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Ukraine abandons truce and attacks Russian oil refinery as Zelenskyy says he feels betrayed by Trump KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery Thursday, abandoning a brief truce involving energy-related targets that it said Moscow did not heed, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by U.S. President Donald Trump. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-oil-refinery-attacks-resume-0071b4f3792c9912b977b0ee73505b18?

> Iranian-backed Houthi rebels strike Saudi Aramco headquarters in the kingdom's eastern city of Dhahran, causing a limited fire but no deaths or injuries (More) > Justice Department seizes Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D, MN-5) phone, subpoenas family members amid investigation into her immigration paperwork (More) > Student-led protests in Albania over education costs, allegations of corruption erupt into violence as Education Ministry is reportedly set on fire (More)

> Social Security Administration announces 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment, the largest hike in four years; payments will increase by roughly $75 a month starting in January (More) | How much of your US tax dollar goes into Social Security? (More) > China reports its exports rose 36.3% last month compared with September 2025, including a 40% increase in exports to the US (More) > Bending Spoons shares soar 41.2% on news Berkshire Hathaway will invest another $330M in the Italian tech company (More) | What is Bending Spoons? (More)

> Overlooked brown fat linked to reduced risk of diseases like Type 2 diabetes and improves mental health, per landmark study; blood pressure medication may stimulate the healthy fat (More) | What's the purpose of different body fats? (More) > New dinosaur species identified from a fossil found roughly a century ago on England's Isle of Wight provides first evidence a mysterious group of carnivorous dinosaurs lived in modern-day Europe (More, w/rendering) > Dogs appear to link spoken sounds to shapes, a trait once assumed unique to humans; "bouba" is associated with round objects, while "kiki" is linked to spiky ones (More, scroll for experiment images)

> Winnie the Pooh marks 100th anniversary since teddy bear's first book of stories on Oct. 14, 1926 (More) | Watch the history behind the silly old bear (More via YouTube) | ... and see the feud over the original stuffed Pooh (More) > Houston Astros will not renew manager Joe Espada's contract after three seasons and two American League West titles (More) | Which coaches could replace him? (More) > Netflix lays off around 6% of its workforce, eliminating roughly 1,000 jobs and marking the company's largest cut to date (More) | How does Netflix viewership compare with other streamers? (More, scroll for graphs)

World's Oldest Shipwreck Archaeologists say they have discovered the world's oldest known shipwreck off the southern coast of modern-day Turkey, dating to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago. The ship's wooden structure is gone, but dozens of ceramic vessels and stone anchors scattered around the site suggest it dates to around the same time as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Researchers believe the ship was nearly 33 feet long and sank while carrying cargo to Troy or Crete. It is one of roughly 420 significant wrecks found along the coast of southern Turkey over the last 15 years, underscoring the region's importance to maritime trade (see map). Several of the vessels appear to have carried wine and olive oil, with some still containing residue despite having been between 65 and 78 feet underwater for over four millennia (see images). The Dokos shipwreck, found in the Aegean Sea and dating to about 4,200 years ago, was previously considered the world’s oldest shipwreck. Learn about it and eight other ancient wrecks here (w/video).

Inflation Rise Continues US prices rose 3.7% last month from September 2025, the latest Consumer Price Index report revealed yesterday. The report is the last of its kind before the November midterm elections, with polls showing the economy is voters’ top issue. Cost bumps were spread across most categories, including housing, clothing, and restaurant food, though groceries saw prices decline since August. The war in Iran has fueled cost increases, as oil prices climbed to over $106 per barrel since August (see the latest prices in your state). The cost of diesel—which powers farms and the shipping industry, among other industries—has increased 70% since the start of the war; see past write-up here. The 3.7% rate was higher than analysts had expected and above the Federal Reserve’s target goal of 2%. The bank has signaled at least one more interest rate hike may come this year, with the next Fed meeting scheduled for Oct. 27-28, days before Election Day. Stocks dropped on yesterday’s news (S&P 500 -1.1%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq -1.9%).

The full name of the famous Chuck E. Cheese’s mouse is Charles Entertainment Cheese. James

Parting shot: Florida in full color Photo: Nancy Broen A spectacular Florida sunset graces the sky in Babcock Ranch, America's first solar-powered town, in Southwest Florida. 🚲 Reader Frank Broen tells us his wife, Nancy, snapped this shot while the couple rode their recumbent tandem trike through the community.

