Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested outside Tampa, according to people who were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area and “seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books” that contained suspected child sexual abuse images, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.

Markle, who has rented the units since 2008, is charged with possessing images of child sexual abuse, Essayli said. His arrest follows reports by The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, that Meghan’s half brother found a collection of such images while clearing out their father's home in the Philippines.

That overseas discovery led to information about the U.S. storage units, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said.

“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli said.

Meghan, an American citizen who starred in the U.S. television drama “Suits,” married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

She recently said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father’s former home. She also revealed that a letter containing “troubling allegations” about him had been sent to London police in 2018.

“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. "I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”

Meghan's father, a retired television lighting and photography director, did not attend the wedding, prompting extensive coverage in the British media of Meghan’s estrangement from her father.

Thomas Markle Sr. was living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated. That forced him to return to the U.S.

The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. recently found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images in boxes at his father’s former home in Cebu City, in the Philippines. Markle Jr. told The Sun that he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the FBI.

“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now,” Markle Jr. said. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”

A handful of remaining Senate and House races, still to be called by The Associated Press, will determine the strength of Democrats’ majority in Congress. Contests in Alaska and Mississippi have narrow margins with votes still outstanding. As the scale of the Democrats’ nationwide victories comes into focus, dozens of House races have not yet been called.

The jockeying to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn is intensifying after she won the Tennessee governor's race, with one Republican congressman publicly expressing interest and speculation swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But Hegseth is not currently being considered for the seat, according to a person familiar with the matter who discussed the private conversations on condition of anonymity.

The Latest:

White House highlights website for Trump’s proposed arch after judge delays construction

The new website features a series of slick renderings showing the proposed 250-foot (76 meter) arch from multiple angles where Trump wants to build it between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The White House highlighted the website the morning after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from breaking ground on the arch for 14 days.

The judge’s decision followed a vote to approve the arch by a federal planning commission stocked with the Republican president’s allies. Thursday’s 8-4 vote came after hours of public testimony in opposition to the arch.

A group of veterans joined the District of Columbia and Virginia as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seeking to block the arch.

US, allies condemn prison sentence for Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong

The United States and nine of its allies are condemning Hong Kong’s 10-year prison sentence for democracy activist Joshua Wong, demanding an immediate end to “unjust prosecutions” under a strict Beijing-imposed National Security Law.

Wong was sentenced on Thursday by a Hong Kong court for colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. The U.S. consulate’s condemnation of the punishment was joined Friday by the governments of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Their joint statement said the verdict and similar ones handed down recently show how the law “is being used to target individuals for political expression and participation,” and called for “an immediate end to all unjust prosecutions of individuals charged under the NSL.”

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials have rejected the complaints.

Republicans might not regain a majority to approve justices for years

The Democrats’ sizable Senate margin will hamper GOP efforts to regain ground in 2028, when Republicans will be defending Senate seats in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Iowa.

“Chance of confirming a worthy successor to Justice Thomas and/or Alito during President Trump’s term: Zero,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X after Tuesday’s elections. “Chance of confirming a worthy successor during a hypothetical GOP admin 2029-2033: probably zero (GOP won’t be able to recapture enough seats in 28).”

Even if a surprise Supreme Court vacancy emerges in the coming weeks, a lame-duck confirmation while Republicans still remain in power isn’t a sure thing, given that Trump encouraged the exits of GOP senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn. Maine Sen. Susan Collins also attributed her defeat in part to Trump.

White House says it’s Democrats who have politicized the Supreme Court

“President Trump will never let them pack the Supreme Court and ruin the independent judiciary,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said, saying some “extreme Democrats” have been “entertaining plans to pack the Court with liberal justices.”

The two oldest justices, Samuel Alito, 76, and Clarence Thomas, 78, have not publicly indicated an imminent retirement before Democratic majorities control the House and the Senate come January.

“I think the justices must know that if they were to retire now, at this moment, right before Democrats take the Senate, there would be an enormous amount of pressure unlike any we’ve seen to make serious change to the court,” said Dale Carpenter, a law professor at Southern Methodist University.

Alito has publicly mused about retirement in recent months, telling The Associated Press that he’s not sure “how long I’ll be able to continue to do this job.” But he’s also said he’ll stay through next summer. Thomas, meanwhile, would become the longest-serving justice in U.S. history in May 2028.

Trump has declined to say whether they should step down so he can nominate their successors.

Republicans rammed through Supreme Court nominees. Now Democrats can stop them

Trump led Supreme Court transformation that ushered in a conservative supermajority, but he’ll soon confront an emboldened Democratic-led Senate ready to play hardball on his judicial nominations.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is likely to return as majority leader next year, promised in an interview with The Associated Press that Democrats will prevent the Republican president from installing a “right-winger” on the Supreme Court or “crappy nominees” elsewhere in the federal judiciary or in Trump’s Cabinet.

Democrats will hold at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate next year, and as many as 56 depending on final results in Mississippi and Alaska, enough to block or ignore Trump’s nominations using the same kinds of aggressive tactics that Republicans wielded for years.

Schumer declined to specify whether he would hold any Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did to enable Trump to nominate the first of his three Supreme Court picks.

Tillis says Hegseth impeachment effort is about ‘incompetence’

In an X post replying to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is defending a House effort to impeach him.

“This is about you: the incompetence you’ve displayed, the bad advice you’ve given to president, and your shameful and embarassing episodes from firing our top generals to texting war plans to reporters,” Tillis wrote.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who was defeated by a Trump-backed candidate in this year’s Republican primary, has introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth, citing his handling of the Iran war and other issues. Massie has said he will drop the effort if Hegseth resigns.

Tillis was replying to a video Hegseth posted defending himself. Hegseth said he has restored the Pentagon to its central purpose which is fighting wars, and “we don’t back down.”

Trump talks with Qatar’s emir about de-escalating Iran war tensions

The call between Trump and Qatar’s emir came as the Middle East remains on edge over the possibility of renewed U.S. military action against Iran.

Trump’s discussion with Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al Thani centered on international efforts to end tensions, according to a statement Friday from the Qatari ruler’s media office that cited Qatar’s mediation efforts aimed at reaching “a comprehensive agreement that ends the crisis and achieves security and stability in the region.”

Sheik Tamim “stressed the importance of continuing dialogue and adopting diplomatic means to resolve disputes, sparing the region further escalation, and ensuring freedom of maritime navigation and the security of energy supplies,” according to the statement.

Qatar and other U.S.-allied Gulf Arab countries came under heavy fire by Iran and have been anxious to avoid a new escalation that could leave them vulnerable to attacks.

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Top Trump economist says AI data center slowdown wouldn’t undercut growth

Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said in an interview on CNBC that even if the construction of data centers slows, the United States can “still have a blockbuster economy.”

Hassett spoke after stock markets plunged Thursday in the wake of Democrats’ sweeping election victories that saw the party gain large majorities in the House and Senate and sharply increase their power in state governments across the country, fueled partly by anti-data center sentiment.

Hassett also praised Friday’s jobs report that showed an unexpected boost in hiring and a small dip in the unemployment rate.

“The data right now are singing a beautiful song and I expect the momentum on that to continue,” he said.

Yet the jobs report also showed that hourly wage gains trailed annual inflation for the seventh straight month, a key indicator that most households are seeing rising prices erode their spending power.

Jay Rockefeller, former West Virginia governor and US senator, dies at 89

Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO.

Rockefeller, a Democrat, came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator.

“I could not imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller said upon his retirement in 2015.

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US employers created a surprising 165,000 new jobs last month as unemployment dipped to 4.1%

The hiring was far stronger than the 65,000 new jobs that economists had expected.

Friday’s jobs report comes three days after voters frustrated with Trump’s management of the economy — and especially the high cost of living – handed full control of Congress to the Democrats.

America’s economic output and job market have proven resilient in the face of Trump’s double-digit taxes on imports and the war with Iran, which has driven U.S. gasoline prices above $4 a gallon and pinched family budgets.

The gross domestic product advanced at a sprightly 3.4% annual pace from July through September, lifted by strong consumer spending and booming investment in artificial intelligence.

But wage gains haven’t been keeping up with persistently high inflation.

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Federal judge orders 14-day delay on any work beginning on Trump’s monumental arch

The temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from breaking ground on a towering memorial arch for two weeks represents a major setback for one of Trump’s most prominent projects in his vision to remake Washington.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s temporary restraining order followed a series of steps taken earlier Thursday by the government, including the final approval of the arch by the National Capital Planning Commission in an 8-4 vote after a 9½-hour hearing where scores of witnesses opposed the construction.

The administration’s court filings made it clear that it was taking the steps needed to begin construction.

In approving the temporary stop, Chutkan said Virginia and the District of Columbia had shown that the immediacy of the construction would cause real harm to the plaintiffs.

Which Senate, governors races are still uncalled by The Associated Press

Just a handful of races for Senate and governor have not yet been called by The Associated Press as of 4 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.

In the House, 59 races where party control of the seat is at stake have yet to be called.

In Mississippi’s Senate race, Democrat Scott Colom has a lead of a few dozen votes over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Several thousand provisional ballots are expected to be counted in the race and the state has until Nov. 10 to resolve those ballots. Those votes will be decisive. In 2022, the state counted about 5,700 provisional ballots. Mississippi does not have an automatic recount process, but a challenger can seek a court order for one.

The AP has also not called Alaska’s Senate contest between incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola, who has a 626-vote lead over Sullivan with an estimated 74% of votes counted. Under Alaska law, if neither candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, then it goes to ranked-choice tabulation.

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Trump defends data centers as ‘GOLD’ as newly elected Democrats target them

Trump is doubling down on his support for data centers and warned Friday that states that deny them will lose out on “the riches they bring!”

Tuesday’s midterm elections brought a wave of Democrats pledging to clamp down on the energy-hungry behemoths that underpin the artificial intelligence boom. Skepticism of data centers and their impact on electricity prices and overall affordability bolstered successful Democratic campaigns for governor in states such as Texas and Ohio.

Trump has cast data centers as crucial to winning an AI arms race against China but also for lowering taxes and bringing in jobs to communities that allow them.

“As President, I am 100% in favor of Super Intelligence (SI), and will work with the many States in the U.S. that want to become RICH by having them,” Trump said Friday on Truth Social. “They are GOLD, and only foolish leadership will say “NO” to the riches they bring!”

Global shares skid as AI worries send Wall Street tumbling

Global shares tumbled Friday following a broad selloff on Wall Street of shares related to artificial intelligence as the prospect of more regulation in the wake of the US midterm elections compounds fears about high levels of debt and spending in the sector.

Stock markets around the world have been feeling pressure from continued declines for companies that have benefited from the boom in the artificial-intelligence technology industry. Critics also say AI stock prices shot too high and were in a bubble amid concerns about high levels of borrowing and spending as companies race to build the massive computing capacity needed to train AI applications. What might come next remains uncertain, they say.

The Democrats’ win in the US midterm elections Tuesday also raises the prospect of more regulation, including at the state level, where popular resistance to data center construction remains strong.

Clergy candidates’ ‘love your neighbor’ message powers Democrats’ gains

Clergy members and other Democratic candidates with an unapologetically Christian message to “love your neighbor” helped their party flip control of Congress.

It was a striking midterm victory that demonstrated the strength of the religious left as a counter to the stalwart evangelical support for Trump and his fellow Republicans.

“This attempt to corner the market on Christianity by evangelicals was repudiated,” said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist pastor and editor of a progressive faith and politics site.

Instead, American mainline Protestantism, with its less-strident theology, took the election spotlight.

Seminarian James Talarico in Texas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in Kansas and Iowa ministers Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James flipped key seats in the U.S. Senate and House. They’re part of the mainline Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran branches with moderate or progressive beliefs.

Unlike the nationalists wanting America to privilege a particular Christian worldview in public life, the mainline candidates in keeping with their Christian values backed church-state separation and sought common ground across religions, Kaylor said.

As Congress returns to Democrats, Trump’s District of Columbia projects are a likely casualty

In his first public appearance after an election that soundly repudiated his policies, Trump turned to a topic both familiar and, given the context, surprising: not his policies or politics, but his efforts to remake pieces of the city that is the backdrop to his presidency.

Despite Trump’s affinity for project management, though, with Democrats taking control of Congress, the work the administration is doing to change the physical face of the District of Columbia is sure to face far more roadblocks than it did for the first two years of his second term.

The potential collision point between an oppositional oversight from Democrats and the president’s preoccupation with the projects was evident in his last message to the American public before the election — and in his first afterward, too.

Both focused to some degree on his projects. On Monday, it was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial; on Wednesday, it was a tour of the under-construction White House ballroom, where he talked columns and steel beams and Corinthian designs.

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Latino voters swung left, lifting Democrats to big wins in Texas and nationwide

Latino voters moved sharply to the left in the midterm elections, propelling Democrats to an improbable electoral sweep in Texas and in battleground House races from coast to coast.

It’s a remarkable pivot for a demographic that had shifted toward Trump just two years ago.

“We showed our power and flexed our muscle during this election,” said Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who won his battleground district in New Mexico by around 17 percentage points after winning by less than 1 percentage point in 2022.

Democrats capitalized on voters’ angst over rising prices and government corruption, riding a wave of frustration to retake control of the House and the Senate.

Hispanics joined in that decisive repudiation of Trump and his Republican Party. In Texas, every county voted more Democratic than it did two years ago, when Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. But the more heavily Hispanic the county, generally the heavier the shift.

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Data centers took a beating. A reckoning may be ahead for tech giants

After a campaign season filled with outrage against data centers, the midterm elections ushered in a wave of Democrats pledging to clamp down on the energy-hungry behemoths.

A tougher regulatory environment for artificial intelligence giants and data center developers is expected to follow, even if Trump stalls any federal crackdown.

Data center regulation itself was not on most midterm ballots, and it wasn’t among the top issues for most voters. But hardline stances against the server warehouses were woven into the platforms of many candidates, including the Democrats who upended longtime Republican control of the governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, many of which are data center hotspots.

Skepticism of data centers and their impact on electricity prices often blended with the fight for affordability — a key campaign talking point for Democrats.

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Hegseth is not under consideration for Tennessee Senate seat, AP source says

The jockeying to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn is intensifying in Tennessee, just days after she won the race for governor, with one Republican congressman publicly expressing interest and speculation swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday, told The Associated Press that he wants to be considered for the Senate seat when Blackburn becomes governor in January.

Hegseth has also surfaced as a potential replacement, with his future uncertain after Republicans’ sweeping losses in the midterm elections. But Hegseth is not currently being considered for the seat, according to a person familiar with the matter who discussed the private conversations on condition of anonymity.

The person said Blackburn is focused on her transition to the governorship and dismissed the speculation about appointing Hegseth to the Senate seat as baseless chatter.

Meanwhile, Hegseth released a video on social media on Thursday in which he acknowledged the threat of impeachment and argued that it would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” and that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”

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Trump is left to weigh his next move in Iran war that contributed to GOP debacle

As he takes stock of his Republican Party’s midterm drubbing, President Donald Trump now faces the difficult question of what to do about his unpopular 8-month-old war against Iran.

For weeks, Trump has threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran once the U.S. elections were in the rearview mirror if Tehran did not come to a settlement under terms acceptable to him.

In his first comments on Wednesday after Democrats’ resounding election victory — a wave powered in part by the American electorate’s dissatisfaction with the war — Trump largely agreed with Vice President JD Vance, who publicly ruminated on the war being a catastrophe for Republicans.

And in an Oval Office exchange with reporters Thursday, Trump suggested that the election losses aren’t weighing on his calculations.

“If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked in,” Trump said.

Now, as Trump ponders his next move, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Iran, the Middle East and the global economy writ large.

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Shelton advanced with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win under the roof of the Plenitude Arena after converting two of four break points. It was his third win in five meetings between the two.

The third-seeded Shelton hit 19 aces as he ended Paul's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals scheduled in Turin from Nov. 15-22. As a result, another American player, Frances Tiafoe, clinched his spot and will make his debut at the season-ending tournament.

“Frances has had an outstanding year. One of my best friends, and to see him make Turin for the first time is amazing,” Shelton said. “I’m super happy for him, and obviously we have had a lot of Americans competing for that spot. It’s been a big year from all of us, and it’s cool that we are all in the mix.”

There is only one singles spot up for grabs at the Finals, with top-ranked Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli and Arthur Fils having already qualified. If Taylor Fritz defeats Alcaraz to reach the Paris Masters semifinals later Friday, he will join them in Turin. If he loses, Rafael Jodar will take part in the elite gathering instead.

It was Shelton 44th tour-level victory of the season, improving his personal-best win tally following his 42 wins in 2024.

He will next be up against either Frenchman Luca Van Assche or qualifier Rinky Hijikata.

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

“We said, ‘Who?’” Caddix CEO Jack Rasmussen recalled. “And he said, ‘I’ll tell you later.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, this is a fun conversation.’”

It turns out the fun was just beginning.

Gormely's client was Chicago Bears star Caleb Williams, and the call marked a watershed moment for Caddix — even if no one knew exactly how it was going to go at the time. Williams started using the cleats this season, and he was fined $11,941 by the NFL for wearing an unauthorized logo in Week 6 at Atlanta and $23,882 for the same infraction in Week 7 against New England.

It was quite a moment for Baltimore-based Caddix, which has four employees and earned just under $2 million in revenue last year.

“To be able to turn around with this press from Caleb Williams and to get what would be tens of millions of dollars in free advertising and conversation, that is a cash cow for a small company,” said Peter Stolpe, a professor in the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon. “That is fantastic news. And it’s even more fantastic news that the player of record is saying, I feel better in these cleats.”

NFL policy prohibits players from displaying unapproved logos on their footwear. The three authorized footwear suppliers for the league are Adidas, Nike and Under Armour. If players decide to use shoes or cleats from another company, all visible third-party names, logos, brands or other commercial identification have to be removed or covered.

Caddix doesn't have a sponsorship deal with Williams — the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft — but Rasmussen has offered to pay the NFL fines. Caddix also provided a blank pair of cleats that Williams used in Monday night's 34-17 win at Seattle, staving off any further punishment from the league.

“Just to calm things down, man,” Williams said.

Caddix cleats have flexible studs that are designed to reduce strain on knees and ankles. Williams helped develop his model with Gormely and Rasmussen, who flew to Florida in June to watch the quarterback throw and work on the final details.

“The cleats, they’ve been great, they’ve been super comfy and they’ve worked,” Williams said. “They are a science type of cleat. ... They call them smart studs, and they move when you move in these hard plants so they take tension off of your tendons and your joints.”

More than 80 NFL players are using Caddix cleats, according to Rasmussen. The list includes Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid.

Kayla Sharples, a defender on the NWSL's Kansas City Current, is an investor in Caddix, and the brand also is popular in women's lacrosse.

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said he has been wearing the cleats for two years, and he whites out the logo to avoid a fine.

“I’ve genuinely never slipped since I’ve worn these,” he said.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Will Lee said he started using the cleats after he saw teammate Jaycee Horn wearing them in the offseason.

“They got the rotational studs in the bottom of them, so they help a lot with cuts, breaks on grass fields and turf fields,” he said.

The origins of Caddix trace back to former Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles tearing the ACL in his right knee in October 2015. Rasmussen and his father, Jeff, were watching the game, and they thought it looked like a solvable footwear problem.

Jack Rasmussen was 19 at the time. He was a college dropout and worked as a housekeeper. But he studied biomechanics and physics and applied for a patent with his dad while they developed their idea for cleats.

He eventually went back to school, playing college football as a punter for Missouri Western State and Western New Mexico.

“Honestly, I didn’t play football till I was 23 years old, so I didn’t know much about it,” Rasmussen said. “I didn’t play in high school or anything. ... So being on the football field and watching my teammates complain about their cleats, it was so informational because the best part about cleats is taking them off, you know. So I had testers at my disposal all the time.”

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco was among a group of roughly 25 NFL players who started wearing the cleats in 2024, and they were approved for on-field use by the league before last season. Flacco and former Baltimore Ravens tight ends Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta are all investors in the company.

Pitta introduced the cleats to Kincaid, who was slowed by knee injuries the past two years. The 27-year-old Kincaid started wearing them during offseason workouts.

“I love them. I’m going to continue to wear them,” Kincaid said. “I actually just texted Dennis, I was like, I need a new pair. They’ve been great to me.”

Rasmussen said Caddix has been selling cleats for 19 months, and the company is working on raising money through a funding round. It could make a recovery or lifestyle shoe down the road.

“It’s pretty rare air that we’re breathing, but it’s exciting,” Rasmussen said. “It’s really tough to quantify. ... It’s an exciting ride.”

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AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi and Josh Dubow, and AP Sports Writers John Wawrow, Steve Reed and Will Graves contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The authorities affiliated with the Yemeni government in Taiz blamed the Houthis for the attack and said that no airstrikes were carried out in the area. The AP couldn't independently verify either side's claims.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said three airstrikes hit the al-Hadara market in al-Waziyah in the province of Taiz at around 7 a.m.

He blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks and claimed warplanes took off from the Khamis Mushait air base and left Taiz province around 8 a.m. He did not provide evidence.

Saudi Arabia’s information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Houthi health ministry spokesperson, Anees Alsabahi, said at least 20 people were killed and that another 15 people were wounded. He told Houthi-run TV Al Masirah that the death toll was expected to rise.

Footage aired by Al-Masirah showed plumes of smoke rising from the site, with a damaged building containing canned food, destroyed vehicles, scattered fruit boxes and rubble and debris.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were at the market at the time of the reported attack, though markets tend to be busy on Fridays, a day off in much of the Arab world.

The provincial media office acknowledged in a Facebook statement that there had been an attack on the busy market and said that there were casualties, but didn't provide details.

Houthis control areas in Taiz, but the city where the provincial government is based is allied with the Saudi-backed government and is besieged by the Houthis.

The media office added that “indiscriminate Houthi missile attacks,” including the use of ballistic missiles, endanger civilian lives. It said markets and populated areas must be protected.

Last month, the Houthis struck Yemeni government forces with ballistic missiles, killing at least 75 soldiers at a military camp and wounding around 200 recruits in the southern province of Shabwa. The rebels acknowledged targeting the camp at the time.

Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia in September of striking a prison in the country’s north. The prison in Hazm, the Jawf provincial capital, collapsed when coalition strikes hit the area, killing at least 23 people.

In September, the Houthis ramped up their advance on Taiz, a strategic gateway to southern Yemen, after a lightning-fast capture of the port city of Mokha, an area about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away that is vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea.

The rebels have tightened their encirclement of the city of Taiz, which is controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation among civilians. Residents are struggling to secure drinking water and food supplies as the Houthis restrict movement into the city.

In the hills surrounding Taiz, government forces are trying to repel the Houthis, but face stiff resistance, especially east of the city. Gaining control of Taiz city is vital to the Houthis if they seek to advance south toward Aden and Lahj, analysts say, but that won’t be easy, experts previously said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is likely to return as majority leader next year, promised in an interview with The Associated Press that Democrats will prevent the Republican president from installing a “right-winger” on the Supreme Court and that they are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” elsewhere in the federal judiciary or in Trump's Cabinet.

Democrats will hold at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate next year and as many as 56 depending on final results in Mississippi and Alaska, giving them a significant majority to block Trump's nominees or just ignore them outright.

After years of being on the losing end of highly partisan confirmation fights against Republicans, especially on Supreme Court nominees, Democrats will be under considerable pressure to wield the same type of aggressive tactics.

This all but erases any prospect that Trump could add to his imprint on the court he established in his first term by naming three of the current justices. In the past, Trump had mused privately that he could end up nominating up to seven people for the nine-person bench by the end of his second term, according to a person with knowledge of those comments.

Schumer declined to say specifically whether he would hold any Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016, clearing the way for Trump to nominate the first of his three Supreme Court picks.

“The bottom line is, we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said.

The White House said Thursday that “extreme Democrats have a history of politicizing the Supreme Court, even entertaining plans to pack the Court with liberal justices.”

“President Trump will never let them pack the Supreme Court and ruin the independent judiciary," White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said.

Neither of the court’s two oldest justices, Samuel Alito, 76, or Clarence Thomas, 78, has publicly indicated an imminent retirement. Lifetime appointments typically come with a remove from political upheaval, even of the scale of Tuesday’s elections in which Democrats regained control of both the House and the Senate.

“I think the justices must know that if they were to retire now, at this moment, right before Democrats take the Senate, there would be an enormous amount of pressure unlike any we’ve seen to make serious change to the court,” said Dale Carpenter, a law professor at Southern Methodist University’s law school.

Alito has publicly mused about retirement in recent months, telling The Associated Press that he’s not sure “how long I’ll be able to continue to do this job.” But he’s also said he’ll stay on the court through the end of the term next summer and told Bloomberg he would not step down during a lame-duck period.

Meanwhile, Thomas is closing in on a record-setting tenure and would become the longest-serving justice in the nation’s history if he served until May 2028.

Trump has shown unusual deference to Alito and Thomas, even as he’s attacked other justices who’ve ruled against him, praising both for their legal acumen and declining to say whether they should step down so the president could nominate their successors.

In a Fox News Channel interview in April, Trump said he has a shortlist of potential nominees but said he did not know whether he would have another vacancy this year, citing Alito’s “very good physical health.”

The Democrats' sizable margins in the Senate also will hamper the Republicans' effort to regain ground in the 2028 elections, in which the GOP will be defending states such as Wisconsin, North Carolina and Iowa where Democrats made significant gains on Tuesday.

“Chance of confirming a worthy successor to Justice Thomas and/or Alito during President Trump’s term: Zero,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X after Tuesday’s elections. “Chance of confirming a worthy successor during a hypothetical GOP admin 2029-2033: probably zero (GOP won’t be able to recapture enough seats in 28).”

Historically, some justices have timed their retirements with the president who would name their successor in mind, but it’s far from the only consideration in their decision-making.

Former liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously resisted efforts from progressives to retire when President Barack Obama, a Democrat, was in office and died in the last year of Trump’s first term, allowing him to replace her with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Barrett would go on in 2022 to join the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which erased the constitutional right to an abortion.

Even if there were a surprise Supreme Court vacancy in the coming weeks, lame-duck confirmations while Republicans still remain in power aren’t a sure thing.

Trump effectively forced Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina out of a reelection bid. That seat was won Tuesday by one of the state's former governors, Democrat Roy Cooper. The president also opposed two Republican incumbents in their primary races, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. Democrats flipped the seat in Texas. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, another Republican who lost, attributed her defeat in part to Trump.

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This story has been corrected to show Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, not a seat in Texas and a seat in Louisiana.

No suspicious items have been found and no one has been injured, but the threats have raised concern because they came on the heels of other European disruptions — including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions.

Overall, the threats have caused minimal disruption to aviation, according to the European air traffic authority. Eurocontrol said it was aware of bomb threats against 14 flights on Thursday — only 0.05% of all of the nearly 26,300 flights across the European network that day — and seven on Tuesday.

Even so, airlines have to take every threat seriously because they are ultimately responsible for the lives of their passengers, said Robert Jordan, research director at Britain's Royal United Services Institute think tank.

Jordan told the BBC that there are more ways than ever to make threats against flights, and secure messaging apps have allowed for greater anonymity.

“The risk appetite for airlines is always going to be incredibly low,” he said, noting the great strides that have been made in airport security in recent years. “It is baked into their safety procedures, and it’s baked into their security procedures.”

Fighter jets are scrambled

In Hungary, the defense minister said fighter jets escorted three passenger planes Friday through the country’s airspace within an hour after each received a bomb threat. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said the escorts were for flights from Brussels to Sofia, and from Prague to Cyprus and Romania.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said four bomb threats were made against aircraft flying over France. The planes landed safely at Paris’ Orly Airport and bomb disposal experts conducted inspections. The office didn’t specify which flights were affected.

Threats were also made against a Prague-to-Bucharest flight operated by Romanian carrier Tarom, and a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome. A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert, and passengers were evacuated after the aircraft landed.

Eurocontrol said Friday it was monitoring the situation and working closely with airlines, airports, navigation service providers and other groups across Europe “to mitigate any disruption to air traffic flows.”

At Prague's Václav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights were threatened, including flights from Denmark, Spain and Britain, and departures to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy and Britain. Czech police said security measures were taken that had “a minimal impact on the normal operations at the airport.”

Diverting and inspecting flights is costly, though.

“I think it’s a big problem for aviation that this is happening," Torstein Nymoen, a 52-year-old Norwegian traveler, said at the Prague airport. "It must cost a lot for the companies, the aviation companies. And I think that it’s sad that some people are doing this.”

In Denmark, police deployed to Copenhagen airport for a second consecutive day as a precautionary measure over threats directed at air traffic, and deemed there was not danger to passengers or others at the airport.

No clear evidence on who is behind the threats

More than two dozen flights were affected by threats earlier in the week, with some diverted as authorities scrambled to rule out any danger.

Fake bomb threats are relatively common but it is unusual to see so many in such a short period.

It remains unclear who is behind the airline threats, which come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be ramping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe.

Authorities have not attributed the threats to any group or state actor, and no evidence has emerged linking the hoaxes to a government. An email containing the threat sent Thursday to airport authorities in Rome and reviewed by The Associated Press purported to come from a group describing itself as anti-feminist and claiming it was targeting a “feminist regime.” Another European airport received a threat with similar wording, but it was unclear if it came from the same sender.

Bomb threats are on pilots’ minds and create unnecessary tension, but crews are prepared to respond professionally, said Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association. Pilots review procedures with cabin crews, identify airports where they could divert and may carry extra fuel, he said.

Reuter called the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption or hoaxes “totally unacceptable.”

Broadcasters also received threats

In Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated Friday because of a bomb threat, and live broadcasts were replaced with prerecorded programs. Staff returned to the building after a few hours, once police with sniffer dogs had searched the area and declared it safe.

Ireland’s police force, An Garda Síochána, said it has been liaising with Irish media organizations and that the threat will be investigated.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threats to RTE and others “just illustrates how relatively simple it can be to cause disruption and to undermine the normal operation of society through unconventional activities of this kind, which are designed to cause fear and anxiety.”

He said there would be a “very significant security operation” in place next week when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders.

Separately, U.K.-based broadcaster Sky said it had also received a “security threat.” In a statement reported by Sky News channel, it said that “we are working closely with authorities to ensure our people and operations remain secure.” Sky News remained on air.

It's not clear if the incidents were linked.

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These Associated Press reporters contributed: Jill Lawless in London; Suman Naishadham in Madrid; Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England; Giada Zampano in Rome; Karel Janicek and Stanislav Hodina in Prague; Sylvie Corbet in Paris; and Mark Carlson in Brussels.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and trimmed its loss for the week to 2.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 33 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% higher.

The relative steadiness for Wall Street halted what had been a worldwide tumble for stocks. Indexes dropped 6% in Tokyo and 6% in Seoul following the U.S. market’s plunge on Thursday. European indexes have fewer stocks tied to the artificial-intelligence industry, but Germany’s DAX nevertheless lost 2.1%.

Friday’s biggest lift for the S&P 500 came from Nvidia, the chip company that’s become the face of the boom and possible bust of the AI frenzy. Its stock climbed 4.1%, coming off drops of 9.3% and 3.2%.

It and other companies tied to the build-out of AI data centers tumbled this week on worries that Democratic victories in statehouses across the country could mean a slowdown in further construction, particularly in Texas. Voters across political parties say they’re wary about AI and don’t like increases to power bills caused by data centers.

That built on top of worries already rattling the industry that further construction of AI data centers may slow because of how expensive it’s become to borrow money. Before that, even, critics were saying AI stock prices had shot too high and were in a bubble.

But political power in Washington will still be split between a Democratic Congress and a White House run by Republican President Donald Trump, who retains the power to veto. That could limit federal efforts to rein in AI data center construction.

In the meantime, companies in the industry still see strong growth ahead.

IREN, a company that delivers data centers, compute and software for AI training, reported stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its stock jumped 17.6%, and it also announced two new contracts signed since the end of the quarter.

“We own the land, the power and the data centers under all of it, which gives us more ways to fund growth and lets us set its pace,” co-CEO Daniel Roberts said.

Lam Research, a company whose equipment and services help make semiconductors, climbed 9.2% after announcing a program to send up to $25 billion to its investors by buying back shares of its own stock.

That helped other stocks that have benefited from the build-out of AI data centers recover some of their own sharp losses. CoreWeave, which rents out access to AI chips to customers over the cloud, rose 3%. Micron Technology, which sells memory for computers, climbed 4.9%.

Outside of AI, the U.S. stock market was mixed, and more stocks fell within the S&P 500 than rose.

Axon Enterprise tumbled 16.7% after the seller of Tasers reported weaker results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also announced a $1.2 billion investment in Skydio, a drone technology company.

Charter Communications sank 2.9% after the internet and video provider reported a loss for the latest quarter, when analysts were expecting a profit.

In the bond market, Treasury yields recovered some of their sharp drops from earlier in the week, triggered by tumbling stock prices and hopes that split control of Washington could limit how much more the U.S. government adds to its debt.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.86% from 4.84% late Thursday. It had topped 5.30% last month when worries about inflation, higher interest rates and rising government debt were spiking.

Helping to support yields was a report showing U.S. employers hired many more workers last month than economists expected. It’s the latest signal that the U.S. economy continues to chug along despite high inflation.

On one hand, the encouraging report suggests the U.S. economy may be able to absorb any slowdown in construction of AI data centers. But at the same time, the strong growth in jobs could push upward on inflation. Following the report, traders saw a greater probability of the Federal Reserve hiking its short-term interest rate at its next meeting in December, according to data from CME Group.

Hikes by rates to the Fed can rein in inflation, but they do so by making borrowing money more expensive for everyone and slowing the overall economy.

A separate report, meanwhile, suggested that sentiment among U.S. consumers unexpectedly improved. The preliminary report from the University of Michigan said sentiment rose for lower- and middle-wealth Americans but fell for those with the largest stock portfolios.

Perhaps more importantly for the bond market, the survey also said expectations for inflation in the coming year eased for Americans. That could prevent a vicious cycle where expectations for high inflation drive behavior that only worsens inflation.

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AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

Federal prosecutors say Matthew Farwell killed Sandra Birchmore, 23, and tried to stage her death as a suicide in 2021 after learning she was pregnant with what he thought was his child. At the time, Farwell was a married detective with the Stoughton Police Department, where Birchmore had participated in a youth program as a child.

Lawyers for Farwell, who is now 40, acknowledge he had an extramarital relationship with Birchmore. But they say he didn't kill her and didn't have sex with her until she was an adult.

The trial has unfolded in federal court in Boston, partly because local prosecutors never brought criminal charges.

Massachusetts State Police officers and investigators, some with personal connections to Farwell, quickly concluded Birchmore's death was a suicide after she was found slumped on her apartment floor with a strap around her neck.

The state’s medical examiner, relying partly on information from police, also initially ruled that Birchmore died by suicide. The office has since changed the official manner of death to “undetermined.”

But Birchmore's friends and family never believed the teacher's aide had killed herself.

She had told dozens of friends about her pregnancy and, according to prosecutors, was thrilled to start her next chapter as a single mom. She had booked a maternity shoot, was searching for a venue for her baby shower and was considering baby names. A stroller, still in the box, was found in her apartment along with an ultrasound photo pinned to her refrigerator.

The FBI began looking into Birchmore’s death in 2023, partly at the urging of a former deputy chief at the Stoughton Police Department who had led an internal affairs investigation into Farwell and several other officers accused of misconduct.

Federal investigators concluded the local probe was rushed and compromised. Farwell was interviewed for just 15 minutes in a parking lot, they said. Investigators didn’t take notes, examine him for injuries or sample his DNA. Police did look at Farwell’s phone, but only after he had deleted texts with Birchmore.

Farwell’s twin brother, Billy Farwell, testified that the lead investigator — a longtime family friend — told him he wanted the case closed and needed the investigation like he needed a “bullet in the head.”

The FBI investigation uncovered about 40,000 texts between Farwell and Birchmore, including some in which they reminisced about having sex when he was 27 and she was 15 — too young to consent under Massachusetts law.

The text exchanges also showed how their relationship grew contentious as Birchmore pressed Farwell to get her pregnant and threatened to tell his wife about their relationship. Texts in late 2020, after she was pregnant, showed they argued over what role, if any, Farwell would play in the child's life.

