Good morning. In this edition:

• 🇺🇸 State of the US economy
• ⚾ World Series update
• 😱 Is horror good for health?

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.40-minute read (906 words).

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“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

–Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)

In recent weeks, economists and federal agencies have published a flurry of data that tell a conflicting story about how the US economy is performing.

On one hand, America is experiencing strong economic growth, solid consumer spending, and a roaring bull market. But at the same time, the US jobs market continues to weaken while inflation has settled in significantly above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2.0%.

A rundown

Inflation: Consumer prices rose 3.0% in September compared to a year earlier, up slightly from August (2.9%), according to the delayed CPI published Friday. It marks the highest US inflation pace since January, and a full percentage point higher than the Fed’s long-term target of 2.0%. Core inflation, which excludes the often-volatile categories of food and energy, also increased 3.0% in September, down from 3.1% the previous month.

• Overall, September’s inflation report found relatively muted annual increases for food (3.1%), energy (2.8%), commodities (1.5%), and shelter (3.6%).
• But certain products saw especially high annual price jumps, including coffee (18.9%), beef (14.7%), gardening/lawn care (13.9%), and long-term/elderly care (11.6%).

Jobs: Official Labor Department data has been on hold since the start of this month due to the government shutdown, forcing economists to turn to private reports for the most accurate current assessments.

• This data “shows the job market is weak and getting weaker,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi wrote earlier this month.
• He cited two separate private reports—from ADP and Revelio Labs—which, when averaged together, suggest there was “essentially no job growth” in September.

GDP: Data released days before the gov’t shutdown showed the US economy grew by 3.8% in Q2 2025, higher than previous estimates (3.3%) and the fastest pace in nearly two years. Officials say the upgrade to Q2 GDP mostly reflected an upward revision to US consumer spending.

Stocks: All three major US indexes closed at all-time highs on Friday, as the yearslong bull market continues full steam ahead. The ongoing Q3 earnings season has helped boost stock values across the board, with 80+% of companies beating analysts’ expectations for earnings and revenue out of the 143 S&P 500 firms that have reported thus far.

Looking ahead…The Fed is widely expected to cut baseline US interest rates following the conclusion of its two-day meeting on Wednesday.

📊 Flash poll: To all working professionals: would you consider the growth outlook in your industry/sector of the economy to be positive or negative over the next 12 months?

• Positive
• Negative
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🇨🇳 Top Chinese and US officials reach trade deal framework for President Trump and Chinese President Jinping to finalize at their meeting this week; deal would pause steeper US tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, and resume US soybean sales to China.
• 🛢️ Exxon Mobil sues California over two state laws requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks.
• 🇨🇦 President Trump announces plans to raise tariffs on Canada by 10%; Trump cites the Ontario gov’t’s recent ad that used audio from a radio address by former President Reagan to criticize tariffs.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚾ World Series: The Dodgers and Blue Jays are tied at one game apiece following this weekend’s action; Game 3 is tonight in Los Angeles.
• 🎭 Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, a big-screen adaptation of the popular anime show, claims #1 spot in domestic box office debut ($17.3 million).
• 🏈 CFB: Week 9 is in the books (recap). | NFL: See a full Week 8 recap (link).

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌓 Newly published study sheds light on how the Maya Civilization was able to accurately predict solar eclipses hundreds of years in advance.
• 🦇 Some North American bat species glow in the dark when exposed to UV light, per new University of Georgia study.
• 🩸 New blood test can predict risk of postpartum depression with 80+% accuracy, research shows; PPD is among the leading childbirth complications, affecting ~1 in 8 US women.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🚢 US deploys aircraft carrier to waters off Latin America in escalation of military buildup in the region. | US military strikes 10th suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, killing six people.
• 🏛️ NY AG Letitia James pleads not guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
• 🚨 French police arrest two suspects in connection with last week’s shocking Louvre heist; no jewels from the heist were recovered. | German police bust transnational scheme to sell forgeries of paintings by top artists—including Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso—worth millions of dollars.

☝️Ballet star Misty Copeland took her final bow last week, closing a decorated 25-year career with the American Ballet Theatre that saw her become the first Black female principal dancer in the company’s 85-year history.

🤔 Did you know? A drop of water entering the Mississippi River today—at Lake Itasca, Minnesota—won’t hit the Gulf of Mexico until around late January, per the National Park Service. Water averages a speed of ~26 inches/second across the entire 2,350 mile journey.

📰 Worth a read: Is horror good for your health? The surprising effects of scary movies

🖱️ Clickbait: What happens when AI consumes too much clickbait

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On Friday, we covered how the US is eight weeks into a military campaign in the waters around South America against what the Trump administration describes as “narco-terrorists” smuggling drugs headed to America.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you support or oppose the Trump admin’s recent military actions in the waters near South America?

• Support: 31%
• Oppose: 51%
• Unsure/other: 18%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 995 votes and 106 longform responses.

Monday: National Civics Day

Tuesday: World Series Game 4

Wednesday: Federal Reserve to announce interest rate decision

Thursday: President Trump set to meet Chinese President Jinping in South Korea; Apple, Amazon report earnings

Friday: Halloween; Florence and the Machine drops new album

+Over the weekend: Clocks fall back early Sunday morning for daylight saving time

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Audi
2. Cent
3. Fid
4. Juxta
5. Mill

👵🏻🏃‍♀️ 80-year-old Natalie Grabow just became the oldest-ever woman to finish the Ironman World Championship. Natalie, the sole competitor in the 80-84 age bracket, didn't even learn how to swim until her 60s. 

1. Audi = Hearing (e.g., audible)
2. Cent = Hundred (century)
3. Fid = Trust (fidelity)
4. Juxta = Beside (juxtaposition)
5. Mill = Thousand (millenium)

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