Good Morning! Today’s edition is 900 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Thailand Cambodia conflict

• Golden Globe nominations

• Watch a snowflake form in detail

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Big Stories

Farm Aid Package

• President Trump announced a $12 billion aid package on Monday for farmers affected by the trade war with China and other countries. The funds will come from tariff revenues, which generated $195 billion in fiscal year 2025, more than 250% above 2024 levels. The $12 billion represents about 6% of tariff revenues collected.

• The administration calls the payments a bridge while Trump's trade agenda takes effect. Farmers have been squeezed by China's halt of US soybean purchases for several months during the fall harvest. China resumed buying in late October, but purchases remain below 2024 levels, when China bought 27 million metric tons.

• The aid covers major crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton.

Paramount One-Ups Netflix

• Paramount launched a hostile bid Monday to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $30 per share, topping Netflix's approved $27.75 offer. The $108 billion bid is backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Jared Kushner's investment firm. It would acquire HBO, CNN, and the Warner Bros. studio.

• Warner Bros. Discovery's board already approved Netflix's deal, but Paramount is taking its offer directly to shareholders in a hostile takeover attempt. Netflix's bid excludes cable channels like CNN and TNT, while Paramount's offer covers the entire company.

• President Trump said Sunday he will be involved in approving any deal and called Netflix's bid an antitrust problem. Minutes after Paramount's announcement, Trump attacked the company on Truth Social over a recent '60 Minutes' interview, calling its ownership 'no better than the old ownership.'

Thailand Launches Airstrikes on Cambodia

• Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodia on Monday, breaking an October ceasefire. At least five people were killed, including one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians, with both sides accusing the other of firing first. More than 50,000 people have fled border areas.

• The ceasefire followed five days of combat in July that killed dozens. Tensions reignited in November when Thai troops were injured by land mines, leading Thailand to suspend the agreement. Brief fighting erupted Sunday, escalating to airstrikes Monday. Thailand said it struck military targets to suppress Cambodian fire.

• The border dispute stems from a 1907 map drawn during French colonial rule that Thailand calls inaccurate. A 1962 court ruling awarded Cambodia a 1,000-year-old temple, angering many Thais. The ceasefire includes no path to resolve where the border should run.

Hands Down Some Of The Best 0% Intro APR Credit Cards

Balance Transfer cards can help you pay off high-interest debt faster. The FinanceBuzz editors reviewed dozens of cards with 0% intro APR offers for balance transfers and found the perfect cards.

Take a look at this article to find out how you can pay no interest on balance transfers until 2027 with these top cards.

Learn How To Apply

Quick Stories

US News

• Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett filed to run for Senate against Republican John Cornyn, joining the race just before the filing deadline after Republicans redrew her House district. (More)

• The Supreme Court refused to hear a Texas book appeal, allowing 17 books to remain off library shelves. Courts ruled that removing books about transgender issues and slavery counts as normal curation, not free speech violations. (More)

• Alina Habba quit as New Jersey's acting federal prosecutor after appeals courts ruled she needed Senate confirmation. (More)

World

• Syrians celebrated one year since rebels overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad, but the country remains divided with ongoing sectarian violence and struggles over regional control. (More)

• Louvre Museum workers voted to strike over poor working conditions and security failures exposed by October's $102 million crown jewel heist. (More)

• A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, triggering tsunami warnings up to 10 feet. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Monday (S&P -0.35%, Nasdaq -0.14%, Dow -0.45%). The 10-year Treasury yield kept climbing despite the Fed's expected rate cut this week, hurting stocks. (More)

• China's exports rose 5.9% in November, creating a record $1 trillion trade surplus despite US shipments dropping 29%. (More)

• IBM announced it is acquiring Confluent for $11 billion to boost its artificial intelligence offerings. Confluent stock jumped 29% on the news. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The Indianapolis Colts are working out retired quarterback Philip Rivers as an emergency option after losing both their starters to injuries, with four crucial games left in their playoff push. (More)

• Jimmy Kimmel extended his ABC late-night show through 2027, months after the network briefly yanked him for comments about Charlie Kirk's death, then brought him back. (More)

• The 2026 Golden Globe nominations were announced Monday in Los Angeles. "One Battle After Another" led films with nine nominations, while "The White Lotus" topped TV with six. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Gut bacteria make a compound that fights type 2 diabetes by blocking inflammation that causes insulin resistance. The breakthrough could lead to new diet-based treatments or medications targeting gut microbes. (More)

• England found a new mpox strain mixing two existing types after a patient visited Asia. Officials say the virus naturally evolves and urged people to get vaccinated, though most infections are mild. (More)

• Satellites could ruin over 95% of images from some space telescopes by 2035 because their light creates streaks across photos, NASA says. (More)

Extra Credit

Watch snowflakes form under a microscope.

….and watch a seal wander into a bar.

14-year-old makes origami that holds 10,000 times its weight.

Meet the world’s smallest buffalo.