President Trump introduced the idea of a 50-year mortgage in a Truth Social post this weekend with a photo of himself next to one of President Franklin Roosevelt, referencing the New Deal that brought about the 30-year mortgage. Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, called the proposal a “complete game changer.”

The concept would likely require a regulatory overhaul and has reportedly sown chaos among members of the GOP, not all of whom are on board. But what would the controversial plan actually mean for the housing market and homebuyers?

Better now, worse later? Mortgages are typically paid over 30 years (though some buyers choose 15-year plans). A 50-year mortgage, however, would spread out a homeowner’s payback period over five decades, meaning lower monthly payments. That could—in theory—allow Americans who are currently priced out of the market to buy homes.

If someone paid $300,000 for a house and put down the average first-time homebuyer down payment of $27,000 (about 9%), the differences in mortgages would look like this:

• With a 30-year mortgage locked in at 6.2% interest, the payment would be about $2,376 per month.
• A 50-year mortgage at the same rate would result in a $2,182 monthly payment.

But it’s more complicated than that

A longer mortgage is a lot riskier, so lenders would likely charge a higher rate, potentially canceling out the benefit of the cheaper monthly payment. Plus, the longer the term, the more the borrower would pay in interest, which would be almost double for a 50-year mortgage compared to a 30-year. It would also take much longer to build equity.

The chief economist at Redfin warned that a flux of new homebuyers armed with 50-year mortgages could further drive up housing prices. Trump defended the concept, saying in a Fox News interview on Monday that the difference between traditional mortgages and 50-year plans is “not a big deal.”

Big picture: The plan could boost demand, but it wouldn’t address one of the main drivers of high housing costs: supply. Housing inventory is still lacking, with the market set to be short 1.1 million units by the end of the year, according to Ned Davis Research.—MM

House to vote today on deal to end shutdown. One long national nightmare is almost over. After eight Democrats broke with their caucus and joined with Republicans on Monday night to pass a spending package that would reopen the federal government, it’s the House’s turn to vote. The chamber, which has been on recess since September, is expected to approve the package today before it heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed. Many Democrats denounced the deal for not addressing their demand that the government extend federal healthcare subsidies that are set to expire on Jan. 1. Even if the shutdown ends soon, experts say it could take weeks for air travel to get back to normal. Today is the 43rd day of the shutdown.

SoftBank sells entire Nvidia stake to fund investments in OpenAI. The Japanese tech investor said it offloaded its entire $5.83 billion stake in Nvidia in order to bankroll its AI bets—namely, the tens of billions of dollars it’s pouring into OpenAI. Earlier this year, SoftBank agreed to invest $30 billion in the ChatGPT-maker by the end of 2025, and that bet is already paying off. It said its fiscal Q2 profit more than doubled from last year, thanks to OpenAI’s ballooning valuation. The move marks the end of SoftBank’s long saga with Nvidia: In 2016, years before the most recent investment, it bought 5% of the chipmaker, but then sold it all in 2019. That stake would currently be worth $210 billion, per the Wall Street Journal.

Meta’s chief AI scientist is reportedly leaving. According to the Financial Times, Yann LeCun has told associates that he will leave the company “in the coming months” as CEO Mark Zuckerberg overhauls Meta’s AI strategy. Considered one of the “Godfathers of AI,” LeCun joined Meta in 2013 but has reportedly seen his longer-term research deprioritized in favor of launching new AI products to compete with OpenAI and Google, per the FT. Zuckerberg hired Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang earlier this year to lead a team developing artificial “superintelligence.”—AE

The word “sonder” describes the realization that everyone is the main character in their own life story. After a boutique hotel and apartment rental chain of that name abruptly announced bankruptcy plans this week, “gratitude” is what we feel knowing that we aren’t currently towing our screaming kids through a vacation disaster.

San Francisco-based Sonder, which was like a combination Airbnb and hotel chain, announced its immediate liquidation on Monday after Marriott International terminated a crucial partnership over the weekend, citing “Sonder’s default.” Wreaking front-desk havoc, Sonder canceled upcoming bookings and made current guests vacate its properties, which are located in 40 cities:

• In New York City, Barcelona, and other tourist/remote worker destinations, Sonderers had to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on last-minute accommodations.
• Some guests told CNBC that they were given less than 24 hours to check out. One lodger returned to his Boston stay to find his bags packed in the hallway, he told Business Insider.

Making enemies: Marriott marketed Sonder properties through its own websites as part of a licensing deal the two companies struck last summer. The hotel giant pledged to refund customers who booked Sonder stays through the Marriott website, but reportedly didn’t help them book new accommodations or offer discounts. Some very piqued Marriott Bonvoy members told reporters that they plan on ending their memberships. In a statement on Sunday, Marriott said its “immediate priority is supporting guests.”—ML

“Netflix and chill” is old news. Now, it’s all about “Netflix and enjoy interactive story-driven experiences.”

The streaming giant is opening its first “Netflix House” in a suburb of Philadelphia today. It’s a sprawling, 100,000-square-foot theme park at the King of Prussia mall with One Piece and Wednesday experiences, virtual reality, and Bridgerton- and Stranger Things-themed dining options. In other words, it’s like living inside of your Netflix account (ideally without all of the serial killers):

• Admission is free, and you don’t need to be a Netflix subscriber to enter.
• The experiences, however, cost money. A ticket to the Wednesday “Eve of the Outcasts” attraction runs between about $40 and $60, depending on the day.
• A second location is set to open in Dallas next month, and a third is planned for Las Vegas in 2027.

Why is Netflix going Six Flags-mode? It’s not about making money directly. Rather, the company aims to foster loyalty to its brand and strengthen connections with its IP, so that you and your friends spend more time on Netflix. It’s a similar strategy to what Disney and Comcast’s NBCUniversal deployed over many decades, though Netflix’s focus remains streaming, not theme parks. The company’s $477 billion market cap is more than Disney’s and Comcast’s combined, and that’s not because it now sells $26 nachos.—AE

Parents, here is one free guilt-trip card for when your kids say it’ll be too tough to fly home for Thanksgiving. More Americans are planning to travel via road and rail this holiday season to avoid potential flight disruptions that could continue even after the government shutdown ends.

According to the travel search engine Wanderu:

• Bus and train reservations around Thanksgiving are up 12% from last year, and as high as 30% on the busiest days.
• Prices for these types of tickets rose ~10% in the past week.

The government is expected to reopen this week, leaving a narrow window for airports’ staffing levels and flight capacities to normalize before Thanksgiving. Still, many travelers likely don’t want to risk it after last weekend’s scramble: Airlines canceled and delayed thousands of flights, sending one-way Hertz car rentals up 20% from the same time last year.—ML