At trial, a digital forensics expert testified that Birchmore’s phone stopped moving at 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2021 — three minutes before the lobby security camera recorded Farwell leaving her building on the night of her death.

An expert hired by prosecutors, Dr. William Smock, testified that Birchmore’s injuries indicated she was strangled with a duffel bag strap and that she struggled before dying.

The defense countered with its own expert, Dr. Thomas Andrew, the former chief medical examiner in New Hampshire, who said the evidence pointed to hanging. He dismissed Smock's determination that it was a homicide.

Farwell’s lawyers say he went to Birchmore’s apartment to break up with her, not kill her. Farwell’s legal team also leaned heavily on Birchmore’s mental health challenges and attempted to show she was at risk of suicide.

A paternity test later revealed that a different man had gotten Birchmore pregnant.

Curl Fletcher Cole Jr. was reported missing Thursday, Nov. 5 after leaving his home in the 60th block of Stegman Lane in Pontiac.

His current whereabouts remain unknown.

Deputies believe Cole may be in the area of Kentucky Street in Detroit, where he has family connections.

Investigators are asking residents in that area, as well as anyone who may have had recent contact with Cole to come forward with information that could help locate him.

According to investigators, Cole previously attended Mumford High School in Detroit where he was enrolled as of Sept. 23, 2026. On Oct. 19, he transitioned to online schooling.

He is described as weighing approximately 180 pounds, 5 feet 10 inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair styled in locs.

He was last seen wearing all-black clothing, with black shoes and carrying a black backpack.

Anyone who has been Cole or knows about his whereabouts is urged to contact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office at 248-858-4950.

Sixteen people were injured, three of them seriously, the prefecture in Ain said.

Tabarot visited the scene in a rural area northeast of Lyon, where he described the crash as a “tragic accident” and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

“This is a bus operated by the regional authority that was transporting about 15 students” and other passengers, he said.

Ain prefect Louis-Xavier Thirode told news broadcaster BFM that preliminary blood tests carried out on the bus driver found “no traces of alcohol or drugs."

Bus passengers included children traveling to middle and high schools in the area. A photograph from the scene showed that the bus had veered off the road, struck trees and landed in a ditch.

Lent Mayor Yves Cristin told broadcaster Franceinfo that “the road was a little wet, there was no fog, and we don’t understand why the bus ... veered off the road.”

“My thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X. "The nation stands with them. My gratitude goes to the emergency crews responding to the accident.”

“It is always a difficult moment when our students, our children, are victims of an accident like this,” Education Minister Édouard Geffray told reporters during a visit to a high school in the Paris region.

Zelenskyy's comments in an interview aired late Thursday followed two days of discussions among allies in Brussels that focused on postwar security and reconstruction. They also came before planned three-way talks next week in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, the first trilateral peace discussions since February.

While talks on the contours of peace continue, the grim reality of war remained front and center Friday in Ukraine, with more Russian drone attacks and a rising death toll from Moscow's guided bomb strike Monday on a former school operating as a humanitarian aid distribution center.

Russian overnight drone strikes caused extensive power outages in several regions, including the Kyiv area, while Bulgarian authorities found what they identified as a Russian drone in the Black Sea.

Zelenskyy seeks security guarantees for Ukraine

Two days of talks in Brussels discussed postwar reconstruction, funding for 2027 and security guarantees backed by the Ukrainian government’s Western allies. The meetings brought together officials from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and the European Union, along with representatives from the World Bank and the U.S. investment group BlackRock, Ukrainian lead negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote in an online post.

“We separately discussed the threats from Russia to Ukraine and all of Europe, as well as joint steps to counter them,” Umerov wrote.

In his television interview, Zelenskyy said he wanted to see tangible results.

“What matters is that it’s clear on paper,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Ukraine’s private 1+1 television broadcast late Thursday. “The question isn’t dozens of points, but simply an understanding of the outcome: If Russia starts (attacking) again, what will happen? Who will do what, with what means, and when?”

Zelenskyy said it was important to maintain bipartisan support for Kyiv in the United States but acknowledged Democrats’ sweeping victories in this week’s midterm elections could have a positive effect on U.S. assistance, including the faster delivery of Patriot missile interceptors that Kyiv says are vital to fend off Russian airstrikes.

“I believe our chances of getting additional assistance from the United States may now grow,” he said.

Trump met a Russian envoy in Washington

President Donald Trump met Thursday with Moscow envoy Kirill Dmitriev but declined to give details of what they discussed.

“There’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that it might include all of Europe.

Trump's son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner said in a social media message that the goal of the Brussels talks was to “develop practical arrangements that address the security concerns of all sides, reduce the risk of future conflict and create a more stable and predictable security environment.”

European Union is skeptical

The European Union played down expectations for an agreement anytime soon.

“We look forward to seeing it materialize, but there’s a lot of work that needs to go into it,” European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said. The commission hosted the first day of talks Wednesday at its Brussels headquarters.

“Above all, there needs to be a willingness on the side of the one who first started the war, the one who aggressed,” she told reporters, in a reference to Russia. “There’s a very long way to go there because we haven’t seen much movement on that side.”

Moscow awaits details on possible deal flagged by Trump

The Kremlin on Friday did not comment on Trump’s remarks about a possible deal.

“There are no details,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov said Russia had received no ideas from Europe on security guarantees, but added that any discussion of security between Russia and Ukraine would at some point be “impossible” without Europe’s involvement.

The Kremlin spokesman accused the European side of “persistent indecisiveness and a lack of readiness,” adding that European leaders “haven’t even managed to decide who is authorized to speak on their behalf.”

Death toll climbs above 50 following Russian attack on aid location

The death toll from a Russian bomb attack this week on a shelter and a former school now being used as an aid distribution center rose to 53 after more bodies were recovered from the rubble, Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the region’s military administration, said in an online post.

Ten powerful guided bombs destroyed the facility at Komyshuvakha, a village in southeast Ukraine. Several dozen people are still believed to be missing after what was one of the deadliest attacks in the region in nearly five years of fighting.

Relentless drone war continues

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused extensive power outages in seven regions of the country overnight and Friday morning, the Energy Ministry said.

The Kyiv region was hardest hit, with damage forcing continued grid restrictions and crews working on day and night shifts to restore power.

Zelenskyy said the electricity outages and resulting water cuts were worst in the Kyiv area, where “the challenges are very serious” for the capital’s residents and industry.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 227 attack drones, including 86 jet-powered ones, with strikes reported at 14 locations and falling debris at eight more. Overall, Ukraine’s air defenses shot down or suppressed 196 Russian drones overnight into Friday.

In Bulgaria, authorities found and destroyed a Russian Gerbera-2 drone, which was not carrying explosives, in the waters of the country's northern Black Sea coast, the Defense Ministry said Friday. Drones or drone parts have been found numerous times in the sea or on the shore in Bulgaria following the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine this year.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that it shot down 142 Ukrainian drones overnight.

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Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; Elise Morton in Thessaloniki, Greece; Lorne Cook in Brussels; Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed.

Hiring was far stronger than the 65,000 new jobs that economists had expected.

The jobs report comes three days after voters delivered a stunning defeat to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party in midterm elections. Frustrated with the state of the economy — and especially the high cost of living – Americans handed full control of Congress to the Democrats.

But the latest jobs report looked solid. Labor Department revisions added a combined 84,000 new jobs to the August and September totals.

The unemployment rate fell even though 421,000 people entered the labor force.

Average hourly wages rose 0.4% in October from September, the biggest month-over-month gain since January.

"This was a blowout jobs report,'' said Angelo Kourkafas, senior global strategist at Edward Jones. "Payroll growth exceeded expectations, revisions were positive, the unemployment rate fell, participation improved, and wage growth strengthened.''

The strong job gains will likely make Federal Reserve policymakers more confident in the health of the labor market, giving them leeway to focus on persistently high inflation and raise their benchmark interest rate at their next meeting in December.

The central bank typically seeks to bring down inflation by lifting its key interest rate to cool borrowing and spending. The Fed raised the rate in September but left it alone at its meeting last month. Wall Street investors now see the chance of a December rate hike at 77%, up about 10 percentage points from Thursday, according to CME’s FedWatch.

“For sure, we’re looking at another rate increase in December and possibly another one in early 2027,’’ said Boston College economist Brian Bethune.

Solid hiring also underscores a concern among many Fed officials that their key rate isn’t high enough to slow inflation.

Hourly wages were up a meager 3.1% from October 2025. That means many workers have seen their purchasing power decline over the past year, despite continued hiring.

Professional and business services – a broad category of administrative and managerial workers – added 70,000 jobs. Healthcare companies hired nearly 42,000. Factories added 19,000 jobs. But hotels, restaurants and bars cut 10,600.

The job market has been solid but unspectacular.

So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have added an average of 86,000 jobs a month. That is modest by historic standards but an improvement over 2025, when monthly job creation averaged 9,700. That was the weakest performance outside of a recession since 2002. Last year, high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.

Despite recovering this year, hiring remains well below the average of 166,000 jobs created monthly in 2023 and 2024, let alone the 491,000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.

Economists see a “low-hire, low-fire’’ environment in which employers are reluctant to let go of existing workers but aren’t in any hurry to hire new ones. Young people entering the workforce, or those who’ve lost their jobs, can struggle to find work.

The United States doesn’t need as many new jobs as it once did to keep the unemployment rate from rising. That's because baby boomer retirements and Trump’s immigration crackdown mean fewer people are competing for work.

In late 2023, the so-called break-even point was around 166,000 new jobs a month. It’s now just over 5,000, according to an estimate by Yale University’s Budget Lab, which drew on an earlier Federal Reserve report.

The American economy and job market have proven resilient in the face of a series of shocks — Trump’s double-digit tariffs on imports and the war with Iran, which has driven U.S. gasoline prices above $4 a gallon and pinched family budgets.

Gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — advanced at a sprightly 3.4% annual pace from July through September, lifted by strong consumer spending and booming investment in artificial intelligence.

But AI can also mean that businesses need fewer workers.

At SharkNinja in Needham, Massachusetts, sales jumped 21% in the latest quarter as budget-minded shoppers brought the company's appliances – such as coffee- and smoothie-makers-- to save money on dining out.

But CEO Mark Barrocas says he’s slowed hiring – to 5% next year from 8% to 10% the previous two years. The reason: AI. SharkNinja, which has a total global work force of 4,200, has implemented AI tools in such areas as product innovation, media planning and finance.

“It’s allowing people to work on much more higher impact initiatives as opposed to more tedious tasks,” he said. But AI has also created new jobs for people with expertise in using AI to increase efficiency.

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AP Retail Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York and AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this story.

Researchers in Canada captured images of an unidentified baby North Atlantic right whale, one of the rarest sea mammals in the world, off Anticosti Island in Quebec in September. Scientists with the New England Aquarium in Boston said this week that after analyzing photos and data about right whales, they have determined it was a calf likely born months ago that went unseen during winter surveys for the giant animals.

The discovery puts the number of baby right whales discovered from the most recent birthing season at 24, the most productive year for the whales since 2009 and the fourth-highest count on record, the aquarium said. The whales number only about 380 in the world, and their population has fallen since 2010.

The whale was seen with its mother, a 38-year-old whale known to researchers as Silt, scientists said. Right whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in winter before venturing north to New England and Canada to feed.

The whales are extensively cataloged with photography by researchers because they are so rare. It's also rare for the researchers who study the whales to miss a baby, but the discovery was a welcome surprise, said Amy Warren, a scientist at the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center.

“Silt was briefly seen in the southeastern U.S. calving grounds in February 2026, so it’s possible she had the calf there but snuck away before they were documented together. This is an exciting discovery for us so late in the year,” Warren said.

Baby right whale births are closely tracked by scientists because the tiny population needs successful calving years to remain viable. There are only about 70 reproductive-age females left in the population, and scientists have said the whales have reached 20 calves in a season only a few times since 2010.

That was when their numbers started falling, as they lost about 25% between 2010 and 2020. The whales are vulnerable to collisions with large ships and entanglement in commercial fishing gear, and the warming of the ocean has heightened those threats because they have strayed from protected areas, scientists have said. They also suffered a disastrous year in 2018 when no babies were born.

Recent years have been slightly more encouraging, as the whales have gained back some of their population since 2020. But conservationists have decried recent moves by the U.S. government to delay new protections for the whales for a decade in favor of commercial fishing interests.

The baby whale sighted off Quebec was spotted by researchers with Mingan Island Cetacean Study, a nonprofit research organization in the province's coastal Côte-Nord region. The whale wasn't seen by researchers despite boat-based and aerial surveys along the U.S. East Coast all spring and summer, the New England Aquarium said.

Scientists are celebrating the animal's addition to a successful breeding season for the rare whales, said Richard Sears, founder and director of Mingan Island Cetacean Study.

“It just goes to show you how big the ocean is, and how those animals can get lost out there,” he said.

Meanwhile, deadly Saudi airstrikes at a popular market in a city in neighboring Yemen killed at least 20 people Friday, the health ministry run by the country's Houthi rebels said. Authorities in the government-controlled city blamed the Houthis for the attack, and said there were no airstrikes.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.

Trump discusses de-escalation efforts with Qatar's emir

The telephone call between Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani centered on international efforts to end tensions, according to a statement from the Qatari ruler's media office. The two discussed in particular Qatar’s mediation efforts aimed at reaching “a comprehensive agreement that ends the crisis and achieves security and stability in the region.”

Qatar has been mediating between the United States and Iran to end the war. Qatar and other U.S.-allied Gulf Arab countries came under heavy fire by Iran earlier in the U.S.-Iran war and have been anxious to avoid a new escalation that could leave them vulnerable to attacks.

During the call, Sheik Tamim “stressed the importance of continuing dialogue and adopting diplomatic means to resolve disputes, sparing the region further escalation, and ensuring freedom of maritime navigation and the security of energy supplies,” according to the statement.

Iran's foreign minister continues telephone diplomacy with Egypt

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to prioritize diplomatic solutions during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

During the call on Thursday, Abdelatty urged all sides to display flexibility and compromise to reach a political solution and avoid further escalation, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nader Zaki said.

On Friday, Araghchi held phone calls with his Iraqi and Tunisian counterparts to outline diplomatic progress aimed at easing tensions in the region. Earlier this week, he talked with Turkey and Gulf leaders about regional developments and securing freedom of maritime navigation.

One of the deadliest strikes in Yemen since fighting resumed

Airstrikes hit a popular market in southwestern Yemen on Friday, killing at least 20 people, according to an official with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

If confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest attacks since fighting resumed between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces.

Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anees Alsabahi told Houthi-run TV Al Masirah that 15 people were also wounded in three airstrikes on the market in al-Waziyah in the province of Taiz. He said that the death toll was expected to rise from the strikes, which he blamed on the Saudi-led coalition.

Local authorities in Taiz acknowledged that an attack on a busy market killed and wounded people, without providing details on the actual toll. But they blamed the Houthis, saying no airstrikes were carried out in the area.

The Associated Press couldn’t immediately independently verify the claims of responsibility. Saudi Arabia’s information ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Senators rejected Peña’s request for 72 more hours to respond to accusations stemming from the failure of Ueno Bank, a digital lender that counted nearly half of Paraguay’s population as customers. Its collapse this week froze the savings of millions of Paraguayans and upended a country long seen by investors as one of South America’s most stable.

Interior Minister Enrique Riera resigned late Thursday, followed Friday by Peña’s chief of staff, Javier Giménez, and his legal adviser, Roberto Moreno, who quit just as the president prepared to defend himself before the Senate.

Peña said he had received the summons only hours before the session, along with about 300 pages of accusations and evidence, leaving him no time to hire a lawyer or review the case.

“That is not due process,” he wrote on X.

Within a mere three days, the implosion of Ueno has plunged Paraguay into its deepest political crisis in more than a decade. Regulators seized the bank before dawn Tuesday. By Thursday afternoon, Peña had offered to resign as his own party turned on him.

“It was never my intention to betray the trust you placed in me,” he said in a video address as Paraguayans took to the streets of Asunción, the capital, and other cities nationwide, clashing with police and demanding that Peña be held accountable.

Former President Horacio Cartes, Peña’s mentor and the patriarch of the long-ruling conservative Colorado Party, publicly backed his ouster. The lower house voted 78-0 to impeach Peña and send the case to the Senate. It was a stunning reversal for the former International Monetary Fund economist, whose presidency had rested on the backing of his party’s most powerful figures.

Under Paraguay’s Constitution, a president who resigns — rather than being removed through impeachment — becomes a senator for life, with parliamentary immunity that could shield him from prosecution. That has turned Peña’s exit into a political battle.

The president's remaining allies want Congress to approve his resignation, while opponents want the Senate to convict and oust him. When his allies saw Thursday that they lacked the votes, they walked out, leaving too few lawmakers to proceed and Peña in office.

Conviction requires 30 votes in the 45-member Senate. Either way, Vice President Pedro Alliana, who survived his own impeachment attempt Thursday, would serve out the term through August 2028.

The impeachment charges center on Peña’s close ties to Ueno, which grew from a little-known lender into one of Paraguay’s largest banks in just a few years, taking in more than $800 million in public funds.

Lawmakers cite Peña’s stake in Ueno’s holding company, which he sold only last year, and his appointment of a former Ueno executive to run the central bank that regulated it. They also accuse him of letting public pension deposits at the bank exceed legal limits.

Prosecutors on Thursday opened three criminal investigations into the bank’s collapse, including complaints against Peña, Vice President Alliana and current and former officials at the central bank and the state pension fund.

Former Ueno CEO Miguel Vázquez has been charged with crimes including breach of trust and attempted fraud, and a judge has ordered six bank directors held in pretrial detention. Police and prosecutors raided company offices in Asunción and towed nine luxury vehicles from Vázquez’s home early Friday.

Ueno Bank's nearly 3 million customers still cannot withdraw cash, make digital payments or use their bank cards. The central bank calls the collapse an isolated case and insists the broader financial system is safe.

Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta were all 12-under overall to share the lead after two rounds at Yas Links.

McIlroy had said even if he were three shots behind it's still "a much better position than I thought I would be.”

On Thursday, McIlroy was handed a two-shot penalty after his first round when officials ruled he had improved his lie on a hole where he made double-bogey. He posted a 2-under 70 to be eight shots back of first-round leader Laporta of Italy.

“Before I left the course, I made peace with it. I didn’t dwell on it,” McIlroy said Friday. “I’d much rather be two shots worse off than be called a cheat. At least I went out today (and) it wasn’t playing on my mind. I had a clear conscience and I could just go and play.”

The Northern Irishman's second round started with a bogey but he made three birdies through the next six holes before five straight birdies from No. 9.

McIlroy's second bogey — on the 14th — was followed by three birdies on the final four holes.

“I did everything well again. I drove the ball well. I hit my irons well. I putted a little bit better,” he said. “I saw a few more putts go in, which is something that I haven't been seeing for the last couple months.”

He said he worked on his putting last week with Brad Faxon.

Hatton made eight birdies in his round of 65 but missed a par putt on the 16th.

“Obviously there's been a couple of mistakes, but overall compared to where I've been at over the last month and a half, it's nice to put a couple of decent scores together again,” the Englishman said.

Alongside McIlroy one shot back were Englishmen Matthew Jordan and Sam Bairstow, as well as Poland's Adrian Meronk, a recent winner at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The two-week postseason playoffs on the European tour began with the 224th-ranked Laporta shooting 10 under to take a three-stroke lead over three players. Laporta managed just a 70 on Friday.

The subplot in this next-to-last event of the 2026 season is the fight for the Race to Dubai title, which crowns the No. 1 player on the European tour each year.

It looks to be down to McIlroy, Patrick Reed (71) and Eugenio Chacarra (71), the current leader in the standings.

McIlroy is seeking a fifth straight Race to Dubai title to move level on the all-time list on eight with Colin Montgomerie, who won the award when it was called the Order of Merit.

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The team issued the statement after Santander posted the videos in the aftermath of the U.S. midterm elections. He deleted them on Thursday.

The videos included a Christian preacher saying, “There is no such thing as kind Muslims,” with another suggesting Sharia law would be imposed on the U.S. after Abdul El-Sayed was elected to the senate in Michigan.

El-Sayed is the son of Egyptian immigrants and will become the first Muslim American U.S. senator. He was the target of Islamophobic rhetoric on the campaign trail, and often mocked his critics on the right while championing the Palestinian cause and leaning into his faith and heritage.

“Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark,” the team said. “Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”

The 32-year-old Santander is from Venezuela and missed the entire year after having shoulder surgery following his first season in Toronto. He spent his first eight major league seasons with Baltimore before signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract with Toronto.

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• Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate victory is being viewed as a milestone for Arab Americans and American Muslims, bringing renewed attention to their political influence in Michigan and nationally.
• Arab American voters played an important role in the election. Michigan has an estimated 400,000 Arab American voters, with a large concentration in Metro Detroit, according to Maya Berry of the Arab American Institute.
• El-Sayed won Dearborn by 65 percentage points, according to unofficial election results.
• Dearborn recorded historic voter turnout. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said 45,464 residents voted, the highest turnout in the city’s history.

DEARBORN, Mich. — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate win, part of a historic “Blue Wave” that swept across Michigan and the rest of the country, has put a renewed focus on the voices and votes of Arab Americans.

“I went to vote on Tuesday, and for the first time, I walked in, people recognized who I was, and the support that I got from people who were voting there is incredible,” Osama Siblani, the publisher of the Arab American News, said on Wednesday. “That is something that makes me happy because people did not buy the hateful messages that they were disseminating.”

Siblani came to the United States from Lebanon in 1976 and started the paper in 1984.

Like many Arab Americans and American Muslims, he is celebrating El-Sayed’s victory as a landmark moment in American history, even as he navigated an often bigoted campaign against him.

“Even on September 11, after the attacks on our nation, I have never seen this kind of hate being disseminated and spread in a way at the highest level from the President of the United States and the ads that they ran,” Siblani, who was the subject of one of the Rogers ads, said. “The stuff that they said is so divisive, so hurtful and hateful.

“We saw it across the board.”

El-Sayed won in big cities and small towns, outperforming Kamala Harris’ 2024 numbers and flipped four counties that Rogers won two years ago – Eaton, Muskegon, Isabella, and Grand Traverse.

El-Sayed won Dearborn by 65 points on Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud tweeted that the city’s voter turnout of 45,464 was the highest ever.

“You’re talking about, you know, roughly 400,000 Arab American voters in the state of Michigan with a concentration in Metro Detroit,” Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, said. “Historically, it’s about a third Democrat, a third Republican, and a third independent.”

“That does mean if you want to win an important state like the state of Michigan, you need to be concerned about what do Arab Americans think about my positions on these issues,” she said. “It is a constituency that really is available for smart candidates.”

Berry, like Siblani, noted that the open bigotry toward El-Sayed and other Arab and Muslim candidates across the country was too loud to ignore.

Berry says they likely activated a higher turnout in favor of El-Sayed.

“This time, it happened to be the fear of an American Muslim candidate serving in the Senate,” she said. “We have Republicans who’ve decided that trafficking in their anti-Muslim bigotry is now a feature of their campaigns.

“We’ve gone from attacks on DEI and attacking the Black community to attacking the trans community to attacking Muslims,” she said. “It’s not just Arab Americans or American Muslims that said ‘no, thanks’ on the bigotry; I think we saw it across the board.”

The rhetoric was particularly pronounced from Donald Trump, who on multiple occasions called El-Sayed a “jihadist,” claimed that the Senate would need to install a metal detector if he won, and routinely mocked El-Sayed’s middle name, Mohamed.

Assorted mailers went out with El-Sayed’s face next to the World Trade Center towers, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s email newsletters about El-Sayed were titled the “Terrorist Watchlist.”

“I did not think for a minute that he would be subjected to this kind of attack because of his religion and because of where he came from, and his ancestors came from,” Siblani said. “I have been in this country for 50 years, and the country that I came to is not the same country that I am seeing today.”

“When the President of the United States starts making fun of your name and fun of the way you look and fun of the way you pray, that is not America,” Siblani said.

Siblani first came to this country with $185 in his pocket and built a life for himself.

He was inducted into Wayne State University’s Journalism Hall of Fame in 2013.

He said the thing people are missing about the needs and concerns of Arab Americans comes down to wanting a better life.

“We want a country that offers opportunities for people who want to come in and excel,” he said. “This is what America was, and this is what America will be after this election.”

Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO.

Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator.

“I could not imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller said upon his retirement in 2015.

He was born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City. His great-grandfather, Standard Oil Co. founder John Rockefeller, died a month before Rockefeller’s birth. His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a well-known philanthropist. Uncles Winthrop (Arkansas) and Nelson (New York) were Republican governors. Another uncle, David Rockefeller, ran Chase Manhattan Bank.

A detour from his family's path

Jay Rockefeller went in a different direction.

A few years out of college at age 27, Rockefeller moved to the West Virginia mining community of Emmons to participate in the Volunteers in Service to America program, a time that Rockefeller said proved transformative.

“It explains every policy I pursued and every vote I have cast. It was where my beliefs were bolted down, and where my passions met my principles,” he said in an emotional farewell speech from the Senate floor on Dec. 4, 2014.

While he intended for his stay in the state to be brief, Rockefeller broke from his family’s Republican tradition and was elected to the state House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966. By combining money with hard work in a traditionally Democratic state, Rockefeller overcame suspicions of political opportunism and rose from state legislator to secretary of state to governor.

A turning point came after Rockefeller’s only political defeat in the 1972 governor’s race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., whose daughter, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, was elected in 2014 to Rockefeller’s Senate seat upon his retirement. Capito on Friday called Rockefeller “a true gentleman" who treated her with respect, kindness and encouragement.

“Over the years, we developed a wonderful friendship that transcended politics, and I will always be grateful for that,” she said in a statement.

After the defeat, Rockefeller remained in West Virginia, a decision he called the most important of his career. He became the first without a theological degree to become president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1973. His popularity there — and a change in his stance to embrace strip mining — translated to a landslide win over Republican Cecil Underwood in the 1976 governor’s race.

As governor, Rockefeller emphasized development of the state’s infrastructure, such as roads, sewers and bridges. Those issues, he said, are “not very sexy things, I grant you but very, very necessary in West Virginia.”

Current Gov. Patrick Morrissey said Rockefeller helped shape the state and left a lasting mark on the lives of generations of West Virginians.

“From his early work in some of our state’s most disadvantaged communities to his efforts to strengthen healthcare, protect coal miners and their families, and support our veterans, Senator Rockefeller demonstrated a deep commitment to the people of West Virginia,” Morrissey said in a statement.

Onward to Washington

After Rockefeller defeated Arch Moore in a rematch in 1980, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 after the retirement of longtime Democrat Jennings Randolph. It came despite a landslide victory that year for Republican President Ronald Reagan.

Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, daughter of former Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, fit easily into the capital’s social scene, purchasing a multimillion-dollar estate for their family. Never shy or apologetic about using his inherited $150 million fortune to win his races, he spent millions upon millions from his own pocket. He won by comfortable margins in each of his five terms.

Rockefeller’s vast wealth was always a source of conversation and an undercurrent in his political races. He spent at least $21 million of his own money in his political campaigns, including $9 million to win a close 1984 Senate race against Republican novice and fellow multimillionaire John Raese. In Rockefeller’s 1980 gubernatorial race against Republican Arch Moore Jr., bumper stickers appeared saying: “Make Him Spend It All, Arch.”

The state’s junior senator for 25 years, Rockefeller carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow. Byrd died in 2010 as the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, winning an enduring reputation for steering billions of dollars over many decades to boost his impoverished state.

Rockefeller’s influence was less showy. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, he championed consumers’ rights, upgrading broadband infrastructure and sponsoring a bill to block companies from tracking online activity of their customers. He authored legislation in 1997 that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which assists poor families whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid.

He also was head of committees on Veterans' Affairs and Intelligence, frequently sparring with President George W. Bush over foreign policy. Rockefeller said he regretted his 2002 vote to authorize the war against Iraq.

But Rockefeller also differed with the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama over mining-related regulations. With his state the nation’s second-biggest coal producer, Rockefeller was among several West Virginia officials who opposed the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight of the mountaintop removal method of surface mining.

College studies in Tokyo laid the groundwork for Rockefeller’s efforts to bring business from Japan to West Virginia. He had known Toyota’s founding family since the 1960s and was instrumental in helping the Japanese automaker pick a Buffalo, West Virginia, cornfield for an engine parts plant in 1996. The $2 billion plant now employs about 2,200 workers.

___ Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

Amiyah Jade Younan has been missing since Sept. 20.

She’s described as 90 pounds, 5 feet 2 inches tall, with brown eyes and brown hair with purple highlights.

The family is offering a $250 reward.

Anyone with information or tips on her whereabouts is asked to reach out to Warren Police Department at 586-574-4700.

In a post on social media, CEO Elon Musk said, “Tesla will be winding down production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increased Cybercab production.”

The Texas facility is the only location where the Cybertruck is produced.

Teslas, and the Cybertruck in particular because of its unorthodox profile, became a political touchstone as Musk allied himself with President Donald Trump and some right-leaning causes amid a widening political divide in the U.S. and Europe.

European sales of Tesla vehicles tumbled 49% in the first two months of 2025 even as overall sales of EVs grew. Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party in national elections drew broad condemnation.

The vehicle was also plagued by quality-control issues, with a handful of recalls within months of its debut.

Despite enormous anticipation, the Cybertruck never caught on with most buyers, and sales declined almost from the moment it hit the market.

While Tesla does not break out sales of its vehicles by model, Kelley Blue Book estimated that Cybertruck sales declined 48% from 2024 to 2025. From January through September of this year, sales were down 28%, according to Kelley Blue Book.

Detroit fire investigators said Deashawn Victor Harrison was caught on camera going inside Huntington Place just before 9 a.m. on April 28, dousing the carpet with gasoline, walking toward the exit and setting a fire before leaving.

Harrision was arrested on May 8 after surveillance images and case details were shared publicly and a tipster who spotted the man contacted authorities. He was initially charged with third-degree arson and preparation to burn real property, however the third-degree arson charge was dropped when he entered his plea.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which was quickly extinguished and caused minimal damage.

In addition to serving two years probation, Harrison will be required to pay more than $6,000 in fees.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told a ministerial meeting Friday that a rapid response to potential attacks is essential in the era of AI-generated attacks. She urged both government agencies and companies to step up their preparedness.

The emergency package comes after dozens of companies and government agencies were hit by unauthorized access to their systems and leaks of client data, prompting uneasiness across Japan.

"At this very moment, cases of unauthorized access and data breaches are occurring, causing a major impact on daily lives of the people and corporate activities,” Takaichi said. “Let us increase the response capability across Japan by devoting all government resources.”

Measures in the 10 billion yen ($63 million) package are designed to build a resilient society in which the public and private sectors share information, provide swift assistance to the affected and recover from damage.

It aims to acquire one of the world’s highest levels of cybersecurity.

The government will enhance its capability to access servers used by hackers as a preemptive measure known as “active cyber defense,” which was legalized in October.

In case of a possible challenge to Japan’s national security, the government will deploy a support team of officials from the Defense Ministry, the National Police Agency and the National Cybersecurity Office.

Under the measures in the package, a “top gun" team of cybersecurity experts will be set up by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry by the end of November. Team members will use AI to counter hackers and detect weaknesses in network systems. They are to cooperate with technology companies and advanced AI developers of friendly nations to keep Japan's security expertise up to date.

There will also be a “cyber rescue team” of experts from the public and private sectors to provide initial responses to companies affected by cyberattacks. A separate team will help vulnerable companies to strengthen their defenses.

Despite Trump’s affinity for project management, though, with Democrats taking control of Congress, the work his administration is doing to change the physical face of the District of Columbia is sure to encounter far more roadblocks than it did for the first two years of his second term.

From the renaming of and renovation plans for the Kennedy Center to remaking a public golf course and erecting an arch 100 feet (30.48 meters) taller than the Statue of Liberty without its pedestal, Trump has been deeply involved in how D.C. looks. Democrats have voiced opposition but, in terms of power, have been in the wilderness.

The potential collision point between opposition oversight from Democrats and the Republican president's preoccupation with the projects was evident in his last message to the American public before the election — and in his first afterward, too.

Both focused to some degree on his projects. On Monday, it was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial; on Wednesday, it was a tour of the under-construction White House ballroom, where he talked columns and steel beams and Corinthian designs.

The clouds of scrutiny are already gathering

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee with jurisdiction over the Interior Department that is involved with operations at parks and federal lands, spent much of the past year probing and questioning Trump’s projects, laying the groundwork for this moment.

“We’ve pushed back against vanity projects that seek to transform treasured public spaces into gaudy tributes to Trump. We exposed corruption, uncovered the efforts to hijack America’s 250th birthday, demanded accountability, and offered a compelling alternative governing vision grounded in science, fairness, environmental responsibility, and the rule of law,” Huffman said in a letter to colleagues seeking their support to be chairman.

As chairman with a strong Democratic majority, “I will ensure that the Committee’s full investigative and oversight authority is leveraged to uncover wrongdoing, demand accountability, and protect the public interest," he said.

Trump has been rushing the various projects, a point Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer made Thursday at a public hearing when he opposed construction of the memorial arch the president has planned in Memorial Circle directly across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial.

"The appropriations process beginning Jan. 3 will be controlled by Democrats. That will be one of the ways Congressman Beyer will step in,” said Beyer’s spokesman Aaron Fritschner.

A less appreciated impact will be the change in who names the general counsel of the House. The House Speaker has that role, presumably Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

While Democrats have joined in lawsuits opposing the various projects, their filings don't carry the weight of Congress as the minority. “You’ll see the new majority pulling back the balance of power that (House Speaker) Mike Johnson was willing to cede,” Fritschner said.

A planning commission hearing for the arch featured dozens of witnesses

Beyer has already been a critic, Fritschner said, and cited other members who have signed on in amicus briefs. More than 120 witnesses were on hand for the National Capital Planning Commission meeting, which ran for 9 ½ hours late into Thursday night.

The commission gave the 250-foot (76-meter) arch its final approval on an 8-4 vote, before a federal judge stepped in before midnight to block the Trump administration from breaking ground for 14 days.

The remote, call-in commission hearing — which crashed repeatedly and was accompanied by a nearly universally negative comment section — drew witnesses who gave impassioned, three-minute comments opposing an arch they said will destroy the solemnity of nearby Arlington National Cemetery.

The Trump-appointed chairman of the commission, however, launched into a gushing appraisal of the towering monument and lauded Trump for wanting to build it.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is considering a motion from three veterans and an architectural historian to stop any work until the lawsuit is resolved. A separate lawsuit filed Saturday by the District of Columbia and Virginia has been consolidated with the existing one. D.C. and Virginia have asked for a temporary restraining order, which Chutkan granted late Thursday with her 14-day delay.

At Wednesday's ballroom construction site tour, Trump spoke about the ballroom, the East Potomac Golf Links and the National Garden of American Heroes proposed for West Potomac Park and the arch. All four have been, or are currently in, litigation.

One of them, the golf course, has turned into an undertaking beyond the potential construction. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has said she plans to open a “formal inquiry” to investigate if attorneys for the Trump administration violated ethical boundaries during a legal dispute about that project.

Beyond the courts, Congress is now an added bulwark

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs in several of the lawsuits, said the switch of control means the organizations that have filed lawsuits and challenged the administration will now be joined by Congress.

Organizations like hers will continue challenging the administration in court, she said, but “the important thing now is that the American people now have a tool that’s not just in the courts.”

Added Perryman: “We hope and we anticipate Congress will fulfill its constitutional duty of checking executive branch excesses.” That includes hearings and investigations into funding plans and sources, she said.

Information about estimates for work on the projects has been slim, even in court, with assessments trickling out during testimony in some cases. One number, for example, revolves around the seawall at the golf course, which would exceed $300 million. Congress appropriated $257 million for the renovation of the Kennedy Center.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Another area that could impact the District of Columbia is the change in governorships. Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Nevada all have Democrats coming into power as a result of Tuesday's elections. They account for more than 600 National Guard members who are part of the mobilization that Trump ordered in August 2025.

Democrats who provided troops during the celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary were roundly criticized for their participation and removed their troops and airmen months ago. Nearly 3,100 are stationed in the city now, up slightly from last month.

Instead, it was another improving skater who took the lead as Kao Miura delivered a clean short program featuring two high-scoring quadruple jumps to score 102.90.

