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The not-so-secret vulnerability in Ukraine’s drone arsenal? Chinese technology Ukraine has become a global leader in military drone innovation, enabling its forces to grind a much larger enemy to a stalemate. But this has come with an unsettling vulnerability: Ukrainian drone makers are highly dependent on electronics made by China, a key Russian ally. Read more. What to know: Ukraine’s greatest fear is that the Chinese government could restrict its access to these critical parts. It also worries that Russian defense companies that need these same supplies could be given preferential treatment by Chinese factories. Over the past two years, Ukraine has sought to break its dependence on China but cannot do so entirely, whose lower costs and vastly greater production capacity cannot be matched by allied suppliers. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ A former Ukrainian officer goes on trial over sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines Zelenskyy says Ukraine received no intelligence from partners about missiles headed to Kyiv

October 14, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The pope has lung cancer, the Vatican said. Joni Mitchell is now an American citizen. And there’s more news below, including an accounting of how you get your bananas. Let’s start, though, with Russia’s war on Ukraine. In Moscow last month. Reuters America first With winter bearing down, Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid and freeze the country into submission after more than four years of war. It’s also bombing civilians. Ukraine has struck back with attacks on Russian oil refineries and, recently, e-commerce warehouses across the nation. It has clawed back some territory, even though it’s running low on munitions. But as the price of diesel fuel soars, President Trump sees the United States as collateral damage in Ukraine’s fight for survival. “He wants to make problems for the world,” Trump said of President Volodymyr Zelensky. “He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers.” Source: LSEG Data and Analytics. The New York Times Accordingly, Trump announced on Friday that the United States would suspend sanctions on Russian diesel. The announcement shocked Ukrainian and European leaders who have worked for years, with the help of the United States, to cut Russia off from the money that fuels its war. (Several Republican members of Congress objected yesterday, too. Many of them had just backed a new law to tighten the economic noose on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. “This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies,” they and some Democratic colleagues wrote.) But it surely pleased Putin. If the agreement moves ahead, it could put some $4 billion of American money into the Russian economy. In return, Putin offered more war, launching an attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia that killed 22 people, including four children. The U.S. midterm elections are only weeks away, and high fuel prices imperil Republican candidates. Buying Russian diesel might bring those prices down, Trump suggests. It would be hard to find a clearer example of his “America first” posture toward foreign policy. On the ground Russia’s escalating assaults on Ukrainian cities are taking an enormous toll. The same week as the strike on Zaporizhzhia, a Russian bomb hit a commuter bus in Kramatorsk, killing at least 30 people. The Russian military has targeted civilians throughout the war. But the death toll is rising as Moscow deploys more “precision weapons” that have stretched Ukraine’s air defenses with a daily shower of attacks. Russia launched about 3,500 jet-powered drones against targets across Ukraine in September, reports Marc Santora, who has been covering the war since its start. In June, that number was 350. Ukraine is trying to engineer an interceptor that can stop them. (For now, F-16s try to shoot them down.) The Russians use older weapons, too, including World War II-era “glide bombs” that can be stopped only by shooting down the fighter jets that deliver them, something the Ukrainian military lacks the ability to do. In July, the Russians dropped 8,300 of those. A father’s grief Johanna-Maria Fritz for The New York Times Siobhán O’Grady and Liubov Sholudko, reporting from Ukraine, told the story of one of those bombs, which detonated in the city of Sumy, in the country’s northeast, not far from the Russian border. Their account opens with a horrifying scene: The 500-pound Russian bomb first appeared as a tiny blip on Yevhen Ovcharov’s live military map: a red speck gliding over the Ukrainian border and above the villages beyond. Then he saw it hurtling toward his hometown, Sumy. Yevhen was a Ukrainian soldier deployed 300 miles from home, on the eastern front. It was 9:45 p.m. on July 3 when he reached for his phone. His wife, Nataliia Ovcharova, answered quickly. Don’t worry, she told him. She and the girls were fine and happily walking home from the park. Their 13-year-old, Veronika, was trailing slightly behind with a friend. Their youngest, Milana, who was 5, was beside her. At 9:46, the call was cut off. Yevhen called back once, twice, three times. For six minutes, he heard nothing. At 9:52, his phone rang. It was Veronika. She screamed that she was covered in blood. Milana, she said, was lying completely still on the ground. “No one is helping,” she sobbed. “Dad, please come save us.” Yevhen ran outside and jumped in a car to start the four-hour drive home. Read more about his mission to show the world “what Russia did to my family.” FREE TO READ Near Sausalito, Calif. Ian C. Bates for The New York Times Anchors up: In a bay near San Francisco, people have lived rent free on boats for decades. Not for much longer. Pet telepathy? Argentina’s president hired a psychic to communicate with his dog as it was dying. Meet the psychic here. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about Kelly Clarkson’s feud with a Brooklyn novelty shop. Cartoon hero: P.C. Vey, “one of the faces on the Mount Rushmore of Cartooning,” has died at 70. Read about his life, and see some of his hilarious work for The New Yorker. THE LATEST NEWS Pope Leo Pope Leo was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma. It can be highly treatable. Doctors removed a lower lobe of the pope’s right lung during surgery. His case highlights the importance of early screenings. Politics The White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to quit as ambassador to Greece after reports she had asked a Republican donor to pay off a credit card for her and urged him to conceal their chats. A judge again blocked Trump’s efforts to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Trump created a panel of allies to determine if he can fire Lisa Cook, a Fed governor. The new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, made her debut yesterday. It was bumpy. Katie Zacharia leaving the White House with President Trump. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Cornell Rape Investigation The president of Cornell said in an interview with The Times that he learned about the sexual assault report shortly after Jane Doe came forward but did not follow up. Cornell, where a third of students belong to Greek organizations, banned frat parties for the rest of the school year. Artificial Intelligence The F.B.I. arrested an OpenAI employee accused of planting a bug in the company’s offices. A.I. is now helping to solve some of mathematics’ most famous open problems. What happens when A.I. comes not just for your job, but for your purpose? Click to watch a math professor’s answer. A math professor on “The Daily.” The New York Times Around the World Sans froid: Supermarkets in France tossed produce after a cyberattack shut down refrigerators at more than 400 stores. Two crypto billionaires are working to make politics in Britain more American. In a system that operates on shoestring budgets, they gave $100 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. party. Other Big Stories Under the Texas abortion law, nearly anyone can sue violators. One mom filed suit against an anti-abortion group that posted about ordering abortion pills. A Turkish businessman was facing trouble with the U.S. government. Then he married a former Trump lawyer. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) A Republican super PAC hoping to influence the Senate race in Maine messed up. What did it do wrong? It disclosed the name of a secret billionaire donor. It misattributed a quote by Karl Marx to Trump. It backed the Democratic candidate. It bought airtime in Portland, Ore., not the one in Maine. OPINIONS Taylor Maggiacomo Ebola is exploding in Congo. Foreign aid cuts, institutional distrust and conflict are weakening the country’s health systems, writes an International Rescue Committee director who is leading the response. “Digger” is one of Tom Cruise’s biggest missteps. It’s also the best climate crisis movie ever made, a critic argues. The Anniversary Sale ends soon: Morning readers, enjoy our best offer. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your interests with expert coverage of news, culture, business and more. Save now: $1/week for your first year. TODAY’S NUMBER Hannah Beier for The New York Times 80 — That’s how many bananas an American eats each year, on average. The Times tracked a shipping container full of bananas on a journey of about 2,500 miles, from the plantation where they were grown to a Pennsylvania grocery store. Follow along. RECIPE OF THE DAY Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Ham El-Waylly’s kung pao tofu easily ranks among my top 10 favorite Times recipes right now: a perfect balance of salt, sweet, sour and fire. Make it as written a few times and then you can begin to throw in some change-ups. For instance, sometimes I make it with cashews instead of peanuts, or with cubed chicken thighs in place of the tofu. But it’s always pure Ham. BEAUTY QUEEN Rambo Elliott for The New York Times Meet the new Miss America, Regan Hutsell. She’s a former Radio City Rockette and ballet dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet — a rare combination for a pageant queen. “For a dancer to perform in those boots and make it look effortless, like Regan does — you’ve reached the pinnacle,” one of her coaches said. “She was a joy bomb out there.” Read her interview with The Times. More on culture In Wales. Clementine Schneidermann for The New York Times Every year, the small Welsh town of Porthcawl welcomes one of the world’s largest gatherings of Elvis tribute artists and fans. “You couldn’t think of a more inappropriate place to put an Elvis festival,” the organizer told The Times. “But it seems to work.” Check out this amazing photo essay that captures the scene. White paint is everywhere. (You’ll start to notice it once you’ve read that sentence.) Wendy S. Walters, a professor at Columbia, takes aim at it in a new book, “A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint,” that is part memoir, part design history. The book is “notable for its precise writing and its mood of existential unease,” The Times says. “Imagine if Joan Didion were set on edge not by the Santa Ana winds but by office walls.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Grace Coddington Clark Hodgin for The New York Times Visit the fashion goddess Grace Coddington’s sprawling retreat in East Hampton, N.Y. Not to be catty, but it’s very catty. Give tough feedback. It’s a gift. We’ll help you do it. Clean your iron. Not doing so can lead to catastrophe. The diligent housekeepers at Wirecutter show you how to avoid that. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were paranoid and raindrop. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY October 14 1947 Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1892 “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” published 1926 ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ first published 1957 “Wake Up Little Susie” becomes the Everly Brothers’ first No. 1 hit 1994 “Pulp Fiction” opens in theaters Black History 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. wins Nobel Peace Prize Cold War 1964 Nikita Khrushchev ousted as premier of Soviet Union 1962 Soviet missiles photographed in Cuba Crime 1975 Trial begins in Amityville murders European History 1066 The Battle of Hastings LGBTQ+ History 1977 Anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant is hit in the face with a pie U.S. Presidents 1912 Theodore Roosevelt shot in Milwaukee 1890 Dwight D. Eisenhower is born Vietnam War 1968 Military announces it will send U.S. servicemen to Vietnam for second tours World War I 1918 Adolf Hitler wounded in British gas attack World War II 1944 German General Erwin Rommel—aka “The Desert Fox”—dies by suicide

