Headlines

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Business is booming at big banks. The biggest banks in the US started earnings season off with a bang yesterday, with JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup all beating Q3 profit forecasts, as dealmaking, trading, and corporate lending all surged. Goldman is headed toward its best year ever for its main investment banking unit, the Wall Street Journal reports, and JPMorgan took in $8.9 billion in trading revenue last quarter, a record for Q3. But even with the stock market soaring and businesses diving back into mergers and acquisitions, choppier waters may lie ahead. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon noted that recent auto industry bankruptcies flashed a red flag for the private credit market, saying, “When you see one cockroach, there are probably more.”

Bodies of some deceased hostages returned to Israel as ceasefire is tested. Yesterday, Hamas released the bodies of four hostages under the first stage of a peace agreement that had previously seen the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, with the next steps still needing to be worked out, both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire. Earlier, Israel said it would only allow half of the agreed-upon humanitarian aid into Gaza in a bid to push Hamas to release the remains of the rest of the deceased hostages as promised. Meanwhile, Hamas said Israeli troops had killed several people in Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire deal. One issue that remains is whether Hamas will disarm—something the group has not publicly agreed to but President Trump said yesterday they would do or “we will disarm them.”

JPow hints at more interest rate cuts to come. While Fed Chair Jerome Powell didn’t outright say the central bank would continue to chop interest rates, his remarks at an economic conference in Philadelphia suggested that the weakening labor market will require further cuts despite inflation. Although the government shutdown precludes new official economic data, Powell said “the outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed much since our September meeting,” which is when the Fed cut rates for the first time this year. The speech left economists anticipating a rate cut at the Fed’s next meeting on Oct. 28–29, with another cut to follow. Powell also suggested the Fed may soon stop shrinking its portfolio of assets, a move that could also slightly lower borrowing costs.—AR

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At A Glance

Practical tasks Americans can and cannot do.

Five horror stories that double as philosophy lessons.

TikTok says these are the spookiest US towns.

A quarter-century of game-changing inventions.

Why sharks go into feeding frenzies.

... and how vampire bats survive solely on blood. (w/video)

Contest honors street photographers who freeze fleeting moments.

Did Shakespeare help translate the Bible? Probably not.

In partnership: The gut health breakthrough backed by science.*

Clickbait: Cats are taking over Cyprus.

Historybook: "I Love Lucy" airs for first time (1951); Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, the Duchess of York, born (1959); Black Panther Party is created (1966); Wayne Gretzky becomes all-time NHL points leader (1989); Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen dies (2018).

DUMP AND GO Instant Pot Recipes | easy vegan instant pot meals

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In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" six-part docuseries coming to Disney+ on Dec. 12 (More) | ... and "The Life of a Showgirl" album becomes Swift's 15th No. 1 album, with all 12 songs topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart (More)

> Purdue tops men's basketball preseason AP Top 25 poll for first time with Houston and reigning champs Florida rounding out the top three (More)

> Comedian Marc Maron's pioneering "WTF" podcast ends after 16 years and more than 1,600 episodes with former President Barack Obama as Maron's final guest (More)


Science & Technology
> California passes first-in-the-nation safety protocols for AI chatbots; follows the death of a teenager who had suicidal conversations with ChatGPT (More) | Hear an interview with the parents (More, w/video)

> New AI-powered model predicts which children are most at risk of developing sepsis—when the immune system overreacts to an infection—within 48 hours of an emergency room visit (More)

> Scientists grow embryo-like structures that produce human blood cells; discovery may eventually produce a source for personalized blood transfusion (More) | How new blood cells are created (1440 Topics, w/video)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.6%, Dow +1.3%, Nasdaq +2.2%) after President Donald Trump softens stance on China (More) | Silver prices hit first all-time high since 1980 (More)

> JPMorgan Chase to invest up to $10B in companies tied to US national security, including defense and aerospace, energy independence, quantum computing, and AI (More) | Goldman Sachs to acquire $7B venture capital firm Industry Ventures (More)

> Amazon to hire 250,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal holiday workers nationwide, matching hiring levels from 2023 and 2024 (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> US Senate returns today, is expected to vote on measures to reopen the federal government as shutdown enters third week; see live updates (More)

> Venezuela closes its embassy in Norway days after the Nobel Committee reveals it will award the peace prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado (More) | Madagascar's president leaves the country amid protests (More)

> India and Canada agree to reset relations roughly two years after Canada accused India of complicity in the killing of a Sikh activist on its soil (More) | See previous write-up (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

October

 

The month of October represents to me, the month that mowing the lawn ends and the month where I am another year older.  

