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Using it vs. fearing it Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images China isn't big on dissent — or public opposition and hand-wringing about the regime's priorities. That helps explain why the Chinese public is far more bullish on AI than America's. Why it matters: They use it, like it and trust it — by wide margins. 80% of Chinese people use AI weekly vs. 54% of Americans. It's in schools, public services and robots in hotels and stores. 84% of Chinese people say AI excites them. That's the highest of any country. Only 38% of Americans say the same. 87% of Chinese people trust AI, compared to just 32% of Americans. And 54% want more of it in daily life. That share is a measly 17% here. Worth noting: Don't overread it. ChinaTalk, a sharp China tracker, argues the optimism is overstated and masks rising worry about AI wiping out jobs.

Understanding China's AI Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images China builds the world's best cheap open-source AI but trails America's most cutting-edge AI by about half a year, on a fraction of the investment. That's the consensus of most AI experts we talk to. Truthfully, there's no rock-solid way to measure it, and every model release resets the estimates. Why it matters: Everyone agrees on this: Chinese models are very good, are gaining fast, and are much cheaper to use. 🤖 The four you need to know: Kimi K3 (Moonshot): Widely rated as the best all-around open Chinese model. It's strongest on long, multi-step agentic tasks. Qwen3.8-Max (Alibaba): Also highly regarded and even tops some model rankings. GLM-5.3 (Zhipu / Z.ai): China's coding specialist. Its predecessor scored within a point of Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.8 on a key coding test, at under a fifth of the cost. DeepSeek V4 / V4.1-Flash: Among the cheapest to use. It's MIT-licensed and truly open. The twist: U.S. officials and AI companies accuse Chinese labs of "distillation," covertly firing millions of questions at American models and training on the answers. Washington has threatened sanctions and blacklisting, but hasn't pulled the trigger. Worth noting: U.S. frontier labs have lately focused far more on building powerful lower-cost models to try to make sure Chinese AI can't undercut them on price.

China's strengths Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images China is America's only real AI competition — and, despite its weaknesses, it has some serious, structural advantages. Why it matters: China leads in the physical ingredients for scaling AI: power, materials, robots and cheap models people actually use. These are the key ingredients for turning superhuman intelligence into real economic and military power. Think of it this way: If they catch up — or lap us — on AI capabilities and chip production, they're way better positioned to instantly impose and roll it out across society. In fact, they're beating us there, too (more on that below). 🦾 Their edge exists thanks to: Power: Electricity is the biggest bottleneck on America's AI buildout, and China is swimming in it. BloombergNEF estimates China will add almost six times as much generating capacity as the U.S. over the next five years. Vital materials: China dominates the minerals AI hardware runs on. The IEA tracks 20 essential ones for building AI and adjacent tech — and China dominates all but one, usually by huge margins. They have applied export controls to half of them as a way to slow us down. Rolling out robots: This is where AI truly meets the real work. More than half of all industrial robots installed worldwide in 2024 went to China. They dominate us on this one. Better AI will equal better robots. Cheap, widespread adoption: Chinese open-source models are the world's default for developers building cheaply. Five of the six most popular models on OpenRouter, a leading AI marketplace, come from Chinese firms. Land-and-sky autonomy: They're simply crushing us on self-driving cars and self-flying drones. China's DJI alone has over 70% of the global drone market.

China's weaknesses Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images China's AI strategy aims to alleviate several big domestic problems. Why it matters: Americans tend to focus on China's growing strength — but much of its AI thinking flows from glaring weakness. 😱 China is staring down: An aging population: China's population has shrunk for four years straight, and is very old. China has nearly as many people over 60 as America has in total. That helps explain the country's robotics obsession. Very high youth unemployment: China's rate sits at 19%, basically double that of the U.S. An angry, young population with powerful AI tools is a threat to power. Poor population outside major cities: This is a huge pain point. Then add in a five-year housing crisis, with prices falling for most people's most valuable asset. Inferior chip production: Nvidia is simply way better than anything they've got. You can't compete on AI with uncompetitive chips — and Huawei, their Nvidia, is way behind despite state-directed help. Export addiction: China is crushing it on exports, often flooding foreign markets with cheap cars, parts and technology. But its domestic economy is sucking wind — strong supply, weak demand.

