All Activity

What to know as Brazilians choose between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday Brazil is on the cusp of granting leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a fourth presidential term or pivoting to the far right again by electing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Read More.

Trump casts his midterm ballot early in Florida President Donald Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections Saturday, saying he voted for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally. Read More. ps:Imagine that he voted early!! I thought that was a no no????? How pathetic!!!!!

Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start amid high chocolate prices and affordability concerns Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as U.S. consumers grapple with high living costs and eye-popping chocolate prices. Read More.

More than 400,000 protest across France, challenging Macron as Paris clashes erupt PARIS (AP) — Clashes erupted in Paris as a mass march drew to a close Saturday, with more than 400,000 people rallying across France over school funding and soaring living costs in a fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. Police made nearly 1,000 arrests, the government said. https://apnews.com/article/france-protests-paris-unrest-ad2fb9206e72e5d1b4ae43fdf7aa96a9?

New York couple opens raccoon rehabilitation center, estimates they have saved more than 800 raccoons to date. (More, w/photos) Climate activists install floating wetlands across a British harbor to revive wildlife populations. (More) Midwest NICUs dress their tiny patients up for an annual Halloween costume contest. (More, w/photos) NBA point guard quietly cofounds an insoles company inspired by his own foot injuries; product spreads by word of mouth rather than traditional endorsements. (More) Utah woman who lost her uterus to cancer becomes a mother with the help of her mother-in-law, who served as her surrogate. (More) Today, we're sharing a story from reader Kris B. in Astoria, Oregon. "I admired a knit hat at a rally I was attending and asked the woman if she had knit it. She said no, her mother-in-law did. Then she smiled and handed me the hat, saying she could always get another one and her mother-in-law would be happy to know her work was admired."

Evolution's Viral Twist A viral pandemic that spread roughly five to seven million years ago may be responsible for differences between human and chimpanzee brains, according to a study published this week. Chimpanzees are humans' closest evolutionary relatives, sharing nearly 99% of the same genes. Yet, the human brain is roughly three times larger, a difference whose origins have puzzled scientists for decades (scroll for diagram). The new study identified a fragment of viral DNA present in chimpanzees but absent in humans that appears to impair genes vital to brain development. Researchers believe an ancient retrovirus, similar to HIV, inserted its genetic material into the primates' genomes, allowing it to be passed through subsequent generations. Humans, however, may have been protected by an antiviral protein that blocked the virus, ultimately giving them an evolutionary advantage. Separately, another study out this month found that chimpanzees are less likely to steal food from their friends than their enemies. Experts say the finding may shed light on the roots of fairness and friendship. ps:Wow anything to keep up this Charade! Also the 99% has been debunk for many years, just ask ICR!!

🎸 1 fun thing: 20 years of Tay Taylor Swift performs for "The Eras Tour" at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in May 2023. Photo: John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album — featuring smash hits like "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Our Song" and "Tim McGraw" — turns 20 today. Why it matters: For all the genres and eras Swift has explored since, that first collection of songs reveals just how much of the artist she'd become was there from the start, Axios Nashville's Adam Tamburin writes. Zoom in: As journalist Emily Yahr writes in her new book "Taylor Swift: The Debut Years," many executives were skeptical that Swift's point of view would resonate with their target audience of 30-something women listening to the radio during carpool runs. But Swift insisted on writing for the kids in the back seat. 📝 By the numbers: Swift wrote or co-wrote more than 100 songs while preparing to release "Taylor Swift," Yahr says. The 11 tracks that made the cut leaned unapologetically into teenage experiences. The effervescent "Our Song," a classic Swiftian anthem that she wrote on her own for a freshman talent show, crackled with the giddy excitement of puppy love. She eventually released it as the third single off of her debut album. It was her first to hit No. 1 on the country charts. Keep reading ...

