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Macron condemns those who ‘sought to bring down the Republic’ after rioting mars nationwide protests PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced the public’s “anger” and “shame” over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 2,400 people were arrested. https://apnews.com/article/france-protests-violence-looting-f5ce07c2ef46ad0c02c6ff7018532a59?

Slideshow: Surprising Ways Smoking Affects Your Looks and Life https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-ways-smoking-affects-looks?

Written by Paul Frysh Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on June 20, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-genetic-insights?

Slideshow: A Visual Guide to Low Back Pain https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/ss/slideshow-low-back-pain-overview?

Trump’s decision to waive Russian sanctions outrages Congress, but no quick counter seen President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage Saturday from members of Congress, which had overwhelmingly passed the legislation in a bipartisan display of American support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. Lawmakers from both parties blasted the executive order late Friday, the latest in a series of steps that the Republican president has taken drawing the United States closer to Russia's Vladimir Putin. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ St Petersburg oil facilities ablaze as Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia Online forum controlled by Nevada GOP House candidate contains slurs and Nazi talk, AP review finds A bitter Michigan Senate race rattles Jewish and Muslim voters already on edge over the war in Gaza California officials who process ballots from suspected noncitizens risk prosecution, US warns ICE pursuit in Houston that broke a man’s leg targeted a suspect who died years ago, family says Painting Eisenhower Building would diminish historic character of White House complex, report says No Kings rallies across US urge voters to cast ballots early ahead of midterms House Speaker Mike Johnson draws on faith as he fights to hold the Republican majority Trump’s new pitch for Republican candidates — they’re really good looking

👰‍♀️ 1 for the road: Rise of the three-day wedding Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios Nearly 1 in 3 weddings now span at least three days, with couples devoting more time and money to making guests feel entertained and cared for, according to a new report from The Knot, Axios' Sami Sparber writes. Couples' top priority "is now the guest experience," The Knot editorial director Esther Lee tells Axios. Multiday weddings give couples more time to host guests who "are sacrificing their time and energy" to celebrate.

🇫🇷 France rocked by worst riots in years A car burns in the Place de la République in Paris yesterday. Photo: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands of people who denounced rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities. In Limoges, in central France, flames engulfed the neo-Renaissance city hall, which was built in the 19th century and survived two world wars. The building's iconic clock tower collapsed. Get the latest.

🛰️ Russian satellite approach raises alarms Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios A Russian satellite was tracked Friday closely stalking a U.S.-owned commercial satellite — part of a space-based network that has supported Ukraine's military, Axios space expert Thomas Novelly writes. Why it matters: Experts told Axios it's a rare maneuver that raises the possibility of Russian interference with U.S. space equipment. Space intelligence company LeoLabs said Friday that the Russian satellite's movement "appears to be a deliberate approach toward" the U.S.-owned imaging satellite. As of Friday afternoon, Russia's Cosmos 2612 satellite was roughly three miles from the American satellite, LeoLabs said. Between the lines: Aerospace analysts and legal experts said it's worrisome that Russia burned the satellite's fuel and changed its altitude, orbital plane and speed to approach the U.S. satellite. Clayton Swope, a CSIS senior space fellow, said on Friday the distance is essentially "bumper-to-bumper."

📍 How cost of living affects poverty Data: Census Bureau. Map: Erin Davis/Axios California and Louisiana have something surprising in common: Both have some of the nation's highest poverty rates when the cost of living is factored in, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from Census Bureau data. The big picture: Southern states dominate America's traditional poverty rankings based on pretax income. That familiar geographic divide starts to disappear when you account for more of a family's financial realities. The Supplemental Poverty Measure includes factors like taxes, work and medical expenses, and geographic differences in housing costs.

Internet loses human touch Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The internet is undergoing a foundational shift as websites evolve from human destinations to information hubs for AI agents, Axios' Sara Fischer and Kerry Flynn write in an Axios Media Trends Executive briefing. Why it matters: Human discretion, a critical safeguard for establishing trust online, is rapidly disappearing. The big picture: Bad actors are using AI to create new information sources designed to manipulate LLMs. 🔮 State of play: Premium publishers and brands are looking to get ahead of this problem in the short term by becoming reliable information warehouses for bots while serving premium experiences for humans. At TIME, a news publisher that has leaned heavily into agentic optimization, human visitors encounter articles with imagery and storytelling while AI agents receive structured information, COO Mark Howard told Axios. TIME's Agent Ads product extends that approach to advertising, providing machine-readable information about sponsors, including FAQs. Reality check: Smaller companies may struggle to handle an influx of bot traffic or build the infrastructure needed to serve both humans and machines. The bottom line: Few consumer websites will survive as direct destinations in the agentic era. Without a trust layer to vet information that machines retrieve and analyze, the internet risks becoming a breeding ground for content that's useless to humans.

