All Activity

Christa Pike is conscious and speaking after Tennessee failed execution, her attorneys say Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is awake and speaking at a hospital, her lawyers said Tuesday, six days after the state’s failed attempt to execute her by lethal injection left her unconscious and on a ventilator. https://apnews.com/article/christa-pike-tennessee-execution-85ea61961fc14ce01f78dbd9bdd728cb?

US stocks rise to a record on expectations companies will make even fatter profits NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market has never been higher, even as the list of challenges chipping away at it keeps growing. https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-bonds-us-e8285ec7afbe81e9df277e8ee2127982?

✈️ 1 for the road: Aspen flight fight Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios Planned upgrades to Aspen's airport sit at the core of a broader fight over the future of the iconic Colorado ski town, Andrew Zucker reports in The Wall Street Journal. The plan calls for shifting the roughly 8,000-foot runway 80 feet to the west and widening it to 150 feet, to accommodate bigger jets used by some of the ultra-wealthy visitors who've become a staple of the Aspen crowd. 🛬 Proponents say that mountainous, hard-to-reach Aspen will benefit from easier access by air. Detractors worry about being overrun with visitors — and the economic shock from closing the airfield for several months to do the work. Gift link.

🍿 Paramount Skydance closed its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, ending a dramatic, yearlong process that rattled Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington. The deal creates one of the world's largest entertainment behemoths and makes CEO David Ellison one of the most powerful people in culture and business. More from Sara Fischer.

😡 California leaders are blasting President Trump after he said during a rally last night, about Iran: "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." The White House claims that Trump was talking about stopping Iran from attacking those cities. Get the latest.

🤖 AI boom drives record imports Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios U.S. imports hit a record $421 billion in August, Axios' Courtenay Brown reports from new government data. Imports rose much faster than exports, widening the U.S. trade deficit by about 14% to $106 billion. (Still, the trade gap is about 20% smaller this year than at the same time last year.) 💻 Imports of semiconductors — critical to the data centers and computing infrastructure behind the AI buildout — jumped by a record $2.4 billion from July. Crude oil imports also rose sharply. The numbers underscore a tension at the heart of Trump's economic agenda: The administration wants to curb imports while accelerating an AI boom that heavily depends on them. Explore the data.

Cornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school’s handling of sex assault claims ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A former high-ranking Department of Justice official will look at how Cornell handles sexual misconduct complaints, university trustees announced Tuesday as they tried to address an outpouring of anger over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house. https://apnews.com/article/cornell-university-rape-investigation-sally-yates-259e923dc2fb581f6565b0c4969c4397? Washington resident conspired with Canadian school shooter before attack, officials say SEATTLE (AP) — Federal authorities said Tuesday that they have arrested and charged a 30-year-old from Washington state with encouraging an 18-year-old to commit one of the worst school shootings in Canada’s history by offering to livestream the February attack, providing money and sharing advice on how to delete online messages to keep the plot a secret. https://apnews.com/article/school-shooting-canada-tumbler-ridge-discord-washington-3dd1b5568eef582826717d4f1b3f3a33? 👩‍💼 Sally Yates, a deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, will oversee a review into Cornell University's handling of sexual misconduct complaints. That comes amid widespread anger over how the school dealt with allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house. Get the latest.

My wife and I will be watching at home.

