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1. Bessent warns Zelenskyy to 'be very careful' about claims U.S. is throttling Starlink  CNBC
2. Ukraine and the U.S. are at odds over Starshield. Here's what to know  NPR
3. Trump says neither he nor Musk responsible for Ukraine loss of Starlink access  Reuters
4. Zelensky says Musk-owned satellite system still restricted in Ukraine  Axios
5. Rep. Turner calls for congressional probe into Starlink disruption in Ukraine: "Lives are at risk"  CBS News

1. Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders  MacRumors
2. Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo puts the company's status-symbol power to the test  CNBC
3. Apple blames ‘extraordinary’ demand as foldable iPhones sell out  Financial Times
4. iPhone Duo Shipping Estimates Have Already Been Pushed Back To 2027  Engadget
5. Apple’s $1,999 Foldable iPhone Sold Out in Minutes. Deliveries Now Slip to January  Yahoo Finance

1. Zelenskyy: Not right to 'compare me and Putin'  Politico
2. U.S. taking Putin’s side would be a ‘historic mistake,’ says Zelenskyy  NBC News
3. Zelensky Says Trump Risks ‘Historic Mistake’ If He Backs Russia  The New York Times
4. Zelensky warns US support of Putin is a ‘historic mistake’  The Hill
5. Zelensky Takes a Risk by Publicly Confronting Trump Over Russia  WSJ

DALLAS — Every fall, the State Fair of Texas transforms into America's test kitchen for deep-fried imagination, where fried cheesecakes, bacon-wrapped creations and gravity-defying desserts compete for fairgoers' attention.

But behind the over-the-top dishes are months of recipe testing, thousands of dollars in development and a competition that can turn a family recipe into a viral sensation — and give a small business a major boost.

The Big Tex Choice Awards, held before the fair opens its gates, gives vendors a chance to showcase their most creative concoctions and earn a coveted spot among the year's must-try foods. This year, 77 entries competed for four coveted titles, with many the result of months of testing and tinkering before judges ever took their first bite.

"This is not something you can just jump in last minute," Melanie Linnear, senior vice president of concessions for the State Fair of Texas, told Fox News Digital. "You have to have a plan."

INSIDE THE FAMILY BUSINESS THAT TURNED ICONIC FAIR FOOD INTO AN AMERICAN TRADITION

For Josie Nevins Mays, that meant spending roughly three months and cycling through about seven recipes before landing on the Nevin's Soft Serve Peach Bellini Float, a boozy peach soft serve finished with sparkling wine.

One challenge was getting the alcohol-infused mixture to freeze while maintaining the creamy consistency she wanted.

"I wanted it to be perfect," Nevins Mays told Fox News Digital. "I wanted a true creamy ice cream soft serve."

The work earned Nevins Mays her fifth finalist appearance in six years of entering the competition — an achievement she said can be transformative for concessionaires even without taking home a trophy.

"It's really life-changing for us concessionaires to be a part of the contest and get the publicity that we're offered," she said.

Fellow vendor Dwaina Morris started even earlier, experimenting during last year's fair with what eventually became the Sunset Soft Serve Rita — a strawberry and mango margarita layered with vanilla soft serve and finished with Tajín, chamoy and a hot honey Tajín topping.

It took roughly 10 tries to get it right, but for Morris, making the finals means the work can pay off before a winner is even crowned. Finalists and their creations are featured in materials available to fairgoers, helping drive customers directly to their stands.

"It draws people to your booth because they want to see what it tastes like," Morris told Fox News Digital.

Veteran concessionaire Isaac Rousso entered this year's competition with Rousso's Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Hard Cider, a hard cider blending apple, caramel, cinnamon sugar and smoky bacon jam flavors.

TEXAS VOTERS HAVE PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT WHETHER LONE STAR STATE COULD TURN BLUE

Rousso has made the finals for 10 years and won four times, with previous creations including a smoky bacon margarita, deep-fried Cuban roll and cotton candy bacon on a stick.

For Rousso, the competition is as much about building a brand as winning a trophy.

"For us, it's just having the opportunity to talk to you, building our brand with the public," Rousso told Fox News Digital. "It is awesome."

The creations may be outrageous, but the business calculations behind them are practical: Can vendors make them fast enough to handle fair crowds, and can they sell them at a price customers will pay?

"The longer you take, that's money on the table," Linnear said.

Those calculations have become tougher as food costs have climbed 30% to 40% since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Linnear, prompting organizers to encourage competitors to consider affordability when developing their entries.

For many vendors, planning for the next competition begins before the current fair is even over.

Linnear said some keep books filled with potential recipes, while others quietly test future creations in their stands to see how quickly they can produce them.

Morris is among them. Before this year's fair even opened, she already had her entry for next year.

"We've already got our item for next year," she said.

