Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 💊 GLP-1s alter other meds
• 🗳️ First-ever GOP midterm convention
• 📱 Apple unveils foldable iPhone

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.65-minute read (971 words).

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“A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow.”

–Richard Bach (b.1936)

Some GLP-1 users have gotten a surprise side effect that cries at 3 am.

Emerging research suggests GLP-1s can change how quickly certain medications like oral contraceptives make their way into your bloodstream, in a phenomenon some have coined as “Ozempic babies.”

A traffic jam in your stomach

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro mimic a naturally occurring hormone that helps people feel full, in part by slowing how quickly food leaves the stomach. That same slowdown applies to medications you swallow, meaning some pills may take longer to reach the small intestine where they’re absorbed.

• A 2024 review found GLP-1 treatment altered the timing and peak blood concentration of several medications, including blood thinners, statins, and some contraceptives.
• A separate study found tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, delayed absorption of the combined contraceptive pill by up to four hours and reduced blood levels of one active ingredient by 20%.

Vomiting and diarrhea, two relatively common GLP-1 side effects, can also interfere with how much oral medication gets absorbed.

Yes, but…Research is still in the early stages. Scientists still don’t know exactly how drastic these interactions are for most medications, and generally didn’t find clinically significant changes in the total amount of medication absorbed.

Researchers say the greatest concern is for drugs that depend on precise timing or rapid absorption, like oral contraceptives, some forms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and certain Parkinson’s medication.

Zoom out: A record-high 11% of US adults report actively taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, per new Gallup polling published Monday, up significantly from 3% in 2024.

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Hopeless romantics and overprotective parents rejoice: TSA is making it possible for some people without plane tickets to get past airport security and travel all the way to the gate

The agency is launching “Gateside” by TSA PreCheck, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Gate expectations

Visitors must apply online for a free gateside visit 1-3 days ahead of time and receive approval from TSA. Once approved, they can pass through a PreCheck security lane with an acceptable ID and receive a pass that remains valid for the entire calendar day.

• Living out your rom-com fantasy will initially be possible at 13 US airports, including LAX, Dallas-Fort Worth, Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City International.
• TSA says it plans to expand the program to more airports in the coming months.

It restores a practice that was common pre-9/11, when people without airline tickets generally could accompany ticketed passengers to their gates.

Zoom out: The new program comes as TSA continues to test new changes to Americans’ airport security experience. Earlier this summer, TSA began testing self-service ID checks for eligible travelers at several airports, including those in Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛢️ Brent crude futures surpass $100/barrel for the first time since July, after Iran and the US strike Middle Eastern oil tankers in the largest such wave of attacks since the war ​began.
• 🏛️ President Trump says oil and gas prices won’t fall until “right after the election” in November, and also insists the Iran war will end “immediately after the election.”
• 🌐 Legislators in 10+ states have paused or canceled billions of dollars in tax exemptions for local data centers, amid a nationwide backlash against the facilities.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎶 Ella Langley’s Choosin’ Texas earns 21st week atop Billboard Hot 100 chart, only one week away from besting Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You for the longest streak ever.
• 🎾 US Open semifinals are now set for both the men’s and women’s sides of the bracket, with American Ben Shelton eliminating defending champ Carlos Alcaraz in a match that ended at 3:33 am local time.
• 🎓 Southeastern Conference (SEC) is no longer expected to hold a vote today on whether to expel LSU from the conference over its now-abandoned bid to add NFL players, per AP report.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖 Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quits AI industry over what he says are fears that Anthropic and its competitors are racing to build self-improving AI models that could spiral out of human control.
• 🦖 First adult T. rex trackway discovered in southwestern North Dakota, with researchers estimating the 23-foot-long trackway was created ~66.5 million years ago.
• 🦠 Local Pennsylvania coroner releases details of two infants who died with measles last month, including one whom the coroner believes died from the disease; the deaths have come under national scrutiny as a political flashpoint.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🗳️ First-ever GOP midterm convention, colloquially dubbed "Trumpapalooza" by RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, kicked off in Dallas; Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (PA) delivered a surprise video address, while President Trump had a primetime speech; two-day event ends tonight with another Trump address.
• 🇺🇸 Trump admin proposes changing the national census to include only US citizens and permanent residents; move could significantly alter political representation and federal funding for each state.
• 🗽 New York City releases documents that appear to show city officials were aware of air-quality health risks in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but withheld the information from the public.

☝️ Apple unveiled the foldable iPhone Duo at its annual tech showcase yesterday, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max, Airpods 5 and Apple Watch Series 12. The company’s first-ever foldable iPhone will hit store shelves on October 23 starting at $1,999.

🤔 Did you know? Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal, with their side-facing position giving the animals a nearly 360° view of their surroundings.

📰 Worth a read: How a restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center changed New York

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• You've been cutting avocados wrong your entire life
• Every time you drive is a new chance to get famous
• Pickle startup valued at $8.5M? Thank the Gen Z branding

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Yesterday we covered how Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education has fallen to its lowest point in 27 years of polling on the topic, driven by a particularly sharp decline over the past two years.

❓ Our question to you: Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education K-12 students receive in the US today?

• Completely satisfied: 12%
• Somewhat satisfied: 22%
• Somewhat dissatisfied: 34%
• Completely dissatisfied: 32%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 527 votes and 64 longform responses.

Can you name America’s easternmost state, as well as its westernmost state?

(keep scrolling for the answer)

💪 Aubry Alldredge, a 22-year-old who's the first certified UpBeat Barre instructor with Down syndrome, recently taught her first fitness class to 60 people in her hometown of Kaysville, Utah.

Alaska, since its Aleutian Islands extend out slightly into the Eastern Hemisphere.

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