🕰️ Decades-long GOP win streaks at risk Democrats are running surprisingly competitive races in traditionally Republican territory, and it's putting GOP winning streaks at risk that stretch as far back as the 1930s, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. Kansas (1932): Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) faces a surprisingly tough challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton, who has significantly outraised the incumbent GOP senator. A Democrat hasn't won a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas since 1932. Texas (1988): James Talarico is giving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton a real run for his money in the Senate race. Talarico generally leads in polls by low single digits. Cook rates it a toss-up. Democrats last won a Senate seat in the state with Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. South Carolina (1998): Polls show Republican Sen. Darline Graham leading Democrat Annie Andrews by just a few points. The last South Carolina Democrat elected to the Senate was Fritz Hollings in 1998. In gubernatorial elections, Democrats are looking to break losing streaks in Texas (1990), Florida (1994), Georgia (1998) and Alaska (1998). Republicans seeking to break Democratic win streaks include Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race (1994) and Christine Drazan in the Oregon governor's race (1982).

1 big thing: Anti-party, anti-politician candidates surge Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images In red states and blue, unconventional candidates are downplaying — or even disowning — party labels to tap into voters' disdain for Washington, Axios' Hans Nichols writes. Why it matters: They might not all win, but the sheer number of political outsiders connecting with voters tells us something about the electorate: It's angry and willing to take risks. The candidates — whether they come from the pulpit or the NFL sidelines — are making the same bet: Voters are tired of career politicians. 🗺️ Zoom in: Consider three unorthodox Democrats leading Senate contests in red states: a Presbyterian seminarian in Texas (state Rep. James Talarico), a megachurch pastor in Kansas (Adam Hamilton), and an Alaska Native in that state (former Rep. Mary Peltola, who once skipped a week of House votes to go fishing when Chinook salmon were running). Traditionally blue Minnesota's Senate race features Michele Tafoya — a former NFL sideline reporter who's endorsed by President Trump but calls herself an independent Republican. She's mounting a serious challenge to Democrat Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor. In House races, Democrats are fielding a smokejumper in Montana (Sam Forstag), a 29-year-old barista in Colorado (Melat Kiros) and a Tejano singer in Texas (Bobby Pulido). Four independent Senate candidates are courting Democratic voters without a (D) next to their names — and sometimes without a Democrat in the race. In Nebraska, Dan Osborn, a union steamfitter and former factory mechanic, is mounting a serious independent challenge to Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor whose family owns the Chicago Cubs. In Montana, Seth Bodnar, a former Army Green Beret and University of Montana president, is running as an independent for an open Senate seat. Democrats tried to persuade their nominee to drop out, but she stayed in the race. In South Dakota, Brian Bengs, a one-time park ranger, is challenging Republican Sen. Mike Rounds as an independent. Four years ago, Bengs ran as a Democrat against Sen. John Thune. In Idaho, former Army tank commander and tech executive Todd Achilles is running as an independent against Republican Sen. Jim Risch. (Achilles previously served as a Democrat in the Idaho House.)

144:1 (AV)Blessed [be] the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight: 2 (AV) My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and [he] in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. 2 (LXXE) (143:2) My mercy, and my refuge; my helper, and my deliverer; my protector, in whom I have trusted; who subdues my people under me. 2 (NAS95) My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. 2 (NRSV) my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me. 2 (ESV) he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. Psalm 144