👋 Good morning! It's a great day to have a great day. Tap in: Happy GeoSports Tuesday to all who observe. Play today's round. In today's edition: Rays destroy Yankees, Sox ride bullpen to victory, Ovechkin's last dance (and Messi's too), USA vs. Canada, the retail investor's seat at the table, the last of the unbeatens, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏒 Ovi's last dance: Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, announced Monday that this will be the final season of his career. As you might expect, ticket prices for Washington's final regular-season games have soared since the announcement. ⛳️ PGA Tour backs bill: In a letter to President Trump, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp voiced his support for the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill currently stalled in the Senate that would create permanent Daylight Saving Time. Why? It would allow golfers to play an hour later, expanding access "at a time when the game is more popular than ever." 🏈 Hill eyes return: Tyreek Hill has begun negotiating with teams about his potential return to the NFL after last season's knee injury resulted in his release from the Dolphins. One possible landing spot for the eight-time Pro Bowler? A reunion with the Chiefs, whose wide receiver room is thin following a rash of injuries. 🎾 An expensive DQ: Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal match against Novak Djokovic after hitting a spectator with a ball that he struck in frustration. Djokovic was three points away from winning anyway, but the DQ means Medvedev must forfeit the $220,000 he earned by reaching the semis. 🏈 NFL suspends officials: The NFL has suspended referee Adrian Hill one game and line judge Jeff Seeman two games for "unprofessional conduct toward a player" stemming from separate incidents on Sunday, both of which involved heated exchanges and choice words.   📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ St. Petersburg, Florida The Rays moved within a win of the ALCS after Monday's 5-2 win over the Yankees, using their patented small-ball attack to hand presumptive Cy Young Cam Schlittler his first loss since July. Also working in Tampa Bay's favor? New York had the same number of errors (4) as hits. Can history repeat itself? The Pinstripes are undoubtedly in a hole as they face an 0-2 deficit that just 10 teams (out of 93) have successfully come back from in a five-game series. But good news, New York: The last team to rally from such a deficit and win the series was… the Yankees in the 2017 ALDS. Closer Grant Taylor celebrates the win. (Jason Miller/Getty Images) ⚾️ Cleveland, Ohio The White Sox rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Guardians to take a commanding 2-0 lead on the road in their ALDS. Cleveland's Gavin Williams was excellent (5 IP, 11 K, 4 H, 2 R), but Chicago's Sean Burke (5.1 IP, 6 K, 1 H, 1 R) earned the win out of the bullpen after retiring a historic 13 straight batters. Who needs starters? The White Sox are the first team in MLB history to win four straight postseason games in which their starter went four or fewer innings in each. And if that weren't impressive enough, all four wins came on the road. The atmosphere tomorrow in Chicago is going to be electric. (Morgan Simmons/Getty Images) 🏈 New Orleans, Louisiana The Falcons ran wild in Monday's 45-24 rout of the Saints, compiling 205 rushing yards and a franchise record-tying 5 rushing touchdowns courtesy of Bijan Robinson (145 yds, 2 TD) and Brian Robinson Jr. (62 yds, 3 TD). Setting the tone: Robinson (of the Bijan variety) erupted for a 59-yard score on his first touch of the night, giving him three career rushing touchdowns of 50+ yards in five career "MNF" games. Seems good. VJ Edgecombe skies for a dunk. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo) 🏀 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The new-look 76ers cruised to a 120-97 win over the defending champion Knicks in their preseason opener on Monday behind Jaylen Brown, who scored 22 first-half points in his first game as a Sixer. No LeBron, yet: Philly's other major offseason addition sat out in what was likely the first of many load-management DNPs for the almost-42-year-old James. 23 NBA seasons (and an NBA-record 73,476 minutes) have left him with chronic arthritis in his left foot and sciatica, both of which require an extensive training regimen.   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Hector Vivas/FIFA via Getty Images) ⚽️ 208th cap Lionel Messi's incomparable international career will come to an end tonight in Buenos Aires, where he'll represent Argentina for the 208th and final time in a friendly against Benin (7pm ET, ViX), which will try to avoid becoming the 45th country to surrender a goal to the GOAT. All good things must end: "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts — deep in my soul, but I realize that the time has come," Messi wrote back in August when announcing his decision. "I love, have loved and will always love being a part of the national team." (Chris Unger/Getty Images) 🏈 537 rushing yards Kenneth Walker III's 537 rush yards are the most by any player through four games in the last 15 years, and he's just the fourth player in NFL history to rack up 175+ scrimmage yards in three of the first four games in a season. Decent offseason addition by the Chiefs! Have a year, kid: Since last November, Walker has won 14 consecutive games, claimed Super Bowl MVP (the first running back to do so since 1998), signed a $43 million contract and emerged as an early OPOY frontrunner. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ⚾️ 24 straight games Freddie Freeman has reached base safely in 24 consecutive postseason games, one shy of matching the third-longest streak ever. If he gets on base tonight he'll tie Juan Soto (active streak), Jose Altuve, Pablo Sandoval and Boog Powell at 25 straight, trailing only Chase Utley (27) and Miguel Cabrera (31). But wait, there's more: Freeman's home run on Sunday was the 13th game-tying or go-ahead blast of his postseason career, second only to Altuve (14) for the most ever.   📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 🏈 Dan Wolken: College football has never been more chaotic — and its fans are losing their minds because of it College football has been disrupted more quickly and violently than perhaps any sport in modern times, and there's a lot of good that has come from it. But the transition from what it used to be to what it is now hasn't been perfect. It has created a different set of winners and losers, and it is producing a level of angst that fans, coaches and administrators are struggling to deal with and the media is struggling to capture in its full context. Everyone has an opinion on what college football should look like, but we all have to accept that it is changing in some ways we will like and others we will hate. Whether we can adjust to that reality before demanding that everyone be fired remains to be seen. (Sarah Stier/FIFA via Getty Images) ⚽️ Steven Goff: Jesse Marsch, Canada want to challenge USMNT, Mexico for CONCACAF supremacy The U.S. and Canada will meet in a friendly tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota. And while the road-weary Americans will seek to continue their fine run of form, the Canadians — and their outspoken American coach — will resume their quest to change the perception in the CONCACAF region. "Institutionally, CONCACAF still looks at this as a region that's about Mexico, or U.S. and Mexico, probably in that order right now," said Wisconsin-born, Princeton-educated Jesse Marsch, who guided Canada to the World Cup's Round of 16 this summer. "We need to continue to establish ourselves and show we are also part of this mix. We want to be the beacon of the region, and we believe we can be." (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 🏒 Adam Proteau: The NHL's early-season scoring surge is a breath of fresh air (The Hockey News) There's nothing wrong with a feisty, low-scoring battle in the NHL, but most fans love to see a ton of goals. So far this season, fans have to be delighted. In the 39 games played through Sunday's five-game slate, 16 had at least seven goals scored in total and five games had nine goals or more. By contrast, only five of the 39 games had three goals or fewer. There's clearly a trend toward high-scoring hockey, and there are at least a couple of factors playing into the barrage of scoring. The biggest factor, we believe, is the NHL's first year with fewer preseason games.   📈 SPORTS TEAM OWNER THE RETAIL INVESTOR'S SEAT AT THE TABLE The explosion in team values has primarily increased the paper wealth of billionaire team owners, centi-millionaire minority investors and a growing group of private equity firms. But retail investors still have some access, and soon they'll be able to express their investment views more precisely. ICYMI: The board of Madison Square Garden Sports has approved the proposed spin-off of the Knicks and Rangers into separate publicly traded companies. The transaction is expected to be completed Oct. 26. Choose your fighter: Once the spin-off is complete, public investors can own pure-play stakes in franchises in three of the four major North American leagues: ⚾️ MLB: Braves (BATRA) 🏀 NBA: Knicks (MSGK) 🏒 NHL: Rangers (MSGR) Plus: Manchester United of the English Premier League also trades alongside them on the NYSE. Each company has outperformed significantly in 2026. Don't get used to it: Access could be short-lived. Braves investors have lobbied for a sale, while the MSGS spin-off would make taking the Knicks or Rangers private more straightforward. MSGS' current enterprise value is approaching $11 billion, well below the teams' estimated combined value. The Knicks alone are worth $11.75 billion, per J.P. Morgan.   🏈 STILL PERFECT THE LAST OF THE UNBEATENS (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) Just 15 of 138 FBS teams remain undefeated entering Week 6, with exactly three hailing from each Power Four conference. SEC: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama Big Ten: No. 7 Indiana, No. 21 UCLA, Nebraska ACC: No. 4 Miami, No. 25 Pittsburgh, Duke Big 12: No. 8 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 12 Utah Outside the Power Four: The other three unbeatens are independent Notre Dame and two Group of 5 teams that only recently made the leap from the FCS to the FBS: James Madison (joined the Sun Belt in 2022) and North Dakota State (joined the Mountain West this season). The JMU effect: 20% of the remaining undefeated teams are led by current or former James Madison head coaches: Billy Napier (JMU), Curt Cignetti (Indiana) and Bob Chesney (UCLA). Harrisonburg, Virginia: Come for the mountains, stay for the coaching tree. On the flip side… Charlotte, Northern Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe are still searching for their first wins. (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports)   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 6 (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ NLDS, Game 3 The Braves host the Dodgers today (6pm ET, FS1) with the series knotted up and a tantalizing pitching matchup: Chris Sale vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Then it's off to San Diego (9:30pm, FS1), where the Padres must beat the Brewers to stay alive. Look away, Padres fans: MLB teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win the series 83 of 93 times (89%), and teams like Milwaukee that won the first two Division Series games at home under the current 2-2-1 format have gone on to win 33 of 36 times (92%). 🇺🇸 USMNT vs. Canada The Americans will look to complete a perfect international break tonight in St. Paul (8pm, TNT), where they take on the Canadians after beating Peru, Chile and Mexico in the past couple weeks. Youth movement: Six of the USMNT's 11 goals during this break have been scored by teenagers (Julian Hall 3x, Cavan Sullivan, Justin Ellis, Mathis Albert), and their oldest goalscorer, Chris Richards, is just 26. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Islanders at Rangers (7:30pm, ESPN); Panthers at Kings (10pm, ESPN) … The Battle of New York headlines tonight's doubleheader. ⚽️ MLS: Chicago vs. Vancouver (8:30pm, Apple) … Former Bayern Munich teammates Robert Lewandowski (Chicago) and Thomas Müller (Vancouver) meet for the first time in MLS. 🎾 China Open: Men's Final (7am, Tennis) … Novak Djokovic is battling Alex de Minaur as he seeks his 34th straight win and seventh title in Beijing. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Nets at Hornets (7pm, NBA); Lakers at Warriors (10pm, NBA) … The season tips off two weeks from today. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🌎 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS On Tuesdays, we play GeoSports. All questions are written by me. How to play: You'll be asked five questions that combine sports and geography. Tap the spot on the globe where you think the answer is. The closer you are, the more points you get.

