THE TWIN BRIEF
Quick hits for the morning. Full Brief drops Mondays.
Dvar Torah
One honest line of teshuvah
The Ben Ish Chai (on Shabbat Shuva) teaches that the heart of teshuvah — returning / repentance — is not a big dramatic gesture. It is vidui (saying it out loud), regret, and deciding to stop. All of that happens through speech. Human courts cannot undo an act with words — but Hashem can. So do not wait until you “feel ready.” Say one honest line of apology or commitment today, then follow it with one small concrete change.
Source: Ben Ish Chai · Shabbat Shuva teaching
World
Saudi–Houthi fighting spreads · Gaza rubble toll climbs · Ukraine under fire again
- Fighting between Saudi-backed forces and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen is getting hotter: Saudi jets hit Yemen, Houthis claim they downed a Saudi fighter, and more Yemenis are fleeing by boat across the Red Sea. Oil prices have been stuck around $100–$110 a barrel this week because the wider Middle East war keeps squeezing supply routes.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said he hopes the Iran war is nearing an end and that Iranians “want to make a deal,” even as the conflict stretches into its seventh month.
- In Gaza, rescue teams ended searches after a bomb-damaged building collapsed — 21 people killed, 45 pulled from the rubble. Overnight, Russia hit Kyiv and other regions with missiles and drones (at least 19 injured) while Ukraine struck a major Russian oil refinery.
Tech
OpenAI rolls out GPT-6 Astra
- OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) is launching GPT-6 Astra, its newest flagship model — stronger at using a computer, coding, science, and everyday work tools.
- It’s rolling out first to a limited set of organizations, then over coming days to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, plus the OpenAI API. Think: the AI helpers students already use, getting a big upgrade.
Money
Fed hikes rates for the first time since 2023
- The Federal Reserve (the U.S. central bank that sets a key interest rate) raised rates by a quarter point to 3.75%–4.00% on Wednesday — the first hike since 2023 — to fight inflation that is still running hotter than its 2% goal.
- Officials signaled at least one more hike may come this year. Futures were up Thursday morning as investors digested the move, even with more rate-hike uncertainty ahead. Higher rates make borrowing for cars, houses, and credit cards more expensive.
Sports
Oilers hit the ice under Babcock · Lions at Bills tonight
- Oilers: Main camp is underway with new coach Mike Babcock. Official on-ice practices start today. Preseason opens Saturday at Rogers Place; regular-season home opener is Sep 29 vs. Vancouver. Andersen, Savoie, Janmark, and Regula are still out of camp recovering.
- NFL: Week 2 kicks off Thursday night — Lions at Bills, 8:15pm ET on Amazon. Both teams are 1-0 after Week 1.