🎬 More movie for your money Doctor Doom in "Avengers: Doomsday," out Dec. 18. Photo: Marvel via AP All kinds of films, from big-budget spectacles to art house dramas, are getting longer. After analyzing 36,431 movies released theatrically from 1980 to 2025, researcher Stephen Follows found that the average length of a wide-release movie has grown from 106 to 114 minutes. 🍿 But there's little evidence that long runtimes are dissuading moviegoers, AP reports. "The Odyssey," with a running time of 173 minutes, is the year's second-highest-grossing movie, with $1.8 billion in ticket sales, and the front-runner for best picture at the Oscars. Two other top Oscar contenders — "La Bola Negra" (159 minutes) and "You Can See Everything" (174 minutes) — also run more than 2.5 hours. "The moviegoing experience is evolving," Joe Russo, who is directing the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday" with his brother Anthony, said in a recent interview. "Eventized cinema seems to be the draw to get people out of their homes. ... Length can certainly contribute to the feeling of an experience. In a lot of ways, it's the feeling of getting your money's worth." The Russos expect "Doomsday," out Dec. 18, to run close to 2.5 hours. Explore the data ... Keep reading.

📷 Pic du jour Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) shows the media a coin he handed to President Trump while greeting him on the tarmac in Fort Myers, Fla., yesterday after Air Force One landed for a midterm rally. "YOU MISSED BITCHES," the golden coin says, rendering Trump with a raised middle finger. Someone give the governor a comma for Christmas.

💰 Pocketbook blues Data: University of Michigan. Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios One of the final snapshots of how Americans feel about the economy before voters head to the polls shows a nation still deeply frustrated by the cost of living, Axios' Courtenay Brown reports. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index registered 48 in October — 10% below its level this time last year. The intrigue: Separate data released alongside the index showed that the share of Republicans citing high prices as a drag on their finances has surged roughly 50 percentage points since January, a much larger increase than among Democrats or independents. Keep reading.

🗳️ Map du jour: '26 election stickers Images collected by Ballotpedia and Jim Sergent/Axios No city or state requires an "I Voted" sticker, but they've become an Election Day staple across America, Ballotpedia notes. Some have classic red, white and blue designs, some feature state landmarks and some are even sketched by the voters or their kids for local contests. More about the stickers.

🔮 Beyond Bibi Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis and Win McNamee/Getty Images President Trump has endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday's Israeli election. But some Trump advisers see opportunity for his Middle East agenda in a government led by someone else, U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: Trump has never worked with an Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu, and doesn't personally know any of the other candidates. The two have forged a close but often turbulent relationship. "He's the devil he knows," a Trump adviser said, describing the president's view of Netanyahu. ⚡ Driving the news: After weeks of hesitation, Trump endorsed Netanyahu last Sunday — and even suggested his defeat would have consequences for U.S.-Israel relations. Many of Trump's closest advisers opposed his decision to endorse Netanyahu, believing the president should stay out of the Israeli election, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Vice President Vance notably declined to follow Trump's lead when asked about the election this week, amid growing hostility toward Netanyahu in parts of the MAGA movement. "I'm not attacking Bibi Netanyahu," Vance told reporters. "I'm not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu. I think the president's endorsement is ultimately what matters." 🔎 Zoom in: The vice president is among those close to Trump who became disillusioned with Netanyahu during the war with Iran. Vance and some top aides believe Netanyahu's pre-war assessments to the White House were mistaken, deepening questions about whether he remains the best partner for achieving Trump's regional ambitions. 🌐 The big picture: Once the Israeli election and U.S. midterms are over, Trump will face a defining choice for his Middle East agenda — whether to join Netanyahu in another major military operation against Iran. Netanyahu is eager to move forward. But the election results could influence Trump's decision, or at least the timing of any renewed large-scale fighting. Trump also wants to move beyond the Iran war and pursue an ambitious diplomatic agenda that includes implementing his Gaza peace plan, brokering deals between Israel and Lebanon and Syria, and ultimately securing a historic Israeli-Saudi peace agreement. Whether Trump can make progress on those goals will depend in part on who governs Israel — and what kind of coalition emerges from Tuesday's vote. 🇮🇱 What to watch: Polls point to a potential political deadlock. Neither Netanyahu nor his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, appears to have a clear path to the 61 seats needed to form a government.