US House Dems’ campaign chief predicts they’ll gain majority control in midterms WASHINGTON — Democrats expect they’ll gain a majority of seats in the U.S. House following November’s midterm elections, giving the party a platform to serve as a check on the president’s power. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/repub/us-house-dems-campaign-chief-predicts-theyll-gain-majority-control-in-midterms/? Republicans to spend $5 million in South Carolina Senate race as Trump plans trip there The primary Senate Republican super PAC is sending reinforcements to deep red South Carolina as President Donald Trump prepares to travel there to boost Sen. Darline Graham. Read More.

Uthmeier announces arrests in alleged massive sea life poaching ring State officials announced criminal charges Monday against 10 individuals in an alleged poaching conspiracy involving overfishing of reef fish including grouper, redfish, and snapper, plus protected sea turtles, including hatchlings. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/uthmeier-announces-arrests-in-alleged-massive-sea-life-poaching-ring/? Byron Donalds unveils proposal to protect Florida waterways INDIAN SHORES — While the environment has not taken much prominence in the race for governor, public opinion surveys have consistently shown Floridians place high value on issues like marine protected areas and clean waterways. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/byron-donalds-unveils-proposal-to-protect-florida-waterways/? ps:What a joke! This guy has backed the gov the whole time and now he's going to change on a dime?? Autism-treatment task force inches closer to finalizing recommendations A blue-ribbon panel will hold two more meetings before it adopts the final list of recommendations to the Legislature on how best to use state dollars to treat children with autism. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/autism-treatment-task-force-inches-closer-to-finalizing-recommendations/? Uthmeier sticks by his guns: Hope Florida transfers were ‘entirely legal, absolutely’ Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier reiterated Monday that he considers the diversion of Medicaid funds through the Hope Florida Foundation to run political ads “entirely legal, absolutely.” https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/uthmeier-sticks-by-his-guns-hope-florida-transfers-were-entirely-legal-absolutely/? ps:This is another joke!!!!! State regulators to allow part of NextEra’s political past to be examined in Dominion merger case The Virginia State Corporation Commission will allow documents detailing an internal investigation into NextEra Energy’s failed attempt to acquire Jacksonville, Florida’s public utility to be included in deliberations of the company’s $67 billion proposed merger with Dominion Energy. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/05/repub/state-regulators-to-allow-part-of-nexteras-political-past-to-be-examined-in-dominion-merger-case/?

It is almost here. Prime Video Season Premiere: November 15, 2026 (Episodes 1–3) Episode 4: November 22, 2026 Episode 5: November 29, 2026 Episode 6: December 6, 2026 Season Finale: Theatrical release March 12, 2027 Upcoming Season 7: Kicks off with a feature film depicting the resurrection in theaters on March 31, 2028.

