Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday.
The economy looks strong after the latest jobs reportThe American labor market, which for months has worried even some optimistic economists, looked in remarkably good shape today after the government released a new employment report. Businesses added 254,000 jobs last month, far outpacing expectations. The unemployment rate declined to 4.1 percent and wage growth remained strong. The robust jobs numbers align with other strong economic data to paint a portrait of a solid economy. Consumer spending has been holding up, overall growth has been solid and inflation has ticked town. Employers appear to be meeting resilient consumer demand by expanding their work forces. The fresh data is good news for the Federal Reserve, the White House and Kamala Harris. The report came less than a day after striking dockworkers agreed to return to work, avoiding what could have been a major economic disruption before the election. The vice president has been trying to argue that she and President Biden deftly led the economy through the challenges of the pandemic. In related news, a surge in pandemic era start-ups has helped drive job growth, and could have longer-term benefits.
Iran's leader threatened to attack Israel againIran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led the Friday prayer in Tehran for the first time in nearly five years. He used the rare appearance to praise the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and warn that Iran would strike Israel again if it continued its military campaigns against his allies, Hezbollah and Hamas. At the same time, Iran's foreign minister was in Beirut, appearing eager to convey Iran's readiness to support a joint cease-fire in Lebanon and in Gaza. Here's the latest. Overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out a strike in an area just south of Beirut that targeted Hashem Safieddine, the presumed new leader of Hezbollah. It is unclear whether Safieddine was killed. In related news, American officials said that the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, is holding out for a wider regional war.
Trump is returning to the site where he was shotA few days after he was shot by a would-be assassin in Butler, Pa., Donald Trump said he would tell the story once, and never again. Then he spent the next three months stitching the shooting into a campaign narrative about "them" — the Democrats, the Deep State, the Marxists and the news media — trying to stop him at all costs. Tomorrow, that effort will culminate in Trump's dramatic return to the scene of the shooting for a huge campaign rally. The former president will be given enhanced protection, but some law enforcement officials are still concerned, and one former Secret Service officer called it "ill-advised."
Marijuana use is growing, and so are the harmsMarijuana is now legal in 24 states, and people are consuming more of the drug, more often and at ever-higher potencies. Most of the tens of millions of people who use marijuana don't experience problems. But a growing number, mainly heavy users, have experienced addiction, psychosis and other harmful effects. Hundreds of people told my colleagues about serious — sometimes frightening — symptoms that they were stunned to learn could be caused by cannabis. Here are some of their stories. More top news
Saoirse Ronan is generating Oscar buzz, againAt 30, Saoirse Ronan has spent more than two decades in front of the camera and has been nominated for four Oscars. The Irish actress has played the title character in "Lady Bird" and Jo March in "Little Women," as well an immigrant in New York, a child assassin, a vampire and Lady Macbeth. Now, Ronan's two latest projects have put her back in the awards conversation. She plays the leading roles in Nora Fingscheidt's "The Outrun," which opened in theaters today, and Steve McQueen's "Blitz," out on Nov. 1. Her performance in Fingscheidt's film is stunning, our critic writes
A scaredy cat's guide to horror moviesThe October ritual of watching horror movies in the lead-up to Halloween can be exhilarating. Unless, of course, you can't quite stomach the spooky, gory and gruesome. My colleague Maya Salam used to hate that spine-tingling feeling, but now she considers herself a horror enthusiast. She has five tips for anyone who wants to start enjoying scary movies, too. To get started, here are five new horror films to check out.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This salsa di noci (walnut sauce pasta) is simple yet luxurious. Watch: "Where's Wanda?" is a charming German dramedy. Read: Our Books desk recommended eight books to read this week. Focus: Challenge yourself to look at this portrait by Alice Neel for 10 minutes, uninterrupted. Prepare: Some expired Covid tests are still effective, but they do eventually degrade. Salvage: Here are four ways to turn around a bad day. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.
It's Fat Bear WeekElection season has arrived. By that, I mean it's the time of year when millions of viewers will tune in to a live webcam of Alaska's Katmai National Park and vote for the fattest bear around. The contest, which is in its 10th year, is designed to celebrate the bears' successful feeding season before their hibernation. This year's race is anyone's to win because the reigning champion and a few other veteran bears haven't been seen at the park's salmon run this season. Have a well-nourished weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Kirsten Luce was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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