1. 'DWTS' Val Chmerkovskiy Speaks Out on Suspension as Jenna Dewan's New Partner Revealed  TV Insider
2. ‘DWTS’ pro Val Chmerkovskiy suspended for ‘inappropriate’ judge comment  New York Daily News
3. 'Dancing with the Stars' dancer Val Chmerkovskiy benched after 'inappropriate' social media post  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
4. 'Dancing with the Stars' pro Val Chmerkovskiy pulled after Carrie Ann Inaba remark  USA Today
5. Jenna Dewan’s Fiancé Steve Kazee Speaks Out After Her DWTS Partner Val Chmerkovskiy Is Suspended Mid-Season  People.com

1. 4 red flags – and 1 truth – amid the peptide hype  USA Today
2. The [almost] unbelievable relationship between “big pharma” and gray-market peptides  Peter Attia MD
3. Peptides Are Everywhere—Here’s What Doctors Want You to Know Before Trying Them  Real Simple
4. Some who have taken hyped, unregulated peptides have regrets  Yahoo
5. People say these peptides hurt them. Their stories are muffled in MAHA’s push for medical freedom  CNN

1. Can Scott Colom win Mississippi Senate? Warnock is making a big bet on it.  Politico
2. Obama rolls out ad for Dem Scott Colom in Mississippi Senate race  The Hill
3. Scott Colom’s AI Video of Cindy Hyde-Smith Raises Concerns About Deception and ‘Slopaganda’  Mississippi Free Press
4. Kamala Harris coming to Mississippi to campaign for Scott Colom  WXXV News 25
5. Georgia U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael campaigns with Scott Colom. See photos  The Clarion-Ledger

1. Albanian PM says protests pose threat to EU membership, not government  Reuters
2. Albanian police fire rubber bullets as student protests rage  Reuters
3. Anti-government protesters battle with police in Albania  BBC
4. Riots in Tirana enter a fifth day as Albania’s anti-government protests escalate  AP News
5. Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution' radicalizes in response to prime minister's 'contempt' and 'indifference'  Le Monde.fr

1. U.S. taking Putin’s side would be a ‘historic mistake,’ says Zelenskyy  NBC News
2. Zelensky Takes a Risk by Publicly Confronting Trump Over Russia  WSJ
3. Zelenskyy: Not right to 'compare me and Putin'  Politico
4. Volodymyr Zelenskyy feels ‘betrayed’ by Donald Trump over Starlink access  The Guardian
5. Politics chat: Zelenskyy on Trump, Democrats bring in the money for midterms  NPR

1. In Texas Senate race, Ted Cruz tries to push Ken Paxton across the finish line  The Washington Post
2. Can Ken Paxton outrun a trail of scandal to win US Senate seat in ruby-red Texas?  The Guardian
3. CBS News poll shows a Texas toss-up with Talarico, Paxton in tight Senate race  CBS News
4. New Texas poll shows Democrats leading nearly all statewide races  WFAA
5. In tight Texas Senate race, Trump's immigration crackdown tests Republicans' hold on voters  Los Angeles Times

1. Kansas suspends flag football state championship after deadly crash at sports complex  Yahoo Sports
2. ‘Heartbreaking day for Wichita’: 2 killed when truck drives onto soccer field  KSN-TV
3. Truck crashes into Wichita youth game leaving 2 dead and 11 injured  USA Today
4. Woman in custody after two killed, 10 injured in Wichita soccer tragedy  Wichita Eagle
5. Police: 6-year-old boy, 35-year-old man killed in crash at Stryker Sports Complex  KWCH

1. U.S. ambassador to Israel calls for "arrest and prosecution" of Heidi Levine's West Bank settler attackers  CBS News
2. US ambassador to Israel denounces West Bank settler attack on US photojournalist  The Guardian
3. Photographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu  The Hill
4. Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinians and Washington Post Journalist in West Bank  The New York Times
5. US wants Israel to 'crack down' on settler violence in West Bank, Rubio says  Reuters

1. Taylor Swift Slips Into a Glittering Sheer Navy Tulle Gown for a Milestone Performance at the Academy Museum Gala  InStyle
2. Academy Museum Gala 2026 Red Carpet: Taylor Swift, Inde Navarrette, Kate Hudson and More  Variety
3. Taylor Swift Performs ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Live for First Time at 2026 Academy Museum Gala  Yahoo
4. Taylor Swift Wows in Strapless Dior Dress for Academy Museum Gala Debut  InStyle
5. Exclusive: Inside the Academy Museum Gala, Where Hollywood Let Its Hair Down  Vogue

1. Life Finally Gets Easier For 3 Zodiac Signs When The Moon Aligns With Neptune On October 19  YourTango
2. Horoscope for Sunday, 10/18/26 by Christopher Renstrom  SFGATE
3. Horoscope for Sunday, 10/18/26 by Georgia Nicols  CT Insider
4. Daily Horoscope: October 18: Put in Work for the Future  People.com
5. Your Daily FinanceScope for October 18, 2026  Yahoo

1. Poll: Americans are anxious, pessimistic and deeply unhappy with Trump ahead of the midterms  NBC News
2. Trump approval hits record low, handing Democrats a clear midterm edge  The Washington Post
3. Ahead of the midterms, most voters cite the economy and cost of living as top issues and favor political change  AP-NORC
4. Nearly 3-in-4 Americans say country is on the wrong track, poll says  USA Today
5. Fox News poll shows Trump approval at new low ahead of midterms  El Paso Times

1. Pope Leo says he will gradually resume duties after cancer surgery  NPR
2. Pope Leo returns to Vatican four days after cancer surgery  Reuters
3. Pope Leo Addresses the Faithful a Day After Leaving the Hospital  The New York Times
4. Pope’s surgeon: No clinical reason to cancel visit to South America  Vatican News
5. Pope Leo XIV’s brother shares his own cancer battle, the role of faith and his 1 request  OSV News