A surprise Senate battleground emerges

Plus: Memories of 1968  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Richard Hall | October 09, 2026     Hello there. The students who have taken to the streets in France to protest poor conditions in schools may be young, but they appear to know their history. We look today at why many of them have been invoking the May 1968 demonstrations that rocked the country and inspired similar protests across the world. We also have a video of Vice President JD Vance offering a personal and unique definition of socialism. IN TODAY’S BRIEF ICE shooting tests Mamdani-Trump friendship Fees for international students Kansas becomes a battleground French protesters look to 1968 $2.4 billion tech boost Vance on socialism         READ THIS FIRST Mamdani demands Trump end ICE operations in New York after shooting Ryan Murphy—Getty Images New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants President Donald Trump to put an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operations in the city after an agent-involved shooting injured one person on Thursday. “This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani said in a statement Thursday evening. “I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.” New York police said that around 4 p.m., federal agents got involved in a shooting and injured a man in the city’s Marble Hill residential section. The police’s afternoon statement said the shooting victim is conscious and receiving medical attention in a nearby hospital. But at a press conference Thursday evening before furious protesters, Mamdani said that after his two-hour conversation with Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, he has failed to negotiate the release of the shooting victim, who is currently in ICE custody. The response to the shooting incident tests Mamdani’s charm offensive with the President, who appears unlikely to budge on his immigration agenda despite previous friendliness with the Democratic mayor. Mamdani remains just as firm on his own side of the issue. A steadfast critic of ICE operations, he has backed calls to abolish the agency. “I have said this directly—whether to the President or to the public—ICE undermines public safety,” he said. —Chad de Guzman Read the full story here.         SPONSORED REVERB Live concerts bring millions of fans together through music. Behind the scenes, REVERB channels that energy into environmental action. See how REVERB has helped eliminate 4.6 million single-use bottles and is driving an entire industry to make sustainability part of every show. Watch the episode         IN THE NEWS Trump Administration proposes $70K fee for international student work program Jay Janner—The Austin American-Statesman/Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a rule that would charge schools $70,000 per international student seeking to work in the U.S. through a program known as Optional Practical Training. It marks the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to curb foreign enrollment. The proposal aims to crack down on Optional Practical Training—a temporary employment authorization that lets students work in jobs related to their field of study and that DHS has claimed has “ballooned into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline” and become a “magnet for fraud.”  Under the current system, students pay about $500 to apply and are generally permitted to work in the U.S. for up to a year during or after their study, while those in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields may get work period extensions. Under the proposal, schools would have to pay $70,000 for a student’s initial participation—and another $30,000 for each additional program participation—though DHS said it recognizes schools “may pass the financial obligation of this proposed fee” to students or employers. Collected fees would be deposited in the U.S. Treasury. —Chad de Guzman Read the full story here.         HAPPENING NOW Kansas is now a battleground state Mark Schiefelbein—Getty Images Kansas has emerged as a surprise battleground in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. The state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in 94 years, but Republican Sen. Roger Marshall now faces a close challenge from megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton—with repercussions that could extend beyond Kansas, as Republicans fight to keep their Senate majority in November. An Emerson College/Nexstar Media survey of 750 likely voters showed that Hamilton had 45% of support next to Marshall’s 43% as of September. In comparison, Marshall won his 2020 general election with 53% of the vote, topping his competitor by 11 points.  In this race, Marshall has the financial upper hand. His campaign had reserved $2.3 million in advertising as of Oct. 2, compared with $590,000 reserved by Hamilton’s campaign, according to AdImpact figures reported by the Associated Press.  Marshall also has Kansas’s recent voting history on his side. President Donald Trump carried the state by 16 points in 2024—a sizable Republican advantage. But Kansas sentiment toward the President seems to have shifted since 2024, and a connection to the presiding Administration could hurt Marshall more than it helps. —Rebecca Schneid Read the full story here.         SPONSORED SEABOUND Nearly 90% of the world’s goods travel by ship. From the food on our shelves to the packages at our doors, shipping touches nearly every part of our lives, and so does its carbon footprint. Seabound is betting on an unexpected solution: a box of rocks. By turning limestone into a sponge that captures CO₂ emissions, the company is proving that small innovations can help change the course of global shipping. Watch the episode         IN FOCUS Why student protesters in France are referencing May 1968 Jc Milhet/Hans Lucas—Getty Images French students took to the streets again Thursday and blockaded some high schools as they demanded action from a government they say is underfunding the country’s education system. Now in its third week, the wave of protests has seen hundreds of thousands march after rows over staffing shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated buildings reached a crisis point. Throughout the protests, students and other attendees have held up various signs calling for change. A common theme has emerged, as many of the homemade banners mention the year 1968—and more specifically, May 1968. That’s a reference to the nationwide protests initiated by a student movement in 1968 that led to millions of workers striking and nearly toppled the government. During the blockade of the University of Perpignan Via Domitia on Tuesday, a banner raised on the gates contained a warning, which roughly translated to “You’re trying to pull a fast one on us, we'll give you May '68.” Elsewhere, as students gathered in Reforme Square in Marseille, a protester held a sign that read “Generation 67 is doing May 68,” thought to be in reference to the Gen Alpha 6-7 trend. In Paris, someone held a black and white sign of a larger figure with their hand over the mouth of a youngster, emblazoned with the phrase “sois jeune et tais-toi,” which means “be young and shut up.” That same slogan was used during the 1968 protests. “1968 was a seminal moment in the protest history of France,” says Chris Reynolds, professor of contemporary European history at Nottingham Trent University. “Not only because of the sheer enormity of what happened, but that it started out as a smallish student protest that within a very short space of time mushroomed to become arguably the greatest strike in French history.” What happened in 1968 is anything but a distant memory, experts tell TIME. Not only do the youth of France draw inspiration from the rallying of a generation, lawmakers are also mindful of how powerful such protests can be. “Ever since 1968, there has been a fear within the state that it could happen again,” says Reynolds. “This idea that somehow the students could be the starting point of a movement that would then elicit support from other sectors of society, leading to a much greater crisis.” —Callum Sutherland and Olivia-Anne Cleary Read the full story here.         ONE NUMBER $2.4 billion Major tech companies have pledged to contribute $2.4 billion in computing resources to support federal science agencies and researchers. The companies include OpenAI, Nvidia, Anthropic, Amazon and Google, the Trump Administration announced on Thursday. SOURCE: POLITICO         A VIRAL MOMENT VP on socialism Vice President JD Vance shared his personal definition of socialism with reporters on Thursday in response to a question about the rise of socialist candidates in the Democratic Party.         SPONSORED AMINI Across the Global South, Amini is working to ensure nations are not left out of their digital future. From climate intelligence to sovereign AI, Amini is building the infrastructure countries need to own their data, strengthen public services and create economic opportunity on their own terms. Watch the episode       Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW       ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME TV How Mike Flanagan's Take on Carrie Upends the Tragedy of Stephen King's Horror Classic IDEAS  The Great Healthcare Cost Hike Is Here       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. D.C. 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