Facts only. Every item links to its original source.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Morning edition
AI
Bloomberg: Anthropic targets mid-November IPOBloomberg reported Oct 1 that Anthropic could begin formal IPO marketing the week of Nov 9, with trading possibly starting before Thanksgiving. The report did not include a statement from Anthropic.
Hawley and Murphy introduce AI agent liability billSens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced the AI Agent Accountability Act on Oct 1. Under the bill, AI developers would face criminal and civil liability when their AI systems violate federal anti-hacking laws.
Judge dismisses publishers' suits over Google AI OverviewsUS District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed lawsuits by Penske Media and Chegg over Google's AI Overviews. Mehta wrote that the plaintiffs pleaded only an "expectation" of search traffic and "an expectation is not an agreement."
Treasury yield and currenciesThe 10-year Treasury yield was 5.24%, per Yahoo Finance. The euro was at $1.1231 and the dollar at 157.61 yen, per Reuters.
Newsom signs CEQA bills for San Diego's Midway RisingGov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 344 and SB 958 by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson. SB 344 blocks further CEQA challenges to the $3.9 billion Midway Rising project, planned for 4,000 homes, once San Diego certifies its review. SB 958 says height increases do not count as an environmental impact for qualifying infill projects statewide.
Report: FHFA to allow two-bureau credit reportsHousingWire reported that the FHFA plans to direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept two-bureau credit reports instead of three. FHFA Director Bill Pulte said: "Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion have been overcharging Americans for far too long."
HouseCanary and Google expand listings nationallyHouseCanary announced a nationwide agreement with Google to show participating brokers' MLS listings in Google Local Services Ads on mobile search, with no ad spend required of listing agents.
Catalina helicopter crash toll rises to 3Update: Sheriff's divers recovered the missing patient's body Thursday from the medical helicopter wreckage about 200 feet deep off Catalina Island, bringing the toll to three, AP reported. Sheriff Robert Luna said the pilot and a nurse were the other two killed. The NTSB is investigating.
Bus driver shot and killed in Mar VistaA Culver City bus driver in his 40s was shot and killed by a passenger near Mitchell and Centinela avenues in Mar Vista around 5:15 p.m. Thursday, LAPD said. The suspect fled on a bicycle; police detained one person but did not say what role that person had.
Arrest in deadly 2025 South LA fireworks explosionLAPD's Major Crimes Division arrested Giovanni Diaz, 27, of Ontario, on suspicion of possessing a destructive device, child endangerment and narcotics offenses, in connection with a Dec 3, 2025 explosion on West 84th Street that killed a 17-year-old. Bail was set at $500,000.
Closing arguments in Windsor Hills crash trialClosing arguments began Thursday in the trial of Nicole Lorraine Linton, charged with six counts of murder in the August 2022 crash at La Brea and Slauson avenues that killed six people. Prosecutors say her car's data recorder showed 130 mph; the defense says she had a medical episode.
LA County sales tax rises to 10.25%Measure ER, approved by county voters in June, raised the sales tax from 9.75% to 10.25% effective Oct 1; it expires Oct 1, 2031. The Libertarian Party of LA County has sued, and under state law the revenue stays in escrow until the case is resolved.
Former Kmart center at Bouquet Junction sold for $27.5MAvant Real Estate Inc. of Glendale bought the 120,559-square-foot shopping center at 23126-23170 Valencia Blvd. for $27.5 million. The announcement said the new owner plans to renovate it and keep it in retail use.
Magic Mountain switches on 12.37-megawatt solar carportSix Flags Magic Mountain unveiled a 12.37-megawatt solar carport and energy storage system Thursday. The park calls it the largest solar carport installation in California.
CHP seeks driver in Stevenson Ranch road assaultCHP Newhall is asking for help finding a man in a white pickup who, CHP said, got out at The Old Road and Stevenson Ranch Parkway around 2:23 p.m. and struck a female driver in the face. Tips: 661-600-1600 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Lake Hughes animals remain in county custodyLA County Animal Care and Control says the roughly 250 dogs and 66 cats seized March 20 from Rock N' Pawz in Lake Hughes are evidence and will stay in county custody. A forfeiture hearing is set for Oct 13 and a preliminary hearing for Nov 2.
Hegseth creates Pentagon Office of Religious AffairsDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth created an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him. A Pentagon statement said it will advocate for military chaplains and will not "compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof."
