This week in the news | 23 Sep 23

News from the past week, and a few other things.

Sep 23, 2023

👋 Hello Reader, I hope you had a great week. Below are the items that stood out to me in the news this week. Lots on the US-Mexico border, Ukraine, Saudi-Israel-US relations, and housing.

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TECH & CYBER

FOR FUN

Cheers to Oktoberfest: Inside the legendary beer festival (Reuters)
Why Your Starbucks Wait Is So Long 📊 (Bloomberg🔒)
Climbing Colorado’s ‘Fourteeners’ Sometimes Means Trespassing. This Group Has a Solution. (WSJ🔒)
Bob Ross’s first TV painting is for sale. You can buy it for $9.8 million. (WP🔒)
Taylor Swift fans solve 33 million Google puzzles to unlock new song titles (WP🔒)
Netflix Prepares to Send Its Final Red Envelope (NYT🔒)
Rays ‘Here To Stay’ In Tampa Area After Striking Deal For New, $1.3 Billion Stadium (Forbes🔒)
Welcome to the World of Competitive Boat Docking (NYT)

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THE SLOW BREW ☕

A more relaxed approach to news summaries.

World

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets (AP)

Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, most arm-in-arm, as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea. The $5.9 billion in cash released to Iran represents money South Korea owed Iran — but had not yet paid — for oil purchased before the U.S. imposed sanctions on such transactions in 2019. The U.S. maintains that, once in Qatar, the money will be held in restricted accounts to be used only for humanitarian goods, such as medicine and food. Those transactions are currently allowed under American sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic over its advancing nuclear program.

North America

Unlawful Border Crossings Are Rising Fast After a Brief Decline (NYT🔒)

Unlawful crossings along the Southern border have reached levels not seen for several months, straining government resources and taxing some local communities where large numbers of migrants have been released from federal custody. There were more than 8,000 arrests on Monday, according to Brandon Judd, the head of the union that represents Border Patrol agents. Such high numbers haven’t been seen since a surge in early May brought the daily number to nearly 10,000, and they are far higher than in mid-April, when there were about 4,900 illegal crossings a day. The effects of the increasing numbers ripple across the country, as communities on the border and others far from it find themselves scrambling to support migrants released from federal custody.

U.S. Will Allow Nearly 500,000 Venezuelan Migrants to Work Legally (NYT🔒)

The Biden administration said late Wednesday that it would allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the United States to live and work legally in the country for 18 months. The decision followed intense advocacy by top New York Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and party leaders in Congress. It will affect about 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country before July 31, temporarily protecting them from removal and waiving a monthslong waiting period for them to seek employment authorization. In an unusual break with a president of their party, the New York Democrats had argued that the city’s social safety net would tear under the weight of more than 110,000 recently arrived migrants unless they were allowed to work and support themselves more quickly.

US Expands Deportation Shield to 14,600 More Afghan Migrants (Bloomberg🔒)

The Biden administration is expanding the number of Afghans eligible for temporary protected status, shielding them from deportation and allowing them to seek work permits. Under the decision the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday, 14,600 additional Afghans who arrived in the US between March 15, 2022 and Wednesday will be eligible for the protections, which will be extended to May 2025. Roughly 3,000 Afghans currently have temporary protected status and would be allowed to retain it, the department said. The policy was put in place last year, months after the US’s disastrous exit from the country led thousands of Afghans to flee the now-ruling Taliban. On Wednesday, the Biden administration re-designated temporary protected status for Venezuela, allowing roughly 470,000 migrants to apply for protection at a time when cities and states have complained to the administration about the financial burden caused by the influx.

Officials Scramble to Respond as Migrants Overwhelm Texas City (NYT🔒)

Thousands of migrants crossed into the small city of Eagle Pass, Texas, from Mexico on Wednesday, crowding onto the banks of the Rio Grande and under an international bridge in what officials described as an unfolding crisis. The mayor, Rolando Salinas Jr., declared a state of emergency, seeking additional support to respond to an influx of migrants that reached 2,500 on Wednesday, overwhelming the city of 28,000 that has been a focal point of efforts by the state of Texas to deter illegal crossings. The arrivals, including a large number of people from Venezuela, were part of a substantial increase in recent crossings along the southern border. The number of arrivals has reached levels not seen in months, taxing local governments in California, Arizona and Texas as large numbers of people claiming asylum have been released by Border Patrol agents directly into border communities. That was the case in Eagle Pass, officials said, where the city’s lone shelter provider strained to accommodate the sudden arrival of so many people. Many were released onto the streets of the city.

U.S. Wants to Keep Migrants Away From the Border by Moving It South (NYT🔒)

As the Biden administration struggles to tackle a humanitarian and political crisis at America’s doorstep, it is focusing increasingly on keeping migrants far from the U.S.-Mexico border by establishing migration processing centers in Central and South America. But the program is off to a rocky start, with demand for appointments far outstripping supply, leading to periodic shutdowns of the online portal, and some countries’ limiting applicants over concerns that the centers will cause migrants to overwhelm their own borders. The centers, in Colombia, Costa Rica and others planned in Guatemala, have become a primary focus of the president’s migration strategy, U.S. officials said, and the administration is already exploring expanding the program to other nations in the region, including opening a similar office in Mexico. More people — 360,000 through the beginning of the month — have already crossed the Darién Gap this year than in all of last year. And in August, roughly 91,000 families at the U.S. southern border were arrested after crossing illegally, a monthly record.