🤫 Washington's message to AI execs: Please shut up Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Washington has always viewed Silicon Valley as culturally strange. But lawmakers and White House advisers see the current crop of AI leaders as a monumental political liability, Axios' Maria Curi and Stef W. Kight report. Why it matters: Even pro-AI government officials and lawmakers wish AI founders would do what every other major industry chief does — put a sock in it and just build their products ... safely. 🚨 State of play: Rather than leading the charge to persuade Americans about the benefits of AI and the potential for shared prosperity — core elements of a winning campaign — industry leaders constantly warn of existential dangers. Lawmakers say the message from AI execs too often alternates between prosperity and doom, sometimes in the same public appearances. 🏛️ The whiplash adds to political instability in the face of an already powerful public backlash, lawmakers and regulators tell us: Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) told Axios: "It's obvious that they're tripping over their own shoelaces in trying to sell the value of this to the public." Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who represents part of Silicon Valley, told Axios: "You cannot trust billionaires to make decisions to keep us safe." Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) complained about "panic-inducing commentary" in a letter to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei earlier this month: "Your instinct is to wreak havoc on the ... discourse." Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told Axios: "Democrats need to make the AI industry's political money an issue, data centers an issue, and go on offense to protect workers and kids." 👀 Between the lines: Friday night news dumps and consequential weekend blog posts have become bread and butter for Anthropic and OpenAI. Regulators are left wondering whether that's a feature or a bug: deliberate attempts to quietly course-correct damaging narratives ahead of IPOs, or the work of inexperienced teams struggling to navigate Washington.

Intelligence warns of "advanced" Iranian plots Obtained by Axios U.S. intelligence finds Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching "advanced stages," according to a memo yesterday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, obtained by Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: This is more evidence the war is likely to escalate after midterms on Nov. 3, 10 days from now. News of the memo exploded across the internet after Axios posted it last night, with media coverage worldwide. U.S. officials say the intelligence is one reason the State Department is drawing down personnel at American embassies across the Middle East, amid mounting fears of a broader regional conflict. U.S. officials also fear that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region. Adding to the volatile security environment is the prospect of renewed U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran, potentially after the midterm elections. President Trump said at a rally in Fort Myers, Fla., yesterday: "We may do another little Operation Epic Fury" unless the Iranians "will agree" to a deal. "If they're smart, they will just say: 'Let's get down to business.' But I doubt they will do that because perhaps they're not smart." ✈️ State of play: Earlier this week, the State Department ordered family members and nonessential personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. Yesterday, the department also ordered reductions in U.S. diplomatic and government personnel at embassies in the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, a U.S. official said.

Come together: Jolly and Nixon stump on FAMU campus as election draws near The two Democrats at the top of the Florida party’s statewide ticket came together Friday on the campus of Florida A&M University — one of the few times they have campaigned in tandem since winning their nominations. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/23/come-together-jolly-and-nixon-stump-on-famu-campus-as-election-draws-near/? School board members can be deposed for removing library books, federal court rules A years-long legal battle over book removals in Escambia County has a new chapter. A federal appeals court ruled school members may be deposed about why they removed library books and classroom material. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/19/school-board-members-can-be-deposed-for-removing-library-books-federal-court-rules/?

Ritual Baths Uncovered at the Temple Mount Support the Bible Summary: A recently discovered complex of mikva’ot or Jewish ritual purity baths at the approach to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem connects to various Biblical accounts. https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2026/10/23/ritual-baths-uncovered-at-the-temple-mount-support-the-bible/?

