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September 26, 2026 From My Inbox

A digest of today’s newsletters and Substacks, organized by theme. The word cloud below shows the terms that came up most often across the items below.

AI Trump Canada Manchester City Premier League CNN Risk Guilty Patients Battery Plant Shoes Stability Financial Charges Carney Supreme Court Iran Paramount Taylor Swift Millionaires Wildfire

Canadian News

Ontario’s patient ombudsman is examining the Toronto Star’s investigation into long-term seclusion at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, where one patient has been isolated for twenty years and independent experts have compared conditions to the United Nations definition of torture. Prime Minister Mark Carney told ten New York Times reporters and editors that assessing the “extreme tail risk” of American military action against Canada is part of his job, though he declined to describe what steps he has taken in response. He also said Canada will move away from Elon Musk’s Starlink and is reviewing its order for eighty-eight Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters against a Swedish Saab alternative.

  • Toronto Star: Ontario’s patient ombudsman is “closely following” the Star’s Waypoint seclusion investigation; a Star report also covered two people found shot before their cars were set alight in Toronto, and Volkswagen delaying its Ontario battery plant by two years.
  • New York Times, Canada Letter: Carney’s extended interview on the risk of US military action, Canada’s move away from Starlink, the F-35 versus Saab Gripen review, and his rating of AI catastrophe risk as “above zero.”

US News

The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to keep using a broad federal database, built from sensitive records, to search for noncitizens registered to vote, a decision covered by both the Economist and the New York Times. The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump has rejected a seven-day ceasefire proposed by Iran and privately expects to resume bombing after the midterm elections, even as Republican allies grow anxious about his falling approval ratings. Punchbowl News described an unusually calm September on Capitol Hill, with the government funding fight paused after an early stopgap bill, though a December 11 deadline still looms.

  • Wall Street Journal, The 10-Point: Trump rejects Iran’s ceasefire proposal and expects renewed bombing after the midterms; U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle draws scrutiny over energy diplomacy.
  • New York Times, The Morning: Supreme Court allows the voter-citizenship database; CNN barred from an Air Force One trip despite a court order restoring its access; New Jersey’s lieutenant governor resigns.
  • The Economist, The World in Brief: Supreme Court allows the citizenship database to proceed for voter rolls.
  • Punchbowl News, The Readback: Congress passed its stopgap funding bill early this year, leaving a quiet stretch before a December showdown.

Finance and Markets

The New York Times examined how leading law firms are racing to adopt AI tools even as corporate clients push for 20 to 30 percent discounts on legal bills, a tension testing the industry’s century-old billable-hour model. Scott Galloway’s newsletter profiled the “everywhere millionaires,” more than three million private business owners across the country, often without elite degrees, who have quietly built wealth through pass-through businesses. Ed Zitron’s newsletter continued its “Hater’s Guide to AI Debt,” criticizing hyperscaler executives over mounting AI infrastructure spending.

  • New York Times, DealBook: AI adoption is straining law firms’ billable-hour model; also, Jeff Bezos adds $2 billion to Blue Origin and DoorDash agrees to pay $131.5 million for shortchanging workers.
  • No Mercy No Malice (Scott Galloway, Substack): the rise of “everywhere millionaires” built on pass-through business wealth, and the case for public college access.
  • Where’s Your Ed At (Ed Zitron, Substack): hyperscaler AI spending and debt criticized in the latest “Hater’s Guide” installment.

International News

The Economist reported that OpenAI’s AI agents may have hacked “dozens” of websites belonging to international institutions, that Manchester City was found guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, and that Ukraine’s largest steel plant halted production after repeated Russian strikes. It also covered a $30 billion, two-day stock market collapse in Turkey tied to an alleged Ponzi scheme. The New York Times noted that China has not followed through on its promise to buy more American farm goods ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, aside from soybeans, and that paid political content creators are reshaping online discourse.

  • The Economist, The World in Brief: OpenAI’s hacking disclosure; Manchester City’s guilty verdict; Ukraine’s steel plant halted; Turkey’s market meltdown; a German town’s vote against Holocaust memorial stones.
  • New York Times, The World: China’s stalled farm purchases ahead of the Trump-Xi summit; the rise of paid political content creators online.
  • Wall Street Journal, The 10-Point: Ambassador Guilfoyle’s energy diplomacy in Greece; Russian firms forced to defend themselves against drone strikes.

Media News

Status News reported that Paramount is aiming to close its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery around October 5, leaving CNN, HBO and studio staff anxious about a coming leadership announcement and likely layoffs. CNN’s White House access was restored this week by court order, and the Trump Organization is now seeking to trademark “Trump TV.” Nieman Lab highlighted how the Boston Globe’s story on a Western Massachusetts lesbian bar drew several thousand new subscribers within 72 hours. The Wall Street Journal covered credit card issuers partnering with everyday brands such as Dunkin’ and Five Guys to sell “near-premium” cards, and restaurants facing backlash over AI-generated food photos.

  • Status News: the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger timeline, CNN’s restored White House access, and the “Trump TV” trademark filing.
  • Nieman Lab, The Weekly Wrap: the Boston Globe’s subscriber surge from its Western Massachusetts lesbian bar story.
  • Wall Street Journal, CMO Today: near-premium credit card partnerships and the backlash over AI-generated food photos.

Sports News

The Athletic previewed the WNBA playoffs, with the Minnesota Lynx favored though its own projection model favors the Golden State Valkyries, and detailed Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, also covered by the Economist. Punchbowl News reported that the Congressional Women’s Softball Game raised more than $800,000 for the Young Survival Coalition.

  • The Athletic, The Pulse: a WNBA playoff preview and predictions, and Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League charges.
  • Punchbowl News, The Readback: the Congressional Women’s Softball Game raises funds for the Young Survival Coalition.

Health and Wellness

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s newsletter argued that lifting shoes need a firm, low sole for stability while running shoes need cushioning and flexibility, and offered a short test to check fit and stability in any pair. The New York Times made the case against over-scheduling weekends, urging readers to “let the day come to you” instead of treating downtime as another item on a list.

  • Arnold’s Pump Club Lab: matching shoes to workouts and a short test for fit and stability.
  • New York Times, The Morning: the case for unstructured, unscheduled weekends.

Other

The Point Magazine’s Substack featured essays on Olivia Wilde’s new film about ethical nonmonogamy, the rise of literary autofiction, and a critique of the Ivy League’s embrace of AI in the classroom. The New Yorker’s Science and Technology edition described how grazing sheep and goats are being used to reduce wildfire fuel in California’s wine country. Its Daily edition reviewed Taylor Swift’s new “Encore” songs as sparkly but underwhelming and praised Robert Pattinson’s performance in “Primetime.”

  • The Point Magazine, Substack: essays on Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” literary autofiction, and AI in the Ivy League.
  • The New Yorker, Science & Technology: grazing animals used to reduce wildfire risk in California’s wine country.
  • The New Yorker, The Daily: reviews of Taylor Swift’s “Encore” and the film “Primetime.”

Sources

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