Trudeau’s Murder Claim Risks Upending US Courtship of India (Bloomberg🔒)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shocking allegations that India orchestrated the murder of a separatist leader leaves President Joe Biden caught between one of the US’s closest allies and an increasingly important partner in countering China. Indian leader Narendra Modi’s government on Tuesday denied that it had anything to do with the slaying of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada, calling the allegation “absurd.” Both nations expelled one of the other’s diplomats, and that’s before Canada has made any evidence public. The White House reacted cautiously, with National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson saying the administration was “deeply concerned” and called on India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation. A US official acknowledged the allegations pose a problem for Biden, who just left India with relations seemingly on track.

India suspends visas for Canadians as row escalates (BBC)

India has suspended visa services for Canadian citizens amid an escalating row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

Debris found from F-35 jet in South Carolina after US pilot ejected (BBC)

Military officials have found the debris of an F-35 military jet that went missing after the pilot ejected over South Carolina. The wreckage of the $100m (£80m) plane - which disappeared on Sunday afternoon - was discovered in rural Williamsburg County, said authorities. The pilot ejected from the cockpit and parachuted to safety in a North Charleston neighbourhood.

Texas attorney general acquitted in historic impeachment trial (WP🔒)

After a historic 10-day trial, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday by the state Senate on 16 charges of bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of office. He was immediately reinstated, ending a suspension that began in May with his impeachment by the state House. The charges against him centered on his effort to obtain $3.3 million in state funding to settle a lawsuit by senior aides. Some of those aides had become whistleblowers, so distressed by his interactions with wealthy Austin developer Nate Paul that they reported their boss to the FBI.

Latin America

Venezuela sends 11,000 troops to retake prison (BBC)

Venezuela has sent 11,000 troops to regain control of one of its biggest prisons that had been overrun by a powerful criminal gang. The Tocorón prison, in the north of the country, was under the control of the Tren de Aragua mega-gang for years. Members were able to roam freely around the prison, which had hotel-like facilities including a pool, nightclub and a mini zoo, local media reported. Officials said the 6,000 inmates would be transferred to other prisons.

Europe

Ukraine fires 6 deputy defense ministers as counteroffensive continues (Military Times)

Six Ukrainian deputy defense ministers were fired Monday following the dismissal two weeks ago of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a corruption scandal, officials said, as heavy fighting continued in the east.

Ukrainian Tactics Put Russia on the Defensive in the Black Sea 📊 (WSJ🔒)

Commercial vessels have resumed using Ukraine’s main port of Odesa without asking permission from Russia for the first time since the war began—showing just how much the balance of power has changed in the Black Sea. By imposing an asymmetrical war that relies on domestically produced naval drones and missiles, and that targets Russian ships in their own home bases, Ukraine has eroded much of Russia’s vaunted naval superiority. Now, it is taking the battle to Russia itself. Outnumbered 12 to one by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Ukrainian Navy wasn’t considered a meaningful force when Russia invaded in February 2022. Ukraine quickly scuttled its flagship frigate, then undergoing repairs in Mykolaiv, so that the vessel wouldn’t fall to Russian forces. In Odesa, port operations had ceased. Residents could see enemy warships with the naked eye. Massed on the horizon, the Russian Navy fired artillery at the city and maneuvered with impunity in preparations for landing troops ashore. Today, Russian warships no longer dare to venture into the northwestern part of the Black Sea, deterred by Ukrainian coastal missiles and extensive minefields. The Russian Black Sea Fleet itself has suffered heavy losses as a result of a series of successful Ukrainian strikes, with no areas of the Black Sea safe for it anymore.

Zelenskyy Visits Pentagon in Push for Breakthrough on Long-Range Weapons (Air and Space Forces)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his push for long-range missiles and F-16 aircraft in a whistle-stop trip to Washington D.C. on Sept. 21. “We had great dialogue,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Capitol Hill. “We spoke about so many details.” But unlike his trip in December, which culminated in a U.S. pledge to send a prized Patriot air defense system and JDAM guided bombs to Ukraine, Zelenskyy’s latest visit has not been not greeted with a major new arms commitment from President Joe Biden. Instead, the administration focused on bolstering Kyiv’s air defense and artillery stockpiles in a $325 million package. After an hourlong meeting with Senators, the upper chamber’s Majority Leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), summarized Zelenskyy’s clear message to Congress, quoting the Ukrainian leader: “If we don’t get the aid, we will lose a war.”

Biden Told Zelensky U.S. Is Willing to Provide Long-Range ATACMS Missiles (WSJ🔒)

President Biden has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he is willing to provide advanced long-range, surface-to-surface missiles to help Kyiv with its counteroffensive, U.S. officials say. Officials said that a small number of missiles from the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, will be sent in coming weeks and more could be provided later.

Poland no longer supplying weapons to Ukraine as grain row escalates (BBC)

One of Ukraine's staunchest allies, Poland, has said it is no longer supplying weapons to its neighbour, as a diplomatic dispute over grain escalates. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland's focus was instead on defending itself with more modern weapons. Poland has already sent Ukraine 320 Soviet-era tanks and 14 MiG-29 fighter jets and has little more to offer. However, the remarks coincide with high tensions between the two neighbours.

Ukraine’s Hunger for Howitzers Transforms an Arms Industry (WSJ🔒)

The 155mm K9 self-propelled howitzer is at the center of South Korea’s unlikely rise as a weapons exporter. Manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace, it is the country’s bestselling weapon. Demand for howitzers and other weapons made in South Korea has been turbocharged as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned into a grinding land war. The U.S. and its allies have sent Ukraine much of their supplies of artillery and munitions, and they have realized their arms industries are ill prepared to quickly replenish them. That is where South Korea has come in. While Seoul has declined to supply lethal weapons directly to Ukraine, the country has been willing to replenish the supplies of the U.S. and its allies—and it has shown it can often do so on shorter timelines and at lower costs than many Western competitors. The war has transformed South Korea’s arms industry, which once manufactured weapons largely for its own defense, into the world’s fastest-growing arms exporter, with its sales more than doubling in 2022.