Base in UK faced Iran-linked threats to kill US troops and destroy planes, official says LONDON (AP) — A U.S.-run military air base in England faced Iranian-related threats and the Trump administration believed the intention was to kill as many American troops and destroy as many U.S. planes as possible, a U.S. official said. https://apnews.com/article/raf-fairford-uk-arrest-terror-charge-ddde1e3ab126c14fadbf766ad89733cb?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eva Marie Saint, the pale, willowy actor who won an Academy Award for her first movie, “On the Waterfront,” and starred opposite Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest,” has died. She was 102. Saint, whose acting work lasted well into her 90s, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, confirmed family representative Jeff Sanderson. Saint had one of the most spectacular debuts in Hollywood history, as the love interest of Marlon Brando’s tormented Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” and her first trip to the Academy Awards was memorable too. Pregnant with her first child, Saint accepted her Oscar from Frank Sinatra and smilingly murmured a unique winner’s speech: “I think I may have the baby right here.” (Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.) The award for the 1954 classic made her an instant star, but she soon astonished Hollywood with a firm independence that would mark her career. She refused offers of studio contracts and declined chances to follow up on her great success, explaining that she was taking time off to become acquainted with her new son. (A daughter, Laurette, was born in 1958.) A curated career In her first decade in Hollywood, Saint appeared in a mere seven films. She declined such top-level productions as “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” with Gregory Peck, “Summer and Smoke” with Laurence Harvey and “The Rainmaker” with Burt Lancaster. She credited her husband, TV and stage director Jeffrey Hayden, with persuading her to star in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” the classic 1959 thriller in which Saint plays a spy who seduces Grant, but ends up falling for him. “I vividly remember him saying, ‘Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I’ll take care of the children and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,’” she told Vanity Fair in 2014. “He was so right. And that’s what husbands are for.” Born July 4, 1924 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Died October 6, 2026 (aged 102) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Education Bowling Green State University Occupation Actress Years active 1944–2021 Works Full list Spouse Jeffrey Hayden (m. 1951; died 2016) Children 2 One spouse for 65 years. That has to be a Hollywood record.

This city is on track to run out of water by 2030 Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, is on track to be the first modern city to run out of water and could do so as soon as 2030, according to a report from the nonprofit Prosper Global. It’s part of a broader problem, as cities from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Iran’s capital Tehran, face water shortages so severe that residents are bracing for “day zero” — when taps run dry for large parts of a city. Growing populations, strained infrastructure and a warming climate are often to blame. But Kabul faces an especially dire mix, compounded by decades of conflict and a steep decline in foreign aid since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. + Read more: Kabul is on track to be the first modern city to run out of water. For many residents, that day is already here + Video: Residents of Corpus Christi, Texas, are staring down a water crisis

Wall Street rides the AI wave Wall Street is on pace for a record year of profits, fueled in part by massive investment in artificial intelligence. The industry raked in $45.9 billion in profits in the first half of 2026, up 51% from a year earlier, driven by strong trading. IPO activity has also picked up, with dozens of companies — including several tied to AI — waiting to go public, potentially bringing banks even more business. The surge has also lifted pay, with the average Wall Street salary, including bonuses, topping $561,000 last year. But rising interest rates and bond market volatility could weigh on profits by raising borrowing costs and cooling trading in the months ahead. + Read more: Wall Street is booming. Surging yields could shake things up + Plus: Anthropic expected to IPO as soon as November

Trump signs order aimed at lowering diesel prices A person pumps diesel fuel into his tractor-trailer. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Monday aimed at easing near-record diesel prices by expanding the use of cheaper, tax-free red-dyed diesel, typically reserved for off-road vehicles. Trump said the move will “drive down the costs of all goods, including groceries,” and could offer relief to truckers and farmers. Diesel has jumped from $3.76 a gallon before the Iran war to $6.32 on Monday, according to AAA. A trucker filling up an 18-wheeler with 250 gallons of diesel currently costs about $1,575, and tax-free diesel could cut that cost by roughly $150. “It’s not really a needle-mover,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, an app that tracks fuel prices. “This won’t fix the problem overnight, but it can allow politicians to take a bit of a victory lap.” + Read more: Trump signs executive order aimed at lowering diesel prices + Meanwhile: Americans are rushing to buy hybrid cars

