This newsletter covers reports of progress in U.S. and Ukraine talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war, a decrease in Black Friday spending due to financial anxiety, and a new study connecting muscle mass with brain aging.
In today’s newsletter: U.S. and Ukraine officials report progress on ending the Ukraine-Russia war. Consumers are spending less on Black Friday shopping as financial anxiety rises. And a new connection between muscle mass and brain aging .
Here’s what to know today. U.S. hails progress in talks with Ukraine to end war with Russia Ukraine and the United States were set for “intensive work” Monday after the two sides hailed progress in high-stakes talks over the new plan to end Russia’s war that Washington has pressured Kyiv to endorse by Thanksgiving. Meetings in Geneva produced an “updated and refined peace framework,” Ukraine and the U.S. said in a joint statement that described “meaningful progress” from the “highly productive” talks. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. There were no specific details released, while European leaders cautioned that “major issues” remained as Kyiv and its allies sought to navigate the U.S. ultimatum to accept a 28-point proposal they view as handing the Kremlin its key demands. Moscow continued to suggest Monday it had been shut out of the discussions, and it was unclear whether any counterproposals from Ukraine would be acceptable to Russia. President Donald Trump also weighed in. “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening,” he said in a post on Truth Social early Monday. Read the full story here. Shoppers plan to cut Black Friday weekend spending this year, survey shows As the holiday shopping season starts to kick into high gear, Americans are balancing Black Friday deals with lingering concerns about their own finances. Consumers are looking to shell out less this holiday season, new data from Deloitte shows, in a reversal of previous trends. The survey shows shoppers overall plan to spend 4% less than last year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, citing higher costs of living and more fear of the economy. The pullback is expected from shoppers of all income levels as climbing inflation stings wallets. Consumers making less than $50,000 a year are expected to spend 12% less than last year, according to the business services firm. Shoppers making more than $200,000 a year say they’ll cut their spending by 18%. Read the full story here. More holiday news: Macy’s CEO Tony Spring sat down with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson to share how the retail giant is navigating financial challenges for consumers and companies this holiday season. Traveling this Thanksgiving? Here’s what to know about delays and weather. The Trump Mobile phone is nowhere to be found after months of delay In June, Trump’s two older sons held an event where they touted a new made-in-the-USA mobile phone with an American flag on its back, plus a new wireless service called Trump Mobile. Months after its stated August release, there are no signs the phone has become a reality. NBC News placed an order for a T1 phone in August, paying the $100 deposit for the purposes of tracking the $499 phone’s development. What followed was a series of delays with little explanation or updates. Since the original announcement, plans appear to be in flux. The Trump Mobile website has scrubbed any mention of a specific release month, but continues to collect $100 down payments on the promise of availability “later this year.” It’s also posted conflicting photos of what the phone looks like. Read the full story here. Does your brain age match your chronological age? As you age, you gradually lose muscle mass and gain visceral body fat, a type of fat deep inside your body that surrounds your organs. Now, scientists say the two factors can uncover clues about your brain health. People with more muscle mass and less visceral fat tend to have younger brains, according to research being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. “We know that the age of a person, in terms of their appearance, might not match with their chronological age,” said senior study author Dr. Cyrus Raji. “Turns out, the age of their organs might not match their chronological age either.” An older-looking brain is a top risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, said Raji. But strength training and overall muscle health can be protective against cognitive decline. Here’s what else to know about your brain age. Read All About It A pocket watch belonging to a couple who died together on the Titanic sold at auction for $2.3 million. Read how Ryan Wedding went from an Olympic snowboarder to an alleged drug kingpin hiding in Mexico. X’s new location transparency feature shows that a slew of MAGA-branded accounts are apparently based outside the U.S., and also stirred speculation over where the Department of Homeland Security account was created.The woman convicted of brutally stabbing her sixth grade classmate to please the fictional horror character “Slender Man” was apprehended in Illinois after cutting off her monitoring bracelet and leaving her Wisconsin group home, officials said. The Los Angeles Rams now own the best record in the NFC at 9-2 after a dominant 37-4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football.” Staff Pick: How a teen street musician became the face of the Kremlin's crackdown Diana Loginova, also known under her stage name Naoko, is a teenage street singer from St. Petersburg. She has spent more than a month in jail, on paper for disrupting public order by singing on the city’s streets with her band Stoptime. But at the heart of what’s quickly becoming a high-profile case in Russia is Loginova’s daring move — whether intentional or not — to perform covers of musicians who spoke out against the war in Ukraine and have been labelled “foreign agents,” a designation slapped on public figures whose views have set them at odds with the Kremlin. NBC News spoke with fellow street musicians, who praised her courage and said her freedom has been taken away for singing. Some have taken to the streets in solidarity, singing the same songs that got Naoko in trouble in a show of defiance that’s rare for wartime Russia, in which dissent has been all but crushed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I have been covering how the Russian society has changed since the war, with those speaking out largely exiled or forced to stay silent, but Naoko’s case stands out to me as one of the most egregious examples of repression in recent years, considering her young age and what she is being persecuted for. — Yuliya Talmazan, London-based reporter NBCU Academy: Meet the Navajo dancer taking Indigenous culture worldwide For Navajo dancer Kenneth Shirley, it all began with a sound — the steady pulse of a drum that shaped his earliest memories and set him on a path to share Indigenous culture with the world. In college, Shirley noticed there was no Native performance for Indigenous Heritage Month, so he created one. That small event grew into Indigenous Enterprise, a powwow dance troupe that’s now performed on the world’s most iconic stages from Times Square to the Sydney Opera House — and even the Super Bowl. A decade later, Shirley says the group’s growing platform is about more than performance — it’s representation. “These young kids are watching us,” he said. “Let’s make sure they can be proud of it.” Watch how Indigenous Enterprise is bringing Native pride to stages across the globe. NBCU Academy is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech. NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified The final stretch is here. We rounded up the 100 best gifts of the season, plus editor-approved picks from Sephora and Lego that make thoughtful, crowd-pleasing presents. And if you’re still in prep mode, our guide to Costco and Amazon memberships will help you shop smarter through the holidays. Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week. Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kayla Hayempour. 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Ukraine-Russia War Peace Talks Black Friday Consumer Spending Brain Aging
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