Meet the world’s new arms dealers 📊 (The Economist🔒)

If the North Korean arms industry is being boosted by the war in Ukraine, its southern foe is doing even better. South Korea’s arms exporters were cleaning up even before the conflict. In the five years to 2022 the country rose to ninth place in a ranking of weapons-sellers compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think-tank (see chart). The government aspires to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027. Last year it sold arms worth $17bn, more than twice as much as in 2021. Some $14.5bn came from sales to Poland. At least China does not have to worry about competition from India. Despite much effort, India’s growth as an arms exporter has been glacial. The government of Narendra Modi has listed a huge range of weapons parts that must be made in India; it hopes home-made light tanks and artillery will enter service by the end of the decade. But India has relied for too long on the transfer of technology from Russia under production-licensing agreements for aircraft, tanks and warships that have failed to deliver. Investment is wastefully channelled through state-owned bodies. Red tape suffocates initiative.

Russia hits Ukrainian energy facilities in biggest attack in weeks, Kyiv says (Reuters)

Russia pounded energy facilities across Ukraine on Thursday in its biggest missile attack for weeks, firing what Ukrainian officials saw as the first salvo in a new air campaign against the national power grid. Power cuts were reported in five Ukrainian regions in the west, centre and east, reviving memories of multiple air strikes on critical infrastructure last winter that caused sweeping outages for millions during the bitter cold. Officials said at least 18 people were wounded in the air strikes, including a nine-year-old girl, and a regional governor said two people were killed in separate overnight Russian shelling.

Azerbaijan halts Karabakh offensive after ceasefire deal with Armenian separatists 📊 (BBC)

Azerbaijan's president has declared that his country's sovereignty has been restored over Nagorno-Karabakh after a 24-hour military offensive against ethnic-Armenian forces. Ilham Aliyev praised the heroism of Azerbaijan's army hours after Karabakh forces agreed to surrender. Some 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in the South Caucasus enclave, recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan now intends to bring the breakaway region under full control. Its military launched an "anti-terror" operation on Tuesday, demanding that Karabakh's forces raise a white flag and dissolve their "illegal regime". With no means of support from neighbouring Armenia, and after an effective nine-month blockade, the ethnic Armenians soon gave in. Armenian officials reported that at least 32 people were killed, including seven civilians, and another 200 wounded. However according to a separatist Armenian human rights official, at least 200 people were killed and more than 400 wounded. The BBC has not been able to verify any of the figures.

Azerbaijan claims full control of breakaway region and holds initial talks with ethnic Armenians (AP News)

Azerbaijan regained control of its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a deadly two-day military offensive and held initial talks with representatives of its ethnic Armenian population on reintegrating the area into the mainly Muslim country, Azerbaijan’s top diplomat told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s determination to guarantee Nagorno-Karabakh residents “all rights and freedoms” in line with the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations, including safeguards for ethnic minorities. He said the talks with Nagorno-Karabakh in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh will continue. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, declared victory in a televised address. Bayramov said there is now “a historic opportunity” to seek better relations with Armenia after 30 years of conflict.

UK inflation fall throws BoE a curveball before rates decision 📊 (Reuters)

Britain's high inflation rate unexpectedly slowed, raising the prospect of the Bank of England pausing its long run of interest rates hikes as soon as Thursday.

Middle East

IAEA: Iran expels several inspectors in "unprecedented" move (Axios)

Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it is withdrawing the designation of several senior UN inspectors who were working in the country, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Saturday. Why it matters: The decision is a significant escalation by Iran that could hamper the UN nuclear watchdog's ability to monitor Tehran's nuclear program. What they're saying: "With today's decision, Iran has effectively removed about one-third of the core group of the Agency's most experienced inspectors designated for Iran," Grossi said in a statement.

Biden Aides and Saudis Explore Defense Treaty Modeled After Asian Pacts (NYT🔒)

The United States is discussing terms of a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia that would resemble military pacts with Japan and South Korea, according to American officials. The move is at the center of President Biden’s high-stakes diplomacy to get the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel. Under such an agreement, the United States and Saudi Arabia would generally pledge to provide military support if the other country is attacked in the region or on Saudi territory. The discussions to model the terms after the treaties in East Asia, considered among the strongest the United States has outside of its European pacts, have not been previously reported.

Biden, Netanyahu pledge to work toward Israeli-Saudi normalization (Reuters)

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to work together toward a landmark agreement to forge diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Meeting for the first time since Netanyahu returned to power in December, both leaders signaled a desire to ease strains in their relationship, but Biden also made clear he was determined to discuss their differences.

Saudi Uranium Enrichment Floated Under Possible Israel Deal (WSJ🔒)

Israeli officials are quietly working with the Biden administration on a polarizing proposal to set up a U.S.-run uranium-enrichment operation in Saudi Arabia as part of a complex three-way deal to establish official diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern countries, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been negotiating the contours of a deal for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel in exchange for helping the kingdom develop a civilian nuclear program with uranium enrichment on Saudi soil, among other concessions. Other aspects of the evolving deal are expected to include concessions for the Palestinians and U.S. security guarantees.

Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy. What happened? (AP News)

For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports. Jobs were plentiful, the government’s financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany. No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.

