Saturday, December 6
Headlines
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CDC panel votes to end universal hep B shot recommendation for newborns. Following fierce debate, a federal advisory panel voted 8–3 yesterday to scrap the long-standing recommendation that all babies receive hepatitis B shots within 24 hours of birth—a major change that comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who handpicked the panel’s members, seeks to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule. In place of the universal guidance offered since 1991, the panel said families in which the mother does not test positive for the liver disease can opt to wait two months before the first dose. The acting CDC director must still sign off on the decision, and the American Medical Association urged the agency not to, saying the change undermines public confidence in a “proven, lifesaving vaccine.”—AR
SCOTUS to decide if Trump can limit birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court has agreed to consider the constitutionality of President Trump’s controversial executive order stating that children born in the US to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not citizens. The president is appealing a court order striking down the restrictions on birthright citizenship, which has long been considered to apply to essentially all babies born in the US under the 14th Amendment. The high court will hear oral arguments in the case in the spring and is expected to issue its decision by summer.—AR
We now know who’s playing whom in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The drawing for the expanded 48-team group stage of next year’s Mundial, taking place in the US, Canada, and Mexico, happened yesterday in a flashy (albeit cringey) ceremony at the Kennedy Center in DC, during which President Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA peace prize (devised after he didn’t get the Nobel). The tournament will begin on June 11 with Mexico playing South Africa. The US will face Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of the European playoff—which’ll be either Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo. The US team had solid luck with the ball—that is, with the little one used to draw the matchups—since its two known group opponents are teams it beat recently.—SK
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> 17,978: Fossilized dinosaur footprints and swim tracks found in Bolivia, the most ever found for a single tracksite.
> 1,297: LeBron James' NBA record for consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points built over nearly 19 years, ended Thursday night.
Browse
> The Atlantic's top 25 news photos of 2025.
> Travel recently? Host a souvenir dinner party.
> Police recover $19K pendant six days after man swallows it.
> Thirty-three Elf on the Shelf ideas for busy parents.
Listen
> Master class in capitalism (Taylor's version).
Watch
> Companies are on a mission to get rid of the price tag.
> Mathematicians discover a new infinity.
> From a day in the life of medieval university students.
> ...to present day, where robotic dogs have human heads.
Long Read
> The surprisingly secular history of Christmas carols.
> What we can learn from the ethics of animal societies.
Most Clicked This Week: Ranking America's most and least sinful cities.
Historybook: 13th Amendment of the US Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery (1865); Washington Monument completed (1884); Hollywood actress Agnes Moorehead born (1900); NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo born (1994); NASA photographs suggest presence of liquid on Mars (2006).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw begins at noon ET in Washington, DC's Kennedy Center; live coverage begins at 11:30 am ET on Fox (More) | Ralph Lauren unveils Team USA uniforms for 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics (More)
> Public broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia announce they will boycott 2026 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation (More)
> New "Men in Black" film in development at Sony Pictures, with "Bad Boys for Life" Chris Bremner set to write the script (More)
Science & Technology
> CDC vaccine advisory panel to vote today on hepatitis B vaccines after yesterday's scheduled vote was postponed; vote originally delayed in September (More)
> Scientists identify previously unknown organization patterns in a brain region critical to learning and memory, offering insights into why some cells are more vulnerable to conditions like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy (More)
> Researchers discover a robust population of critically endangered Sumatran tigers in Indonesian forest, signaling that habitat conservation efforts are working (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.1%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.2%) as investors await latest inflation data today (More)
> US weekly jobless claims fall to 191,000 for week ending Nov. 29, the lowest since September 2022 (More) | Layoffs top 1.1 million for the year so far, the most since 2020, new report finds (More) | World's billionaires rise to record 2,919 people, with collective wealth of nearly $16T; 91 became billionaires through inheritance (More)
> Legal AI startup Harvey raises $160M at $8B valuation, more than double its valuation in February (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> The Supreme Court clears the way for Texas to use newly redistricted map for the 2026 midterm elections as litigation continues in the lower courts; new map could potentially deliver as many as five seats to Republican candidates (More)
> Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo sign US-mediated peace deal despite ongoing clashes in eastern Congo (More)
> Vatican commission finds women should not be ordained as deacons—ministers who can preside over weddings, baptisms, and funerals (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Collaborating with AI
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Let's suppose you are a writer and you have an idea for a novel, but you want to check out the validity of your thought. With whom do you discuss this idea: your teacher, your minister, your family, a neighbor, a close friend, or a co-worker?
What about AI (artificial intelligence)?
AI has the ability to almost instantly check data bases to see what else has been written, if anything, on this subject and give you a list of authors to research.
AI has the ability to become your devil's advocate as you discuss the pros and cons or your idea. Once you have a list of the cons, you can use AI again, to come up with some ideas to circumvent the cons.
I have gotten into argument with AI over is there life after death, who created the human race, and if there really is a God. When I present my argument, AI responds with all sorts of data, peoples, dates and times of statements that either support me or with statements that do not.
AI can provide a framework for a chapter in a novel, that you and AI can revise and rewrite countless times. Once the chapter narration and dialogue has been decided upon, it is up to you, to put what was agreed upon in your own words, so that at least 60% has been written by you.
This is no different, than being in a writer's club and sharing a chapter or chapters with another member to critique, edit, or give you ideas.
Most professional writers come up with the original idea and the original writing, then send it to a professional editor to make it appropriate for publication. Do these editors change 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% of the novel they have been given?
Even the main idea can be modified by the editors.
When I use AI, I make sure that 70-80% of the writing has been put into my words, leaving 20-30% falling into the category of THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SAY IT.
Wabi-Sabi Is The Best Life Philosophy
Wabi-Sabi is more than just minimalism. It’s a philosophy of imperfection and acceptance to live your life by.
The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi is about noticing and appreciating imperfection, impermanence and the understated beauty in everyday life. And embracing the principles of Wabi-Sabi might just be the radical act of rebellion you need to break free from the clutches of our hyperproductive, individualistic and perfection-obsessed world.
Incorporating a practice of Wabi-Sabi into one’s life entails, through repeated reinforcement, treating cracks, wear-and-tear and the passage of time not as flaws, but as the core of what makes life beautiful and meaningful.
For example, replacing a broken drawer knob with a personally crafted crochet pull isn’t just fixing a problem; it’s an act of giving your furniture a beautifully asymmetric touch, adding character and a special one-of-a-kindness to it. Similarly, the freckles on your face aren’t blemishes that need to be concealed with makeup; they are their own kind of embellishment for you to wear proudly.
Friday, December 5
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