France Protests Continue, Glucose Monitors, & Pumpkinzilla

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
October 19, 2026

Good Morning! Today’s edition is 868 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap:

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Violent groups looted shops and burned or vandalized public buildings across several French cities Saturday as nationwide protests over living costs and deteriorating public services escalated. Authorities reported more than 2,400 arrests and over 600 police injuries Sunday.
The demonstrations drew 800,000 as labor unions joined a movement that began over school conditions. Many marched peacefully, but violent groups set Limoges’ historic city hall ablaze and torched Lyon’s tourist office. Others broke into Marseille’s city hall and vandalized it while shops were looted in Paris.
President Macron ordered a review of intelligence and police preparedness Sunday and said local officials could ban gatherings where necessary. He also called for talks this week involving students and teachers alongside unions and business leaders to develop proposals addressing the grievances.

President Trump waived new sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia Friday before they were due to take effect. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would use up to 60 days to assess their economic impact.
The measures sought to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine through a 500% tariff on Russian goods and 100% tariffs on goods from major buyers of Russian oil and gas. With the Iran war already disrupting oil supplies and Americans facing high fuel prices, Rubio said officials wanted time to assess the economic effects of imposing those penalties.
The waiver applies to the new penalties under the law Trump signed last month while older Russia sanctions remain in place. Although Rubio described a review lasting up to 60 days, the order sets no deadline for reinstating the waived penalties.

Wearable glucose monitors improved blood-sugar control in a 26-week randomized trial involving 283 adults at 22 U.S. primary care practices. All had type 2 diabetes and did not use insulin.
One group added wearable glucose sensors to their usual diabetes care while the other continued without them. By tracking blood sugar throughout the day and night, the sensors let users see how meals and activity affected their levels. Compared with the other group, monitor users spent about five additional hours daily in their target range.
Nearly twice as many monitor users also reached an A1c below 7% — a common treatment goal measuring average blood sugar over roughly three months. Researchers hope the findings will help expand insurance coverage for the estimated 20 million U.S. adults who have type 2 diabetes and do not use insulin.

A federal judge dismissed the administration’s challenge to New York City’s sanctuary laws Thursday. The rules limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. (More)

Air traffic controllers received a 2.8% pay increase Sunday under an agreement that requires timecard tracking and staffing changes to improve coverage during peak traffic hours. (More)

The U.S. is backing efforts to reopen three shuttered nuclear plants through up to $4.4 billion in federal loans to meet growing electricity demand from data centers and other users. (More)

Pope Leo XIV addressed the faithful Sunday after returning to the Vatican following lung-cancer surgery and said he would gradually resume his duties. (More)

Albanian police fired apparent rubber bullets during student-led protests Saturday as demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation clashed with officers in Tirana. (More)

Vietnam signed a free-trade agreement Sunday with Switzerland and Norway, along with Iceland and Liechtenstein, after 14 years of negotiations. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed lower on Friday (S&P -1.09%, Nasdaq -2.14%, Dow -0.34%). A shift away from tech and AI stocks pushed stocks lower. (More)

SoftBank is considering an approximately $18 billion acquisition of security provider Allied Universal and could eventually automate some security work; discussions remain preliminary. (More)

The Iran war has cost the average U.S. household the equivalent of almost $2,000 through higher energy prices and interest rates plus military costs, according to Moody’s Analytics economist Mark Zandi. (More)

Miami rose to No. 1 in Sunday’s AP football poll for the first time since 2002 while BYU reached No. 2 after five top-seven teams lost Saturday. (More)

The Golden State Valkyries beat Atlanta 68–64 Saturday to take a 1–0 WNBA Finals lead as Gabby Williams scored 26 points. (More)

The Tampa Bay Rays moved one win from the World Series behind Drew Rasmussen’s seven strong innings in Sunday’s 3–1 victory over Cleveland. (More)

A newer PET/CT scanner produced diagnostic-quality images in one minute in a 24-person cancer-imaging study presented Sunday; the shorter scan does not eliminate preparation time. (More)

University of Hull researchers found duct tape sealing the outside of a doorway reduced leakage by 97–98% in controlled flood tests compared with 70% for sandbags. (More)

Researchers used body measurements to predict next-day headaches in 20 people with persistent postconcussion symptoms; the early study has not produced a validated patient alert system. (More)

Your feedback helps us provide the best newsletter possible.