Saturday, October 3, 2026

U.S. employers added 29,000 jobs in September, below expectations, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Job gains for July and August were revised down by a combined 60,000, extending a lackluster run for the job market, as inflation continued to put pressure on markets and raise costs.

Christa Pike, 50, remains unconscious, intubated and on a ventilator at a Nashville hospital, two days after Tennessee's attempt to execute her by lethal injection failed. Her attorneys' court filing said Tennessee's IV team tried at least seven needles to gain access and that Pike herself offered assistance during the attempt. Both arms were swollen and blistered on arrival at the hospital. Lawyers asked the court to preserve evidence of what they called a "botched" execution.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued an emergency injunction Friday barring the Trump administration from building border barriers or engaging in "construction or ground disturbing activities" in the Big Bend region of Texas, including Big Bend National Park. The administration had already paused construction there in August, with CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott saying he would meet local stakeholders. The project had drawn local opposition and environmental concerns.

Former Florida congressman David Rivera was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him in May of secretly lobbying U.S. officials for Venezuela's government in 2017-2018 under a $50 million contract, along with money laundering charges. Rivera, a longtime friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, maintained he had actually advocated for removing President Nicolás Maduro. Rubio testified he was unaware of the activities.

David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, announced on Friday that once the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery closes, the combined company will be named Skydance, after the studio he founded in 2006. Paramount and Warner Bros. will remain as sub-brands. Warner Bros.'s current CEOs were told Friday they would not stay on after the merger.

President Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House's artificial intelligence czar, multiple sources said. Clayton, confirmed as DNI this summer, would keep that role while taking on AI policy duties, including potential regulation. The move follows a White House summit this week with tech executives on AI. A White House official said personnel announcements will come directly from the president.

British police charged two Iranian nationals, who had entered the UK on small boats, with preparing acts of terrorism on Friday. Prosecutors allege the men planned an attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester timed around Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Tensions between Britain and Iran were already high over another security incident.

Democratic attorneys general, governors and mayors sued the Trump administration on Thursday over the EPA's repeal of rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. The states and cities argue the repeal was unlawful.

The Kennedy Center Honors will be held Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., rather than its namesake venue, for the first time in the ceremony's nearly 50-year history. The Kennedy Center's main building remains closed. A legal fight continues over efforts by President Trump and his administration to add his name to the center, despite a court order blocking the change; no reason was given for the move.

The FBI has commissioned a classified internal document, referred to as the 'Patel Report,' examining past instances when the bureau said it 'fell short.' The report was shared with employees, according to one account of the matter.

The co-pilot accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar on FlyDubai Flight 1073 with the cockpit's crash axe was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national. Oman Air had barred him from flying in 2024 over concerns about extremist views, a source told Fox News. The Wall Street Journal reported FlyDubai hired him despite the ban. UAE officials called the attack an attempted terrorist act; Netanyahu said the attacker had undergone Islamist radicalization. FlyDubai and Oman's government declined comment.

Russian forces struck the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, days after repeated attacks on another major bridge connecting the capital's left and right banks. The overnight strikes also hit a logistics center near Kyiv, part of a continuing series of drone attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Student protests over crumbling schools and teacher shortages have continued spreading across France, with riot police clashing with students amid blockades and tear gas. The New York Times reported more than 1,000 schools have been affected, while the BBC put the figure at over 600, up from roughly 400 reported earlier this week by Reuters. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called an emergency Cabinet meeting Thursday; the government has blamed far-left groups for the violence.

Joshua Kerry, 28, already accused of murdering former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, was charged Friday with preparing acts of terrorism, including a plot against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said. The charge was announced in a statement from the CPS.

Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people, putting it on track to become the deadliest on record. The response has been hampered by unpaid health workers, community distrust and violence, including the burning of a treatment center. The United Nations expressed concern as a camp in the affected area emptied.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward its east coast on Saturday, South Korea's defense ministry said. Japan also reported the launch, which was directed toward the sea. The move adds to tensions between the two Koreas following landmine blasts near their border last month.