“Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s net worth reached $500 billion Wednesday, making him the first person [publicly known] to be worth half a trillion dollars. Forbes'[s] Real-Time Billionaires list ranks him at No. 1, followed by Larry Ellison of Oracle, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Musk had a net worth of $499.1 billion at close of trading Wednesday. It spiked higher earlier in the day, when he hit $500 billion. On Sept. 10, Larry Ellison surpassed Musk for a short time when Oracle’s stock soared, but that didn’t last.” (10/02/25)
“U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which ‘Democrat Agencies’ to cut, as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition in the second day of a government shutdown. ‘I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,’ he said in a social media post. Trump has already frozen federal transit and green-energy funding, opens new tab for Democratic-leaning states and has threatened to fire more federal workers during the shutdown, which began on Wednesday due to a partisan standoff in Congress. He is already on track to push out 300,000 federal workers by the end of the year. In his post, Trump mentioned Vought’s involvement with Project 2025, a plan by the conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for radically downsizing the federal government.” (10/02/25)
“California authorities have recently raided dozens of stores and distributors of kratom and related products, embargoing and seizing over $5 million worth of items in what appears to be a new crackdown on the widely used drug. The enforcement actions come as kratom and the related drug 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, undergo increased scrutiny across the country. Kratom is an herbal drug that has opioid-like properties and has been used for decades in the United States. The much more potent 7-OH drugs, which can be extracted from kratom or synthetically produced, have a high risk of addiction and can cause fatal overdoses, experts warn. Scientists estimate that 7-OH can be more than 10 times stronger than morphine. 7-OH has exploded in popularity in the past few years, and it is now widely available at gas stations and smoke shops in California, which means it can be easily accessible to minors.” (10/02/25)
“At least 20 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since dawn across Gaza as Israel threatened tens of thousands remaining in Gaza City with a forced order to leave, saying it was their ‘last opportunity’ to flee or face the ‘full force’ of Israel’s assault. Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Wednesday that anyone who stayed would be considered ‘terrorists and terror supporters.’ … Reporting from the al-Rashid road, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said the Israeli military was ordering people to leave, then chasing them on the coastal route south with military choppers, drones and tanks, creating ‘mayhem and panic.'” (10/02/25)
“Two Amazon delivery drones reportedly collided with a crane this morning in Tolleson, AZ. The incident occurred about two miles from a fulfillment center run by the tech company and involved two of its Prime Air drones. No injuries have been reported. Law enforcement were called to the scene, however Sgt. Erik Mendez of the Tolleson police told local radio station KTAR that the Federal Aviation Administration would be taking over the investigation. … Amazon began offering a drone delivery option in the Phoenix area last year.” (10/01/25)
“Texas Christian University (TCU) on Wednesday disputed claims it canceled a Turning Point USA event featuring de-transitioner Chloe Cole. TCU sent Fox News Digital a statement following reports and backlash that the university canceled the event, which prompted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Chip Roy [R-TX] to speak out. ‘On September 18, TCU successfully hosted a TPUSA event to honor the life of Charlie Kirk, who had previously spoken on TCU’s campus to students and the community. Separate from this event, an outside party, not affiliated with TCU, invited an external speaker to appear on our campus on Oct. 7,’ a spokesperson said. The spokesperson continued, ‘The student chapter of TPUSA then requested that TCU host the Oct. 7 event for 700 to 1,000 people. The requested space was already booked with another student event.” (10/02/25)
“South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday apologized for the country’s troubled history of overseas adoptions, acknowledging that ‘unjust human rights violations’ occurred and vowing stronger safeguards going forward. … In March, a long-awaited report by South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that the government violated adoptees’ rights as it sought to expedite overseas adoptions rather than strengthen domestic welfare programs. The report highlighted fraudulent practices such as document falsification, infant substitution and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents.” (10/02/25)
“A massive brick chimney running 20 storeys up the side of a New York City apartment building collapsed after an explosion Wednesday, sending tons of debris plummeting to the ground. The falling bricks buried a sidewalk, landed on the public housing building’s playground and sent a cloud of dust billowing over the block in the Bronx. Amazingly, no one was injured. … Mayor Eric Adams confirmed no injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which rose up from the building’s boiler room. Officials were notified of the explosion just after 8 a.m. and were trying to determine if there was a gas leak. … Around half a million New Yorkers live in aging buildings run by the city’s housing authority, known as NYCHA, which is the largest in the nation.” (10/01/25)
“When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease the president, while state leaders claimed it was necessary after the Department of Justice raised concerns about some majority non-white districts. But now that the map is in federal court, the two sides have swapped stances. The state now claims they acted for purely partisan gain, which the U.S. Supreme Court has said is lawful, while a group of individuals and advocacy organizations argue the Department of Justice’s involvement reveals unconstitutional racial motivation. These plaintiff groups, who are also suing over the 2021 maps, have asked a district court in El Paso to block the maps from being used in the 2026 election. The nine-day hearing kicked off Wednesday, with state Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat from El Paso, testifying that his Republican colleagues absolutely had partisan goals.” (10/02/25)
“For the first time since being elected in May, Pope Leo XIV waded into U.S. politics, criticizing those who say they’re against abortion but support the death penalty, saying that’s ‘not really pro-life.’ Leo, a Chicago native, was asked late Tuesday about plans by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich to give a lifetime achievement award to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin for his work helping immigrants. The plans drew objection from some conservative U.S. bishops, given the powerful Democratic senator’s support for abortion rights. Leo called first of all for respect for both sides, but he also pointed out the seeming contradiction in such debates. ‘Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,’ Leo told reporters.” (10/01/25)