That was 30 more than the erratic short which placed him ninth in the Grand Prix opener in France two weeks earlier, before he bounced back in the free skate for silver.

Miura's Japanese teammate Shun Sato is second on 101.97, with Russian Evgeni Semenenko, competing as a neutral athlete, third on 99.72.

Shaidorov of Kazakhstan avoided the falls that troubled him in France last month, but stepped out on the landing of his opening quad lutz on his way to a score of 94.87.

Chiba leads and Ignatova returns

World silver medalist Mone Chiba led the way in the women's short program as Russian Alexandra Ignatova made a long-awaited return to the figure skating Grand Prix series.

Chiba took the lead on 76.08 points with her James Bond-themed program, despite an error on a double axel, in her first skate since the world championships in March following an offseason ankle injury.

It was just enough to keep Chiba ahead of Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, who celebrated a personal-best 75.05 with a double fist pump as her score was announced.

Ignatova, skating as a neutral athlete, was third on 72.37 in her biggest international event since the 2022 Olympics. The 17-year-old Alexandra Trusova who raged rinkside at her silver medal in 2022 is now 22, competing under her married name, and mother to a one-year-old son.

The International Skating Union has approved neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus to enter a wider range of events this season after they were only eligible to enter the Olympics and one Olympic qualifier last season.

British team leads ice dance

Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson lead the way in ice dance after scoring 80 points in the rhythm dance to beat Georgia's Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin on 79.31. Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler of the Czech Republic are a distant third on 73.10.

Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov, Russians competing as neutrals, have a big lead in pairs with 74.69. European champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava are second on 67.06 after dropping valuable points when a spin was ruled invalid. Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin are third for Armenia on 66.34.

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Then, twice over the last two weeks, the river surged through his home and outbuildings in far southwestern Colorado, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the resort town of Pagosa Springs. Now a horse is missing, his barn is damaged and the river swallowed a corral. The house is strewn with mud. His tools washed downstream.

“We’re in trouble, all of us are. Not just me, everybody,” Martinez said through tears when he returned Wednesday. He said several families that go back 100 years in the same canyon had similar damage. “Nobody expected this.”

The Navajo, San Juan and Animas rivers are among those that surged beyond their banks when round after round of storms dumped heavy rain across the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

Scientists say a supercharged El Niño event — when warm water in the Pacific disrupts weather patterns — is making heavy rainfall more likely and increasingly intense across the South.

Recent flooding has struck Flagstaff, Sedona and Tucson in Arizona; Pagosa Springs and Durango in southwestern Colorado; Farmington in northwestern New Mexico; tiny Bluff in southeastern Utah; parts of the vast Navajo Nation.

With a break in the weather at last, some evacuees are returning home.

For Martinez, who was out of town for knee surgery, getting back meant navigating a mucky mess with a four-wheel drive vehicle and a lot of patience over beaten gravel roads. And he's finding his struggles may have just begun.

Martinez said he doesn't have flood insurance because insurers wouldn't provide cover for a house so near the water. He estimates at least $200,000 in losses.

He and his fiancée first stayed with one of his sons, then moved to a hotel. Both places subsequently flooded. Now they're in an Airbnb, but he worries they could end up homeless when his emergency voucher runs out in a few days.

"The government spends, you know, just millions and billions of money on overseas and everything. Right now we need that money on this side,” he said. “We need to get this, you know, all this put back together.”

A FEMA representative came to his property and took photos after the first flood. The second flood hit three days later and was twice as bad, he said.

“I know we’re on some list right now,” Martinez said. “So we’ll listen every day and we’ll see what options we have and go from there.”

As he heals from the knee surgery, he's considering whether he should ask family and friends for help cleaning up.

Hauling debris to the dump would cost $300 per load and ultimately could total thousands of dollars he does not readily have, he said.

The flooding did help end months of drought in the Four Corners area, but the raging torrents washed away rich topsoil on his land, leaving just sand and rock. Now he wonders how he'll feed his remaining animals without pasture next year.

“The normal might not ever be normal again,” Martinez said.

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Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The High Court in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa issued the sentence for Pastor Paul Mackenzie. He was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after he ordered his followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus.

Mackenzie is also facing terrorism and manslaughter charges for the more than 200 other victims, as well as child abuse and torture charges in two other courts.

Justice Diana Kavedza said that Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, bore the “primary criminal culpability” for relocating his followers to a remote location and ordering them to fast to death.

Mackenzie was charged with the murders alongside 28 of his followers, including guards who enforced his fasting directives and gravediggers who helped conceal the mass graves. All denied the charges, except for one person who confessed and pleaded for leniency.

On Oct. 19, the court found all 29 of them guilty of the murder of 191 people.

In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre (320-hectare) Chakama Ranch in coastal Kilifi County, where Mackenzie’s followers lived in mud huts, away from the scrutiny of local communities and authorities.

More than 60 bodies were positively identified and reburied by their relatives, while many others remain unidentified and unclaimed.

During the sentencing, Kavedza said that 183 victims died of starvation, defined as a complete lack of food, and the deaths of the other eight were classified as murder by direct homicide.

Kavedza said the killings were “cold and calculated” and dismissed claims by some of the accused that the loss of their own children altered the fact that they had participated in the killings of many other children.

The justice said that the perpetrators didn't show remorse and declared they were ready to fast to death as well. During the sentencing, Mackenzie often smiled and chatted with his assistant pastor, Smart Mwakalama, who was sentenced to 160 years in prison.

All of those who were convicted have been granted 14 days to file an appeal.

The prosecution had argued for the death penalty for Mackenzie and life imprisonment for his accomplices.

Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo, who represents Mackenzie and several others who were convicted, told The Associated Press that he had already launched an appeal. He said that the decision was “circling around the constitution to give a sentence that is unattainable” since the sentences of between 160 and 200 years amount to life sentences.

A father of seven, Suleiman Ziro, who traveled 120 kilometers (75 miles) for the sentencing, lost six of his children and his wife to the cult in 2023. He said that the sentence wasn't enough especially because he has yet to recover the bodies of his loved ones, calling for the death penalty in the case.

Mackenzie's son, Dan Mackenzie, said that he felt sorry for his father over the conviction, but it was “justice served to the victims." He said that he escaped by “rebelling” against his father's teachings and was often punished for it, but was glad he survived. Two of his younger brothers and three sisters were rescued and are currently at a children's home.

Those sentenced to death in Kenyan courts serve a life sentence. Kenya’s last execution was in 1987.

It's a remarkable pivot for a demographic that had shifted toward President Donald Trump just two years ago.

“We showed our power and flexed our muscle during this election,” said Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who won his battleground district in New Mexico by around 17 percentage points after winning by less than 1 percentage point in 2022.

Democrats capitalized on voters' angst over rising prices and government corruption, riding a wave of frustration to retake control of the House and the Senate.

Hispanics joined in that decisive repudiation of Trump and his Republican Party. In Texas, every county voted more Democratic than it did two years ago, when Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. But the more heavily Hispanic the county, generally the heavier the shift.

“This is our lightning-in-the-bottle moment, that we were able to make such historic gains that we probably never conjured, especially here in Texas,” said Johnny Garcia, a sheriff's deputy who won a newly created House district in the San Antonio area where Trump won by 10 percentage points in 2024. “The only way we did that is by going after the issues that were meaning the most to people.”

Republicans lost the gains Trump made with Hispanic voters in 2024

About one-third of Hispanic voters said they backed the Republican in their local U.S. House race, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of more than 100,000 midterm voters, while roughly 4 in 10 voted for Trump two years ago.

The shift was especially pronounced in Texas, where voters flipped a Senate seat and the governor's office to Democrats along with every statewide office on the ballot.

Roughly 7 in 10 Hispanic voters supported Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate contest, while only about 3 in 10 voted for Republican Ken Paxton. The group was essentially split in the 2024 presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of voters and nonvoters.

Younger Hispanics’ shift was even more pronounced, with swings of around 20 percentage points toward Talarico among Hispanic voters in Texas under 65 years old.

Cindy Candia, a 56-year-old lifelong Democrat, was thrilled to see her party find success for the first time in her 20 years living in Texas. She was especially excited about the incoming governor, Gina Hinojosa, who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, where Candia lives now.

“She’s a woman, she’s Hispanic, she is from Brownsville, and I don’t think anybody thought that Texas would vote for that, for that type of person,” Candia said.

Democrats won every House district that touches the U.S.-Mexico border — which includes seats in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California — for the first time since 2008.

Even in the Senate race in Florida, where Republican Sen. Ashley Moody managed to narrowly win reelection, less than half of Hispanic voters supported Moody, while Trump definitively won this group two years earlier with 55% of Hispanics’ support.

In southwestern Kansas, three Hispanic-majority counties that voted overwhelmingly for Trump flipped to backing Adam Hamilton, who became the first Democrat in nearly a century to win a U.S. Senate contest in the state. Turnout also surged 27% over 2022 in the three counties, Finney, Ford and Seward.

Fourteen Hispanic Democrats were newly elected on Tuesday, 10 of them in districts that are currently represented by Republicans or were redrawn to favor the GOP. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will have more members than ever before, said Rep. Linda Sanchez of California, chair of the caucus' campaign arm, CHC BOLD PAC.

Latino voters want someone who is “understanding of their issues” to represent them on Capitol Hill, said Leticia Gutierrez, a Democrat who won a Houston-area House district that Texas Republicans redrew in a failed attempt to pick up five more seats in the state.

“I’m gonna carry all of those things with me to Washington to be able to have that lens,” Gutierrez said.

Manny Rutinel, a Democrat who defeated Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado, said voters responded to his life story, trusting that he understands their economic concerns after growing up in a family that sometimes struggled to make ends meet.

“I think that they elected me because they know that for me it’s deeply personal,” Rutinel said.

Democrats can't take Latino voters for granted

In House districts where at least a quarter of the citizen voting-age population is Hispanic, the Democratic share in Tuesday’s midterms averaged about 11 percentage points higher than Harris' 2024 performance. By contrast, other House districts saw a 7-percentage-point gain on average.

In majority-Hispanic counties, Democratic Senate candidates exceeded their party's 2024 results by more than 15 percentage points.

Latinos have been especially affected by Trump's immigration crackdown, which was a prominent issue alongside economic concerns in some of the most heavily Latino districts.

Though Trump's promise to arrest and deport immigrants living in the country illegally was popular during his campaign, Americans now disapprove of his approach to immigration enforcement.

“Everybody voted for him, but the people that voted for him, he’s locking them up," said Elton Reid, a 44-year-old Latino voter and full-time caregiver for his father in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “Like he promised them the world, and he didn’t come through with it, and now he’s locking them up.”

Reid voted for Democrats in his battleground district, where Democrat Bob Brooks defeated Republican Rep. Ryan McKenzie.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, a Latino Democrat, warned that the shift toward Democrats hinges on the party keeping campaign pledges.

“They saw betrayal from Trump after they gave him a chance in 2024,” Tuerk said. “And they went with the Democrats, and they’re giving them a chance now.”

“But," he added, "they’re on probation.”

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Catalini and Cooper reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Linley Sanders, Aaron Kessler and Humeri Lodhi in Washington; John Hanna in Topeka, Kan.; Erik Verduzco in York, S.C.; Fabianna Rincon in New York; and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Allentown, Pa., contributed.

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Follow the AP's coverage of the 2026 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/elections.

The year was 2001. Spears, then just 19, was one of the most famous people on the planet, championed as the ultimate teen dream by legions of fans across the globe and a leering celebrity industry. That year, she'd performed during the Super Bowl halftime show and changed the course of fashion forever — first, showing up with beau Justin Timberlake in matching denim at the American Music Awards and then with an albino python around her neck during her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

She was entering adulthood, full steam ahead, after enjoying a meteoric run with her first two albums, 1999's “… Baby One More Time” and 2000's “Oops! … I Did It Again.” Her third album, “Britney,” was being released just ahead of her 20th birthday and would prove transformative.

Legacy Recordings on Friday is releasing “Britney (25th Anniversary Edition),” an expanded reissue of her pivotal record, which went quadruple platinum in less than two months. The collection features two remixes and five previously unreleased songs from that era, her first new (or is it old?) music since she announced she would “never return to the music industry” in a 2024 Instagram post.

The release is an opportunity to reflect on the album and Spears' unique position in popular culture's imagination — particularly following the news of the last few years. In 2021, she was released from a court conservatorship that controlled the pop singer’s life and money for nearly 14 years. And in February, it was announced that she had sold the rights to her music catalog to Primary Wave for an undisclosed sum.

Listening to ‘Britney,’ 25 years later

The album opens with a spoken-word declaration. Back in 2001, it was considered a provocation — as it often is when a young woman expresses her own prerogative.

“I know I may be young,” Spears seduces over choppy R&B production, courtesy of The Neptunes, the award-winning duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. “But I’ve got feelings, too.”

The song is the single “I'm a Slave 4 U,” where Spears made it clear that the bubblegum pop of her previous releases had been traded in for something decidedly more mature. And that's true even of the album's songs written and produced by previous collaborators Max Martin and Rami Yacoub — tracks like “Bombastic Love” still sparkle, but with newfound edge.

If Spears was borrowing from the teen-to-adult pop star trajectory laid forth by forebears like Madonna or Janet Jackson on “Britney,” she did so while keeping it PG-13 — hinting at developed sensuality as a means to express self-definition, but remaining accessible and agreeable to her younger audience. To put it another way, she toes the line: “I'm not a girl, not yet a woman,” as the single goes.

That's all while proclamations of autonomy — sexual and otherwise — punctuate the album. “Say hello to the girl that I am,” she invites on “Overprotected.” “Now I live for me,” she flips the script on “Lonely.” “She's in control,” on the funky, erotic “Boys.”

A sense of self-reflection is amplified by the fact that the album is self-titled, and that Spears co-wrote five songs on the original album: “Lonely,” “Anticipating,” “Let Me Be,” “That's Where You Take Me” and the spiky “Cinderella.”

The previously unreleased ‘Britney’ songs add to Spears' mythology

The first of the five archival tracks is “She’ll Never Be Me,” co-written with Timberlake, her then-boyfriend, who also sings background. Timberlake cowrote a track on the original album, but the new release comes after Spears wrote about their relationship in her 2023 memoir, sharing deeply personal details about a pregnancy, abortion and painful breakup.

As far as how it fits in with the rest of the album, the song slots in nicely with its vocal effects and propulsive Y2K production — by any measure, it makes for a fine B-side.

The same could be said of the rest, from the slow-burn fake-out “Am I A Sinner” and Latin pop-informed rhythms of “Right Now (Taste the Victory)” to the glitchy, proto-hyperpop “When I Say So” and soulful, unusually lengthy “My Big Secret,” which features Spears' strongest vocal performance of the whole album. It's a stunning falsetto.

Thematically, a number of these tracks could be read as a response to the tabloid press' obsession with Spears' virginity at the time of its release. “I don't want to mislead you,” she sings on “When I Say So.” “You'll get some when I say so.”

And on “Am I A Sinner” she may very well be reflecting back on an unjust media — or any bad relationship: “Tell me, am I a sinner? / Tell me, am I wrong? / Something's wrong with the picture / This is not my fault.”

Since the release of her bestselling memoir, “The Woman in Me” — which details her childhood, rise to stardom, marriages, motherhood and conservatorship — fans have worked to recontextualize how Spears was portrayed early on in her career. These songs will no doubt inspire more detective work. But others may approach it more simply, through the rose-colored glasses of easy nostalgia.

In the end, it is an album written and recorded in the space between adolescence and adulthood, from the woman a generation looked to for guidance on doing the same.

“I thought he would return. I certainly intended to call him up,” Jesus said when he presented his Nations League squad on Friday, a day after Ronaldo announced that he was ending his long and illustrious career for his country.

“He felt that this was the right moment to leave, and that must be respected. We can never overlook what he has meant to Portugal, what he has contributed to the country, or the fact that he serves as a symbol for younger players.”

Ronaldo’s final appearance with Portugal was on Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept Ronaldo on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one. Ronaldo responded by leaving the team’s training camp.

Ronaldo later apologized. But the Portuguese soccer federation fined him and suspended him from the team for 30 days.

In a long video posted on his social media accounts on Thursday, Ronaldo said “the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team.”

The 41-year-old Ronaldo will still play at the club level in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. He is in pursuit of his 1,000th career goal and sits on 985. Of those, a men’s record 146 goals came in 234 appearances with Portugal.

The Portuguese federation said on Thursday that it intends to organize a tribute to Ronaldo, who played in six World Cups and helped his nation win the 2016 European Championship.

Portugal hosts Denmark in Braga on Nov. 14 and three days later visits Wales in Cardiff. Portugal has already qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals.

Jesus took over Portugal from Roberto Martínez after a disappointing World Cup when Ronaldo featured as the point of the attack.

Questions about Ronaldo dominated Friday’s press conference, even though Jesus said he wanted to focus on his team.

He also said he did not take the public split with Ronaldo, an icon in Portugal, personally.

“As for any hard feelings? There are none. Why? Because all of my decisions were made with the team in mind,” he said. “As a coach, I’ve always advocated for what was best for the team, so I’m completely at ease with everything.”

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Portugal squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Alberto Costa (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), António Silva (Bournemouth), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Tavares (Lazio).

Midfielders: João Palhinha (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Mateus Fernandes (Tottenham), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Francisco Trincão (Al-Ahli), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United).

Forwards: Carlos Forbs (Club Brugge), João Félix (Al-Nassr), Rafael Leão (Galatasaray), Geovany Quenda (Chelsea), Rodrigo Mora (Roma), Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Gustavo Varela (Monza).

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Some walk around the cafeteria with buckets collecting leftover lunch scraps. These apple cores, banana peels and grape stems ultimately head to Lovin's outdoor compost bin. Others put unopened milk in a shared refrigerator for students to grab as a snack or take home. Uneaten salad scraps are dumped into the school's chicken coop.

Lovin Elementary, 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Atlanta, is one example of the many U.S. schools composting, using share tables and tailoring food choices to cut how much cafeteria food ends up in the trash.

“Now there's not a lot going to the landfill, and there's not just scraps everywhere,” said student Aissatou Brown. “And it feels like we're saving the planet.”

Public schools serve more than 30 million lunches each day, according to federal figures. The vast majority come from the Agriculture Department's National School Lunch Program. But experts say tons of cafeteria food is wasted each year, costing the schools and contributing to methane in landfills. Recovery, recycling and composting have cut waste, despite challenges.

Sometimes the solutions are as simple as picking better chicken nuggets, or using clear trash bags to make the waste more visible, said Carmen Byker Shanks, director of scientific strategy at the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact.

“The reason why food waste might be happening in one school is probably different than other schools,” she said.

“When everybody’s at the table and the students are coming up with solutions, and the nutrition staff are responding to them, and the teachers are helping facilitate the conversations, I think those interventions have been pretty successful,” she added. “When we reduce food waste by helping kids eat more of their meal, we’re essentially supporting learning.”

Putting solutions into place

Lovin, which serves around 900 students, conducted its first food audit in 2018 after receiving funding through the World Wildlife Fund’s Food Waste Warriors program. Students who sorted cafeteria waste found 589 pounds (267.2 kilograms) of discarded food, including 74 pounds (33.6 kilograms) of fruit and vegetable waste and 120 pounds (54.4 kilograms) of recoverable items during one two-hour lunch period, said Gerin Hennebaul, who leads agriculture and science initiatives at Lovin.

In response, students brainstormed announcements and posters to reduce waste. Lovin introduced the designated table and refrigerator for sharing unopened cafeteria items. Food waste dropped by nearly one third in its next food audit months later.

In fall 2021, Lovin received a grant for on-site composting. Now, students collect and weigh their scraps, and Lovin’s master gardener takes them to the bin outdoors.

Volume grew as composting was expanded to each grade level, so Lovin built vermicomposting bins — using worms — and began sharing its waste with a local nonprofit, Creative Enterprises, for use in its garden.

Shared items that are unclaimed at the end of the week now stock Lovin’s food pantry for community members in need. Now, it’s not unusual for Lovin to compost around 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) of produce waste in a week, and students often collect around 100 share table items each lunch.

“Our cafeteria, it’s just really turned into another classroom and ... they don’t realize they’re even learning, but they’re learning every day,” Hennebaul said. “Hearing the kids come in and say, ‘we’re composting at our house now,’ or ‘we built a chicken coop at our home,’ or ‘hey, my family brought in XYZ for the food pantry today’ ... that’s been the biggest thing, and we want to see this happen in other schools all over.”

Starting education before food even hits the plate, and other initiatives

Many schools in Baltimore City Public Schools, a district serving more than 76,000 students, have share tables, and some have composting.

Its biggest initiative is a 33-acre (13.4-hectare) learning farm that encourages students to be less wasteful by teaching them about what resources go into making food.

“It’s not really fair to expect students to be curious or excited about fruits and veggies in their cafeteria or healthy options in the cafeteria in general, if they’ve never really had a hands-on experience to interact with fruits and vegetables, harvesting, planting, tasting them right out of the ground,” said Anne Rosenthal, a farm-to-school specialist for the district.

She said many students are familiar with environmental justice issues and pollution, so reducing waste hits close to home.

“We see this as a really important step in empowering students to be part of the solution, and we’ve seen them pick it up really, really quickly in the cafeterias,” she said.

The district is also a participant in the Food Waste Warriors program, which is one of the larger independent resources helping schools fight food waste. The World Wildlife Fund program has worked with more than 1,000 schools, and it says that some have cut waste by as much as 70%.

In 2019, WWF analyzed the food waste of 46 schools in eight states, and used the data to estimate that schools nationwide could be wasting about 530,000 tons (480,807.5 metric tons) of food per year, costing them $1.7 billion, though it acknowledged it was extrapolating from a small sample of schools.

School districts are limited in what they can implement

The Agriculture Department also provides resources for schools to reduce waste, and many of the approaches overlap with those used by the schools in Baltimore and Lawrenceville. Its website includes guides for conducting food waste audits, creating share tables and giving students greater choice. Other tips include scheduling recess before lunch and extending lunchtime.

A spokesperson for the department said in an email that it also recommends schools reassess how they buy and prepare food to reduce waste.

School budgets can be a barrier to implementing new strategies, with administrators already facing tough choices on teacher salaries and classroom materials. Composting, especially when required under some state laws, might also necessitate extra staff.

Districts are also bound by federal requirements for well-balanced meals and food safety rules. Experts say those rules are important but can lessen flexibility in trying new approaches.

“There’s a ton of constraints and a ton of reasons why this doesn’t get a lot of attention,” said Pete Pearson, a World Wildlife Fund vice president. He said the current cafeteria setup doesn't always prevent kids from throwing edible food away — even as millions of children are food insecure across the nation.

Bringing students into the process is a key part of the solution, Pearson said.

“The more that we involve the students in this whole journey, the more it’s just going to really light up.”

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The changes that took effect this fall include caps on loans for particular programs as well as limits on the amount parents can borrow to pay for their children’s schooling. Up until weeks before Frabotta, 25, started her program, it was up in the air whether it would count as a “professional” program with higher loan limits.

Amid the uncertainty, she borrowed around $6,000 in federal loans for her first trimester, taking out private loans for the rest with her mother as a cosigner.

“At least in my circles a lot of people were like, ’I guess that’s what I’m going to have to do, and I’m going to try to make it work,’” Frabotta said.

Students have been turning to private lenders to make up the difference between the cost of their educational programs and the amount they can borrow from the federal government, which offers more flexible repayment terms, the possibility of forgiveness after 10 years in public service, and — for many — lower interest rates.

It's showing up in banks' bottom lines. Private lender SoFi reported in late October that student loan originations hit $2.9 billion in the third quarter, nearly doubling from a year earlier. Days earlier, Sallie Mae, which controls more than half of the private student loan market, said graduate loans were up 119% year-over-year.

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ put new caps on student loans

President Donald Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill” slashed the amount new graduate students can borrow. Programs designated as professional degrees face federal student loan caps of $200,000, while other graduate programs are capped at $100,000. Previously, graduate students had been able to take out federal loans up to the full cost of their degree.

For new borrowers, the changes include an overall lifetime borrowing cap of $257,500 and limits to the amount parents can borrow to pay for their children’s schooling.

When all the changes are fully phased in, more than half a million borrowers are going to need to borrow an extra $20,000 a year from somewhere other than the federal loan program, estimated Jordan Matsudaira, the director of the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center at American University. The hardest-hit students are in expensive programs like medicine, law and dentistry and states with a high cost of living, an analysis by the center found.

The Trump administration has argued the new limits will curb “excessive borrowing” and force schools to evaluate their costs, describing uncapped access to federal student loans as a driver of the soaring cost of college. Since the loan caps took effect, at least 40 schools have cut the cost of at least some of their programs, according to the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

But critics say most colleges cannot afford to lower tuition and have raised concerns that the changes will add new hurdles for students from poor families in particular.

Colleges are stepping in to help

At South Carolina Student Loan, graduate student borrowing increased 400% this year as it rolled out more options to help students. Some schools, like the law school at the University of Kansas, got into the lending game, too. So far, it has approved eight loans, with more in process.

Steven Freedman, associate dean of admissions at the University of Kansas School of Law, said the loans are important to help provide access to all students.

“Now, frankly, private banks get to choose who goes to law school,” he said.

At Lewis & Clark College, a private liberal arts school in Portland, Oregon, the student aid office has been seeing more private student loans. Its graduate school of education and counseling also began offering a new scholarship this fall for students in financial need because of the loan caps.

Anastacia Dillon, associate vice president for financial aid, described the changes as “really disruptive.”

At the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, more first-year students are relying on private loans, even as the school boosted aid to students in financial need.

The private loan market boomed in the 1990s and early 2000s during an era of loan limits. After Graduate PLUS, a federal program, extended how much students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance, private lending began to collapse. But critics argue that Graduate PLUS ushered in new problems, contributing to high default rates because students were borrowing more than they could repay.

Some groups predicted the new loan caps could lead to large numbers of borrowers being denied loans from traditional lenders. But students on the whole appear to be finding ways to finance their education, even if they are turning more to private lenders, said Marc Schoonover, general manager of the lender ELFI.

“What we’re hearing and seeing now is that the number of students who truly can’t find an option is a lot smaller than many initially feared,” Schoonover said during a media call organized by the National Council of Higher Education Resources.

Students struggle to understand changes

A legal fight over which graduate programs would be deemed professional — and therefore eligible for larger loans — extended until just days before the new rule was set to take effect. Ultimately, students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy and several other fields were deemed eligible to take out higher federal student loan amounts — at least for now — after a federal judge blocked part of a Trump administration rule that held them to lower limits.

But that slowed software updates needed to process loans, said Kristina Ortiz Donohue, vice president for strategic enrollment and retention at the University of Mount Saint Vincent.

The last-minute changes also caused schools to delay delivering financial aid packages, Jon Witter, the CEO of Sallie Mae, said on an earnings call with investors. He said the peak lending season extended into October as a result.

Dr. Robert Harrington, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, said the school received dozens of calls from confused students and their families.

Frabotta’s physician assistant program was ultimately deemed professional and eligible for up to $50,000 annually in federal loans. But she decided to borrow just a fraction of that from the federal loan program, fearful of other changes that might be in store.

Before returning to school, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and worked as a medical assistant in a dermatology practice.

“This is what I want to do, so if this is the means of how I get there, then if I have to sacrifice at some point,” she said.

Madison Jessen, another first-year Weill Cornell Medicine physician assistant student, said the uncertainty around loan caps prompted her to use most of her savings to pay for her first semester out of pocket. Jessen said she has several younger friends who had planned to go to PA school but pivoted when the loan caps took effect.

That's Harrington's biggest fear.

“What we don’t want to see," said Harrington, himself a first-generation college graduate, "is our programs just becoming the purview of people whose family can afford to pay that bill.”

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.

The short-video sharing platform must change the design of its “For You” feed so that users have more control over opting out of seeing certain content, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm said Friday.

The platform failed to assess how its recommendation systems could lead people into “rabbit holes” that threaten their well-being, regulators said, by feeding them similar video clips based on what they've previously viewed or liked even if they are "triggering" such as clips about weight loss and mental health struggles.

TikTok said the European Commission's findings are “fundamentally inaccurate and distort our platform’s architecture and our commitment to user safety.”

“We have a strong record of protecting our community while giving users direct and intuitive control over their content experience,” the company said in a statement.

The company will have a chance to respond before the European Commission issues its final decision, which could include a fine of up to 6% of TikTok's total annual revenue.

“Every time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same, leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, said in a statement.

"Today’s preliminary findings show again that TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users’ well-being, including those of minors.”

TikTok has added some measures, such as a “not interested” button to reduce the “rabbit hole effect,” but the commission said they're ineffective in reducing how often harmful content is recommended.

European regulators said they want TikTok to make changes to its “For You” feed, including giving more weight to ‘explicit preferences’ of people using the platform, stopping reliance on viewing time as a metric for recommending content, and making user controls more accessible.

It's the latest in a series of enforcement actions targeting TikTok by EU regulators using the bloc's Digital Services Act, a wide-ranging rule book that requires tech companies to adhere to a framework under threat of hefty financial penalties.

The commission opened its investigation into whether TikTok violated the DSA more than two years ago. This year, it has already issued two other sets of preliminary findings, accusing the platform of breaching the rules with “ addictive design ” features that lead to compulsive use by children and charging it with failing to adequately protect children's privacy rights.

• Michigan opened its 2026-27 season with a historic victory, defeating No. 2 UConn, 77-66, at Crisler Center.
• The No. 5 Wolverines earned the highest-ranked win in program history by taking down the No. 2 Huskies.
• The game remained close through the first three quarters, with neither team leading by more than six points.
• Michigan pulled away in the fourth quarter, getting key contributions from its experienced players.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines women’s basketball’s first game of the 2026-27 season became one of the biggest wins in program history.

The No. 5-ranked Wolverines beat the No. 2-ranked UConn Huskies, 77-66.

The win against the Huskies is Michigan’s highest-ranked win of all time.

“It’s early in the season, so it’s not like we won the national championship, but we had one of the best teams in college basketball come to Ann Arbor, and we were able to get that victory,” Michigan head coach Kim Barnes-Arico said after the win.

Through the first three quarters, neither team led by more than six points.

That changed in the fourth quarter when the Wolverines started to pull away with some key performances from their experienced core.

Te’Yala Delfosse had a career night in the top-five showdown at Crisler Center.

The junior finished with 22 points (a career-high) and a team-high nine rebounds.

“We all leaned into each other and told each other to have fun,” Delfosse said of her team’s approach against the Huskies. “Whatever way this game goes, at least have fun in it. That’s where I was throughout the game.”

Junior Olivia Olson stepped up in the season opener, too. Olson finished with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting.

The Wolverines are back in action on Sunday (Nov. 8) against Wright State at 2 p.m.

The last-minute intervention came after local media reported that Najib had left the prison, after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine required under the terms of a royal pardon allowing house arrest.

The attorney general's office said in a statement that Najib would remain in prison until the legal matters were resolved.

Najib has been imprisoned since August 2022, when Malaysia’s top court upheld his conviction in his first graft trial linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of state investment fund 1MDB. Malaysia’s king in September granted Najib clemency, allowing him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest once he pays the court-imposed fine.

The house arrest applies only to his reduced six-year sentence in the first trial. It doesn’t cover a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering in a second major trial tied to the 1MDB scandal. He's appealing that sentence.

The attorney general's office cited legal ambiguities in the house arrest order and raised concerns over how it could affect Najib's consecutive 15-year prison sentence. It said the delay was not to meant to contest the royal pardon allowing house arrest but to ensure it was implemented accurately and in line with the law.

Local media reported that Najib was returned to prison later Friday, after undergoing medical checks.

Police were earlier stationed at Najib's house in Kuala Lumpur and the road leading to it was blocked. Najib's lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment.

Asyraf Wajid Dusuki, secretary-general of the United Malays National Organization, said in a statement that the party had collected sufficient funds through its donation drive for Najib. He said the party had completed payment of the fine at the High Court earlier Friday.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier said that he disagreed with UMNO’s decision to settle Najib's fine because it risked sending the wrong message about large-scale corruption offenses. But he acknowledged it was the party's right.

“That should not give the public the impression that acts of corruption involving billions of ringgit can simply be overlooked," he was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama.

Najib could be imprisoned again if his second appeal fails

Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after he took office in 2009. Investigators say at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the U.S. and other countries. The funds were allegedly used to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewelry.

He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit ($51.5 million) in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) channeled into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.

In January 2024, the Pardons Board halved his sentence to six years and reduced his fine to 50 million ringgit.

King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar subsequently granted Najib a conditional pardon, paving the way for house arrest until Aug. 23, 2028, provided he paid the fine. If Najib fails to win appeal in the second case, he could face a further 15 years in prison after the current sentence ends.

Public outrage over the 1MDB scandal led to the historic 2018 election defeat of the ruling coalition, which had governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957. Despite his conviction, Najib still wields influence in his party, UNMO, which is now part of a new government that took power in 2022.

“Every time I got on a Zoom with her I was somewhat intimidated,” Heder recalls. “She had a way of asking you questions that immediately put you on your back foot. She would go: ‘How are you? How’s your family? Have you talked to so-and-so yet?’”

When Heumann died at the age of 75, she left behind a towering legacy as the so-called “mother of the disability rights movement.” Debating how to follow up her best picture-winning family drama “CODA,” Heder at first didn’t know what to do.

“I wondered whether I could continue to make the movie without her,” says Heder. “At that point, I had so many connections with her family and friends and other protesters. It felt very important to carry on and make the movie.”

In making “Being Heumann,” which opened in theaters Friday and premieres Nov. 13 on Apple TV, Heder set herself a tall task. She wanted to tell the story of a crucial historical moment in the disability rights movement: when Heumann led some 150 protesters in a 1977 sit-in occupying the San Francisco offices of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

The demonstration led to the U.S. secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo in the film), finally enacting the Rehabilitation Act, which four years earlier had made accessibility a requirement of federal buildings but had gone unenforced. Heder, imagining her film as a “Dog Day Afternoon” for disability rights, aimed to capture the collective thrall of a protest that, considering the disabilities of its demonstrators, was exponentially more challenging.

But none of that story would work without an actor capable of leading the film and channeling the spirit of Heumann.

It's hard to overstate Heumann’s importance. In 2010, President Barack Obama selected her to lead international disability rights diplomacy for the State Department. The Oscar-winning 2020 documentary “Crip Camp,” produced by Obama, derived much of its power from Heumann’s tough Brooklyn charisma.

Heumann’s legacy made the role for Ruth Madeley both profoundly meaningful and extremely daunting. By Madeley’s own account, Heumann was “the queen of our community.”

A leading role for Ruth Madeley

Madeley, 39, is from near Manchester, in the U.K., but, like Heumann, has used a wheelchair most of her life. Heumann contracted polio as an infant; Madeley was born with spina bifida.

“I grew up never seeing anyone who looked like me on screen,” Madeley says. “It wasn’t whether I could do it. It was a subconscious thing: It’s not even an option.”

Yet Madeley has established herself in Britain as an acclaimed actor. She was BAFTA-nominated for 2015’s “Don’t Take My Baby,” about a couple with disabilities fighting to prevent their baby from being taken from them.

“I’m in a position now where people listen to me, but at the beginning of my career, I wouldn’t have said anything,” Madeley says. “If there was no ramp, I would have said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s fine.’ Now, I want to encourage so many disabled people to not do that.”

But “Being Heumann” is Madeley’s biggest role to date. For Heder, she was the clear choice. On “CODA,” a landmark movie for deaf representation enlivened by the performances of Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant, Heder saw the power of casting authentically.

“The real lived experience of being in a disabled body is something that’s very hard to capture if you haven’t lived it,” Heder says. “Every disabled experience is different. I think generality is the enemy of representation.”

Still, disabled characters rarely appear prominently in popular films, and even more seldom get the big-screen biopic treatment of a movie like “Being Heumann.” The Apple production features the largest-ever ensemble cast of disabled actors. At the film's Toronto International Film Festival premiere, just their collective presence on the red carpet made a potent statement.

“The majority of sets I’ve been on, I’ve literally been the only disabled person, whereas this is most of the cast,” says Madeley. “Being on the set of ‘Being Heumann’ really healed part of my acting journey. To have that on a Hollywood movie, that was my dream.”

Thinking: ‘What would Judy do?’

Madeley stood out to Heder for what she calls “a very earthy, blunt, grounded vibe” that reminded her of Heumann.