🤺 3-way fight Speaker Mike Johnson's sudden frank talk about his political future is upending the quiet maneuvering ahead of a post-election GOP leadership contest. Why it matters: The race could become a three-way fight if Johnson follows former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lead and tries to stay in leadership if Republicans lose the majority. Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has widely been viewed as a top contender for the job — and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) did not seek a waiver to remain Judiciary chair, fueling speculation that he's preparing to run for leader. Many Republicans privately worry they're going to lose and expected Johnson to step aside if the majority slips away. But his new blunt and unexpected musings on his own future challenge that assumption. Driving the news: "In the unlikely scenario where we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would ask me to continue leading this conference, even if we have divided government," Johnson told CBS News. But some members aren't buying it: "Why would you want to be minority leader after speaker?" one House Republican told us, adding they would support new leadership. One leader not taking the bait is Scalise: "There are no races that any of us need to be talking about until after the election's over," he told us during an in-flight interview while campaigning out West. Scalise acknowledged Johnson's comments: "I think early on he said he wasn't going to play in hypotheticals, and you know, and he might have gone down that path for a minute. We're focused on holding the House, and that's where my energy is." Between the lines: A bad enough defeat could spark calls for an entirely new leadership team, three House Republicans told us. But Johnson has his defenders: "Johnson has done everything humanly possible to keep us in the majority," one House Republican told us. Zoom in: Some GOP sources believe a three-way contest could split support between Johnson and Scalise, potentially benefiting Jordan. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) intends to stay in his current role and has no plans to move up the leadership ladder, he told us last month. Emmer staying put means three candidates would compete for one job, minority leader, without a clear fallback for the two losers beyond challenging Emmer. Becoming party leader requires only a majority vote by secret ballot, rather than a public vote on the House floor. The bottom line: The jockeying frustrates some Republicans who argue they should focus only on winning in November. "How sad we have members bidding for MINORITY leadership positions," one House Republican told us in a text. — Kate Santaliz

Questions swirl about new White House press secretary's resume The new White House press secretary is facing mounting questions about her background and resume as she transitions into her role as the public face of the Trump administration. Read More.

Mauritius imposes curfew to calm days of protests after woman shot by police Mauritius imposed an overnight curfew after a police shooting fueled rare civil unrest on the Indian Ocean island, better known as an idyllic holiday destination and one of Africa’s most stable democracies. Read More.

Colombia opens an embassy in Jerusalem after restoring diplomatic ties with Israel Colombia opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, marking a major shift in relations with Israel after conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella restored diplomatic ties severed by his predecessor over the war in Gaza. Read More.

The first new sunscreen type in 25 years has arrived on US store shelves For the first time in more than a quarter-century, Americans have a new option when shopping for sunscreen: a skin-protecting chemical that’s long been a go-to option in Europe and other parts of the world. Read More.

GlobalFoundries to open 2 new chip plants in New York with $21 billion in financing from Japan Computer chip company GlobalFoundries Inc. said Wednesday it plans to open two factories in Malta, New York, financed by an investment of up to $21 billion from Japan. Read More.

Kenya confirms second Ebola case, a relative of first patient Kenya’s Health Ministry confirmed the country’s second Ebola case Wednesday, saying a relative of the man who died two days after arriving from Congo had tested positive while in quarantine. Read More.

