Listen to this issue.

0:00

/489.248413

1×

MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 217.

• The Associated Press cites U.S. officials as saying that the United States military is sending roughly 9,000 additional troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, including a third aircraft carrier. The move comes amidst U.S. President Donald Trump's warning of potential new strikes against Iran. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,679 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian officials say Russian airstrikes killed one person in Kyiv today and temporarily closed two bridges over the Dnipro River. A senior Ukrainian official said the attacks on bridges and other infrastructure appear to be linked to an order last month from Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift constraints on Russia's air campaign. [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. rose to 7.28% this week – up from 7.03% last week and 6.34% a year ago. It was the sixth straight weekly increase and the largest in four years, leaving the rate at its highest level in nearly three years. [more]

U.S. CLIMATE POLICY | Twenty-one states and several cities sued the Trump administration yesterday to strike down the Environmental Protection Agency's repeal of a rule limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. [more]

U.S. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | Citing federal inaction on the issue, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said yesterday that he is forming a bipartisan group of state governors to develop a framework for responding to the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The U.S. Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review the Trump administration's policy of denying bond hearings to immigrants detained while they challenge their deportation. Reports note that most appeals courts that have considered the policy have found it violates federal law. [more]

MORE U.S. IMMIGRATION | Citing an internal agency memo issued this week, The Associated Press reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has barred its officers from high-speed car chases and limited vehicle stops to specially trained officers. The memo comes amidst a series of vehicle stops that have escalated into shootings. [more]

U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT | A federal judge ruled yesterday that President Donald Trump's firing of Roger Rogoff, the court-appointed U.S. attorney in Seattle, Washington, was unlawful and ordered Rogoff's reinstatement. [more]

MINNESOTA | The family of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis in January during the immigration enforcement surge, filed lawsuits against Ross, the U.S. government, and top Trump administration officials yesterday, seeking unspecified damages for wrongful death, conspiracy, and other violations. [more]

U.S. AND EGYPT | U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday waived a human rights restriction on $320 million in military aid to Egypt, citing Egypt's "helpful role" as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran in the ongoing war. Reports note that such waivers have been routine under previous U.S. administrations. [more]

NATO AND RUSSIA | Speaking at a foreign policy forum yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is not planning to attack European countries but would respond to aggression with "all weapons" in its arsenal. Putin accused Europe and the West of escalating tensions by talking about preparing for a war with Russia in the coming years, conducting military drills in the Baltic Sea, and seizing Russian vessels. [more]

EUROZONE ECONOMY | E.U. statistics agency Eurostat reports today that annual inflation in the 21 countries using the euro rose to 3.8% in September from 3.2% in August, above economists' forecasts, driven mainly by higher fuel and natural gas prices. [more]

CZECH REPUBLIC | The government of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš yesterday survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament brought forward by opposition lawmakers over concerns about the country's rising budget deficit and Babiš's alleged conflicts of interest. [more]

SPAIN | Spain's government is expected to lose two key parliamentary votes today on emergency measures to address the country's housing affordability crisis, after the Catalan separatist party Junts, whose support it needs, announced that it will vote against them. [more]

FRANCE | About 400 high schools were closed across France today amidst increasingly violent student protests over classroom conditions and school funding, with riot police clashing with students in several cities. [more]

TAIWAN | The first two of 66 new F-16V fighter jets ordered from the U.S. in 2019 arrived in Taiwan today after months of delays and amidst rising military pressure from China. Reports cite Taiwanese officials as saying more of the jets are expected to arrive in the near future. [more]

PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN | Amidst continuing border clashes between the two countries, Pakistan's army, without presenting evidence for the claim, accused an Afghan Taliban governor yesterday of hosting senior figures from militant groups in Kandahar in late August to discuss attacks inside Pakistan. [more]

EGYPT | Egyptian authorities this week arrested all six members of the editorial team of the news outlet Matsadaash, accusing them of belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Reports note that Matsadaash is one of Egypt's few independent media groups and that the arrests have been criticized by multiple international rights groups. [more]

CONGO | Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say 4,018 deaths have been recorded among 8,300 confirmed cases in the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | In a blog post released Wednesday, OpenAI said it has notified more than 100 organizations about incidents of unauthorized activity by its artificial intelligence agents. [more]

OPEC+ | Reuters cites two sources as saying that the OPEC+ oil alliance has delayed a review of member nations' production capacity, which helps set future output quotas, because the Middle East war has disrupted capacity expansion projects. [more]

COLLEGE SPORTS | Court filings by the College Sports Commission yesterday showed that 68 schools reached or nearly reached the $20.5 million cap on paying athletes directly in the first year of the revenue-sharing system, and that 307 schools distributed a combined $1.77 billion. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1836, naturalist Charles Darwin returned to England after a five-year journey on the HMS Beagle, during which he gathered the specimens and observations that led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. [more history]