“Ruth is an incredibly deep actor and she’s also really funny. That combination was important to me,” Heder says. “Judy had an incredible sense of humor and wit and yet she also had a ferocity where she scared people. There were protesters who told me they were more scared of Judy Heumann than they were of the FBI. It was finding someone you felt like people were going to follow into that building.”

Heumann’s legendary stubbornness is a big part of “Being Heumann,” both in her ability to drive the movement forward and in how her hard-headedness sometimes chafed with her protesting colleagues. For Madeley, it was crucial that Heumann not be turned into a saint, as can often be the case with disabled characters.

“She could be hard work, and I love that,” says Madeley. “She wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t the perfect disabled person. She went about things a certain way.”

Madeley understood that quality because it’s one she shares, and has needed, herself, in an industry so averse to those with disabilities.

“I’m very stubborn, very determined,” Madeley says. “If I want to make something happen, I make it happen. I would love to say I’m as good as Judy. I’m absolutely not and I’m still working on that. But she said so many things in the book where I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ve said that several times in my life.’”

The movie’s title comes from Heumann’s 2020 autobiography, “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.” It was one of many resources for Madeley, who filled her days, and sometimes nights, with videos of Heumann speaking.

“I listened to her before I went to sleep,” she says.

Heumann remains much on the minds of Madeley and Heder. The movie's release has been an ongoing negotiation of accessibility for her cast, in promotional appearances and theater showings. Heder has continually asked herself: “What would Judy do?”

“I think about her all the time,” says Heder. “I hope she would be proud of the movie and the way that we made it.”

A tougher regulatory environment for AI giants and data center developers is expected to follow, even if President Donald Trump — perhaps the industry’s biggest champion — stalls any federal crackdown.

Data center regulation itself was not on most midterm ballots, and it wasn't among the top issues for most voters. But hard-line stances against the server warehouses were woven into the platforms of many candidates, including the Democrats who upended longtime Republican control of the governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, many of which are data center hot spots.

Skepticism of data centers, and their impact on electricity prices, often blended with the fight for affordability — a key campaign talking point for Democrats.

In Texas, Clayton Tucker, the first Democrat elected state agriculture commissioner since 1986, said his pledge to fight data center development was critical to his victory. Everywhere he went, he said, ranchers worried that data centers posed an existential threat to their dwindling water supplies.

“You know, there’s an old saying around here that ‘whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting,’” Tucker told The Associated Press. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

Data centers were a persistent bogeyman in attack ads

According to data from AdImpact, campaigns large and small spent more than $380 million on television ads mentioning data centers. Democrats outspent Republicans on the topic by a more than 3-to-1 ratio.

Sweeping wins by Democrats could have far-reaching implications for data centers. Besides taking control of Congress, Democrats flipped at least five governors’ offices and took full control of state governments in five more states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan.

Data Center Watch, a project of AI security consultancy 10a Labs, said it tracked winning candidates for Congress and governorships and found the vast majority had expressed support for stronger regulation or even a moratorium.

Among governors, 32 of the 34 victorious candidates in races where AP called a winner support stronger regulation or restrictions. Twelve of the 34 support bans or moratoriums, it said.

During the campaign, Wisconsin Gov.-elect David Crowley, a Democrat, changed his position under pressure from his Republican opponent to take a harder line against data centers. Initially opposed to any moratorium, Crowley later said he supported one as well as abolishing the state’s sales tax exemption for data center operators and developers.

In an interview Thursday with AP, Crowley said he’s having discussions now about what he'll propose once he takes office.

In the mix are things like requiring developers to disclose more about their water and energy consumption, ensuring a community supports a project before it can go forward and insulating ratepayers and taxpayers from the energy costs of the projects, Crowley said.

The industry sees a need to build trust

AI giant OpenAI published a framework Thursday enumerating new commitments to the communities where it develops data centers. The company said it was asking federal, state and local policymakers to write “clear rules for how the industry builds.”

“Lawmakers should establish rules to advance responsible investment, protect residents, and ensure that the benefits of AI infrastructure are broadly shared,” the post said.

An industry association, the Data Center Coalition, echoed the sentiment that developers need to keep trying to build trust with public officials and communities. A coalition official, Dan Diorio, said the industry is aware many midterm winners have vowed to impose a moratorium.

“We should expect them to want to deliver on those promises, but there are going to be real world consequences of that,” Diorio said in an interview.

Those consequences, Diorio said, could include host communities missing out on tax revenue or payments from tech companies. Data centers are also driving a broader economic expansion that encourages investment in domestic manufacturing, he said.

Wall Street sees red lights ahead after the election

The election of data center skeptics adds challenges to stock markets riding high on the AI boom.

On Thursday, the Nasdaq, which is full of AI-related and other tech stocks, sank 11% below its all-time high amid worries that data center construction may slow because it’s getting costlier to borrow money.

AI data center construction is driving much of the U.S. economy’s growth, and any slowdown could have a broader chilling effect.

In an analyst report, Morgan Stanley said decisive results for Democrats carry "greater expectations for data center restrictions" that, under new state regulations, could “split the country into areas that are open to new data centers and those without.”

It singled out Texas' election of Democrat Gina Hinojosa for governor as the “most important election result" for data center development. Hinojosa has said she’d block a permit for a data center if it wasn’t a good deal for Texans or residents hadn’t gotten a say in the matter. She defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who had touted Texas as "the epicenter of AI development” before trying to clamp down on it late in the campaign.

Morgan Stanley also said Ohio's election of Democrat Dr. Amy Acton as governor “creates significant risk of data center project delays in the state.” Acton has pledged to block a data center project unless it meets certain standards.

Local elections didn’t go well for data centers, either

Voters in local referendums cast ballots overwhelmingly in favor of restricting data centers, according to an analysis by polling and data science firm Redbud Consulting.

Redbud tracked 47 referendums in 44 municipalities in 12 states, including 21 in Ohio alone, eight in Maine, seven in Illinois and four in Kansas. Restrictions were approved in 44 of the 45 elections where counting was complete, Redbud reported.

Most voters don't want a data center built near them

About three-quarters of U.S. voters oppose the construction of a new data center in their community, according to The AP Voter Poll.

In red and blue states alike, majorities of voters were opposed to adding a data center where they live.

Support was higher in some traditionally red states, including Wyoming, West Virginia, Louisiana and Mississippi. In Texas, voters in the Senate race were similarly likely to say they oppose a new data center being built in their community.

Despite voters’ deep opposition to data centers near them, The AP Voter Poll suggests it was not a particularly motivating issue in this election.

About one-quarter of U.S. voters said AI data centers were “crucial” to their vote for Congress, which is well below the shares that said government corruption or the cost of living were highly important to their vote.

The stakes were especially high in Texas

Texas is poised to overtake northern Virginia as the largest global data center market by 2030, according to a report by commercial real estate giant JLL.

In the campaign, Hinojosa aggressively attacked Abbott as having rolled out the welcome mat for data centers.

Stephen Sanders, a Republican who co-founded a data center protest group in Lubbock, said Texans were especially attuned to the issue because of talk that data centers pose a threat to their electricity and water in the drought-stricken state.

“I would say data centers were on the ballot,” Sanders said.

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Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Kaitlyn Huamani in Los Angeles and Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Marc Levy at http://x.com/timelywriter

• Major Michigan utilities are suing: CMS Energy, Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, DTE Electric and DTE Gas filed a federal lawsuit Nov. 5 challenging Michigan’s new campaign finance law.
• The lawsuit targets Proposal 2: Approved by Michigan voters Nov. 3, the ballot initiative added Section 30a to the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, restricting political contributions by utilities and their affiliates.
• The restrictions cover more than utility companies: The law also applies to certain executives, board members, owners, agents, immediate family members, and affiliated organizations.
• Political contributions are at the center of the dispute: The law prohibits covered utilities and individuals from making direct or indirect contributions to certain candidates, political committees, political parties and affiliated organizations.

Two of Michigan’s largest utility companies, along with their political action committees and two individuals linked to utility executives, have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a voter-approved campaign finance law that prohibits utilities and their affiliates from making certain political contributions.

CMS Energy Corp., Consumers Energy Co., DTE Energy Co., DTE Electric Co. and DTE Gas Co. filed the lawsuit Nov. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, seeking to block enforcement of Section 30a of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.

The lawsuit also names CMS Energy’s political action committee, Employees for Better Government; DTE Energy’s political action committee; DTE Treasurer Case Lancaster; and Lancaster’s mother as plaintiffs.

The defendants include Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, all named in their official capacities.

The challenge centers on Proposal 2, a ballot initiative approved by Michigan voters Nov. 3 that amended the state’s campaign finance law.

Among its provisions, the measure added Section 30a, which prohibits electric and gas utilities, their principals and entities affiliated with them from making direct or indirect political contributions to a broad range of candidates, political committees and organizations.

Under the new law, prohibited recipients include candidates for governor, attorney general and state legislative offices; state and local political party committees; certain political committees; members of the Michigan Public Service Commission; and organizations affiliated with covered elected officials and candidates.

The utilities argue the measure violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by restricting political speech based on the speaker’s identity and limiting individuals’ ability to participate in elections.

“The First Amendment forbids the government from silencing disfavored speakers or viewpoints in this fashion,” the companies’ complaint states.

The lawsuit alleges the ballot initiative was specifically designed to limit the political influence of Michigan’s utilities because of disagreements over energy policy, rates, reliability and corporate profits.

The plaintiffs contend the law allows labor unions, advocacy organizations and other political groups to continue making contributions while imposing restrictions on utilities and people associated with them.

The complaint also argues the measure lacks evidence of the type of corruption that could justify restrictions on campaign contributions.

The companies say the initiative’s supporters relied on broad concerns about “pay-to-play politics,” corporate influence, and special interests but did not identify specific instances of bribery or exchanges of campaign contributions for official government action involving the utilities.

Under U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the lawsuit argues that restrictions on campaign contributions must be closely drawn to address the government’s interest in preventing actual or apparent quid pro quo corruption.

The plaintiffs also contend existing Michigan campaign finance regulations already address potential corruption through contribution limits, disclosure requirements, restrictions on contributions made in another person’s name and other safeguards.

The new law, they argue, goes significantly further by imposing a blanket prohibition rather than narrower contribution limits.

--> Jocelyn Benson’s campaign promises as Michigan governor

Law could affect employees, families and political committees

A central part of the lawsuit challenges how Section 30a defines a utility’s principals and affiliated organizations.

The law’s definition of a principal includes members of a utility’s board of directors, majority and substantial owners, senior officers, certain agents and immediate family members of specified utility executives.

The plaintiffs argue the language could extend restrictions beyond utility employees and executives to attorneys, accountants, consultants, contractors, and family members with no involvement in utility business decisions.

The lawsuit specifically argues that DTE Treasurer Case Lancaster’s mother is covered by the law solely because of her relationship with her son, despite having no role in a utility.

Lancaster also contends the law prevents him from making personal political contributions with his own money because of his employment as a utility treasurer.

Both individuals say they want to continue supporting candidates and political causes of their choice.

The companies’ political action committees also argue the law effectively eliminates their ability to contribute to many Michigan candidates.

Employees for Better Government is a separate segregated fund associated with CMS Energy and Consumers Energy.

DTE PAC is a similar organization associated with DTE Energy and its subsidiaries.

According to the complaint, both committees are funded through voluntary contributions from eligible employees and shareholders, not corporate treasury funds.

The plaintiffs say Michigan law has historically permitted such committees to solicit voluntary employee contributions and participate in elections.

Employees for Better Government contributed to state political candidates and committees in 2025, including the Michigan Senate Democratic Fund and House Republican Campaign Committee, according to the lawsuit.

DTE PAC also contributed to organizations representing both major political parties, including the Michigan Senate Democratic Fund and Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

The lawsuit alleges more than 90% of DTE PAC’s contributions go to state candidates and committees, while essentially all of Employees for Better Government’s contributions fall into categories prohibited by Section 30a.

The committees say the restrictions will prevent them from representing their members’ political interests and reduce their ability to solicit contributions.

Companies challenge scope and penalties

The lawsuit raises additional concerns about the law’s definition of affiliated organizations.

Section 30a prohibits utilities and covered individuals from contributing to certain organizations connected to elected officials or candidates.

An organization qualifies as affiliated if an official, staff member, agent, or immediate family member helped establish, finance, maintain, or control it; solicited funds for it within the previous two years; or served in an executive or managerial role.

The law also covers certain organizations that spend more than $500 during an election cycle on contributions, expenditures, or election-related communications referencing a covered official or candidate.

The utilities argue the definitions are too broad and difficult to interpret, potentially making it impossible to determine whether an organization is eligible to receive a contribution.

They also contend the law could impose liability retroactively if a recipient organization later becomes affiliated with a covered official or makes a qualifying election-related communication.

Under Section 30a, a utility that violates the provision could face a civil fine of up to 10 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or donation.

The complaint says the law contains no knowledge requirement, safe harbor, good-faith defense, or opportunity to correct a violation by returning a contribution.

The plaintiffs argue those provisions create uncertainty and could discourage otherwise lawful political activity.

They also maintain that Michigan’s restrictions are unusually broad compared with other states.

The complaint identifies Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi as states with certain utility-specific contribution restrictions, but says those provisions are limited to elections involving utility regulatory commissions.

The lawsuit notes that Michigan’s Public Service Commission members are appointed rather than elected.

Four constitutional claims

The complaint outlines four primary legal challenges.

First, the plaintiffs argue Section 30a discriminates against specific speakers and viewpoints by restricting utilities and people associated with them while leaving other political participants free to contribute.

Second, they argue the law is not closely tailored to preventing corruption and imposes a broader restriction than necessary.

Third, the lawsuit alleges the law is unconstitutionally vague because terms such as “affiliated,” “indirectly financed,” “agent,” and “immediate family” are not sufficiently defined.

Finally, the plaintiffs claim the law violates the Equal Protection Clause by treating utilities and their affiliates differently from other regulated industries, corporations, labor organizations and advocacy groups.

The companies are seeking a declaration that Section 30a is unconstitutional, both facially and as applied to the plaintiffs.

They also are asking the court to issue a preliminary and permanent injunction preventing state officials from investigating or enforcing the provision against them or collecting fines for alleged violations.

The lawsuit was filed by attorneys with Grand Rapids-based Miller Johnson.

Law’s implementation is approaching

Under the Michigan Constitution, an initiated law approved by voters takes effect 10 days after the official declaration of the election results.

The plaintiffs estimate the official declaration will occur Nov. 23, which would make Section 30a effective around Dec. 3.

The companies argue they face immediate harm because they will have to suspend political contributions or risk substantial financial penalties once the law takes effect.

They contend the loss of First Amendment rights, even temporarily, constitutes irreparable harm and warrants court intervention before enforcement begins.

The lawsuit does not establish that the challenged law is unconstitutional.

The federal court will decide those questions as the case proceeds.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to preserve their ability to make political contributions while the constitutional challenge is litigated.

Scattered rain showers will remain on and off throughout today and tonight as a slow-moving area of low pressure tracks across the region. High temperatures will struggle to reach the upper 40s, putting readings below average for the first time this month.

Rain Showers Continue, Wet Snowflakes Possible Up North

Periods of rain will remain possible across Southeast Michigan through tonight. Farther north, colder overnight temperatures could allow a few wet snowflakes to mix in with the rain across Northern Lower Michigan later this evening. There is no significant accumulation expected especially given how warm the ground is, but it is a reminder that winter weather is beginning to make occasional appearances across the state.

More Seasonable Temperatures This Weekend

Temperatures will rebound slightly this weekend, returning to a more typical early-November range. Highs will reach the 50s on Saturday, although overnight lows will dip into the 30s. It will still feel chilly during the mornings and during the MSU vs. Michigan night game at the Big House, so plan on bundling up if you plan to be outside.

Sunshine and a Warmup Next Week

The forecast improves heading into Sunday as drier weather and more sunshine return to Southeast Michigan. Temperatures will climb a few degrees above average, with highs approaching 60 degrees Sunday into early next week.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that the Japanese government is aware of Russian President Vladimir Putin's order imposed on the Japanese cigarette maker's subsidiaries that operate in Russia.

Japan sent senior government officials to Moscow, where they joined the Japanese ambassador to Russia to lodge a protest and demand the retraction of the measure “to make sure the legitimate interests of Japanese nationals and businesses are not violated,” Kihara said.

The takeover is the latest dispute between the two countries. Tensions have risen since Putin made a visit in August to Iturup, one of four Russian-controlled islands off Japan’s northern coast that Tokyo also claims.

The Soviet Union seized the Kuril Islands from Japan in the final days of World War II. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

Tensions escalated in mid-October over the arrest of a Japanese journalist in Russia on suspicion of spying. Following Tokyo's demands that Moscow provide an explanation, consular access and humane treatment, Japanese consulate officials were allowed to meet the Hokkaido newspaper journalist in late October and confirmed he was in good health.

Japan Tobacco said in a statement Friday its four manufacturing subsidiaries in Russia have been placed under the temporary management of a Russian firm by presidential order.

The Japanese tobacco company said it was gathering more information, considering its response and assessing the potential impact on the group.

The move follows a growing number of cases since September in which Russia placed the assets of Western companies operating in Russia under temporary Russian control, Japan's Economy and Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said.

“To be honest, we have been cautious," Akazawa said. “We will continue to communicate with the Russian government in order to protect the assets of the Japanese companies.”

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, whose ministry holds a 37.55% stake in Japan Tobacco, told reporters Friday that she planned to “respond appropriately by cooperating closely with relevant ministries and JT, while watching the development.”

Au’s arrest last year was the first publicly known prosecution under Macao’s national security law since it was enacted in 2009. A Macao court found him guilty of subverting state power, breaching confidentiality and establishing contact with organizations, groups or people outside Macao to commit acts endangering national security.

Critics said that his case reflected Beijing’s emphasis on security and intolerance of dissent, even though Macao’s pro-democracy movement has never been as influential as that in neighboring Hong Kong.

The 69-year-old assisted and cooperated with “hostile organizations” outside Macao for a long period of time in collecting and disseminating political views laden with ideas of subverting state power and false information, according to a court statement. They conspired to incite hatred among Macao residents against the central government, with an intent to overthrow and undermine the country's fundamental system, it said.

“Although the defendant is a first-time offender and admitted to a considerable portion of the criminal facts, he demonstrated a high degree of intent. The degree of unlawfulness and the potential consequences of his crimes are both very serious,” the statement said.

Macao is a former Portuguese colony that has operated, like Hong Kong, as a special administrative region since its return to Chinese rule in 1999.

Au's wife says it's a groundless persecution

In a public letter, Au’s wife, Virginia Cheang, wrote that she only hoped authorities would allow his family to exchange letters with Au and visit him regularly without conditions.

“From a closed-door trial to a public verdict, what kind of operation is this? It's a political trial and it's a groundless persecution to humiliate one's character,” Cheang said.

Au’s daughter in London, Au Hon I, told The Associated Press that her father is a peaceful family man who cares deeply about Macao, and the thought of him spending more time in prison without having done anything criminal was unbearable. She said that a lawyer earlier arranged by her family wasn't able to see him.

She felt that the ruling was setting boundaries of what citizens can do and what rights they have, saying “it’s a very scary chapter that they’re starting.”

“It just doesn’t feel like a safe space anymore being in Macao. And it’s very heartbreaking,” she said.

The court said that a lawyer approved by Au was appointed to act for him during the legal proceedings, and that he had exercised his right to a defense. The court also approved his family’s request to visit him regularly.

Jorge Menezes, a Portuguese lawyer who practices in Macao, said that the trial was held in secret and that specific details — which organizations were involved and what information Au had provided to them — weren't revealed. Menezes noted that the statement said that Au had acknowledged some facts and it might have led people to believe that he had confessed to the crimes.

“From what I see, he did not plead guilty. Otherwise, they would have said. So this is misleading and unfortunate,” he said. “It violates his dignity.”

He said that Au's case was used to send a message to Macao residents that it was about anyone who challenges the authorities. The case could also carry a message for Hong Kong, because Macao is “a sort of laboratory” for the financial hub in situations like this.

Michael Polak, Au's international counsel, urged Portugal and the European Union to demand that Au, a Portuguese citizen, be allowed to leave Macao.

“A sentence like that for someone of that age is a sentence for life,” he said. “If he was left in Macao, he could die in prison.”

The court found Au colluded with multiple overseas groups

Macao has its own political and legal systems and Macao is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal. It has resorts run by affiliates of the American gaming companies MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.

The court found that Au helped overseas organizations spread false and distorted information between 2023 and 2024 to induce foreign countries to take hostile actions against China and Macao, incite hatred against the central government and undermine the smooth running of the 2024 city leader election.

As a lawmaker in 2021, Au leaked to overseas groups confidential information obtained during closed-door committee meetings over the renewal of gaming licenses, it said.

Au’s trial was held behind closed doors in September.

The court earlier said that the judge decided against an open trial to ensure that national security interests wouldn't be undermined.

Au was seen as a mild pro-democracy activist

Au, a teacher-turned-lawmaker, served in the legislature dominated by Beijing loyalists for 20 years before stepping down in 2021. Au was also an organizer of Macao’s commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Au said that he entered politics because he saw many social problems in daily life that required people to speak out. He said that the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement in 1989 brought him and his like-minded friends together, and he later felt Macao needed people to push forward an open and democratic society.

Before his arrest, Au was a rare voice in Macao who regularly criticized government measures and political developments on Facebook and in interviews, although many considered his critiques to be mild.

But the Macao government supported the ruling, urging all sectors to respect it. It said that the government would continue to strictly enforce the security law.

Beijing's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said that the ruling demonstrated Macao's firm resolve in safeguarding national security. It said that the ruling also reminded people to remain vigilant about the risks even in times of stability.

China's Foreign Ministry said that it firmly opposes any external forces using individual cases as a pretext to interfere in Macao's affairs.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Drive Map, the crash occurred some time before 6:35 a.m. on SB I-75 at Front Street (Exit 13).

Motorists should avoid the area and find an alternate route if possible.

Possible detours include exiting at Front Street and taking that to 1st Street, to Monroe Street which turns into Dixie Highway, and taking that to Otter Creek before getting back on the I-75 freeway.

Check back for more updates as we continue to follow this developing story.

It was a striking midterm victory that demonstrated the strength of the religious left as a counter to the stalwart evangelical support for President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.

“This attempt to corner the market on Christianity by evangelicals was repudiated,” said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist pastor and editor of a progressive faith and politics site.

Instead, American mainline Protestantism, with its less-strident theology, took the election spotlight.

Seminarian James Talarico in Texas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in Kansas and Iowa ministers Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James flipped key seats in the U.S. Senate and House. They’re part of the mainline Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran branches with moderate or progressive beliefs.

Unlike the nationalists wanting America to privilege a particular Christian worldview in public life, the mainline candidates in keeping with their Christian values backed church-state separation and sought common ground across religions, Kaylor said.

"There were so many people in our country who felt so strongly that what was happening in D.C. was not moral,” Hamilton told The Associated Press. "It didn’t reflect our national values."

That’s why he and the other candidates ran, he said, and why they were elected.

Mainline denominations have historically been part of the country’s civic establishment as the church home of most presidents and other elites. But membership has been sliding for decades. Despite that shift, the wins show these Protestants can still have significant influence — though not with white evangelicals.

Across the board, white evangelical Protestants stayed consistent in their overwhelming midterm support for Republicans. Most Protestants who identify as “liberal” or “moderate,” about 7 in 10, voted for Democrats, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of roughly 100,000 midterm voters.

The four mainline candidates also got a big boost from voters who reject organized religion. At least 7 in 10 religiously unaffiliated voters supported Democratic Senate and House candidates in Texas, Kansas and Iowa, The AP Voter Poll showed.

Others said being a progressive pastor wasn’t the prime factor in these victories.

“If I hear a story about the Democratic Party scouting out pastors to run in 2028 based on Talarico and Hamilton, I think they’ve totally missed the upshot from this election,” said Ryan Burge, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who studies religious demographics. “It’s about economic issues. It’s about disdain for Trump. It’s about high prices.”

Talarico takes Texas as critique of his Christianity continues

In the longtime GOP stronghold of Texas, Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat — the first election in 30-plus years that Democrats won statewide races — by defeating Republican Ken Paxton, an evangelical.

Voters also ousted Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who chaired Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and declared, “There is no separation of church and state.”

In Talarico’s acceptance speech, the 37-year-old state legislator recounted how his grandfather, a Baptist preacher, taught him about Jesus, a “barefoot rabbi” who commanded people to love God and neighbor. And not just the neighbor who looks, prays or votes like him, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminarian and former middle school teacher said.

“Two thousand years ago, when the people at the top hurt his neighbors, that barefoot rabbi didn’t stay in his room and pray. He walked into the seat of power, and he flipped over the tables of injustice. … Texas, it’s time to start flipping tables," Talarico said.

A longtime Texas Trump supporter and Southern Baptist pastor, the Rev. Robert Jeffress, maintains that the pluralistic religion promoted by Talarico and other candidates is not actually Christianity, a criticism raised by others during their campaigns.

“People want to choose a religion that’s nice and warm and fuzzy, whether it’s built on truth or not,” said Jeffress, who leads First Baptist Church in Dallas. “What James Talarico believes, according to the words of Jesus, is not true.”

He attributes the Democrats’ success to a trifecta of inflation, the Iran war and “less than ideal candidates.” Jeffress also suspects many evangelicals stayed home.

White evangelical Protestants made up a slightly smaller share of the electorate than in 2024, when Trump was running for president: 21% in 2024, compared with 17% in 2026, The AP Voter Poll showed. That could be due to lower turnout among white evangelicals or higher turnout among other groups. About 2 in 10 voted for Talarico in Texas and Hamilton in Kansas.

Kansas pastor candidate says kindness doesn't require religion

Burge, the professor who studies religious demographics, asserts that the Democratic clergy members who won were strong candidates but also benefited from very favorable political winds.

“If you ran Adam Hamilton in 2024, he’s beat by double digits and we’re not having this conversation,” Burge said.

Hamilton, pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation, called for “decency” in politics, drawing on Jesus’ Golden Rule in his victory speech: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

“I can’t not talk about my faith. It’s just, it’s my life. It’s what I eat, sleep, drink and breathe,” he told the AP. But being religious isn’t required to follow biblical injunctions "to do justice, to love kindness."

While campaigning for Hamilton’s Republican opponent, Sen. Roger Marshall, Vice President JD Vance questioned Hamilton’s religiosity.

“It was so ridiculous that there was no reason to even respond to it,” said Hamilton, who welcomes a conversation with Vance and other critics about faith and theology.

Iowa pastor candidates prioritize coalition building

Democrats Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James, who flipped U.S. House seats in Iowa, didn’t have political ambitions when they pursued ordination.

Trump’s 2016 election sparked James’ involvement. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) chaplain sees her ministry experience — from church potlucks to the pews — as a strength when connecting with all voters.

“I spent time bringing people together across difference,” she told the AP in March.

Trone Garriott, a state senator and a pastor in the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, thinks the religious right’s high profile in national politics has made some progressive Christians wary of sharing their faith publicly.

But she sees the power in diverse coalition building. In her acceptance speech, she evoked hope and the power of loving your neighbor. “When people come together on our common ground, we will do powerful things,” she said.

Midterm successes for other Christian candidates

Among Republicans, clergy candidates for Congress also prevailed, including Mark Harris of North Carolina, a Southern Baptist pastor, and Tim Walberg of Michigan, a former pastor.

Black Protestants vote overwhelmingly Democratic and have long comfortably talked faith and politics in a way white mainliners have not. This year, victorious Democrats included at least two Black clergy members — the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a Baptist from Texas, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a United Methodist minister from Missouri.

In North Carolina, Democrat LaKesha Womack unseated a Republican incumbent in the U.S. House. She is an ordained deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, a historically Black Protestant denomination.

Womack told the AP her faith prompts her to advocate for “policies that address poverty and immigration and making sure everybody has access to healthcare.” And she defends religious freedom for all.

“With the white Christian nationalists almost taking over the narrative of what it means to be a Christian, I think there are a lot of people of faith in this country who wanted to reclaim that narrative,” she said.

Womack said that Democrats shouldn’t read too much into this year’s clergy victories.

“I don’t think we should go out and try to recruit ministers to become politicians if that’s not what they’re called to do,” she said. “It has to be authentic.”

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AP reporter Tiffany Stanley contributed to this report.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

🍇 Grapevine

🌅 Good morning! On this day in 1998, President Bill Clinton signed an act establishing the National Automotive Heritage Area in Southeast Michigan, celebrating the state’s rich automotive history and role in putting America on wheels.

Here are a few things to know for Friday, Nov. 6, 2026:

🌥️ 4Warn Weather: Southeast Michigan is waking up to a much colder start this morning, with wind chills in the 30s across Metro Detroit. Check out the 10-day forecast.

🏷️ Name Change Saga: Voters in Flint Township recently rejected a proposal to become “Oak Hill Township,” deciding one name is plenty. But one Michigan community took that identity question much further, changing its name six times before settling down. Learn more.

🚧 Detroit Freeway Closure: A stretch of I-75 in Detroit will be closed for construction beginning this evening, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Get the detours.

🗳️ Mayor ‘Mama Shu’: Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Avalon Village, defeated incumbent Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald by 27 votes in Tuesday’s mayoral election. Hear her priorities for the city.

💍 Distraction Theft: An 86-year-old Troy woman lost more than $20,000 in gold jewelry in a distraction theft on Halloween — and she didn’t realize it until it was too late. How the suspects did it may surprise you.

🏊 Morning Dive

Good morning ☀️

CMS Energy Corp., Consumers Energy Co., DTE Energy Co., DTE Electric Co. and DTE Gas Co. filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, seeking to block enforcement of Section 30a of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.

The lawsuit also names CMS Energy’s political action committee, Employees for Better Government; DTE Energy’s political action committee; DTE Treasurer Case Lancaster; and Lancaster’s mother, Ayesha Lancaster, as plaintiffs.

The defendants include Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, all named in their official capacities.

The challenge centers on Proposal 2, a ballot initiative approved by Michigan voters Nov. 3 that amended the state’s campaign finance law.

Among its provisions, the measure added Section 30a, which prohibits electric and gas utilities, their principals and entities affiliated with them from making direct or indirect political contributions to a broad range of candidates, political committees and organizations.

Under the new law, prohibited recipients include candidates for governor, attorney general and state legislative offices; state and local political party committees; certain political committees; members of the Michigan Public Service Commission; and organizations affiliated with covered elected officials and candidates.

The utilities argue the measure violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by restricting political speech based on the speaker’s identity and limiting individuals’ ability to participate in elections.

“The First Amendment forbids the government from silencing disfavored speakers or viewpoints in this fashion,” the companies’ complaint states.

The lawsuit alleges the ballot initiative was specifically designed to limit the political influence of Michigan’s utilities because of disagreements over energy policy, rates, reliability and corporate profits.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy also filed a lawsuit challenging two of the Proposal 2’s campaign finance provisions.

Read more about the utilities’ lawsuit here.

🗞️ Other headlines to know today

• Parts of Michigan could see snow today -- here’s what to know about timing, chances
• No charges issued against deputies who shot, killed man after chase in Ypsilanti -- here’s why
• Detroit mother of 2-year-old shot with unsecured weapon at home facing charges
• Detroit restaurant owner, Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles, charged in Michigan tax case
• Eastpointe massage parlor shut down after police find alleged illegal sexual services
• Sumpter Township police millage passes by 96 votes, saving department from deep cuts
• Gorilla photo. Racial slurs. Sexual advances. Southfield woman sues over alleged harassment at work
• A behind-the-scenes look as Detroit prepares for NCAA Men’s Final Four
• Her nonverbal son wandered off school. Westland mom says staff didn’t know how long he was gone.
• Estrogen patch shortage leaves women scrambling for menopause relief
• Central Michigan men’s basketball coach placed on leave
• Man, 11-year-old relative injured in accidental shooting in Warren
• Gov.-elect Benson pledges no middle-class tax increases in first interview since election victory
• 2 arrested after Meijer theft leads to police chase, crash in Monroe County
• Music, Magic, and More This Weekend in Metro Detroit
• Detroit restricted trucks from some neighborhood streets -- Here’s how it’s going
• MSU And UM to hold ‘Piss Off’ contest at rivalry game
• Oakland County Sheriff seeks help finding missing 15-year-old
• Sterling Heights man charged for allegedly firing gun at another vehicle while driving, injuring 1
• Find more Local News headlines here
• Find more Entertainment headlines here
• Find more Health headlines here
• Check out the latest ClickOnDeals here
• Introducing the ClickOnDetroit Help Desk: How it works and how to use it

🌎 Meanwhile

News from around the world via the Associated Press:

After a campaign season filled with outrage against data centers, the midterm elections ushered in a wave of Democrats pledging to clamp down on the energy-hungry behemoths.

A tougher regulatory environment for artificial intelligence giants and data center developers is expected to follow, even if President Donald Trump — perhaps the industry’s biggest champion — stalls any federal crackdown.

Data center regulation itself was not on most midterm ballots, and it wasn’t among the top issues for most voters. But hardline stances against the server warehouses were woven into the platforms of many candidates, including the Democrats who upended longtime Republican control of the governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, many of which are data center hotspots.(Read more)

----

New limits on federal student loans filled Chloe Frabotta with anxiety as she began studying in New York City to become a physician assistant.

The changes that took effect this fall include caps on loans for particular programs as well as limits on the amount parents can borrow to pay for their children’s schooling. Up until weeks before Frabotta, 25, started her program, it was up in the air whether it would count as a “professional” program with higher loan limits. Amid the uncertainty, she borrowed around $6,000 in federal loans for her first trimester, taking out private loans for the rest with her mother as a cosigner.

“At least in my circles a lot of people were like, ’I guess that’s what I’m going to have to do, and I’m going to try to make it work,’” Frabotta said. (Read more)

----

Latino voters moved sharply to the left in the midterm elections, propelling Democrats to an improbable electoral sweep in Texas and in battleground House races from coast to coast.

It’s a remarkable pivot for a demographic that had shifted toward President Donald Trump just two years ago. “We showed our power and flexed our muscle during this election,” said Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who won his battleground district in New Mexico by around 17 percentage points after winning by less than 1 percentage point in 2022.

Democrats capitalized on voters’ angst over rising prices and government corruption, riding a wave of frustration to retake control of the House and the Senate. (Read more)

---> Find more headlines from around the world right here <---

📝 Word Up

Today’s Word Up is: Obdurate /ˌa-nə-ˌmad-ˈvər-zhən / (noun) -- defined as “stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing; resistant to persuasion or softening influences.”

Example: “My neighbor maintains an obdurate refusal to use a smartphone, clinging instead to his old flip phone.”

🧹 Housekeeping

Hey, if you like this newsletter, let us know. We’d love your feedback. We also offer several other newsletters, including 4Warn Weather, All 4 Pets and more. Hopefully, we have one that caters to your interests — unless you’re only interested in absolutely crushing someone in ping pong. We don’t have one for that, sorry.

✍🏽 Written and curated by: Jenny Sherman (Have something to say? Feel free to send an email here.)

Leo is due to arrive in Montevideo after a 13½-hour flight from Rome. He has a packed three-day itinerary in Uruguay including a visit to a neighborhood plagued by gang violence, a Mass in Paysandú, around 375 kilometers (230 miles) from the capital, and another Mass in the city of Florida, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from Montevideo.

The pope's 'stamina is fantastic'

The Uruguay leg is the first stop on what will be the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, all being undertaken as the 71-year-old pope continues his recovery. The trip will also bring him to neighboring Argentina and finally back home to Peru, where Leo served as a missionary priest and bishop for two decades.

“His stamina is fantastic. The way that he's singing is incredible. And you can only sing if your lungs are really strong,” said María Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican's new communications chief. She noted that Leo has passed the 14-day convalescence period required by doctors after his Oct. 13 surgery and is eager to get on the road.

“His doctors are very confident and he'll have plenty of medical care on board should something happen, but we don't see that in his prognosis or even in the way that he's acting,” she said.

A first stop in secular Uruguay

In Uruguay, which hasn’t had a papal visit since 1988, Leo is expected to try to remind the 3.5 million people of their strong Catholic heritage stemming from the times of Spanish colonial rule. He's likely to propose the faith anew as an answer to today’s challenges and problems.