October 18, 2026 Good morning. After all these years, The Times found new developments in the O.J. Simpson case. O.J. Simpson wearing the infamous gloves found at the crime scene and his home during his criminal trial in 1995. Sam Mircovich/Reuters O.J.’s accomplice? By Adam B. Kushner I watched the infamous Ford Bronco chase from a hotel TV in Colorado. O.J. Simpson said he didn’t do it. Then he authored a book titled “If I Did It,” in which he said he had help. He outlined a “hypothetical” in those pages, and it went like this: A friend was with him on the summer evening in 1994 when he murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. That person disposed of the knife and Simpson’s bloody clothes. It was a strange exercise, that 2007 book. But what if it wasn’t hypothetical? New reporting by The Times suggests that the assist may have actually happened — and identifies a possible accomplice. A quick reminder: In 1995, a criminal jury found Simpson not guilty of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. (A civil jury later found him liable for the deaths.) Prosecutors never turned up a murder weapon. Joey Ippolito reportedly knew where it was, our reporters Mike Baker and Tim Arango discovered. The hidden man A mug shot of Joseph Ippolito, dated Feb. 4, 2006. U.S. Department of Justice Ippolito was like a character from an Elmore Leonard novel: a drug runner, a Mafioso, a frequent felon — and a friend of Al Cowlings, Simpson’s former teammate and the eventual pilot of the white Ford Bronco as Simpson fled from the cops. He was also a prison escapee. When the law caught up with him (hiding under a toupee) in New York’s Little Italy in the summer of 1995, he offered information in exchange for a reduced sentence. Federal agents knew him as a trustworthy informant who’d helped take down mob figures. He told them a wild tale about his pal Cowlings, who he said knew the location of Simpson’s knife. Officials believed Ippolito and helped secure a light punishment for the jailbreak. They also told Los Angeles prosecutors about what Ippolito had said. But by that point, Simpson’s trial was nearly over. Government lawyers had already rested their case and didn’t try to introduce Ippolito’s tips. (Cowlings did not respond to The Times’s many requests to comment on this narrative.) Ippolito’s informant account was sealed. But he died in 2006. The Times asked a judge to make it public this summer, and she saw no reason not to. Our reporters also tracked down Ippolito’s brother, Sam, who added a great deal to the yarn. Sam, who runs a motel in New Jersey, said Joey was with Simpson that night. He returned to the apartment the brothers shared with what appeared to be literal blood on his hands, bearing a bag that contained a bulky object, presumably the knife. In this version, which aligns with the scenario in Simpson’s book, Al Cowlings has no role and Joey Ippolito is the bag man. Joey asked his brother to get rid of the bag, Sam recalled. You have to read Mike and Tim’s article to find out what Sam did next. An American fixation The California Highway Patrol chased Al Cowlings, who was driving a white Ford Bronco, and O.J. Simpson, who was hiding in the rear, in June 1994. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times, via Getty Images The O.J. Simpson saga is one of those moments, like the J.F.K. assassination or 9/11, seared into our collective memory with a specific time and place; if you are old enough, you probably remember where you were and what you were doing. But unlike those other events, which began and ended, the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman is officially still an unsolved, ongoing mystery. “This is probably the most scrutinized criminal case in American history,” Mike, an investigative reporter based in Seattle, told me: So it was kind of shocking to me to find that there was still an untold part of the story, and that there were law enforcement records that people did not know about after all these years. The new evidence won’t bring definitive closure. (Especially because Sam Ippolito recanted his story when Times reporters declined to pay him for it. The Times, like most news outlets, does not pay for tips.) Simpson will never face the new accusations: He died two years ago. Yet for those transfixed by this whodunit — and the books, shows, documentaries and debates it has spawned — our new investigation offers several intriguing new puzzle pieces. Read it here. FREE TO READ Bruiser Eva Zweifel Mellema One of a kind: Bruiser the elk formed a herd of one on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, and became its unofficial mascot. Read why he inspired such devotion. “Central casting”: On the campaign trail, President Trump has been making odd comments about how male candidates look. Pilot Picasso: Benjamin McDaniel drew the Mona Lisa in the skies over Oklahoma. See what it looked like. Strange love: A South Korean reality dating show is pairing celebrities with A.I. First time in The Times: For our 175th anniversary, we’re looking back at the original appearances in our pages of various terms. When do you think guacamole, bicycles and the title Ms. made it in? THE LATEST