⚡ TODAY IN HISTORY

On October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire broke out in a barn and burned for two days, killing about 300 people. That same night, the Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin killed roughly 1,500, still the deadliest fire in U.S. history. Today? About 30 million people along the northern Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias.

TOP NEWS

Hurricane Isaias takes aim at the Gulf Coast 30M IN PATH

Fed by record-warm Gulf water, Isaias became the first Atlantic hurricane of 2026 late Wednesday, about 445 miles south-southwest of the Mississippi River's mouth. Forecasters expect a Category 2 landfall between the Mississippi coast and the western Florida Panhandle late Friday or early Saturday, with up to 7 feet of storm surge and as much as 10 inches of rain.

Russian missile levels Ukrainian apartment block, killing 22 32 DEAD NATIONWIDE

Russia fired about 70 missiles and dozens of drones at Ukrainian cities and power sites on Wednesday, October 7, killing at least 32 people. The deadliest hit was in Pryluky, a city in the northern Chernihiv region, where a missile destroyed a five-story building and killed 22 people, at least five of them children.

U.S. tells Americans to leave Russia over plague scare ~200 QUARANTINED

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old worker at a plague research institute in Irkutsk, a city in eastern Siberia, died in recent days of what Russia calls pneumonia of unknown cause. The U.S. Embassy has urged Americans to depart immediately, and the World Health Organization said Wednesday it still lacks key facts, while Russia says about 200 contacts are under quarantine or observation.

70 million kids now have a Trump Account $1,000 SEED

Created by the 2025 tax law, Trump Accounts are government-backed investment accounts that families can fund with up to $5,000 a year. President Trump said Wednesday that the Treasury has opened accounts for about 70 million children under 18, and kids born from 2025 through 2028 get a one-time $1,000 deposit once a parent claims the account.

Trump orders firing squad for Fort Hood gunman FIRST SINCE 1961

Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, and sits on the military's death row in Kansas. On Monday, the Pentagon said President Trump approved Hasan's execution by firing squad, which would be the military's first execution since 1961, though a federal appeal could delay it for years.

WORLD

Tanker attacks near Hormuz hit a wartime high 12 IN ONE WEEK

As Gulf producers push more oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, attacks on passing ships have climbed. Maritime security sources told Reuters that at least 12 tankers were hit from September 28 to October 5, the most in any week since the U.S.-Iran war began on February 28.

India strikes millions from its voter rolls

India's Election Commission says its nationwide review, launched in 2025, removes dead, duplicate and ineligible voters, but opposition parties say it shuts out citizens, especially Muslims. Police detained opposition lawmakers marching in New Delhi on Tuesday, and protest groups plan another nationwide day of action on Saturday, October 10.

Spain calls a snap election over housing VOTE NOV. 29

After weeks of protests over rents and evictions, Spain's Congress on Friday, October 2, rejected two emergency housing decrees from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government. Sánchez dissolved parliament on Monday and set a general election for November 29, about nine months before the August 2027 deadline.

Pentagon pulls every bomber from a British base

Citing an Iran-linked threat after terrorism-related arrests outside RAF Fairford, a base in western England that U.S. bombers have used during the Iran war, the Pentagon flew roughly a dozen B-1s home last weekend. The men arrested were released without charge a day later, and the British government says the base is safe.

Houthi drones and missiles target Aden's airport

Days after Yemeni government forces opened a major offensive against them, the Iran-backed Houthis fired drones and missiles on Wednesday, October 7, at Aden International Airport in southern Yemen. Yemen's Saudi-backed government says the strike hit a runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to land, and Saudi officials say they downed a separate Houthi missile north of Riyadh.

POLITICS

Trump repeats Iran remark about LA and San Diego 26 DAYS TO MIDTERMS

At a Nebraska rally on Monday, President Trump said Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, and the White House says he meant stopping Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. Trump used the line again Wednesday in San Antonio while campaigning for Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, after California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for the 25th Amendment, the constitutional process for removing an unfit president.

Spy chief Jay Clayton named White House AI czar

On September 29, leaders of six top AI developers signed voluntary safety commitments at the White House. Trump then named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton on Sunday to also lead a new “Super Intelligence Force,” and a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found most voters believe Trump and Congress do not take AI risks seriously.