Upon arrival, Leo will meet with President Yamandú Orsi, leader of the center-left alliance that assumed power in Uruguay in March 2025, and then deliver his welcome address to government officials and diplomats. He finishes the long day with a vespers service at the city's cathedral.

Leo will find in Uruguay a country unlike any other in Latin America, which is home to around 40% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Uruguay is considered the most secular country in the region, where only a fraction of people who identify as Catholic actually go to Mass regularly.

Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the second country in Latin America to decriminalize abortion, and the third country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage.

More recently, it became the first country in the region to approve assisted dying legislation despite the strong opposition of the Catholic Church, evidence of Uruguay’s entrenched, church-state separation that prohibits any mention of God in oaths of office.

Leo is expected to recall the church's opposition to abortion and euthanasia as part of his broader argument about upholding human dignity in all phases of life.

Uruguayan church officials have marveled at the apparent enthusiasm that the visit has provoked, with reports that tickets to Leo’s prayer vigil at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium were snapped up after two days.

“It seems that the pope’s presence is shifting something here and is gradually breaking down this veil that has always sought to obscure and diminish the presence of the Catholic tradition that lies at the country’s foundation,” said Guzmán Carriquiry, the Uruguayan former head of the Vatican’s pontifical commission for Latin America.

“I believe this pope will stir up questions in the hearts of Uruguayans — disturbing questions — questions about meaning and, we hope, questions about faith,” he said.

Recalling the Catholic origins of independence

Carriquiry said that he expects Leo will seek to revive the Catholic roots of Uruguay, especially when he travels to the city of Florida on Sunday to mark an important Catholic feast day.

The Nov. 8 feast commemorates the Virgin of the Thirty-three, a small wooden icon of the Virgin Mary that is intricately connected to Uruguay’s independence movement. According to tradition, 33 independence patriots acquired the Guaraní statue and had it with them when independence was declared from the Brazilian empire in Florida on Aug. 25, 1825.

“So the number 33 is an ecclesiastical symbol, a national symbol,” said Carriquiry, who was also Uruguay’s ambassador to the Holy See. “And so the pope will speak there about the Catholic tradition that lies at the origin of Uruguay — that stems from Uruguay and gave rise to Uruguay — in order to revive and renew the Catholic tradition in the hearts of Uruguayans.”

Andrew Chesnut, chair of Catholic studies and an expert in the Latin American church at Virginia Commonwealth University, said that he wasn’t surprised that Leo’s visit had generated enthusiasm and that he will be welcomed warmly.

“But that’s not necessarily going to translate into folks in the pews,” he said. “If the overarching goal is trying to revitalize Catholicism in the most Catholic region on Earth, Uruguay is kind of a lost cause, and it has been for decades.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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This story has been corrected to show that the last name of the Vatican’s new communications chief is Alvarado, not Alvar.

“If I had told myself like a year or so ago that I would be looking at ingredients to make a soup, that would be like insane,” she says, laughing. “Like, a soup? ‘Hell, no, it’s just a hot liquid.’”

The actor-comedian-rapper's 180-degree shift is largely thanks to her latest project: Putting together a menu and finding a location and staff to open her own restaurant.

The eight-episode Apple TV series “Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook” premiering Friday follows her journey, from learning to make stir-fry at the Culinary Institute of America to waitressing in downtown L.A. Along the way, she turned herself into a pretty good cook.

“I have these friends that are cooking up all kinds of stuff all the time. And I always felt like I was never going to be really a member of that club,” she says.

“But it’s so accessible. It really is a world that you can step into anytime. No one’s going to tell you that you can’t do it or you’re not good enough.”

Awkwafina comes from restaurant royalty

It turns out that the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning Awkwafina, born Nora Lum, comes from restaurant royalty.

Her family ran Lum’s, an iconic Cantonese restaurant in the New York borough of Queens that closed in the 1990s after four decades.

Awkwafina's plan to reopen the restaurant — as a pop-up for one night — sent her across America to find dishes to honor her past: To Texas to do her own twist on Lum's barbecue spare ribs, and to Hawaii for a pupu platter.

Martin Yan, the first breakthrough Chinese TV chef, teaches her how to make chicken chow mein, and she learns to make Peking duck in San Francisco, first carefully plucking out the feathers by hand. “I love giving ducks Brazilians,” she jokes on the show.

The mission was to do something that would make her family proud, especially for her father and grandmother, who helped raise her when her mother died young.

“I feel connected to my ancestors because I’m repeating dishes in a process that they did,” she says. Making food, she adds, “is an act of love in every way.”

Executive producer David Brindley says Awkwafina and the filmmakers didn't intend to end with a pop-up. The series was initially pitched as an exploration of Asian American food but, things grew more personal and meaningful.

“It sets it apart, I think, from lots of other food travel shows because it’s got an authenticity at the heart of it,” he says.

Awkwafina learned the business, all of it

Awkwafina waitressed at the Golden Dragon banquet hall in Los Angeles, learnt to make Korean-style dumplings from chef Roy Choi and collaborated on a logo and font for the menu. She chose a pizzeria in Manhattan as the site for the pop-up, which fed 50 guests.

Awkwafina leaned on a lot of Asian American food specialists during the series and was struck by how many are reentering an industry their parents didn't want them to work in.

“Their parents came here and worked in kitchens, started restaurants and takeout places so that their kids could become lawyers and doctors,” she says. “And so to see people go back to their roots, it’s almost like rebellious.”

Pulling it all together was stressful — especially nailing the show-stopping duck dish with pineapple salsa cooked in a pizza oven at the end — and Awkwafina saw a new side of herself.

“I had never seen myself ever be flustered, be serious, rushing around,” she says. “That was really weird to see. It was a version of myself that I’d never noticed before.”

Viewers watch a woman who started the series struggle to make ramen with Spam be able to master complex meals by the end, even suggesting a dish be more tangy or that a sauce should be added to the shrimp.

So complete is the transformation that Awkwafina is in the process of reopening Lum's for the long-term, not just as a pop-up.

“Without the show, I don’t think I would have been able to do that confidently,” she says. “I would not have been able to just dive into that.”

Brindley says viewers will delight in seeing the host go from zero to hero — starting with knowing very little about food and ending up in command, opening a restaurant.

“What the show does is say to the viewers that it’s never too late to try something new, try something different, and you, too, can master that. That might be food, it might well be something else,” he says. “That is, I think, really inspiring.”

At least one coach was fired by Week 9 in each year since 2022 but there haven’t been any dismissals so far. The Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard, though.

Several coaches could be in trouble if they don’t turn things around quickly.

A total of 24 teams have made coaching chances since 2023.

Here are some of the coaches on the hot seat:

Aaron Glenn

Glenn is 5-20 with the New York Jets. Unless the Jets go 7-2 or 8-1 the rest of the way, it’s unlikely he’ll be back. The Jets own three first-round picks in 2027 and could accumulate more draft capital before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Jim Harbaugh

The underachieving Los Angeles Chargers are 0-7 after going 11-6 in each of Harbaugh’s first two seasons. The decision to hire Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator has been a disaster and Justin Herbert has regressed. If Harbaugh stays, he’ll have a new offensive coordinator.

Dan Quinn

Led the Washington Commanders to the NFC championship game in his first season just two years ago but they were 5-12 last season and are 2-4-1. Jayden Daniels missed several games last year and has dealt with injuries this season. In a weak NFC East, the Commanders are only two games behind the Giants.

Todd Bowles

His seat was scorching hot when the Buccaneers started 0-4, but Tampa Bay has won two in a row and three of four to get back in the race in a wide-open NFC South. Bowles won the division in each of his first three seasons but the Bucs collapsed last season after a 6-2 start and finished 8-9. A one-and-done playoff appearance might not be enough for Bowles to stick around.

Shane Steichen

Steichen’s situation in Indianapolis is interesting because the GM was fired and the Colts (2-6) shifted into rebuild mode. All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner already were traded. Jonathan Taylor could be next to go. It’s unfair to evaluate Steichen in a season where the team is focusing on stockpiling draft picks for the future. But he didn’t do any better than 9-8 in his first three seasons and didn’t make the playoffs.

Brian Schottenheimer

The Cowboys (3-5) were supposed to be contenders this season and they can’t even blame injuries for their inconsistencies. Their defensive struggles weren’t solved with a new coordinator. Jerry Jones doesn’t like to fire coaches he still has to keep paying but Dallas needs a strong finish.

Nick Sirianni

A coach with Sirianni’s resume shouldn’t have to worry about job security but the Eagles have lost six in a row and Philadelphia doesn’t tolerate losing well. Sirianni has won three division titles, two NFC championships and one Super Bowl while making five playoff appearances in five seasons. He entered this season with one of the top five winning percentages in NFL history. And, he has excuses. Jalen Hurts is out for the season. Lane Johnson retired. Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith missed several games. The team is turning to QB Joe Milton III, who was on Dallas’ practice squad, to lead a depleted offense. But that might not save Sirianni. Doug Pederson was fired three years after he won a Super Bowl. The Eagles have high standards and impatient management.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The 29-year-old Bulgarian tested positive last year for mesterolone and was banned for four years to November 2029, the International Testing Agency said.

“Mesterolone is known for its potent androgenic properties by increasing testosterone levels and enhancing male sexual characteristics,” the ITA said in a statement.

Andreev took bronze in the 73-kilogram class at the 2024 Paris Olympics and placed fifth in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. His Olympic medal is not affected by the doping conviction.

He can appeal against the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Andreev won the gold medal at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and was twice a European champion.

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AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

• Two people were arrested following a police pursuit that began after a reported theft at a Meijer store in Frenchtown Township.
• The incident happened Thursday, Nov. 5, around 6 p.m. at the Meijer store at 1700 N. Telegraph Road.
• Police say the suspects broke into an electronics display case inside the store.
• Investigators believe the suspects may be connected to other retail thefts at Meijer locations across the Downriver area.

MONROE COUNTY, Mich. —Two people were arrested after a vehicle pursuit that began following a reported theft at a Meijer store in Frenchtown Township, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred on Thursday (Nov. 5) around 6 p.m., when police said the two individuals broke into an electronics display case at the Meijer store at 1700 N. Telegraph Road.

The sheriff’s office also believed the suspects were connected to several other recent retail thefts at Meijer locations across the Downriver area.

Police said they located the suspects’ vehicle traveling northbound on Monroe Street near Mall Road. When they attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver accelerated and fled northbound.

The vehicle continued onto southbound I-275 before transitioning to southbound I-75.

The pursuit ended when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed in a construction zone near South Otter Creek Road.

Both occupants exited the vehicle and fled on foot, according to the sheriff’s office.

Officers established a perimeter and used an aerial drone to locate the suspects hiding in a nearby field.

Officers took the driver, a 27-year-old man from Fairmont, West Virginia, into custody and lodged him at the Monroe County Jail.

The passenger, a 17-year-old boy from Detroit, was also arrested and lodged at the Monroe County Youth Center.

The suspects’ names are being withheld pending formal arraignment in the 1st District Court in Monroe.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-240-7758.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the freeway will be closed for pavement repairs.

Northbound I-75 will be closed between the Lodge Freeway and I-375. Southbound I-75 will be closed between I-375 and I-96.

The closure will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, and the freeway will reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.

What are the detours?

Drivers heading northbound will be detoured to I-96, then I-94 to I-75.

Drivers heading southbound will be detoured to I-94, then I-96 to get back on I-75.

• A 10-year-old nonverbal boy with autism left Johnson Upper Elementary’s playground during recess Monday and was found safe minutes away on Newburgh Road.
• Surveillance-based timeline shared by his mother shows the last sighting at 12:38 p.m.; staff began searching at 12:52, called police at 1:09, and notified his mother at 1:20.
• His mother, Kassandra Richards, says conflicting information and the delay shook her trust and raised serious safety concerns.
• Livonia Public Schools confirmed the incident, said it is investigating, and indicated staff would adjust coverage near the playground and parking lot; the district declined further public comment.

WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. - A Westland mother said her 10-year-old, who is nonverbal and has autism, wandered off the playground at Johnson Upper Elementary in Westland. She said the school first told her he’d been missing for ten minutes, but later admitted it didn’t know how long he’d been gone.

It happened Monday during outdoor recess, according to the boy’s mother, Kassandra Richards.

The school is in the Livonia Public Schools district.

Richards said she received a call from school staff telling her that her son was missing. At first, she said, staff told her he had been gone about 10 minutes. Later, in a meeting with administrators, she learned the school could not say for sure how long he was off school grounds.

“They said they think he went through the woods, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Richards said. “I didn’t know if he’d be, you know, gone forever. I don’t know. I didn’t know what to think.”

Richards said her son was eventually found safe minutes away from the school on Newburgh Road.

Richards recorded a meeting with school administrators Wednesday and shared audio from that meeting. In the recording, a person she identified as an administrator outlines a timeline based on school surveillance cameras:

• At 12:24 p.m., video shows her son going from lunch to recess.
• The last camera image of him is at 12:38 p.m.
• At 12:52 p.m., staff realized he was missing and an official search began.
• Police were called at 1:09 p.m.
• Richards said she received a call at 1:20 p.m.
• Administrators told her he was back at school by 1:22 p.m.

Richards said the shifting information and length of time deeply shook her trust.

“I’m extremely angry and upset about it, and yeah, there’s just a loss of trust,” Richards said.

While she is grateful her son was found unharmed, Richards said the situation exposed serious safety concerns, especially given her son’s disabilities and the school’s surroundings.

“They need to have a clear, immediate response when a child goes missing like this,” Richards said. “They clearly took too long to notify the police because, again, there are pools and everything there, and all that time he could have got hit by a car because he did go in the road.”

In the recording, a person Richards identified as a staff member can be heard saying the school will make adjustments, including positioning more people near the playground and parking lot.

A district spokesperson confirmed the incident and said officials are addressing it, but did not answer specific questions about whether safety procedures will be updated, citing limitations on what they can say about student matters.

Their full statement is below:

“LPS is actively addressing a situation involving a student leaving school grounds during outdoor recess. Appropriately, we have been working directly with the parents of the child involved and will not have further comment publicly on this matter. 

LPS is focused on thoroughly investigating, understanding, and responding to all concerns shared with us.  This is consistent with the District’s overall commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of all our students.  

As part of this assurance, LPS always carefully reviews policies and procedures, as appropriate, to meet the needs of our students and our school community."

Livonia Public Schools

• Michigan and UConn meet again Friday, Nov. 6, seven months after the Wolverines defeated the Huskies to win the 2026 NCAA national championship.
• The matchup features two nationally ranked teams: No. 16 Michigan and No. 4 UConn.
• Michigan enters 1-0 after opening its national title defense with an 84-68 victory over Oakland on Nov. 2. UConn also enters Friday’s game 1-0.
• Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in the 2026 national championship game, earning its second NCAA title and first since 1989.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Seven months after winning the national championship against UConn, the No. 16-ranked Michigan Wolverines will face the No. 4 Huskies at TD Garden in Boston.

The matchup on Friday (Nov. 6) is part of the Hall of Fame Series Boston, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. EST, and will air nationally on TNT and truTV and stream on HBO Max.

Michigan enters the matchup 1-0 after opening its national title defense with an 84-68 win over Oakland University on Nov. 2.

UConn also enters Friday’s game at 1-0.

The Wolverines defeated the Huskies 69-63 in the 2026 NCAA championship game, securing Michigan’s second national title and its first since 1989.

→ Michigan basketball returns home to hero’s welcome at Crisler Center after title win vs. UConn

In that championship matchup, Elliot Cadeau led Michigan with 19 points and earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.

Trey McKenney also delivered a key three-pointer and two late free throws to help seal the victory.

Friday’s game marks the 11th time since 1996 that the previous season’s national championship finalists have met the following season again.

Defending national champions have won six of the previous 10 rematches.

Michigan and UConn have combined to win three of the past four NCAA championships.

UConn captured back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 before Michigan claimed the 2026 championship.

Michigan leads the all-time series against UConn, 3-2. The programs previously met in November 2015, when UConn won 74-60 at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Michigan looks to build on season-opening win

Michigan opened the season with a balanced offensive performance against Oakland.

Roddy Gayle Jr. and McKenney scored 17 points apiece, while Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella contributed 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in his Wolverines debut.

The defending champions return seven players from last season’s title-winning team, including preseason All-Big Ten selections Cadeau and McKenney.

Michigan also added four transfers and six freshmen while replacing three players selected in the NBA draft lottery: Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9), Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) and Aday Mara (No. 12).

Friday’s matchup will also be a homecoming for Michigan freshman Quinn Costello, a Medford, Massachusetts, native.

Costello scored 13 points and made three three-pointers in his collegiate debut against Oakland.

UConn enters matchup ranked No. 4

UConn returns guards Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins from last season’s national runner-up team.

Demary, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, averaged 10.1 points and 5.9 assists last season.

Mullins averaged 12 points per game.

The Huskies also added several transfers, including Nik Khamenia from Duke and Na’Jai Hines from Seton Hall.

UConn coach Dan Hurley enters his ninth season with the program. He has led the Huskies to three Final Four appearances and two national championships over the past four seasons.

UConn finished 34-6 last season and enters the 2026-27 season ranked No. 4 nationally.

Next week

After Friday’s game, Michigan returns to Crisler Center on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to host Marquette at 7 p.m.

The Wolverines will then host William & Mary on Nov. 15 inside Crisler Arena before traveling to Philadelphia to face Villanova on Nov. 21 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The rain mix started late Thursday night in parts of northern Michigan, but could turn to snow on Friday, Nov. 6.

Here’s what to know:

Areas with highest chance of seeing snow

Higher elevations in Marquette and Baraga counties have a higher chance of seeing snowflakes mix with rain.

Little to no snow accumulation is expected across most locations, according to NWS Marquette and Gaylord. However, NWS Marquette says some residents in the higher terrain of Marquette and Baraga counties may need snow brushes Friday morning.

Gusty winds could bring wind chills into the 20s across parts of northern Michigan Friday morning, although wind chills do not determine whether precipitation falls as snow.

Timing

The rain-snow mix could continue through midday Friday across portions of northern Lower Michigan. Precipitation gradually diminishes across the Upper Peninsula Friday morning.

Will there be snow in Metro Detroit?

Snow is not expected with this system. Rain remains the primary precipitation type across Southeast Michigan.

Romanian-born Eva Geller died Thursday night in a Sydney hospital, Executive Council of Australian Jewry director Evan Zlatkis said.

She was one of around 40 people wounded when two gunmen allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group opened fire on a crowd at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14. Fifteen victims aged 10 to 87 died. One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Rabbi says victim was ‘strong and pretty healthy’ before she was shot

Rabbi Aron Moss said Geller had been “strong and pretty healthy right up until the Bondi attack where she was shot.”

She had been admitted to the hospital several times in recent weeks due to surgery complications, Moss said.

“She’s a proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother. A beautiful, positive person who even in these difficult months maintained her positivity,” Moss said on the family’s behalf.

“She was told after being shot that she will never walk again by the doctors. But through sheer determination, she got back up and she did walk again,” Moss added.

She walked with a cane following the leg wound, he said.

The surviving alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, the 25-year-old son of the dead gunman, has been charged with 15 counts of murder, 43 of attempted murder and one of committing a terrorist act. He has yet to enter a plea.

It was not yet clear whether Geller’s death would change the charges Akram faces.

Police said in a statement they were awaiting advice from a state coroner, who would investigate the circumstances of her death.

Akram is scheduled to appear in court next on Feb. 24, when prosecutors expect to finalize what charges will go to the New South Wales state Supreme Court for trial.

State government leader says death is ‘heartbreaking’

State Premier Chris Minns offered his condolences to Geller’s family.

“After everything Geller endured, the news of her death is heartbreaking,” Minns said in a statement.

“Almost a year on, we are still living with the pain and aftershock of that evil act. We will never forget Eva or any victim whose life was changed forever,” Minns added.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the devastation of the Bondi attack continued to cause pain for families.

“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah) in peace and safety and instead, her life was changed forever by an act of terror and antisemitism,” Albanese said in a statement, using a different spelling of Hanukkah.

Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya resigned as the deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party in September, shortly after allegations emerged that she had sold shares worth tens of millions of dollars just before regulators decided to liquidate the investment funds over alleged manipulation.

Kaya, who served as family and social affairs minister from 2016 to 2018, was taken into custody late on Thursday pending a possible trial on charges of membership in a criminal organization and violating Turkey’s Capital Markets Law, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Her husband was released on condition that he regularly report to police, following a second round of questioning for the couple.

Turkey’s main opposition party has accused Kaya of receiving 2.17 billion liras ($43 million) after reportedly investing 163 million liras ($3 million) in one of the funds.

The couple have denied any wrongdoing but have transferred some of the profits to an account designated by the banking regulators, according to media reports.

More than 430 people are under investigation over suspected market manipulation and insider trading, including 112 who have been arrested as part of the scandal, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said this week.

World leaders are due to arrive next week in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, and Turkey’s hosting of the annual environmental conference has thrown a spotlight on its own coal, oil and gas usage.

Turkey is Europe’s largest coal power generator, according to energy think tank Ember. The Turkish Energy Ministry says coal remained its largest source of power last year, accounting for 33% of generation. The share of solar and wind in electricity generation stood at nearly 23%.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed the National Energy Plan 2040 to reporters in a presentation made public Friday, in which he said Turkey would aim to transition from coal to cleaner energy sources — a process known as electrification. This would help it fulfil its pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2053.

“When we reach 2040 we are going to reduce our emissions by 40%. This big change in electrification will make this happen,” he said, adding that the use of solar and wind energy sources would more than quadruple over the next 13 years.

“Our aim is to reach 36% electrification by the year 2040,” he told a news conference in Istanbul. Using transport as an example, Bayraktar said the number of electric cars on Turkey’s roads would increase from around 500,000 to 20 million in the next 13 years.

The aim of the plan is to produce a “paradigm shift” in how energy is used in Turkey. “We have a huge project list ahead of us,” the minister added.

Huge level of investment needed

Such a shift, however, would require a huge level of investment — $500 billion in the next 13 years, some $210 billion of which would come from Turkish public sector companies with much of the rest from foreign investment.

“If the world is serious about carbon neutrality and if we would like to fund (fighting) climate change and global warming, we need to find the money,” Bayraktar said. “Everyone needs to take some responsibility and provide money for that.”

He also emphasized the importance of a transition from coal to clean energy that would not negatively impact communities reliant on mines and power stations for employment.

“We are looking for a just transition from coal to relatively cleaner sources of energy… but we need coal for security of supply,” he said.

“Equally important is that (coal mining) is providing at least 30,000 to 40,000 people with employment and labor opportunities. How are we going to make these miners into AI experts or high-tech experts? It’s not going to be easy. We need a just transition period.”

Despite aiming to break away from coal, Turkey will remain tied to other fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, for the foreseeable future.

Turkey recently started drilling gas reserves in the Black Sea and Bayraktar said production would double to 7.5 billion cubic meters annually in the coming years.

Growing nuclear power

Another key area would be nuclear power. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant on the Mediterranean coast is nearing operation and there are plans for another nuclear station by the Black Sea.

These would contribute towards the “very ambitious target” of Turkey becoming energy independent by 2040, Bayraktar said.

Turning to the “turbulent times” facing energy markets, Bayraktar described how sanctions around the wars in Ukraine and Iran were impeding efforts to fight global warming.

“We are trying to become carbon neutral in less than three decades’ time and with all these difficulties it’s very difficult to achieve this,” he said.

According to the Climate Action Tracker, which measures countries’ progress against goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Turkey’s climate targets and policies are “critically insufficient.”

The agreement set a target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with the early 1800s.

Looking ahead to COP31, Bayraktar said his key message would be for countries to adopt “responsive and realistic policies” to achieve carbon neutrality.

The men agreed to be added to a co-defendant’s court petition seeking Attorney General Letitia James' removal from the case because of social media posts she made prior to her involvement in which she condemned the alleged assault and expressed support for the accuser.

The development comes a day after James appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw a sex crimes case against music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, as outside counsel for the investigation. She and a team of lawyers and investigators will be responsible for evidence gathering, witness interviews and other investigative steps. They will report to James.

A judge heard arguments last week on one accused man’s request to remove James but said he wouldn't rule without knowing if the six other lawsuit defendants backed the effort. He gave the man’s lawyers until Thursday to try to get them to join.

Four agreed to join, including one whose lawyers had previously filed court papers seeking to have James removed. The two others didn't have lawyers and did not respond, court filings said.

James' office declined to comment.

A former Cornell student identified in court papers as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit in September alleging that several men raped her at a fraternity party in 2024. The woman said some of the men pressured her into using ketamine and marijuana and that she drank alcohol that left her too intoxicated to consent. Not all of the men named were accused of rape.

James, a Democrat, posted about the case on X and Facebook on Sept. 28, linking to a news article about the lawsuit. “I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

On Oct. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation, saying that she had lost faith in the local district attorney, who declined to bring charges in 2024 but had said he would restart the investigation following the former student’s lawsuit.

James initially declined to comment about her social media posts but addressed them at an Oct. 8 debate, saying: “Those comments demonstrate empathy, and what we need now more than ever in our body politic is more empathy."

In court, the state’s lawyers argued that Hochul has wide latitude to appoint special prosecutors and said she picked James because of her track record handling sensitive cases in the national spotlight.

In a statement on Wednesday, James said she is confident that Kelly “will lead a fair and comprehensive investigation.”

Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer for the man spearheading the removal effort, said in a court filing that Kelly's appointment “changes the face of the investigation" but "does not establish any change in ultimate authority.”

The temporary restraining order by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan halting the work represents a major setback for one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent projects in his vision to remake Washington.

The decision followed a series of steps taken earlier Thursday by the government, including the final approval of the arch by the National Capital Planning Commission in an 8-4 vote after a 9 ½ hour hearing where scores of witnesses opposed the construction.

The administration said the work could begin as soon as the approval and the Interior Department issued a final decision authorizing construction and the proper notification was published by the National Park Service.

In approving the temporary stop, Chutkan said Virginia and the District of Columbia had shown that the immediacy of the construction would cause real harm to the plaintiffs.

“The harm is certain," she wrote. "Defendants initially notified the court that construction could begin as early as November 5, 2026, if the NCPC approves the project at its meeting that day and the Department of the Interior authorizes construction.” In their filing, Virginia and D.C. warned of traffic pattern distortions as well as concerns about the impact on mutual aid emergency calls if the arch were to proceed.

“Second, the District and Virginia will incur significant unrecoverable costs. As soon as construction begins, DDOT will need to expend staff time and operating resources to affirmatively and proactively manage temporary detours, crashes or disabled vehicles,” Chutkan wrote.

The judge ordered the government to provide a status report next Monday to ensure they are complying with the order.

The judge's decision came just over an hour after the National Capital Planning Commission hearing ended. The vote by the commission broke along federal and local lines. Those in favor work for the administration or are connected to the president, who was pushing for the immediate construction. Opponents represented the city of Washington.

The remote, call-in hearing — which crashed repeatedly in the first few hours and was accompanied by a nearly universally negative comment section — drew witnesses who gave impassioned comments opposing an arch they said will destroy the solemnity of the nearby Arlington National Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of fallen service members and military veterans are buried.

The panel's Trump-appointed chairman launched the meeting with a gushing appraisal of the towering monument and lauded Trump for wanting to build it.

“President Trump understands as president and a superb builder that it’s important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments,” said Mark Paoletta, the commission's chairman.

As Trump has often remarked, “the great cities around the world have arches: Paris, Rome, London,” said Paoletta, who also serves as general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Commissioner Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer for the General Services Administration, said the arch was “not about politics. It’s about remembrance. It’s about celebrating our history. It’s about commemorating veterans. And it’s really something that’s a noble tribute to our nation and something that we can all rally behind.”

But D.C. City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who also serves on the planning panel, said the project has not received required approval from Congress, nor has Congress appropriated any money for it. The plan submitted to the commission does not include a reference to military use cited by Trump and other administration officials, Mendelson said.

“We cannot approve final site and building plans until we have the final site and building plans,” he said.

The commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.

The arch is one of several projects around Washington that the Republican president has undertaken as he alters the capital to his tastes — from renovating one of its storied public golf courses to threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Those projects could soon face intense scrutiny after Democrats gained control of Congress in the midterm elections this week.

Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who is set to chair the House Natural Resources Committee, called the project ill-advised and illegal.

“This arch would dishonor America,” Huffman told the commission. He called the proposed arch “a tribute to Donald Trump,” not veterans as Trump administration officials claim. The monument is similar to those built for emperors or kings, Huffman said, adding that Trump was using veterans as a pretext to build a memorial to himself.

Other critics, including the plaintiffs, argue that the Trump administration must seek congressional approval. The administration maintains that Congress cleared the way for a monument at Memorial Circle decades ago.

Several members of the Planning Commission used that logic in approving the project. Paoletta said it was a “national disgrace” that a memorial arch had not been placed there, despite a 1925 law that designated such a memorial, he said.

Chutkan rejected that argument in her ruling: "The sheer improbability that a 100-year-old statute would contain authority, unknown to every previous administration, to erect a 250-foot arch at a principal location in the Nation’s capital indicates how far defendants must stretch to justify this project."

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Associated Press videographer Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

During the Baltimore Ravens’ 33-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, it often looked like it.

Summoned into duty with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley hitting injured reserve, Fagnano completed 10 of 18 passes for 60 yards and threw two interceptions in the Ravens’ fourth straight defeat.

“I think anytime you’ve got a quick turnaround, it (poses) its own challenges,” the 25-year-old undrafted rookie said. “But I’m not here to sit up here and make excuses. I mean, they were on a short week as well. Credit to the Jaguars, they played well. Just didn’t execute today.”

Before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Ravens are expected to add Jacoby Brissett, who started Arizona’s first eight games before losing that job to Gardner Minshew. That likely means Fagnano will go back to the bench before Baltimore’s Monday night Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I know that our front office and ownership are going to do what’s necessary to give us a chance,” Ravens coach Jesse Minter said. “Tons of respect for Joe and how he operated and how he played. … Anybody that comes in, we’ll see how it goes, and we’ll see where it takes us.”

The Ravens leaned heavily on a Wildcat formation led by running back Derrick Henry to protect Fagnano, who entered training camp fourth on Baltimore’s quarterback depth chart before Skylar Thompson’s season-ending injury.

That mostly worked until Trevor Lawrence connected for a 50-yard touchdown to Parker Washington to stretch Jacksonville’s lead to 17-3 shortly before halftime.

“I thought the team was ready to play, and from a competitive standpoint, I really think the explosive play before the half really kind of broke the game open,” Minter said.

Asked to do more after halftime, Fagnano threw picks to Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis on similar out routes toward Zay Flowers.

His teammates displayed similar sloppiness, committing four false-start penalties. Tight end Mark Andrews also fumbled a snap on a fourth-down attempt in the third quarter.

Fagnano believed the altered game plan in a short week made sense after Jackson and Huntley both exited early in Sunday’s 36-10 loss at Buffalo.

“Derrick Henry, you want to get him to the ball anyway, so that was just part of the plan,” Fagnano said. “It was obviously to run, and I feel like we did that pretty well there in some spurts. We’ve got to be able to sustain some drives, whether that’s me making a play or making a better decision or not shooting ourselves in the foot.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

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This version has been corrected to show the Ravens had four false starts.

The Jaguars were ready.

“We practiced Wildcat a ton,” Jacksonville coach Liam Coen said.

Trevor Lawrence threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, and the Jaguars had little trouble with Joe Fagnano and the Ravens in a 33-10 victory. Normally, a Thursday night game presents a preparation challenge for the visiting team, but it was Baltimore that looked like it could have used a longer break with quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley injured.

There was little the Ravens could do but start Fagnano, a 25-year-old rookie who made his debut last weekend against Buffalo. He threw for only 60 yards against the Jags. Baltimore (4-5) has lost four straight.

With their top two quarterbacks on injured reserve — and Fagnano has been dealing with an ankle issue — the Ravens now await Jacoby Brissett's arrival as they try to prevent their season from falling apart completely.

“Tough situation for our guys. But I just told them, there’s no excuses,” Baltimore coach Jesse Minter said. “There’s no, ‘Whatever, we don’t have this guy, we don’t have that guy.’”

Jacksonville (6-2) did not need to do anything extraordinary to beat a badly weakened Baltimore team. The Jaguars mostly took care of the ball on a rainy night and avoided any extreme risks. The Jags have won five of their last six to take command of the AFC South, where they have a 3 1/2-game lead.

Jacksonville drove 77 yards on the game's first possession, taking a 7-0 advantage on a 1-yard touchdown run by Bhayshul Tuten.

“That opening drive was huge, just to set the tone,” Lawrence said. “Especially when you get the ball first ... that's something that's important, is to be able to go and get points right away.”

The Ravens tried to be creative, repeatedly running Wildcat-style plays with Henry. Baltimore managed a field goal on its first drive but nothing more until late in the game.

It was still close near the end of the first half, but Lawrence found Parker Washington for a 50-yard scoring strike with 58 seconds left in the second quarter. That made it 17-3 at the half.

“I just think he was very on when it was really a game,” Coen said of Lawrence. “When it was mattering and things were going and it's a back-and-forth football game early on, he was extremely sharp, accurate and played, again, a really solid football game for us.”

It was 20-3 when a fumble gave Baltimore the ball at midfield in the third quarter, but the Ravens immediately turned the ball over on downs and the boos came cascading down from the crowd.

“They have every right to boo or do whatever they want to do. Obviously, us in here, we have to stay together, be on one accord, and just keep on relying on each other,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “You’ve got to be there for your brother. And that’s what we’re going to do is keep it in house and continue to fight for one another. And we’ll see how this thing shakes out.”

Fagnano went 10 of 18 with two second-half interceptions. Baltimore also lost a fumble on a kick return, which led to Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s 2-yard touchdown run with 7:26 left in the game that made it 33-3.

Justice Hill broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run 11 seconds later — Baltimore's first TD after halftime since Week 5. Hill finished with 85 yards on nine carries, snapping Jacksonville's 24-game streak of not allowing a 75-yard rusher.

Not competitive

It's the first time in franchise history the Ravens have lost three straight games by at least 20 points. In 2015, Baltimore was routed 35-6 by Seattle and 34-14 by Kansas City in consecutive weeks, but the Ravens won the game after that.

Baltimore lost 35-13 to Cincinnati and 36-10 to Buffalo before Thursday's game.

Injuries

In addition to their problems at quarterback, the Ravens were without starting cornerback Nate Wiggins, who had been listed with an illness earlier in the week.

Baltimore also lost star safety Kyle Hamilton to a hip injury.

Up next

Jaguars: At Tennessee on Nov. 15.

Ravens: Host the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 16.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The crisis at Ueno Bank turned Peña’s long-ruling Colorado Party against him, a stunning reversal for the former International Monetary Fund economist who had enjoyed the backing of the country's most powerful politicians and was welcomed in Washington just weeks ago as a key ally of the Trump administration.

In a day of lightning-speed developments, Peña offered his resignation Thursday via X, with the lower house voting unanimously to impeach him moments later. Both houses declined to accept Peña's offer to resign, with the Senate instead deciding to press forward with a trial that could result in the president's removal from office.

Opposition senators are continuing to demand that Peña be removed from office, arguing that allowing him to resign would preserve his eligibility to become a senator for life, with legal protections that could prevent his prosecution, should Paraguay’s Attorney General Emiliano Rolón Fernández opt to file charges.

Rolón has ordered three criminal investigations into the Ueno Bank crisis, including allegations involving Peña and other current and former government officials, the prosecutor’s office said Thursday.

The investigations will examine authorities’ oversight of the bank, their handling of its failure and the placement of public funds in the lender.

Peña said he would cooperate with investigators.

“Whatever the outcome of this process, I will act with responsibility and respect for the Constitution,” he said on X.

Earlier Thursday, Peña said in a video posted to X that he was stepping down in the interest of “the stability of our country, social peace and the need to preserve our democratic institutions.”

Peña, who until last year held a stake in a company linked to Ueno, expressed contrition. But he stopped short of accepting responsibility for the turmoil, which has left millions of depositors, retirees and workers scrambling to recoup their frozen savings and unpaid wages. If he's removed from office, Vice President Pedro Alliana would replace him as Paraguay's leader.

“I want to apologize to the people if I have failed them at any point,” he said. “It was never my intention to betray the trust they placed in me."