Inside China's mind Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images China is waging a much different war for AI supremacy than the U.S. is, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes. Why it matters: China is obsessed with state control and adoption. Chinese officials are laser-focused on deep, widespread AI domestic use they can monitor and steer at every level of their economy. By contrast, America is obsessed with developing superior AI faster. Period. The U.S. thinking: The nation first to true super-intelligence wins everything. 🏆 China and the U.S. agree on three AI certainties: The country with the most powerful AI holds power, sets global standards, and wins the coming decades economically and militarily. President Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews last night. Photo: Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images From there, the two nations are on very different roads. China's 15th Five-Year Plan, released in March, is revealing: AI appears 52 times, 5x more than a half-decade earlier. Computing power gets its own full chapter. China's goal is clear: Integrate AI across 90% of the economy by 2030. America has no target like that. The bottom line: China doesn't get spooled up about white-collar job loss or humanity-ending rogue AI. The regime is worried most about AI turning against ... the regime. Chen Yixin, China's spy chief, warned this month about AI's ability to launch public opinion wars and "cognitive warfare against China," threatening "political security, institutional security and ideological security."

Cancer Detection Test A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted yesterday to endorse a blood test designed to detect up to 50 forms of cancer in people aged 50 or older. The decision suggests full FDA approval may be forthcoming, opening the door to Medicare and private insurance coverage. The DNA-based Galleri test uses a single blood draw to assess if a user may have tumors caused by cancers missed by current screenings, like ovarian and thyroid cancers. FDA panelists noted that one-third to one-half of the test’s positive results may be false but concluded its benefits outweighed the risks. There is no large-scale randomized data finding Galleri reduces cancer mortality. Biotech company Grail states the test should be used to complement existing screenings, not replace them. It retails for $949 online. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the US behind heart disease. See a breakdown of 2026 case numbers and demographics here.

Pakistan says airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 28 militants; Kabul reports 3 civilians killed ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani fighter jets on Monday struck sites in eastern Afghanistan that Pakistani officials described as suspected militant hideouts. Pakistan said 28 militants were killed, while authorities in Kabul reported at least three civilian deaths. https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-carried-out-strikes-inside-afghanistan-95178c5833c7a6a621c9bb0f06a78915?

🚤 Parting shot! Photo: Edward Fine It's officially fall, but we have one more stunning summer snap from reader Edward Fine — taken in Barnegat Light in Long Beach Island, N.J.

Dolly Parton's legacy sparks a giving wave A portrait of Dolly Parton fills a 5-acre corn maze at Twins BBQ Co. in Brookfield, Conn., on Sept. 13. Photo: Ted Shaffrey/AP Dolly Parton spent her life giving back to children and their communities. Since her death, her fans have been carrying on that legacy. It's the Dolly effect: In cities across America, people are donating their time and money, expanding Dolly's Imagination Library — her book-gifting program for kids — and starting projects of their own. 📚 The big picture: Dolly started the Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father, who couldn't read or write. The program sends over 3 million free books to children across five countries each month — and organizations and individuals are building on that legacy to reach even more. In Florida, Virginia, Ohio and elsewhere, Imagination Library affiliates have seen a surge in both donations and registrations since the star's passing on Aug. 25. In Houston, public libraries are working with the Imagination Library of Greater Houston to help more families sign up their children. In West Virginia, literacy nonprofit Read Aloud West Virginia is matching this month's donations to local Imagination Library affiliates when donors write "in memory of Dolly" with their contributions. In London, Dolly's Imagination Library is doubling the number of boroughs it covers. 🎸 What's next: This Friday — 9/25, a nod to Dolly's "9 to 5" movie — will be the first annual Give Like Dolly Day, created by The Dollywood Foundation to encourage people around the world to support children's literacy. One Nashville honky-tonk is giving 100% of Friday's sales to the Imagination Library and Nashville Public Libraries.