NEWS Politics At a “No Kings” rally in Dallas. Jeffrey McWhorter for The New York Times “No Kings” protests took place across the country to encourage voting, but they were smaller and more subdued than previous events. Democrats are attacking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in their campaign ads. Senator Darline Graham gingerly criticized Trump for exempting Russia from a sanctions law that was championed by and named after her late brother, Lindsey. The Middle East The New York Times Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank during the annual olive harvest. Azam Ahmed, a correspondent for The Times, witnessed the violence. He spoke about it on our podcast “The Call.” Click to watch. In a separate attack, extremists beat a Palestinian teenager and attacked European diplomats participating in the harvest. Civilian deaths are rising in the fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. More International News A “serious incident” at a military base in Canada caused a major fire and left people dead, officials said. Kenya has confirmed seven Ebola cases. The country had never recorded a case before this month. Rioters attacked government buildings in cities across France as protests against rising living costs and poor school conditions turned violent. Other Big Stories Pope Leo thanked people for their prayers in an appearance at St. Peter’s Square a day after being released from the hospital following lung cancer surgery. At this remote gas station in California, you might pay $10.49 for a gallon. Helen Branswell, a leading reporter on infectious diseases, recognized the threat of Covid-19 before a vast majority of journalists and even medical experts. She died at 69. FROM OPINION Photo Illustration by Meg Griffiths for The New York Times Title IX may be flawed, Emily Bazelon argues, but it can help people like Jane Doe at Cornell. Without the law, only the police and prosecutors would field claims like hers. The industrial slaughter of animals for food is a great moral blind spot of our age, Nicholas Kristof writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. SPORTS Gabby Williams drives to the basket. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images W.N.B.A.: The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the finals. M.L.B.: The Tampa Bay Rays scored a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 to tie the American League Championship Series at 2-2. College football: Five of the top seven teams in The Associated Press Top 25 lost on the same day. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “Partita,” by Barbara Kingsolver Kingsolver’s follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Demon Copperhead” begins, as many sagas do, with a blast from the past. Livia Cable is living quietly and, for the most part, happily on a dairy farm in Appalachia when she receives a call from the man who derailed her ambitions as a piano prodigy and scholarship student decades earlier. He wants to visit. As Livia decides how to answer, Kingsolver whisks readers back to Livia’s college days — her whirlwind romance, her lofty aspirations, her haunted family. Suddenly the question at the heart of this lyrical novel is less about Livia’s reunion with her old flame or how she ended up where she is but rather when — and whether — she’ll hear the music that infuses the world she’s in now. To read our review, go here. To read about Kingsolver’s love of classical piano music, go here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Carry a green bag. The color is unexpected but easy to wear. Stay healthy in retirement by finding a sense of purpose. Pile on the throw pillows with these Wirecutter recommendations that can still look good after frequent use. MEAL PLAN Joel Goldberg for The New York Times With its garlicky vinaigrette, plump golden raisins and big, bodacious croutons, this recipe for oregano-garlic chicken is reminiscent of the roast chicken served at the beloved Zuni Café in San Francisco. Have it for dinner this week. Or you could try Melissa Clark’s meatballs with any meat. Watch how to make them here. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was ambulant. Can you put eight historical events, including the fall of Constantinople, Andrew Jackson’s giant Cheddar wheel and Harpo Marx’s tour of Russia, in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. 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 18 1867 U.S. takes possession of Alaska The U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1980s 1986 U.S. aid to Contras signed into law Arts & Entertainment 1988 “Roseanne” debuts 1974 Soul singer Al Green is attacked in his own bathtub Asian History 1860 Peking’s Summer Palace destroyed Crime 1968 John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrested for drug possession Inventions & Science 1931 Thomas Edison dies 1933 R. Buckminster Fuller tries to patent his Dymaxion Car Sports 1977 Reggie Jackson—aka “Mr. October”—hits three homers in three swings U.S. Government and Politics 1972 Clean Water Act becomes law U.S. States 1898 U.S. takes control of Puerto Rico World War I 1916 British soldier Harry Farr executed for cowardice