From star lender to seized bank

Ueno Bank, which exploded from an obscure finance company to a household name in less than five years, claimed more than 60% of Paraguay’s adults as customers. Many Paraguayans are left asking how a bank linked to the president could grow so rapidly in size and importance despite repeated warnings about its lending practices.

The answer lies in the uncomfortable proximity of Peña’s Colorado Party to the country’s regulators and business elite, a weakness that has endured even as steady economic management and rapid growth recently earned Paraguay coveted investment-grade credit ratings.

“Santiago Peña and the Colorado Party have stolen all our savings,” said Luis Pineda, one of the protesters marching to Congress on Wednesday. “We are fed up with 70 years of plunder.”

Soon after winning its banking license in 2023, Ueno seemed to be everywhere in Paraguay. The digital lender, a rebranded version of a decades-old finance company, lured customers with generous cash-back offers on groceries as it grew to more than 70 locations, sponsored Paraguay's national soccer team and plastered its name on the country's main stadium.

Government money poured into Ueno’s coffers under Peña. He also appointed Carlos Carvallo, president of Financiera Ueno, the predecessor to Ueno Bank, to run the central bank, the agency charged with supervising the digital lender.

As of last month, Ueno reported holding roughly $800 million in public deposits, about a quarter of its total, including money from the state pension and health fund and the operators of Paraguay’s giant hydroelectric dams.

But worries were escalating inside the central bank. In June, its inspectors found a pattern of risky lending to insiders, reported ABC Color, a leading Paraguayan newspaper. Ueno had extended large sums to companies tied to its owners, beyond what the law allows and without enough collateral to cover the debts if they went bad.

As recently as last month, Peña defended Ueno and the central bank’s oversight, dismissing the concerns as a smear campaign that was spooking the public.

Long lines outside branches but customers are locked out

But on Monday, it all came crashing down. Regulators investigating Ueno’s loans to companies linked to its owners found poorly documented lending, the central bank said, as well as expenses the bank had wrongly counted as assets.

Once the books were corrected, Ueno’s capital, the cushion banks must keep to absorb losses, fell to less than half the legal minimum. The central bank announced the lender’s seizure Tuesday, beginning a process to transfer deposits and recoverable assets to other banks before liquidating what remained.

Ueno’s app, cards and transfers went dark and its branches locked their doors, leaving desperate depositors lined up outside. On Wednesday, a rush to open new accounts elsewhere crashed other banks’ mobile apps, fueling public panic.

Officials have appealed for calm. Under a law rushed through Congress on Wednesday, a state guarantee fund must repay stranded depositors within five business days, starting Thursday with small accounts of up to about $1,600. The fund insures up to about $36,000 per customer, which the central bank says will cover the full balances of an estimated 97% of clients.

On Thursday, a judge ordered six Ueno executives, including founder Miguel Vázquez and bank President Juan Manuel Gustale, jailed pending trial and two others placed under house arrest. Prosecutors have charged 27 bank officials and associates with breach of trust and attempted fraud.

Gustale’s lawyer pushed back on the charges, arguing that senior executives had relied on staff for lending decisions. “The president or board is not responsible for deciding who receives a particular loan,” José Fernández Zacur told local media.

Protesters in the streets

Still in their Ueno uniforms, young employees burned their credit cards and cursed Peña outside the Labor Ministry on Thursday, demanding severance and unpaid wages. Peña’s resignation did little to calm them.

“Let the impeachment process take place and let him lose his immunity,” said Adolfo Villalba, one of the protesters on Thursday.

The Labor Ministry estimates the collapse has affected about 7,000 direct and indirect jobs at the bank and its related businesses.

Many saw Ueno’s collapse as a case study in official corruption. Only Venezuela ranks worse in South America on Transparency International’s latest index of perceived corruption.

“This is yet another assault on honest, hard-working citizens, people whose small savings are the fruit of years of labor,” said Belarmino Balbuena, one of thousands who marched on Congress in the capital, Asunción, on Wednesday.

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Jorge Sáenz contributed to this story. Batschke reported from Montevideo, Uruguay and DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His last film, “Burning,” a meditative thriller about three young people, was the first South Korean feature to be shortlisted for an Oscar, and was singled out by many critics as the best of 2018. And though South Korean cinema has soared at the Oscars since, Lee didn't feel rushed to get back in the mix as quickly as possible. This, he said, is not patience, exactly, but more of a pathological timidness.

“This is a big problem of mine,” the 72-year-old filmmaker told The Associated Press earlier this year, with the help of a translator. “With every film I do, I constantly ask myself, what meaning does this have? Is this a story worth telling?”

Lee was inspired by mass autoworker layoffs

This time, he found himself drawn to the story of mass layoffs in his home country. In 2009, the Ssangyong Motor Co. laid off about one-third of its workforce, which led to a high-profile confrontation between police and workers who occupied the company’s plant south of Seoul for more than two months. A spate of suicides among Ssangyong workers and family members also followed the automaker’s restructuring.

“I thought that that particular event not only was going to change the labor market of Korea, but also Korean society as a whole,” Lee said. “I thought that it was going to be, indeed, a significant turning point, and I thought it was going to fundamentally change not only the lives of those laid off workers, but also just everyday ordinary people’s lives as well.”

Others have taken on the effects of the mounting debt, unemployment and desperation in the country in fiction before, including the brutally violent “Squid Game," and Park Chan-wook's satirical “No Other Choice.”

Lee's approach wasn't going to be either of those, but he couldn’t run away from the nagging question of whether or not he was worthy to tell this story. Was there meaning, he wondered, in making it a dramatic film and not a documentary? Then, about two years ago, his cowriter Oh Jung-mi had a breakthrough: Why not connect this story with the story of a filmmaker trying to capture it? And suddenly, it started to make sense.

The story focuses on two couples, one wealthy, one not

But he’d been talking about it for so long that actor Jeon Do-yeon was a little suspicious when he reached out and asked if she wanted to be in the film. Jeon had starred in his 2007 drama “Secret Sunshine,” playing a young widow consumed by grief and anger after her son is murdered that would win her a best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

“I’m personally such a big fan of his. I adore his films and I think his films are really precious,” Jeon said. “When he suggested that we work together on this film, we had been having discussions about it for about 10 years so I couldn’t actually really believe him … I kept asking for the script and only by reading the script would I truly believe that he was going to make this film.”

The script, she was happy to discover, was real, and her part was another special one: This time she would be playing Mi-ok, the optimistic spouse of a laid off autoworker, Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu). When a well-heeled documentary filmmaker Ye-ji ( “Parasite's” Cho Yeo-jeong ) approaches them about capturing their life and telling the story of laid off workers, she’s openhearted and eager to talk. Ho-seok, who is dealing with depression, is less open.

“She’s not able to get her husband the psychological help that she wants him to have in order for him to heal and recover, so she’s hoping by getting the help of the documentary filmmaker that he will get better in this way,” Jeon said.

Exploring two kinds of masculinity in South Korea

Mi-ok is also entranced by Ye-ji’s husband, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung), a handsome and wealthy businessperson who, at least on the surface, seems to be a kind of ideal. At one point, Mi-ok fawningly compares him to Steve Jobs. And while Ye-ji and Mi-ok might appear to be developing a friendship, the fact that it’s in service of a documentary makes it less pure.

Lee, though in part telling a story about himself telling a story, made his filmmaker character a woman. In South Korea, he said there are many female documentary filmmakers.

“I think they also have a stronger sense of empathy and great emotional intelligence,” he said. “I also wanted her husband to be representing that force, that power of wealth and capital.”

The film also provided a chance to talk about masculinity through two different characters. Ho-seok, Lee said, “embodies a masculinity that really belongs to the typical Korean male. He has a very heavy sense of responsibility for his family. He treats his co-workers as his brothers.”

When he’s laid off from his job and beaten by the police, his loss of identity is profound and intense.

“He finds himself feeling completely empty, that he has nothing to offer,” Lee said. “On the other hand, Sang-woo represents a new kind of masculinity, one that maybe belongs to the new era, I would say. He is very kind, very humane. He’s also very soft. He’s the ever-helpful husband to Ye-ji, he’s also a good listener. However, all of that with a very, very tightly masked sense of violence.”

‘Possible Love’ is a possible Oscar contender

“Possible Love” has been racking up accolades and acclaim since the Venice Film Festival, where it won the runner-up prize. South Korea has also selected it as its official submission for best international feature at the 99th Academy Awards.

But before the film’s premiere in Venice, Lee brushed off the suggestion that people are eagerly awaiting new films from him, saying he doesn’t think that people place that much interest in his work.

“He really said that?” Jeon asked later.

When I assure her that he did, she paused and smiled and switched, ever so briefly, to English for the first time in the interview: “Liar,” she said.

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills lead the league in scoring at 33.3 points per game. The Minnesota Vikings are giving up the fewest points at 13.3.

The two 6-1 teams meet Monday night in a prime-time showdown.

The Bills won’t need to reach the 30s against Minnesota’s pedestrian offense that ranks 29th in yards (279.4) and 27th in scoring (20.0). But Carson Wentz could give the Vikings an offensive jolt filling in for Kyler Murray, who is out because of a hamstring issue.

The Bills are 3-point favorites on the road. Pro Picks, which kicked off Week 9 with a win when the Jaguars routed Baltimore 33-10, likes Buffalo.

BILLS: 23-17

CINCINNATI (5-2) vs. ATLANTA (3-5), in Madrid, Spain

Line: Bengals minus 3

Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 20 touchdown passes and the Bengals have scored more than 30 points in three straight games — all wins. But their defense gave up 36 against the lowly Titans last week. The inconsistent Falcons beat the Packers and 49ers but were shut out by a team that didn’t complete a pass last week. Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 780 yards rushing. Michael Penix Jr. threw a career-high four picks against Tampa Bay. The Bengals are 1-4 against the spread over the last five games.

BENGALS: 27-20

CLEVELAND (5-3) at NEW ORLEANS (2-5)

Line: Saints minus 2½

Deshaun Watson ran out of comebacks and the Browns were routed by the Steelers. Watson entered concussion protocol on Wednesday so Shedeur Sanders would start if he can’t play. The Saints are winless at home (0-3) and coming off a bye after losing to Pittsburgh in France. QB Tyler Shough followed up an excellent performance in a road win over the Giants with a 30-for-38 game in the loss to the Steelers.

SAINTS: 20-17

DALLAS (3-5) at INDIANAPOLIS (2-6)

Line: Cowboys minus 5½

Dallas blew a 14-point lead late against Arizona and pressure is on coach Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys still have a shot in a wide-open NFC East but their defense has to play better. The Colts are looking ahead to 2027 and eyeing more moves ahead of next week’s trade deadline. Jonathan Taylor will possibly play his final game for Indianapolis. Colts are 0-4 ATS in the last four games.

COWBOYS: 27-23

DENVER (6-2) at CAROLINA (3-4)

Line: Broncos minus 2½

Bo Nix led another comeback and Denver keeps finding ways to win late. The Broncos have to put together a complete game. The Panthers are reeling and fired their defensive coordinator after two straight losses. Bryce Young struggled in both of those games after a hot start. Denver has covered four straight games.

BRONCOS: 23-19

DETROIT (5-2) at MIAMI (1-6)

Line: Lions minus 7

Detroit’s defense made significant improvements during a three-game winning streak, allowing just 17.7 points per game. But the Lions have lost key players to injury, including All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell. The Dolphins made things tough for the Patriots and covered the spread last week. Small victories for a rebuilding team.

LIONS: 26-20

LOS ANGELES RAMS (4-4) at WASHINGTON (2-4-1)

Line: Rams minus 4 1/2

The Rams could finally have Myles Garrett back to bolster a defense that was expected to be dominant with the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Aaron Donald’s return. They have to take advantage against inferior opponents before the schedule gets much harder. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders beat up on depleted Philadelphia but face a more difficult challenge this time.

RAMS: 26-17

NEW YORK GIANTS (4-2-1) at PHILADELPHIA (2-6)

Line: Giants minus 3 ½

J.J. McCarthy vs. Joe Milton III. Two quarterbacks who were on other teams at the start of the season face off. The Giants got McCarthy from the Vikings after losing Jaxson Dart and he’s helped them to the top of the NFC East. The Eagles have lost six in a row and are turning to Milton, who was signed off Dallas’ practice squad after Jalen Hurt was placed on injured reserve last month.

EAGLES: 23-22

NEW YORK JETS (2-6) at KANSAS CITY (5-2)

Line: Chiefs minus 9½

The Jets don’t have a chance against a Chiefs team that’s coming off two losses and trying to get back on track. New York has to focus on stockpiling picks before next week’s trade deadline. Kansas City needs a receiver to help Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker III after losses to Seattle and Denver exposed their weaknesses.

BEST BET: CHIEFS: 27-13

HOUSTON (2-5) at LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (0-7)

Line: Texans minus 5½

The underachieving Texans have no margin for error after starting 0-4. C.J. Stroud has played well but a talented defense has been the biggest issue. The Chargers are having a disastrous season. Justin Herbert’s regression is stunning. They’re also 0-7 ATS.

TEXANS: 20-17

LAS VEGAS (4-4) at SAN FRANCISCO (6-1)

Line: 49ers minus 10

Kirk Cousins is second in the NFL with 19 TD passes and the Raiders got the run game going last week behind Mike Washington. The 49ers are coming off a bye following their first loss and needed some time away for injured players to heal up. It may not have been long enough. Christian McCaffrey opened the practice week questionable along with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.

49ERS: 27-20

ARIZONA (3-5) at SEATTLE (4-4)

Line: Seahawks minus 8 1/2

The Cardinals have Minshew Mania after Gardner Minshew led a stunning comeback at Dallas. But Seattle’s defense is much tougher and they’ll be motivated after giving up 34 points to the Bears. The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks are turning to Drew Lock again with Sam Darnold dealing with an injury. They need their run game to get going.

SEAHAWKS: 23-14

GREEN BAY (5-3) at NEW ENGLAND (5-3)

Line: Patriots minus 3

Micah Parsons is nearing a return that will be a major boost for a defense that’s been playing well. If Green Bay starts to run the ball better, that’ll help Jordan Love and a potent passing attack. Drake Maye and the Patriots need a healthy A.J. Brown to have a chance to repeat in the AFC. Brown is dealing with a knee injury and didn’t play last week.

UPSET SPECIAL: PACKERS: 24-23

TAMPA BAY (3-5) at CHICAGO (6-2)

Line: Bears minus 6

The Buccaneers became the first team to play an entire game without completing a pass and still won thanks to 324 yards rushing against Atlanta. The Bears’ addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons already paid off vs. Seattle, and he’ll face a resurgent offensive line and run game. Baker Mayfield will have to keep up with Caleb Williams and Chicago’s potent offense. It’ll benefit Tampa Bay that Chicago has a short week after a road game in Seattle.

BEARS: 27-22

Last week: Straight up: 11-3. Against spread: 10-4

Overall: Straight up: 76-45-1. Against spread: 67-52-3.

Best Bet: Straight up: 5-3. Against spread: 4-4.

Upset Special: Straight up: 3-5. Against spread: 3-5.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

• B&W Comfort Spa on Kelly Road in Eastpointe is facing complaints from neighboring businesses over suspected illegal activity and alleged sexual solicitation.
• The massage parlor is located in a strip mall alongside a hair salon, clothing store, and day care center.
• Nearby business owners say the alleged activity has been happening for years, despite ownership changes.
• A neighboring hair salon owner says the situation is hurting the shopping plaza’s reputation and making businesses worry about customer safety.

EASTPOINTE, Mich. — A massage parlor on Kelly Road in Eastpointe has been rubbing the neighboring businesses and residents the wrong way.

The B&W Comfort Spa – which is located in a strip mall that also includes a hair salon, a clothing store, and a day care center – says that alleged sexual solicitation has gone on here for years. The other business owners are sick of it.

“Our strip is busy, and there are real businesses here,” Stefani, who owns a hair salon two doors down from the spa, said on Thursday. “We can’t afford to have anything negative where we work, because we don’t want to get caught up in anything, and we don’t want our customers to feel unsafe.”

Stefani and others we spoke with said this has gone on for years at the spa, which they also said has had multiple owners.

She said that there will be certain days where the parking lot in the strip mall will have constant traffic of men coming out of the spa.

“There was quite a bit of what they determined was short-stay traffic,” said Eastpointe police Chief Corey Haines. “A man would go into the business, come out a very short time later, and leave.

“The business was not supposed to be open,” he added. “They never had a business license to be operating to begin with, and then we’re doing sexual acts as part of their services.”

When we went by the spa on Thursday, a yellow sticker from the city was on the door saying they could not operate their business.

The business owners there, speaking through a translator, said that they had passed an inspection, but that was not why they were closed.

“We actually sent our undercover officers down to that location,” Haines said. “They went in and were offered to receive sexual services as part of their massage.”

It is one of a number of businesses that the Eastpointe police have been trying to shut down, including a BP gas station and a pair of smoke shops that they found were serving as a front to sell drugs.

“Those products range from THC products to THC-A products to suspected psilocybin mushrooms, the whole gamut of the different drugs that were being sold, and they were being sold over the counter,” Haines said. “They can’t be selling this stuff.”

Haines says the city has spoken to the business owner, warning them that they are not to operate.

The people who have previously run the illegal massage parlor had been set up by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, and felony warrants were issued.

For business owners like Stefani, she wants to see that parlor shut down for good.

“If they’re doing what we think they are, they are sex trafficking young girls. I mean, it doesn’t matter where they’re from. At the end of the day, there’s somebody’s loved ones.”

• More rain ahead: Showers become more widespread Thursday night, with additional rounds possible Friday and Friday night.
• Cooler Friday: Temperatures reach only the upper 40s to 50 degrees, with breezy northwest winds.
• Weekend improvement: Rain moves out by Saturday morning, setting the stage for a drier weekend with increasing sunshine.
• Warm-up next week: Highs rebound to near 60 degrees Monday and the lower 60s Tuesday.

4Warn Weather — Metro Detroit’s weather has certainly changed since Election Day.

After enjoying unusually warm temperatures earlier this week, Southeast Michigan is settling back into a more typical November pattern.

The warmth has given way to cloudy skies, cooler air, and several opportunities for rain.

Showers returned Wednesday and continued into Thursday. And according to the latest forecast, the unsettled weather is not finished.

Another cold front moves through Thursday night, followed by a strengthening upper-level weather system that could bring additional showers Friday afternoon and Friday night.

But there is good news for weekend plans. Drier weather and sunshine are on the way, along with another warming trend.

Showers increase Thursday night

Showers become more widespread Thursday night as another cold front moves across Southeast Michigan.

For Metro Detroit, the best opportunity for rain arrives between midnight and 5 a.m.

Temperatures fall to around 40 degrees in Detroit, while some communities north and west of the metro could dip into the mid-30s.

Despite the colder air arriving, temperatures should remain warm enough for precipitation to fall as rain.

Friday brings another round of rain

Do not put the umbrella away just yet.

Friday looks chilly, mostly cloudy and breezy, with afternoon highs generally in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees.

Northwesterly winds could gust to around 20 to 25 mph, adding to the colder feel.

A powerful upper-level disturbance moving across the Great Lakes will help produce additional showers throughout Southeast Michigan.

Scattered to numerous showers are possible Friday afternoon as the weather system moves across southern Lower Michigan.

Another increase in shower coverage and intensity is possible Friday night as the system shifts east.

Not everyone will experience rain continuously, but periods of wet weather remain possible through the end of the workweek.

What should you wear Friday?

Friday calls for layers, a warmer jacket, and something to keep you dry.

A waterproof or water-resistant jacket with a hood may be especially useful for anyone spending time outdoors.

Closed-toe shoes that can handle wet pavement are also a good idea.

With temperatures near 50 and northwest winds increasing, conditions could feel considerably cooler than earlier this week.

If you are heading to work, school, or outdoor activities, plan for occasional showers and changing conditions throughout the day.

A brighter weekend ahead

The weather begins improving Saturday as the storm system moves east and drier air returns.

Saturday features a mix of clouds and sunshine, with afternoon temperatures near 52 degrees.

Northwest winds remain breezy, with gusts potentially reaching 20 to 25 mph.

Saturday night turns chilly, with temperatures falling into the 30s. Some outlying communities could approach freezing.

Sunday offers even better weather for outdoor plans.

Mostly sunny skies and afternoon highs in the upper 50s will make for a more pleasant finish to the weekend.

Whether you are planning yard work, a fall walk, or cheering on the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, Sunday looks like the better day for sunshine and milder afternoon temperatures.

Another warmup next week

The return of sunshine also helps temperatures rebound early next week.

Highs climb to around 60 degrees Monday and 62 degrees Tuesday, several degrees above the average for early November.

The latest forecast favors a stretch of dry weather through the middle of next week.

Veterans Day on Wednesday looks mostly sunny, with highs in the mid- to upper 50s.

So while Metro Detroit may need umbrellas and warmer jackets to finish the workweek, the chilly, wet weather will not last long.

Another round of sunshine and temperatures near 60 degrees is already on the horizon.

Share your weather photos with Local 4 at MIPics.

• Voters in Sumpter Township narrowly passed a police millage in the November general election by just 96 votes.
• The millage had previously failed in the primary election. Township officials warned that if it failed again, the department was at risk of closing.
• Township officials have said the millage is expected to raise more than $2.4 million in its first year.

A high-stakes police millage in Sumpter Township narrowly passed in the November general election by just 96 votes — a razor-thin margin that township officials say saved the police department from potentially closing its doors.

The proposal to raise the police levy from three mills to five mills had failed in the August primary election.

Township leaders voted unanimously to put it back on the November ballot, giving the measure a second chance.

“I can tell you the board of trustees here, there’s seven of us in Sumpter. We didn’t get much sleep Tuesday night,” Trustee Tim Rush said.

What was at stake

Had the millage failed again, the Sumpter Township Police Department would have faced a 41% cut to its operating budget — a reduction Police Chief Eric Luke said would have been impossible to absorb.

“We wouldn’t have had a police department basically,” Rush said.

Luke said the department currently employs 17 officers — one short of its budgeted 18 — after a retirement earlier in the summer left a vacancy that went unfilled because of uncertainty surrounding the August vote.

“We’re budgeted for 18. Right now, we’re running with 17 due to a retirement earlier in the summer. That position was not filled due to the issue with the August vote,” Luke said.

The department serves approximately 12,500 residents and responds to calls ranging from property damage to violent crimes.

Luke said calls for service have nearly doubled over the past five years as the township’s population has grown by about 25%.

15 years without a millage increase

Rush said Sumpter Township had not raised its police levy since 2011.

He said the township had been drawing on royalty funds from the Carleton Farms Landfill to cover police costs without passing increases on to residents — but rising expenses made the status quo unsustainable.

Luke said the millage was essential to maintaining the level of service residents have come to expect.

“This is to keep the standards that we set here and make sure that we’re responsive and continue to do what we do,” Luke said.

Township officials have said the millage is expected to raise more than $2.4 million in its first year.

Why the primary failed — and why November was different

In the August primary, 57% of voters rejected the millage.

Township officials estimated turnout at around 24% to 25%, meaning roughly 14% of the total voter population voted it down.

The board voted unanimously on Aug. 8 to place the measure back on the November ballot with revised language.

This time around, Rush estimated around 4,600 people turned out to vote in the general election, roughly 36% of the 12,500 population.

Rush said earlier this summer that reduced staffing could have led to longer response times and a reliance on outside agencies.

“If we’re waiting on MSP or short-staffed here, that could be a great delay,” Rush said, referring to the Michigan State Police.

He added that a failed vote would have left the department with no viable path forward.

“We’d probably just have to close the doors on the Sumpter Township Police Department. You can’t have a partially staffed police department,” Rush said.

Sumpter Township was not alone in bringing a failed police millage back before voters in November.

Residents in other townships, including Orion, Waterford, and Independence townships, also approved police millages that had previously failed in the August primary.

• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that no charges will be filed against the Washtenaw County deputies who killed John Jenuwine, 34, after a police chase in Ypsilanti on Jan. 6.
• Deputies said they believed Jenuwine had a gun; after a 14-minute chase, three deputies fired about 34 shots into his van over seven seconds.
• Investigators found no guns in the van, though they reported debris that may have looked like a weapon. Jenuwine had seven gunshot wounds and high levels of cocaine in his system.
• Nessel said the deputies’ belief that they faced an imminent threat was reasonable under the circumstances, and Michigan law permits self-defense even when that belief later proves mistaken.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. - No charges will be issued against the Washtenaw County deputies who shot a man over 30 times in January because they believed he was “armed with a shotgun,” the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.

John Jenuwine, 34, of China Township, was killed by Washtenaw County deputies in a shooting after a police chase in Ypsilanti on Jan. 6.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Nov. 5 that no charges will be issued against the deputies involved in the shooting, saying they lawfully acted in self-defense.

Previous coverage --> Driver shot, killed by Washtenaw County deputies in Ypsilanti had no gun, sheriff says

What happened?

Around 2 a.m. on Jan. 6, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies tried to pull over a white construction van after receiving multiple 911 reports of it being driven erratically and speeding in Ypsilanti.

Dispatch told officers over the radio that the multiple calls referred to “likely the same van” and reported that there was a gun in the van.

When police activated their lights behind the van, the driver, later identified as John Jenuwine, allegedly sped away and initiated a police chase.

The police chase lasted about 14 minutes. During the chase, Jenuwine allegedly put the van in reverse several times in an attempt to ram it into deputies’ cars, then drove on the wrong side of the road at times.

• Washtenaw County sheriff releases dashcam video after fatal police chase in Ypsilanti

At around 2:06 a.m., a deputy ended the chase using a PIT maneuver on the van, causing it to partially roll onto its side and stop.

When deputies approached the van, one suddenly announced, “he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun, gun, gun.” Another deputy also repeated the call of “gun.” Three deputies then fired their weapons into the van, firing about 34 times over seven seconds.

The deputy who first reported there was a gun then declared over the radio that the driver was “armed with a shotgun.”

Deputies saw movement inside the van and treated the situation as a barricaded gunman, leading to additional law enforcement to respond. Officers tried to contact Jenuwine, but later found him dead inside the van at around 4 a.m.

Michigan State Police responded to investigate the shooting. They found no guns inside the van, but said that the van had “significant debris, some of which was long and black, likely dislodged and scattered when the van rolled onto its side.”

The Washtenaw Medical Examiner’s Office determined that two of the seven gunshot wounds on Jenuwine would have caused his death within seconds to minutes and also noted that he had high levels of cocaine in his body.

Why were no charges issued in the shooting?

According to the attorney general’s office, the law states that a person may act in self-defense, “even if it turned out later that [he/she] was wrong about how much danger [he/she] was in.”

Nessel said the officers were wrong about the presence of a gun in the van, but it’s not unreasonable “based on the totality of the circumstances as they knew them.”

The Michigan Self Defense Act states that a person, including a police officer, may use deadly force against another, “without any duty to retreat, provided they were not engaged in the commission of a crime and they honestly and reasonably believe that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the imminent death of or imminent great bodily harm to himself or herself or to another.”

The attorney general’s office said the law allows for situations in which the officers wrongfully thought there was a gun and perceived the situation as a danger to their lives.

The full report can be viewed here.

• A 10-year-old nonverbal student with autism left Johnson Upper Elementary’s playground during Monday recess and was later found safe on Newburgh Road.
• Surveillance footage placed his last sighting at 12:38 p.m.; staff began searching at 12:52, called police at 1:09, and notified his mother at 1:20.
• His mother, Kassandra Richards, says conflicting information and the delay in notifying police have shaken her trust and raised serious safety concerns.
• The district confirmed the incident and said it is addressing it; staff reportedly discussed adding more adults near the playground and parking lot.

WESTLAND, Mich. - A Westland mother is demanding answers after she says her 10-year-old son, who is nonverbal and has autism, was able to leave his elementary school playground and walk off campus earlier this week.

It happened Monday at Johnson Upper Elementary School in Westland during outdoor recess, according to the boy’s mother, Kassandra Richards.

The school is in the Livonia Public Schools district.

Richards said she received a call from school staff telling her that her son was missing. At first, she said, staff told her he had been gone about 10 minutes. Later, in a meeting with administrators, she learned the school could not say for sure how long he was off school grounds.

“They said they think he went through the woods, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Richards said. “I didn’t know if he’d be, you know, gone forever. I don’t know. I didn’t know what to think.”

Richards said her son was eventually found safe minutes away from the school on Newburgh Road.

Richards recorded a meeting with school administrators Wednesday and shared audio from that meeting. In the recording, a person she identified as an administrator outlines a timeline based on school surveillance cameras:

• At 12:24 p.m., video shows her son going from lunch to recess.
• The last camera image of him is at 12:38 p.m.
• At 12:52 p.m., staff realized he was missing and an official search began.
• Police were called at 1:09 p.m.
• Richards said she received a call at 1:20 p.m.
• Administrators told her he was back at school by 1:22 p.m.

Richards said the shifting information and length of time deeply shook her trust.

“I’m extremely angry and upset about it, and yeah, there’s just a loss of trust,” Richards said.

While she is grateful her son was found unharmed, Richards said the situation exposed serious safety concerns, especially given her son’s disabilities and the school’s surroundings.

“They need to have a clear, immediate response when a child goes missing like this,” Richards said. “They clearly took too long to notify the police because, again, there are pools and everything there, and all that time he could have got hit by a car because he did go in the road.”

In the recording, a person Richards identified as a staff member can be heard saying the school will make adjustments, including positioning more people near the playground and parking lot.

A district spokesperson confirmed the incident and said officials are addressing it, but did not answer specific questions about whether safety procedures will be updated, citing limitations on what they can say about this matter.

Their full statement is below:

“LPS is actively addressing a situation involving a student leaving school grounds during outdoor recess. Appropriately, we have been working directly with the parents of the child involved and will not have further comment publicly on this matter. 

LPS is focused on thoroughly investigating, understanding, and responding to all concerns shared with us.  This is consistent with the District’s overall commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of all our students.  

As part of this assurance, LPS always carefully reviews policies and procedures, as appropriate, to meet the needs of our students and our school community."

Livonia Public Schools

Sadek’s family belongs to the Rohingya ethnic minority. The predominantly Muslim group shares an area in Myanmar's Rakhine State with Buddhists and a smaller Hindu population. Ethnic and religious divisions have long shaped the region’s history.

He fled alongside loved ones in 2017 after soldiers opened fire on his community and bullets struck the tin roof of his home. He ran with nothing but the clothes on his back and never returned.

Around 700,000 Rohingya escaped a military crackdown that year and crossed into neighboring Bangladesh, according to the U.N. refugee agency, known as UNHCR. More have sought refuge in other countries across Asia, including India, Indonesia and Thailand.

As of February 2026, about 126,000 Rohingya were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country where Sadek now studies law and advocates for Rohingya rights.

The Southeast Asian nation does not legally recognize refugees, leaving them vulnerable to detention. But the challenges extend beyond immigration status. Many Rohingya struggle to practice their faith and find a sense of belonging.

CSW, a religious freedom advocacy group, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Rohingya refugees in Malaysia cannot officially register their own places of worship. Most pray at local mosques, but some face discrimination or avoid them for fear of immigration detention.

“Religious solidarity is often overtaken by social and cultural differences between the two groups,” CSW said.

Finding a place to pray is only the beginning of the struggle

Nurul Hakim was the first of 10 siblings to flee Myanmar, leaving in 2010. He arrived in Kuala Lumpur after days of traveling on foot, by car and by boat, passing through Thailand.

His family was not directly attacked. Yet years of violence and discrimination had made life increasingly difficult for his community.

Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine faced restrictions on religious gatherings, access to mosques and Islamic education for years. Authorities have closed mosques and imposed limits on communal prayer, according to reports by the United Nations and Amnesty International.

Hakim can now pray freely and feels welcomed by local Muslim faith leaders. But he has heard from Rohingya elsewhere in Malaysia who have been barred from doing so.

Rohingya Rights Response, an organization co-founded by Sadek that monitors issues affecting refugees in Malaysia, has also documented restrictions on religious practices.

Banners declaring that Rohingya are unwelcome have been displayed outside mosques in some neighborhoods. And even where they can pray freely, some aspects of their religious life remain difficult to recreate far from home.

“Most of the Rohingya don’t have their own imam leading the prayers because the mosques are run by Malay imams,” Sadek said.

Missing home adds to the challenges of starting over

There is much Hakim misses about home: his days pulling a rickshaw, trading goods with his neighbors, learning about Islam alongside fellow Rohingya.

“There is no difference in praying at a different mosque, but there are differences with who you are praying with,” Hakim said. “When I was back in Myanmar and I went to pray, I could pray with my neighbors, with my villagers, and I don’t have that here.”

Others face a more immediate obstacle to practicing their faith: fear of detention over their lack of legal status.

Mohammed Rafique said he now prays mostly at home and rarely visits a mosque because he worries about encountering immigration authorities.

He fled Myanmar in 2009 with his wife and five children, but they stayed in Bangladesh while he continued to Malaysia. He has not seen them since.

Living alone in a foreign land has been tough, Rafique said. He earns just 30 ringgit ($7.50) a day collecting scrap materials, barely enough to pay for needed medication. Yet the hardest moment he has faced was learning that his wife had died and he'd been unable to say goodbye.

Sadek knows that pain, too. He lost his mother in Bangladesh and has yet to visit her grave.

“I always wanted to do a lot of stuff, but now I just want to visit her cemetery and that has become like a dream for me,” he said.

A new life brings hardships without erasing old losses

Sadek’s organization advocates for changes that would improve the lives of his community in Malaysia.

His main focus is safety. Beyond the risk of immigration detention, his team has documented harassment by social media content creators who mock and demean Rohingya refugees. He also pushes for fair wages, access to healthcare and education.

For Zahidah Begum, those challenges are part of everyday life. Her husband struggles to work because of health problems. Her school-age children cannot attend formal classes.

“I don’t know what the future holds for us,” Begum said.

She fled Myanmar in 2013, carrying her own memories of religious persecution.

Her father, an imam, was a respected religious leader in their village. He taught Islamic studies every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I love my father because of what he did,” she said. “He is the one who raised me, who taught me everything, including the Islamic teachings.”

It was her father who introduced her to the Quran. Who taught her to read and understand its verses. To distinguish between what her faith permitted and forbade.

During a raid on her village, soldiers tried to arrest him. He fell and broke his leg as he tried to escape. He eventually fled to Bangladesh, but was unable to receive medical treatment. His injury became infected and he died.

“I miss every moment of my father,” Begum said.

She keeps a part of him alive through lessons she passes on to her two daughters. Begum teaches them to pray, to recite verses from the Quran and to make duas, or personal supplications to God, just as her father taught her.

“I still feel the same connection to my faith that I felt back home,” Begum said. “Even here, I remain connected to my religion.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

LSU (2-0) outscored Texas Southern 40-0 in the quarter, forcing nine turnovers and holding the visiting Tigers without a field goal in 13 attempts.

LSU's 109-point victory was a program record. It was the team's second straight 100-plus point game to start the season and the Lady Tigers improved to 7-0 all-time against Texas Southern (0-2).

Williams, a transfer from Iowa State, was among a group of seven players that scored in double figures. Freshman Anna Minaeva scored 21 points, Mikaylah Williams added 20 points, ZaKiyah Johnson 17, Grace Knox and MiLaysia Fulwiley contributed 15 each and Lola Lampley finished with 10.

Jada Williams was scoreless in the first quarter but made 6 of 7 shots, including three 3-pointers, in eight minutes of the second quarter. Fulwiley and Knox added six apiece.

Mikaylah Williams’ 3-pointer, the fourth of the quarter, accounted for LSU’s 65-13 lead at the break.

Jayla Cornelius’ six points led Texas Southern which shot 13% (8-55) and turned the ball over 38 times, enabling LSU to outscore TSU 55-0 in points off turnovers.

LSU presented flowers to former All-American Angel Reese, who helped the Lady Tigers to their first national championship in 2022. Reese was this year’s WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and was part of the Atlanta Dream’s first appearance in the WNBA championship series.

Up next

LSU: Hosts McNeese next Thursday.

Texas Southern: Travels to Rice next Thursday.

___

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And now, in her 15th season, the Wolverines have a signature win.

Te’Yala Delfosse scored a career-high 22 points and Olivia Olson had 19 points, lifting No. 5 Michigan to a 77-66 win over No. 2 Connecticut on Thursday night in the first matchup of top-five women’s basketball teams in the AP Top 25 at Crisler Center.

