• ☝️ The two presidential campaigns are pouring money into ads across battleground states, and the biggest target is Pennsylvania; of the $110 million spent in battleground states since Biden dropped out on July 22, over $42 million has gone to the Keystone State.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Dyce Games

• 💰 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +1.6%; Dow: +1.4%; Nasdaq: +2.3%). | ⚖️ The SEC has allegedly uncovered a $300 million Ponzi scheme based in Georgia.
• 📈 Chili’s same-store sales rose ~15% last quarter, boosted by its Triple Dipper and $10.99 Big Smasher meal, as well as TikTok. (TikTok + commerce: The platform is also driving a Swedish candy boom.)
• 🏡 On Saturday, most real estate agents will be subject to new commission rules; the change follows a legal settlement reached earlier this year by the National Association of Realtors in regards to commissions. Here’s what you need to know.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 Five people, including two doctors, were charged in connection with actor Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose last year.
• ⚽ The US men’s national soccer team has reportedly hired Mauricio Pochettino as its new head coach; Pochettino was previously the head coach at Tottenham, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain.
• 💰 DraftKings is reversing its plan to introduce a surcharge for consumers in states with high sports-betting taxes; the move came after rival FanDuel’s parent company reported better-than-expected earnings and said it won’t add similar surcharges.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Mira

• 🤖🖼️ X released an upgraded version of its Grok AI chatbot that can now generate images; some users report Grok has relatively few limitations on its images compared to competitors. | 🤖🏫 High school students who use generative AI tools like GPT-4o to prepare for math exams perform worse on the tests – where they can't use AI – than students who didn't use the tools at all, per a new UPenn Wharton study.
• 🧠🗣️ A text-to-speech brain implant from startup Blackrock Neurotech allowed a 45-year-old ALS patient to communicate with others for the first time in years. | 🧠 Roughly 1 in 5 people in a coma are aware of their surroundings but unable to communicate, per a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
• 🚀 Lockheed Martin agreed to buy spacecraft manufacturer Terran Orbital at an enterprise valuation of ~$450 million, in a deal that takes the company private.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 🎓 Columbia President Minouche Shafik announced her resignation late Wednesday; the move follows months of pushback over her handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. | 🧑‍⚖️ A Detroit judge who ordered a sleeping teenager into jail clothes and handcuffs on a field trip to his courtroom has been temporarily suspended and will undergo “necessary training.”
• 🗣️ Vice presidential debate: Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) agreed to face off at an event hosted by CBS News on October 1. | ⚖️ Former President Trump's legal team requested the judge in his New York hush money case delay the sentencing until after the November presidential election.
• 💊 The White House announced an agreement with drugmakers to lower prices on 10 of the costliest prescription drugs under Medicare as part of landmark negotiations; the discounts, ranging from 38%-79%, are projected to save Medicare ~$6 billion in the first year.

CLICKBAIT

• 🤔 Warren Buffett did something curious with his Apple stock holding.