Rules released for school choice tax creditTreasury, the IRS and the Education Department released rules Thursday for the Education Freedom Tax Credit, a credit of up to $1,700 per individual ($3,400 joint) for donations to scholarship granting organizations. The program starts Jan 1, 2027.
Senate Banking holds recess nominee hearingThe Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Scott, held a confirmation hearing Thursday during the recess for nominees to HUD, Treasury and the Export-Import Bank. Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren objected, saying it "deprives some senators of a chance to question the nominees."
Reflecting Pool case against David Hearn dismissedA DC Superior Court judge on Thursday dismissed with prejudice the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn.
Kuwaiti supertanker hit in the Strait of HormuzThe Kuwait-flagged tanker Kazimah III was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz at about 1750 UTC on Oct 1, causing a fire onboard, according to a third-party report to UKMTO. UKMTO said the crew was reported safe. No party has claimed responsibility.
Coalition says Houthis struck a Medina power stationSaudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said investigators confirmed "the involvement of the Terrorist Houthi Militia" in a strike on an electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia. No damage or casualty figures were given.
Russia strikes Kyiv high-rise; Ukraine hits Russian oil sitesA Russian strike overnight Oct 2 killed 1 and injured 2 in Kyiv and set fire to a 25-story residential building, the Kyiv City Military Administration said; the Southern and Paton bridges were closed. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 108 drones and 88 were downed or suppressed. Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck the Lukoil Volgograd refinery and a Samara oil station; the Kyiv Independent said it could not verify the damage.
Putin: Russia would use "all weapons" if NATO attacksSpeaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Oct 1, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would respond with "all weapons at our disposal" if attacked by NATO.
Eritrea cuts diplomatic ties with EthiopiaEritrea's Foreign Ministry said Oct 1 it would "sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia." Ethiopia had earlier closed its embassy in Asmara and given 10 Eritrean diplomats 48 hours to leave, citing what it called "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence."
South Korea demands Ukrainian apology over POW disclosureSouth Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that Kyiv should "acknowledge the agreement and apologise" after President Zelenskyy disclosed at the UN that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it a "diplomatic misunderstanding."
Nepal avalanche death toll rises to 15Update: Rescuers found eight more bodies at Mount Himlung base camp on Thursday, bringing the toll from Sunday's avalanche to 15 with one missing, according to the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association. All victims were Nepali expedition workers.
Congo Ebola outbreak passes 4,000 deathsReuters reported 4,018 deaths and 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, the deadliest in the country's history. The virus has reached South Ubangi Province.
65-vehicle pileup on I-95 bridge in South CarolinaFifteen tractor-trailers and 50 other vehicles crashed Thursday morning on the I-95 bridge over Lake Marion. One person was airlifted and several were injured; no deaths were reported. Santee fire officials said dense fog caused the crash.
Russian drones hit bus in KramatorskUkrainian officials reported 2 killed and 27 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine overnight, including 2 injured when an FPV drone hit a passenger bus in Kramatorsk.
Arabian Sea humpbacks confirmed as a subspeciesA Wildlife Conservation Society-led study published Oct 1 in Frontiers in Marine Science, using DNA from 2,285 whales, found the resident Arabian Sea humpbacks off Oman are a distinct subspecies, Megaptera novaeangliae indica.
Sycamore Gap tree is regrowingAerial images show a ring of shoots 2 to 3 feet tall on the stump of the Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall, felled illegally in 2023. Forty-nine saplings grown from its seeds have gone to communities across the UK, the National Trust said.
Rescued gorilla gives birth in the wildLulingu, a Grauer's gorilla rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and returned to the wild in 2024, gave birth in Virunga National Park in the DRC. GRACE Gorillas says she is the first of her kind reintroduced to the wild.
Norway creates Andfjorden marine protected areaNorway created the Andfjorden marine protected area, with cold-water coral reefs and kelp forests, to be managed by a board that includes Sámi representatives.
Record little tern breeding in EnglandThe National Trust counted 126 little tern pairs at Long Nanny and Blakeney Point, up from the previous record of 57 in 1994.
Floating scarecrows cut seabird bycatchIn a University of Exeter trial off Cornwall, floating scarecrows cut seabird bycatch in gillnets by 59% and bird-shaped kites by 71%.
UN affirms island nations keep statehoodUN member states unanimously agreed that island nations keep their statehood and maritime borders even if their land is submerged. Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said sea-level rise "does not threaten our legal rights or our standing as states."