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➡️ STUNNING: Federal agents seize phone of Rep. Ilhan Omar in raid tied to immigration fraud probe - Fox News
‼️ CONFIRMED: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Didn’t Pass Bar Exam - WSJ (free)
🚨 BREAKING: Trump cancels livestream of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan’s execution after bipartisan backlash - Fox 5
🔥 NEWSY: Is Trump preparing to fire Susie Wiles?? - Politico
✅ NOTABLE: Georgians ‘shatter’ voting record on first day of midterm early voting - USA Today
👀 MUST READ: Republicans Have a ‘Groyper’ Problem - WSJ (free)
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US producer prices rose in September at the fastest pace in more than four years as higher energy costs reverberated through the US economy.
The producer price index advanced 1.3% from a month earlier — the most since March 2022 — and 6.3% from a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Thursday. Excluding food and energy, the gauge was up 0.7% last month and 5% from
[a year ago]. Both came in above all estimates in a Bloomberg survey.The report suggests underlying inflation remains firm alongside rising fuel prices, just ahead of midterm elections in November in which affordability is a central issue. It also likely keeps Federal Reserve officials on track for additional interest-rate increases in the months ahead, especially after a separate report Wednesday showed a key measure of consumer prices rose faster than expected in September.
US Treasuries remained higher and stock futures remained lower after the release.
Full story at Bloomberg (paywall)
The growing rift between Trump and Zelenskyy took another dramatic turn Wednesday after Ukraine reported sudden restrictions on its military-grade Starlink terminals, raising fears that the Trump administration is deliberately limiting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.
What happened: While Ukraine’s Starlink services have been fully restored as of this morning, Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington sent an urgent message to U.S. lawmakers early yesterday morning warning that the restrictions could give Russia a battlefield advantage and make it harder for Ukrainian forces to intercept attacks on civilians.
Ukrainian officials suspect President Trumpmay have directed Elon Musk’s Starlink to restrict access, although there is no confirmation that Trump ordered the move.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also accusedWashington of dangerously withholding intelligence and other critical military support.Ukraine has resumed strikes on Russian oil refineriesafter observing a three-day pause following Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire. Kyiv says Russia repeatedly violated the supposed agreement by attacking Ukrainian power infrastructure.
Note this response from Elon Musk:
Go deeper with WSJ (free) and NBC.
**A stunning New York Magazine investigation raises serious ethical **questions about Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has emerged as one of the cryptocurrency industry’s most influential allies in Washington while serving as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
Details: Gillibrand has championed legislation that would shift much of the cryptocurrency industry away from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and toward the more industry-friendly Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). But the investigation reveals a series of financial interests involving her staff, political donors, and even her own family. Here are the big ones:
**Suspiciously timed crypto purchases:**Gillibrand’s former communications director purchased up to $30,000 of cryptojust one week before Gillibrand announced legislation that would place both cryptocurrencies under the more favorable CFTC regulatory framework. The aide subsequently served as a spokesman defending the legislation.
**Political pressure on fellow Democrats:**Gillibrand’s chief of staff invoked the senator’s position as the DSCC’s top fundraiser while pressuring other Democratic aides to support her crypto-friendly legislation.**Her own family:**Gillibrand’s 22-year-old son, Theo, raised $30 million for a financial startup valued at $300 million as a college student. Its investors include major cryptocurrency players, including Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, a Gillibrand campaign donor. The company is seeking regulatory approval for financial products inspired by cryptocurrency markets.
Gillibrand’s response? Asked whether she had concerns about staff members purchasing cryptocurrency while she was working on legislation that could benefit the industry, the senator was unapologetic:
“I could care less what they do with their money. This is not a nanny state.”
The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called “mother of all bombs” to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter.
Using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, for the first time in the conflict with Iran would mark a notable escalation, even though there are doubts over how effective it would be in accomplishing any of Trump’s stated strategic objectives or tipping the balance of the war, multiple sources familiar with internal military planning discussions about potentially deploying the weapon said.
Full story at CNN.
Anthropic told investors that its third-quarter revenue had jumped nearly 50 per cent to $16.8bn and that the company was profitable, as the AI group looks to rally support for a blockbuster IPO amid concern about the AI trade.
Its rapid growth is slower than the blistering pace set earlier in the year and below the expectations of some of Anthropic’s backers, according to investors and analysts.
The start-up gathered investors in its San Francisco office on Wednesday for a full day of presentations, with executives laying out how a safety-focused philosophy, rapid growth and efficiency gains would position Anthropic for a successful initial public offering in November.
The $965bn start-up told investors that it was profitable on an adjusted basis in the three months to September for the second quarter in a row, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter. Revenues were up from $11.5bn in the three months to June.
That growth lagged behind the rate earlier this year: revenue more than doubled between the first and second quarters, from about $4.8bn in the first three months of the year.
Full story at FT (paywall).
President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with his deal to import Russian diesel, blowing past his party’s growing complaints about taking help from Vladimir Putin.
“The president’s main priority and commitment is to the American people and to help lower costs for the American people, and he’s doing that,” a White House official said after days of withering complaints by Republicans. “The president has not shifted his stance on it.”
The Trump administration caused an intraparty furor earlier this month by announcing that Russia will “immediately” export more than 300,000 tons of its diesel in an effort to ease fuel price spikes that have hurt Republican candidates on the midterm campaign trail.
It’s unclear exactly when the imports will officially arrive, but the economic boost from Moscow is sparking discontent as Republicans in tight races scramble to message around the surprise announcement.
Full story at SEMAFOR.
Jon Ossoff hauls in $33M as Georgia Senate race enters final weeks -
AJCJames Talarico announces record-breaking $64M haul -
PoliticoPope Leo’s lung has recovered well from surgery and his post-operative tests are normal, doctors say -
NBCTreasury says largest U.S. banks let politics influence who received banking services -
CNBCMicrosoft’s president warns White House against skilled immigration crackdown -
PoliticoIran shifting tactics to step up attacks on shipping before US vote, officials say -
ReutersAmazon launches new Bee ‘personal AI’ devices that listen to conversations -
CNBC