Our "pioneers" were wrong about a lot of things. Some of those thing they were wrong about have since been repudiated, others have not. The pioneers wanted to educate the members that it is Biblical to ordain women? Some denominations disagree, e.g., ELCA and Southern Baptists, SDA Ordaining women to pastoral rolls is highly controversial among SDA today. Rejected by two GC sessions, the rebellion continues. Denominational entities are ignoring the GC. The same thing is happening with homosexual pastors. It's only beginning. Probably the ideal would be a lesbian pastor. No doubt some hope in their heart for that. Miriam, a prophetess, held a leadership roll comparable to Moses and Aaron (Micah 6:3); Huldah spoke authoritatively in the name of the Lord (2 Ki. 22:14); nevertheless, Paul denied women spiritual leadership of congregations due to their roll in the fall of man in a plain passage addressing who is qualified to oversee congregations. Women are not. They are fatally flawed in that respect, the transgression being laid upon Eve and her descendants (1 Ti 2:14 et al.) Women still suffer pain in childbirth, consequent to the fall. The Sabbath is still a special day. Man rules over woman, due to her roll in bringing death and destruction to the human race: Gen. 3:16 "¶ Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Various translations, e.g., ESV, NRSV, LXXE, NASB, NIV are unanimous, "He will rule over you." If you want a female to be your pastor, or a homosexual, for that matter, not a problem for me. My interest is in correctly interpreting the Bible. Appeals to history and polity are not Scripture.

Star Trek actor Walter Koenig, who played Russian navigator Ensign Pavel Chekov, has passed away. He was 90 years old. Walter Koenig passed away of natural causes, his family announced. Koenig was born in Chicago to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. According to TMZ, Walter’s daughter and niece were by his side when he passed away in his North Hollywood home on Sunday. “Walter was more than Chekov. He was a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend. To the fans who loved him for so many years, thank you. He loved you too,” said fellow Star Trek actor George Takei. “Rest well, my dear friend. Keep navigating a steady course,” George Takei said. Via The Hollywood Reporter: Walter Koenig, the boyish actor who remains an integral part of Star Trek lore thanks to his portrayal of the Russian crewman Pavel Chekov, has died. He was 90. Koenig, also known for playing the scoundrel Alfred Bester on another sci-fi space series, Warner Bros. Television’s Babylon 5, died Sunday of natural causes in his home in North Hollywood, his rep announced. Raised in Manhattan as a son of Lithuanian immigrants, Koenig joined Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek for the start of its second season and appeared on 36 of the 50 episodes that aired in 1967-68 and 1968-69. He also portrayed Pavel Andreievich Chekov in the first seven Paramount movies, released from 1979 through 1991, that emanated from the NBC show.

