On Black Friday 2025, Americans spent more, got less, and opted to buy now, pay later 45% more often than last year. / The New Republic When buying items from abroad, US consumers are suddenly finding themselves stuck with paying hundreds extra in tariffs. / The New York Times [$] See also: Costco
In Gaza, where Israeli strikes have destroyed most banks and there are no working ATMs, some residents are now repairing damaged banknotes. / BBC News Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine Action, a nonviolent protest group proscribed under anti-terror laws, means she may not publish in the UK for publishers’
We’re taking off the rest of the week for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you on Monday. Hundreds of firefighters struggle to contain a blaze that’s engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. / BBC News Jonathan A. Czin: Whereas most countries targeted by President Trump’s tariffs rushed
Russia’s oil and gas revenues this month are expected to fall 35% year-on-year. / Semafor Calls with the White House have done little to defuse the spat occurring between Beijing and Tokyo. / CNBC As Chinese cities have grown safer, security guards are mostly protecting property prices “and the
Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the world appears to be retreating from its goal to keep global warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius. / Grist From David Runciman, a good round-up on recent books on whether humanity is doomed. / The London Review of Books Unrelated: A volcano in Ethiopia
A White House plan to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, recently leaked, seems to heavily favor Putin’s interests. / BBC News, The Atlantic [$] Ukraine prepares a first-ever claim for wartime damages linked to carbon emissions. / Reuters Elmira Bayrasli: The urgency to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine
In a California housing dispute, the plaintiff submitted an AI deepfake as real evidence—it’s unclear how often this has already happened, which is actually the bigger problem. / NBC News Reenactments are one thing in documentaries, but AI is an entirely different line to cross, and it threatens the
Syrians continue to discover large-scale burial sites, sometimes by chance. / The Wall Street Journal [$] President Trump welcomes Saudi Arabia’s MBS, saying about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “things happen.” / Semafor Karen Attiah: Jamal’s plight and murder was a warning sign for America, “of the censorship that
“While the trauma and terror that Bovino’s unit instills is certainly real and damaging, it’s remarkable to note how ineffective the force has turned out to be.” On ICE’s retreat from Chicago. / Doomsday Scenario Bovino is who E.B. White meant when he wrote, “I am deeply
China tells its citizens not to travel to Japan with Tokyo and Beijing locked in a fight over Taiwan. / BBC News China’s $49 billion luxury market is changing quickly, with domestic interest turning to homegrown labels. / Bloomberg [$] See also: L’Oréal takes a stake in mass-market Chinese skincare
