Top Stories for the Week of October 4th.

These are the top stories to start your day.

The Supreme Court opens its new term Monday with a Boulder, Colorado, climate case that could decide the fate of similar lawsuits nationwide. The case stems from a devastating Colorado wildfire and is part of a wave of climate litigation with billions of dollars at stake. Source

A worker at a Russian anti-plague research institute in Siberia has died of pneumonia of undetermined origin, and nearly 200 people were reported under medical observation as of Monday. At least one hospital facility near Irkutsk has been closed for quarantine. The World Health Organization said no cause of death has been officially confirmed. Source

Russia told the World Health Organization that no plague cases were recorded in Irkutsk, contradicting earlier reports that a researcher there died of suspected pneumonic plague. Biosecurity experts say the scale of Russia’s response, including hazmat teams and a hospital lockdown, does not fit a routine plague case. The WHO has asked Moscow what caused the death. Read More

Isaias strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane late Wednesday with 75 mph winds, becoming the first Atlantic hurricane of the season. It is expected to make landfall on the Florida Panhandle Friday night as a Category 1 or 2 storm. A hurricane warning now runs from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay-Gulf County line in Florida. Source

The FBI arrested an 18-year-old Minnesota man accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS and discussing a mass shooting at the Mall of America. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was taken into custody in a sting operation before any attack was carried out. Source

President Trump has named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the administration’s AI czar, according to a published interview with Clayton. Clayton will lead a new White House panel that must report within 120 days on the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence. Read More

The Supreme Court opened its new term Monday with a high-profile case touching on clean air and the reach of federal authority. The opening argument session included Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, a dispute over climate-related claims against energy companies. Read More

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the public will be able to watch the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. The Pentagon confirmed the execution will be livestreamed and said details will follow. Source

New CNN polls show Democrats competitive in Ohio and Iowa, two states Trump carried by double digits. The surveys cover the Senate and governor’s races in both states. Source

New polling released by The New York Times and Siena University shows Democrats leading Senate races by 6 points in Texas, 7 in Alaska, and 3 in Ohio, while trailing by 1 in Iowa and tied in Kansas. The Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas results fall within the margin of error, making those contests essentially even. Read More

Justice Samuel Alito said he thought about retiring after the Supreme Court’s last term but decided he could still make a valuable contribution. The 76-year-old said it is a question he has to consider every term. His comments come as control of the Senate, which confirms Supreme Court nominees, hangs on November’s elections. Find out More

The Cook Political Report moved three Senate races toward Democrats: Kansas to a toss-up, New Hampshire to a Democratic lean, and North Carolina to a likely Democratic race. Cook now sees Democrats gaining two to six seats. They need four to take control of the chamber. Source

Lawyers for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are due back in court as the legal fight continues over President Trump’s decision to ban their reporters from the White House. Source

Several Republican super PACs have canceled October ad campaigns in North Carolina’s Senate race as polls show Michael Whatley trailing former Gov. Roy Cooper by several points. Republicans spent $53 million on the race last month, compared with $44 million for Democrats. See Details

Vice President JD Vance said the administration is suspending the ability of Microsoft, Adobe and several other IT firms to sponsor foreign-born workers for permanent residency. The action targets the green card sponsorship process and does not suspend H-1B visas. Find out More

Lawyers for Tennessee inmate Christa Pike say she is struggling with pain, terror and psychological trauma after surviving an execution attempt. They say her physical recovery has been remarkable but the long-term effects are unknown. Source

Tropical Storm Isaias, about 580 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, is forecast to strengthen quickly and come ashore Friday as a hurricane. It would be the first Atlantic hurricane of the season and the latest first hurricane on record. Rain and tropical-storm-force winds could reach the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Pensacola by Friday morning. Read More

A senior leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used the faith’s semiannual General Conference to criticize the rapid growth of sports betting and prediction markets. D. Todd Christofferson delivered the remarks Saturday morning at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. See Details

A Massachusetts man with a prior felony record has pleaded guilty in a federal case involving the sale of Russian plutonium. The Justice Department says he sold the material to 67 customers. Source

Attorneys for Christa Pike have described her first words after she woke in a Tennessee hospital following the state’s failed Sept. 30 attempt to execute her. A Tennessee judge has ordered the state to preserve evidence connected to the botched execution, in what her lawyers call the first step of a long legal battle. See Details

An Arizona appeals court threw out a 10½-year manslaughter sentence because an AI-generated video of the dead victim was played at sentencing. The court upheld Gabriel Horcasitas’ conviction in the 2021 road rage shooting of Christopher Pelkey but said the avatar, created by Pelkey’s sister, crossed a line. A judge must now impose a new sentence. See Details

President Trump criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James after Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed her special prosecutor in an alleged 2024 sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity. Trump called James corrupt and said those she investigates will not be treated fairly. James, who previously won a civil fraud judgment against Trump, has said her office opened an active criminal investigation. Source

Tens of millions of American children have been automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts, the new children’s investment accounts. The rollout has parents sorting out how the accounts work and what they need to do. Read More

Starbucks says it is focused on its turnaround after a report that it explored a merger with Chipotle. Chipotle shares had jumped on the report. Read More

