Daily briefing · Friday, October 2

U.S. sends two naval groups toward the Middle East

The U.S. is sending the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and Makin Island amphibious group toward the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News Thursday. About 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines are involved, according to an official quoted by AP. Their arrival could place three carrier groups and two amphibious groups in the region simultaneously, depending on whether existing forces rotate out. That affects how much military capacity actually increases. President Trump separately predicted the Iran war would end around November’s U.S. midterm elections; that remains a prediction about an unresolved conflict. Trump vows Iran war will end around the election as additional forces head to the Middle East

Euro-area inflation rises to 3.8%

Euro-area consumer prices were 3.8% higher in September than a year earlier, up from an annual inflation rate of 3.2% in August, Eurostat’s preliminary figures showed Friday. Energy prices rose 18.8% year on year. Inflation excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco edged up from 2.4% to 2.5%. The annual headline rate therefore climbed 0.6 percentage points, compared with a 0.1-point rise in the core measure. Price growth for non-energy manufactured goods slowed slightly. That breakdown helps explain why households can face different pressures depending on how much they spend on energy and other purchases. Eurozone inflation rises to 3.8%

Congo’s Ebola death toll passes 4,000

The Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 4,018 deaths among 8,300 confirmed Ebola cases in figures released Thursday. The outbreak was declared in May, and unpaid response workers and insecurity are complicating containment. Africa’s disease-control agency said falling confirmed case counts could partly reflect difficulties tracking infections. Doctors Without Borders explains that testing, contact tracing, isolation and care must work together to interrupt transmission. The distinction matters: fewer detected cases do not necessarily mean an equivalent fall in infections. The Bundibugyo virus has no specific cure or vaccine. Ebola death toll in Congo tops 4,000 · What will it take to end the Ebola disease outbreak in DR Congo?

Brazil’s final presidential debate is cancelled

Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo cancelled Thursday’s final presidential debate after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro declined to take part. The broadcaster cited legal uncertainty following court decisions, including one preventing it from keeping Lula’s empty seat on stage. Lula appeared on a podcast instead, while Bolsonaro attributed his withdrawal to electoral-court restrictions. With the first-round vote on Sunday, voters lose a final opportunity to compare the leading candidates in the same televised setting before casting their ballots. Election debate cancelled in Brazil, bomb scare outside Supreme Court

FDA approves an expandable heart valve for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a replacement heart valve Thursday that doctors can widen as a child grows. The surgically implanted Autus pulmonary valve controls blood flow from the heart toward the lungs and can later be expanded with a balloon catheter. It could reduce repeat open-heart operations when children outgrow fixed-size valves. The supporting study enrolled 62 children, but only two had undergone successful expansion. Frame fractures and reduced movement of the valve’s inner flaps also occurred without symptoms. Longer follow-up is needed to establish durability and how many operations the device avoids. FDA Approves First Heart Valve Designed to Grow with Children

Europe’s summer brought record heat-stress exposure

A Copernicus assessment released Friday found that 52% of Europe’s land experienced at least very strong heat stress at some point this summer, a record share. Western Europe had its hottest summer on record, while European river flows were the lowest in more than three decades. Heat stress captures weather’s effects on the human body; the very strong category begins at a feels-like temperature of 38°C. The percentage measures land exposed, so it cannot be read as an illness rate. Half of Europe faced very strong heat stress this summer, EU scientists say

Crew-13 launches for tissue and plant research

NASA’s Crew-13 mission launched Thursday from Cape Canaveral, carrying Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Canada’s Joshua Kutryk and Russia’s Sergey Teteryatnikov toward the International Space Station. Their research agenda combines human tissues grown from stem cells, a mostly automated plant-growing system and studies of blood-flow changes in microgravity. The tissue work is intended to improve disease models and medical testing, while the plant experiments examine options for growing food in space. Those are research goals; the launch itself does not demonstrate new treatments or better crop yields. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Launches to International Space Station

EU research funding adds more than 700 places

The European Commission announced more than €210 million in extra research-career funding Thursday, with over 700 additional researchers expected to benefit from Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and doctoral networks in 2026 and 2027. The postdoctoral program received a record 21,627 applications this year. Following the broader Horizon Europe budget changes, this announcement details support for researchers after their doctorates and for PhD training. The Commission expects demand to remain well above available funding. The 700 additional places span both programs and two years, so comparing that total with this year’s postdoctoral applications would not yield a meaningful acceptance rate. Over €210 million boost for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to support more researchers in Europe

Winter infections reshape Yosemite toad releases

Winter dormancy appears to be a major infection period for threatened Yosemite toads, according to research described by UCLA Thursday. Surveys from 2021 through 2023 collected 1,800 samples across six sites and found heavy fungal infections in toads emerging from winter dormancy. That shifts attention beyond the animals’ brief aquatic breeding season. Conservation managers now keep captive-reared toads for several years before release, when winter infection poses less risk. Researchers still cannot tell whether toads acquire infections underground or existing, undetected infections become stronger. Yosemite toad killer may be hiding in their own homes

Celebrity Traitors opens with 8.8 million viewers

More than 8.8 million viewers watched Thursday’s opening episode of the second Celebrity Traitors season, Variety reported Friday, citing overnight ratings. The audience peaked at about nine million, and the BBC show drew more than half of those watching television at the time. The premiere provides an example of scheduled television continuing to draw a large shared audience. The audience share describes people watching television during the broadcast, rather than half of Britain’s population. The Celebrity Traitors Scores Record-Breaking Season 2 Premiere With Nearly 9 Million Viewers

Aces beat Fever to reach WNBA semifinals

The Las Vegas Aces advanced to the WNBA semifinals Thursday with a 94–83 victory over the Indiana Fever, winning the deciding game of their first-round series to take it 2–1. A’ja Wilson scored 36 points and collected 10 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray added 23 points. Together, they supplied 59 of Las Vegas’s 94 points, about 63% of its scoring. Jackie Young contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while playing all 40 minutes. The result ends Indiana’s season and keeps Las Vegas in contention for the championship. Gallery: Aces 94, Fever 83 — Round 1, Game 3