Why Is Sukkot Happier Than Any Other Jewish Holiday? There is a mitzvah to rejoice on all of the holidays, yet there is special emphasis on being joyful during Sukkot. As the Midrash1 notes, the Torah highlights the command to rejoice on Sukkot three times (as opposed to Shavuot, when we are commanded once, and Passover, when we are not explicitly commanded to rejoice).2 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4891279/jewish/Why-Is-Sukkot-Happier-Than-Any-Other-Jewish-Holiday.htm

Thune's rescue plan John Thune plans to run for another term as Senate GOP leader, even if Republicans lose the chamber's majority, he told us in an exclusive interview today in his Capitol office. 🛟 Why it matters: Thune is giving his senators broad leeway and tons of cash to preserve GOP control of the Senate. "I do see the Senate as a firewall in a lot of ways," Thune told us. "We will spend probably the next two years — if the House flips — trying to do impeachment or investigations, etc.," he said. Otherwise, the chamber will focus on judicial and executive nominations. Zoom out: Thune has three ways to help in the "tough environment" for Republicans in 2026. 🪧 1. Run against Washington: Thune said he understands if GOP candidates need to rhetorically distance themselves from Congress or even fellow Republicans in D.C., including himself. And when it comes to distancing from Trump: "In some places the president's coming in, some places he isn't." Candidates can draw their own conclusions, Thune said. Republican candidates are increasingly concluding that to win their races, they need to break with Trump on some issues. 🗳️ 2. Vote for your state: Thune's policy with senators is "don't surprise us and when you can, stay with the team," but "do what's in the best interest of you and your state." That could lead to a rebuke of Trump when Democrats force another vote on an Iran war powers resolution, expected before the Senate breaks for October. People's views have "evolved and changed" as the war has dragged on, he said. Many senators are "responding to what they're hearing back home." "That's a really hard vote," Thune acknowledged. "Any time you are committing your country to putting young men and women in harm's way — those are the hardest votes you'll make." He hopes Republicans will stick together to win the vote. What to watch: Thune wants to give Republicans more votes before the break to champion back home. He sees an opportunity with permitting reform legislation, which is being negotiated behind the scenes. Thune said it's possible he sets up a procedural vote on it after the final vote on the Protect College Sports bill. Thune is also floating a vote on the House-passed legislation targeting data center energy costs if the Senate remains in town next week. 💰 3. Spend cash like crazy: The Thune-linked Senate Leadership Fund is set to spend nearly $280 million in video advertising this year — more than any other group, according to AdImpact. Texas PAC, which is affiliated with SLF, is on track to spend another $112 million. "Texas is expensive," Thune said, but "we're doing everything we can to help. We can't afford to lose Texas." The bottom line: "That's ultimately up to the conference," Thune emphasized when asked if he'd run again if the GOP lost the majority, but "that's the plan." "The elections are going to be really important — I think — in how we view what happens next." Thune said you can't "rule anything in or out" when asked if he could face a challenger for the position. "But I think we worked really hard to create an environment here that is conducive to individual senators being able to achieve their objectives," he said. "I think, in this job, you have to be a good listener." — Stef Kight