Guil-Foiled View in browser After half-heartedly including some actual professionals in his first administration, Donald Trump is now served almost exclusively by sycophants and family members. The president has made clear that he cares about loyalty more than qualifications, but the astonishing incompetence and corruption of many of his appointees raises an obvious question: What does it take to get fired by Trump’s White House? Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation yesterday as ambassador to Greece provides some clues. Guilfoyle has been accused of blatant corruption both before and during her time as an envoy. She denies these allegations, but her resignation—which the White House requested—isn’t really about corruption. The idea that Guilfoyle, and only Guilfoyle, crossed some sort of previously unseen corruption red line is laughable. If ethical and legal questions, including the now-moribund standard of “appearances of impropriety,” were grounds for dismissal in this administration, Trump would have already shed several other members of his team. Rather, Guilfoyle was pushed out because she was an embarrassment. She overstepped her bounds, tried to trade on the president’s name, and then made the administration look bad when she got caught. Also, she is a woman, and in this administration, self-dealing is mostly a man’s game. Indeed, by comparison with the charges leveled at others—including against the president himself, who seems utterly unconcerned with notions such as “emoluments”—Guilfoyle is decidedly a small-timer. This past spring, for example, the Financial Times reported that a broker for Pete Hegseth attempted to make a big investment in defense industries just before the Iran war, raising suspicions of insider trading. FBI Director Kash Patel has been accused of using government money as a slush fund to pay improper bonuses to his favorites within the Bureau. “Border Czar” Tom Homan was caught on audio in 2024 accepting $50,000 in cash (wrapped in a Cava food bag, always the sign of a deal on the up-and-up) from undercover FBI agents posing as business executives, and yet he remains in his job. Hegseth and Homan deny any wrongdoing; Patel and the FBI have offered no comment or explanation. And the journalist Dexter Filkins recently described Trump’s son-in-law and roving minister-without-portfolio Jared Kushner as representative of “a new kind of Washington figure, for whom public office serves as a means to extraordinary wealth.” Guilfoyle may have been a relative piker among giants in the grift game, but her real sin was the pathetic and humiliating nature of her behavior. (Even Homan managed not to seem quite so grubby when reportedly accepting a bag of greenbacks.) Her messages to a Trump donor asking for money to help pay her huge credit-card bills are cringe-inducing. “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” she wrote to the Trump supporter Eric Deters when asking him to wire a cool $100,000 directly into her American Express account in July 2025, just before her confirmation hearings. Worse, she continually told Deters to stop writing things down and just contact her on Signal. “What a nightmare you’ll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing,” she said. This was apparently Guilfoyle’s version of the infamous “Stringer Bell rule,” named for a character from the television series The Wire who dressed down one of his drug-dealing accomplices for being stupid enough to keep written notes on a criminal conspiracy. The problem is that she, too, violated that rule: She made her requests to Deters to stop writing things down in writing. Deters, unsurprisingly, kept all the messages. Guilfoyle, he asserts, offered him access to the Trump administration. “I will be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever,” he claims she told him. When she didn’t deliver, he warned Guilfoyle and White House officials earlier this month that he would go public with their correspondence and then made good on that threat. The newly minted ambassador, meanwhile, was flitting about southeastern Europe in the company of Greek tycoons. But again, rather than enjoy the perks of her job in discreet luxury, she bragged about her connections to these wealthy men and tried to present herself as some sort of made woman from the inner Trump orbit who had the juice to get things done. According to The Wall Street Journal, she went to Davos in January 2026 and was excluded from a dinner being held for Eric Trump. She decided to pressure an American businessman to help her get in. “You know, I can deliver the world to you. Which you deserve,” she said. (This time, she was caught on audio, rather than by text message.) “I’m going to make you a lot of fucking money,” she told the American. She also raged about the impudence of the dinner’s Greek hostess. “You don’t have the fucking U.S., you know, ambassador to Greece not come. She should be kissing my fucking ass.” Again, Trump Sr. has no problem with F-bombs; he deploys them regularly. He has no problem with money grabs while in public office; he has enriched himself while president and has explicitly or implicitly blessed similar efforts by other subordinates to profit from their positions. But he apparently draws a line when his son’s former fiancée does not show proper appreciation for the courtesy of being stashed in Athens—Athens!—and then lands in the newspapers looking like an aging waitress cadging tips from marks in a casino. Honey, just put it on the tray. Don’t tell my manager, and I’ll get you to the good poker table. Guilfoyle was once so tight with the Trumps that she was given a prime-time slot to fawn over the president during the 2020 GOP convention. It was a disastrous, over-the-top performance, but Trump loved it, reportedly calling her “my Kimberly” and comparing her to the former Argentine first lady Eva Perón. Earlier this year, Trump said of his emissary to Greece: “Kimberly Guilfoyle has been my friend for a long time. I love calling her Kimber-lay. That’s my little pet name, right? But you are the greatest, and I heard they love you over there.” But over the past several days, the president saw bad publicity about this demanding, middle-aged woman, thrown over by his son for a younger wife—as Trump himself has done to previous spouses—trying to profit off his presidency while making a fool of herself and encouraging more bad press about corruption just before the midterm elections. Guilfoyle had to go, and Trump jettisoned her quickly and coldly. “She wasn’t a member of my family,” the president said yesterday. “She, uh, I guess dated my son a long time ago.” “Dated”? I guess? She was in line for years to become the president’s daughter-in-law, married to his first-born son. Now she’s just some dame one of his kids used to know. Guilfoyle didn’t get it. All she had to do was stay out of trouble. But that was too hard for her, and now she’s learned that making money off this presidency means following some rules. Don’t be too obvious; don’t embarrass the boss; don’t get caught if you can help it. And especially, don’t be an older woman. Related: Trump’s team of mercenaries David Frum on Trump’s last loyal constituency

Is Microsoft Leaving Regular PC Users Behind? Between cloud storage cuts and features aimed at power users, I'm not so sure Windows is still made for average consumers. https://www.pcmag.com/news/is-microsoft-leaving-regular-pc-users-behind?

