U.S. and world news for Oct. 6

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned in another blow to President Macron. CNN photo

France’s prime minister resigns after less than a month on the job

Paris (CNN) — French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned Monday just hours after he unveiled his new cabinet, in a shock move that plunged the country further into political crisis. The prime minister – a key ally of embattled French President Emmanuel Macron – had not even been in office for four weeks, meaning he departs with the ignominious distinction of being the shortest-serving French prime minister since the Fifth Republic began. It’s the clearest sign yet that Macron has run out of road. After five prime ministers in less than two years – none able to build a stable majority – the country looks exhausted and increasingly done with him. Public frustration over austerity measures and a government seen as detached from everyday realities has only deepened. Macron himself still seems unable to digest the outcome of last year’s parliamentary elections, which sent a clear message: France has moved on from Macronism.

Supreme Court rejects appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell

(CNN) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal from the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, brushing aside an argument from Ghislaine Maxwell that she should have been shielded from prosecution under a plea agreement that Epstein struck with federal authorities. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. In her appeal at the Supreme Court, filed in April, Maxwell argues she should have been covered by a non-prosecution agreement Epstein secured as part of his agreement to plead guilty in Florida. The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Maxwell, finding that the agreement made with prosecutors in Florida did not bind the authorities in New York. Maxwell’s attorney has argued that appeals courts have taken different approaches to the issue of whether a non-prosecution agreement with the United States is nationally binding. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges and was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later.

OpenAI decision on chips a big challenge to Nvidia

(CNN) — In a significant challenge to Nvidia’s dominance, OpenAI announced Monday it would buy 6 gigawatts of computing power from data centers that will run exclusively on AMD chips. Nvidia (NVDA) has become the go-to AI chipmaker in recent years, propelling it to a $4.6 trillion market capitalization that has made it the world’s most valuable public company. OpenAI, famous for its ChatGPT AI chatbot, is the artificial-intelligence frontrunner that just made waves when it launched the breakthrough video generator Sora 2. Just two weeks ago, the companies announced a $100 billion partnership, in which Nvidia agreed to start delivering chips in 2026. The OpenAI deal will provide OpenAI with 1 gigawatt of power by this time next year and it will add another 5 gigawatts on future generations of AMD’s high-end Instinct processors. OpenAI will work with AMD (AMD) to build the technology, and it will invest significantly in AMD to fuel its chip-building capabilities. Shares of AMD jumped 36% in premarket trading on the news. Nvidia’s stock fell 2%.

Trump considers $10 billion bailout of American farmers

Washington (CNN) — American farmers are having a tough year, in no small part because of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Now, the White House is gearing up to extend them a multi-billion-dollar bailout, sources tell CNN. Surging costs and foreign retaliation from tariffs have hurt the US agriculture industry — as have immigration-related labor shortages and plummeting commodity prices. Farm production expenses are estimated to reach $467.4 billion in 2025, according to the Agriculture Department, up $12 billion from last year. Farm bankruptcies rose in the first half of the year to the highest level since 2021, according to US courts data. Trump’s policies have exacerbated those woes, from the deportation of the industry’s key migrant workforce to renewed trade tensions between the United States and China. And for traditional American crops, such as soybeans, the situation has grown particularly precarious. Many farmers say time is of the essence as they start to bring in this year’s crop. “We’re always hopeful that those negotiations are moving forward, but yet with harvest here, patience may be running thin,” one Indiana farmer told CNN, describing the industry’s many challenges, which also include the deportation of key workers.