Patchmaggedon (Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty.)   View in browser Today’s AI agents have become exceptional hackers, and they’re already posing a threat to some of the most important infrastructure in modern life: banks. In both finance and tech, industry leaders are well aware of the dangers, and they’re gearing up for a fight. Earlier this year, as Anthropic prepared to release a powerful new model called Mythos, the firm gave an early preview of the AI to a select group of companies, aiming to help them shore up their defenses. JPMorganChase was on the list, and more banks were reportedly added as Anthropic expanded the program. After the rollout, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and then–Fed Chair Jerome Powell met with the heads of Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and other major financial institutions to discuss the potential implications of the new model, which Anthropic claimed could “surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities.” What makes AI agents different from past cybersecurity threats is that they move at machine speeds and can be summoned in groups. These bots can attack in swarms, hunting for cracks in companies’ back-end systems. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which oversees many U.S. banks, wrote in a report to Congress this summer that AI has increased the “speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber-attacks targeting financial institutions.” Research from last year suggests that finance is likelier than other industries to face AI-enabled cyberattacks, but we can already see these threats playing out in the tech sector. Tech companies typically send out weekly software patches—updates and bug fixes, essentially—on what’s known as Patch Tuesday. In the age of agentic threats, the volume of those updates has ballooned. Microsoft patched nearly 1,000 issues earlier this month, an all-time record. The trend was accelerating before Mythos arrived, but, per J.P. Morgan’s analysis, the most advanced models have dramatically changed the cyber-risk landscape, leading to a “tsunami of patches.” Insiders have developed a word for it: “Patchmaggedon.” There’s also the risk that AI companies might lose control of the agents they send out into the world. Earlier this year, OpenAI revealed that its agents had defied instructions, breaching containment and hacking the servers of a company called Hugging Face. They also stole employee data and conspired to hide the evidence from their human managers. It was an incident that “exposed the speed of AI’s development,” as my colleague Josh Tyrangiel noted, “but also the lax oversight of the humans supposedly keeping tabs on it.” OpenAI has since disclosed several other lapses, and similar AI hacking incidents have occurred at Google, Anthropic, and Meta. What might happen if AI agents manage to identify substantial weaknesses in a bank’s code base? It’s hard to say with any certainty. But because banks underpin nearly every aspect of modern life, outages or disruptions to back-end systems could ripple across digital commerce. That some of the dangers associated with frontier AI are inherently unknowable can make preparing difficult. The companies building these tools don’t always understand the extent of a model’s capabilities until it’s been fully trained—OpenAI’s chief scientist has written that “AI is grown more than designed.” In spite of all this, the cybersecurity experts I spoke with made clear that the financial-services industry isn’t panicking. That’s in part because these agents and frontier models can also be used to prevent cyberattacks. Today’s engineers understand that defending against machine intelligence might itself require machine intelligence; firms are already deploying these tools for fraud detection, risk management, and more. Mike Silverman, the head of strategy and innovation at the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, told me that companies are using AI to beef up what’s known as anomaly detection—early-warning systems for potential threats—as well as other kinds of data monitoring. A cybersecurity executive at one of the largest banks in the United States told me that the industry’s Security Operations Centers—defense hubs traditionally managed by human beings—are exploring the possibility of developing their own agents, and that engineers across the sector are now designing systems with AI’s capabilities in mind. Because the financial sector has long been a target of scams, frauds, and data breaches, it’s already on high alert. But not every institution is equally capable of handling new threats; some smaller banks may lack the resources and security expertise of larger firms. As AI models advance, these tools may expose the difference between those who can afford to prepare for what’s coming, and those who can’t. Related: Assume you will be hacked, Matteo Wong writes. Deepfakes are coming for your bank account.

Not sure which desktop operating system is best for you? We help you choose by comparing the top options based on app compatibility, ease of use, hardware availability, interface design, gaming support, and other key factors. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/windows-vs-macos-vs-chrome-os-vs-linux-ultimate-operating-system-showdown ps:From the printing/graphic Arts side of things, which they don't cover! I can tell you from experience that in the printing industry the mac is the king!! We did use Windows computers, but they didn't compare to the Mac. As far as OSes are concerned the Mac OS runs the best for printing!!

📚 1 fun thing: Romi, the library robot Photo: Gitanjali Poonia/Axios The country's first library robot helper lives at Arizona's Mesa Gateway Library, Axios Mesa's Gitanjali Poonia reports. Romi is part tour guide, part selfie station — and easily the library's most futuristic helper. 👋🏻 Romi can greet visitors in eight languages and lead them to different sections of the building. Visitors can touch the screen on its belly to look up books. Go deeper.

🌊 Hurricane Polo has become one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Pacific, with its rapid intensification stunning meteorologists. Get the latest.

