Happy Friday. This day of the week is responsible for some great things: the weekend, date nights, and the… Filet-O-Fish? McDonald's invented the often-berated sandwich for Catholics who avoided meat on Fridays, beating out the pineapple-and-cheese "Hula Burger" 350 sales to just six. Learn more about its history here.

In today’s briefing, we’ll cover a massive threat to the internet, why you may want not want to travel for the holidays, the Supreme Court’s drinking problem, and much more.

— Chase Goepfert, Founder of NextGen News

Great, now the whole internet needs to be fixed. AI just uncovered a massive security flaw hiding in PHP, a programming language that powers more than 70% of global websites.

Researchers first uncovered the vulnerability in August and quietly worked on a fix before rolling out emergency updates on Wednesday. Patching the flaw was no small task:

What happens then? Experts warn hackers could take control of websites, steal sensitive information, or use them to attack visitors. PHP’s security team ranked the threat level a 9.2 out of 10.

It’s still a big issue: PHP is the software behind every website from small blogs to government databases to Wikipedia. Almost all WordPress sites are vulnerable, prompting some providers to tell users to take their sites offline if they couldn't update them right away. Six European countries, including Germany and France, already pulled government websites offline.

See what you can do to protect yourself from potential PHP flaws here.

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The highest court in the US said it’s finally ready to settle an almost 160-year-old debate… if Americans should be allowed to make their own liquor at home.

Believe it or not, the original ban had less to do with public safety and more to do with Uncle Sam getting his cut. Back in the 1800s, the federal government relied heavily on alcohol taxes, but distillers weren't exactly eager to pay up:

To combat the tax dodgers, the government completely outlawed home distilling in 1868, threatening violators with up to $10,000 in fines and five years behind bars.

But that didn't really stop anyone... partly because home distilling was difficult to track, and commercial producers could usually hide their operations or bribe federal tax collectors. Things eventually got so out of hand that the government sent 2,000 soldiers into Brooklyn to raid illegal distilleries in 1869.

Interestingly, Americans have been allowed to brew their own beer and make wine for decades, but breaking out a still to make some homemade hooch could land you in prison.

On Monday, the justices agreed to reconsider the ban:

What happens if the ban is overturned? Homemade spirits (including whiskey, vodka, gin, and moonshine) would still be taxed, even if you’re the only one drinking it. Plus, your neighbor might pick up a new DIY project.

🇺🇸 Meet the US’ newest national park. Arizona's Chiricahua National Monument has officially been upgraded to national park status, becoming the country's first new national park in six years, increasing the total to 64. Nicknamed the "Wonderland of Rocks," the 12,000-acre landscape is filled with towering stone spires, balancing boulders, and bizarre formations, which were carved by millions of years of erosion and ancient volcanic eruptions. Previously attracting around 60,000 visitors annually, the park is expected to draw more tourists and give southeastern Arizona's economy a boost.

🦠 A new AI-designed virus is being used to fight infections. Biotech startup Radical Numerics says it used AI to create custom viruses called bacteriophages (which attack bacteria instead of human cells) for a patient battling an E. coli infection that resisted other forms of treatment. The AI-designed viruses successfully killed the patient's bacteria in laboratory tests and were then administered under a special FDA authorization, marking what the company calls a world first.

📖 The world's most mysterious book might have been put in the wrong order. The 600-year-old Voynich manuscript contains roughly 240 pages of strange symbols, bizarre plants, and astronomical drawings that have baffled codebreakers for more than a century. Now, researchers believe the manuscript was originally made up of separate sheets that were accidentally rearranged when someone who couldn't read the text bound them together. Using a combination of computer analysis and physical clues, they found evidence supporting the theory. While the mysterious book is still unsolved, researchers will finally have a better idea of where to start reading.

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If you're planning to fly home for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, your wallet might be in for an unpleasant surprise as holiday airfare has reached its highest level in a decade.

A big reason is the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has pushed jet fuel costs sky-high (an over 90% increase since February) and forced airlines to charge more for tickets:

The costs don’t end with your plane ticket: Travelers booking hotels over Christmas are facing far steeper prices at roughly $197 per night, an 18% increase from 2025. Thankfully, the average Thanksgiving hotel rate is about the same as last year.

How can you avoid the price increases? Choosing the right days to fly could make a surprisingly big difference, according to travel-booking platform Hopper. The Sunday after Thanksgiving could be one of the priciest travel days of the year, but returning Monday or Tuesday could save you up to $250 per ticket. Christmas travelers can also save by flying earlier in the week, but Hopper recommends booking before Halloween so you can snag a ticket before prices shoot up even more.

One of the world’s biggest entertainment companies is losing its luster as other streamers, social media giants, and video sharing platforms take the spotlight.

While Netflix may still be the king of streaming (as it boasts the most subscribers of any platform), keeping viewers glued to their screens is becoming a different story:

Its competition is fierce: Despite having more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, the streaming giant is still losing engagement as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms increasingly eat into people's screen time.

That’s led to some big changes: The streaming giant recently said it would cut roughly 1,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, marking its biggest round of layoffs since 2022. Meanwhile, it's experimenting with live sports, video podcasts, games, and short-form content to keep viewers entertained, while raising subscription prices and expanding its cheaper ad-supported plans to help bring in revenue.

AI is moving into the physical economy.  

Elon is building it. Jensen sees it in Agriculture. Washington is backing it. And DIT AgTech is already putting it to work in livestock. 

Most investors haven’t connected the dots yet. 

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→ 2,200-year-old fingerprints found on China's famous Terracotta Army showed that women and children helped build the thousands of clay soldiers, challenging the belief that only adult men worked on them.

→ A new expedition searching for Amelia Earhart's missing plane came up empty-handed after researchers discovered that a mysterious object spotted in satellite images was actually a pile of trees.

→ Researchers created an AI tool that can estimate a cancer patient's chances of survival using just a selfie, with patients who appeared at least five years older than their actual age having a 21% higher risk of dying.

→ Scientists have discovered that Mars' largest canyon, stretching nearly 2,400 miles across the planet, is still tectonically active billions of years after it formed.

→ Monkeys have their own version of post-pandemic paranoia, with researchers finding that those who survived a deadly outbreak became much pickier about eating food that looked contaminated.

→ The most popular baby names this year.

→ Did you know some birds like to drink blood?

→ The best community colleges in the US, ranked.

→ Man who rates benches gives his first perfect score.

→ See how much you need to make to buy a home in your city.

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