The Senate is up for grabs Control of the Senate this November could hinge on just a handful of closely watched races. Democrats need 51 seats to take the majority, while Republicans need 50, with Vice President JD Vance able to break any tie. One promising sign for Democrats: They’re drawing notable crossover support from Republican voters. A CNN review of recent polling data shows Democratic candidates have led among GOP voters by double digits in four key Senate races, and they lead by an average of at least 9 points in seven of the top 10 races. That crossover support is particularly strong among non-MAGA Republicans, though polls have underestimated Republican support in recent elections. + Read more: Democrats are taking big chunks of GOP voters in key Senate races, polls show + For subscribers: Plot each party’s best path to winning with this interactive map

Protests grow at Cornell University A demonstration at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on Monday. (AP) Cornell University faculty have introduced a resolution calling for a vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape on campus, as demands for accountability grow. A no-confidence vote would signal a loss of faith in university leadership and increase pressure for change. “The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something,” said professor Paul Ortiz. This comes as hundreds of students and community members gathered Monday, chanting “shame” and “resign” over what they say was the university’s failure to respond when the woman, known as Jane Doe, first reported the alleged assault to campus police. Some groups are also planning a seven-hour sit-in Wednesday in solidarity with her. + First on CNN: Cornell faculty prepare no-confidence vote against university administration + Video: Protesters at Cornell speak out on handling of alleged gang rape

Here’s why experts say now is an ideal time to protect yourself from flu It’s October and time for flu shots. Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely — and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. Updated COVID-19 shots are available now, plus shots for people especially vulnerable to another winter risk called RSV. Read more. Why this matters: Every year flu alone causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. and kills tens of thousands. Fall vaccine advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its independent advisory panel. But this year that panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle and the CDC hasn't updated its flu advice. Now doctors’ groups are filling the gap. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ One shot or two? What to know about HPV vaccination recommendations Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak is the largest in decades in the US

Trump says his super PAC will pay for taxpayer-funded ads President Donald Trump said Monday that he will stop using taxpayer funds for television advertisements glorifying himself that sparked a major backlash and instead tap his super PAC to cover costs going forward. Read more. What to know: In a post on his social media site, Trump defended the ads, which cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds, saying they were “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” But he added that he’d “decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.” That is Trump’s political war chest, which had amassed more than $400 million by the end of July. Trump has begun to tap it to boost Republican candidates around the country ahead of midterm elections. Trump’s abrupt about-face came after leaders from both parties criticized using taxpayer funds for the ads. Legal experts said the ads might even violate federal statutes. Trump provided no details on reimbursing taxpayers for ads that already aired, nor how he would go about having his political organization pay for such future advertising. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Trump says threats prompted US to remove bombers from British air base Supreme Court rejects Roy Moore’s push to restore $8.2M defamation verdict Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan Trump criticizes election officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County over error affecting 3,000 ballots Republican Sen. Tillis calls his deciding vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book Rubio begins three-nation NATO tour in Iceland, which is wary of Trump’s Arctic intentions Dennis Hastert, longtime Republican House speaker who went to prison, dies at age 84