🛰️ Prepare for space war Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios Three U.S. military leaders in just as many days changed how the public talks about war in space, including the secretive weapons already among the stars, Axios' Colin Demarest reports. Last week, and in quick succession: Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said America has "on-orbit space control weapons" — a historic acknowledgment. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess told reporters that "it was time" to have such a discussion and be clear-eyed about Russian and Chinese capabilities, including "being able to grapple a satellite and move it to a different orbit." Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said troops must be "prepared to fight, endure and win in global, contested environments, from the seabed to cislunar space." The big picture: Space fights will happen. They'll look nothing like conflict on the ground or at sea. And the consequences will be enormous. Go deeper ...

Axios interview: Private Trump-Thune AI chat Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says that President Trump is "not really dug in" against government guardrails for AI, despite Trump's public campaign against new restrictions on the technology, Axios' Stef W. Kight reports from an interview today. Thune tells Axios that he spoke privately with Trump as the AI issue was getting "pretty hot" a few weeks ago, and believes that some of Trump's strong pushback lately is against public "paranoia and noise around the subject." Thune reads Trump's position as a preference for companies coming up with ways to secure their systems, rather than Congress or the administration, and relying more on experts to provide guidance on how to address threats. 👂 Zoom out: Thune has Trump's skepticism in one ear and tech leader alarm in the other. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called Thune to discuss AI safety before issuing his latest public warning on the tech's risks, Thune tells Axios. Thune says: "I do think that the threats are real. I think you have to take them seriously." "But I do also think that there are people who are ... doing a lot of fearmongering." 👀 What to watch: Thune's AI bill, which has not yet been reintroduced this Congress, puts the onus on tech companies to mitigate AI risks — but also calls for some federal oversight. It requires AI companies to report on any serious risks with frontier models and to come up with plans to address the concerns. Go deeper.

Zelenskyy, at UN, urges leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Wednesday that Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to ending “the ridiculous and never-ending war,” and he urged nations large and small to pressure the Russian president for peace by choking the country’s revenues and impeding its war efforts. https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-finances-zelenskyy-eae6556129152914081b48774236d397? Heads of AI firms tell UN Security Council that it could be a risk to all humanity The heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations on Wednesday to save the world or at least its people — in the form of somehow regulating the burgeoning technology that they have been designing. Read More. ICC convicts former Central African Republic militia commander of torture Judges at the International Criminal Court convicted rebel commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani on Wednesday of crimes against humanity for abusing and torturing prisoners at a detention facility in the Central African Republic. Read More.

Wage suppression in 10 charts Wages for typical workers have been largely suppressed since the 1970s. The 10 charts below tell that story. https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-suppression-in-10-charts/?

Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 15 years in prison for 2006 sexual assault NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a TV production assistant in 2006, capping a yearslong legal odyssey that a judge said cemented the disgraced movie mogul’s reputation as “the literal face of the #MeToo movement.” https://apnews.com/article/harvey-weinstein-mimi-haley-sentencing-new-york-e8c07e74d64220ca5cbd16bb833be206?

Mississippi police make 2nd arrest in death of Black woman found hanging from tree, seek 3rd suspect JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Police in Mississippi have arrested a second man in the death of a Black woman found hanging from a tree and have issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect. https://apnews.com/article/tasia-fortune-mississippi-hanging-5f55f92ac90efab2abcf7443e7f0c59d?