China's Xi offers to help Assad rebuild Syria, regain regional status (Reuters)

Chinese President Xi Jinping offered on Friday to help Syria rebuild its shattered economy and counter domestic unrest during talks with its long ostracised and heavily sanctioned leader, Bashar al-Assad, by upgrading ties to a "strategic partnership". The rare meeting in the Chinese city of Hangzhou boosts Assad's campaign to return to the global stage while allowing Xi to advance China's strategic interests in the Middle East, where it is already well aligned with Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Turkey Hikes Rate Again as It Tries to Get Grip on Inflation 📊 (Bloomberg🔒)

Turkey’s central bank delivered another sizable interest-rate hike, matching expectations but disappointing a market that was pricing in more aggressive moves to curb inflation running at almost 60%. The lira reversed gains after the Monetary Policy Committee raised rates for a fourth straight time to bring its benchmark to 30% from 25%. It reiterated plans to proceed “in a timely and gradual manner until a significant improvement in the inflation outlook is achieved.”

Africa

Russia Throws Wheat Sale to Egypt Into Turmoil Over Price Floor (Bloomberg🔒)

Egypt’s latest wheat tender has ended in dispute as an increasingly assertive Russian state tries to impose an unofficial minimum export price. Russian trader Agric SA sought to withdraw its winning offer of $229 a ton, after failing to get approval from Russia’s agriculture ministry, according to people familiar with the matter. Moscow wants to implement a price floor of $240 for exports, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. The spat shows Russia, the world’s biggest wheat shipper this season, increasingly flexing its powers in the global market following its invasion of Ukraine.

Asia-Pacific

U.S. and Chinese Officials Meet in Malta to Discuss Ukraine and Other Flashpoints (NYT🔒)

The White House announced on Sunday that its national security adviser met over the weekend with China’s top diplomat in Malta, as part of efforts to keep communication open between the two nations and as political purges roil elite circles in Beijing. A senior White House official told reporters in a telephone briefing on Sunday that Mr. Sullivan reiterated American concerns about recent Chinese military actions around Taiwan and other coercive activities, and said that any disputes or conflicts must be resolved peacefully. The U.S. official also said Mr. Sullivan stressed that China should not try to aid Russia in its war on Ukraine. The core of those concerns pertains to the U.S. intelligence assessment that since the winter, China has been considering sending weapons to President Vladimir V. Putin for his war. U.S. officials announced those findings in late February and confronted Chinese officials with them at the time. The White House summary said Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Wang agreed that the two governments would “pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas.”

China flies 103 military planes toward Taiwan in a new high in activity the island calls harassment (AP News)

China’s military sent 103 warplanes toward Taiwan in a 24-hour period in what the island’s defense ministry called a recent new high. The planes were detected between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, the ministry said. As is customary, they turned back before reaching Taiwan. Chinese warplanes fly toward the self-governing island on a near-daily basis but typically in smaller numbers. The Taiwan ministry didn’t explain what time period it meant by a “recent” high. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has conducted increasingly large military drills in the air and waters around Taiwan as tensions have grown between the two and with the United States. The U.S. is Taiwan’s main supplier of arms and opposes any attempt to change Taiwan’s status by force. The Chinese government would prefer that Taiwan come under its control voluntarily and last week unveiled a plan for an integrated development demonstration zone in Fujian province, trying to entice Taiwanese even as it threatens the island militarily in what experts say is China’s long-running carrot and stick approach.

China’s Former Foreign Minister Ousted After Alleged Affair, Senior Officials Told (WSJ🔒)

Senior Chinese officials were told that an internal Communist Party investigation found former Foreign Minister Qin Gang to have engaged in an extramarital affair that lasted throughout his tenure as Beijing’s top envoy to Washington, according to people familiar with the matter. Qin, once considered a trusted aide to leader Xi Jinping, was stripped of his foreign minister title in July without explanation after he disappeared from public view a month earlier. At one point leading up to his ouster, the Foreign Ministry said the absence of 57-year-old Qin was for health reasons. Senior Chinese officials—including ministers and provincial leaders—were briefed last month on the party’s investigation into Qin, who served as the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. from July 2021 until January this year, the people said. The senior officials were told the formal reason for Qin’s dismissal was “lifestyle issues,” a common party euphemism for sexual misconduct, according to the people. The officials were further told that the probe found that Qin had engaged in an extramarital affair that led to the birth of a child in the U.S., two of the people said.

China’s “demographic dividend” appears to be a myth 📊 (The Economist🔒)

Since STARTING to open up to market forces in the 1980s China’s economy has grown at a formidable rate. Adjusting for the cost of living, GDP per person has risen ten-fold. But now China faces headwinds. Consumer confidence is low, youth unemployment is high and the economy is on the verge of deflation. On top of this, demography, a factor once credited for the country’s growth, is becoming a handicap. During the past four decades China’s working-age population grew far faster than the number of young and elderly dependants did. This, in theory, increased the average citizen’s contribution to GDP, a feature often described as the country’s “demographic dividend”. However, a new working paper by Xin Meng of the Australian National University, appears to refute this widely accepted explanation for China’s economic success. Although the share of the country’s population that were of working age surged during this period, the share of people available to work did not.