October 25, 2026 Good morning. ICE pays local police to help with deportations. What’s that like for them? Jaron Alexander, of Ingram, Texas, is one of more than 29,000 local police officers on the front lines of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times One agent’s doubts By Adam B. Kushner I edit this newsletter. What does it feel like for ICE deputies who nab their neighbors and break up families? That’s the subject of this riveting look at one conflicted enforcer in The New York Times Magazine. Jaron Alexander is a police officer with a sideline helping ICE. He patrols Ingram, Texas, a town of 1.5 square miles and 1,900 people, where he sees his targets dropping their kids at school and shopping at Walmart. He has helped deport 200 people, and he defends his role: “If you’re taking federal money to do a job,” he said, “I think you should do the job.” But he also has misgivings. The Trump administration wants to rid the United States annually of one million (of the 14 million) people who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas. They hold jobs, raise families, pay taxes, run churches, grill for their block parties. They are enmeshed in American society. They and their communities pay a price when they vanish. So do some of the people who help deport them. Two arrests Alexander’s black Dodge Charger became well known around Ingram. Latino motorists began to drive the long way around his stakeouts every day. The New York Times But his deportation work began to weigh on him last Christmas, he told the reporters Francesca D’Annunzio and McKenzie Funk of ProPublica. Around then, he pulled over two Latino men in a GMC truck for failing to signal a turn — and recognized one of them. It was Ulices Macias, the father of a newborn daughter. He knew the man’s wife. “I don’t normally do this,” he told her when she showed up to help her husband, “but I’m going to open up the car.” Alexander removed the handcuffs he’d placed on Macias, who hugged his wife, embraced his 4-year-old stepson and held his 2-week-old girl. Then a waiting ICE agent, who appeared on the scene after the traffic stop, cuffed him and took him away. “I don’t enjoy when families are separated,” Alexander later told one of the family’s cousins. “That kind of fucked me up.” Later, he made a different choice when Norma Luján, who runs a housecleaning company, confronted him. Alexander was detaining the husband of one of Luján’s employees, who was pregnant. “I pray for your being, for your soul,” she recalls telling him as she cried. “I want you to think about what you’re doing. Feel it. Feel it, please.” She squeezed his hand. “I need you to look inside your heart,” she continued, “and let him go.” Alexander didn’t react at first, in Luján’s telling. “God wanted me to meet you,” she said. He met her gaze. Luján says that Alexander squeezed her hand back and then walked away to make a call. When he returned, he let the worker’s husband go, calling it a matter of “human decency.” He knew, he told the reporters, that a new father “needs to be there helping out.” Deputized ICE pays local police officers to help with deportations. A department can get a $100,000 vehicle stipend and, for every officer who pitches in, $7,500 for equipment. Then there is money to cover salaries, overtime and quarterly performance bonuses. Alexander made almost $19,000 in nine months, according to city records — a big boost for someone whose base pay is about $70,000. The immigration debate is ostensibly about U.S. policy. But immigration enforcement is about people. Their stories are complex, irreducible: Someone comes here and follows all the rules, except the ones about how to enter the country. Another takes money to help deport her but is anguished and haunted by his choices. This story, which you can read for free, captures how lives often resist easy caricature. They can be buffeted by political imperatives, the quest for safety, financial incentives and the most basic human emotions. That’s interesting. That’s affecting. That’s journalism. It can have the pathos of a novel, but it’s true. Related: In Republican-led states, officers from agriculture departments, gaming commissions and fish and wildlife agencies have been deputized by ICE in an effort to expand President Trump’s deportation campaign. FREE TO READ On Tristan da Cunha. Julia Gunther for The New York Times Far, far away: What’s it like to live on the world’s most remote inhabited island? Curds in their way: Canadian cheese makers are winning awards for their raclettes and Alpine styles. But Americans aren’t buying them. Slow TV: People in Finland are obsessed with a livestream of puppies. See the adorable video. Most shared: Times readers wanted their friends to know about Copenhagen’s hottest snack. THE LATEST NEWS Midterm Elections Barack Obama in Michigan yesterday. Nick Hagen for The New York Times Barack Obama sharply criticized Trump during appearances on the campaign trail in Michigan and Ohio. Trump cast his midterm ballot in Florida yesterday, 10 days before the election. He has repeatedly called early voting “stupid.” Americans in their 30s say the cost of living is keeping them from reaching milestones like buying a house or starting a family. It’s affecting how they vote. Democrats are winning back Latino voters who helped elect Trump in 2024, a new Times/Siena University poll shows. Use this interactive tool to explore how different demographic groups voted in the past two presidential elections, and what those shifts might mean for the midterms. The House Only a few districts