The New York Times

Five of the last six WNBA Finals have included either the Las Vegas Aces or the New York Liberty, or in the case of 2023, both.

This one will not.

@_Brian_Hamilton on how the league has entered a new era:
nyti.ms/4hX6Qn7

There’s no better reminder of the NFL’s week-to-week nature than the 2026 Atlanta Falcons.

Along with Atlanta’s resurgence, @jjones9 has more on:
◽️ Why it’s finally clicking for Bryce Young
◽️ Philly’s cap gymnastics in light of Lane Johnson's retirement
◽️ How a contentious negotiation with the refs’ union might have played into two suspensions

Free to read:
nyti.ms/4zjyOQO

Max Verstappen takes pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time in his Formula 1 career.

That’s 50 career pole positions for Verstappen, who joins elite company: Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna 👏

From @TheAthletic: The Golden State Valkyries beat the Las Vegas Aces in overtime and will face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA finals. nyti.ms/4AZKYzW

From @TheAthletic: The Atlanta Dream swept the New York Liberty to advance to the WNBA finals for the first time since 2013. nyti.ms/4hHWvLm

Breaking News: Isaias, a Category 2 hurricane, made landfall in the Florida Panhandle, near Destin, with battering winds and heavy rain. Follow live updates. nyti.ms/4B0rwmM

NEWS: AOC is headed to Michigan next week for a bus tour with Abdul El-Sayed in the Upper Peninsula — then some solo rallies in and around Detroit

More in NYT —> nytimes.com/2026/10/09/us/…

Scoop: In 2014, Ken Paxton sat for a deposition where federal lawyers quizzed him about his growing wealth and investment tactics.

The depo has never been made public. We got a copy. nytimes.com/2026/10/09/us/… @nytimes

Breaking News: The co-pilot who attacked the captain of a FlyDubai flight last week intended to crash into Israel’s largest airport, Emirati officials said. nyti.ms/3TPxeHq

An earthquake with a preliminary 7.7 magnitude hit Panama on Friday, shaking buildings in Panama City and prompting evacuations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and videos posted on social media. Tsunami alerts affecting the region followed. nyti.ms/4zjXpVB

From @TheAthletic: Ceyair Wright achieved two lifelong goals when he signed to an NFL team and was offered the lead role in a major film. But his calendar only allows for one. And Wright is choosing acting over the NFL, at least for now. nyti.ms/3TtAM1Z

Breaking News: The new White House press secretary is the political commentator Katie Zacharia, according to people familiar with the matter. She will succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August. nyti.ms/4hSbMJW

From @TheAthletic: Dak Prescott heard a stadium worker calling the Cowboys losing to the previously winless Buccaneers "embarrassing." Prescott then pointed the person out to a Cowboys employee and said, “Tough guy, get his ass out of here.” nyti.ms/3WhcHfv

From @TheAthletic: Solveig Lovseth won one of the world’s most extreme sporting events last year: the Ironman World Championships. And the 27-year-old Norwegian is ready to win the gruelling race for a second time on Saturday. nyti.ms/3TtzDrd

Breaking: The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, the latest effort to try to cripple it. The Nobel Peace Prize was just awarded to a former ICC judge. Many US allies are among the 125 court member states. nytimes.com/2026/10/09/us/…

From @TheAthletic: What makes a man mythical? How does one become iconic?

Mike Ditka, who was an NFL champion as a player and coach, was an American legend. Nobody ever symbolized toughness better, our columnist writes. nyti.ms/4dtFfZh

Breaking News: Mike Ditka, a tenacious tight end and a fiery, Super Bowl-winning coach for the Chicago Bears, has died at 86. nyti.ms/4jd8uTR

From @TheAthletic: Major League Baseball teams gave out nearly 200 bobbleheads this season. We ranked the best. (Somehow, there were six better giveaways than George Costanza with a calzone.) nyti.ms/3UcYcsF

From @TheAthleticFC: Manchester United fans will welcome back a historic "ticker" flag for Saturday’s home game that takes aim at rivals Manchester City. The original flag marked when City had last won a trophy — their League Cup win in 1976. nyti.ms/3VwpHhf

From @TheAthleticFC: Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Xavi Simons has revealed that he has enrolled in a business course at Harvard University while he recovers from an ACL injury. nyti.ms/47aM0eY