Space

Astronaut Ready for Silence After Record-Setting Full Year in Space (NYT🔒)

After a year spent listening to the constant hum of the complicated machinery that keeps the International Space Station livable, the astronaut Frank Rubio is looking forward to some silence on Earth. Mr. Rubio is scheduled to return to land next week after a 371-day mission, the longest single spaceflight for an American astronaut. On Sept. 11, he surpassed the previous record for the longest continuous spaceflight by an American, and he will complete a full year in space on Thursday. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Rubio spoke on video from the International Space Station about what he was most looking forward to when he returns home on Sept. 27: his family, fresh food and silence. His return home will be even sweeter because when Mr. Rubio launched on the Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan last September, he expected to be back home in six months, not a year. Those plans changed after a coolant leak in the Soyuz spacecraft was detected in December. The leak could have created potentially fatally hot temperatures for the crew on their return to Earth, so a different spacecraft was sent to the space station, forcing a delay in Mr. Rubio’s return trip. Before Mr. Rubio’s mission, Mark Vande Hei, who returned to Earth in March 2022 after 355 days aboard the International Space Station, held the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by an American. Dr. Valery Polyakov, a Russian astronaut who died last year, holds the world record for consecutive days spent in space: 437.

Government

IRS Is Hiring Thousands Of New Workers To Ramp Up Focus On Millionaires And Large Corporations (Forbes🔒)

The IRS is hiring thousands of new workers. Just weeks after the tax agency announced plans to ramp up its focus on millionaires, complex partnerships, and large corporations, details about related new positions have been made public. The IRS is hiring 3,700 new employees nationwide in more than 250 locations. The hiring is focused on higher-graded revenue agents. It's a second wave of hiring thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. These new employees will be focused on higher-income and complex tax areas like partnerships, not average taxpayers making less than $400,000."

Defense

Senate Confirms Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Air and Space Forces)

The Senate confirmed Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sept. 20, clearing the way for Brown to become the first Airman to serve as the nation’s top military officer in 19 years. It is not immediately clear if Brown will be sworn in to his new position before Oct. 1, when Milley’s term expires.

Economy

Fed Holds Rates Steady but Pencils In One More Hike This Year 📊 (WSJ🔒)

Federal Reserve officials voted to hold interest rates steady at a 22-year high and revealed a divide over whether they should raise them once more this year, with most leaning toward another increase. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that officials didn’t need to decide yet whether to lift rates again after a historically rapid series of increases over the past 18 months and as they await evidence that a recent inflation slowdown can be sustained.

U.S. National Debt Tops $33 Trillion for First Time 📊 (NYT🔒)

America’s gross national debt exceeded $33 trillion for the first time on Monday, providing a stark reminder of the country’s shaky fiscal trajectory at a moment when Washington faces the prospect of a government shutdown this month amid another fight over federal spending.

Highest Treasury Yields in More Than 15 Years Drag Stocks Lower (WSJ🔒)

Bond yields reached their highest levels since at least 2007, putting pressure on stocks ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate decision. Few investors expect the U.S. central bank to raise rates from the target range of 5.25% to 5.5% at Wednesday’s meeting. Still, fresh economic data rattled investors on Tuesday: The lowest number of monthly housing starts since June 2020, coupled with hotter-than-expected inflation in Canada, fanned fears that resilient price pressures will prompt the Fed to increase rates later this year. The 10-year Treasury yield finished at 4.366%, its highest level since 2007. The appeal of Treasury yields at 16-year highs is one factor preventing stocks from making much upward progress in recent months, analysts say. Money-market funds, which typically invest in Treasury bills or park cash at the Fed, are offering rates above 5%, attracting swaths of investors.

Business

Amazon to Hire 250,000 Logistics Workers for Holidays, Boost Hourly Wages (Bloomberg🔒)

Amazon.com Inc. plans to hire 250,000 logistics workers, suggesting the online retailer is bullish about what’s otherwise expected to be a humdrum holiday shopping season. The Seattle-based company typically ramps up hiring in the fall to ensure it has enough workers for the crucial holiday shopping season, beginning with an announcement touting pay bumps and staffing plans. Amazon last year said it would bring on 150,000 workers. In 2019, the company pledged to hire 200,000 seasonal employees.

U.A.W. Widens Strikes at G.M. and Stellantis, but Cites Progress in Ford Talks 📊 (NYT🔒)

The United Automobile Workers union on Friday significantly raised the pressure on General Motors and Stellantis, the parent of Jeep and Ram, by expanding its strike against the companies to include all the spare-parts distribution centers of the two companies. By widening the strike to the distribution centers, which supply parts to dealerships for repairs, the union is effectively taking its case to consumers, some of whom might find it difficult or impossible to have their cars and trucks fixed. The strategy could pressure the automakers to make more concessions to the union, but it could backfire on the union by frustrating car owners and turning them against the U.A.W. Shawn Fain, the union’s president, said Friday that workers at 38 distribution centers at the two companies would walk off the job. He said talks with two companies had not progressed significantly, contrasting them with Ford Motor, which he said had done more to meet the union’s demands.

Ford Reaches Tentative Deal With Canadian Labor Union To Avoid Dual Strikes (Forbes🔒)

Ford managed to stave off a strike by auto workers in Canada, after agreeing to a tentative deal with Canadian labor union Unifor on Tuesday night as labor strikes continue in the U.S. According to CBC News, if the deal is ratified, it could provide a blueprint for similar agreements for thousands more Canadian workers employed by the two other major U.S. automakers, General Motors and Chrysler’s parent, Stellantis. Ford’s Canadian labor deal comes amid an ongoing strike by the United Auto Workers against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in the U.S. The UAW’s strike began after the union and the automakers failed to agree to a deal last week. The strike is expected severely disrupt the carmakers. Each of the Big Three stands to lose as much as $5.4 billion if the work stoppage lasts around six weeks.

Rupert Murdoch to Retire From Fox and News Corporation Boards (NYT🔒)

Rupert Murdoch is retiring from the Fox and News Corporation boards, the companies announced Thursday morning, making his son Lachlan the sole executive in charge of the powerful global media empire he built from a small local newspaper concern in Australia 70 years ago. Though the move places the Murdoch family companies more firmly under Lachlan’s control, a bruising succession battle may still loom. Upon Rupert Murdoch’s death, his four adult children would have to work out his ultimate successor among themselves, based on a plan he put into place nearly two decades ago.

