By Alexandra Banner

Former President Joe Biden has finished a round of radiation therapy in his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson told CNN. With his 83rd birthday approaching next month, he remains focused on recovery as he looks ahead to upcoming speaking engagements and appearances.

Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

Federal agents clash with protesters at the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, on October 12. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

National Guard

An appeals court has handed the Trump administration a legal victory after ruling it can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, despite strong objections from leaders in the state. Last week, a judge ruled to extend a temporary restraining order barring the deployment of troops while the appeal plays out. President Donald Trump has cited protests outside Portland's Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to justify sending in troops. The ruling comes after Trump on Sunday threatened to send the National Guard to San Francisco as his administration continues an effort to crack down on a growing list of cities it claims are plagued by crime.

Government shutdown

The ramifications of the government shutdown are being felt across the federal workforce, with Senate staffers now informed they will go without pay for the duration of the funding lapse. As the stalemate enters its 21st day, both parties face mounting pressure to resolve the gridlock, with hundreds of thousands of government workers still furloughed. These workers are not currently receiving paychecks, but are expecting to get back pay after the shutdown ends — though Trump has refused to commit to providing it to all of them. Meanwhile, the TSA says staffing shortages at some US airports are causing more delays for passengers. An increased number of air traffic controllers have called out sick to protest the shutdown or taken part-time jobs to earn money, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said.

Amazon tech outage

Amazon says its systems are back online after Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing platform that powers much of the internet, went down for several hours on Monday. Many major websites and apps — including Snapchat, Facebook and Fortnite — were impacted. Banks and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase also reported issues, as did several US airlines. The root cause of the outage remains unknown, but there is "no sign" that this was a cyberattack, a cybersecurity expert told CNN. Past outages on this scale have been caused by a wide variety of errors, including faulty updates, the accidental injection of bad code, or a change to third-party software that doesn't play nicely with a service.

Japan

Staunch conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan's first female prime minister after the country's parliament voted for a new leader today. It marks a historic shift in a traditionally patriarchal country where politics and workplaces are dominated by older men. While many conservatives welcome Takaichi's rise, her views have also unsettled some centrist party members. For instance, she opposes same-sex marriage and a growing movement to allow married couples to use separate surnames. Some critics also worry about her economic proposals — to spend big and cut taxes — as the country struggles with sky-high inflation and living costs.

Tylenol

Kenvue, the American company that makes Tylenol, is pushing back against an FDA proposal to change the painkiller's safety label. The updated label would mention a possible link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and diagnoses of autism or ADHD in children. Many credible health experts agree that the science does not support that claim, even as the Trump administration calls for tougher warnings. Kenvue also says that acetaminophen, the generic name for the painkiller and fever reducer, is "one of the most studied medicines in history" and that "adoption of the proposed labeling revisions would be arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law."

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World Series matchup is set
The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to their first MLB World Series since 1993 after a dramatic 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday. They'll now take on the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

New NBA season begins today
The NBA is at its international peak, with new stars emerging and legends like LeBron James preparing for his 23rd season. Tip-off today is at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

The space race is heating up
NASA is suggesting SpaceX may be booted from its mission to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. Here's why.

Nevada's alien appeal
The Extraterrestrial Highway in south central Nevada runs through one of the darkest and most desolate stretches of the continental US — and it's famous for supposed alien encounters.

Netflix announces new Kennedy family series
One of America's most famous families is getting the Netflix treatment.

5

That's how many years former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to serve in prison for criminal conspiracy. He arrived at a prison complex in Paris earlier today to begin his time behind bars.

Video shows White House East Wing demolition
Demolition of the White House's East Wing began Monday as President Trump adds a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom. See the video here.

5 Things AM is edited by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.

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