View in browser   PRESENTED BY AMAZON   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Dec 07, 2023 👋 Happy Thursday! Today's PM — edited by Noah Bressner — is 595 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit. 🕯️ Hanukkah — the eight-day Jewish festival of lights — starts at sundown. How the world is celebrating.     1 big thing: Penn donor yanks $100M gift Cover: New York Post A University of Pennsylvania donor is withdrawing a gift worth around $100 million to protest the school's response to antisemitism on campus, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack was first to report. Why it matters: The final straw for Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, was Tuesday's widely criticizedcongressional testimony by Penn president Liz Magill. The gift from Stevens, a Penn undergrad alum, was given to help establish a center for innovation in finance. It was in the form of limited partnership units in Stone Ridge, with the current value estimated at around $100 million. Stevens, in a letter from his lawyers to Penn, alleges that the school has violated the terms of the limited partnership agreement, including its anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. What's next: The letter concludes by offering to discuss the matter further. But a source close to the situation tells Axios that the current intention is to withdraw the gift. Share this story ... Read the letter.         2. 🎁 Surprise holiday rush Data: Gallup. Chart: Axios Visuals The Christmas countdown is on and consumers have increased gift budgets in the final weeks of the holiday shopping season, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes from a new Gallup survey. Why it matters: Despite falling consumer sentiment, Americans plan to spend an average of $975 on gifts — a $52 increase from what consumers thought in October, the survey found. The holiday spending estimate is also up $100 from last year, the survey of 1,009 U.S. adults shows. Consumers' estimates normally decline — not increase — as the season progresses, Gallup notes. 🔎 Zoom in: The expected December spending spree follows a record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Households with children plan to spend $1,306, compared with $835 among those in households without children. Keep reading.         A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON “Amazon has helped me afford more opportunities for my son”     Adrienne started at an Amazon fulfillment center for the comprehensive benefits and stable paycheck while she continued to search for her dream job. Even better: Adrienne joined one of Amazon's free, on-the-job training programs and now she works as a UX designer at Amazon. See the impact.     3. Catch me up Photo: Mengshin Lin/AP Above: Pearl Harbor survivors and their families gathered at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor to commemorate those who perished 82 years ago today. 🏛️ The House voted to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) for pulling a Capitol Hill fire alarm in September, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. 🗳️ CNN is planning to host two Republican primary debates in Iowa and New Hampshire next month. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated that he plans to participate. More from Axios' Erin Doherty. 🚨 Scoop: Egypt warned Israel of "a rupture" in relations if Palestinians are forced into the Sinai Peninsula, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.         4. 🕎 How to spell חנכה Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   What's the right way to spell Hanukkah? Trick question, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes. Why it matters: It comes from a Hebrew word, and there are multiple accepted English spellings. Rabbi Sarah Krinsky of Adas Israel Congregation in D.C. says there are four typical choices to make when spelling the holiday — which starts tonight at sundown: Choice 1: Start with a Ch or H. Krinsky tends to go with the "H." Choice 2: Use one n or two. She uses one n because in Hebrew only one letter — a nun — makes the n sound in Hanukkah. Choice 3: Use one k or two. Krinsky's preference for two k's "is a little bit wonky" — it accounts for a Hebrew mark called a dagesh. Choice 4: End with an h or not. The Hebrew letter hei at the end of the word is silent, so Krinsky opts for the final English h to account for that. Keep reading.         A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON “At Amazon, I went from working in a warehouse to a career in tech”     John started as a seasonal Amazon warehouse employee to get through the holidays, then he found the Amazon Grow Our Talent Program. The impact: The program helped John successfully transition from the warehouse to a tech career in an AWS data center. Learn more about the opportunities.