North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing via his armored train on Tuesday to attend China's largest-ever military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts.
Why it matters: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is putting on a show of force with Wednesday's event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and also with his recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China — during which he took thinly veiled swipes at President Trump's tariffs.
Once upon a time, kids headed for college got some extra-long sheets, a few crates and a hug good-bye from their parents — now they're getting thousands of dollars in dorm furnishings and interior design help.
Why it matters: Parents and "dorm-fluencers" are throwing themselves into glamorizing these temporary living spaces.
The U.S. faces an "economic disaster" if the Supreme Court does not overturn two lower courts and allow sweeping global tariffs to remain in place, President Trump said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The president has resorted to the most dire language possible to frame his trade program as the only thing saving the country from ruin.
President Trump on Tuesday said a court's ruling blocking most of his tariffs "was an emergency," and that the administration would seek an immediate hearing from the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: The centerpiece of Trump's economic agenda is hanging in the balance.
Almost 70% of U.S. adults said the American dream, or the idea that hard work pays off, doesn't hold true anymore or never did, according to a new WSJ-NORC poll.
That's the highest percentage in almost 15 years of surveys, up almost 3% from 2024.
Why it matters: Traditional economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment aren't high by historic standards, but there is a persistent disconnect between the economy and consumer sentiment that has shifted Americans' belief in their prospect of upward mobility.
Anthropic on Tuesday announced that it's raised $13 billion in new venture capital funding at a $183 billion post-money valuation.
Why it matters: This makes Anthropic the world's fourth-most valuable startup, tripling its valuation from this past spring, and gives it more capital firepower to compete with AI market leader OpenAI.
Six months ago, economists warned of severe macro consequences from President Trump's tariff agenda. Now the inverse is taking hold: fears about the fiscal fallout if most are rolled back.
Why it matters: Financial markets came to terms with a new reality: that tariffs of the scale now in place are on track to generate significant revenue over time, improving the nation's gloomy fiscal outlook.
That is now far from a sure thing as global trade enters a new phase of chaos, with the potential that the government might ultimately have to return the billions in tariff revenue collected thus far.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faces a potentially lengthy sentence over his alleged involvement in a scheme to overturn his 2022 election loss, an accusation he denies.
The big picture: Brazil's Federal Supreme Court begins the latest phase of the trial beneath the shadow of President Trump's threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Brazilian goods unless the country drops the criminal charges against his ally.
Stocks sold off on Friday as investors looked to get out of the market ahead of what's historically the worst month of the year for equities, says José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers.
Why it matters: We asked strategists where investors should hide if they're worried about stocks going down.
The bull market has legs that could power the S&P 500 to a peak of 9,914 in September 2027, says Bank of America. With the S&P just crossing 6,500 for the first time, that would imply a rally of about 52.5% from current levels.
Why it matters: It's an extremely bullish call after the market has already had 20 record highs this year.
Republican operatives and lawmakers are increasingly anxious about how inflation could affect the GOP in the 2026 midterms, and want President Trump to take more aggressive steps to address rising prices.
Why it matters: GOP insiders and lawmakers believe the cost of drugs and consumer items — and how the White House deals with Trump's tariffs potentially turbocharging prices and creating shortages — will be key to whether the GOP keeps control of Congress next year.
Facing tariffs and insults from President Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a far friendlier interaction on Monday with his Russian and Chinese counterparts during his first visit to China in seven years.
The big picture: Successive U.S. presidents have aggressively courted India as a counterweight to China. Trump is actively trying to drive a wedge between India and Russia while seeking to gradually peel Russia away from China. So the image of all three leaders literally holding hands is, at the very least, a symbolic blow.
The largest Powerball jackpot of the year grew again after no one matched all of the numbers in the Labor Day lottery drawing Monday.
Why it matters: This is the fifth-largest Powerball prize ever, underscoring how rare it is for jackpots to soar this high — and how long streaks without a winner can supercharge them.