will determine control of the House. See where they are. Democrats have an edge in four key House races in Pennsylvania, according to polling. More on Politics The Democratic field for 2028 is wide open, while Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading among Republican voters, a recent Times/Siena University poll found. Trump rolled back regulations meant to protect Americans from toxic air pollution. In the video below, our investigative reporter Eric Lipton explains how it happened. Click to watch. The New York Times Middle East Iran is in the “advanced stages” of planning attacks against Americans, U.S. officials said. These intelligence warnings, along with upcoming elections in the United States and Israel, are creating tensions that could prompt a return to full-scale war. Israel evicted hundreds of families and demolished buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron a day after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied territory. More International News In Paris yesterday. Abdul Saboor/Reuters Hundreds of thousands in France participated in marches yesterday. A heavy police presence helped prevent widespread violence and property damage. An enormous fire all but destroyed an infamous Nazi-era guesthouse known as the Eagle’s Nest in Germany. Other Big Stories At least 12 people, including six minors, were injured in a shooting near Florida A&M University’s football stadium after a homecoming game. Six Flags said it would add seatbelts to some roller coasters after a man who fell from a ride died. FROM OPINION Elizabeth Holmes is the perfect avatar for our age — a tech mogul who promised innovations that would help humanity but then unleashed deception, Maureen Dowd writes. The language of faith can help us live with one another, a minister writes, even without religious practice. Trump has robbed so much of what Americans hold dear, Nicholas Kristof writes. Voters can take it back in this election. Subscribe to New York Times Games. Get Super Duolingo for free. For a limited time, annual Games subscribers can enjoy 6 months of language learning with Super Duolingo. Subscribe now SPORTS M.L.B.: The Milwaukee Brewers erased a four-run deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays and take a 2-0 lead in the World Series. W.N.B.A.: The Golden State Valkyries changed up their strategy after losing two consecutive games to the Atlanta Dream, winning, 67-62 and evening up the series. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “Every Story Is a Love Story,” by Imbolo Mbue Wolo, a Cameroonian immigrant living in New Jersey, receives a letter from the person he least wants to hear from: Victoria Snow, the woman responsible for the accidental death of his pregnant wife, Yoma. “Everything will never be all right,” she writes. “We’ll never be all right. But maybe we’ll find some kind of healing if we meet?” It’s a lofty goal, as we learn when Mbue returns to Wolo and Yoma’s courtship, which reads like a rom-com in the best way. Fans of Mbue’s previous novels, “Behold the Dreamers” and “How Beautiful We Were,” will recognize her trademark tenderness and wit, even while placing characters in the most difficult circumstances. Wolo’s response to Victoria isn’t entirely unexpected, but the tension shimmering beneath it delivers on the promise of this book’s title. Read our review here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Max out your look with some kooky, over-the-top accessories. Or, go minimal. The perfect white T-shirt can be the sartorial holy grail. Open a durable and comfortable folding chair. MEAL PLAN Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Fall is here, which means autumnal ingredients. That doesn’t have to mean pumpkin, but these pumpkin cardamom crumb muffins are superb. For dinner, you can try this cozy new orzo dish made with browned Italian sausage and sage. Or, whip up a hearty, belly-warming bowl of roasted tomato and white bean stew. Find more recipes here. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was practical. Can you put eight historical events — including the sequencing of the human genome, the creation of Britain and the invention of the Pringles can — 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 25 1929 Former Cabinet member found guilty in Teapot Dome scandal Former Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, who served in Warren G. Harding’s administration, is found guilty of accepting a bribe while he was in office. Fall was the first individual to be convicted of a crime committed while a presidential Cabinet member. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1853 Native Americans attack transcontinental railroad survey crew in Utah 1881 Pablo Picasso is born Arts & Entertainment 1980 Australian rock gods AC/DC earn their first Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long” 1957 Atomic Age sci-fi thriller ‘The Amazing Colossal Man’ premieres in New York Asian History 1971 The U.N. seats the People’s Republic of China and expels Taiwan Cold War 1983 United States invades Grenada Crime 1994 Susan Smith reports a false carjacking to cover killing her kids European History 1415 Battle of Agincourt 1920 Greece’s King Alexander dies after being bitten by a monkey 1854 Charge of the Light Brigade Sports 1964 Minnesota Vikings’ Jim Marshall runs wrong way with recovered fumble U.S. Presidents 1764 John Adams marries Abigail Smith Vietnam War 1954 President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnam World War II 1944 First kamikaze attack of the war begins