DOJ moves to strip 40 people of citizenship

The Justice Department says 40 naturalized citizens hid crimes or committed fraud when they applied, with alleged offenses ranging from espionage to money laundering. The civil suits, filed in federal courts between August 21 and October 2, are the most in a single stretch of Trump's presidency, and judges must still approve each revocation.

Tennessee pauses executions after an inmate survives

On September 30, Tennessee gave death-row inmate Christa Pike two doses of pentobarbital, the state's execution drug, but she survived and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in critical condition. Gov. Bill Lee called the failure “deeply disturbing,” halted the state's remaining 2026 executions and ordered an independent review, and Pike's lawyers now say she is conscious.

Trump says a Putin call is set; the Kremlin says no

Since Monday, Trump has said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the suspected plague death in Siberia, and on Wednesday, Putin's 74th birthday, Trump said the call was arranged. The Kremlin said no such call had been scheduled, and Trump told reporters U.S. officials do not believe the case involves a bioweapon.

MARKETS

Bond yields climb to 2002 levels as the Dow sheds 341 10-YR 5.32%

Higher oil prices revived inflation worries on Wednesday, lifting the 10-year Treasury yield, which guides mortgage and car-loan rates, to 5.32%, its highest since 2002. The Dow fell 0.7% to 51,179.87, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each slipped 0.2% a day after closing at records.

Oil jumps as the storm idles Gulf platforms BRENT $102+

Ahead of Hurricane Isaias, Shell and Chevron evacuated crews and stopped pumping at offshore platforms in the Gulf. Those cuts, plus the jump in tanker attacks near Hormuz, sent Brent crude, the global benchmark, above $102 a barrel on Thursday, about 50% higher than a year ago.

Fed minutes point to one more rate hike in 2026 3.75–4.00%

With inflation stuck above its 2% target, the Federal Reserve voted unanimously on September 16 to lift its key rate a quarter point, its first increase since 2023. Minutes released Wednesday show most officials expect another hike by year-end, though futures traders expect no change at the October 28 meeting.

SpaceX seeks $40 billion to buy Nvidia chips

To pay for a giant order of Nvidia's AI processors, SpaceX plans to raise about $10 billion in bank loans and $30 billion in investment-grade bonds, in a deal led by Apollo Global, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. SpaceX shares slipped on the report.

Google nuclear pact lifts Constellation 14%

To power its data centers, Google signed a 20-year deal on Tuesday for 890 megawatts of new nuclear power, about the output of one large reactor, from upgrades at 11 Constellation Energy reactors in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The pact backs more than $4.3 billion in investment, with the first new power due in 2028.

ENTERTAINMENT

Paramount closes its Warner Bros. takeover $110B WITH DEBT

After a bidding war with Netflix, David Ellison's Paramount completed its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, forming a company called Skydance that now trades on the New York Stock Exchange as SKYD. The new company owns both film studios, CBS News and CNN, and the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services.

‘Michael’ sequel lands $30.8 million in California tax credits

Lionsgate's “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic released in April, has grossed more than $700 million worldwide, and the studio says up to 30% of a second film is already shot. California will now put $30.8 million in state incentives toward the sequel, Variety reported this week.

Horror film tracks ahead of Sorkin's Facebook sequel

Two wide releases open Friday, October 9: Aaron Sorkin's “The Social Reckoning,” a follow-up to 2010's “The Social Network” with Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, and Universal's “Other Mommy,” starring Jessica Chastain. Boxoffice Pro projects a $15 million to $25 million debut for “Other Mommy” and $6 million to $10 million for Sorkin's film.

Mike Flanagan's ‘Carrie’ series arrives on Prime Video

Horror director Mike Flanagan's new take on “Carrie,” Stephen King's 1974 novel about a bullied teen with telekinetic powers, premiered on Prime Video on Wednesday, October 7. Samantha Sloyan plays Carrie's mother, the role Piper Laurie made famous in the 1976 film.

Nobel Prize in Literature to be named this morning

The Swedish Academy in Stockholm reveals the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature at 1 p.m. local time Thursday, or 7 a.m. Eastern. Last year's award went to Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, and this year's winner will receive the prize at a ceremony on December 10.