⛳ 1 for the road: Trump's tree timeout The trunks of large trees are wrapped in caution tape at East Potomac Golf Links in D.C. on Monday. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP A federal judge yesterday ordered tree removal work to stop at East Potomac golf course through at least Oct. 26, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil writes. The court granted a request to require three business days' notice before conducting additional work on the site, according to legal advocacy group Democracy Forward. Go deeper.

🤖 $50M push to regulate AI Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Advocates for AI safety and regulation — including AI researchers themselves — are emerging as a force in U.S. elections, spending nearly $50 million this election cycle on candidates who favor regulation, a new analysis shared exclusively with Axios' Maria Curi shows. Why it matters: The people building AI are increasingly spending to push for its regulation — sometimes at odds with the companies they work for. Donors tell Axios they're not primarily motivated by party affiliation or specific policy positions, but by fears that industry money will scare candidates into staying quiet about an unpopular technology. 🔭 Zoom out: Forces favoring AI acceleration — who earlier this year seemed poised to target pro-regulation candidates — haven't spent as much as opponents expected, and safety advocates see an opportunity to fill the void. Keep reading ...

America's job jitters Data: Pew Research Center. Chart: Axios 48% of U.S. adults are very concerned that people who want to work won't be able to find jobs, according to a Pew survey — the highest reading since it started asking the question five years ago, Axios' Courtenay Brown and Neal Rothschild write. Half of Americans also say they're very concerned about AI's role in the economy, Pew found. Keep reading.

☎️ Bibi, Trump discuss attack Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis and Win McNamee/Getty Images. Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo write: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump last week discussed the possibility of launching a major new operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections, according to two U.S. officials, one Israeli official and a fourth source with knowledge of the matter. Netanyahu said during the call that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to reconstitute its nuclear program, according to the Israeli official. The Israeli leader's call with Trump about the possible attack took place before Trump said he would not strike Iran ahead of the midterms. Why it matters: Resuming major combat operations in Iran would inject a volatile new issue into the Oct. 27 Israeli elections and the U.S. midterms a week later. 👀 Behind the scenes: An Israeli official said Trump initially seemed to be leaning toward resuming attacks, but then grew more hesitant. A U.S. official said Trump has been going back and forth on the issue. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the leadership of U.S. Central Command are the strongest backers of resuming strikes in Iran, a source familiar with the discussions said. Most of Trump's advisers favor keeping up economic sanctions and other forms of pressure for now. Keep reading. ps:2 despicable people, at least one of them had a good reputation until he met trump and than it was downhill from there!!!!!

Trump's Russian roulette Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg and Gavriil Grigorov/pool/AFP, via Getty Images President Trump is indulging his fondness for Vladimir Putin at a moment of acute political peril, forcing Republicans in the midterms to take cover as he showers Moscow with one-sided concessions, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: With just three weeks until the election, Trump is rekindling a decade-long, scandal-scarred relationship with a dictator reviled by most Americans — including his own supporters. 🔎 Zoom in: Since speaking with Putin on Friday, Trump has embarked on a remarkable five-day campaign of diplomatic concessions and cover for Russia — sparking bipartisan blowback just as voters prepare to cast their ballots. On Friday, Trump announced a deal to unleash millions of tons of Russian diesel onto global markets, easing sanctions designed to starve Moscow's war revenues. On Saturday, Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for striking Russian refineries and demanded that Kyiv replace its leader. On Sunday, Trump blindsided Zelensky by declaring an immediate "energy ceasefire." Russia has continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with no apparent consequences from Washington. On Monday, Trump dismissed months of intelligence-based reports that Russia was enabling Iran's war effort by supplying information about U.S. military assets. Yesterday, Trump doubled down on the diesel deal and brushed off concerns that the proceeds could finance Russia's war machine, even as GOP senators labeled it a "betrayal" and "a gift to our adversary." Between the lines: The benefits to Russia are clear. Far less apparent is what Trump's concessions accomplish for American security, European allies or his own political fortunes. For America: Energy analysts doubt the diesel deal will meaningfully ease fuel prices sent soaring by the Iran war. For Europe: Washington is breaking ranks with a NATO alliance confronting a historic threat environment, as Russia escalates its hybrid campaign of sabotage, cyberattacks and drone incursions. For Republicans: With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Trump is embracing a dictator viewed unfavorably by 81% of his own 2024 voters, according to a January YouGov poll. 🖼️ The big picture: Trump's warm relationship with Putin has haunted his political career since 2016, when Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him defeat Hillary Clinton. A decade of investigations, scandals and Washington outrage has done little to shake that affinity. If anything, the scrutiny appears to have hardened Trump's determination to defy the foreign-policy consensus. ps:PATHETIC