October 6, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Thousands of Cornell students and faculty joined a protest march against the university’s administration last night as the school continues to grapple with allegations of sexual assault on campus. There’s a lot more below — including a fascinating look at the power of geography. But first, a few words about our pets and their palates. Mathias Depardon for The New York Times Picky eaters You know what’s a big business? Cat food. Americans spent more than $17 billion on the stuff over the last year, an increase of 14 percent from the same period in 2024. A lot of it’s fancy, “human-grade” food designed to improve health, with recipes that are said to aid aching joints, strengthen muscles or keep the old cat brain humming along. Those kitties we picked up during the pandemic aren’t getting any younger. “Aging is one of the biggest opportunities,” one pet-food executive told The Times. Her company’s senior cat food line includes an extra-soft mousse for old cats and an easy-to-eat kibble for even older cats. Purina last year brought out a “tender cuts in elegant jelly” creation, shaped like a pyramid to encourage cats to take wide bites. Of course all this stuff is expensive. I can tell you that from experience with both cats and dogs. My elderly Labrador eats the same kibble she’s been eating since she was a puppy and never complains. My young Lab used to eat raw beef, chicken feet, salmon heads and lots of liver, until we put her on the old one’s kibble program. (Much easier and far less expensive. The raw meat situation was like a MAHA fever dream.) My old cat, though? That fellow demands canned turkey pate twice a day until he suddenly turns his nose up at it and wants, what — the beef one, the chicken, the fish? Keeping his larder full costs as much as the dog food — and he weighs 80 pounds less than each of the girls. Sometimes all he’ll eat is kibble, then stare at me, slightly malevolently. I used to be a restaurant critic. If my cat did that job, there’d be no raves. He’s the Anton Ego of feline cuisine. And he’s not alone. Jenny Gross, one of our business reporters, traveled to southern France recently to visit a research facility owned by Mars (yes, the candy makers), where dozens of judgmental cats like mine chill out in a kind of day-care facility, waiting for dinner time. When it comes, the researchers present each cat with two choices of food, with scales beneath the trays to measure how much of each they consume. Then they monitor their postprandial behavior. Are the cats more lethargic than usual? Playful? (The researchers study dogs as well.) They use the data from the discerning animals to adjust recipes and come up with new ones. One factory manufactures 146 types of kibble. Dogs at the Royal Canin Pet Center in France. Mathias Depardon for The New York Times Hot tuna! A researcher at another feline taste-testing center, in England, told Jenny his team was especially interested in understanding the senses and tastes of cats. They wanted to know why cats don’t prefer sweet foods, for instance, and why they like tuna so much. “He said researchers determined that cats had the umami taste receptor,” Jenny writes. “Tuna has a unique combination of compounds that is akin to ‘super umami’ for cats,” the researcher told her. My cat’s unfazed by the stuff, though. He just wants what he wants. I continue to attempt to fathom what that is, knowing that he’ll want something entirely different tomorrow, or next week. In this regard, anyway, 🐕> 🐈. Read more about the four-legged taste testers. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Outside the Supreme Court. Alex Kent/The New York Times The Supreme Court heard arguments in the first case of its new term — about whether local governments can hold oil companies responsible for damage caused by climate change. President Trump signed an executive order that aims to ease fuel costs by allowing a special kind of diesel typically used for farm equipment to be used more broadly. The Midterms Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, is accusing pediatricians in the state of forcing vaccinations on children. Trump said his super PAC would now pay for television ads supporting him that had aired at taxpayer expense. Hispanic voters, who shifted Republican in the 2024 election, now overwhelmingly disapprove of the party, an NBC News/Telemundo poll found. Cornell Rape Investigation Cornell’s faculty senate plans to consider a vote of no confidence against the university’s administrators. Ketamine played a central role in Jane Doe’s assault. It’s become a popular party drug on campus. Lives Lived Jeffrey Archer was a best-selling thriller writer with a British political career as full of scandal and spectacle as one of his books. In 2001, he was jailed for perjury. He died at 86. Jim Bakker rose to fame in the 1970s and ’80s as a television evangelist before scandals brought down his ministry and sent him to prison. He also died at 86. Iran War The U.S. military withdrew its bombers from a base in Britain because of the risk of a drone attack ordered by Iran, officials said. The war against Iran has forced world leaders to reckon with the role of geography in global affairs. More International News France is bracing for nationwide strikes today after union leaders agreed to join students in protests that began last month. The government in Russia is trying to stop rumors that a woman in Siberia died of plague. Melting ice in Switzerland has revealed ancient artifacts once frozen in the glaciers. In the video below, the climate reporter Raymond Zhong takes us on a search for ancient objects. Click to watch. The New York Times Nobel Prizes A psychiatrist, a plant physiologist and a biophysicist won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for a technique that uses light to activate neurons in the brain. Francis Halzen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. Other Big Stories Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary, is joining Fox News as a contributor. An argument over Trump at an Ohio dog park led to a shooting. Two men face prison time in the case. THE GREAT UNANSWERED A detector at a neutrino observatory, relevant to the 44th question. Ng Han Guan/Associated Press The Times asked 100 scientists to give us the big unanswered questions in their fields. You may already have contemplated some of these puzzles: Did time have a beginning? What preceded the Big Bang? Why do we sleep? Which animals dream? Others seem esoteric (though still important): Are all atoms of the same element and isotope identical, or is every atom in the universe unique? Here’s one to ponder while you’re shaving or plucking: Why are humans the only species with a chin? One molecular biologist even sent us back a question that encompasses the other 99: What is curiosity? Read our list of what some of the world’s best minds are thinking about. