Good Morning! Today’s edition is 949 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Winged ferry takes flight

• FTC sues LA Fitness over difficult membership cancellations

• Most popular dog breeds in every state

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Big Stories

Israel Begins Gaza Takeover

• Israel began “preliminary actions” for a ground offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City. Military officials have called up 60,000 reservists, and troops are already operating in the surrounding Zeitoun and Jabalia neighborhoods. Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the plan on Tuesday, and a security cabinet vote is expected this week.

• Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City will be ordered to evacuate to southern Gaza shelters as the operation intensifies. The International Red Cross said further displacement would worsen the "catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population.

• Israel rejected a Qatar and Egypt-brokered 60-day ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted on Monday. Israeli officials demanded a comprehensive deal releasing all 50 remaining hostages rather than the proposed release of about half.

• At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis.

Reading Tanks In America

• Daily reading for pleasure in the US has dropped 40% over the last 20 years, according to a major study analyzing 236,000 Americans from 2003-2023. The University of Florida and University College London research shows the decline averages 3% per year.

• Steeper drops occurred among Black Americans, lower-income people, and rural residents compared to white, higher-income, and urban populations. Even traditionally high-reading groups like college-educated individuals and women showed declining rates.

• Reading for pleasure has long been linked to mental health, empathy, creativity, and lifelong learning, making researchers call the drop off a loss of a "low-barrier, high-impact" public health tool. The study points to digital media, economic pressures, and reduced leisure time as potential causes.

Winged Ferry Transport Test

• Rhode Island company Regent Craft successfully tested Paladin, a 65-foot 'seaglider' designed to glide 30 feet above water on a cushion of air, similar to how pelicans fly close to the ocean surface. The vessel has three modes: floating like a boat, rising on hydrofoils above water, and flying at projected 180 mph speeds. First flight tests are planned for this fall, and commercial passenger service is expected by 2027.

• Investors, including Peter Thiel and Mark Cuban, are funding the 12-passenger craft to compete with ferries and helicopters on coastal routes. It could cut Miami to Key West travel from three hours to one hour. Separately, the US Marines want military versions for rapid Pacific island transport where ships are too slow and aircraft need runways.

• Regent officials claim their craft flies below radar and above sonar detection, but naval experts question stability in rough seas and its limited capacity. Experts say commercial routes may prove more viable than military uses.

Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock

When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs who backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso.

Disrupting the real estate industry once again, Pacaso’s streamlined platform offers co-ownership of premier properties, revamping the $1.3T vacation home market.

And it works. By handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has already made $110M+ in gross profits in their operating history.

Now, after 41% YoY gross profit growth last year alone, they recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Quick Stories

US News

• Intense heat will blanket the West this week with record-breaking temperatures over 110 degrees, raising wildfire risks and red flag warnings across Southern California. (More)

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency will paint border fencing black to make the steel too hot for climbers to touch. (More)

• A Texas judge blocked the state's new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. (More) | The Texas House passed a Republican redistricting map Wednesday that could flip five Democratic congressional seats. (More)

World

• Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tibet on Tuesday for the 60th anniversary of China establishing the autonomous region amid continued repression of Tibetan culture. (More)

• A flying object crashed and exploded in eastern Poland early Wednesday, breaking house windows but injuring no one. Early findings suggest it was a military drone. (More)

• Former rhino farm owner John Hume and five others appeared in a South African court on Tuesday, accused of illegally trafficking 964 rhino horns to Southeast Asia. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P -0.24%, Nasdaq -0.67%, Dow +0.04%). The S&P dropped for a fourth day in a row, pressured by a broad dip in tech. (More)

• Lowe's beat earnings expectations on Wednesday as home project demand grew, though big projects stayed weak. It also announced it will buy Foundation Building Materials for $8.8 billion. (More)

• The FTC sued LA Fitness for making gym cancellations "exceedingly difficult" by forcing customers to visit stores or mail forms while charging hundreds of millions in unwanted fees. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul will fight undefeated champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis on Netflix on November 14 despite a 50-pound weight disadvantage for Davis. (More)

• The College Football Playoff committee will weigh strength of schedule more heavily this year, rewarding teams for beating good opponents while penalizing losses to weaker ones. (More)

• The New York Yankees hit nine home runs in a 13-3 win over Tampa Bay, matching their franchise record and becoming baseball's first team with two nine-homer games in one season. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• New research found marathon runners had a 15% rate of dangerous colon polyps compared to the expected 1.2%, suggesting a possible link between extreme running and colorectal cancer. (More)

• The US Space Force's secretive X-37B spaceplane launches today for its eighth mission. It will ride a SpaceX rocket from Kennedy Space Center for undisclosed experiments. (More)

• Scientists found that aggressive breast cancer tumors feed on nearby fat cells using straw-like tubes, offering new targets for treating deadly triple-negative cancers. (More)

Extra Credit

The best state parks for picnics, according to visitors.

The most popular dog breeds in every state.

What is the tough gray band inside cooked steak, and how to avoid it.

Inside Royal Caribbean’s newest gigantic cruise ship.