Ukrainian ex-army officer’s lawyers seek dismissal as Nord Stream pipeline blast trial opens HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Defense lawyers for a former Ukrainian army officer charged with damaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines in blasts four years ago have called for the dismissal of charges in the first day of his trial. https://apnews.com/article/germany-nord-stream-pipelines-explosions-trial-ukraine-gas-fdbddfa8c362df5a9f81e617e546b287?

In Colorado, there is still an active volcano. It last erupted about the same time as the pyramids were being built in Egypt. James

China’s trade surplus nears record as pressure mounts from trading partners HONG KONG (AP) — China’s exports surged 36.3% in September from a year earlier, its customs agency said Wednesday, putting the country on track to surpass last year’s record trade surplus even as pressure mounts from trading partners, including the European Union, to rebalance trade. https://apnews.com/article/china-trade-exports-db43e08437b65f65c2ead64c82f9b990?

Hard to Believe View in browser Donald Trump is the quantum president: simultaneously all-powerful and also a wee, innocent figurehead, blithely unaware of what his aides are doing. The first Trump, the one who declares that he “alone can fix it,” was in the Oval Office last week, asserting his unfettered power to persecute his political opponents. “I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama,” he said. “I can do whatever I want, if I want.” But after federal law enforcement conducted a search at the Washington, D.C., home of Representative Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democrat, yesterday morning, Trump insisted he was completely uninvolved. Without more information, the search—conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE that handles complicated probes—is deeply troubling. The Trump administration has deployed a series of probes, searches, and indictments, many of which are plainly pretextual or political, against outspoken critics. (This is a crucial distinction from an August 2022 search at Mar-a-Lago, which yielded many boxes of highly sensitive material, haphazardly stored.) Black women, including Representative LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, have been particular but not exclusive targets. The search also breaks a norm against public action in highly political cases in the 60 days before an election. Attempts to intimidate or criminalize an opposition party are hallmarks of authoritarianism. There is much about the search that we do not know, including what evidence was used to obtain the warrant (though The New York Times reports it “was the subject of significant back and forth between prosecutors and the federal judge who eventually approved it”); what agents might have found; and what charges, if any, the government might be contemplating. Some reporting states that prosecutors are exploring whether Omar’s late father lied or made omissions on immigration applications. (The administration has focused on trying to strip citizenship from people who gave false responses on applications.) The congresswoman came to the United States as a child and became a naturalized citizen at 17. To hear Trump tell it, he also knows little about the probe. “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” Trump said yesterday. “I have nothing to do with it.” (The Department of Justice told the Times that the search was part of an ongoing investigation but declined to comment further.) This is a pattern I previously identified: When faced with difficult questions or strong pushback, the president tends to insist that the lawyers are in charge and he’s not apprised of what’s going on. But his claim is hard to believe. Trump has repeatedly said that he has a “right” to direct federal prosecutors to investigate whomever he wishes, and although he generally insists that he has not done so, evidence suggests otherwise. Last September, Trump posted on Truth Social instructing then–Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against critics, including James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Senator Adam Schiff. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” he wrote. Several news outlets later reported that the missive was intended as a private message. Bondi was removed this spring, reportedly because of Trump’s frustration that his attempts at retribution were moving too slowly. In February, FBI agents searched an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, in pursuit of evidence for Trump’s assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. (Their warrant was largely based on debunked claims.) The following day, Trump spoke directly to some of the agents involved, an extraordinary intervention. Comey was ultimately charged with threatening the president, after he posted a photograph of shells he found on a beach that read 86 47, a set of numbers that supporters have said connotes wanting to remove Trump from office. DOJ has insisted the post was a threat of violence (which Comey has denied). Documents released by Comey’s lawyers this summer show that Trump was closely involved in the case, demanding briefings and notes from interviews with Comey prior to his indictment. Adding to the impression that the Omar case is a White House effort, Katie Miller, the former Trump aide and the wife of Stephen Miller, posted about the story on X yesterday, saying, “Promise made, promise kept.” She later deleted the post. But even if Trump is not personally engaged, he has made clear through his statements that he wants Omar investigated and punished. In 2019, he suggested that members of the progressive “Squad,” which included Omar, should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” A few days later, after he criticized Omar at a rally, he watched as a crowd chanted, “Send her back!” In December, he called Omar “garbage” and said that Somalis should leave the U.S: “Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.” The next month, when Omar was attacked at an event, Trump accused her of setting it up. This March, Vice President Vance told an interviewer, “We actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud.” The message from the White House is clear enough to make King Henry II blush. If Trump is as engaged in prosecutions of his political opponents as public evidence indicates, then his behavior is inappropriate and damaging to the rule of law. If, however, he truly knows nothing about what’s going on, then he’s not the heroic, powerful leader he claims to be. Which would he prefer the public conclude? Related: Trump is hiding behind his lawyers. Trump shrugs off the Ilhan Omar attack.