Actually, it is the beginning of another year older, I still have 12 months to live that year.  October is also the month of Halloween and somewhat of a transition month into Fall, although that actually started with September.  

October is a month of chilly mornings and warm afternoons and this trend can last through November if we are lucky.  

However, many people are tired of summer weather and look forward to the colder months of fall and winter, until winter has been here a few weeks then they long for spring and summer.

Personally, I like all seasons except for winter, and it seems that the older I get the more dislike I have for winter.

Throughout the winter months, I am constantly concerned that my doctor appointments and/or infusion appointments (with infusion being the more important of the two) will be cancelled because of inclement weather or snow on the ground which sometimes is one and the same.

October is a long month which is good money that is put into CDs as you earn another day of interest.  On the other side of the coin there are months with 30 days and 28 days (February) so in the long run it all equals out; therefore 31 days is meaningless for extra interest, but it is still nice to think that way.

All in all, October is one of the nicer months of the year in terms of weather and one's ability to remain outside.  It is also a good month to drive into the Smokies and see the different colored leaves.

Somewhat Political

 

Harvard-Smithsonian study reveals super-Earths are far more common and diverse across the Milky Way than we thought

Imagine entire worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune scattered throughout our galaxy far more often than we ever imagined. This isn’t just a flight of fancy—it’s a stunning revelation from astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Their groundbreaking research is completely rewriting what we thought we knew about the Milky Way and the cosmic neighborhood we call home.

These so-called super-Earths are turning out to be some of the most common and diverse planets in our galaxy, challenging long-standing assumptions about planetary formation and distribution.

For years, super-Earths—planets bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune—were mostly found orbiting very close to their stars, baked in tight, scorching orbits. That led scientists to believe they were quite rare or even exotic. But this new study using advanced methods reveals that many super-Earths actually hang out much farther from their stars—roughly the equivalent distance from Jupiter to our Sun.

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Michael Jackson - Beat It | MJWE Mix 2011

Wonderings 11

 Who am I?

Why me instead of someone else?

I have often wondered that and more importantly, why was I given all the skills and abilities I was given and not others?

SO...

here's the deal...

did my skills and abilities come from EVOLUTION or through someone or something messing with my DNA?

We are led to believe from a very early age that EVOLUTION made us who we are today.

• the complexity of how our internal organs work together
• the complexity of how our mind operates
• the fact that our liver re-generates itself
• the fact that our heart beats for 80-100+ years
• our complex immune system
• our bone, muscle, tendons, and nerve system

All of this simply occurred because of EVOLUTION...

NOW...

was our evolutionary process normal or did someone or something ACCELERATE the process so that our EVOLUTION occurred much quicker than it normally would have?

Why are some scientists even asking that question?

• I am 6 foot 1 inch
• Strong bones - strong teeth
• Large hands - long fingers
• Strong internal organs
• Brown eyes - black hair
• Square shoulders as opposed to rounded
• Feet a little smaller to support my height
• Heavy beard - moderately hairy
• Advanced mental capabilities but no genius IQ
• A semi-rare personality

WHY???

Most of the population could care less about these questions or these potential differences between human beings...  yet, this is what fascinates me...

WHY???

ARE HUMAN BEINGS WORTHY OF THEMSELVES...

Eruption

 

VINCE

 

Bongino Report

 

The Crimson-Crowned Sentinel – Red-Knobbed Hornbill

 

Dinesh D'Souza

 

TimcastIRL

 

Getting Closer

The Amber May Show

 

The White House

 

Angering

 

The Big MIG

 

TimcastIRL

 

Quality

 

Brookings Brief

What could the Israel-Gaza deal mean for the Middle East?

Headlines

Nir Keidar/Anadolu via Getty Images




Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees yesterday as a ceasefire to end the devastating two-year war in Gaza was signed by President Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, who helped broker the agreement. Earlier in the day, Trump became the first US president since George W. Bush in 2008 to directly address the Israeli Parliament, where he declared the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” and urged Israel’s president to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption charges. Questions remain about Gaza’s postwar governance and who will pay to rebuild the enclave, among other issues that the first phase of the ceasefire did not cover.

