Good morning. It's Tuesday, Nov. 11, and we're covering an update on menopause treatments, a $38B deal that could reshape credit card use, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House yesterday in a first-of-its-kind visit. Al-Sharaa—who was once a local al-Qaida commander with a $10M bounty on his head—is the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country's independence from France in 1946.
Al-Sharaa, 43, previously led the Islamist rebel coalition (and US-designated terror group) Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which helped topple the decadeslong dictatorship of predecessor Bashar al-Assad in December. Al-Sharaa's presidency ended nearly 14 years of civil war that displaced an estimated 14 million people—more than half of the country's prewar population—and killed around 600,000.
Following yesterday's meeting, the US announced it will waive a majority of its sanctions on Syria for 180 days. Syria has agreed to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been the leading US partner in fighting the Islamic State, into the Syrian military. |
Menopause Medication Update |
Hormone replacement therapy for women undergoing menopause will no longer carry warnings about significant health risks, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.
The medications contain estrogen and progesterone, two hormones involved in bone density and brain health. As a woman’s egg supply diminishes, her levels decline until she no longer produces them. The process takes seven to 10 years on average and can be accompanied by symptoms including hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, and an increased risk of fractures. After decades of use (the first product was FDA-approved in 1942), a 2002 clinical trial cast doubt on the therapy when women taking a particular formulation in their 60s and 70s saw increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke.
In yesterday’s announcement, accompanied by a JAMA editorial, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary noted subjects in the trial were past the average age of menopause—52 in the US. Going forward, the medications will include advice to limit HRT usage to within 10 years of symptom onset. |
Visa and Mastercard yesterday announced a roughly $38B settlement in a two-decade antitrust lawsuit with merchants over credit card processing fees. If approved by a judge, businesses could reject several popular cards at checkout.
Visa and Mastercard have historically required merchants to accept all their credit cards, despite each carrying a different interchange fee—the charge banks impose to process transactions. Fees range from 2% to 2.5%, with higher rates tied to cards offering shoppers more rewards or cash back. Merchants paid roughly $38B in interchange fees last year, up 71% from 2019, as Americans favor rewards cards and fees rise. Under the proposed settlement, Visa and Mastercard would cut interchange fees by 0.1 percentage point annually for five years. Merchants could also accept or decline three categories of cards, with all rewards cards grouped together.
Several merchant industry groups object to the deal, arguing businesses have little choice but to accept rewards cards since they account for about 85% of cards issued.
1440 Explores: Listen to our editor-in-chief explain how credit cards work. |
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In partnership with Incogni |
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Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random |
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The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.
Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> President Donald Trump threatens $1B lawsuit against BBC over alleged misleading edits of speech Trump delivered before Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol; BBC director and CEO resigned Sunday amid allegations (More) |
> Author David Szalay's "Flesh" wins 2025 Booker Prize for best English-language novel published in the United Kingdom or Ireland (More) |
> NBA great Lenny Wilkens—one of five men to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach and player—dies at age 88 (More) | Giants coach Brian Daboll fired after the New York-based NFL team drops to 2-8 in 2025 season (More) |
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In partnership with Pendulum |
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This product is not intended for weight loss |
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> Apple delays release of second-generation iPhone Air amid weak demand for first version of ultra-thin smartphone launched in September (More) |
> Researchers use electric fields to move nanoparticles in porous materials, a feat with potential to improve drug delivery and air purification systems (More) |
> Drone mapping reveals thousands of mysterious holes in the Andes Mountains may have been ancient marketplaces (More) |
What is Biosphere 2? This morning's Science & Technology newsletter goes inside the world's largest vivarium. Email comes out at 8:30 am ET—subscribe here for free! |
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> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.5%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +2.3%) with federal shutdown deal in sight (More) |
> Gamma, AI-generated presentation startup, raises $68M at $2.1B valuation, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz (More) | AI company CoreWeave beats Wall Street estimates, reports 134% year-over-year increase in Q3 revenue (More) |
> More than 100 US lawmakers call on Starbucks to resume bargaining talks with union representing baristas ahead of potential strikes in 25 cities Thursday (More) |
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> Senate approves government funding bill by vote of 60-40; House to vote as early as tomorrow (More) | Supreme Court rejects appeal challenging legality of same-sex marriage; takes up case challenging legality of mail-in ballot grace periods (More) |
> Car explodes in New Delhi, killing at least eight people (More) | Thailand suspends peace deal with Cambodia after land mine explosion wounds two Thai soldiers (More) |
> President Donald Trump pardons former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 72 other people accused of 2020 election-related charges; pardons viewed as symbolic, as those pardoned did not face federal charges (More) |
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> The Battle That Changed the Vietnam War
Newseum | John Olson. A collection from photojournalist John Olson, who was embedded with US Marines during the 1968 Tet Offensive. (Read) |
> Mapping Bob Dylan's Mind
Aeon | Prashant Garg. Mapping themes in Bob Dylan's lyrics provides a peek into his evolution as a songwriter. (Read) |
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In partnership with Incogni |
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Sick of Scam Calls? Scared of Identity Theft? |
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Clickbait: The Wicked Witch of the West's hat could be yours.
Historybook: Nat Turner is hanged after organizing rebellion of enslaved persons (1831); Armistice signed by Germany and Allies, ending World War I (1918); Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, observed for first time in the US (1919); American novelist Kurt Vonnegut born (1922); Demi Moore born (1962). |
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"The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful." |
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