Three sights that’ll captivate you forever: fire burning, water flowing, and gas prices dropping. The last one is now easy to spot countrywide, with a gallon of regular going for $3.14 on average this week—the lowest it's been all year and down from $3.87 in August.

Since driving a gas-guzzler is as American as apple pie, smaller receipts at the pump go a long way toward keeping Americans’ cost of living at bay.

Consumers feel more at ease

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said yesterday that, largely thanks to cheaper gas…

• The Consumer Price Index rose only 3.1% year over year in November, and just 0.1% from the previous month.
• The monthly price growth is on par with the no-increase reading in October, and lower than it was in preceding months.

After months of sagging consumer confidence, waning inflation might be making the public more optimistic about what the future holds. A recent University of Michigan survey showed that Americans have a more upbeat outlook about the economy and their own finances compared with last month and this time last year.

Why is gas cheaper now?

Cheaper oil is the short answer: Prices have been falling on lower demand from China and the US, coupled with more supply from increased stateside production. Enhanced extraction methods are helping the US pump a near record number of barrels. Plus, the Biden Administration has expanded drilling permits, which could further boost American oil.

But while Biden is eager to show voters that he’s the ultimate inflation tamer worthy of re-election, he’s kept mostly mum on why gas is cheaper. More oil drilling on US soil is at odds with the wishes of many of his eco-conscious supporters.

Inflation wasn’t so rosy under the hood…Prices for all goods and services excluding volatile food and fuel grew at a faster pace in the fall than during the summer months. Rent prices also jumped, and while fueling a car might’ve become cheaper, buying a used one became a little more expensive in November. This complicates the Fed’s inflation fight, and might make it less inclined to lower interest rates soon.—SK

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Zelensky met with President Biden and Congress to ask for more aid. For the second time in the last three months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited DC to lobby US officials for more aid before lawmakers leave for the holidays next week. He found an ally in President Biden, who stressed the importance of the ~$60 billion in additional aid he asked for to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion. But Zelensky hit a wall with congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who likely said that allowing more aid for Ukraine is contingent on passing US–Mexico border reforms.

Netflix expanded its data transparency. We finally know exactly how many of you are watching Love Is Blind. Its reputation long besmirched by a lack of transparency, Netflix released its biggest data dump yet on Tuesday, with its first semiannual report of viewing across the streaming service. From January to June of this year, the most-watched Netflix show was The Night Agent, with 812.1 million hours viewed, followed by season two of Ginny & Georgia (665.1m) and then Korean drama The Glory (622.8m). Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said it initially wasn’t in the company’s interest to be transparent, but now that it’s matured, divulging viewing stats “creates a better environment” for Netflix and its content partners.

The rift between Biden and Netanyahu is growing. The disagreements between the US president and Israeli prime minister—which had been largely kept private—escalated yesterday, when Biden criticized Israeli’s government and called on Netanyahu to make changes as the country loses international support for its war against Hamas. Netanyahu, meanwhile, acknowledged that he disagrees with Biden over what will happen “the day after Hamas.” Biden supports a two-state solution, which Netanyahu has not endorsed.

Attention, Cybertruck owners: The only thing you’ll be able to do with your new vehicle is drive it. Tesla added a clause to its purchase contracts allowing it to sue buyers for at least $50,000 if they try to resell their Cybertruck within a year of purchase.

So what are unhappy cybertruckers supposed to do if they realize they don’t actually need a bulletproof futuristic truck? The contract requires owners to offer to sell it back to Tesla for a discounted price and to only resell the vehicle with the company’s written consent, according to ArsTechnica. If customers breach the contract, they could get banned from owning a Tesla in the future, in addition to the financial penalty.

• The lawsuit threat appeared in an earlier public version of the Cybertruck contract last month, but was removed after backlash. Now it’s resurfaced in recent order agreements.
• Clauses like this aren’t unprecedented for exclusive high-end vehicles, and Tesla hasn’t specified if the rules will apply to all Cybertrucks or just the initial release.

But at least trucks are finally moving: After years of delays, the EV maker finally handed over the keys to its first 10 Cybertrucks in a brief delivery event last month. CEO Elon Musk revealed some highly anticipated specs, including the Cybertruck’s ability to tow 1,000 more pounds than the Ford F-150 Lightning and outrace a Porsche 911.—MM

It’s not every day that a baseball contract is so consequential that it could be featured in business textbooks. Then again, not every baseball player is Shohei Ohtani.

The Japanese star’s decision to defer $680 million of his 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is an extremely large-scale version of someone getting you Taco Bell and saying “don’t worry, you can pay me later.” But, unlike a Crunchwrap Supreme, the price of Ohtani is not so simple.

That $700 million contract? It’s more like $460 million to the MLB, which calculates payroll in terms of its annual average value. That’s still bigger than most other athletes’ contracts—but not quite the jaw-dropping $700 million figure on Ohtani’s contract.

There’s also the possibility that it’s a massive mistake. If inflation hits 5% every year, a $68 million payout in 2034 could feel more like $40 million in today’s money, per Axios. But as Bloomberg’s John Authers points out, thinking about the time value of money is likely not top of Ohtani’s mind. In Japan, where Ohtani lived until he started with the LA Angels in 2018, interest rates are basically zero—meaning there’s no incentive for you to get paid now because the money’s value won’t change in the future.

Big picture: Deferring 97% of your contract is not a move that any ol’ ball player could make. Ohtani is uniquely positioned because 1) his manifold skills make him more desirable than most other players and 2) he makes an estimated $50 million a year from sponsorships alone, negating the need for a large salary.—CC

Stat: While you search your coat pockets for that one ChapStick from 2018, the British Museum is still looking for 1,500 ancient artifacts. Per an independent review commissioned by the world-famous museum’s trustees, 2,000 items are damaged or missing, while 350 others have had portions removed. Many of the missing objects are unregistered artifacts—mostly jewelry and gems—in the museum’s Greece and Rome departments. While that’s a lot of missing valuables, consider that the museum holds more than 8 million artifacts—meaning that 99.9% of items are intact and accounted for. Can you say the same about all your stuff?

Quote: “He may be at the very top of the list as the worst person I’ve ever seen do a cross examination.”

On the one hand, at least Sam Bankman-Fried didn’t admit to ordering the Code Red. On the other hand, he was still perhaps the worst witness Stanford Law professor David Mills has ever seen—and he’s seen a lot of them. Mills, a veteran criminal lawyer, represented SBF during the highly publicized FTX trial last month as a favor to the now-convicted crypto fraudster’s parents. But according to Mills and anyone who was following the trial, SBF ignored his legal advice and buckled under the pressure of prosecutors’ questioning. SBF’s testimony was so bad that Mills is now cross-examining his own career. “I’m not going to get myself emotionally involved on a very deep personal level in a case like this again,” he told Bloomberg.

Read: What makes a good cat? (Vox)