US hits Bank of America with $1.2 billion fine, saying it violated money laundering, sanctions laws WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department said Tuesday that it’s imposing $1.2 billion in fines on Bank of America for allegedly violating anti-money laundering and sanctions laws. https://apnews.com/article/treasury-bank-of-america-money-laundering-29013b2c8f08a3a8d579a96721ed1aa4?

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis gets 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur LAS VEGAS (AP) — An aging ex-gang leader was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of rap icon Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip. https://apnews.com/article/duane-davis-sentencing-tupac-shakur-827803a315dedbf36d18b66417a74303?

🏎️ 1 for the road: F1 returns to Africa This new F1 track is planned near the new Kigali International Airport in Rwanda. Rendering: F1 Formula 1 is headed back to Africa for the first time since 1993, with Rwanda hosting a race in "the early 2030s." The African Grand Prix will have a 10-year contract and take place at a track southeast of Rwanda's capital, Kigali. 🏁 Rwandan President Paul Kagame said at a launch event that he hopes the F1 event will "pave the way for other races to be hosted on the continent." Go deeper ... Read the announcement.

🧑‍⚖️ The Supreme Court, siding with the Trump administration, agreed to hear arguments in a watchdog's lawsuit seeking public records about Elon Musk's DOGE. Go deeper.

Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery to remove part of right lung ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed he has lung cancer and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said. https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-surgery-86268530ef22fd14d2712067e89946f1?

Cornell suspends fraternity parties, gives state police role in investigating campus assault reports Cornell University suspended parties at fraternity houses until next year and is giving state police a role in investigating reports of sexual assault on campus in the school’s latest response to outrage over its handling of a gang rape allegation. https://apnews.com/article/cornell-rape-investigation-frat-party-ban-686aaca2c81878f8cd771a0e3bdf7fa4?