Look at the footage coming out of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille right now, and you will see a country at war with itself. The post The Facade of the Classroom: Why France’s Unrest Exposes a Dangerous Red-Green Alliance And Why America Should Be Paying Attention <label class="rltv-edition-check-wrap" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" title="Add to 5-Story Mini-Newspaper"><input type="checkbox" class="rltv-story-checkbox" data-id="170511636" data-title="The Facade of the Classroom: Why France’s Unrest Exposes a Dangerous Red-Green Alliance And Why America Should Be Paying Attention" /><span>+ Edition</span></label> appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Grass fire at Canadian military base kills 4 soldiers and critically injures 19 other people WAINWRIGHT, Alberta (AP) — Four Canadian service members were killed and 39 people injured, including 19 critically, when a fast-moving fire overtook soldiers conducting live-fire combat training at a military base in Alberta, officials said Sunday. https://apnews.com/article/canada-alberta-military-base-fire-wainwright-1a41899da5b6e797b000061fa4da9c6a?

⚖️ 1 for the road: Record-breaking pumpkin Frerich Farms Facebook page A 3,156-pound pumpkin in Coventry, R.I., was certified by Guinness World Records as the largest pumpkin ever weighed. Ron Wallace's behemoth crushed the previous record by nearly 300 pounds, becoming the first pumpkin to break the 3,000-pound barrier. He grew it inside a greenhouse, and there was "near-perfect" weather for much of the growing season, he told Guinness. Go deeper.

💰 Time capsule: Ballroom donors revealed Yesterday's Washington Post front page. Secret records obtained by The Washington Post (gift link) reveal $333 million in donations from corporations and billionaires bankrolling the White House ballroom. The list includes donors who benefited from government contracts, regulatory decisions and a presidential pardon involving a family member. 🎁 The biggest corporate donors include Apple ($25m), Nvidia ($25m), Microsoft ($10m), Palantir ($10m) and Lockheed Martin ($10m). Read the story. ps:So Pathetic!!

🕯️ Oregon teacher prevented more deaths Community members grieve at the site of a makeshift memorial in front of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore. Photo: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an elementary school in Bend, Ore., then tackled and fought with him, likely saving lives before he was shot by a father who followed him into the building, police said yesterday. City of Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz called the teacher's actions "heroic" during a news conference and said she wasn't injured. He identified the attacker as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II and said all of the victims were shot in the same classroom. John was once a special needs student at Silver Rail Elementary, authorities said, and he attacked a classroom with special needs students. Read more.

📺 Scoop: Trump sought Bartiromo Before hiring Katie Zacharia for her five-day stint as White House press secretary, President Trump wanted to recruit former Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, two administration sources told Axios' Marc Caputo. Bartiromo, who was bounced from Fox's air last month but is still being paid under her contract, signaled she wasn't going to take the job. "She's no longer on air, but she's still on the Fox payroll and the taxpayers can't compete with that," a source told us. Conservative commentator Scott Jennings was in contention but wasn't offered the job. Go deeper. Trump endorses embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late in his reelection campaign, a coveted boost because of Trump’s popularity but one that the American had withheld for months as the vote neared and the leaders’ strategies in the Middle East diverged. https://apnews.com/article/trump-israel-netanyahu-reelection-prime-minister-ba88cdd728422d51e837231b2efbea81?

🎙️ Exclusive: Musk tells Isaacson "AI and robots" need to fix deficit Elon Musk tells biographer Walter Isaacson in a new podcast interview that the fizzled DOGE experiment, which the SpaceX and Tesla CEO once headed, proved there's "no way we were gonna solve the deficit from within the government." "The only way we're going to solve the national debt is with AI and robots," Musk tells the author for a new podcast series, "The Builders with Walter Isaacson," premiering Tuesday. "We're not gonna solve it by trying to save our way there." Why it matters: Musk's comments to Isaacson — author of the definitive 2023 biography, "Elon Musk" — admit that DOGE was a flop, but point to the chance that some future administration can take a new stab at the problem using ever-more-capable AI. 🔬 Zoom in: Musk said the appetite to cut spending "is not there at the presidency, the House, the Senate or the judiciary." "Maybe if the president made that his primary goal, we could do that," Musk added. "If you try to solve the deficit and stop wasteful spending, you make a lot of enemies. President Trump likes to be liked. He doesn't like people calling him, being upset about ... some funding being stopped." Musk admits he "kinda got carried away, basically" and that he wound up being "gone for too long" from his companies. "What I should have done," he added, "was be more in the background ... and probably only had it last for a month or two" rather than the four months he was formally in the White House. "I should have gone back and focused on AI a little sooner than I did." The big picture: Isaacson warned this week that Steve Jobs and the other great creators of the personal computer age would be cautious about autonomous AI agents not tightly connected to human control. Isaacson includes his warning in the new preface to an updated edition, published this week, of his sweeping 2014 history of the digital age, "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution." Behind the scenes: Isaacson tells me he launched "The Builders" because he wanted to press the builders of this new AI age on these dangers and hear in their own voices what motivates them. Listen to a trailer for "The Builders" ...

