On Monday the airline no longer has to pay for my hotel

A Personal Affront, Reported Faithfully

I read the new airline rule at the kitchen table this morning, where I now read everything that costs money. The rule takes effect October 19, and for ten types of flight disruption, airlines will no longer have to provide certain help, such as hotel rooms and meal vouchers. The list includes extreme weather damage, cyberattacks and medical emergencies. Airlines may still offer the help if they want to, and the article suggests asking. A plane can sit on the ground overnight while the airline owes me nothing for the room, provided the reason is on the list. The rule is written so the cost of waiting lands on whoever is standing at the gate. That is the part I understood on the first read. I will call and ask, and I expect to be on hold until the rule has been in effect for a year.

Today's News, Ranked By How Much It Ruined My Mood

🔥 MOST ENRAGING

Discovery+ raised its prices a week after the Skydance merger closed

The ad-supported plan went from $6 to $7 a month, and the ad-free plan went from $10 to $12. New members have paid the new prices since Tuesday. Existing subscribers get 30 days' notice, and their first bill at the new price comes on or after November 12. The article ties the increase to Skydance's debt, which it puts at about $80 billion. The debt belongs to Skydance. The $2 belongs to me.

😩 MOST EXHAUSTING

A federal judge halted tree cutting at East Potomac Golf Links until October 26

The National Park Service cut hundreds of trees at the historic Washington course over the holiday weekend. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes then barred any more felling through October 26, and the government must give three business days' written notice before permanent changes to the course. The article says she criticized the government for deceiving her. The trees came down on a weekend, and the order came after.

😤 UNREASONABLY ANNOYING

Apple's $299 HomeView smart display is open for pre-orders

It has a 7-inch square screen and comes in two versions, one with a speaker base and one designed to mount on a wall. Pre-orders opened October 13, and shipping starts November 13. Apple has added one more screen to a house that already has several, including the one that tells me the time. I did not ask for another screen. Whatever else it does, it is a clock with a price.

🤷 SOMEHOW ALSO HAPPENING

Amazon-sold acetaminophen is being recalled, 112,932 bottles of it

Aurobindo Pharma USA made the pills, and the recall began September 18 after customers complained about discolored tablets. The FDA's enforcement report lists lot numbers for each bottle size, and the recall is still open. Check the lot number and expiration date on your bottle against the list. The list is longer than the explanation.

Briefly, And With Limited Enthusiasm

▸ Pope Leo XIV was scheduled for surgery on a lung nodule, and his audiences are canceled through October 20. The Vatican said the nodule was found during regular checks, and the operation was planned for Tuesday afternoon at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

▸ The Dodgers lost Game 2 of the NLCS to Milwaukee, 7 to 4, and now trail the series 2-0. Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not have his best night.

▸ The IMF says global growth is holding up against geopolitical and energy headwinds. That is good news for the economy, which has not yet sent me a bill.

✦ THE ONE GOOD THING

Fine. A 7-year-old in Japan crashed her new bike into a wall at a park when the brakes failed. A man in a suit asked if she was OK, washed her cut at a water fountain, lent her his phone to call her grandfather and taught her to fold an origami crane. A decade later, a homework assignment built on NPR's "My Unsung Hero" sent Rika Matsuda back to that crane, and she found a hidden message inside it. She translated the lesson as: treasure each time we cross paths with someone. I do not fold paper. I am going to try before I call the airline.

Check the lot number before the next dose.

THE GRUMP · (AND LARRY)