👋 Good morning! Welcome back. How high will you score in today's GeoSports round? Notable quotable: "Cleveland is everything to me," said Guardians legend José Ramírez after winning Game 1 of the ALCS. "When nobody wanted to give me a chance, they gave me a chance. This is the place I love, and they love me back." In today's edition: Brewers and Guardians grab early leads, WNBA Finals conundrum, Bills win MNF shootout, Man City keeps rolling, MV-Purdy, Georgia is No. 1, USWNT seeks revenge against Spain, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Atlanta's arena conundrum: After playing three home playoff games at State Farm Arena (17,000 capacity) during their run to the WNBA Finals, the Atlanta Dream may have to host Finals games at Gateway Center Arena (3,500 capacity) due to scheduling conflicts. Their opponent, the Golden State Valkyries, will host games at Chase Center (18,000 capacity). ⛳️ LIV's Ryder Cup dilemma: The European Tour (aka. the DP World Tour) will refuse membership to golfers who sign up for LIV in 2027. As a result, any European golfers who stick with LIV won't be eligible for the Ryder Cup team next fall. 🏈 Marv on the move: Just two years after drafting him No. 4 overall, the Cardinals are shipping WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (and a 2027 seventh-round pick) to the Texans in exchange for a 2027 second-round and sixth-round pick. The trade reunites Harrison with QB C.J. Stroud, with whom he thrived at Ohio State (77 catches, 1,263 yards, 14 TDs in 2022). ⚾️ Vlad's new vision: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. underwent laser eye surgery following the worst season of his MLB career. Guerrero has previously dealt with vision issues, wearing contact lenses while playing and eyeglasses off the field, per The Athletic. 🎓 JMU to change conferences: James Madison has voted to leave the Sun Belt Conference (which it joined in 2022) and has been accepted into the American Conference, where it will become a full league member "no later than July 1, 2028."   ⚾️ CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES DODGERS DOWN 0-2, MIGHT BENCH OHTANI Shohei Ohtani continues to struggle, and the Dodgers find themselves down 0-2. (John Fisher/Getty Images) MLB's final four features three Davids and one Goliath, at least in terms of finances.* Two games into the NLCS, Goliath is already on the ropes. Milwaukee lands two punches: The Brewers took care of business at home against the Dodgers over the long weekend, besting the reigning AL Cy Young (Tarik Skubal) and reigning World Series MVP (Yoshinobu Yamamoto) to put the two-time reigning champions in an 0-2 hole. Game 1: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 Game 2: Brewers 7, Dodgers 4 Between the lines: The top seed is supposed to win at home, so it's not like L.A. is in panic mode as the series shifts to the West Coast. But the mighty Dodgers do suddenly look mighty rickety and vulnerable — and their biggest superstar has become their biggest question mark. What to watch: The Dodgers are considering the unfathomable ahead of tomorrow's Game 3: benching Shohei Ohtani. The four-time MVP is clearly injured, though his exact diagnosis is unclear. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Monday to lower his postseason batting average to .150, which is only slightly worse than his batting average since Aug. 18 (.160). "Yeah, I mean, obviously it hasn't been good," manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic. "He doesn't feel great. I think for me, it's having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what's best for him, what's best for us. He certainly has earned that conversation." Meanwhile, in St. Pete: The Guardians beat the Rays, 7-3, on Monday night to win their fourth straight playoff game. Cleveland made some fun postseason history, too, becoming the first team to get shut out through five innings only to score in the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. Game 2 is tonight. *Davids vs. Goliath: The Dodgers will spend $616.4 million (!!) on this year's roster between their tax payroll and estimated tax bill. That's $255.9 million more than the Brewers ($154.7M), Rays ($113.2M) and Guardians ($92.6M) combined.   🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Luke Hales/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California Speaking of struggling Southern California-based superteams, the Rams fell to 2-3 on Monday night with a 37-34 (OT) loss to the Bills, who rode Josh Allen's legs (121 rushing yards) and Tyler Bass' foot (game-winning 45-yard field goal) to victory. The view from first: The Bills (4-1) sit atop the AFC East following an eventful Week 5, while the Ravens (4-1), Jaguars (4-1), Chiefs (4-0), Giants (3-1-1), Vikings (5-0), Panthers (2-2) and 49ers (5-0) lead their respective divisions. (Alex Pantling/Getty Images) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool, England Manchester City faced a barrage of abuse from Liverpool supporters in their first match since being found guilty on 114 charges of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. But the jeers didn't seem to faze them: City won 3-0 to continue their perfect season. Where it stands: Man City (18 points) sits atop the Premier League table with six wins in six matches, followed by Arsenal (15), Brighton (13), Brentford (10), Everton (10) and Chelsea (10). Rounding out the top half of the league: Leeds (9), newly-promoted Hull City (9), Liverpool (9) and newly-promoted Ipswich Town (9). (Peter Fox/Getty Images) 🇸🇬 Marina Bay, Singapore Red Bull's Max Verstappen followed up his first win of the Formula 1 season with another victory in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. The resurgence has come too late to play a meaningful role in the title fight, but Verstappen now has a top-three finish in his sights. Meanwhile, in Charlotte: Even on a day that seemed on its face like a disappointment, Kyle Larson extended his points lead atop the NASCAR Cup Chase and is potentially four races away from a third Cup Series championship. (Luca Bettini/Pool/Getty Images) 🇮🇹 Como, Italy 20-year-old French prodigy Paul Seixas ended his breakout season in historic fashion on Saturday when he became the youngest winner of the Giro di Lombardia, one of the sport's five Monuments (prestigious one-day races). Notably absent: Five-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar wasn't able to race following a season-ending crash at the Vuelta a España in August. That opened the door for the rest of the field, and Seixas seized the opportunity.   