Robert Kraft Claims His Donations Help Palestinians. Turns Out He’s Funding Friends of the IDF. Billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants you to know he has spent “decades” supporting the Palestinian people. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/18/robert-kraft-macklemore-ed-sheeran-israel-donations/? How a Small Kansas City Became a Critical Hub for Trump’s Deportation Regime Against Its Will A former maximum-security prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, is now a critical hub in the Trump administration’s immigration detention machine, transforming in just a few months from a facility shuttered for its inhospitable conditions to a privately run jail holding hundreds of immigrants. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/22/leavenworth-kansas-corecivic-ice-mass-detention-deportation/? Immigration Roulette: Husband Granted Asylum, Wife Locked Up Awaiting Deportation An Iranian couple seeking refuge in the U.S. has been separated for nearly two years after separate immigration judges issued sharply diverging rulings on their nearly identical asylum applications. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/21/asylum-iranian-couple-detention-deport/? John Fetterman Is Fundraising on GOP Donor Email Lists Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is sending fundraising emails pledging to “stand with America” and “reject the extremes” — using email lists for Republican candidates and committees. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/21/john-fetterman-fundraising-republican-gop/? Decision on Charging Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s Killers Looms Over Minneapolis DA Race Cedrick Frazier’s blunt message for Minneapolis voters practically jumps off his yard signs: “PROSECUTE ICE. VOTE FRAZIER.” https://theintercept.com/2026/09/19/minneapolis-prosecutor-race-renee-good-alex-pretti-ice/? ICE Revives Former “Hellhole” Prison — And Hires the Same Company To Run It Marcia Levering nearly died at work on February 6, 2021. She was working as a prison guard at the former medium-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, a facility operated by the private prison company CoreCivic. One of Levering’s overwhelmed colleagues buzzed open the wrong door, releasing a high-risk prisoner directly into Levering’s path. “He kind of gave me this eerie green grin,” she said. Then boiling water hit her face. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/18/leavenworth-kansas-corecivic-prison-ice-staffing/? They Trained to Protect Immigrants From ICE. Now They’re Prepping to Defend the Midterm Elections. ICE watchers across the country who watched federal agents shoot people in the streets and fought to drive ICE from their cities are turning their new skills against the next authoritarian threat from the Trump administration: election interference. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/22/ice-voting-midterm-election-polling-sites/? Pink Supported Macklemore’s Firing. Now Activists Want UNICEF to Cut Ties With Her. When the pop singer Pink took to social media to decry rapper Macklemore’s comments on Israel’s genocide of Palestinians — a slaughter that has taken the lives of more than 20,000 kids — she brought up her decadelong role as a UNICEF ambassador to show that she cares about children. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/22/pink-macklemore-palestine-israel-unicef/? Another U.S. Soldier Is Dead as Iran War Casualties Rise The U.S. toll of the Iran war continues to climb as the military stumbles toward a breakdown and the Trump administration struggles to find an exit ramp. https://theintercept.com/2026/09/22/iran-war-military-casualties/?

👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Exploring the efficacy of Guardian Caps, Queens capture WPBL title, the AL West is terrible, 2-0 vs. 0-2, MLB stadium name game, an exciting announcement, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Playoff seeds clinched: The Rays clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL and their first division title since 2021, while the Brewers clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the NL, guaranteeing them a bye into the NLDS. 🏈 Dart could be done: Giants QB Jaxson Dart could reportedly be out for the season after an MRI revealed that the knee injury he suffered Monday night was worse than expected. At a minimum, he'll miss "an extended period of time" as the G-Men turn to Jameis Winston. ⚾️ Judge out, Ohtani in: Aaron Judge (calf strain) is not expected to return in time for next week's Wild Card series. Shohei Ohtani, however, is set to be activated from the IL today, giving him five regular-season games to get his rhythm back before the playoffs. 🏆 Queens win inaugural title: The Los Angeles Queens captured the inaugural Women's Professional Baseball League championship, topping the San Francisco Firebells, 2-0, in Tuesday's decisive Game 5 behind a complete game shutout from No. 2 pick Ayami Sato. 🏀 Kawhi extended: Now that the trade from the Clippers is complete, the Raptors have wasted little time making sure Kawhi Leonard stays put, signing the seven-time All-Star to a two-year, $115 million extension, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season.   🏈 HEAD GEAR DO GUARDIAN CAPS ACTUALLY WORK? (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) As awareness around CTE has grown, so too has the prevalence of Guardian Caps. But the jury is still out on how much the cartoonishly bulky, foam-padded helmet coverings actually protect the players wearing them. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: For football players, the dangers of strapping on a helmet and stepping between the white lines have never been clearer. Scientists have demonstrated that the cumulative effect of repeated blows to the head is the most reliable predictor of what could cause someone to suffer from the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. At least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died from 2016-2021 had CTE, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal. And the prevalence of CTE among deceased former NFL players has only further ratcheted up the pressure on the league to show that it's proactively hunting for answers. Since 2022, the NFL has touted the innovation of a mom-and-pop duo as a potential solution. NFL officials have cited lab tests showing that the Guardian Cap cushions the impact of hits to the head by at least 9%. They also point to a roughly 50% reduction in concussions when players wear the extra layer of padding over their helmets during practices. Those figures are the NFL's rationale for requiring players to either wear a Guardian Cap during contact practices or one of the handful of helmet models that have performed best during safety tests. The league has also permitted the use of Guardian Caps during games since 2024, though only a few dozen players have risked social media ridicule by doing so. After enduring four concussions in his first three NFL seasons, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has begun wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet on game days. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Yes, but: Not all independent neurologists and neuroscientists support America's most powerful and visible sports league throwing its weight behind the Guardian Cap — especially while the evidence behind its benefits remains unsettled. Some expressed concern that Guardian Caps give athletes a false sense of security without meaningfully reducing the risk of CTE. Others cited a 2025 study involving the NFL's top medical official that poked holes in the league's claim associating Guardian Caps with a decrease in concussions. Providing further fuel for criticism is the fact that the Guardian Cap NXT model worn by NFL and Division I college players is not the same as the product marketed to the masses. The lighter-weight XT model, which sells for as much as $89.99, has less padding than the NXT and impact tests have shown that it may be less effective than the NXT at protecting the head. "The jury is out on whether the Guardian Cap is helping NFL players," said Chris Nowinski, co-founder of Boston University's CTE Center and one of the world's most renowned figures in brain injury research. "We have no reason to believe it's helping high school and college players." "We've created a sort of nightmare scenario where people strap these things on their kids' helmets and believe they're now safe from concussions and CTE. Nothing could be further from the truth."   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Texas outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Ezequiel Duran were unable to field this fly ball during Tuesday’s loss to the Mets. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) ⚾️ 78-79 Does anyone want to win the AL West? With five games left in the season, that remains unclear, as the Rangers and Astros are currently tied for first with matching 78-79 records. Whichever one ends up on top could become the worst division winner in MLB history, a title currently held by the 2005 Padres (82-80). Consider this: Neither team has been more than three games over .500 all season (Houston peaked at 6-3 in April; Texas peaked at 55-52 in July), and both would be tied for the ninth-best record in the NL right now. Instead, one of them will be hosting a playoff series next week. A face-off during Sunday's preseason game between the Avalanche and Mammoth. (Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) 🏒 84 games A friendly reminder: The NHL season begins in six days, and teams will play 84 games — up from 82 — in the league's first schedule expansion since 1992. Adopted in the new CBA, the change is designed to generate more revenue and create a more balanced divisional schedule. History lesson: This won't be the