The Evening: A first for gene editing therapy

Also, zombie TV has come for cable.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 8, 2023 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. A first for gene editing therapy Strong U.S. job growth Plus, endless reruns on cable A vial of Vertex Pharmaceuticals's CRISPR gene therapy for sickle cell disease. Vertex Pharmaceuticals The F.D.A. approved gene editing therapy for sickle cell disease The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it had approved a gene editing treatment for sickle cell disease, the debilitating blood disorder caused by a single mutated gene. The therapy, called Casgevy, will become the first available treatment for humans in the U.S. to use the revolutionary gene editing tool CRISPR. The approval — which was announced alongside a second gene therapy that does not use gene editing — offers hope for the 100,000 Americans, most of them Black, who live with the disease. But the one-time treatments — so effective in clinical trials that they have been hailed as cures — come with both technical and financial obstacles that limit their reach. The sickle cell treatment will serve a test case for using CRISPR gene editing to treat other diseases. CRISPR Therapeutics, one of the developers of Casgevy, is now studying gene editing to treat cancer, diabetes, and A.L.S., among others. In sub-Saharan Africa, where a vast majority of people with sickle cell live, the new treatments will be effectively unavailable because of the price and lack of medical infrastructure to administer the treatment. Ella Koeze The U.S. job market shows signs of strength The American economy continued to generate robust job growth in November, according to government data released today, the latest sign of a durable economy. The hiring suggests that the labor market is still solid, despite gradually slowing since last year's pandemic rebound. In total, employers added 199,000 jobs last month. That includes tens of thousands of autoworkers and actors who returned to their jobs after strikes, meaning underlying job growth is slightly weaker. Even so, the report signals that the economy remains far from recession territory. The unemployment rate also dropped to 3.7 percent, which was particularly notable because it had been drifting upward.8 Most analysts have been surprised by the durability of the recovery, which owes a lot to the cash that consumers accumulated over the past few years, which they are now spending. Rescuers pulled a person from a destroyed house in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, today. Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock Civil order is breaking down in Gaza, the U.N. warned As Israeli forces struck hundreds of targets across the Gaza Strip, the U.N. warned today that relief efforts were faltering and that people were growing so desperate for basic necessities that some were stoning and raiding aid convoys. The streets "feel wild, particularly after dark," Thomas White, the Gaza director of the U.N. agency that assists Palestinians, said on social media. He added that "society is on the brink of full-blown collapse." Here's the latest. Since Israeli resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza after the collapse of a truce last Friday, the U.N. reported that it was struggling to deliver enough food, water, medicine, cooking gas and other essentials to hundreds of thousands of civilians who have packed into shelters and tent cities. At the U.N., the U.S. blocked a resolution that would have demanded a permanent cease-fire. More top news Education: Harvard's president apologized for her testimony before Congress, where she gave evasive responses to questions about whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate campus policies. Court: The Michigan teenager who killed four students in a 2021 school shooting was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Donald Trump: A federal appeals court largely upheld a gag order on the former president in his election case in Washington. Hunter Biden: A federal grand jury charged the president's son with a scheme to evade federal taxes on millions in income from foreign businesses, the second indictment against him this year. COP29: One by one, Russia has blocked candidates in Eastern Europe or the Caucasus to host the next U.N. climate summit. Russia: President Vladimir Putin said that he would seek another term as president in an election scheduled for March 17. He is widely expected to win. Amazon: The company is cracking down on union organizing, workers say, ahead of a trial that will weigh their right to interact with co-workers. Univision: When the U.S.'s largest Spanish-language network ran a friendly interview with Donald Trump, Democrats cried foul. Executives say they're now seeking more balance. First Fans Act: The Senate introduced a long-awaited bill promising consumer protections for tickets to live entertainment events. Wildlife: Once they were pets. Now, giant goldfish are menacing the Great Lakes. TIME TO UNWIND Renaud Vigourt Zombie TV has come for cable Not long ago, many of the most popular cable networks — including USA, TBS and Comedy Central — were rich with original scripted programming. But these days, they have essentially turned into vessels for endless marathons of reruns, becoming zombie versions of their former selves. USA, for example, once put out celebrated original dramas, including "Suits," "Mr. Robot" and "Royal Pains." But now, the network's original programming department is gone, and it often fills the air with reruns of "Law & Order" or "NCIS." Illustration by Matt Chase; Photographs by Shutterstock Tips for booze-free holiday fun From wine at the office party to the requisite bubbly on New Year's Eve, drinking sometimes appears inextricably tied to holiday merrymaking. That can cause uncomfortable situations for people who decide to opt out. But it doesn't have to be that way. Experts we spoke to offered tips for a smooth alcohol-free holiday season, including embracing a delicious mocktail or rehearsing a decisive way to decline a drink. Malissa Mabey Dinner table topics Year of the bunk bed: All of a sudden, designers are being asked to put bunk beds in lots of new homes. Here's how they make them look nice. The Game Awards: Baldur's Gate 3, a role-playing video game based on Dungeons & Dragons, was named video game of the year. Go ahead and judge: The art director of our Book Review weighed in on the edgiest, catchiest and most creative book covers of 2023. Four decades later: Tracey Broadhead and Darin White first said "I love you" at 13. At 56, they got married. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Cook: Snack on these cheese sambousek during Hanukkah. Watch: These are the best movies and television shows coming to Netflix this month. Read: Quan Barry's "Auction" was one of the year's best poetry collections. Listen: Introduce yourself to jazz flute with Hubert Laws's "Land of Passion." Plan: Here are six cozy retreats for a winter getaway. Reconsider: Experts say there is little to no benefit in choosing low-fat dairy products. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING The Minger. Peter Jolly/Shutterstock This may be the world's smelliest cheese Rory Stone, a 59-year-old cheesemaker in Scotland, developed a washed-rind cheese so putrid-smelling that he calls it the Minger — a derisive term for someone who is ugly or smells bad. And yet, customers can't get enough of it. The Minger, which Stone bills as the smelliest cheese in the world, was initially rejected by supermarkets, who dismissed it as a gimmick. But it won several awards for taste and has sold so well at independent shops that a major British supermarket chain announced this week that it would soon stock the cheese. Have a delectable weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018