🏈 AWARDS WATCH FROM MR. IRRELEVANT TO MVP? After leading his undefeated 49ers to victory over the defending champion Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, the MVP conversation is heating up for San Francisco QB Brock Purdy. By the numbers: According to an aggregation of prediction- and betting-market MVP odds, Purdy leads the field with a 26.7% chance, narrowly ahead of Josh Allen (26%) and comfortably ahead of Patrick Mahomes (12.5%), Trevor Lawrence (9.1%) and Joe Burrow (8.3%). And unlike those names, all of whom were top-10 draft picks, Purdy was famously "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2022, when he was the very last player taken (No. 262 pick). The historical context: If Purdy ends up winning, he would be the second-latest-drafted MVP in league history, trailing only Washington kicker — yes, kicker — Mark Moseley, who won AP MVP in 1982 after going 346th overall in 1970. (1966 MVP Bart Starr went 200th overall and 3x winner Tom Brady went 199th.) But "latest-drafted" is also doing some work there: Two-time MVP Kurt Warner wasn't even drafted, making him the most unlikely winner of all. This story was written by Neil Paine, the newest addition to our team. We'll formally introduce him later this week. In the meantime, here's a fun fact: Neil would have gotten a ring as a consultant for the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks… if they'd won the NBA title, instead of what actually happened: getting swept by an average of 13.3 points per game in the East Finals. He still wears the hypothetical ring proudly.   🏈 CHAOS ON CAMPUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S WILDEST WEEK YET (Butch Dill/Getty Images) Georgia is the clear No. 1 team in this week's AP Top 25, earning all but three of the 69 first-place votes after beating Alabama, 20-17, on Saturday night in a thrilling (and controversial) matchup that has us dreaming of a rematch. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: Georgia proved Saturday night it is good enough to win a championship. But it also saw the team — and particularly the quarterback — that might be good enough to prevent it. "There's no such thing as containing [Keelon] Russell," an exhausted Kirby Smart said after his defense survived and advanced to 6-0, knowing there will likely be a second meeting with far more significance somewhere down the line. Meanwhile, in Dallas: Former No. 1 Texas fell six spots to No. 7 after losing 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma on a walk-off field goal in the 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry. Get ready for more talk about the woes of Texas' offense and QB Arch Manning, who threw two costly second-half interceptions. (Yahoo Sports) More AP Poll: Moving in: Kentucky jumped all the way to No. 15 following their 35-34 (OT) win over then-No. 12 LSU, which came a week after they beat South Carolina in overtime by the same exact score (walk-off two-point conversions in both games!). No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 25 Northwestern also joined the rankings. Moving out: Oregon (formerly No. 13) is unranked for the first time in four years following an ugly 17-15 loss to UCLA, which jumped nine spots to No. 12 with the win. Florida (No. 16) also plummeted out of the poll after losing big to South Carolina, and Pittsburgh (No. 25) dropped out after falling to UNC. Elsewhere: Mike Elko lashed out at Texas A&M fans after the team's third loss in four games … Nebraska gave Indiana a scare before losing their 31st straight game to a ranked opponent … Boise State held off Fresno State to keep their playoff hopes alive. Coming up: Saturday's slate features a whopping six games between ranked teams, including two blockbuster top-10 matchups: No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington and No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU in Provo.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 13 (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ⚾️ ALCS, Game 2 The Rays will look to draw even with the Guardians tonight (8pm ET, TBS) at "The Trop," where they are 57-27 (.679) this season despite Monday's series-opening loss. Pitching matchup: Freddy Peralta, who was nails down the stretch (0.93 ERA in his last 7 starts), takes the mound for Tampa Bay, while ROY contender Parker Messick (12-9, 2.56 ERA) gets the ball for Cleveland. ⚽️ USWNT vs. Spain The world's top two women's soccer teams meet tonight in Chester, Pennsylvania (7pm, TNT), where the Americans will be seeking revenge against the reigning World Cup champions following Spain's 2-0 victory on Saturday in Washington, D.C. Pregame reading: USWNT faces a new reality against Spain: The Americans are now the hunters, not the hunted (Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports) 🏒 Frozen Frenzy All 32 NHL teams take the ice tonight, which will only happen twice this season. Games start every 15 minutes beginning at 6pm, when ESPN's triple-header gets underway: Devils at Red Wings (6pm); Avalanche at Stars (8:30pm); Bruins at Sharks (11pm). See all the action: For those seeking "NFL RedZone"-style coverage, John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes will host a whip-around show from the studio (7pm, ESPN2). More to watch: ⚽️ Champions League: Atlético vs. Man United (3pm, Paramount+); Arsenal vs. Lille (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games as Matchday 2 kicks off. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Cavaliers at Magic (7pm, Peacock/NBCSN); Warriors vs. Lakers (10pm, NBA) … The regular season tips off a week from today. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🌎 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS On Tuesdays, we play GeoSports. All questions are written by me. How to play: You'll be asked five questions that combine sports and geography. Tap the spot on the globe where you think the answer is. The closer you are, the more points you get.