“How many teams beat UConn? It doesn’t happen,” Barnes Arico said.

The Huskies had won 39 regular-season games in a row since their last loss on Feb. 6, 2025. It wasn’t the first time they ended a long winning streak against Barnes Arico. In her last season at St. John’s, she helped the Red Storm end UConn’s 99-game home winning streak in 2012.

“To have UConn come here and be able to knock off the best team in college basketball, or one of the best teams, it is really, really cool,” she said. “I’m happy for our players and our fans.”

After the final buzzer, hundreds of the 9,575 fans at the game flooded the floor to celebrate with the team.

“This was really special,” Barnes Arico said. “I think it’s great for Michigan, and great for Michigan women’s basketball.”

After three closely contested quarters, the Wolverines pulled away early in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.

“Michigan was way more ready from the opening tip for this game than we were,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “They were better organized, they were more discipline, they ran their stuff.

“It was disappointing, more than anything.”

Auriemma, though, knows his team lost to a team that may end up being a contender under Barnes Arico.

“They have a really good team,” he said. “It’s one game for them, but they’ve put themselves in a position to say, ‘Why can’t we be a Final Four team?’

“That certainly wasn’t the case 10 years ago so all the credit to her and her staff.”

Barnes Arico is quick to redirect credit to her players.

Her deep and balanced roster is led by a group of juniors, including Olson, a third-team, All-America forward, and 2024 Olympian Syla Swords, who bought into Barnes Arico’s vision of turning Michigan into one of the best programs in college basketball.

“It’s why we came here,” Olson said. “We had belief in coach and we had belief in the program and we wanted to build it to a place it hasn’t been.”

___

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FIFA council member Kohzo Tashima — a colleague of Infantino for nearly 11 years — intends to run for president against the incumbent, Japanese media reported on Thursday after a meeting of the national soccer federation.

Tashima is the first serious rival to emerge against Infantino ahead of a Nov. 18 deadline since the FIFA leader provoked a furor in global soccer in July with a plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors.

“The worst thing that can happen is he (Infantino) is re-elected to the post without an election,” Tashima said on Thursday, quoted by business newspaper Nikkei.

Infantino's multibillion dollar investor project was dropped within days after a backlash by soccer leaders in Europe, Asia and North America plus FIFA staffers.

He and FIFA also faced scrutiny over the integrity of disciplinary decisions affecting World Cup games, in cases involving Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, United States forward Folarin Balogun and Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.

Japanese newspaper Asahi reported Tashima announced his intention to run in the election next March, and that board members of the Japan Football Association unanimously agreed to back him. Sports newspaper Nikkan Sports also reported the news.

“It’s not win or lose, but we must show the rest of the world the sincere, sound, and noble approach of the Japanese soccer,” Tashima said, according to sports newspaper Sponichi Annex.

The JFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

Japan takes a principled stand

Japanese soccer and Tashima have kept a seat at the high table of Asian and FIFA politics in the past 15 years as the Asian Football Confederation came more under the influence of Gulf states like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Still, a rift developed last month when the AFC, having criticized Infantino in August, switched position to give him support.

Last week, the JFA announced its vice president Takeshi Okada quit because of the politics around Infantino shoring up his support. Okada coached Japan at the World Cups in 1998 and 2010.

After that AFC meeting in Tokyo two weeks ago, Sponichi Annex reported Thursday, Tashima told the Asian body's president Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa that he could not support Infantino.

Tashima's long-standing reputation in world soccer

The 68-year-old Tashima is a former Japan midfielder and FA president who has been on FIFA’s ruling committee since 2015 when Sepp Blatter was president.

Tashima is seen as a respected, diplomatic and low-profile official in the often murky world of soccer politics.

Candidates need formal support from five of FIFA’s 211 member federations who will vote on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco. They must also pass an eligibility check by a three-member panel appointed by FIFA, whose ruling can later by challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Infantino is expected to face scrutiny for seeking a fourth term in office until 2031, which would be 15 years in office, when FIFA statutes limit presidents to three full terms and 12 years. FIFA legal advice in 2022 was that Infantino's initial term — from 2016-19 completing Blatter's unfinished mandate — should not count against the 12-year limit.

UEFA's possible strategy to oust ex-employee Infantino

European soccer body UEFA has been leading efforts to find a candidate to challenge Infantino ahead of the Nov. 18 deadline to enter the contest.

It was unclear on Thursday if Tashima is formally endorsed by UEFA which was approached for comment.

In the FIFA presidential election of 2015 won by Blatter, UEFA had a strategy of backing three candidates in the early stages of the campaign before two withdrew — Portugal great Luis Figo and Dutch official Michael van Praag — leaving Prince Ali bin Al Hussain to advance alone on the ballot.

Figo is now a senior advisor to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who in September likened Infantino to the fairytale of the emperor with no clothes, adding: “Football has no need for emperors.”

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed.

___

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Over more than a year and a half, Jacob Soall, 41, Sharon Hazan, 54, and Guy Sheetrit, 42, targeted thousands of companies across the world in their AI scheme, according to the indictment filed in a U.S. District Court in New York.

Their victims included hospital systems in Missouri and California, a bank in Rhode Island, a financial technology company in the United Kingdom, a mutual fund company in Massachusetts and a pet food company in Florida, according to court documents.

The defendants, from Spain, the UK, Israel and United Arab Emirates, were also charged with money laundering, according to the indictment.

Lawyers for Soall and Sheetrit did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. It was not clear whether Hazan had an attorney. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to a voicemail left by The Associated Press.

The three were arrested between June and September. In 2008, Hazan was convicted in a New York court of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The trio, who have nicknames that include “Rocky Balboa,” “Superman Cash” and “Fat Boy,” often targeted the companies’ accounting departments. They would send an email purporting to be from the CEO and ask for help with a confidential financial transaction, according to court documents.

They would also coordinate a phone or video call where the defendants used AI to mimic the voice and sometimes the image of the CEO, according to the indictment.

The defendants would then tell them to contact an attorney at a major law firm, who the group was also ready to impersonate, according to court documents.

Soall mainly impersonated attorneys from the UK and had a “handwritten script titled ‘Lawyer Call’ that he utilized to make himself seem like a real attorney when speaking with and defrauding victims,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

The impersonated attorney would tell the employee to wire large payments to bank accounts across the world, according to court documents. The funds were then converted into cryptocurrency to try to conceal where they came from and then distributed to the trio and others involved, according to court documents.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said the case shows how advanced technology can be used to commit large-scale fraud.

“As criminals continue to weaponize emerging technologies, the FBI remains committed to rapidly adapting our capabilities to identify, investigate, and disrupt those who seek to harm New Yorkers and businesses operating in our communities," he said in a statement.

If convicted, each of the charges have a maximum sentence of 20 years, except for aggravated identity theft, which is two years, according to the attorney’s office.

• Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles owner Ronald Bartell, 44, of Detroit, is facing felony charges over alleged violations of Michigan tax law.
• The business, Kuzzo’s LLC, is also charged alongside Bartell, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
• Bartell and the business were arraigned Tuesday in the 54A District Court in Lansing.
• The charges involve alleged violations of Michigan sales tax law.

The owner of Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles and the business itself are facing felony charges over alleged violations of Michigan tax law, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.

Ronald Bartell, 44, of Detroit, and Kuzzo’s LLC were arraigned Nov. 3, in Lansing’s 54A District Court.

According to the attorney general’s office, Bartell established Kuzzo’s LLC as the business entity through which he operated Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles in Detroit from 2015 to 2026.

The charges involve alleged violations of state sales tax law.

Bartell and Kuzzo’s LLC are each charged with five counts of failure to file, filing a false return, or failure to make a tax payment.

Each count is a five-year felony.

Both Bartell and the business entity are scheduled to appear again in the 54A District Court. A date for the next court appearance has not yet been set.

The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The proposed dismissal and apparent settlement brought a sudden, unexpected and unexplained end to an ugly rift in the beloved country superstar's inner circle that began while she was sick with cancer and spilled into public view in the weeks after her Aug. 25 death.

The manager, Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, an entity founded to manage and protect Parton’s estate, had secured a temporary restraining order against Bryan Seaver and his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, in September. Nozell was seeking to turn the order into a permanent injunction against Seaver.

A very brief filing in a Tennessee court Thursday gives no reason why the complaint is being withdrawn. It says only that a proposed order was being drafted for the judge’s approval to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled again. A court filing from a day earlier said the two sides had reached an agreement, but that gave no details either.

The fight was about to become even more public with the first hearing on the matter that was slated for Tuesday, with the two sides set to argue over the proposed permanent injunction.

The Associated Press sent emails seeking comment from lawyers for She’s Alive, Seaver and his company.

She’s Alive terminated Seaver and SAPS in early September, and the following week petitioned for the restraining order against him, arguing that his “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable.”

The petition said that starting shortly before Parton’s death and continuing after, Seaver made threats and aimed them directly at She’s Alive’s “personnel, counsel, and business partners. In writing, he vowed to ‘destroy the entire brand.'”

It says he “called himself ‘literally an international arms dealer and mercenary,’” and said everyone “needs to be worried about what I might do.”

In granting the temporary order, Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles cited Seaver’s “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.”

Seaver, who Parton had handpicked to announce her death, said in court filings that he considered Nozell a close friend and ally before Nozell took out the restraining order.

In an affidavit, Seaver said text messages Nozell cited as evidence of his threats were a “private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy.”

“I have never threatened physical harm to Mr. Nozell, to any SAL employee, contractor, attorney, advisor, or business partner, or to anyone else associated with SAL,” Seaver said. “I have no intention of doing so.”

Seaver said that in angry and admittedly crude text messages sent to Nozell, Seaver was talking about a dispute he had with Herschend Family Entertainment, which operates Parton’s amusement park Dollywood and her Songteller Hotel, which opened after her death. He said he was upset over the company failing to pay his security outfit more than $250,000 for completed work.

Under the restraining order, Seaver and SAPS must refrain from entering any She’s Alive property or talking with or being within 1,000 feet (about 300 meters) of She’s Alive employees and business partners.

Seaver argued that the order is so broad, and Parton’s business reach so great, that much of Nashville and even his own relatives are off limits to him.

Parton was a widely adored singer, songwriter, philanthropist and country music icon who rose from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to a stardom that spanned generations with songs including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.” She also left behind a business empire, much of it based in her hometown, that employed many of her close friends and family.

Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh also scored. Vasilevskiy made 24 saves, allowing only Roman Kantserov's goal with 49 seconds left.

The Lightning are 8-0-0 at home and 10-3-2 overall, while the Blackhawks are 0-7-1 on the road and 4-12-1 overall.

Arvid Soderblom stopped 31 shots for Chicago.

Hedman opened the scoring on a power play at 4:12 of the first period. The defenseman has four goals this season.

Mikheyev connected with 1:38 in the opening period.

McDonagh scored on a slap shot at 2:38 of the third, and Mikheyev added his second of the game and fourth of the season on a tip at 5:07.

Up next

Blackhawks: At Carolina on Saturday night.

Lightning: At Minnesota on Saturday night to open four-game trip.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Braeden Bowman tied it for Vegas at 4:20 of third, and Carter Hart made 25 saves.

Playing the third game of four-game trip, the Golden Knights improved to 11-5-2 with their second straight victory.

Anton Johansson scored for Detroit at 2:02 of the third.

Daniil Tarasov stopped 32 shots for the Red Wings in their lone home game in a seven-game span. They have lost two in a row to fall to 7-7-3.

Up next

Golden Knights: At Buffalo on Sunday.

Red Wings: At Colorado on Saturday night.

___

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More than 200 first responders descended on the two-story building in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, where Kevin Woods, the department’s chief of fire operations, said they were met with “fire on every floor.”

The severely charred building had “fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door,” he said at a news conference. Fire marshals were still investigating what caused the blaze.

Firefighters rescued four people, using a rear entrance to reach people trapped behind window bars, Woods said. A staircase partially collapsed inside the building, he added.

First responders brought the fire under control in about three hours, and eight people who were displaced were taken to hotels. Woods said the fire spread to one adjacent row house, but damage could be seen on buildings to both its left and right.

Row houses share common walls and exteriors and are usually built in blocks. Fire officials said the building was part of a block of 25 wood-frame homes in Sunset Park, a densely populated working-class neighborhood in southwestern Brooklyn with large Asian and Hispanic populations.

“This was a devastating fire,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the news conference. “It will take a long time for this neighborhood to mourn the neighbors they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief.”

The nine injured people were expected to survive, including three firefighters and two police officers who had minor injuries. No names have been released.

A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene, but it was unknown whether it was related to the fire, the department said.

Last week, an e-bike battery fire killed four people in the Bronx. It is among more than 400 fires in the city that have been linked to lithium-ion batteries this year, leading to at least six deaths and more than 70 injuries, fire officials said.

Property records show that the Brooklyn row house was erected in 1915. A family sold it a few years ago to a company called One Golden Sunshine Corp., according to city records.

Complaints filed with the city’s Department of Buildings in 2025 alleged that the basement level was illegally being converted into an apartment, and construction was underway without permits. The two apartments on the first and second floors also had been illegally divided into three units, the complaints alleged.

City inspectors visited several times — most recently in August — but were unable to gain access, according to department records. Door knocks and posted notices went unanswered, and the department ultimately closed the complaints without investigating further. It is standard protocol to close a complaint after multiple unsuccessful entry attempts, according to a 2025 city audit of the department's enforcement actions.

Building inspectors do not have legal authority to force entry, though they can seek a warrant depending on the severity of the complaint.

Fatal home fires are not uncommon, though the death toll in the Brooklyn blaze was unusually high. A townhome fire in Chicago the same day killed four people, including a teenager.

The U.S. Fire Administration says at least 1,555 people have died in home fires this year. Among them were an Amish woman and her six children who were killed in a swift-moving house fire in April in rural Pennsylvania.

Last month, five people, including four children, died in a mobile home fire in Canton, Texas. And in Riverdale, Utah, a man and his four children were killed Oct. 1 in a house fire started by a power strip that overheated, officials said.

——

McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press reporters Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Yuki Iwamura in New York contributed.

Wong, 30, first led student protests as a teenager and engaged in international advocacy efforts for Hong Kong's democracy movement. He was already serving a four-year, eight-month prison term after pleading guilty in the city's biggest national security case, and had been due to be freed in January.

But he was further charged in 2025 with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, an offense under the security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

Judge William Tam said Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law colluded with foreign officials and other foreign actors and sought measures against China and Hong Kong.

The judge pointed to the U.S. revocation of the city’s preferential treatment as a special administrative region and U.S. sanctions imposed on Chinese and Hong Kong officials, saying these were the kinds of sanctions or hostile measures Wong and Law had called for.

“The punishment must fit the gravity of the crime committed,” Tam wrote. “It is also necessary for this court to express the community’s abhorrence of the defendant’s scheme and acts together with others to collude with foreign forces.”

The United States strongly condemned the sentencing and called for Wong's immediate release.

Wong pleaded guilty to the offense earlier this year. Tam said he considered a 13-year prison sentence as a starting point but reduced it because of Wong’s guilty plea and mitigation.

Tam said Wong would serve the remaining two months of the sentence for his first national security conviction concurrently with the new sentence.

Wong looked calm during sentencing

Ahead of the hearing, Wong, who appeared at the High Court in a dark shirt, nodded to his supporters and pro-democracy activists in the public gallery.

He appeared serious but calm as the judge read out his sentencing remarks. “Thank you all,” he told supporters before leaving the courtroom.

Tiffany Chin, a former member of the now-disbanded Scholarism movement once led by Wong, was in tears after the sentence was delivered.

With limited seating available, some took turns entering the courtroom. Dozens had lined up outside the court to secure a seat in the public gallery, some as early as Tuesday. One resident, ET Wong, said Wong walked a difficult path for Hong Kong’s future, human rights and the student movement. “He should not have spent a single day in wrongful imprisonment,” she said.

In a statement written in prison, Wong said he thought he was acting within the law and was not directly advocating for sanctions when he reposted others' social media posts or called on foreign companies to consider ceasing business with the Hong Kong police. He said he later realized his judgment was wrong.

He said during his nearly six years in prison, he enrolled in university courses and read many books. He said he devoted himself to becoming a better person, and hoped he would regard the experience as having helped forge his character when he looks back one day.

Wong's convictions seen as discouraging dissent

Hong Kong once had a freewheeling civil society. But after huge anti-government protests rocked the city in 2019, authorities reduced public choice in elections and arrested many leading activists. Some news outlets known for reporting critical of the government shut down and dozens of civil society groups dissolved.

Observers say Wong's sentencing shows authorities' determination to keep prominent activists in prison for as long as possible.

Eric Lai, a senior fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said most of the alleged activities after the security law took effect were purely online expressions and public information transmission, which would not be seen as a great threat to national security in liberal countries.

Law, who is wanted by the Hong Kong authorities, said in a statement that it was incredibly sad to see his friend suffer further sentencing over his peaceful advocacy work.

Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure supporting Hong Kong independence, a stance that crosses its red line. Hong Kong authorities argue the security law is crucial for the city’s stability following the 2019 protests, maintaining that the city's law enforcement actions were evidence-based.

The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said in a statement that Wong has been “unjustly imprisoned” since late 2020, showing that “Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate for fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.”

But the city government said the consulate’s remarks are groundless attacks and smears that are “obviously despicable political manipulation.”

Prosecution highlights Wong’s lobbying and advocacy efforts

The prosecution alleged that Wong and Law had agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally to achieve their goal of democratic self-determination.

After the security law was enacted, Law, who left for the U.K., and others advanced their work abroad by meeting foreign politicians and launching petition drives, it said. Wong supported the effort from Hong Kong through foreign media outlets and social media to draw international attention and bolster the request for sanctions, a blockade or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong, it said.

Wong's lawyer Derek Chan had urged the court to impose a sentence that would give his client some hope, adding that Wong wishes to take care of his parents after his release.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities defend the ruling

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that Wong had pleaded guilty in the face of overwhelming facts and evidence and that the central government supports Hong Kong in upholding national security.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wong, Law and their accomplices are among the “primary culprits responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”

Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police’s national security department, welcomed the court's ruling and said he hoped Wong would reflect on his wrongdoing.

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the sentencing is a clear example of how the security law is being used to target individuals for political expression and participation.

To his supporters, Wong is a political star representing a younger generation born in the final years of Hong Kong's British colonial rule before the city's return to China in 1997.

Though he's held behind bars, Wong's influence appears to have remained a concern for the pro-Beijing camp.

In September, a pro-Beijing newspaper report criticized a 2017 documentary about Wong on Netflix for “beautifying” his crimes. The city’s security bureau told local media the government was taking follow-up action.

The documentary then topped Netflix’s most-watched list in Hong Kong.

The unusual trio of executions on a single day in the U.S., and Newsom's plans that experts say would represent the largest mass clemency in American history, underscored national divisions over capital punishment. They also come at a time of renewed attention over the death penalty following Tennessee's botched execution of Christa Pike in September.

In Florida, the state tied a record with its 19th execution this year and is on track to set a new mark in the coming weeks. Indiana executed a man for killing two children by setting a house fire in 2010, and in Alabama, a man was put to death by lethal injection over killing an older man and woman in a home robbery.

“California may let their criminals escape justice, but not Alabama," Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said. “Here, we enforce the law and always will.”

It marked the second time since August that three states had conducted executions on a single day, although it remains unusual. Previously, the last time it happened was 2010.

Florida inmate apologized to victims

Jesse Guardado was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a lethal injection at a state prison in Starke. He had pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Jackie Malone, 75, inside her Walton County home in 2004 before stealing her jewelry box, $80 and other valuables to buy drugs. The woman had helped him get a job and housing.

Florida has carried out more than half of the nation's 35 executions so far this year under outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Guardado, 64, was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the death chamber curtain went up promptly at 6 p.m. Asked if he had a last statement, he replied, “I would like to once again apologize for the pain and suffering I’ve caused to the victim’s family and my own family as well.”

The drugs began flowing immediately afterward. Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching. Soon after, a warden shook Guardado and shouted his name but got no response and a medic then pronounced him dead.

DeSantis, who leaves office in January, has said he wants to bring justice to victims' families who have often waited decades for death sentences to be carried out. He signed the death warrants that led to a state record of 19 executions in 2025. The state is planning two more executions later this year.

Patrick Malone, the victim's son, told reporters that he questioned those who oppose the death penalty.

“Do such people ever think about what happened to the victim or consider the unending aftermath the victim’s family endures and relives every time that terrible event comes up?” Malone said.

Alabama man was condemned for a double killing

In Alabama, Michael Taylor, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. local time after a lethal injection. The execution got underway shortly before 6 p.m. as Taylor replied “no, sir” when asked if he had any final words.

He appeared to mouth “thank you” toward his attorneys seated in the witness room. Taylor’s spiritual adviser approached and prayed with him, and he closed his eyes, never opening them again.

In 1991, Taylor, then 19, fatally beat Ivan Moore, 83, and his wife Lucille, 79, with a metal bar during a robbery in their Gadsden, Alabama, home. Police arrested him in their Cadillac an hour away in Birmingham.

Death penalty opponents had urged Ivey to commute Taylor’s sentence to life in prison, noting his age and immaturity then. She declined.

The victims' family thanked the state attorney general's office for bringing closure, but they lamented having to wait 35 years for the death sentence to be imposed.

“We know that a person has the right to appeal, but there should come a time when the jury’s decision is final. For all these years, our family has had to live with the waiting, the delays, and the uncertainty," the family said in a statement. "We have never forgotten our loved ones or what was taken from us.”

The state switched Taylor's execution method after a judge declared a nitrogen gas method unconstitutional. His attorneys objected since he selected nitrogen gas as his method years ago, but a judge ruled against Taylor.

Attorneys for Taylor said in a statement that he knew the harm he had caused and that “Michael’s life was proof that God isn’t finished with any of us."

Lawyers had sought a life sentence for Indiana man

In Indiana, Jeffrey Weisheit, 50, was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. at the state prison in Michigan City, said Noelle Russell, a Department of Correction spokesperson. He had no final words.

Weisheit had acknowledged killing his girlfriend’s two children in a house fire in the Evansville area in 2010 but had hoped Gov. Mike Braun would grant clemency and change his sentence to life in prison. Braun declined.

The execution provided “long-awaited justice for Alyssa Lynch and her brother Caleb, two innocent children whose lives were stolen in an act of unspeakable cruelty," Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said.

____

This story has been updated to correct that Tennessee's failed execution was in September, not October.

____

Fischer reported from Starke, Florida, and Chandler from Atmore, Alabama. AP reporter Ed White contributed from Detroit.

Hinojosa, who will become Texas' first Latina governor, made the pledge during her first news conference since ousting Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as part of Democrats' wave of wins, including James Talarico flipping a U.S. Senate seat.

“We are forging a new way forward,” she said. “People are tired of the divisions, tired of the fighting, tired of the culture wars.”

Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state legislator from Austin who was raised on the Texas-Mexico border, was a massive underdog. She engineered a plucky and populist challenge against Abbott, who significantly outraised her but was denied a record fourth term just two years after President Donald Trump carried Texas by double-digits.

Hinojosa said Abbott was “gracious” after her victory and committed to helping her prepare to take office in January.

The upset underlined how a glum national mood dragged down Republicans across the country, even in a stronghold where Democrats had not won in decades.

Hinojosa gained major political momentum in the last few months of a campaign that centered heavily on public education, outrage over data centers and a push to lower costs. One of the first appointments to her transition team is a former rural Republican lawmaker who opposed Abbott's push for private school vouchers, which Hinojosa has supported repealing.

Her agenda will be tested in a divided Texas Legislature, where Republicans also lost the state House but still control the Senate.

“This is not about being a Democratic administration. I’m not going to be the governor for just Democrats,” Hinojosa said. “I’m going to be the governor for all the people of Texas.”

The daughter of a former Texas Democratic Party leader, Hinojosa's own political career started in 2012 while running for a school board seat in Austin, which she says was driven by budget cuts that threatened to close her son's campus.

She was elected to the Texas House in 2016 and later became a vice chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus. She worked to shed that progressive brand in her campaign for governor, shrugging off culture wars and saying she was focused on affordability.

Democratic state Rep. Christina Morales said her party would stick to those issues now that they're back in power.

“The people who flipped this House didn’t run on culture issues,” she said. “They ran on the economy. They ran on the schools.”

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Wilder is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Measure 638 in Washington, which had more than 56% of the vote, will prevent students who were assigned male at birth from participating in sports designated for female athletes. The measure also requires athletes wanting to play in female sports to produce a statement from a health care provider verifying their gender.

Proposition 134 in Colorado will require educational institutions and athletic associations to assign sports as male, female or coed. The proposal, which was supported by 52% of voters, will also limit athletes to playing in sports in the gender they were assigned at birth.

The votes came in states where Democratic-led governors’ offices and legislatures have declined to enact the kind of bans that have become the norm in Republican-led states.

Supporters of the bans decided to force the issue by putting it on the ballot, and the results indicate that what conservatives once used as a wedge issue in the culture wars has become one of the few to receive bipartisan support.

“This was always coming because politicians in those states have been ignoring their constituencies on the ground,” said Doriane Lambelet Coleman, a professor at Duke Law School. “And, as we saw on Tuesday, there’s only so long that can work. Whether other blue states join Washington and Colorado depends on local political culture and on the ability of the advocacy groups on both sides of the issue to marshal their troops.”

The passages came during the same election cycle in which Arizona voters chose to expand restrictions initially outlined in a 2022 law.

Proposition 318 will prohibit transgender girls from participating in female sports in all schools and athletic associations — they were already barred from doing so in public schools — and limit transgender people to using bathrooms and other private spaces to the gender they were assigned at birth.

The proposition also requires an athlete's “sex” to reflect what they were assigned on their birth certificate and allows athletes to sue schools and associations that violate the expanded law.

Nebraska, which already had a ban in place on transgender athletes, codified the ban in the state constitution after passing Measure 442. The measure requires schools to designate a sport as male, female or coed and prohibits students assigned male at birth from participating in female sports.

Other transgender bans have gone to the courts. A county-level ban in suburban Nassau County outside New York City was struck down by an appeals court Tuesday in a setback to the GOP nominee for governor, who championed the legislation while serving as county executive.

The results in Washington and Colorado came less than two years after President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which gave federal agencies wide latitude to ensure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration’s view, which interprets “sex” as the gender someone was assigned at birth.

The expansion of transgender bans in individual states — now well over half the country has a transgender athlete ban of some kind — as well as the passage of other conservative-backed agendas like voter ID requirements in places like Ohio highlight that some Trump-backed policies do resonate with voters across the political spectrum. But widespread discontent over more high-profile issues like the war in Iran had a far greater impact during midterm elections that ended with Democrats gaining control of the House and Senate.

There were some limits in the transgender votes. In Missouri, voters declined to support Amendment 3, which would have banned gender-transition treatment and surgeries for minors as well as repealed the right to abortion.

“The reality is undeniable: fearmongering about transgender people is a losing strategy,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “Election 2026 must go down in history as the last campaign to try it.”

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See AP’s full sports coverage here

After being the target of Islamophobic rhetoric on the campaign trail, the rising political star who will be the first Muslim American U.S. senator has mocked his critics on the right while championing the Palestinian cause and leaning into his faith and Egyptian heritage.

“JD, habibi,” El-Sayed said in his victory speech, addressing U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who had warned that the candidate would lead rioters in burning down Detroit. “There is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.”

‘Habibi’ is a term of affection

“Habibi” literally translates to “my beloved” and is peppered through Arab pop songs. In everyday speech, it often means “buddy,” “pal,” or “bro.” El-Sayed's supporters have sported shirts reading “Habibi for Abdul.”

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, said his campaign had turned “inshallah” — “God willing” — into “hamdulillah,” which means “thank God.”

Arabs thrilled to the gentle ribbing of the vice president, with many posting music video clips featuring “habibi” to social media. It was a rare outpouring of joy in a region traumatized by past and present conflicts — which have also fueled negative stereotypes in the West.

One user on X posted a video of Egyptian diva Shireen Abd El-Wahab dancing to one of her most popular songs, joking that El-Sayed would make it the new national anthem.

Egyptians are renowned in the Arab world for their sense of humor and are known for cracking jokes in the face of life's difficulties, a spirit that has been popularized in films and by famous comedic actors.

Riffing off El-Sayed's victory speech, some shared a meme from an Egyptian film in which a man attends a funeral while high and is unable to stop laughing. “I came here to crack jokes,” read the caption, quoting a line from the film.

An Egyptian academic, Khalil al-Anani, praised El-Sayed on X, saying: "'Habibi' is the sweetest word.” He thanked the senator-elect for bringing joy to Egyptians.

Signs of change after decades of prejudice

Arab and Muslim Americans have faced prejudice for decades, with popular films depicting them as terrorists and politicians on the right fanning baseless fears about the imposition of sharia, or Islamic law.

During the campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to El-Sayed as a “jihadist,” evoked the Sept. 11 attacks and deliberately misstated the candidate's name.

On social media, users responded to such attacks by posting light-hearted videos, including of Lebanese diva Haifa Wehbe belly dancing and young veiled women breakdancing in the streets.

“Donald, look, I know you've struggled with my name,” El-Sayed said in his victory speech. “So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me ‘senator.'”

“We want to do things that we did not do in the past in order to remove this criminal government,” Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Arab Joint List, told The Associated Press.

But any such partnership could be politically fraught for both sides. For the Joint List, it would mean backing a government unlikely to end Israel’s wars or curb settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. For Netanyahu’s opponents, it would mean aligning with parties that not only criticize Israel's policies, but reject its identity as a Jewish state.

After historic voter turnout delivered Arab-led parties a record share in Israel's parliament, Tibi said the Joint List is willing to support an anti-Netanyahu government without joining it. That could reassure Jewish-led factions that view them with suspicion and satisfy their own constituents. It would still give the Joint List major influence.

Only one Arab party has ever served in an Israeli government, in 2021. But that party, Ra’am, is much more conciliatory than the Joint List and held fewer seats. Ra’am is willing to join another anti-Netanyahu government as a partner, but any such arrangement would still need the support of the Joint List.

If the Jewish-led parties reject such a partnership, then it would prove Israel is “an ethnocracy, not an absolute democracy for all citizens,” Tibi said.

The Joint List's positions put it at odds with most Israelis

Most of the Palestinian population in what is now Israel fled or was expelled during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. Those who remained were granted citizenship, including the right to vote, and today they and their descendants make up some 20% of the population.

Many Jewish Israelis have historically viewed Arab-led political parties with suspicion. That distrust has been reinforced by lawmakers who have defended or praised Israel's enemies.

The Joint List, a coalition of three left-wing and nationalist parties, rejects what it refers to as the “racist Zionist consensus” in Israel. It calls for partnering with Jewish Israelis who support a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. It rejects Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, calling for equal rights for all its citizens.

Many Jewish Israelis see that as support for the country’s enemies at a time of war. Netanyahu has encouraged such sentiments, lodging unproven accusations of electoral fraud against the Arab-led parties and portraying them as a threat to national security.

A dilemma for Netanyahu's opponents

That creates a dilemma for Netanyahu’s main opponents, led by former general Gadi Eisenkot.

In the campaign, they portrayed Netanyahu as a corrupt leader who failed to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and then blocked a public inquiry into it. They cast the election in existential terms, saying Netanyahu’s far-right government threatened Israel’s democratic institutions.

They won 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared to 53 for Netanyahu’s coalition. The Joint List won 11 seats and Ra’am won 8, making them crucial to forming an anti-Netanyahu majority.

The Joint List could help an anti-Netanyahu bloc take power by voting for it or by abstaining to lower the threshold needed for a majority. Either arrangement could allow opposition parties to form a government without requiring the Joint List to become part of their administration. Joining could put its lawmakers in the uncomfortable position of being part of a government waging wars in Gaza and Lebanon that they oppose.

Some of Eisenkot’s allies welcome Arab support while others are opposed, pointing to past statements by Joint List leaders they argue deny Israel’s legitimacy or support its enemies.

Tibi said he was under no illusions that a partnership with Netanyahu’s opponents would end the wars or bring about a Palestinian state. But he said a “repair government” would improve the lives of Palestinian citizens, by ending Netanyahu’s rule and also potentially addressing local issues like a wave of violent crime in Arab communities.

It's unclear what conditions would be required

Eisenkot has said Arab-led parties must meet certain conditions in any partnership, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed.

Tibi said the conditions do not apply to parties like the Joint List that want to provide outside support.

The Joint List and Ra’am have denounced the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack and any violence against civilians. But they have refused to brand Hamas a terrorist group or call for its destruction, saying that doing so would justify Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza.

Tibi said both the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s response to it were immoral.

The veteran lawmaker has long been a lightning rod for right-wing attacks on Arab parties. During Israel’s 2019 elections, Netanyahu, popularly known as Bibi, campaigned on the slogan “Bibi or Tibi?” to warn voters that opposing him meant relying on Arab-led parties to form a government.

Tibi said Tuesday that the election result had turned the slogan on its head.

“When he said ‘Bibi or Tibi,’ he incited against Arabs,” he said. “Now, it’s ‘Tibi,’ because Arab voters went in a very massive way to take part in the elections. It’s definitely our story this time.”

But the action does not prevent future presidents from restyling the iconic office that Trump has filled to the brim with gold flourishes, nor does it prevent a successor from rolling back the proclamation itself. Trump himself has reversed national monument designations made by his predecessors.

Trump, however, described the Oval Office order in expansive terms. “It will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape,” Trump said. “We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself.”

It was the third day this week that the president, a real estate mogul, delivered remarks fixated on his pet projects in Washington. On Wednesday, a day after Republicans suffered defeats in key races across the country, Trump gathered reporters to sign the final beam being raised during construction of his opulent ballroom project. On Monday, he went to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to talk about his renovation of the landmark.

The proclamation, released after Trump's remarks, says that nothing in it will “restrict the President’s authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument’s historic structure or architectural character.”

It orders the Interior secretary to manage the Oval Office and requires “documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument.” Trump separately said any major changes would need review from Congress, though such a requirement is not in the document's text.

“If they want to say, ‘Let’s not have oval anymore, let’s make it square,’ what happens is they have to go back to Congress and hopefully the Congress, the people in Congress, will be smart enough not to let that happen,” said Trump — who notably demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for his ballroom.

A red baseball cap with “VETO” on the front was sitting on the Resolute Desk as Trump signed the document, a not-so-subtle nod to the shifting of powers in Congress.

His effort to preserve changes at the White House comes as Democrats gear up for new scrutiny of Trump. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a flurry of letters Thursday to known donors to Trump’s ballroom, demanding that they provide information or face “alternative measures to obtain compliance.”

Since returning to the White House, Trump has overseen numerous design changes to various rooms, including the Oval Office, where he has filled the wall space with portraits, a copy of the Declaration of Independence and numerous golden accents.

As he talked about his interior decorating decisions, Trump highlighted new chandeliers that he says were installed in the Cabinet Room to address “very bad lighting.” His other additions to the Oval Office include numerous gold wall appliqués and gold-framed portraits.

Trump did not elaborate on precisely what he was hoping to prevent but suggested that the Oval Office might face some threat in the future. Trump himself has faced several lawsuits alleging that his Washington beautification projects were done without the necessary approval.

“If anybody ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, you call me wherever I may be," Trump said, “and I’ll come back here and I’ll make sure it never happens.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday, told The Associated Press that he wants to be considered for the Senate seat when Blackburn becomes governor in January.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Burchett said when asked.

Hegseth has also surfaced as a potential replacement, with his future uncertain after Republicans’ sweeping losses in the midterm elections. But Hegseth is not currently being considered for the seat, according to a person familiar with the matter who discussed the private conversations on condition of anonymity.

The person said Blackburn is focused on her transition to the governorship and dismissed the speculation about appointing Hegseth to the Senate seat as baseless chatter.

Blackburn, who is serving her second Senate term, has indicated she plans to retain the seat until she is sworn in as governor, allowing her to appoint her own replacement to serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in January 2031.

Meanwhile, Hegseth released a video on social media on Thursday in which he acknowledged the threat of impeachment and argued that it would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” and that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”

After the video’s release, scores of political appointees within the Pentagon began posting images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.” The White House posted a video to social media that featured praise from President Donald Trump.

