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Instagram is the latest social media platform to introduce this feature.

Tuesday | November 26th, 2024
Early Chirp
Together With nuts.com

Happy Tuesday, chirpers! We’re approaching the end of another year, which means it’s time to find out which baby names were most popular in 2024. And the results show that “E” has done a lot of the heavy lifting for parents recently. Among boys, many of the top names begin with that letter — Everett, Eliel, Easton, and Edgar, for example. And for girls, an “e” or two was common at the end, as in Rosalee. Changing tastes led to several long-time favorites like Drake and Sarah being squeezed out of the top 100.

-Chris Agee

Markets
NASDAQ
IXIC
$19,054.84
$51.19 (0.27%)
Dow Jones
DJI
$44,736.57
$440.06 (0.99%)
S&P 500
GSPC
$5,987.37
$18.03 (0.30%)
EUR-USD
EURUSD
$1.05
$0.01 (0.59%)
Bitcoin
BTC-USD
$93,823.84
-$4,189.98 (-4.27%)
Rivian
RIVN
$11.60
$1.36 (13.28%)
*Market data for this issue is from November 25th, 2024 at 4:47pm EST

Markets: The presidential election continues to reverberate along Wall Street nearly three weeks later. Investors were enthusiastic about President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury Department, and the news helped propel the Dow Jones Industrial Average 400 points higher to a new record. The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 also recorded gains to start the week.

World

The Breakdown

A quick look around the world.

The Breakdown WCNC/YouTube screenshot

Strikesgiving: Just as travelers prepare for one of the busiest travel weeks on record, airline workers at North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport took to the picket line this week to protest what they referred to as “poverty wages.” In addition to better pay, striking workers are demanding more respect as they keep the bustling airport running throughout the holiday season. While the Service Employees International Union leads a movement dubbed “Strikesgiving,” the airport has vowed to take care of any interruptions the strike might cause.

DOGE days: One of the most intriguing and polarizing programs being promoted by President-elect Donald Trump is the Department of Government Efficiency. The group will be led by businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have already begun releasing plans for the quasi-official agency. They are pushing for an initiative that would require all federal government employees to return to the office. Like some private-sector companies pursuing a similar strategy, they say it would reduce the workforce through voluntary resignations.

Giant problems: Wide receiver Malik Nabers has made a splash during his rookie season with the New York Giants, but his remarks following a recent loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making more headlines than his action on the field. After the game, Nabers had some tough words for his own team’s “soft” playing style. He seemed most perturbed by decisions from the coaching staff, though. Brian Daboll, the Giants’ head coach, reacted to the pushback, admitting that Nabers should have been given the ball earlier than he did.

Tragedy at sea: As of Monday, at least 17 individuals were still missing after the yacht they had been traveling on sang off the coast of Egypt. More than two dozen passengers and crew members were able to be rescued from the Red Sea, including some who were airlifted and transported to a hospital for medical care. Although a weather forecast for the region called for rough waters, an official cause has not been announced. Reports indicate the Egyptian military has taken control of the recovery effort still underway just south of Marsa Alam.

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social

It’s About To Get Easier To Keep Tabs On Your Instagram Friends

The platform still doesn't go as far as some other social media apps.

It’s About To Get Easier To Keep Tabs On Your Instagram Friends

Whether you’re liking their posts or sliding into their DMs, Instagram is a popular place to keep up with real-life friends and online influencers. Now, a new feature coming to the Meta-owned social media app will allow you to share your live location with others.

How it works

At first glance, it might be unsettling to think about a social media app making your location available in real time. But it’s important to consider that this information is already being collected … Instagram is just allowing users to share it if they choose to do so.

And the plan currently underway for this platform doesn’t go as far as some others. Here’s what we know so far:

  • Live locations can be shared via direct message
  • The information will only be available for one hour
  • Locations can be shared with one person or a group
  • None of the data can be transferred to another chat

Since other popular apps, including Find My and Snap Map, permit users to share their locations for much longer periods, the Instagram feature seems tame by comparison.

What’s the upside?

Other than allowing people to track your every move from their smartphones, it might not be immediately clear why anyone would be interested in this feature. But as Instagram explained, this limited-time option could come in handy if two people or members of a group are trying to coordinate a meeting in a busy public area.

