Hollywood writers reached a deal to end their strike

The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,000 screenwriters, could begin finalizing a deal on a new contract with entertainment companies as soon as tomorrow. The 146-day strike all but ended after the two sides reached a tentative deal on Sunday night.

But with the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, still on strike, the only productions that could restart in short order would be ones without actors, such as late-night shows and daytime talk shows. SAG-AFTRA and the studios have not spoken in more than two months, and no talks are scheduled. But the prospective writers’ deal should provide a blueprint for the actors, since many of their demands are similar.

The Writers Guild got most of what it demanded: increases in compensation for streaming content, concessions from studios on minimum staffing for television shows and guarantees that artificial intelligence technology would not encroach on writers’ credits and compensation.

The tentative deal came after several senior company leaders joined the talks directly — among them Robert Iger, Disney’s chief executive; Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive; and David Zaslav, who runs Warner Bros. Discovery.

Analysts have estimated that studios will forgo as much as $1.6 billion in global ticket sales for movies whose release was pushed to next year because of the actors’ strike. California’s economy alone has lost more than $5 billion from the Hollywood shutdown, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

What’s next: Writers’ rooms could get up and running soon. Writers Guild leadership must vote to approve the deal, which could happen as soon as tomorrow, and then the full membership must vote on whether to ratify the contract. Leadership must also vote on whether to end the strike, which could happen as the ratification vote among rank-and-file writers is underway.

For more: The Dealbook newsletter looks at how the Writers Guild deal reflects organized labor’s current strength.

Ukraine said it killed Russia’s Black Sea Fleet commander

Three days after Ukraine’s special operations forces said that they had struck a headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol while officers held a meeting, Ukraine’s military said that the commander of the fleet was killed in the attack.

According to a statement from the special operations forces, 34 officers were killed and another 105 people were wounded. Russian state media did not immediately comment on Ukraine’s claim. The Russian Defense Ministry said only that one person was missing after the attack on Friday.

In other news from the war, Russia struck the port of Odesa in its first large attack there since Ukraine started testing a new route to ship grain out of the Black Sea.

A defiant Robert Menendez will not resign

Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey spoke publicly for the first time since being charged with taking bribes in exchange for exerting political influence. “I recognize that this will be the biggest fight yet,” he said, after many of New Jersey’s most prominent Democratic leaders called for him to step down.

“Monster fracks” are guzzling America’s water

Fracking wells have increased their water usage sevenfold since 2011 as operators have adopted new techniques to first drill downward and then horizontally for thousands of feet, a Times investigation found. Operators are drilling into aquifers for the water needed for these mega fracking projects — the latest threat to a resource that is being drained at an alarming rate.

Fruits and vegetables for a new climate

An increasingly erratic climate has caused urgent problems for plant breeders. Cherry trees and potatoes aren’t getting the cold weather they need to thrive; carrots are struggling with salinity. New crops bred for a warmer world are starting to come to market, including mustard greens that are the first food developed with CRISPR technology to be sold in stores.

ChatGPT’s secret ingredient is people

In the months leading up to the release of ChatGPT, the company hired hundreds of people to hone the bot’s skills. The army of tutors showed the bot how to respond to particular questions, rated its responses and corrected its mistakes. More than it has transformed any other advance, human feedback has brought chatbots from a curiosity into mainstream technology.

Get ready for some amazing fall colors

This summer’s chaotic mix of record driest and record wettest spells in different parts of the U.S. could result in some spectacular autumn hues. Weather stresses can make leaf colors “really pop,” a forestry expert said.

Here are five places around the country, from New Mexico to New Hampshire, to savor the foliage.

Have a vivid evening.