Top Stories — Monday, September 8, 2025
What is trending in the USA today? Here is Breaking News:
- Australian Woman, Erin Patterson, Gets Life in Mushroom Murder Case — nyt News
- Asia markets mostly higher as investors assess Japan PM resignation, eye China trade data — CNBC
- The U.S. is losing travelers. Here are the countries that stand to benefit — CNBC
Australian Woman, Erin Patterson, Gets Life in Mushroom Murder Case
Source: nyt News • Published: 9/8/2025, 5:52:05 AM
A woman in Australia was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment for murdering three of her husband's relatives and trying to murder a fourth by serving them beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.
The woman, Erin Patterson, 50, was convicted of the crimes in July after a two-month trial that captivated the nation. She will not be eligible for parole for more than three decades.
Prosecutors said that she had meticulously planned the poisonings, misled the authorities and attempted to conceal evidence. They argued that the crimes were so horrific that she deserved the highest possible sentence and should not be eligible for parole.
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Christopher Beale of the Supreme Court of Victoria said that Ms. Patterson's offenses involved "substantial premeditation" and were followed by an "elaborate cover-up" of her guilt.
Addressing Ms. Patterson, he said, "Your failure to exhibit any remorse poured salt into all of the victims' wounds."
At the center of the case was a lunch that Ms. Patterson hosted more than two years ago at her home in Leongatha, a rural town in the state of Victoria. She had invited Simon Patterson, her estranged husband, but he declined. In attendance were his parents, Gail and Don Patterson, along with Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and her husband, Ian Wilkinson.
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Read the full story at nyt News.
Asia markets mostly higher as investors assess Japan PM resignation, eye China trade data
Source: CNBC • Published: 9/8/2025, 5:39:28 AM
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher Monday as investors assessed the resignation of Japan's prime minister and eyed key economic data in the region.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.95% after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday, following weeks of mounting pressure over his national election defeat late last year. The Topix climbed 0.51%.
The Japanese yen weakened 0.64% to 148.33 against the greenback.
"Japan is now set for a period of extended uncertainty going into Q4 2025," wrote analysts from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. "Although the next LDP leader would ordinarily automatically become prime minister, it is theoretically possible for the opposition to band together under a rival candidate for the premiership."
South Korea's Kospi was 0.15% higher, while the small-cap Kosdaq jumped 0.47%.
Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 25,344, lower than its last close of 25,417.98.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.38%.
China's trade data for August will also be in focus.
Oil prices inched higher after OPEC+ announced over the weekend it will lift oil production again starting in October, though the group is slowing the pace of hikes. In an online meeting Sunday, eight OPEC+ members agreed to lift production by 137,000 barrels a day starting in October, far below the increases of around 555,000 bpd in September and August, and 411,000 bpd in July and June.
Global benchmark Brent added 0.53% to $62.2 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures traded 0.6% higher at $65.89 per barrel.
U.S. stock futures were little changed on Sunday as investors gear up for a data-heavy week that includes two closely watched readings on inflation. The producer price index report for August is due out Wednesday morning stateside, followed by the consumer price index on Thursday.
Last Friday in the U.S., all three major averages closed lower after a weaker-than-expected jobs report gave way to worries about a slowing economy, even as expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut were solidified.
The S&P 500 finished down 0.32% at 6,481.50, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.03% to settle at 21,700.39. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 220.43 points, or 0.48%, at 45,400.86.
All three leading indexes had reached fresh record intraday highs earlier in Friday's session. At their peaks, the broad market index, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the blue-chip Dow were up about 0.5%, 0.8% and 0.3%, respectively.
— CNBC's Brian Evans and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
The U.S. is losing travelers. Here are the countries that stand to benefit
Source: CNBC • Published: 9/8/2025, 4:30:01 AM
The United States stands to lose about $30 billion in international tourism this year, as the country's political environment and strong dollar continue to deter foreign travelers from visiting.
In early 2025, the U.S. Travel Association projected foreign travel spending would rise to $200.8 billion this year.
However, noting a "sharp and widespread" drop in arrivals, the World Travel & Tourism Council in May projected international visitor spending would drop to $169 billion for the year.
The lost revenue is set to benefit other countries — notably Canada and Latin America — as travelers seek out other destinations or decide to stay within their own countries or regions.
In the first half of 2025, Canadian arrivals to the U.S. fell nearly 18% year on year, representing a drop of more than 1,750,000 visits, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration.
Many Canadians are turning to domestic travel, which helped push the country's July hotel occupancy rate to 77.6%, its highest level since 2019, according to real estate data provider CoStar. The "Canada Strong Pass" — a summer tourism initiative marked as a celebration of strength and unity in the country — drove an increase in visits to Canada's museums, historic sites and national parks, the government reported this week.
Other Canadians continue to venture south, flying over, rather than to, the United States, according to the research firm Tourism Economics.
"We are seeing more Canadians are headed to Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean," said Adam Sacks, the company's president.
Data from Booking Holdings also shows Canadians are increasingly choosing Mexico as a travel destination, a representative told CNBC Travel.
Latin America is appealing to more travelers from Europe too, according to the consulting firm Accenture. The region, as well as the Caribbean, is attracting Europeans who are looking for alternatives to the U.S., a representative said.
In an email to CNBC, a Booking Holdings representative said the company is seeing "new travel corridors" emerge as inbound travel to the U.S. drops, noting an increase among Europeans to travel within Europe and to Asia.
Western Europeans, in particular, are increasingly traveling within the region, as well as to the Middle East, added Tourism Economics' Sacks.
More Asian travelers, too, are searching for trips to Europe and the Middle East this year, said Michael Dykes, Expedia Group's vice president for market management in Asia-Pacific.
A CNBC survey of 6,000 Southeast Asian international travelers, performed by Milieu Insight, showed that among those reconsidering trips to the U.S., most said they plan to travel within Southeast Asia or East Asia, followed by Europe and Oceania.
Singaporean traveler Rahul Jain told CNBC Travel that he's already booked a trip to Australia this year, and now he's considering going to the United Kingdom or France.
"Europe is still attractive to me," he said. But, he added, the U.S. is "off my list."
In the first half of 2025, the U.S. welcomed about 1 million fewer international visitors compared to the same period in 2024, according to government data.
But compared to 2019, it's on track to see 13 million fewer international visitors by the year-end, said Sacks.
At the same time, travel arrivals are increasing to other countries.
"The countries forecast to witness the largest gain in international visits relative to 2019 are Spain, Saudi Arabia and Turkey," he said, which are expected to receive 16.5 million, 14.5 million, and 14 million more travelers, respectively.
The United States' share of global international travel fell from 8.4% in 1996 to 4.9% in 2024, as other markets developed and new markets entered the fray, said Sacks.
The U.S.' share of cross-border travel dropped in the early 2000s, leveled off, then took another hit during President Donald Trump's first term, according to data from Tourism Economics.
This year, it's set to fall again, with the United States' share of global international arrivals forecast to drop to 4.2%, said Sacks. And, it's projected to remain at that level through the next decade, he said.
"The U.S. is losing share again in 2025," said Sacks. "We don't expect it to recover that share within our forecast horizon."
Meanwhile, arrivals to other top tourism draws — including France, Greece, Mexico and Italy — are set to increase this year.
This shows "how dire this has been for the U.S. compared to competing destinations," said Sacks.
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