scandal.)

Huang cofounded Nvidia in 1993, transforming it into an artificial intelligence powerhouse. Hear how he went from a Denny's dishwasher to one of tech's most influential leaders—and see how his departure could shake the entire AI industry.

Brooklyn Building Collapse 

Rescue crews finished searching the rubble of a collapsed Brooklyn apartment building yesterday, as the death toll rose to eight people. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) said two children had been killed and at least 18 people suffered injuries.

The three-story building crumbled into a neighboring construction site at around 4 pm local time Wednesday (see photos). Firefighters arrived on scene within one minute of the 911 call, and over 250 emergency personnel worked overnight to free trapped survivors. Watch video (warning—sensitive). Heavy rain hindered rescue efforts yesterday, muddying the collapse site and grounding two police drones. Records show the adjacent construction area had been cited for violations in March, including unauthorized demolition work and inadequate protection to shield other buildings. The city’s Department of Buildings is investigating what caused the collapse, and Brooklyn’s district attorney’s office is investigating whether criminal conduct was a factor. 

See the tools and methods rescue teams use to find survivors here.

Depp’s Box Office Test

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as Ebenezer Scrooge in Paramount Pictures' adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," out today (see trailer). It marks Depp's first major Hollywood role since his legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse.

"Ebenezer," which had a $38M production budget, is expected to bring in roughly $40M worldwide during its opening weekend. The film's performance is widely seen as a test of Depp's ability to draw audiences following a 2020 libel trial in the UK and 2022 defamation trial in the US related to Heard's abuse allegations (see timeline). Depp, who denies the allegations, is reportedly taking a pay cut for "Ebenezer," earning $5M compared with $16M in the 2018 "Fantastic Beasts." Disney is also reportedly evaluating a revival of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise with Depp.

Dickens' 1843 novella has inspired over 100 adaptations, which literary experts credit to its simple structure and timeless message.

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> Detailed map of embryo attaching to the wall of a mouse uterus reveals vital cell group required to form the placenta; discovery could shed light on why some early pregnancies fail (More) | What's the purpose of the placenta? (More, w/diagram)

> American Cancer Society issues first prostate cancer screening guidelines in more than a decade, recommending blood tests every two years for most men ages 50 to 69 (More) | Why some doctors have been hesitant about screenings (More)

> Asian elephant group grappling with population declines and isolation may face social tipping point affecting how they raise young, forage, and more, per 12-year analysis of hundreds of elephants in Sri Lanka (More) | See list of most social animals (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -0.4%) as Nvidia shares dip 4.3%, a slight rebound compared to tech stock's initial 14% plunge following CEO Jensen Huang's resignation announcement (More) 

> Home sales fall 8.8% year over year to a 16-year low, while median home price rises 0.4% to a record $416.7K (More) | See home values by state (More, w/map)

> US government begins 2027 fiscal year with record October budget deficit of $404B; figure marks a 42% increase from the same period a year prior, per Treasury Department (More) | See latest data on federal revenue, spending, and debt (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> President Donald Trump pulls Vice President JD Vance from his role in negotiating a deal with Iran, directs him to focus on alleged corruption in Democratic-led states; reassignment comes after Vance publicly criticized Iran war on social media (More)

> Two Senate Democrats launch an investigation into Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including whether he lied to Congress about the nature of a 2019 trip to Samoa before a measles outbreak there (More) | Watch related clip (More)

> DC gunman kills one person, wounds four others at his gym and building before dying by apparent suicide; see how the attack unfolded (More)

In-Depth

> Insurance Destruction Lab

Planet Money | Staff. Visit a South Carolina research lab where scientists are deliberately destroying homes with fire, hurricane-force winds, and hail to identify how to make buildings more resilient—and reduce insurance claims. (Listen) 

> Parasite Prejudice

Knowable Magazine | Amber Dance. Ticks, lice, and other parasites survive at their hosts' expense. So why are some conservation scientists so determined to save them from extinction? (Read) 

It's Friday the 13th. Revisit our write-up.

... and Wyoming tops ranking of most superstitious states.

See list of the highest-paid TV actors. (scroll for graph)

Which countries keep shoes on or off indoors? (w/map) 

Next up in food trends: high-protein Jell-O.

See clay figures possibly made by Stone Age children.

This may be the world's first "dark magic" mushroom.

What did it take to launch a space shuttle? Explore in 3D. (w/video)

Electronics and other items considered luxury goods in the 1970s.

Clickbait: The future of futons is here, and it's called the "boneless couch."

Historybook: Walt Disney’s groundbreaking animated film "Fantasia" premieres (1940); Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg born (1955); Montgomery bus boycott pushes US Supreme Court to rule Alabama bus segregation illegal (1956); Kim Ng named first female MLB general manager (2020)