Emma Tucker

1. FROM MY DESK

For generations, baseball was a game played by children up and down the economic spectrum-a world of local rec leagues, dad coaches and the snack shack. Today, youth baseball has transformed into an intense and costly year-round endeavor dominated by for-profit enterprises.

Since 2014, frequent participation has fallen 28% among families earning under $100,000, while rising 21% for those making more. Consider the cost of staying in the game: Annual club fees can reach $6,000, youth bats go for $500 and gloves for $400.

Youth sports overall is now a $40 billion-a-year industry-with private-equity investors driving much of the growth. And Name, Image and Likeness compensation is turning the talent of younger and younger athletes into moneymaking opportunities.

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2. TODAY'S HEADLINES

-- FlyDubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami posted a paean to flying in a now-deleted social-media post from June 2022. Investigators are trying to understand why the Omani national took a radical turn.

-- A new White House Task Force will have 120 days to report on the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence-and determine the federal government's responsibility.

-- Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds is poised to become one of MAGA's top power brokers and help determine the direction of the Republican Party if he prevails in the state's tightening race for governor.

-- Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the Brazilian left's last hope-and its biggest problem. If he loses his re-election bid, it could shut his party out of power for years.

-- From Meta to Nike, companies are adopting a new corporate playbook: telegraphing broad job cuts weeks or even months in advance while leaving employees in limbo over who will actually be let go.

3. FROM THE MARKETS

-- Paramount's $52 billion debt sale shows how higher rates are biting American corporations.

4. READ IT HERE FIRST

Truckers are using every trick they can to survive soaring diesel prices.

Across the 12 fuel lanes at the Flying J Travel Center off Interstate 10-where rigs carrying soft drinks, steel, Mexican produce and Mississippi-bound car parts rumble to a stop-the economics of trucking have broken down. Soaring diesel prices driven by the U.S. conflict with Iran are rippling through a consumer economy that runs on fuel. At this Texas crossroads, one driver pointed to his pump screen with a groan: $944 for a tank that cost $500 a year ago. The truckers Rachel Wolfe met at the Flying J are using every trick to survive: cooking meals in their cabs, waiting for rainstorms to wash their rigs and sleeping at loading docks to avoid overnight fees. With midterms just a month away, the crisis at the pump is fast becoming a political flashpoint.

5.

This popular jeweler got caught in a whirlwind when gold went haywire.

Mejuri, which has a following among young women and fans like Taylor Swift, was already feeling the pain of costlier gold when prices touched $3,000 a troy ounce. But then gold hit $4,000, then $5,000-and kept going up. A wild stretch for the market has upended the way many investors view a commodity long considered a stable store of value. It has also forced many jewelers-not to mention their necklace-layering customers-to rethink their gold purchases. At Mejuri, boardroom decisions were soon tied to government inflation data, policy moves in Washington and even reports of armed gangs turning to gold mining. As prices catapulted higher, the company leaned in to 10-karat gold, vermeil plating, silver and even (gasp) stainless steel, reports David Uberti.

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6. SEE THE STORY

Inside Kyiv, 24 hours of Russian bombing shows the stark reality of a new normal.

Russian drones and missiles are hitting Ukraine's capital around the clock. We met people across the city to see how they are carrying on with their lives. Through photos and videos, we take you inside a day in the life of Kyiv residents under an increasingly brutal siege-from morning prayers to kindergarten in a basement shelter.

7. HAPPENING THIS WEEK

-- Monday: The Supreme Court begins its new term, including a major climate-change case that is one of a recent series of politically charged showdowns to have originated in Colorado.

-- Tuesday: The Commerce Department releases August U.S. trade data. Paramount's Warner Bros. Discovery takeover is expected to close.

-- Wednesday: The Fed releases minutes from its September meeting. Levi Strauss reports earnings.

-- Thursday: PepsiCo reports earnings.

-- Friday: The Nobel Peace Prize is announced. The University of Michigan releases its preliminary October consumer-sentiment reading. Delta Air Lines reports earnings.

-- Today's paper

8. THE NUMBER

>11%

The first-half reported revenue jump for (Levi Strauss), pushing sales to $3.3 billion as a wave of '90s nostalgia drives a brand revival. Rebounding demand for low-rise denim and vintage fits-like its classic 517 jeans-alongside an expansion into direct-to-consumer sales, has put the iconic label on its strongest business footing in years, according to analysts.

9. AND FINALLY...

Brits are arguing over who gets to see a 230-foot long embroidered cloth.

The Bayeux Tapestry, Britain's most hallowed piece of cloth, is back in England for the first time in about 1,000 years. So why is everybody so mad? Brits who want to see the 11th-century relic say they're being treated like Taylor Swift fans on Ticketmaster while American tech billionaires, luxury hotel guests and museum sponsors get to skip the line. For many Brits, seeing the tapestry, which tells the story of the last time England was conquered, is akin to a birthright.

10. BEYOND THE NEWSROOM

-- WSJ | Buy Side: See the best car insurance companies based on our analysis of costs, coverage features and more.

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Today's newsletter was curated and edited by Morgan Smith and Natasha Dangoor in collaboration with Editor in Chief Emma Tucker. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.