👋 Tesla's farewell to cars Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Elon Musk's spectacular unveiling of a flying, rocket-powered Tesla Roadster could be seen as a boisterous farewell to Tesla, the car company, Axios' auto expert Joann Muller writes. Why it matters: The Roadster is a dazzling celebration of automotive engineering, but Musk increasingly envisions a future in which humans don't drive at all — and Tesla is more an AI and robotics company than an automaker. 🖼️ The big picture: With speculation mounting about a possible Tesla-SpaceX merger, the Roadster offers a tantalizing glimpse of how the two companies' technologies might intersect. Tesla's first Roadster, introduced nearly 20 years ago, helped launch the electric vehicle revolution by proving that EVs could be fast, sexy and fun. The new Roadster takes that idea to an almost absurd extreme, using SpaceX rocket technology and powerful suction fans to perform gravity-defying stunts. And while Tesla can still push the boundaries of automotive engineering, its mainstream vehicle lineup is aging, sales have struggled and Musk is increasingly focused on robotaxis, Optimus robots and artificial intelligence. The intrigue: Thursday's demo arguably had little to do with selling cars. Not every version of the Roadster will be street legal, and Musk had some fun while acknowledging the risks of driving a rocket-powered car. "This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car," he said Thursday. "But ... it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10." 🏁 The bottom line: The original Roadster announced Tesla's arrival as a car company. The new one might be its most extravagant exit. Roadster video ...

Trump's October barrage President Trump is carrying his insatiable appetite for controversy into the most unforgiving stretch of the electoral calendar, fortified by a decade of political survival, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. "Bottom line, it's gonna all work out. You know why? It always does," Trump told reporters this week. Why it matters: Gone are the days of a single "October surprise." It's been swallowed by a barrage of scandals, provocations and shattered conventions that have persisted in the closing weeks of Trump's final midterm election. The big picture: Axios has documented Trump's steady demolition of presidential norms in his second term, from the transition through his first 100 days and first year in office. This year, even the threat of losing Congress — and with it, much of his ability to pursue his agenda over the next two years — has done little to temper the pace or audacity of Trump's presidency. 🗓️ Consider the first 15 days of October alone, and the succession of controversies that might have shaken the foundation of a more conventional presidency: Raid on a political opponent: Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) home and seized her phone as part of an investigation aimed at stripping the sitting member of Congress of her U.S. citizenship and ultimately deporting her, The Wall Street Journal reports. Calls to shoot leakers: Trump declared at an Arizona campaign rally that officials who leak sensitive military information "should be shot," invoking an earlier era when he claimed the government routinely executed leakers. Concessions to Vladimir Putin: Trump eased sanctions on Russian diesel, demanded the ouster of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and pressured Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries, even as Moscow continued bombing Ukrainian infrastructure. Federal crackdown on the press: The Justice Department launched an antitrust investigation into ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC after the networks suspended White House TV pool coverage to protest Trump's ban on three news organizations. $5,000 election promise: Trump pledged to send every adult American a $5,000 check if Republicans retain control of Congress, explicitly tying more than $1 trillion in proposed federal payments to the outcome of the midterms. The other side: Three October episodes forced Trump into rare retreats. A televised execution: Trump scrapped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream a convicted mass murderer's execution by firing squad after bipartisan outrage. An ambassador's downfall: Trump forced Kimberly Guilfoyle — who was engaged to his son for four years until 2024 — to resign as ambassador to Greece after reports that she solicited $100,000 from a political donor to cover personal credit-card bills. A five-day press secretary: Trump ousted Katie Zacharia amid scrutiny of her legal credentials and a widely criticized debut. Axios reports Trump was blindsided to learn that Zacharia — whom he had introduced as an attorney — had never passed the bar exam. What they're saying: Far from seeing October as a month of political peril, the administration is celebrating it as a continuation of Trump's record. White House assistant press secretary Allison Schuster told Axios: "Since Day 1 of his administration, President Trump has boldly and consistently fulfilled his campaign promises to protect national security, make America beautiful, secure the border, crack down on crime, ensure free and fair elections, and make life more affordable." The bottom line: Trump is treating a moment of maximum political vulnerability like business as usual, betting that the instincts that carried him this far won't fail him now.