Microsoft Closes In on Activision Deal After Britain Signals Approval (NYT🔒)

Microsoft came one step closer on Friday to completing its $69 billion purchase of the video game maker Activision Blizzard, in a deal that has become an example of how a company can successfully ride out stricter regulatory scrutiny of the power of tech giants. Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, the last remaining agency that must sign off before Microsoft can complete the acquisition, said the companies took action that “substantially addresses” remaining antitrust concerns. The regulator initially tried to block the deal, saying it would undercut competition, but reversed course after Microsoft agreed not to purchase a part of Activision’s business associated with so-called cloud gaming, a small but promising new area for the industry.

Energy

Gas Prices Have Crept Higher This Summer, a Challenge for the Fed 📊 (NYT🔒)

Your eyes are not deceiving you: Gas prices are rising yet again. On Wednesday, the national average for unleaded gasoline was $3.88 per gallon, according to AAA, the highest level in nearly a year. That’s far below the peak in June 2022, when the average briefly ticked above $5 a gallon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine crimped global oil supplies and sent fuel costs skyrocketing. But it’s still much higher than historical averages, even for summer, when prices tend to rise. It has been a slow but steady increase. The price of a gallon of gas has risen around 20 percent since the start of the year and more than 8 percent since June 1, according to AAA. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, by comparison, gas prices soared more than 40 percent in less than four months. Gas prices are primarily influenced by the price of oil on commodity markets, which means they can be affected by a variety of factors, including geopolitics, the weather and the mood of financial investors. Crude oil prices have jumped in recent months: Since June 1, the American crude benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, has climbed nearly 30 percent. By Wednesday, it was trading at more than $91 a barrel, the highest level since November 2022.

Trudeau’s Mega Pipeline Promises to Redraw Global Oil Flows 📊 (Bloomberg🔒)

Canada, home to the world’s third-largest crude deposits, is poised to reshuffle global oil flows next year. The nearly completed expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline promises to vault Canada into a new role in global markets by transporting an additional 600,000 barrels a day — on par with the daily output of Azerbaijan — from the country’s vast oil sands to a port on the Pacific Coast.

Iran, US on verge of prisoner swap under Qatar-mediated deal (Reuters)

When $6 billion of unfrozen Iranian funds are wired to banks in Qatar as early as next week, it will trigger a carefully choreographed sequence that will see as many as five detained U.S. dual nationals leave Iran and a similar number of Iranian prisoners held in the U.S. fly home, according to eight Iranian and other sources familiar with the negotiations who spoke to Reuters. As a first step, Iran on Aug. 10 released four U.S. citizens from Tehran’s Evin prison into house arrest, where they joined a fifth, who was already under house arrest.

Real Estate

US Housing Starts Drop to Lowest Since 2020 While Permits Rise 📊 (Bloomberg🔒)

New US home construction dropped in August to the lowest level since June 2020, highlighting the toll of declining housing affordability. Residential starts decreased 11.3% last month to a 1.28 million annualized rate, according to government data released Tuesday. The drop was largely driven by a sharp decline in multifamily construction. Applications to build, a proxy for future construction, picked up to 1.54 million. That’s the most in nearly a year. Permits to build one-family homes accelerated to the fastest pace since May 2022, indicating optimism about future demand.

Home sales plunge 21 percent over year, new housing data shows 📊 (WP🔒)

The number of previously occupied homes sold in the United States dropped by 21 percent over the past year, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released Thursday. That’s on top of an 18 percent annual decline the year before, indicating the housing market has continued to slow down amid rising interest rates. Meanwhile, prices continued to rise, with the median sales price climbing 3.9 percent from a year ago to reach $407,100. The 21 percent drop compares homes sold from January through August this year with the same period last year. August home sales fell 15.3 percent this year compared with August 2022, the NAR said.

Home Flipping Activity Drops As Profits Rise Across U.S. In Second Quarter Of 2023 📊 (Attom Data)

ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its second-quarter 2023 U.S. Home Flipping Report showing that 84,350 single-family homes and condominiums in the United States were flipped in the second quarter. Those transactions represented 8 percent, or one of every 13 home sales, during the months running from April through June of 2023.

Hundreds of Buyers Queue Up for Dubai's $5 Million Palm-Island Homes (Bloomberg🔒)

Hundreds of buyers scrambled to snap up luxury homes on the largest of Dubai’s palm-shaped islands where villas are going for 10 times the price of when the project was launched — but never built — two decades ago. Brokers and investors queued in 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius) heat from 6 a.m. on Wednesday outside Nakheel PJSC’s sales center where the government-backed developer is selling hundreds of five-to-seven bedroom villas on the undeveloped Palm Jebel Ali — about 50 kilometers from downtown Dubai. Homes start at 18.7 million dirhams ($5.1 million), while the cheapest plots of land are selling for about 40 million dirhams.

Personal Finance

How U.S. Households Got Turned Upside Down by Higher Interest Rates 📊 (WSJ🔒)

A new reality has finally started to set in across American households: Higher interest rates are here to stay. The economy has held up relatively well ever since the Federal Reserve started aggressively raising rates early last year. Many households have breathing room because they locked in low rates on their mortgage or car loan before the rate increases started. And in at least one significant way, the high rates can help consumers: Savers can get more bang for their otherwise idle cash. But these higher-for-longer rates are starting to exact a toll on households that need to borrow now, especially for major purchases such as homes and cars. Those who have to rely on credit-card debt, where rates rise along with the market interest rates, are also feeling the bite.