Ancient Toilets, Timeless Troubles Gastrointestinal issues are a common part of the human experience, the most extreme of which can turn fatal if left untreated, an awareness that receives expression in the Bible. What kinds of illnesses affected people in ancient Israel? Remarkably, scholars have found a way to answer that question—by analyzing the contents of ancient toilets. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/ancient-toilets-timeless-troubles/?

One Voice 27 is in full swing in Asia. We have meetings going on now in our district. Over 100 attending nightly. Every church (9) in the district involved.

The LDS (Mormon Church), The Jehovah's Witnesses, the Christadelphians, WWCOG all teach that Jesus had the potential to sin and lose His salvation. The reason those groups all affirm that is because they all reject the Trinity Doctrine. You can't be a Trinitarian and affirm Jesus (God the Son) had the potential to sin and eternally cease to exist.

🛫 1 for the road: The anti-LAX gets a glow-up Travelers at Hollywood Burbank Airport's new terminal yesterday. Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Hollywood Burbank Airport's new $1.3 billion terminal is open after nearly three years of work. The upgrades could solidify Burbank — BUR, in airport code-speak — as a viable, chiller alternative to the chaos that is nearby LAX. (Still, it only has 14 gates to LAX's 161.) Inside Hollywood Burbank Airport's new terminal. Photo: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The L.A. Times reports from yesterday's opening morning: "Instead of the snug, historic facility whose Spanish Colonial Revival style dated to 1930, travelers found themselves in a sleek terminal at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, distinguished by high ceilings, contemporary art, twinkling terrazzo floors, abundant charging stations and landscaping full of cactus and succulents, along with a few 'wet paint' signs." Go deeper.

📊 Poll: Texas is choosin' Dems Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Texas Democrats are for the first time polling slightly ahead of Republicans in several big statewide races, Axios Austin's Nicole Cobler writes from a new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll. By the numbers: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico maintains a slim lead (50%-47%) over Republican Ken Paxton. In the governor's race, Democrat Gina Hinojosa leads Republican incumbent Greg Abbott 49% to 48%. For lieutenant governor, Democrat Vikki Goodwin leads Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick 49% to 46%. Democrat Nathan Johnson leads Republican Mayes Middleton 48% to 47% in the attorney general's race. ✅ Reality check: All of these results are within the margin of error. Go deeper ...

Exclusive: White House probes claims of missing Kennedy Center money Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Charly Triballeau and Odd Andersen/AFP, and Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images President Trump has directed his White House counsel to examine explosive allegations dropped on him Friday in the Oval Office, Axios' Marc Caputo reports exclusively. Former Trump attorney Alina Habba told the president that another one of his top advisers — former Kennedy Center leader Ric Grenell — failed to deposit a multimillion-dollar donation that her billionaire husband made to the center a year ago, according to four senior administration officials and three insiders briefed on the controversy. The total value of the contribution was nearly $6 million, White House sources said Habba told them. Grenell denied the accusations as "absurd" and a "lie." Grenell told Axios: "I've never asked for 1 cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center, and I've never received any payment from him at all. Make him give proof to what he is saying, not make these absurd allegations." Habba and her husband, Turhan Mildon, declined to comment through a spokesperson. Habba's attorneys plan to give the White House documentation — reviewed by Axios — to support her allegations. A White House official said: "The White House counsel has asked for documents and proof. None has come so far." A senior administration official cautioned that "these are only allegations. We don't know if they're true. This could be a misunderstanding." Said another: "POTUS doesn't want to deal with this. Of course, he's concerned. But if there is missing money, this is a big, big problem." The intrigue: Just a few months ago, Grenell was friends with Mildon and Habba. But he was notably absent from their $10 million wedding that was attended by Trump world officials, power brokers and luminaries last month. One Trump world insider with knowledge of the conflict said: "This is the ultimate MAGA blood feud." Keep reading.