Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,177 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Daniel Penny freed of all charges

• The Mets sign historic contract

• Amazon launches $25 flights for 18 to 24-year-olds

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Big Story

OpenAI Makes AI Video Generator Publicly Available

OpenAI has launched its AI video generator, Sora, to the public.

• The tool creates videos based on written prompts. For example, a user could type “a pack of wolves walking through a neighborhood,” and the generator will create the video. Heavy demand caused temporary sign-up issues on launch day.

• Reviewers tested Sora before the public release and praised its ability to create landscapes but noted flaws with physics and visual defects. Some artists criticized OpenAI for using their feedback to promote a tool they believe threatens their livelihood.

• OpenAI is also addressing safety concerns, including misuse for deepfakes or disinformation. To prevent abuse, the company is restricting uploads of specific people and blocking inappropriate or harmful content, like sexual deepfakes.

• Sora is currently available to paying subscribers in the US and most international locations but is unavailable in the UK and EU due to legal compliance issues and copyright laws.

Big Story

Daniel Penny Acquitted in NYC Chokehold Trial

Daniel Penny was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely.

• Penny had initially faced a more serious manslaughter charge, but it was dismissed after jurors couldn’t agree on a verdict. Penny placed Neely in a headlock on a NYC subway train in 2023 after Neely shouted at passengers about being hungry, thirsty, and suicidal.

• Prosecutors argued that Penny acted recklessly and could have restrained Neely without choking him to death, accusing Penny of showing no remorse. Penny’s defense claimed he was protecting passengers and disputed the cause of Neely’s death, saying it was linked to his sickle cell trait, mental health, and drug use.

• After the trial, Jordan Neely's father, Andre Zachary, filed a civil lawsuit against Penny in the New York Supreme Court. The suit accuses Penny of negligence, assault, and battery and seeks damages exceeding lower court limits.

This isn’t traditional business news

Welcome to Morning Brew—the free newsletter designed to keep you in the know on the business news impacting your career, company, and life—in a way you didn’t know you needed.

Note: this isn’t traditional business news. Morning Brew’s approach cuts through the noise and bore of classic business media, opting for short writeups, witty jokes, and above all—presenting the facts.

Save time, actually enjoy business news, and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.

Check it out

Big Story

$15 Minimum Wage

Many states and cities are raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour or higher.

• On January 1, 21 states and 48 cities/counties will raise their pay floors. Some states, like Illinois, Delaware, and Rhode Island, will reach $15 for the first time, while places like California will push their minimum wages above $17 for certain workers.

• By 2026, 16 states will have a minimum wage of $15 or more. Despite the increases, the new wages still fall short of what’s considered a "living wage" — enough to cover all basic needs. In places like King County, Washington, the minimum wage will rise to $20.29, but the living wage is much higher, at $30.08.

• The increases will affect 3 million workers earning minimum wage. Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage has been kept at $7.25 an hour since 2009. About 30 states have higher pay floors than the federal government’s.

Quick Stories

U.S. News

• Police arrested a 26-year-old man in Pennsylvania in connection with the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thomspon. Police found a weapon matching the one used in the killing, along with a mask and clothing similar to those worn by the suspect. (More)

• Lara Trump announced she will resign as co-chair of the Republican National Committee at its next meeting. Her decision comes amid speculation she may be chosen for an upcoming Senate vacancy. (More)

• The Supreme Court declined to hear a case from Boston parents who claimed a temporary admissions policy for top city high schools discriminated against white and Asian students. During the pandemic, the schools used grades and ZIP codes instead of entrance exams due to safety concerns. (More)

World

• A passenger on a Volaris flight in Mexico attempted to force the plane to divert to the US on Sunday. The crew restrained the individual, and the plane was rerouted to Guadalajara, where they handed the passenger over to authorities. (More)

• The Taliban's supreme leader has banned Afghan women from attending nursing and midwifery institutes, cutting off one of the few education options available to them beyond sixth grade, according to Human Rights Watch. (More)

• Gang violence in Haiti claimed at least 184 lives in Port-au-Prince over the weekend, according to the UN human rights chief. The massacre was reportedly ordered by a gang leader who acted on advice from a voodoo priest. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Monday (S&P -0.61%, Nasdaq -0.62%, Dow -0.54%). Stocks pulled back from record highs on Friday as tech shares struggled and investors await key inflation data due this week. (More)

• Shares of Hershey shot up 19% after news broke that Mondelez International is considering acquiring it. Mondelez owns top-selling chocolate brands Cadbury and Milka in Europe. Hershey has the biggest chunk of the US chocolate market at 36%. (More)

• Tim Kuniskis, a well-known Stellantis executive who retired in May, is returning to lead the Ram Trucks brand. The decision follows the recent unexpected resignation of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares due to issues in the company's North American market. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The Heisman Trophy finalists for 2024 are Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, and Miami's Cam Ward. The award, given to the top college football player since 1935, will be announced Saturday in New York. (More)

• The Golden Globe nominations are out. Emilia Pérez dominated the movie categories with 10 nominations, including nods for stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez. In TV, The Bear led with five nominations, followed by Shōgun and Only Murders in the Building, each earning four. (More)

• The Mets have reportedly agreed to a historic deal with Juan Soto: a 15-year, $765 million contract, the largest in MLB history. It includes a full no-trade clause, a $75 million signing bonus, an opt-out after five years, and no deferred money. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Google scientists have developed a quantum processor that solved a problem in five minutes — a task that would have taken the world's best supercomputer 10 septillion years. The breakthrough will make quantum computers less error-prone as they scale up. (More)

• Scientists have discovered 13 proteins that may be linked to brain aging and could potentially be targeted for anti-aging treatments. They analyzed MRI brain scans from nearly 11,000 people and found the proteins peaked in the blood at ages 50, 70, and 78. (More)

• New data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope confirm that the universe is expanding about 8% faster than expected, a phenomenon called the Hubble Tension. This supports earlier findings from the Hubble Space Telescope and rules out the idea that Hubble's data was flawed. (More)

Extra Credit

🏃 Want to live longer? Start moving.

🛫 A woman snuck onto a flight from NYC to Paris.

🧳 …and Amazon offers $25 flights for 18- to 24-year-olds.

🎤 Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became the first $2 billion tour.