NHL's first 84-game season. The league expanded from 80 to 84 games in 1992-93, with each team playing two neutral-site contests to test potential expansion markets. That lasted only two years before the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, after which 82 games became the standard (with a few notable exceptions). The U.S. and International Teams pose for a photo on Tuesday in Chicago. (James Gilbert/PGA Tour via Getty Images) ⛳️ 13-1-1 The USA will be looking to bounce back from last year's disappointing Ryder Cup defeat this week at the Presidents Cup in Medinah, Illinois, and history suggests they've got a pretty good chance to do just that. Not only do they hold a commanding 13-1-1 advantage over the International Team in the biennial event, but they've also never lost on American soil. How it works: Like the Ryder Cup, it's 12-man teams in a match-play competition; unlike the Ryder Cup, it takes place over four days instead of three. There are five four-ball (best ball) matches on Thursday and five foursome (alternate shot) matches on Friday, then four more of each on Saturday followed by 12 singles matches on Sunday. With 30 points available (1 per match), the first team to 15.5 takes the Presidents Cup.   🏈 WINNERS AND LOSERS NFL SNAPSHOT: 2-0 vs. 0-2 (Yahoo Sports) Since the NFL season expanded to 17 games in 2021, 73% of teams that started 2-0 (30 of 41) ended up making the playoffs. Still perfect: The Bills, Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks and Vikings are all undefeated this season. Which of those eight teams should you doubt? (Yahoo Sports) On the flip side, just 20% of teams that started 0-2 (8 of 40) in the 17-game era ended up reaching the postseason. Still searching: The Buccaneers, Chargers, Colts, Commanders, Dolphins, Falcons, Texans and Titans are winless. Which of those eight teams should you still believe in?   🏟️ NAME GAME BORN ON (FIFTH) THIRD BASE (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) After 26 seasons as Comerica Park, the Tigers revealed this week that their home will be called Fifth Third Park starting in 2027. And the crowd went mild! What they're saying: Detroit native Jack White lamented the change to his 1.3 million Instagram followers. "From the brilliant creators of Ruths's Chris's's Steak House comes your new ballpark name," he wrote. "As far as I'm concerned, wherever the Detroit Tigers play I'm calling 'Tiger Stadium.' I don't have the patience or desire to comprehend what banks have to do with the baseball game I'm attending." Friendly Financial Park: Though many share White's sentiment, the names of banks and financial services companies have long adorned MLB ballparks. In fact, Fifth Third took its place in Detroit by acquiring incumbent Comerica. The league's financial ranks have grown, and though the shift isn't as pronounced as in the NFL, MLB stadiums have seen a similar migration away from unsponsored venues. Look on the bright side, Tigers fans: With a shoutout to the Céspedes Family BBQ team, "The Fraction" is a heck of a nickname for a ballpark.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 Cleveland (82-75) has won six straight. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) ⚾️ MLB on ESPN Tonight's doubleheader features two teams still fighting for a playoff spot, with the Guardians visiting the Red Sox in the first leg (7pm ET) and the Astros visiting the Mariners in the second (10pm). Best of the rest: The Rays and Yankees continue their four-game series in the Bronx (7:05pm, Prime), the Phillies host the Brewers in the City of Brotherly Love (6:40pm) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers host Robbie Ray and the Padres in the nightcap (10:10pm). More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Liberty (8pm, USA); Wings at Storm (10pm, USA) … Three playoff teams take the floor on the penultimate day of the regular season. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Barcelona vs. Paris FC (3pm, Paramount+) … One of four matches to round out Matchday 1 of the league phase.   ⚾ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Matt Krohn/Getty Images) The Tigers announced Tuesday that Justin Verlander will make his 557th and final career start on Saturday, the second-most games started by any pitcher this century. Question: Who has the most starts, with 560? Hint: Retired in 2019. Answer at the bottom.   📣 NEW ADDITION WELCOME TO THE TEAM! Neil Paine has been one of my favorite writers for years, so I couldn't be more excited to welcome him to our already incredible team. He'll be joining us in a few weeks, and we're already cooking up some smart, data-driven stories — and brand-new sections! Check out Neil's Substack for a taste of what's to come. The dude is a genius — and soon he will be our genius.   Trivia answer: CC Sabathia

Donalds might retain Joseph Ladapo as surgeon general — Jolly says he’d fire him Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds reiterated Tuesday that he remains open to reappointing Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo if he wins the Nov. 3 election. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/22/donalds-might-retain-joseph-ladapo-as-surgeon-general-jolly-says-hed-fire-him/? Angie Nixon to pay fine and do community service for staging sit-in at DeSantis’ office Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon will pay a $250 fine and provide 15 hours of community service to settle her case with Leon County after she was charged with two misdemeanors for holding a sit-in at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office in the Florida Capitol on May 15. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/22/angie-nixon-to-pay-fine-and-do-community-service-for-staging-sit-in-at-desantis-office/? Most Florida universities fell in national rankings, per U.S. News & World Report Of the eight Florida universities recognized nationally, five dropped in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual national rankings. Two universities climbed and one stayed steady. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/22/most-florida-universities-fell-in-national-rankings-per-u-s-news-world-report/?