Macy’s got offered a $5.8 billion buyout

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Macy’s was offered a $5.8 billion buyout. Investors group Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital Management wants to take the US department store chain private, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The University of Pennsylvania’s top brass have resigned. President Liz Magill and chairman of the board of trustees Scott Bok stepped down after Magill’s politically disastrous congressional testimony on antisemitism on college campuses, and after Penn donor Ross Stevens, the CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, threatened to pull a $100 million gift to the university’s Wharton School.

The US blocked a United Nations resolution that would have demanded a cease-fire in Gaza. The 15-member Security Council voted 13-1 in favor of an immediate humanitarian ceasefirewith the UK remembering.

The EU’s proposal to tax emissions from imports has sparked debate at the UN climate conference. Poorer countries fear the levy would harm their economic growth.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is back on X (Twitter). It’s another step that will put the platform’s already weary advertisers on hold even more on the edge.

Obesity drugs may be about to become cheaper

The sticker shock for weight loss drugs may be getting a little less, well, shocking. Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss drug just hit the market has a lower monthly sticker price than competitors Wegovys $1,350—Zipbound is listed at $1,060.

While the list price is usually higher than what patients pay at pharmacies, the lower list price for Zepbound suggests that US-based Eli Lilly could engage in price competition with its Danish rival. Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Wegovy. And it can be the first step in bringing the prices down of various obesity and diabetes drugs, such as those listed below:

Can “buy now pay later” plans really help boost credit scores?

Amid gift-buying season and inflation in the US, a record number of Americans are using buy now pay later (BNPL) plans to avoid paying the full cost of items in advance.

Some companies bill the payment method as a way to build credit. But experts say BNPL’s relationship with credit is more complicated. Sure, it can improve their scores in some cases… but it can also really hurt them. Some pros and cons:

👍 Paying off four interest-free BNPL installments is usually much cheaper than paying off a credit card bill

👍 BNPL services can also help consumers maintain lower balances on their credit cards

👎 If customers take too long to pay BNPL installments, they may be referred to a debt collector

👎 If credit bureaus include BNPL information on consumer credit reports in the future, the balances could taint someone’s credit score by lowering the average age of their accounts

Quartz’s Laura Bratton has some additional pluses and minuses to consider.

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Surprising discoveries

The skull of a giant sea monster has been found in the UK’s Dorset cliffs. The 150 million year old bones belonged to a pliosaur.

There are dueling Christmas tree trade groups in the US. One is all for cut down a fresh oneand the other is all about artificiality.

Floating farms may be the agriculture of the future. On one in a Rotterdam portcows happily graze, poop and produce milk.

The oldest black hole in the universe has been observed. Its mass is a million times that of the sun, something that surprised astronomers.

A Mao Zedong-signed menu fetched $275,000 at auction. Five other influential Chinese leaders also put their names on the menu next to items like “shark fin in brown sauce” and “fried spiced chicken.”

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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, pliosaur flippers and floating cows to praat@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief is brought to you by Morgan Haefner.