Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,020 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• LEDs could prevent shark attacks

• Amazon launches discount market “Amazon Haul”

• Make a perfect pie crust with…vodka?

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Big Story

FBI Raid Polymarket CEO’s Home

The FBI raided Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan's home in New York early Wednesday morning.

• Polymarket is a popular betting market headquartered in New York that allows users to place bets on various future events, including weather patterns, awards, and political races.

• According to a report, FBI agents woke Coplan at 6:00 a.m. and seized his phone and electronic device. The FBI did not arrest Coplan.

• Polymarket had recently predicted former President Donald Trump would win the presidential election by a large margin despite other polls showing a closer race. Its trading volume leading up to the election was $3 billion.

• A Polyakert spokesperson said the seizure is obvious "political retribution," accusing the government of targeting Polymarket for predicting Trump’s win.

Big Story

Trump’s Efficiency Department

President-elect Trump has chosen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a government efficiency department.

• It will be called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump announced that DOGE would work with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to eliminate excess regulations, cut wasteful spending, and overhaul federal agencies.

• DOGE is set to tackle inefficiency and waste in the federal government’s $6.5 trillion budget. Trump said the initiative will conclude by July 4, 2026, to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

• Musk’s dual role as a government adviser and head of major government contractors like Tesla and SpaceX could create potential conflicts of interest. Ethics experts worry his new position could affect the fairness of decisions on federal contracts involving his companies.

Big Story

LED Lights Could Prevent Shark Attacks

Australian scientists believe adding LED lights to the bottom of surfboards could help prevent great white shark attacks.

• During a study in South Africa, they attached lights to boards shaped like seals and found the lights changed the silhouette, making it harder for sharks to see the boards against sunlight.

• Lead researcher Laura Ryan explained that great white sharks, which are color-blind, often mistake surfers for seals, which can lead to attacks. The team hopes to see if the LED lights also deter other dangerous species like bull and tiger sharks.

• The team found that the brightest horizontal-aligned lights deterred great whites the best. Researchers are now working on prototype LED strips to install on surfboards and kayaks.

Quick Stories

US News

• President-elect Trump added to his cabinet on Wednesday. He picked Marco Rubio as secretary of state, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and Matt Gaetz as attorney general. (More election updates here)

• A federal investigation found that Chinese government hackers accessed US telecom networks to steal call records and private communications of certain Americans in government and politics. (More)

• Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as the next Senate majority leader despite allies of President-elect Donald Trump backing Rick Scott. He will succeed Mitch McConnell. (More)

World

• President Biden is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday during the APEC summit in Lima, Peru. This will be their third and likely final meeting of Biden's term. (More)

• Spain continues to get pummeled by storms. In southern Spain’s Málaga area, about 3,000 people have been evacuated from flood-prone homes near the Guadalhorce River due to ongoing risks.  (More)

• A bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan, has killed at least 26 people and injured over 40. Police reported the attack targeted army personnel from the Infantry School. Pakistan is currently facing a rise in attacks by separatist militants in the south and Islamist militants in the northwest. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P +0.02%, Nasdaq -0.26%, Dow +0.11%). The S&P and Dow remained close to yesterday’s closing as the post-election rally began to level off. (More)

• Bitcoin continues to soar in valuation. It broke the $90,000 price threshold for the first time Wednesday. The coin is now up more than 32% since Donald Trump’s election win. (More)

• The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.6% in the 12 months through October, up from 2.4% in September. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, stayed at 3.3% for the fifth straight month. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• British author Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction with her novel Orbital, set on the International Space Station. The story follows six astronauts experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets in a day, reflecting on Earth’s beauty and fragility. (More)

• San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich has been away from the team because he had a mild stroke earlier this month. He is expected to make a full recovery. (More)

• The homes of Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized last month. Kelce reported a loss of $21,000, including $20,000 in cash. Mahomes confirmed his burglary but did not provide further details. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Amazon has started a new store called "Amazon Haul," where every item costs $20 or less. It's available in the US through Amazon’s app or mobile website and aims to compete with budget shopping apps like Temu and Shein. (More)

• Social media platform Bluesky has added 1M new users since the election as some X users search for an alternative platform to engage with others online. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey started the company after selling Twitter to Elon Musk.  (More)

• A new study shows that heavy drinking kept rising in 2022 after spiking during the COVID-19. From 2018 to 2020, drinking jumped by 20%, then rose another 4% from 2020 to 2022. This increase was seen across most regions, races, and genders in the US, except among Asian Americans and Native Americans. (More)

Extra Credit

🥧 Nail your Thanksgiving pie crust with…vodka?

🐴 My Little Pony makes the Toy Hall Of Fame.

📸 See Nature’s Best Photography winners. 

💰️ Mapped: How much Americans spend on groceries in every state.