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Good Thursday morning. Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida last night. You can find the latest updates on the storm right here. Have a great day.
In Today’s Brief
Higher education: Price-fixing?
Biden: Talks to Bibi
Walz: Another gaffe
Markets: New records
Wimbledon: Big change
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Alphabet coup
Google may soon face a potentially world-changing showdown.
The news: Federal officials said they are considering a move to break up Google. The Department of Justice has accused the tech giant of causing "pernicious harms" to U.S. citizens following the historic antitrust verdict against Google's online search business in August.
Next steps: DOJ has to follow through on the threat. And if it does, a federal judge must accept the proposal. Google would then have the right to appeal, and that process would take years. So this is far from a certainty or finished.
Big picture: If DOJ makes the move and it eventually comes to fruition, it would trigger the most significant regulatory intervention in the history of big tech companies. The remedies would separate Google's various businesses and platforms and dramatically change how many aspects of digital life operate, starting with its deals with Apple and Samsung to be the default web browsers on devices.
2) Critical appeal
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the controversial case of a Oklahoma death row inmate.
Back story: Richard Glossip, 61, was sentenced to death for arranging the murder of his boss at an Oklahoma City motel in 1997. He was convicted of the crime twice, first in 1998 and then again in 2004 after the initial conviction was tossedfor an unconstitutionally ineffective defense.
The challenge: Prosecutors won both convictions thanks in large part to the testimony of Justin Sneed, who admitted to killing Barry Von Treese and cooperated against Glossip to avoid the death penalty himself. But it has since come to light that prosecutors withheld information about Sneed's bipolar disorder diagnosis and lithium prescription during the second trial and that Sneed gave false testimony.
At issue: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond backs Glossip's appeal for a third trial (but has stopped short of suggesting he is innocent) and said the conviction should be thrown out due to Sneed's lack of credibility. But a lower court in the state upheld the verdict and the state's parole board refuses to grant Glossip clemency from the death penalty; state law prevents Gov. Mary Fallin from intervening without parole board approval.
Big picture: Glossip has had nine execution dates and eaten his apparent last meal three times. This is expected to be his last chance at avoiding execution. Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself -- he sat on the Tenth Circuit Court when it heard a previous Glossip appeal -- so the inmates needs a 5-3 verdict to avoid the lower court ruling being upheld. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have suggested they may rule in favor of the lower court, so the outcome likely hinges on the other two conservative justices -- Brett Kavanaugh, who appeared sympathetic to Glossip's argument, and Amy Coney Barrett.
3) Closing ranks
North Korea announced it will completely seal its border with South Korea.
The news: Pyongyang began cutting off all rail and road connections between the countries yesterday. Dictator Kim Jong Un's regime also said it would fortify its defenses at the border, citing a need to prevent war and protect against "the primary hostile state and invariable principal enemy."
The reaction: South Korea called the move "worthless" after U.S. troops on the ground were directly informed by North Korea, predicting "even more severe isolation in the future." The North Koreans blamed U.S. and South Korean military exercises and activity on the peninsula for the action.
Big picture: Tensions between the Koreas have been high in recent months -- remember the trash balloons -- after Kim Jong Un called for a constitutional change formally ending the long-held official goal of reunification -- a drastic break from the policies of predecessors Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, his grandfather and father. There is also a belief by many analysts that North Korea is purposely agitating in hopes to trade better behavior for concessions from the next U.S. administration.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Dozens of elite private universities are being sued for alleged financial aid price-fixing. The filing alleges the schools purposely mishandled applications by students from divorced or separated homes to overcharge on tuition and fees; many of the same schools have already paid significant settlements in similar cases (More)
Colorado's high court tossed a lawsuit against a baker who refused to make a cake for a transgender woman. The ruling was on procedural grounds and did not address the free speech issues at play; dissenting judges said the baker violated state anti-discrimination laws (More)
Five people died after a small plane crashed in California. The twin-engine aircraft went down in rough terrain shortly after takeoff on Catalina Island; an investigation is underway (More)
World News
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for the first time in months. The president called on Israel to minimize civilian casualties in Lebanon; Iran threatened any Gulf state that gives Israel airspace access for its anticipated retaliatory strike (More | More)
The race to become the new leader of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party is down to two. Kami Badenoch and Robert Jenrick advanced on the latest round of internal Tory voting after favorite James Cleverly was knocked out; the final vote will be determined next month (More)
A fugitive father and his three children were spotted in New Zealand. Tom Phillips and the kids were seen hiking on a remote island; they have been missing since 2021 and Phillips was charged with a robbery in 2023 (More)
Campaign News
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for the Electoral College to be abolished during a fundraising event. But Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has distanced itself from her running mate's comments, saying it is not an official policy position (More)
Former President Donald Trump reportedly plans to hold an Oct. 27 campaign rally at New York's Madison Square Garden. He will also have a rally near Coachella, California, this weekend as he continues voter outreach in reliably Democratic states (More)
Harris has raised over $1B since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. The figure accounts for donations to both her campaign and affiliated groups tied to the national party and state parties (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 ended the day at record highs; the Dow jumped over 400 points (Dow +1.03%, Nasdaq +0.60%, S&P 500 +0.71%).
Honda is recalling almost 1.7M vehicles due to a potential manufacturing snafu. The impacted cars' steering gearboxes may have been improperly installed; the issue could make it difficult for drivers to maintain control and increase crash risks (More)
A Canadian company is not giving up its 7-Eleven pursuit. Circle-K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard has upped its takeover offer to $47B; the convenience store chain's Japanese parent company has already rejected one overture (More)
Entertainment & Sports
Wimbledon will adopt electronic line calling and eliminate line judges for next year's event. It is the third major tennis tournament to do so, joining the Australian and U.S. Opens; the ATP men's tour will go exclusively to the technology in 2025 (More)
Hugh Jackman will have a Radio City Music Hall residency next year. The actor and singer will perform 12 From New York With Love shows; the performances will be a curation of roles and works from his career, including past one-man shows (More)
Las Vegas' shuttered Tropicana casino was imploded yesterday. Construction of the future Las Vegas Athletics stadium will begin on the site next year; the Major League team will move to town in 2028 after leaving Oakland and spending the next three seasons in Sacramento (More)
Quick Hitters
Real Hero: A Texas man saw a woman's car skid into a canal and took action. He jumped into the water and safely pulled her out of the sinking vehicle.
Galaxy Quest: Scientists have wanted to investigate Europa, a moon of Jupiter they believe could harbor extraterrestrial life, for decades. NASA is finally ready to launch an exploratory mission.
Take Note: Some Americans question their ballot's secrecy before Election Day. This rundown of voting laws should alleviate those concerns.
Be Ready: Animals cannot evacuate ahead of hurricanes in the same way as humans. Here is a look at how zoos keep them safe during weather emergencies.
Life Hack: If you need help cutting your screen time, this guy can help -- he reduced his phone access by 80% after taking a handful of tangible steps.
Watch This
This is how Tetris history is made.
Links
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Mapping migration out of U.S. cities 🏙️
America's most popular cars by generation 🚗
Common 'facts' that are completely false ❌
Dieticians answer questions about butter and margarine 🧈
Looking Ahead …
A documentary about the American tradition of parodying the President of the United States is in the works. Playing POTUS will feature interviews with actors and comics who have done impressions of various presidents.