THIS DAY IN HISTORY October 24 1901 First barrel ride down Niagara Falls A 63-year-old schoolteacher, Annie Edson Taylor, becomes the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She survived the daring publicity stunt. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1861 Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line 21st Century 2003 The Concorde makes its final commercial flight Arts & Entertainment 1969 Richard Burton buys Elizabeth Taylor a diamond 1962 James Brown records breakthrough “Live at the Apollo” album Crime 1997 Marv Albert faces sentencing in sexual assault case European History 1648 Thirty Years’ War ends Landmarks 1931 George Washington Bridge is dedicated U.S. Presidents 1951 President Truman declares war with Germany is officially over Vietnam War 1973 President Nixon vetoes War Powers Resolution World War I 1921 Unknown Soldier is selected 1916 French troops celebrate recapture of Fort Douaumont at Verdun 1917 Battle of Caporetto World War II 1945 The United Nations is born

October 24, 2026 Good morning. New York has plunged fully into fall, complete with cozy scarves and puffy vests. Let’s go outside. María Jesús Contreras Outside chance By Melissa Kirsch Walking home late one night this week, I paused to register the perfect quiet, the air sweet with the scent of decaying leaves: the city in October, when the cold is still just flirting. The simple delight that Emily Brontë observed — “Every leaf speaks bliss to me / Fluttering from the autumn tree” — seemed attainable. What a waste to go inside and go to sleep when being out in the fresh night feels this good. Fall is a season that rewards outdoorsy people, those who have been waiting patiently for the heat to break and the mosquitoes to retreat so they can layer on their wicking fabrics and take to the trails. The word “outdoorsy” is one that bedevils me: It’s one of those noun-turned-adjectives that purports to simply describe a person who likes to be in nature, but implies virtue. An outdoorsy person is healthy, active, connected to the earth. An indoorsy person, by contrast, is sedentary, vitamin D-deficient, screen-addicted. I aspire to all the moral characteristics of the outdoorsy set, and so have spent my adult life trying to become a person who can follow color-coded trail markers through the spruces. Outdoor Boys, a YouTube channel with over 20 million subscribers, features people going to the furthest extremes of outdoorsiness: camping on frozen oceans, building survival shelters in blizzards, catching and cooking snakes. Natalie Berry, a freelancer, wrote about the phenomenon in The Times this week. The videos are “usually enjoyed indoors, by a predominantly male audience, who find comfort in watching others overcome discomfort,” she noted. They’re like housecats watching pumas and jaguars stalk jungle prey from the comfort of their living-room sun puddles. Getting comfortable with discomfort seems to me to be the key to living a bigger, more fulfilling life. A few years ago, I had the rather rudimentary realization that my aversion to being cold was causing me to shrink my life to fit within the walls of my apartment during winter. I’d decline invitations, measuring the worthiness of an activity by its proximity to a thermostat. When I realized being cold is not an emergency — it’s just discomfort, and discomfort can be tolerated — I got a better winter coat and stopped dreading February so much. Outdoorsiness as an identity, however, has continued to elude me. There’s a certain amount of skill that goes into erecting a tent, rappelling down a rock face. On message boards where people ask how they can become more outdoorsy, the advice is to start slow: Go to a park and build an evening campfire before planning a weeklong camping trip. Those of us who aspire to outdoorsy might embrace the alternate descriptor outsidey in the meantime. “Outdoorsy is nature for adventure. Outsidey is nature for leisure,” goes a TikTok on the distinction. Mountaineering is for the outdoorsy, it explains, whereas an outsidey person will “frolic upon the meadow.” It’s a lighthearted differentiation, but the ultimate effect is one of inclusiveness. You don’t have to summit a mountain in order to appreciate the foliage. You don’t have to be athletic or intrepid in order to be connected to the natural world. THE LATEST NEWS Alaska Senate Race President Trump Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times President Trump said he directed the Justice Department to block certification of the Alaska Senate election if the Republican incumbent loses by a narrow margin. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit yesterday arguing that the results could be tainted by voter confusion over the fact that there is challenger on the ballot, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose name is so similar to the incumbent’s, Dan S. Sullivan. And these are just two of the steps raising fears that Trump is laying the groundwork to challenge the results of the election if he doesn’t like the outcome. More on Politics Senators from both parties have told the White House that they will block all Trump nominees from getting confirmed until the administration restores satellite communications capabilities used by Ukraine’s military. The Justice Department accused two former F.B.I. officials of lying to Congress about investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of the former president. Here’s what Democrats plan to do with their power if they win back Congress Around the World Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others in the occupied West Bank on Friday. Israeli forces shot dead the assailants, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a