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Many of the roughly 670,000 furloughed federal government employees began returning to work yesterday, after Congress passed a bill late Wednesday to end the US’ longest-ever government shutdown.
Some government operations remain disrupted. States that had not released food stamp benefits this month due to lack of federal funds—including West Virginia and South Carolina—will resume payments within three days. The Bureau of Labor Statistics plans to release its September jobs report as soon as next week, but it may not be able to provide accurate economic data for October. Meanwhile, flight reductions at 40 major airports were at 6% yesterday, with over 1,000 flight cancellations; mandated flight restrictions will be rescinded once staffing returns to normal levels, potentially as soon as next week.
The shutdown cost the US economy an estimated 60,000 private-sector jobs and an estimated $14B per week or $84B in all, an expected dip of 1% to 2% in annualized GDP growth. |
Roughly 1,000 Starbucks workers began a strike yesterday at 65 stores across more than 40 cities. Employees targeted Red Cup Day—one of the chain’s biggest promotional events of the year—when customers get a free reusable cup with a holiday drink.
Starbucks Workers United, representing 12,000 workers at about 550 of the company’s 18,000 US locations, said the protests are over stalled contract talks, demands for better staffing and higher wages, and hundreds of unfair labor practice charges. Starbucks said it offers the best compensation package in retail, estimating average pay and benefits at roughly $30 per hour, which includes paid family leave and tuition coverage.
The promotion typically drives some of Starbucks’ heaviest traffic, with 2024 marking its highest single-day US sales ever. Red Cup Day strikes also took place in 2022 and 2023, although Starbucks has said the disruptions had minimal operational impact. There is no date set for the strike to end. |
A 15th-century Bible illustrated with gold and Afghan lapis lazuli was unveiled in Rome yesterday. Typically stowed away in Modena, the two-volume manuscript is on display in the Italian Senate until Jan. 16 for the Vatican’s Holy Year.
The Bible—said to be the most expensive book of its time—was made by Italian Renaissance artists for Borso d’Este, the first duke of Ferrara. (Take a look inside.) The manuscript followed the Este family from Ferrara to Modena, where it remained until the family lost control of the city in 1859 and the last duke fled to Vienna. The Bible stayed among noble European families until Austria’s last empress sold it to a Parisian antique collector in 1922. Italian industrialist Giovanni Treccani donated the Bible to the Italian state after purchasing it in 1923 for 3.3M French francs.
The Holy Year, a Roman Catholic tradition typically held every quarter century, draws tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome. |
Editor's note: Yesterday, we mistakenly wrote that the House voted 202-209 to reopen the government. The final vote was 222-209. Thank you to our readers for pointing out this error! |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Taylor Swift releases first trailer for docuseries airing Dec. 12 (More) | NBCUniversal to launch cable sports channel next week, including live NBA, WNBA, MLB, Premier League, and college football broadcasts (More) |
> Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek tapped as College Football Playoff chair after Baylor's Mack Rhoades resigns amid university probe (More) | New Jersey officials arrest 14 people tied to alleged sports betting ring involving Mafia and student-athletes (More) |
> New York Yankees' Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani win MLB's American League and National League awards for second year in a row; Judge edges Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh for the honor (More) |
🎨 Everything you need to know about Georgia O'Keeffe: From her reimagining of still life paintings to the rise of American modernism, tomorrow's Society & Culture newsletter explores the life of the famous artist. |
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> Anthropic says Chinese hackers used its Claude chatbot to target roughly 30 companies and government agencies in first documented cyberattack largely executed with artificial intelligence (More) |
> Aerial imaging reveals bird flu decimated roughly 47% of South Georgia's breeding female elephant seals between 2022 and 2024; research suggests virus continues to spread among birds and mammals in the Antarctic (More) |
> Researchers find bacterium causing Lyme disease becomes vulnerable when starved of or overloaded with manganese, a discovery that could inspire new disease treatments (More) |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.7%, Dow -1.7%, Nasdaq -2.3%); all three indexes suffer worst day since Oct. 10, weighed down by tech losses and concerns over Federal Reserve potentially pausing rate cuts (More) |
> Verizon to cut roughly 15,000 jobs, or 15% of its workforce, representing the largest layoffs in the company's history (More) |
> IRS raises limits for 401(k) and other retirement plans, increases catch-up contributions for people aged 50 and up (More) | The best resources we've found on 401(k) plans (1440 Topics) | ... and on individual retirement accounts (1440 Topics) |
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Thousands Flock to 2027 Balance Transfer Card |
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> Senior officials present President Donald Trump with military options against Venezuela, including land strikes, after the US conducted its 20th strike against alleged narcotrafficking boats (More) |
> Justice Department sues California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over redrawn congressional districts, alleges racial gerrymandering to favor Hispanic communities (More) |
> Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson is hospitalized with a rare neurodegenerative disorder (More) |
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> Ode to the Lunch Ladies
The Bitter Southerner | Jennifer Justus. Glimpse into the lives of school lunch ladies—unsung heroes of America's education system who navigate tight budgets and shifting policies with resourcefulness to keep students fed. (Read) |
> Outbreak on the Ostrich Farm
The Atlantic | Daniel Engber. A 58-acre ostrich farm in rural Canada becomes an unexpected battleground when bird flu triggers a clash between government agents, Big Pharma, local farmers, and public health skeptics. (Read) |
> How Marlon Brando Changed Acting
The Nerdwriter | Staff. Marlon Brando's "On the Waterfront" performance changed on-screen acting forever—with subtle movements, mumbling, and distracted eating. (Watch) |
> Human Immunome Project
Short Wave | Staff. Over two decades after researchers mapped the human genome, a new team of scientists aims to decode the human immune system. Could we be close to predicting diseases before they start? (Listen) |
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Historybook: French painter Claude Monet born (1840); "Moby-Dick" is first published in the US (1851); Albert Einstein first presents quantum theory of light (1908); Booker T. Washington dies (1915); Condoleezza Rice born (1954).
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1440 Trivia: What percentage of people experience lucid dreaming? Check back Monday for the answer (or dig for it here).
... and vote on Monday's trivia topic: Space or the Gut Microbiome. |
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