Plus: First-Time Homebuyers Are Older Than Ever & Trump's Deal To Cut Cost Of GLP-1s

Good evening,

The first trailer for the Michael Jackson biopic, ‘Michael,’ was released on Thursday, with Jackson’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, taking on the lead role of the pop icon.

Musician biopics are going through some growing pains in Hollywood. The recent Bruce Springsteen biopic, ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere,’ has only grossed around $32 million worldwide. (For context, the film cost $55 million to make.) Reviews for the film were also mixed.
- But, past biopics have been much more successful. Timothée Chalamet’s take on Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’ last year grossed $140 million worldwide and earned Chalamet an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
- A few years before that, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ a biopic starring Rami Malek as Queen’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury, broke a record for the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, earning more than $600 million at the global box office.
The production of ‘Michael’ has already been muddled with controversies.
- ‘Michael’ was originally supposed to open in cinemas in April 2025. It was pushed to October, then delayed again. Puck reported in January that the filmmakers needed to reshoot large parts of the film after Jackson’s estate overlooked parts of a settlement contract with one of the people who accused him of sexual abuse.

‘Michael’ is finally set to hit theaters in April 2026.

Sam
Associate Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

FAA To Cut Thousands Of Flights At 40 Major U.S. Airports

Travelers, brace yourselves. Starting tomorrow, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will begin cutting scheduled flight capacity by 10% across 40 major airports, citing mounting strain on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

Brace for impact: The reductions — expected during peak hours, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. — will likely eliminate thousands of daily flights across major hubs, including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, according to officials. Pretty much all major U.S. airports. Here’s the list.

Today marks Day 37 of the record-long shutdown, and there was hope that Democrats’ sweeping election victories on Tuesday might help break the gridlock in Washington. Late Thursday, Politico reported Senate Majority Leader John Thune told fellow Republicans he plans to hold a vote Friday on to fund the government through January, which he believes will have the support of enough Democrats to pass though the deal could still take days to hammer out.

BUT, IS IT SAFE TO FLY?
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is cutting flights to avoid any safety problems. “Early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating, so the system is extremely safe today,” he said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that the air system is becoming riskier, as controllers pick up second jobs to make ends meet during the shutdown.
- The profession was already under strain due to national staffing shortages and aging infrastructure in control towers.

Bottom line: If this continues through Thanksgiving, holiday travel will be a nightmare. Expect the pressure to build for the Senate to strike a deal ASAP.

🚨 ONE THING THAT COULD IMPACT MILLIONS

Trump Strikes Deal To Slash Cost Of Obesity Drugs To As Low As $150 A Month

President Trump is continuing his crusade against high U.S. drug prices — this time targeting what he calls the “fat drug.” He announced deals Thursday meant to bring down costs of some obesity medicines to as little as $149 per month and expand access to more Medicare enrollees.

BY THE NUMBERS
Under the agreement, drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound will be made available for eligible patients at around $350 per month, down from as much as $1,350, the White House said. The copay for patients enrolled in Medicare will be as low as $50. In addition, new oral versions — still awaiting approval — could cost as little as $149 per month.

”Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at most-favored-nations rates for American patients,” Trump said. It follows similar deals he’s made with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and EMD Serono to bring down the cost of other drugs.
Americans will be able to buy some GLP-1 drugs through Trump’s direct-to-consumer website, TrumpRx.gov, which is set to launch in January 2026. Americans are expected to pay $350 per monthly dose there, and that price is expected to be lowered to $245 within two years.

About 12% of Americans report having taken a GLP-1 drug. Trump mentioned that several members of his Cabinet, and Communications Director Steven Cheung, were taking them.

🚨 ONE THING THAT’S CONCERNING

Average First-Time American Homebuyer Is Now 40 Years Old

In just one generation, the dream of owning a home has been pushed from the late 20s to the early 40s.

The median age of first-time homebuyers is now 40, up from 28 in 1991 and 33 just five years ago, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors.

WHAT’S GOING ON?
Younger Americans are juggling student loans, rising rents, and higher costs across the board. That makes saving for a down payment nearly impossible. Plus, there just aren’t enough affordable homes on the market. Inventory is still historically low.

Bigger picture: The economic and societal ripple effects are enormous. When people buy their first home later in life, they’re building less wealth and moving less frequently during their lifetimes. That can impact major life decisions like whether to have kids or jump careers.

The share of first-time buyers in the market has dropped to about 21% — that’s half of what it was before the 2008 housing crash, according to NAR. Bottom line: The starter home feels more like a finish line.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Nancy Pelosi announces she will not seek re-election after four decades in Congress (MO NEWS)
Abby Zwerner, former teacher shot by her 6-year-old student, wins a $10 million jury verdict (AP)
Supreme Court allows Trump to limit passport sex markers for trans and nonbinary Americans (CNN)
Federal judge issues injunction against immigration agents’ use of force in Chicago area (ABC)
Jury acquits D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent (NBC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Vietnam after storm’s destructive path through the Philippines (ABC)
Israeli jets strike southern Lebanon towns, escalating near-daily attacks (AP)
Pope Leo meets Palestinian president, calls for two-state solution to “end the conflict” in the Middle East (CBS)
Russia says advances made in key city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine (DW)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan say they’re devoting their philanthropy to using AI to cure disease (AXIOS)
Job cuts in October hit highest level for the month in 22 years, Challenger says (CNBC)
Peloton recalls 833,000 more exercise bikes over faulty seat post (CBS)
Heavy drinking linked to worse strokes, according to new Harvard study (HARVARD GAZETTE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland dies in apparent suicide at 24 (ESPN)
Star toddler educator Ms. Rachel wears Gaza-themed dress to award ceremony (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reportedly returning to acting after an 8-year hiatus (CNN)
Warner Bros. Making ‘Gremlins 3’ With Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus Returning (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… NFL legend Tom Brady revealed that his dog, Junie, is a clone of his pit bull mix Lua — that he shared with his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen — who died in 2023.

How they did it: Biotech company Colossal Biosciences, in which Brady is an investor, created the clone using a blood sample from Lua before her death. It’s the same technology first used to clone Dolly the sheep.

The story has reignited debate over the ethics of cloning and whether science should recreate beloved pets at all. What do you think?