There are many other situations in which live location sharing could prove beneficial, and it’s clear that the tech industry is moving toward widespread adoption of such features.

In fact, Instagram’s parent company has already gotten the process started with a different platform. Meta’s WhatsApp lets users share their locations for as long as eight hours.

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health

What Could A GOP-Controlled Government Mean For Your Healthcare Plan?

Budget cuts might result in some major changes.

What Could A GOP-Controlled Government Mean For Your Healthcare Plan? Giphy

President-elect Donald Trump will be returning to the White House in less than two months and he’ll have a Republican-led Congress in place to help move his agenda through the legislative process.

And with an emphasis on spending cuts ahead of his second term, Trump’s fans and critics alike are speculating about how things could change over the next four years.

Focus on healthcare

Since it accounts for such a large percentage of both household and government budgets, healthcare is a big target for cost-cutting conservatives. Although a detailed plan won’t emerge until the new administration takes shape, a number of congressional Republicans have already shared their wishlist for healthcare cuts.

Some want to see the Medicaid budget slashed, reducing its footprint and implementing new requirements for individuals seeking benefits.

There’s also an ongoing effort to dismantle parts of the Affordable Care Act — most notably, an enhanced premium tax credit meant to offset the cost of insurance for lower-income households.

Critics say these moves, along with several smaller health-related entities being targeted for defunding, could make healthcare unattainable for countless Americans.

Preparing for the fallout

As it stands, the ACA’s tax credits are safe until next year. Without congressional action, however, they would automatically expire — potentially triggering a spike in healthcare premiums.

For example, a couple who earns a combined $82,000 per year would likely see their insurance costs increase by a whopping $18,400 annually.

Worse yet, as many as 4 million more Americans could be priced out of the insurance market and forced to forgo health coverage altogether.

Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill have made it a priority to pursue a measure that would make the tax credit and certain other subsidy programs permanent.

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Together With nuts.com

Friendly customer service and commitment to sustainability

Family-owned business offering the highest quality nuts, snacks, dried fruit and pantry staples at home, in the office and on-the-go

Friendly customer service and commitment to sustainability

Unsure what to get your mother-in-law, third cousin, favorite coworker, or anyone else in your life? Nuts.com has you covered for holiday gifting. From custom trays to curated baskets, Nuts.com makes it easy to send something thoughtful and delicious to your loved ones nationwide. Each handcrafted gift features the freshest ingredients and flavors worldwide, ensuring next-level snacking from the moment it’s unwrapped. Find something special for everyone on your list:

travel

These Stress-Busting Tips Might Come In Handy At Your Next Holiday Event

This can turn into a tense time of the year, but it doesn't have to.

These Stress-Busting Tips Might Come In Handy At Your Next Holiday Event Giphy

Let’s face it: As great as the holiday season can be, there are aspects of it that often trigger anxiety and stress. And usually, there’s not an opportunity to sneak away for some meditation or yoga.

Fortunately, experts say a few simple steps can help refocus your mind and clear out confusing or negative thoughts even in the most irritating situations. Here are a few of the most common holiday stressors and how you can minimize their impact on your mood:

  • Running behind schedule: Holiday travel can be frustrating enough on its own, but if you get stuck in traffic, need to pull off the interstate for a bathroom visit, or run into some other delay it can turn into a nightmare. If that happens to you, though, simply forcing your face to smile can send a direct message to your brain that there’s no need to become anxious.
  • Last-minute responsibilities: So much work goes into hosting a holiday gathering … and if you get stuck with those chores without enough time to prepare, it might be easy to blow a gasket. But simply singing a happy song or even using a silly voice to describe the stressful situation might be enough to snap you out of that funk and get you focused on the tasks at hand.
  • Fighting on the highway: Road trips sometimes bring out the worst in families, particularly after hours stuck inside a small vehicle. If your loved ones begin arguing while you’re driving down the road, though, you can take steps to calm yourself (and then everybody else, hopefully) by taking deep breaths and prioritizing mindfulness.

These certainly aren’t all of the things that go wrong, but no matter the situation there’s likely a simple technique that can help you manage the holiday stress.

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dad joke

A lot of women say their husbands don't listen to them.

But I've never heard my wife say anything like that.

Early Chirp

Written by Chris Agee

90 N Church St, The Strathvale House
Grand Cayman KY1, 9006, Cayman Islands

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