OpenAI and Broadcom ink custom chip deal. You are not having déjà vu—this is a different OpenAI deal than the three others you may have read about in recent weeks. The ChatGPT maker agreed with semiconductor giant Broadcom to jointly develop 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips starting next year. The arrangement follows similar ones OpenAI has made with Oracle, Nvidia, and AMD to increase the computing capacity needed for its AI expansion. Broadcom, whose stock popped by nearly 10% following news of the deal, has been one of the biggest winners of the AI boom, thanks to its custom chips called XPUs.

Apple minused its plus. Apple’s streaming service will henceforth be known as Apple TV after the company dropped the “+” in Apple TV+, it announced yesterday. That means the service will have the same name as Apple’s smart TV device and associated app. The tech giant did not explain the decision beyond wanting to give the streaming service, which is home to The Studio and Severance, a “vibrant new identity.” It’s the latest streaming rebrand after Warner Bros. Discovery reverted Max to its original name of HBO Max in July.—AE

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Robert Reich

Beware the Oligarchs’ Two Bubbles
They’re likely to burst.






Friends,

What happens when huge amounts of money pour into poorly understood and unregulated industries that promise spectacular profits for a few winners?

At best, some investors lose their shirts while the lucky ones make fortunes. At worst, the bubble bursts and takes everyone down with it — not just its investors, but the entire economy.

My purpose today isn’t to worry you but to give you some economic information that may help you. I’m deeply concerned that two opaque industries are creating giant bubbles on the verge of bursting.

One is AI.

AI is worrisome enough as is — its insatiable thirst for energy and water, its capacities to override the wishes of human beings, its potential to destroy the planet.

My immediate concern is that AI is becoming a financial bubble whose bursting will harm lots of innocent people.

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At A Glance

Study finds the one trait that makes for a great manager.

... and the six factors needed for happiness at work.

Visualizing the cars with the best resale value.

Simple steps to help prevent dementia.

How childhood shyness can be advantageous.

Words you didn't know were named after sounds. (w/video)

Guess the topic with Britannica's daily puzzle.

Some people are spending $200 on Halloween candy.

In partnership: A dose of inspiration, whenever you need it.*

Clickbait: Could we turn Mars green?

Historybook: President Dwight D. Eisenhower born (1890); Chuck Yeager becomes first person to fly faster than speed of sound (1947); Cuban Missile Crisis begins (1962); Martin Luther King Jr. wins Nobel Peace Prize (1964); American photographer Dody Weston Thompson dies (2012).

Quick Clips

 

The RIGHT Way To Make MASHED CAULIFLOWER (Just 5 Ingredients!)

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The Las Vegas Aces sweep the Phoenix Mercury to win third WNBA championship in four years; A'ja Wilson wins finals MVP (More)

> "Family Matters" star Darius McCrary arrested near US-Mexico border after being declared a fugitive for having missed a court appearance over unpaid child support (More)

> The Milwaukee Brewers advance to the National League Championship Series for first time since 2018; will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS tonight (8 pm ET, TBS) (More) | ... see complete NL and ALCS schedule (More)


Science & Technology
> Nobel Prize in economic sciences announced this morning at 5:30 am ET, see here for updates (More) | The history of the Nobel Prize (More, w/video)

> Cofounder of Thinking Machines Lab, an AI startup launched by Mira Murati, leaves to join Meta; Andrew Tulloch previously turned down a package worth up to $1.5B from Meta (More)

> Scientists develop injectable gel to treat voice loss and help recovery from vocal cord injuries (More)


Business & Markets
> Stocks drop sharply Friday (S&P 500 -2.7%, Dow -1.9%, Nasdaq -3.6%) following renewed threats by President Donald Trump to levy tariffs on China (More) | Cryptocurrency market capitalization loses roughly $800B in 24-hour period (More)

> AstraZeneca and the Trump administration strike drug pricing deal, will sell some medications to Medicaid patients at a price equal to the lowest rate offered in other high-income countries (More)

> Warner Bros. Discovery rejects $20-per-share takeover bid from Paramount Skydance; Paramount completed a $150M acquisition of the Free Press last week (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> More than 4,000 civil service workers are laid off amid federal government shutdown, per court filing; hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control have since been reinstated (More)

> Madagascar's president says coup attempt is underway as elite army unit takes control of the military and joins weekslong anti-government protests (More)

> French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu races to form a new government and present a budget by tomorrow's deadline after being reappointed to his role late Friday (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS