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The FBI is investigating a breach of its jobs website, FBIjobs.gov, which has reportedly exposed "very sensitive data" on nearly all FBI agents and job applicants, including granular detail about ​officials' job assignments, such as sensitive work against Chinese spies, Russian ‌intelligence, drug cartels, and more. The hacker group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the breach. The FBI said the hacker group had “compromised very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job.” The website, which remained offline Wednesday, is the main portal for prospective employees to learn about the FBI and initiate the application process.

 

NJ.com

U.S. News

The OECD has raised its forecast for global economic growth in 2026 to 2.9% from 2.8%, as stronger-than-expected activity, including an AI-driven investment boom, has offset the impact of persistently high energy prices. The organization has increased its U.S. growth forecast to 2.2% this year and 2.1% in 2027, while raising its 2026 outlook for India to 7.1% and South Korea to 3.7%; however, it now expects Saudi Arabia’s economy to contract by 1.8%. G20 inflation is forecast to average 4.1% this year, prompting expectations for further modest interest rate increases, including a quarter-point Federal Reserve hike before year-end. The OECD has warned that prolonged high oil prices, El Niño-related increases in food prices, falling equities, and rising bond yields could weaken global growth to as little as 2.3% in 2027.

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. and China have agreed to extend their trade truce by two months to 10 January, giving both sides more time to negotiate a potentially broader agreement, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The extension follows talks between Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of a summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, with potential areas for progress including tariffs on $30bn of non-critical goods, financial services and agricultural purchases. Bessent said China was meeting its commitment to buy 25m tons of soybeans but was lagging on $17bn of other agricultural purchases, while U.S. officials have also said deliveries of Chinese rare earths were behind commitments.

 

New York Times

Politico

Reuters

South China Morning Post

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said a mutually beneficial trade agreement with the U.S. remains possible despite talks collapsing in August, although Canada will not compromise its ability to pursue trade deals and closer relationships elsewhere. Carney said some previous obstacles in negotiations have since been removed, while stressing that protecting Canadian sovereignty requires diversifying its international partnerships. Canada is seeking deeper cooperation with the EU in areas including critical minerals, energy, satellite technology, science and digital payments, although Carney ruled out pursuing full EU membership. Canada is already participating in the EU’s SAFE defence initiative and is working with Baltic and Nordic countries on Arctic security.

 

CBC News

Toronto Star

Wall Street Journal

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly has barred administration officials from enforcing Donald Trump’s ban of media outlets CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House and said the government must restore reporters’ credentials. “The ‘general rule’ is that ‘individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them’ of a constitutionally protected interest,” Kelly wrote in his decision that granted the 14-day restraining order. The three outlets sued Trump and other members of his administration in federal court in Washington on Monday. They said the ban violated the U.S. constitution’s first amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights. Theodore Boutrous, representing the outlets, said: “this is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law. We greatly appreciate the court’s swift action.”

 

Washington Post

The Guardian

Kalshi has asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for approval to offer margin trading on certain event contracts, allowing eligible traders to use borrowed funds as the prediction-market platform seeks to attract more institutional liquidity. If approved, leverage would be limited to self-clearing members that meet specified capital requirements, while sports, culture, and “mention” markets would be excluded. Kalshi also plans to increase capital requirements as eligible contracts approach expiration, reducing leverage closer to settlement. Regulated U.S. event contracts are currently fully collateralized, although Kalshi already offers leverage on its perpetual futures products, and rival Polymarket has also reportedly pursued licenses that could enable margin trading.

 

CNBC

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed seven bills imposing new oversight on the state’s rapidly expanding data center industry, with measures focused on electricity costs, water consumption, and infrastructure requirements. The laws require greater disclosure of water and electricity use, establish special electricity requirements and rate structures, and aim to prevent data center-related grid costs from being shifted to other ratepayers. Data center developers will also have to provide information on water supply, efficiency, and drought planning, and cover necessary water system upgrades. The legislation comes as AI drives increased demand for data centers, while California communities have raised concerns about their environmental and economic effects. Newsom contrasted the state’s approach with the Trump administration’s push for deregulation, arguing that California’s rules will give communities greater oversight of new projects. 

