Despite wavering confidence, Adobe says consumer spending broke records on Black Friday, clocking in at more than $11 billion. Shoppers were enticed by bargains, buying up TVs, computers, clothes, furniture, and toys. And Salesforce expects Cyber Week sales to also hit an all-time high of $78 billion. Also: signs of a continuously struggling housing market and, from Marketplace's "How We Survive," a look at how solar power can aid agriculture.
Marketplace All-in-One - Factory output in China falls yet again
From the BBC World Service: Factories in China have long been an engine of economic growth, so it's worrying for leaders in Beijing that a new survey shows activity unexpectedly contracted in November. It's the eighth straight month that production has shrunk. What's it telling us about the world's second biggest economy? And later, Iran is experiencing an unprecedented drought, with rainfall at record lows and reservoirs nearly empty. Officials are pleading with citizens to conserve water.
World Book Club - Philippa Gregory – The Other Boleyn Girl
Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Philippa Gregory into the World Book Club studio to discuss her celebrated historical novel, The Other Boleyn Girl.
This novel, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is a vivid portrayal of ambition, love, and betrayal in the Tudor Court, told from the perspective of Mary Boleyn, sister to the ill-fated Anne. As Mary becomes the mistress of King Henry VIII, Anne sets her sights on the throne. Set against the splendour and peril of sixteenth-century England, Philippa Gregory’s masterful novel explores power, desire, and the price women paid in a world where one man’s whims were considered sacrosanct.
Philippa Gregory answers readers’ questions on what drives her fascination with women’s untold histories, the clash between love and ambition in the fraught world of the English court, and whether sisterhood can survive when the ultimate prize is the crown of England.
WSJ Minute Briefing - Why Gen Z Shoppers Are Pulling Back This Holiday Season
Plus: Top U.S. envoys head to Russia this week, as talks to end the war in Ukraine continue to intensify. And a volatile stretch for global markets continues, as U.S. stock futures start December on a downbeat note. Daniel Bach hosts.
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Opening Arguments - What Happens When an FBI Agent Investigates a Friend?
OA1212 - What’s a cop to do when he stumbles onto a crime, and the evidence points to someone he knows all too well? In today’s deep dive, friends become suspects, concerned parents become FBI agents, and laptops become lost jungle detritus. This criminal case out of the US District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands (a US territory in the Pacific) may not have reached the Supreme Court, or have any particularly important precedent, but what it lacks in prestige it makes up for with a fact pattern seemingly written by a law professor specifically to test your knowledge of criminal procedure and evidence. Come for the caper, stay for the OA midterm!
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U.S. v. Weindl, (D.N. Mar. Is. 2012)
Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
WSJ What’s News - Inside Germany’s Secret Plan for War With Russia
A.M. Edition for Dec. 1. As talks to end the war in Ukraine continue with U.S. envoys headed for Moscow this week, WSJ’s Bertrand Benoit details Germany’s secret plan preparing the country for a major conflict with Russia. Plus, President Trump sets his sights on another Latin American country, even as congress opens inquiries into the administration’s boat-strikes in the Caribbean. And WSJ’s Quentin Webb explains why it’s bad news that Gen Z shoppers aren’t spending big this holiday season. Caitlin McCabe hosts.
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Marketplace All-in-One - What it’s like to be in a relationship where wearable AI records your conversations
Marketplace's Matt Levin visits a couple in suburban Sacramento who both use an AI-enabled pendant that acts as a personal assistant — and sometimes, a relationship therapist.
Start the Week - Space, Quantum Frontiers and Cosmic Clues
What can the cosmos tell us about our past and future? Tom Sutcliffe and guests look skyward and deep into the quantum world to ask how much we can really know about the universe - and about ourselves.
Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, presenter of this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, shares her passion for inspiring the next generation to think big, as she explores the wonders of our solar system and the questions that still puzzle astronomers.
Physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies introduces his new book Quantum 2.0, charting the strange and revolutionary principles of quantum mechanics and how they are reshaping technology, science, and our understanding of reality itself.
From the Natural History Museum, Caroline Smith brings insights from meteorites — fragments of ancient worlds — and explains how these cosmic messengers help scientists search for life beyond Earth and piece together the story of our solar system’s origins.
Together, in Radio 4's weekly ideas discussion programme Start the Week, they consider the limits of knowledge: whether in decoding quantum mysteries, interpreting rocks from space, or imagining the motivations of those who first looked to the stars.
Producer: Ruth Watts Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Up First from NPR - National Guard Shooting & Immigration, Venezuela Latest, Ukraine Negotiations
The White House is moving swiftly to tighten legal immigration reviews after two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C. last week, escalating scrutiny on asylum seekers, green card holders and refugees already living in the U.S.
U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean are under growing scrutiny, as some lawmakers warn one attack may constitute a war crime.
And Ukraine enters a new round of negotiations without its top negotiator, after a corruption scandal forces out President Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff.
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U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean are under growing scrutiny, as some lawmakers warn one attack may constitute a war crime.
And Ukraine enters a new round of negotiations without its top negotiator, after a corruption scandal forces out President Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Anna Yukhananov, Tara Neill, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Lisa Thompson.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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The Daily - The Fallout From the National Guard Shooting
What began as a horrific shooting of two National Guard members in downtown Washington last week has now led to a set of far-reaching changes to the U.S. immigration system.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was among the Afghans who came to the United States after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Earlier, he served in a paramilitary unit that worked with U.S. forces.
Hamed Aleaziz discusses Mr. Lakanwal’s journey to the United States, as well as the Trump administration’s wide-ranging response.
Guest: Hamed Aleaziz, a Times correspondent covering the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy.
Background reading:
- The suspect in the shooting had traveled a long path of conflict from Afghanistan to America.
- Afghans who assisted the United States during the war underwent rigorous vetting.
Photo: The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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