Student-Loan Restart Threatens to Pull $100 Billion Out of Consumers’ Pockets 📊 (WSJ🔒)

The restart of student-loan payments could divert up to $100 billion from Americans’ pockets over the coming year, leaving consumers squeezed and some of the nation’s largest retailers fearing a spending slowdown. Starting Oct. 1, tens of millions of student-loan borrowers will need to make payments averaging between $200 and $300 each month. The payments will mark the first time that borrowers have had to make good on their loans since the Education Department instituted a pause in March 2020. In the interim, they spent the money on televisions, travel, new homes and thousands of other products. That spending is one reason the economy has remained resilient in recent years, despite a surge in interest rates. What the resumption of loan payments means for the broader economy, however, is up for debate, and at least two groups watching closely disagree. Target, Walmart and other retailers that depend on discretionary spending are concerned. Economists, on the other hand, say the renewed payments are a relatively small problem for the more than $18 trillion in annual U.S. consumer spending.

Cyber

Inside Tiktok's real-life frenzies - from riots to false murder accusations (BBC News)

TikTok is driving online frenzies that encourage anti-social behaviour in the real world, a BBC Three investigation reveals. Ex-employees say the issue is not being tackled for fear of slowing the growth of the social media app's business. These frenzies - where TikTok drives disproportionate amounts of engagement to some topics - are evidenced by interviews with former staffers, app users and BBC analysis of wider social media data. They have then led to disruption and disorder in everyday life. The BBC's investigation found that TikTok's algorithm and design means people are seeing videos which they wouldn't normally be recommended - which, in turn, incentivise them to do unusual things in their own videos on the platform.

Artificial Intelligence

Google Expands AI Chatbot Bard To Apps Like Gmail, Drive And YouTube (Forbes🔒)

Google has integrated its artificial intelligence chatbot Bard into applications like YouTube, Gmail and Drive, the company announced Tuesday, as AI competition heats up between Google and OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed creator of ChatGPT. Bard has been incorporated into Google’s applications like Gmail, Docs, through “Bard Extensions,” allowing users to collaborate with the chatbot while using services like Gmail and Google Docs, Yury Pinsky, Bard’s director of product development, announced Tuesday. Bard can access multiple applications at once through a single conversation, Pinsky said: For example, if a user is planning a trip, Bard can check Gmail to see what dates work best then check flight and hotel information, then Maps for directions to the airport and YouTube for suggested videos of things to do during the trip. Multiple users can share the same Bard chat through a single link, allowing each user to ask additional questions. Bard will also now incorporate a “Google it” button that will allow users to double-check answers given by the chatbot, which will highlight whether responses are backed by other online sources.

ChatGPT Can Now Generate Images, Too (NYT🔒)

ChatGPT can now generate images — and they are shockingly detailed. On Wednesday, OpenAI, the San Francisco artificial intelligence start-up, released a new version of its DALL-E image generator to a small group of testers and folded the technology into ChatGPT, its popular online chatbot. Called DALL-E 3, it can produce more convincing images than previous versions of the technology, showing a particular knack for images containing letters, numbers and human hands, the company said.

‘Game of Thrones’ creator and other authors sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for copyright infringement (AP News)

John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George R.R. Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission. In papers filed Tuesday in federal court in New York, the authors alleged “flagrant and harmful infringements of plaintiffs’ registered copyrights” and called the ChatGPT program a “massive commercial enterprise” that is reliant upon “systematic theft on a mass scale.” The lawsuit cites specific ChatGPT searches for each author, such as one for Martin that alleges the program generated “an infringing, unauthorized, and detailed outline for a prequel” to “A Game of Thrones” that was titled “A Dawn of Direwolves” and used “the same characters from Martin’s existing books in the series “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

Amazon Makes Alexa Chattier and More Capable Using Generative AI (WSJ🔒)

It was only a matter of time. Alexa is getting generative AI. Later demos showed the assistant recommending movies and carrying out smart-home routines after hearing natural requests from users, instead of the scripted command phrases that can make voice assistants frustrating to use. The responses from the bot sounded more natural, too—fresh, off-the-cuff phrasing rather than the canned jokes and replies users have heard for years.

Food & Drink

Cheers to Oktoberfest: Inside the legendary beer festival (Reuters)

Oktoberfest has its origins in a horse race that took place in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

Why Your Starbucks Wait Is So Long 📊 (Bloomberg🔒)

The biggest thing keeping people from their local Starbucks these days isn’t that a grande blonde vanilla latte costs $7 or that a venti mocha cookie crumble Frappuccino has 590 calories. It’s the wait. The time from placing an order to being served now tops five minutes for more than a third of customers, surveys from researcher Technomic indicate. That’s mainly because of a sprawling menu and increasingly customized drinks with various squirts, shots and cold foams—which add up to more than 383 billion different possibilities just for a latte.

Nature

Climbing Colorado’s ‘Fourteeners’ Sometimes Means Trespassing. This Group Has a Solution. (WSJ🔒)

Environmental group the Conservation Fund is looking to increase hikers’ access by buying land around privately-owned mountaintops and transferring them to public ownership. In a first step, the Conservation Fund on Wednesday acquired nearly 300 acres of 14,148-foot Mount Democrat, about 100 miles southwest of Denver, including its trailhead and summit. Mount Democrat’s prior owner, John Reiber, controlled the summit because his company had mining claims on it. He said he grew concerned about the cost of giving access to hikers after a federal appeals court in 2019 upheld a $7.3 million award to the family of a bicyclist who was seriously injured while riding on U.S. Air Force Academy land in the foothills outside Colorado Springs. In 2021, he closed the trailhead that leads to Mount Democrat and three neighboring fourteeners, including mounts Lincoln and Bross, where he also owns mining claims on the summits.