Trump appoints committee to revive quest to remove Lisa Cook from Fed board President Donald Trump has formed a White House committee to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, escalating even further a lengthy feud with the Federal Reserve Board member. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-appoints-committee-to-revive-quest-to-remove-lisa-cook-from-fed-board/? ps:How pathetic!! Trump may backtrack on livestreamed execution of Fort Hood shooter President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to leave open the possibility that the federal government won’t livestream a military execution planned for December that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said would be public. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-may-backtrack-on-livestreamed-execution-of-fort-hood-shooter/? Trump heads West in latest swing to bolster GOP in rocky lead-up to midterms WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week will journey out West in an effort to galvanize support for Republican candidates three weeks before the midterm elections and convince voters to support his party amid low presidential approval ratings. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-heads-west-in-latest-swing-to-bolster-gop-in-rocky-lead-up-to-midterms/? US senators from both parties blast Trump order to import Russian diesel as illegal The Trump administration’s order to allow import of Russian diesel violates a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports while the country’s war with Ukraine is ongoing, according to a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/us-senators-from-both-parties-blast-trump-order-to-import-russian-diesel-as-illegal/? US House Dem leaders condemn Homeland Security raid on home of Rep. Ilhan Omar WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in the U.S. House condemned a “deeply disturbing” raid early Monday at the District of Columbia home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who has long been a target of verbal attacks by President Donald Trump and Republicans. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/us-house-dem-leaders-condemn-homeland-security-raid-on-home-of-rep-ilhan-omar/? Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns after allegations of improper conduct WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct, and she announced within two hours that she was quitting, ending days of talk and speculation about her professional fate. Guilfoyle insisted that she would “vigorously defend” herself. https://apnews.com/article/trump-ambassador-greece-guilfoyle-9da9d2e50e18bccc38946404c1ca756f? ps:Such a pathetic administration!!!!!