A federal lawsuit filed in Illinois accuses McDonald’s of antitrust violations over an AI tool that recommends prices to its U.S. franchisees, calling it algorithmic price-fixing. McDonald’s says franchisees, not AI, set menu prices and the tool is optional guidance. The suit seeks class-action status and damages. Read More

Paramount closed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, creating a combined company called Skydance under David Ellison. The deal puts CBS, CNN, HBO Max and Paramount+ under one owner. The new company carries about $87.5 billion in debt. Source

Americans are paying 62% more for household water than they did a decade ago. The average household paid $531 in 2025, though residents of some states pay far more. Source

Families that heat with oil could pay about 50% more this winter than last, with annual costs topping $2,600, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. The Iran war and volatile oil markets are driving the increase. The Northeast, which burns 82% of the nation’s heating oil, is hit hardest, and several states there have declared energy emergencies. Read More

Hooters continues to shrink, with the restaurant chain losing longtime locations in Florida, the state where it was founded. The closures add to a string of shutdowns for the brand. Find out More

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, far short of the 84,000 economists expected, and unemployment rose to 4.2%. August’s count was revised down to 133,000. Treasury yields fell at first, then ended the day higher. Find out More

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of President Trump, finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election. The two now head to an Oct. 25 runoff. Lula spent Monday trying to shake up his campaign while Bolsonaro reached for support from voters who backed other candidates. Source

More than 5,000 protesters were arrested across France this week as violent student demonstrations spread, with more than 400 schools still closed as of Friday. The education minister said more than 100 high schools have suffered severe damage. Find out More

A cargo ship sank and a second vessel caught fire Tuesday after coordinated drone strikes in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, about 70 nautical miles offshore. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia and warned a massive strike was coming. See Details

Saudi officials say three people died in Thursday’s attacks on Riyadh’s airport, which also damaged a Saudia Airlines plane and led many airlines to cancel flights. Saudi airstrikes hit Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital overnight. See Details

A prison riot in Mexico’s Sinaloa state killed 10 people and left 16 injured. The state has been plagued by violence. Source

At least two more vessels were struck over the weekend in waters near Oman and Iran. Iran’s parliament speaker said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions for ending the war with the U.S. are met. Separately, the U.S. withdrew all of its B-1 bombers from a British air base after an investigation uncovered a suspected terror plot against it. Read More

Governments are moving to guard against a suspected plague case tied to a Russian laboratory death. Kyrgyzstan began quarantine controls at its border crossings Monday, and the U.S. State Department said it is aware of the possible pneumonic plague death. The World Health Organization said the risk to the general public appears low, while Russia’s health agency has played down any link between the death and the researcher’s work. Source

August Hanning, 80, who led Germany’s foreign intelligence service from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on suspicion of espionage and attempted treason. Prosecutors say he obtained about 2,000 classified documents through a former aide and used them to prepare an analysis for an employee of a foreign intelligence service. Authorities have not named the country. See Details

Tom Cruise’s “Digger” grossed $3.3 million on Friday and is headed for an opening of around $8 million, a crushing start for a film with a $125 million production budget. Anne Hathaway’s thriller “Verity” will top the weekend chart with around $33 million. Read More

“The Social Reckoning” is targeting a $7 million opening weekend at the box office. The horror film “Other Mommy” is expected to debut above $20 million. Find out More

HBO’s “Lanterns” closed its first season Sunday with a finale built around emotion rather than superhero action. The show’s creators say the ending was always meant to center on the relationship between the characters played by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. Source

Zach Bryan and members of his band wore “Free Palestine” shirts during his Friday concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The show came after stadium owner Robert Kraft helped get Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour over pro-Palestinian remarks. Read More

A song by British singer Olivia Dean is facing accusations that it lifts its melody from the Bill Withers classic “Just the Two of Us.” Read More

A fan-interference ruling wiped out Anthony Volpe’s apparent game-tying two-run homer in the sixth inning Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay held on to beat New York 4-3 and complete a three-game sweep of the American League Division Series. Read More

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored 17 points in the third quarter and beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night for their first win of the season, with Bucky Irving rushing for 165 yards and rookie Jalon Daniels starting in place of Baker Mayfield. Source

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson has retired at 36, four games into the season. The surprise announcement followed his absence from the team’s Week 4 game and ends a career that included six Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title. Read More

Lionel Messi scored a penalty and set up two goals in his final match for Argentina, a 3-0 win over Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The 39-year-old finishes his international career with 126 goals in 208 appearances and a World Cup title. Source

The NFL has suspended officials Jeff Seeman and Adrian Hill after confrontations with players during Week 4. The league had been reviewing an incident in which Seeman, a line judge, appeared to direct profanity at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. Read More

Jon Rahm will not take part in the reorganized LIV Golf, calling the terms unacceptable. His playing future is uncertain. Read More

A grandmother of 12 held a plank for five hours to set a new world record. It was her third record attempt. See Details

The world’s two oldest men share a birthday, and this year they traded greetings. Brazil’s João Marinho Neto turned 114 on Monday and Australia’s Ken Weeks turned 113, and each posed for a photo holding a card celebrating the other. Find out More

Investigators have launched an expedition to examine a mysterious object in the Pacific. They believe it could be Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane. Read More

Researchers studying a formation long rumored to be Noah’s Ark say new drilling results challenge the theory that it is natural rock. The team says it is “inching towards” confirmation. Find out More