Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🛍️ Walmart bundles up for the holidays
• 🛢️ Middle East oil exports are flowing
• 🌐 Websites at risk from AI-discovered bug

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.59-minute read (956 words).

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“True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse.”

–Augustine "Og" Mandino (1923-1996)

Walmart is giving shoppers a two-for-one deal ahead of the holiday season.

The retail giant on Tuesday launched a new $120/year membership combining Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus, offering customers nearly $100 in potential annual savings.

Two memberships, one price

Walmart+ normally costs $98/year, while Sam's Club Plus runs $120/year. The new bundle includes the perks of both memberships for $98 less than their combined price.

These include:

• Access to Sam’s Club warehouses and free delivery from both chains.
• A subscription to Peacock or Paramount+ streaming services, gas savings, and 2% Sam’s Club cash on eligible purchases.
• Both memberships will remain available separately, while existing subscribers can link their accounts to take advantage of the discounted bundle.

Why now?...The new offering comes as Americans continue looking for ways to stretch their budgets amid elevated prices for everyday essentials.

Walmart has also faced slowing sales growth. In August, the retailer reported its slowest quarterly comparable-sales growth in six years, with average spending per visit declining from a year earlier.

Big picture: Walmart and rivals like Target and Kroger have lowered prices on thousands of products this year to attract budget-conscious shoppers. The new membership bundle gives Walmart another way to compete for those customers, particularly as cost-conscious brands like Costco and Aldi continue to draw shoppers seeking value.

Instead, it’s 45 minutes that could’ve been an email, three people talking over each other, and a nervous system begging for PTO.

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Forget the old saying about cameras adding 10 pounds—this one is interested in how many years they add.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed an AI system that can estimate a person's biological age and predict survival outcomes for cancer patients using a single photograph of their face.

A Snap filter on steroids

After training their AI model, called FAHR-Face, on 40+ million facial images, the researchers used it to develop two separate tools:

1. FAHR-FaceAge estimates biological age from a person’s selfie—which can differ significantly from actual age—and uses that information to assess survival risk.
2. FAHR-FaceSurvival predicts cancer survival outcomes directly from facial features, particularly the areas beneath the eyes and around the nose.

The results: Among US cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, those whom FAHR-FaceAge identified as having a biological age 5+ years older than their actual age had a 21% higher risk of death. Meanwhile, patients whose faces gave a biological age 5+ years younger had a 17% lower risk of dying.

For FAHR-FaceSurvival, researchers found patients sorted into the highest-risk group had over 3x the mortality hazard of those in the lowest-risk group, after adjusting for clinical factors.

Looking ahead…Researchers hope the technology could eventually help doctors make more personalized cancer treatment decisions, though further testing is needed before the AI can be used in clinical settings.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📊 Earnings corner: Meta reports better-than-expected Q3 revenue (up 26% from last year), sending shares up ~4% after-hours; Tesla reports better-than-expected earnings and revenue, one day after CEO Elon Musk says it would be a “good idea” for SpaceX to merge with Tesla.
• 🛢️ Middle East oil exports, including shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes, have surpassed levels seen before the US-Iran war, averaging 24 million barrels/day last week; analysts say fuel prices remain high due to increased expenses and traders’ concerns that fighting could resume.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Meta ordered by New Mexico judge to pay $25 billion to the state after a jury found the social media giant deceived consumers for years about data privacy policies; it’s potentially the largest single state verdict against a company in US history.

SPORTS, MEDIA, & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎓🏈 Maryland fires 8th-year head coach Mike Locksley following 12th straight Big Ten defeat, marking the first Power Four coaching exit of the college football season.
• 🎤 Glee reboot is confirmed for Disney+ and Hulu, though details on cast and timing weren’t disclosed.
• 🏟️ Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation organizes the Super Bowl Halftime Show, is rumored to be 2027’s headline performer.

The kids come home from trick-or-treating with a suspicious number of Reese’s, and suddenly the candy tax gets a little out of hand. Davids NEW Hydroxi™ Gum Health+Whitening Toothpaste helps maintain strong enamel and healthy gums, even when your sweet tooth has other plans.

Nano hydroxyapatite supports enamel health and whitening, while tea tree and eucalyptus oils help fight plaque-causing bacteria for healthier gums. Ultra-fine micro-abrasives even help remove surface buildup, keeping your brushing routine on track long after the Halloween candy disappears.

SCIENCE, SPACE, & EMERGING TECH

• 🚨🌐 The creators of PHP, a technology that powers up 70% of all global websites, disclosed a critical security issue yesterday that could be used by hackers to take control of any system running PHP software; government websites in Europe and elsewhere went offline as web administrators rush to patch the issue, which was discovered using AI.
• ⚛️ A single antimatter particle—a positron, the antimatter counterpart to the electron—was successfully trapped by Northwestern researchers for months, in scientific breakthrough that could further understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics.
• ☄️ Orionids meteor shower reaches peak activity staring last night and into this morning; the ongoing meteor shower is expected to continue through November 7.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🏞️ Chiricahua (pronounced: ‘cheery-cow-uh’) in southeastern Arizona is officially America’s first new national park in six years, bringing the overall number to 64.
• 🚨🏭 Toledo, Ohio, officials issue evacuation and shelter-in-place orders around the city after hazardous chemicals were released during an explosion at an industrial facility Tuesday.
• ✝️ Pope Leo XIV won’t need any further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localized, the Vatican announced.

☝️ The 42nd Annual Pinball Expo took over the Schaumburg Convention Center outside Chicago this past weekend. The event featured hundreds of pinball machines, including limited-edition and one-of-a-kind creations, available for fans to play at no additional cost, with an expected record attendance of 6,000+ enthusiasts.

🤔 Did you know? Before rubber balloons became a party staple, people inflated animal bladders and intestines to create early versions of the familiar decorations. The first rubber balloons didn't arrive until 1824, when scientist Michael Faraday created them for experiments with hydrogen gas.

📰 Worth a read: Why too much protein can actually be unhealthy.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• What’s making Europe so angry? The frustration behind the protests
• iPhone Duo is Apple’s coolest in years. There’s just one problem.
• The ‘Sunday scaries’ are real—and they’re getting worse

Better odds start here… CAKES gives back this October. Every Grippy and Sticky Circles bundle sends 30% of revenue to BCRF’s She’s Not Too Young Fund for breast cancer research. Shop the set 15% off.

Yesterday we covered new Treasury data that shows the US government spent nearly $2 trillion more than it collected in 2026, marking the largest annual federal deficit outside the pandemic years of 2020-21.

❓ Our question to you: How concerned are you about the growing US federal deficit?

• Very concerned: 68%
• Somewhat concerned: 21%
• Neutral: 2%
• Not very concerned: 5%
• Not at all concerned: 4%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 615 votes and 55 longform responses.

What’s the shortest river in the US?

(keep scrolling for the answer)

🦥 ICYMI... International Sloth Day was on Tuesday, and the San Diego Zoo celebrated the event by announcing the healthy birth of a baby Linnaeus's two-toed sloth in their care.

The Roe River in Great Falls, Montana, which stretches just 201 feet. It was named the shortest river in the world by the Guiness Book of World Records, before they eliminated the category.

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