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) One activist became the face of Spain’s housing crisis, which helped bring down the government. She is … A landlord who says her rapacious peers raise the rent too often. An 87-year-old evicted from her Madrid apartment. A tween from the foster-care system. The queen, who rarely speaks on politics but made an exception for housing. OPINIONS Trump’s attempts at voter suppression are laying the groundwork for the 2028 election, Jeffrey Toobin writes. Attribution science, an emerging field that studies the effect of specific actions on extreme weather, could help hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate change in court. The Anniversary Sale ends soon: Morning readers, enjoy our best offer. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your interests with expert coverage of news, culture, business and more. Save now: $1/week for your first year. FREE TO READ Jiwoong Hong for The New York Times The future? A theme park in South Korea lets visitors experience life with humanoid robots. See what it’s like. Mudslinging: The candidates for governor in Ohio, Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy, are portraying each other in ads as a con artist and a drunk. I Spy: To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding, the long-defunct Spy magazine is posting one story a day from its archive on Substack — each one about Donald Trump. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a sexually suggestive political ad for a California Republican. TODAY’S NUMBER 6 — That is the number of percentage points by which the Democrat James Talarico leads the Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, according to the latest Times/Siena poll. Explore the Democrats’ overall advantage here. SPORTS M.L.B.: The scrappy Chicago White Sox are one win away from the American League Championship Series. Tennis: Daniil Medvedev was removed from a semifinal match against Novak Djokovic in the China Open after hitting a fan in the face with a ball. RECIPE OF THE DAY Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot. Counterintuitive: Kay Chun’s recipe for her grandmother’s buttery chicken wings calls for cooking the chicken slowly, not quickly, in a covered pan, so the fat renders slowly, basting the skin. Soy sauce delivers a salty pop. Good eats. FOCUS CHALLENGE Rubenshuis We’d like you to see if you can spend 10 minutes looking at a painting. This one’s “The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest,” painted by Willem van Haecht in 1628. Even if you don’t go the distance, what do you see? Inspect it closely. More on culture Remember box sets? There’s a new one out, “Donna Summer: The Casablanca Studio Albums,” that captures the queen of disco’s musical breadth. Don’t call it a comeback. LL Cool J is back, in “NCIS: New York.” He talked to The Times about the thrill of the work. “How do you keep a show on the air?” he asked. “Scene by scene.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Take our sleep quiz and find out what kind of sleeper you are. Read “Hotel Ukraine,” Martin Cruz Smith’s final novel about the great Moscow detective Arkady Renko, who battles bad people and the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. Prepare for October’s Prime Day, if Amazon shopping’s your jam. The bargain hunters at Wirecutter have found a lot of good deals. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was violator. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY October 6 1866 The Reno brothers carry out the first train robbery in U.S. history The Reno brothers stage the first moving train robbery in American history, making off with $13,000 from an Ohio and Mississippi railroad train in Jackson County, Indiana. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Cold War 1973 The Yom Kippur War brings United States and USSR to brink of conflict Middle Eastern History 1981 The president of Egypt is assassinated Sports 1926 Babe Ruth sets a World Series record U.S. Presidents 1996 Bill Clinton debates Bob Dole World War I 1908 Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia-Herzegovina

🏀 1 hoop thing: NBA to experiment with smart balls Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios The NBA is experimenting with two pieces of technology in the lead-up to the new season, which tips off Tuesday, Oct. 20: Some preseason games will include a smart basketball with a Bluetooth sensor that can collect data for future use in real-time officiating decisions. Some officials will also use wrist wearables to communicate with the replay center in designated situations, including replay reviews, scoring changes and clock malfunctions. Go deeper.

Russian plague puzzle Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Two big unknowns stand in the way of determining how serious the plague threat in Russia is and whether travel advisories, restrictions at U.S. ports of entry or other precautions are warranted. We still don't know which pathogen killed a Russian researcher, or how well contained it is, Axios' Caitlin Owens and Adriel Bettelheim write. State of play: A worker at the Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia recently died after contracting pneumonia. There are conflicting accounts of how she got sick and whether she was infected with pneumonic plague, which is almost always deadly without prompt treatment with antibiotics. 👀 The intrigue: Experts say that if the Russian worker did die from pneumonic plague, there's a possibility it was a genetically altered version that behaves differently than the treatable strain. That's just speculation at this point. But the prevalence of "gain-of-function" research that enhances pathogens to study them, and Russia's known development of biological weapons, make it impossible to rule out. Keep reading.