I hiked this trail last summer with one of my sons. Part of the DeCaLeBroN (Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross) group of 14ers, it’s a great loop if you want to knock many 14ers out in just one trip!

Art

Bob Ross’s first TV painting is for sale. You can buy it for $9.8 million. (WP🔒)

A little-known painter with a poofy perm, aviator eyeglasses and an unruly brown-gray beard looked into the camera for the first time in 1983 and spoke to an audience that over the next four decades would grow into the millions and make him one of the most famous artists in the world. Ross spent the next 27 minutes transforming that blank canvas into “A Walk in the Woods,” a still life of a gray, rocky path leading away from blue waters to cut through a forest of brilliant yellowing trees. More than 40 years later, that painting from the first episode of Ross’s famous instructional TV show, “The Joy of Painting,” is for sale. What Ross donated to a PBS station in 1983 so it could be auctioned off is now on the market for $9.85 million.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift fans solve 33 million Google puzzles to unlock new song titles (WP🔒)

It all began when Google and Swift announced the new game — users searching for “Taylor Swift” would see a blue vault icon pop up on their browser. Once clicked, users are served a series of word puzzles, which they can complete by typing the correct answer into the search bar. Each individual can work through 89 puzzles (a reference to Swift’s upcoming album, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”) — but the challenge is only complete when 33 million individual puzzles are solved, enabling fans to learn the track titles for the new, previously unheard songs being released in Swift’s album (these are known to Swifties as “vault” tracks because they were cut from the previous version of the album.) For non-fans, that might sound like a lot of work just to learn a song title. But loyal Swifties seemed to think it was worth the pain — quickly setting up Reddit threads and spreadsheets with the answers — and ultimately solving all 33 million puzzles in mere hours.

Netflix Prepares to Send Its Final Red Envelope (NYT🔒)

In a nondescript office park minutes from Disneyland sits a nondescript warehouse. Inside this nameless, faceless building, an era is ending. The building is a Netflix DVD distribution plant. Once a bustling ecosystem that processed 1.2 million DVDs a week, employed 50 people and generated millions of dollars in revenue, it now has just six employees left to sift through the metallic discs. And even that will cease on Friday, when Netflix officially shuts the door on its origin story and stops mailing out its trademark red envelopes. At its height, Netflix was the Postal Service’s fifth-largest customer, operating 58 shipping facilities and 128 shuttle locations that allowed Netflix to serve 98.5 percent of its customer base with one-day delivery. Today, there are five such facilities — the others are in Fremont, Calif.; Trenton, N.J.; Dallas; and Duluth, Ga. — and DVD revenue totaled $60 million for the first six months of 2023. In comparison, Netflix’s streaming revenue for the same period reached $6.5 billion.

Sports

Rays ‘Here To Stay’ In Tampa Area After Striking Deal For New, $1.3 Billion Stadium (Forbes🔒)

Years of speculation about whether the Tampa Bay Rays would leave the area when the team's lease at Tropicana Field ends in 2027 have seemingly been settled by a deal between the team and local governments to build a new, $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg. The Rays will pay for more than half of the new stadium but the deal is contingent on if the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County each agree to spend a total of $600 million in taxpayer money on the project, which team president Brian Auld told the Tampa Bay Times the mayor and the county administrator have agreed to, though final votes have not been taken. The Rays have long had attendance problems that have some questioning if rebuilding in the exact same place is a smart move. The Rays have averaged between 13,500 and 19,000 fans at home games since 2013, excluding 2020 and 2021 as pandemic years. Those numbers are well below the league average per home game of between 28,000 and 33,000, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Welcome to the World of Competitive Boat Docking (NYT🔒)

A couple thousand spectators had gathered in the Colonial-era tourist town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about 80 miles from Washington, D.C., to watch the cowboys square off in a competition unique to the Chesapeake Bay: boat docking. “It’s redneck like NASCAR, just on the water,” one competitor, Ronnie Reiss, known as “Reissy Cup,” said on his boat, the May Worm. The annual boat-docking competition at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is part of a circuit that travels to about 10 towns in mostly rural shoreline areas in Maryland and Virginia in August and September. The first event was held in 1971, born, as a video from ChesapeakeStory.com surmises, “out of the watermen’s innate urge to turn everything into a competition.”

For Fun

‘Holy Cow, We Found an X-Wing.’ Bidding Starts at $400,000. (NYT🔒)

When Greg Jein, an Oscar-nominated visual effects artist, died last year at age 76, he left behind thousands of props, miniatures, costumes and other possessions in two houses, two garages and two storage units in Los Angeles. Among his many belongings, he had a lace hairpiece worn by William Shatner as Captain Kirk in the original “Star Trek” television series; a nearly 7-foot-long Martian rocket ship from the 1952 movie serial “Zombies of the Stratosphere,” featuring a young Leonard Nimoy; and Batman’s yellow utility belt from the 1960s television show, starring Adam West. Going through the collection after Mr. Jein died in May 2022 “was like a treasure hunt because Greg knew where things were, but it was not organized,” his cousin, Jerry Chang, said. “As you moved a stack of books away, you’d go, ‘Oh my god, I recognize that!’” But there was one particular item that no one knew he had until one Saturday last November, when four of Mr. Jein’s friends decided to help his family empty one of his garages. Mr. Kozicki opened the box, dug into some packing peanuts and “the nose of an X-wing revealed itself.”

Have a great weekend!

The Curator