major operation on the neighborhood of Hebron where they are from. Melania Trump, the first lady, said that she had brokered a local cease-fire between Russian and Ukrainian forces in a southern Ukrainian city. France has deployed 70,000 police officers today in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last weekend’s unrest. Other Big Stories “I have to go in”: The father credited with stopping the gunman who killed three students and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school gave his first public account of how it happened. New data shows a drop in the number of ninth-grade girls who identify as bisexual. Researchers are debating what it means. Read our review of the new foldable iPhone. THE INTERVIEW Gina Hinojosa Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times “While we have been fighting these culture wars for 10 years in this country — culture wars that are not winnable because they depend on your personal experiences, your lived experience — the only winners have been the tech giants that are amassing our money and our power and all of our data.” — Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas. Click here to watch, listen or read her conversation with Lulu Garcia-Navarro. GAME OF THE WEEK Rick Osentoski/Associated Press Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions: It’s a good time to be a football fan in the Midwest. N.F.L. teams in Chicago, Kansas City, Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, Cincinnati and Cleveland all have winning records as we approach Week 7, and the region’s N.F.C. North is the only division in which every team has better than 50 percent odds to make the playoffs. Tomorrow at 4:25 p.m. Eastern, two longtime rivals from that division face off in Detroit’s climate-controlled dome. The Packers are riding on momentum after three straight wins. The Lions have benefited from the steady hand of their quarterback, Jared Goff. —Matthew Cullen Plus: Here’s what they are talking about on all of those N.F.L. headsets. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Nathan Fielder, left, and Elizabeth Holmes, center, in a scene from “You Can See Everything.” A24 Elizabeth Holmes let the makers of “You Can See Everything” dissect her lies. On our “Hard Fork” podcast, three reporters who have covered Holmes dissect why no one can look away. In “A Talent for Murder,” Helen Mirren plays the reclusive and curmudgeonly novelist Patricia Highsmith — except she’s a suspicious character in a thriller. Is it believable? Music The music world for years sneered at Billy Corgan, the frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins. Now, as young fans rediscover his music, he’s sneering back. Listen to his interview on Popcast. Twenty years after Amy Winehouse released “Back to Black,” her fans still can’t get enough. Fine Art A Claude Monet painting of flowers in his Giverny water garden sold for about $56 million. Why do wealthy collectors covet his work? Art Basel announced that the Paris edition of the fair was ending early for safety reasons, as the city braces for another weekend of protests. Subscribe to New York Times Games. Get Super Duolingo for free. For a limited time, annual Games subscribers can enjoy 6 months of language learning with Super Duolingo. Subscribe now RECIPE OF THE WEEK Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. By Melissa Clark Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cornbread There are so many ways to bake a batch of cornbread. Sweet or savory, firm or fluffy, plain or loaded with aromatics and cheese: You really can’t go wrong. Lidey Heuck adds roasted red pepper and feta to her easy cornbread recipe, giving the loaf pockets of tangy cheesiness. The sour cream in the batter means this won’t dry out if you want to make it a day ahead — that is, if you can resist a pan of warm cornbread cooling on your counter. I can’t. REAL ESTATE Tony Cenicola/The New York Times The Hunt: A family with deep Chicago roots left Illinois for a job in New York with $1.8 million to spend on a new home. What did they find? Play our game. What you get for $1 million: A Colonial Revival in Janesville, Wis., a Second Empire house in Rollinsford, N.H., and a bungalow in Nashville are all on the market. Which would you choose? Settling down: Gig economy workers face higher scrutiny in getting a mortgage than those with traditional incomes. Here’s what to know. LIVING In California. Lance Gerber Compounding: A couple built a 10,000 square-foot residence in Palm Desert, Calif., to compel their adult children to visit. Did it work? Meaningful minimalism: A Los Angeles couple took inspiration from Shaker design to create an office that embodies work-life balance. High water mark: New innovations help homes in low-lying areas stay dry even as sea levels rise. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter How to find the perfect jeans A great pair of jeans should survive every trend cycle, work with nearly everything in your closet and hold up to frequent wear. These are the things our experts considered as they tested nearly 100 pairs to find the very best men’s jeans and women’s jeans. Looking for your perfect pair? Consider what kind of shape you want. A slim-straight silhouette never goes out of style and works just as well with button-ups and blazers as with tees and sweaters. Opt for a relaxed, baggier pair if you want to feel more on-trend. You don’t you have to spend much to get something of quality. There are plenty of chic, well-made pairs for less than $50. —Erin Neil NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was toxicologic. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa 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