 

Los Angeles Times

Food delivery company DoorDash is to pay $131.5m to settle a New York City government investigation that found it underpaid or waited too long to pay workers. DoorDash ​will provide nearly $115m of relief to about 264,000 workers; the median payout ​is about $48. The firm accepted a $16.7m civil fine. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the settlement was "part of a larger commitment to hold delivery companies accountable." Through its use of "greedy algorithms," Mamdani said DoorDash failed to comply with the 2023 city law intended to improve pay for delivery ​workers. "For years, DoorDash failed ​to count every hour ⁠worked by delivery workers," he said. "This was not a rounding error or an accidental mistake."

 

The Hill

Reuters

The California Civil Rights Department's lawsuit against Tesla, which accuses the company of allowing widespread race discrimination at its Fremont assembly plant, was set to go to trial on Monday. The lawsuit, filed in 2022, alleges that Black workers faced harassment, including racial slurs and graffiti, and were paid less than their peers while being denied promotion opportunities. Kevin Kish, director of the California Civil Rights Department, said the agency looks forward to holding Tesla accountable. The trial, to be overseen by Judge Peter Borkon, is expected to last until October 30. Unlike federal law, California law does not cap damages, meaning Tesla could face significant financial repercussions if found liable. Reuters says Tesla's high profile and the thousands of ​workers involved in the case make it among the most significant involving employment discrimination claims against a major US ​company to go to trial in recent years.

 

Reuters

Support for California’s Proposition 40, a ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of the state’s billionaires, has declined, according to a UC Berkeley Citrin Center-POLITICO poll cited by The Hill. The survey found that 45% of registered voters support the measure, 43% oppose it, and 12% remain undecided, compared with 50% support and 28% opposition in an earlier poll. Among undecided likely voters, however, 65% said they were leaning toward supporting the measure, while 15% were leaning against it. The proposal is supported by the California Democratic Party, unions including SEIU-UHW, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Ro Khanna, while Gov. Gavin Newsom and Google co-founder Sergey Brin are among its opponents. The survey of 2,418 respondents was conducted from September 8-14 and has a 2.7-percentage-point margin of error. 

 

The Hill

U.S. apartment landlords face growing financial strain as more than $1.8tn of debt matures over the next decade, including about $757bn through 2028. Nearly $300bn is due in 2026, followed by $223bn next year, forcing many owners to refinance loans at borrowing rates roughly twice those available five years ago. The pressure follows a pandemic-era apartment investment boom, when mortgage rates were around 3%, rents were rising rapidly, and investors borrowed heavily, particularly for Sunbelt properties. Subsequent oversupply, weaker rent growth, higher interest rates, and falling property values have pushed some owners toward defaults, distressed sales, or returning properties to lenders. Multifamily loan delinquency rates in commercial mortgage-backed securities have risen from 1% in October 2023 to 7.1% this year, while apartment values are now more than 20% below their 2022 peak. The distress is also creating opportunities for well-capitalized investors to acquire properties at substantial discounts.

 

Wall Street Journal

Gulf-based digital businesses and investors are increasingly setting up in Hong Kong and Singapore as the Iran war drags on. Analysts have noted growing adoption of a ‘dual-hub’ model whereby secondary Asian bases are established to hedge against geopolitical risk. “We are not seeing an outright exodus from the Gulf, but we are witnessing an accelerated shift towards proactive geopolitical hedging,” said Paul Bratby, the founder of xBratAI, a Dubai-based AI-powered trading signals platform that expanded to Hong Kong earlier this year. “Major digital and tech enterprises are no longer content with relying on a single operational anchor.”

 

South China Morning Post

Begona Gómez, the wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, is to stand trial for influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds. The case centers on claims that Gómez used her relationship with the premier to advance her career and co-direct a program at Madrid’s Complutense University, while also using public resources and government staff for private interests. Gómez denies wrongdoing.  The prime minister’s office said the decision was “an arbitrary and unjust investigation that is solely the result of the judicial persecution of Begoña Gómez . . . No criminal offense has been committed, and that will be demonstrated.”

 

Financial Times

Irish Times

Politico