Utilities make progress on power restoration as Hurricane Isaias recovery continues Some 120,000 power customers were still waiting for power restoration in Florida as of Monday afternoon, three days after Hurricane Isaias hit the Florida Panhandle, as momentum gathered behind the state’s disaster recovery. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/utilities-make-progress-on-power-restoration-as-hurricane-isaias-recovery-continues/? David Jolly: Governor’s race likely comes down to undecided Black Floridians Undecided Black voters, David Jolly says, may decide who becomes Florida’s next governor. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/david-jolly-governors-race-likely-comes-down-to-undecided-black-floridians/? Florida’s 17th execution of this year is scheduled for Tuesday The state of Florida is set to execute 62-year-old James Robertson by lethal injection at noon Tuesday at Florida State Prison in Bradford County. It would be the 17th carried out in Florida this year. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/floridas-17th-execution-of-this-year-is-scheduled-for-tuesday/?

In today's Congress, three seats can decide everything. Unlike the large majorities of the past, today’s congressional control often hinges on only a few seats changing hands. https://usafacts.org/articles/the-viz-lab/in-todays-congress-three-seats-can-decide-everything/? Where does campaign money really come from? The episode dives into how much money candidates are raising and spending for political campaigns. As of August 2026, Senate and House candidates have raised around $2.67 billion toward federal races for the 2026 November midterm election. https://usafacts.org/crash-course/campaign-funding/? How many jobs were added in the US In September 2026, about 29,000 jobs were gained. That's below the monthly average of 187,900 new jobs of the previous five years. This data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly Employment Situation Report, aka the “jobs report,” a closely watched economic indicator. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in. https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-jobs-were-added-in-the-us-last-month/country/united-states/? One last fact Feel like baking a pumpkin pie or carving a jack-o’-lantern? You've no excuse not to if you live in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New York, aka the Great Lakes Pumpkin Belt. They have more fresh pumpkin farms than any other state. But which state produces the most pumpkins? Find out on our Instagram.

Taylor Swift’s Babylon Taylor Swift released a new song called “Babylon” on her album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. This puts what is arguably the most famous city from the ancient Near East in the spotlight, also providing a welcome, if unlikely, occasion to think about how symbols work. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/taylor-swifts-babylon/? Love, War, and Diplomacy and the Bronze Age In an age of social media and 24/7 news coverage, politics has never felt more personal. Yet in his new book, Eric Cline argues that ancient rulers and diplomats were as invested as their modern counterparts in managing their own images, responding to perceived slights, and reading between the lines of official communication (even if dense cuneiform writing often made this difficult!). https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/reviews/love-war-and-diplomacy-and-the-bronze-age/? What Is the Bar-Kokhba Revolt? In the early second century CE, the southern Levant was home to a diverse population of Judeans, Nabataeans, Greeks, Samaritans, and others, whose languages, customs, and legal traditions intersected under Roman rule. That rule brought periods of relative stability as well as episodes of unrest, complicating the propagandistic imperial ideal of the Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”). Earlier revolts in the region had already challenged Roman authority, and resistance would continue in the centuries that followed. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/what-is-bar-kokhba-revolt/?

Do Stress Balls Work? Stress balls can be a helpful tool for managing temporary stress and tension by providing a tactile distraction and promoting relaxation. https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/do-stress-balls-work?