When asked about the social media blitz, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, released a statement saying that “despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats,” Hegseth is “100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office.”

Much of the post-midterms speculation about potential Cabinet shuffles has centered on Hegseth, a key architect of Trump’s unpopular war with Iran. The war and the resulting high prices of gasoline and other goods were major factors behind the heavy Republican losses.

Hegseth is already shaping up to be a top target of congressional Democrats.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a major Trump critic during the second administration who was defeated in a heated primary battle in May, introduced the articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September.

Massie, in a statement at the time, said that “by engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable.”

The House is expected to return next week, and Massie has already said he plans to renew his impeachment efforts, adding in a social media post on Thursday that his "Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress.”

Parnell said the Pentagon “has followed the law” and Hegseth “will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists.”

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he is not considering replacing Hegseth, saying “I think he’s doing a very good job.”

Of Hegseth potentially filling Blackburn’s seat, Trump said, “I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that."

Trump doubled down on his support for Hegseth on Thursday, saying he “has done a fantastic job."

Hegseth moved to Tennessee with his family in 2022, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

With a Democratic-led Senate that will control at least 54 seats next year, Trump is certain to face steep hurdles confirming any high-profile picks for federal judgeships or for Cabinet posts.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press on Thursday that Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, the broader federal judiciary or to the Cabinet.

—

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

Meanwhile a handful of remaining Senate and House races, still to be called by The Associated Press, will determine the strength of Democrats’ majority in Congress. Senate contests in Alaska and Mississippi have narrow margins with votes still outstanding, even as the scale of Democrats’ victory across the country comes into focus. There are still dozens of House races that have not yet been called.

Democrats in Texas took control of the state House for the first time since 2002, though Republicans will maintain control of the state Senate. In this year’s midterm elections, Democrats have taken full control — both statehouse chambers and governors’ offices — in at least five states where they previously shared power.

And another wipeout for stocks overwhelmed Wall Street, in part tied to nationwide Democratic victories and the possibility that governments could force pauses in construction of more data centers.

Here's the latest:

Protesters gather at the site of Trump’s proposed arch in Washington

The message among the small group of demonstrators was universal: Tuesday’s overwhelming repudiation in the midterm elections made it clear that the country is done with unlimited power grabs and autocratic behavior, and the 250-foot arch should not be built.

“In my life, I’ve never seen an event with such profound widespread opposition from the community, young and old, men and women, Democrats and Republicans,” Virginia Democratic Rep. Dan Beyer said. “This arch is a sacrilege.”

Rep. James Walkinshaw, also a Virginia Democrat, told the protesters that if the arch is somehow built, “I’m not going to stop until we ensure it’s a temporary arch.”

The National Capital Planning Commission was prepared to vote later Thursday on whether the plan can go forward for it to be built near the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery.

Republicans were punished in the midterms for Trump’s economic policies, The AP Voter Poll shows

The president was publicly humbled by inflation in the midterm elections, as rising prices provoked a blistering set of losses for Republicans in House, Senate and gubernatorial races.

Most voters said that Trump’s own policies had smothered growth and driven costs even higher, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of roughly 100,000 midterm voters. The president’s message that the fault lay with his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, didn’t land. Americans saw prices start to climb with Trump’s chaotic rash of tariffs last year, and energy costs spiked after he launched a war with Iran in February.

About two-thirds of voters said Trump’s own policies had fueled inflation. By contrast, only about half of 2022 midterm voters said this about Biden’s policies, according to AP VoteCast.

Voters in states from California to Mississippi broadly agreed that Trump’s taxes on imports have done more harm than good.

▶ Read more

Trump makes the Oval Office a national monument. But future presidents can still redecorate

The president signed a proclamation that he says will preserve the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument, his first official action after his party was swept aside in midterm elections.

But the action does not prevent future presidents from restyling the iconic office, which Trump has filled to the brim with gold flourishes, nor does it prevent a successor from rolling back the proclamation itself. Trump himself has reversed national monument designations made by his predecessors.

Trump, however, described the Oval Office order in expansive terms. “It will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape,” Trump said. “We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself.”

It was the third day this week that the president delivered remarks fixated on his pet projects in Washington.

▶ Read more

Black voters help propel Democrats, including history makers, in sweeping midterm victories

U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures won another term despite Alabama Republican lawmakers reshaping his district with the intent of making his reelection more difficult. Strong turnout among Black voters helped propel Figures, 41, over his Republican opponent in a new district that Trump won by double digits two years ago.

It was among several victories for Black Democrats across the South — including the governor’s race in Georgia — along with near-misses in places like Florida where Republicans have been dominant.

Party leaders and activists framed the results as a repudiation of Trump and of the Supreme Court’s decision this year that gutted the Voting Rights Act and allowed Republican-led states to redistrict in a way that weakened Black congressional representation.

The Republican president’s crackdown on diversity initiatives in his second term and his efforts to limit how the U.S. government tells the nation’s history on race and civil rights also motivated Black voters, said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

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Marco Rubio says Trump deserves ‘tremendous amount of credit’ on Iran in first postelection comments

In an interview Thursday with The New York Times, the secretary of state acknowledged that the higher cost of gas isn’t “the kind of thing you campaign on and brag about.”

Rubio said, however, that doing things that may not be popular with voters but are necessary for the country’s future “is the price of leadership.”

His comments come after Vice President JD Vance offered his own autopsy Wednesday of what the GOP got wrong in the midterms, saying much of it was ignoring how unpopular the war with Iran had become.

Both Rubio and Vance are rumored to be possible presidential contenders in 2028.

Rubio also denied reports that he was leaving the State Department to kick off that campaign.

Elon Musk gambled $445 million to boost Republicans in the midterms and came up short

Musk spent at least $445 million in a gambit to help Republicans keep control of Congress, an amount roughly equivalent to someone on a $100,000 annual salary saving every penny for 4,400 years.

To the world’s first trillionaire, it’s a pittance, but the billions of dollars’ worth of business his companies do with the federal government is not. And on Tuesday night, a Republican Party that had embraced Musk lost again and again, ceding control of Congress to a Democratic Party leery of the world’s richest person and keen to put his companies and his work at the Department of Government Efficiency under a microscope.

Nobody may have suffered bigger losses Tuesday than President Donald Trump. But few others had more on the line than Musk, who gambled big and came up holding the midterms’ worst return on investment. Democrats in Congress were already queuing to get their shot at Musk, with possible subpoenas and investigations.

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Hegseth is not under consideration as jockeying begins for Tennessee Senate seat, AP source says

The race to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn is intensifying just days after she won the race for governor, with one Republican congressman publicly expressing interest and speculation swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday, told AP he wants to be considered when Blackburn becomes governor in January.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Burchett said.

Hegseth has also surfaced as a potential replacement, with his future uncertain after Republicans’ sweeping midterm losses. But Hegseth is not currently being considered, according to a person familiar with the matter who discussed the private conversations on condition of anonymity.

The person said Blackburn is focused on her transition to the governorship and dismissed speculation about appointing Hegseth to the seat as baseless chatter.

Blackburn has indicated that she plans to retain the seat until she is sworn in as governor, allowing her to appoint her own replacement.

— Joey Cappelletti

▶ Read more

Incoming Democratic chair of Senate panel issues warning letters to investigative targets

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has issued warning letters to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr and cryptocurrency companies linked to Trump.

Blumenthal issued the notices Thursday, asking the recipients to produce records by Jan. 4, the day after the new Democratic majority is sworn in. If they do not comply, Blumenthal wrote, the panel will be left with “no choice but to consider alternative measures to obtain compliance.”

The initial letters, issued two days after the election, are based on investigations that the panel’s Democrats have conducted in the last two years, including an inquiry into tactics used by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, what Democrats say are Carr’s efforts to “silence free speech” and the cryptocurrency companies’ links to Trump.

The panel also issued a notice to tech companies and other donors to Trump’s White House ballroom.

Trump lauds performance of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

The president praised Hegseth amid questions about whether the president will replace him.

“He’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said, before listing off what he framed as accomplishments, including the Iran war and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Earlier in the day, Hegseth vowed to fight back after Democrats made major gains in the midterm election and some lawmakers vowed to push impeachment proceedings against him.

Trump suggests midterm election losses haven’t impacted his calculations on Iran

“We’re building more weapons right now in our military than we’ve ever built before, and we’re locked and loaded,” the president said during his Oval Office exchange with reporters. “If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked in.”

Trump has threatened for weeks to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran once the U.S. elections are in the rearview mirror if Tehran does not come to a settlement under terms acceptable to him.

Qatari mediators continue talks with Iranian officials to try to press for a deal. The president reiterated his position that Iran will have to make commitments on its nuclear program in any potential deal.

Trump says he met with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House

The president said he met with Vladimir Putin’s envoy at the White House on Thursday but did not meet with Ukrainian officials who were also visiting.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had a meeting with Kirill Dmitriev. “I can’t tell you what I discussed,” Trump said.

Asked if he had met with Ukrainian representatives, Trump said he had not. Representatives from both countries were at the White House for an event honoring Melania Trump’s work brokering a ceasefire in Oleshky.

After declining to elaborate on his meeting with Dmitriev, Trump suggested some sort of deal is in the works.

“Its going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that it might include all of Europe.

Hegseth vows to fight as impeachment prospect looms

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to fight back in a new social media video after Democrats made major gains in the midterm election and some lawmakers vowed to push impeachment proceedings against him.

Hegseth acknowledged that “a disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly,” referencing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.

Massie first introduced the articles of impeachment in September and has pledged to revive them next week unless Hegseth resigns.

In his video Hegseth argued that “it’s all about the politics of personal destruction” and said that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”

He also defended his anti-diversity policies, the administration’s war in Iran and strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America, saying that “narcoterrorists should die, not be caught and released.”

Trump signs a proclamation that he says will prevent future changes to the Oval Office and Cabinet Room

The signing comes two days after voters, dissatisfied with his economic policies, threw dozens of Republicans out of office, delivering control of Congress to Democrats.

It’s also the third day this week that the president, a real estate mogul, has delivered remarks fixated on his pet projects in Washington, including an opulent ballroom and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

A brutal sell-off for AI stocks sends Wall Street reeling, and the S&P 500 tumbles 4.4%

A brutal sell-off swept through Wall Street, led by stocks tied to the buildout of AI data centers. The S&P 500 fell 4.4% Thursday for its worst drop since President Donald Trump shook markets worldwide in April 2025 with his “Liberation Day” tariffs.

The wipeout more than erased the market’s gain from the day before, which was its best in three months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,800 points, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 5.5%.

AI stocks worldwide felt pressure as worries rise about possible moratoriums on data centers following Democratic victories in the U.S. midterm elections.

US boosts reward offers for Venezuelan cartel leaders by $50M

The Trump administration is increasing by $50 million the amount of reward money it offers for information leading to the arrests of three leaders of the Venezuelan cartel Tren de Aragua.

The State Department said it was boosting from $4 million to $20 million the reward for Yohan José Romero, from $5 million to $15 million the reward for Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano and creating a new $15 million reward for Juan Gabriel Rivas Núñez.

It said the three men are all senior members of Tren de Aragua, which the administration designated a foreign terrorist organization last year. All three have been indicted in U.S. federal court for providing material support to a designated terrorist organization.

Iowa Democrat wins state House race despite suspending campaign in September

A Democrat won a western Iowa legislative district in Tuesday’s elections, even though he had suspended his campaign two months ago because of health issues, a sign of Democrats’ midterm sweeping success nationwide.

Eric Armstrong still appeared on the ballot and was elected with 55% of the vote to represent the state House district that belongs to current Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, who won his bid for U.S. Senate Tuesday. The district went for Republican President Donald Trump two years ago. (edited)

In a Sept. 7 Facebook post, Armstrong wrote that he had “personal health issues that require my full attention and immediate care” and that he was “stepping down from my campaign, effective immediately” to prioritize his health.

Armstrong wrote again Thursday that he was proud of his win and would be “open and upfront about what comes next.”

“The voters of District 20 sent a clear message about the direction they want for Iowa,” he wrote, “and I will make sure that message is carried to the Capitol in January.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ‘has been gracious,’ says his Democratic successor

Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa said that Abbott, who she defeated in the election in the historically red state, “made sure to make me understand that they are going to fully cooperate with this transition.”

When asked whether she was concerned about Republicans in the legislature working to undermine her, Hinojosa said that “Texans have spoken” and that she hopes “elected leaders from both parties don’t get in the way of the progress we can make together to deliver for working people.”

Mississippi GOP: Senate race ‘is far from over’

Mike Hurst, the state party chairman, made that statement in an afternoon press conference in Jackson, the state capital.

He said the party estimates that as many as 20,000 votes are outstanding in the Senate race, a combination of late-arriving mail and provisional ballots that Hurst says come from Republican-leaning areas.

“Let me be very, very clear,” Hurst said. “This election is far from over.”

Hurst said the party was ready to take legal action if the count is improper but will accept the results if the count is fair and legal.

“There is no election denying going on here,” he said.

Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa says she’ll lead a ‘bipartisan administration’

Hinojosa made that pledge in her first press conference since beating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, becoming one of several Democrats who won statewide in Texas for the first time in more than 30 years.

“People are tired of the divisions, tired of the fighting, tired of the culture wars,” said Hinojosa, “I’m going to be a governor for all of Texas.”

She then introduced Ernest Bailes, who described himself as a conservative Republican who would be part of her transition team.

“I believe in Gina and I have faith that we will be able to do good things for the state of Texas,” he said. “We will put partisanship aside.”

Historic nature of Wisconsin win sinking in for David Crowley

Crowley, a Democrat, is the first Black person elected governor in Wisconsin.

He deflected questions about the historic nature of his win at a news conference the day after the election. But in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Crowley said “it has sunk in a little bit more.”

“For me, it’s about making sure I’m not the last,” he said. “What I’m going to be remembered for is what I do in the seat and the results that we deliver.”

Crowley referenced the song from the musical “Hamilton” about the importance of being “in the room where it happens.”

“Being in a room where it happens doesn’t mean anything unless you can actually make an impact,” he said. “And that’s really my focus.”

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman ousts embattled Mayor Karen Bass

Nithya Raman, a little-known Los Angeles City Council member backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has defeated Mayor Karen Bass, an upset that will alter the trajectory of the nation’s second largest city.

The India-born Raman’s upstart campaign marked a generational shift at City Hall as voters followed the lead of New York, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected last year. Raman, though, never attracted the same level of national attention and stressed her willingness to break with the progressive party at times during the campaign.

Her entry into the race marked a stunning change of heart after she had initially endorsed Bass, once her ally. She said the city had reached a “breaking point” and announced her own candidacy just before the filing deadline.

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Schumer says Democrats will not let Trump put a ‘right-winger’ on the Supreme Court

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is vowing that Democrats will not allow President Donald Trump to put “a right-winger” on the Supreme Court once they take power, raising the possibility that his party could block a presidential nominee if there is a vacancy in the next two years.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Schumer would not say if he would hold a Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016. But he said that Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court — or to the lower courts or Trump’s Cabinet, either.

“The bottom line is we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said.

Schumer’s pledge came two days after Democrats won a decisive Senate majority in the midterm elections.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass concedes to democratic socialist challenger Nithya Raman

The embattled incumbent said in a statement Thursday that she called Raman, a fellow Democrat, to congratulate her on her victory.

The Associated Press has not called the race.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” Bass said. “I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.”

House Democrats’ Judiciary leader says he’s already laid out an investigative roadmap

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman, noted Thursday at a Center for American Progress forum that he’s written 200-plus investigative letters to the Department of Justice and White House during Trump’s second presidency.

Anyone wondering what his committee will prioritize next year can consult that public record, he said.

“It’s a pretty good trail of crumbs of what we’re going to do,” Raskin said. “This is not a game of surprise or gotcha. We’re talking about trying to defend our system of government against authoritarians here.”

Asked about Trump potentially pardoning his lieutenants, Raskin noted any recipient still would be subject to civil liability and state criminal prosecution. He also argued that Trump issuing any pardon related to criminal activity he was involved in personally could constitute an impeachable offense under the Constitution’s “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard.

US further sanctions Cuban economy and targets China-based suppliers

The Trump administration on Thursday escalated its economic campaign against Cuba, issuing a determination that clears the path for sanctions on several crucial sectors of the island’s economy.

Those sectors include electronics, manufacturing, marine and technology. The State Department also ordered penalties on China-based suppliers of Cuba’s military forces.

“The identification of these new sectors targets the regime and those who enable it, not the Cuban people,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, insisting that humanitarian aid is still authorized to enter.

Washington passes ban on transgender girls in female sports

A ballot measure approved Tuesday by Washington voters will prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls’ school sports.

Proponents say the new law will increase fairness and safety in girls’ sports. Opponents had argued the measure could require invasive exams of many athletes to weed out a small number of transgender ones.

Similar laws are common in Republican-controlled states. But lawmakers in Washington and other Democratic-dominated states have not previously advanced them.

Republicans have emphasized the issue in recent years — and a growing number of Democratic politicians have aligned with them, at least partly.

The measure was placed on the Washington ballot through a citizens’ initiative. The state Legislature could change or repeal the law after two years with a simple majority, or sooner with support of two-thirds of both the House and Senate.

“The debtors are not currently proceeding with the LIV 2.0 plan,” attorney Matthew Williams of Gibson Dunn said in a hearing in New Jersey. “Instead, the debtors are toggling to a value-maximizing wind-down in their business."

LIV Golf, which launched in June 2022 by offering nine-figure signing bonuses to lure top names away from the PGA Tour, lost Saudi Arabia funding in April after spending more than $5 billion.

It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 8 and thought it had a lifeline in BC Partners Credit, which pledged a $300 million investment to pivot to a more financially sustainable “LIV 2.0.” But players like Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Louis Oosthuizen, weren't interested.

“BC Partners Credit supported a transaction that aligned the interests of players and investors, offering a credible path toward building a sustainable future for LIV Golf," BC Partners said in a statement. “While there was great support for the league, we are disappointed that mutually acceptable terms could not be reached among the various stakeholders.”

Instead of planning for a new version for 2027, LIV enters a liquidation phase.

Rahm already agreed to forfeit all claims against LIV — said to be worth some $100 million — to get out of his contract. He is back to playing the European tour, with hopes there will be a path back to the PGA Tour. The tour currently has a one-year ban dating to players' last LIV appearance.

LIV Golf paid $15.6 million to retain seven of its executives, including $6.375 million to CEO Scott O’Neil, in the months between the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and LIV filing for bankruptcy. Those payments are not unusual for a company trying to emerge from bankruptcy. The question now is whether those payments can be voided since LIV isn't going forward.

“Building a global platform designed to bring new, younger, and more diverse fans to the sport of golf has been the round of a lifetime for all of us," said Scott O'Neil, the CEO of LIV who took over from Greg Norman at the start of 2025.

“LIV Golf was fun, demanding, inspiring, at times challenging — but always rewarding.”

LIV suffered a number of setbacks this year, none bigger than losing its source of its money when PIF changed its investment strategy and said it would no longer pay for the league at the conclusion of its fifth season.

The Asian Tour, which received financial support from LIV for an International Series, decided in July to renew an alliance with the PGA Tour and the commercially known DP World Tour in Europe.

And as the league was trying to pivot to LIV 2.0, European tour CEO Guy Kinnings last month said anyone signing up for LIV need not apply for membership on the European tour, which put European players at risk of having no part in the Ryder Cup.

Kinnings said in an interview with The Scotsman newspaper earlier this week, "But we also have to protect the tour against an entity who spent, so we are told, over $7 billion, with one of their aims being to ‘destroy the DP World Tour.’”

LIV was originally run by Norman, who tried unsuccessfully to start a world tour in 1994 only to have it quashed by Arnold Palmer and the PGA Tour. Norman had Saudi money at his disposal, and promoted LIV as “Golf, but louder” with its blaring music, 54-hole shotgun starts and $25 million in prize funds — individual and team — at each event.

But it had no broadcast deal the first year, meaning it had to cover production costs. It got the CW Network in 2023, and eventually got Fox Sports to sign on in 2025.

Key to a new version of LIV was a “critical mass” of players to stick around, and BC Partners extended the Oct. 25 deadline. This was more about names than numbers, ultimately, and it couldn't reach agreement with enough players.

“Ultimately, despite everyone’s best efforts, we just couldn’t get to the level of combined financial and player support necessary for a viable LIV 2.0 within the required timeline," Williams said.

In the end, LIV held 62 tournaments on every continent golf is played except for South America. It had a feel-good moment in Australia this year when Anthony Kim returned from a 12-year hiatus of addiction to win again. Bryson DeChambeau shot a 58. Joaquin Niemann won seven times.

They are part of a short history, and now have to find a way back.

Brooks Koepka was the first to return. The five-time major champion got out of his LIV deal with one year remaining, and the PGA Tour created a path — with financial penalties — to return. Patrick Reed chose not to extend his deal in January and now is poised to return to the PGA Tour next year through his performance in Europe.

Rahm had said on Tuesday he would be willing to pay the same price as Koepka, though it was unlikely that same deal would be offered.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom said in a public letter.

Newsom’s decision comes as he prepares to leave office after eight years and considers a run for president. The Democrat, who’s long been opposed to the death penalty, placed a moratorium on executions in California in 2019.

His latest move came after he realized “the limits of what government can justly accomplish,” he said.

Newsom moved to grant clemency to 548 people currently sentenced to death in California, of whom 529 are men and 19 are women, according to numbers provided by his office.

The state constitution requires the California Supreme Court’s approval to grant clemency to anyone convicted of a felony more than once, which means the court would have to approve 382 of those commutations, or roughly 70%, according to Newsom's office.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Newsom’s action represents the largest mass clemency in American history. If they are all approved, it would reduce the U.S. death row population by nearly 30%, the center said.

California voters upheld the death penalty

Americans have long been divided over the death penalty. Nearly half of U.S. states have banned capital punishment outright, but executions are still carried out routinely around the country. On Thursday alone, Florida, Alabama and Indiana carried out lethal injections.

Californians voted to uphold the death penalty in 2012 and 2016 ballot measures. No one has been executed in the state since 2006 and California has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.

Among the most notorious convicted killers on California’s death row are Richard Allen Davis, who kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993, and Randy Kraft, the so-called “Scorecard Killer” who kept a list of his 16 victims in the 1970s and ’80s. Other prominent killers, including Scott Peterson and the Manson family members, received death sentences that were later commuted to life in prison.

Jess Nichol, Klaas' sister, said she previously believed Davis deserved the death penalty, but her views evolved.

“The system tells survivors that execution matters to our healing,” Nichol said in a statement. “It doesn’t. It’s a distraction from what we actually need.”

Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will surface painful memories for crime victims’ families.

“As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution,” Newsom wrote.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has said the implementation of the death penalty reflects racial bias, applauded the announcement.

“These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long,” Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement.

The ACLU is involved in an ongoing legal challenge to California’s death penalty statute, alleging it is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Victims' groups and prosecutors decry the decision

Patricia Wenskunas, founder of the California advocacy nonprofit Crime Survivors, which opposed the abolition of the death penalty, criticized Newsom's decision.

“My heart hurts for every one of the victims and every one of their family members,” she said, calling the decision “offensive” and “outrageous.”

Steve Herr, whose son Sam Herr was murdered along with his friend Julie Kibuishi by Daniel Wozniak in 2010, said he was “absolutely disgusted” by the governor's decision. He said the death of his son's killer would have meant closure.

“When somebody commits such a heinous crime, they do not deserve to live,” Herr said. “To hear what Newsom just did … he’s just an outright coward.”

The California District Attorneys Association condemned the decision. Last month, the group sent a letter to Newsom expressing “grave concerns” about him considering the move and warning that such a sweeping action would inflict additional pain on victims’ relatives.

“With the stroke of a pen, Governor Newsom has disregarded the decisions of hundreds of jurors and judges, and the anguish of families who lost loved ones to the worst crimes imaginable,” CDAA President Jeannine M. Pacioni said in a statement. “The victims were never given a commutation. Their families were never given a choice. They deserve far better than this.”

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow called the move a “sickening abuse of power.”

Dow referenced Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford, two women who were kidnapped, raped and murdered by Rex Allan Krebs in 1999, and Kesha Gurke, a 19-month-old girl tortured and murdered by Michael Whisenhunt in 1995.

“San Luis Obispo County juries sentenced both men to death. A unanimous California Supreme Court affirmed both judgments. Their families have waited decades for the State of California to keep its word. Today, the Governor broke it,” Dow said.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer also condemned the decision, calling it “mercy for the wolves and while inflicting the ultimate act of cruelty on the sheep.”

Other governors have taken similar actions

Newsom has said in the past that it is wrong for the government to kill its citizens and that capital punishment in practice has discriminated against mentally ill people and people of color.

Other governors have granted broad clemency to all death row prisoners in their states, including Gov. Kate Brown in Oregon in 2022 and Gov. Jared Polis in Colorado in 2020. Both are Democrats. In 1986, then-New Mexico Gov. Toney Anaya, a Democrat, commuted the death sentences of all five inmates then on death row.

In 2024, President Joe Biden also granted clemency to 37 out of 40 federal prisoners sentenced to death.

Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who will take over from Newsom in January, has said he will extend the state’s moratorium on the death penalty.

___

Ding and Weber reported from Los Angeles.

• Women are experiencing shortages of estrogen patches used to manage menopause symptoms as demand for the medication increases.
• Christine Porath struggled to refill her prescription after her usual major pharmacy chain repeatedly couldn’t supply her generic estrogen patches.
• The medication helped relieve her menopause symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, and helped her feel like herself again.
• Porath spent nearly eight weeks searching for the medication, calling pharmacies daily to find one with an available supply.

For Christine Porath, finding a treatment that helped her feel like herself again was a relief. But getting that medication consistently became an unexpected challenge.

Porath is among women struggling to find estrogen patches used to treat menopause symptoms as demand increases and pharmacies work to keep the medication in stock.

Menopause brought Porath hot flashes, night sweats, and a feeling she hadn’t expected: She no longer felt like herself.

“I didn’t want to feel 25 again. I just wanted to feel like myself,” Porath said. “And that’s when I got the patches and they really, really have helped.”

But by May, getting those patches had become a challenge of its own.

Porath said her usual major pharmacy chain couldn’t consistently fill her prescription for the generic version. One alternative would have cost nearly $90 a month.

What followed was nearly eight weeks of phone calls to pharmacies, searching for a reliable supply.

“Try to find an independent pharmacy. And I hope you have the same success that I do because it was really stressful to call,” Porath said.

“For almost eight weeks, I called every day. And I tried different pharmacies and it just never, it never happened until I called him, until I called an independent pharmacy.”

How an independent Detroit pharmacy helped

Porath’s search eventually led her to pharmacist Syed Hassan at Fenkell RX Pharmacy, near the Rosedale Park neighborhood on Detroit’s west side.

Hassan was able to fill a three-month supply of her estrogen patches.

But he said finding the medication requires persistence, even for pharmacists.

“You have to unfortunately sometimes check multiple times a day because the patch may become available and then somebody can just purchase it and it’s gone,” Hassan said.

To help patients maintain access to their medication, Hassan checks multiple wholesalers for available inventory and begins searching for a patient’s next refill well before it is due.

He also posts availability information on the pharmacy’s website to help patients looking for specific patches.

FDA acknowledges difficulty finding estrogen patches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged that some women are having trouble finding their usual estrogen patches as demand increases.

According to the FDA, the supply of estrogen patches has nearly doubled over the past year. The agency says it is working with all six manufacturers to increase production and improve availability.

Still, finding a specific brand or dosage can remain difficult. A patch may be available at one pharmacy but out of stock at another

For women who rely on the medication to manage menopause symptoms, that uncertainty can mean repeated phone calls, pharmacy visits, and concerns about getting their next refill.

For Porath, finding a pharmacy that could consistently help her access the medication brought some peace of mind.

“I don’t feel as anxious as I did about the therapy,” she said.

She has since transferred all her prescriptions to the neighborhood pharmacy.

The estrogen patches helped her feel better. Finding a reliable source for them gave her one less thing to worry about.

Fenkell RX Pharmacy launching Pharmacy Care Clinic to expand access

Beyond helping patients find medications that may be difficult to obtain, Fenkell RX Pharmacy is also launching a Pharmacy Care Clinic designed to make treatment for common minor medical conditions more accessible.

The clinic will allow patients to seek care for conditions including urinary tract infections, pink eye, and cold sores.

Under the model, a pharmacist will assess the patient in person, while an independent physician reviews the case remotely and can prescribe medication when appropriate.

The goal is to help patients receive care and access needed prescriptions without waiting for a traditional doctor’s appointment.

The clinic’s launch also comes ahead of changes to Medicaid scheduled for Jan. 1, 2027.

Under the planned changes, Healthy Michigan Plan members will face new work requirements and will be required to renew their coverage every six months instead of annually.

Those additional requirements could create challenges for some residents trying to maintain health insurance coverage.

Fenkell RX hopes its Pharmacy Care Clinic can help improve access to care by offering same-day evaluations and a convenient way for patients to obtain prescribed medications.

For patients who may face barriers to traditional health care, the pharmacy hopes to provide another option for getting treatment close to home.

They also deliver to many Metro Detroit suburbs.

For more information, go to the pharmacy’s website fenkellrxpharmacy.com or https://fenkellrxpharmacy.com/minor-illness-care-detroit

A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the trial court judge was correct to reject a motion to throw out the case from “The Pitt” production company Warner Bros. Television, which also produced “ER.” But the judges dismissed Noah Wyle — the star of both shows and a producer on “The Pitt” — as a defendant along with two other producers who worked on both series.

The lawsuit is a clash between the makers of multiple Emmy-winning TV series that were each among the most important and acclaimed shows of their eras.

Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” and many other novels that became hit movies and TV shows, wrote the pilot script for “ER,” the NBC show about a Chicago emergency room that redefined the medical drama genre and drew tens of millions of weekly viewers in its run from 1994 to 2009.

The lawsuit brought by Sherri Crichton was filed two years ago, before a single episode of “The Pitt” had aired. The HBO Max series that shows a real-time day in the life of a Pittsburgh emergency department has since become perhaps the most lauded series in television, winning two Emmys for best drama for its first two seasons and two best actor Emmys for Wyle.

Along with more technical legal issues, the judges had to decide whether the shows had at least the minimal similarity that would give the lawsuit enough merit to move forward. Their decision applies only to this early legal challenge and they did not rule on whether the plaintiffs had proved the “The Pitt” is derivative of “ER.”

The court agreed with the plaintiff that “both shows provide commentaries on the healthcare system; they focus specifically on the emergency room and the difficult conditions under which the medical staff operates. Both shows take place, with little exception, in the emergency room, as opposed to other medical shows which track patients as they move out of the emergency room, or indeed never enter it.”

The opinion also said that both feature “very fast pacing, and reactions to multiple overlapping crises. The fast-paced dialogue is (to a layperson) frequently incomprehensible shorthand and jargon, lending an air of immediacy and accuracy.”

Warner Bros. Television said in a statement that “WBTV continues to maintain that ‘The Pitt’ is an entirely original series and that the claims against it are without merit. Nothing in the Court of Appeal’s decision establishes otherwise, and WBTV looks forward to defending its position as the case proceeds.”

The defendants argued in legal filings that the shows have “generic similarities” that would exist in “any dramatic story” that features “overworked doctors and staff.”

The panel also unanimously dismissed as defendants Wyle, John Wells, who created “The Pitt” and worked on “ER,” and R. Scott Gemmill, a “Pitt” executive producer who also worked on both shows. The judges found there was no evidence the three men knew the provisions of the Crichton contract that the lawsuit alleges they interfered with.

Sherri Crichton's lawsuit alleges “The Pitt” is a rebranded version of an unauthorized “ER” reboot that she had rejected.

Her husband had secured a coveted “frozen rights” provision in his contract for the series, prohibiting Warner Bros. from proceeding with any sequels, remakes, spinoffs or other productions derived from “ER” without Crichton’s consent, or his estate’s consent after his death from cancer in 2008.

After the production company could not reach an agreement with Sherri Crichton over a proposed “ER” reboot, the TV studio proceeded to develop and produce a series based on the same premise without permission, the lawsuit alleges.

• A Southfield woman has filed a lawsuit against WillScot and staffing agency Ultimate LLC, alleging racial discrimination, sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and retaliation.
• The lawsuit was filed Nov. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
• The woman, Juanita Porter, alleges the harassment began during her first week working at a WillScot construction site in Brighton.

A Southfield woman is taking two companies to court, alleging she endured months of racial slurs, a noose reference, and a gorilla photo targeted directly at her — while management allegedly looked the other way.

Juanita Porter filed a lawsuit against WillScot and staffing agency Ultimate LLC, accusing both companies of racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and retaliation.

The suit was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan on Thursday.

Harassment began in the first week

Porter says the harassment started during her very first week at a WillScot construction site in Brighton.

Court documents filed by her attorneys at Runyan Law Group detail a racist joke from a trainer in her first week, a supervisor referencing lynching in July 2025, and a coworker in August who refused to train her, calling her a “black b*tch” and threatening to get her fired.

“When I got the job, I was so happy. But it didn’t last,” Porter said.

Then in October, she said someone posted a picture of a gorilla on the workplace bulletin board. Porter complained.

The photo stayed up for weeks.

When it was finally taken down to make room for open enrollment paperwork, she said she found it pinned inside her personal locker.

“And it was still there, even after I complained about it. It had stayed up there for another week,” Porter said.

‘Did it have your name on it?’

When Porter escalated her complaint to the general manager in November, she says the response she received was dismissive — and deeply troubling.

She says the general manager told her: “I understand that it was a gorilla picture, but did it have your name on it?”

“It was like going into 1950. Once I got behind them gates, it was like going in a time warp,” Porter said.

Days later, Porter was moved outside to work alone — then forced to transfer to a WillScot location in Warren.

Harassment continued at a second location

At the Warren site, Porter says her new supervisor sexually harassed her repeatedly — including physically touching her on multiple occasions — despite her complaints to management.

“He acted like he made a mistake and touched my breasts. This happened three different occasions,” Porter said.

She says a manager admitted knowing about the supervisor’s behavior and did nothing to stop it.

“No matter what I did, it was not enough. I couldn’t stop the racism or the harassment,” Porter said.

Porter was fired in September 2026 for allegedly using her phone for a medical appointment while on the job. Something she says she had permission to do.

‘This is a company-wide issue’

Porter’s attorney, Zachary Runyan of Runyan Law Group, says the fact that the alleged harassment occurred across two separate facilities signals a problem that goes beyond any single employee or manager.

“To think that this is still going on today over two different facilities, to me, that signifies this isn’t a personnel problem. This is a company-wide issue,” Runyan said.

Porter says her goal is not just a legal victory, but lasting change.

“Hopefully this will make them change. They need diversity training. They need someone to come in and do that whole company over,” Porter said.

The lawsuit accuses WillScot and Ultimate LLC of violating Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and federal Title VII.

Porter is seeking damages, attorney fees, and a jury trial.

“WillScot is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace. We take any concerns regarding our work environment extremely seriously. As a matter of policy, we cannot comment on pending litigation.”

WillScot

The announcement, seen as a surprise, cited the fact that “the business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years.” It did not immediately indicate what would become of its employees, though some reported they had lost their jobs. A spokesperson for the outlet said 19 full-time employees had been affected, as well as a handful of private contractors.

“Over three decades, Salon has brought together politics, culture, criticism and ideas in a way that was distinctly our own,” the unsigned farewell note said. “Our journalism examined power and politics, questioned assumptions, surfaced stories that deserved attention and made room for perspectives that were too often overlooked. Our writers and editors helped shape conversations about the forces changing our lives.”

It began shortly after the internet went big

Salon began its life in the mid-1990s, barely three years after the internet itself went mainstream and a time when the “World Wide Web” was still written out in that fashion. It launched a decade before the newspaper and print magazine markets imploded — and a decade, too, before the rise of social media fragmented the journalism world.

As its name suggested, Salon was initially styled as an online magazine and meeting place, a site where more provocative opinions and stories that might not be at home in daily newspapers or even then-dominant newsweeklies like Time or Newsweek could surface and generate discussion. It quickly became a place where writers wanted their work to appear.

“The timing was right — readers were tired of bland, market-tested media products, and the internet allowed us to launch something original, something with a strong voice,” founder David Talbot said on the outlet’s five-year anniversary in 2000.

It drew a cadre of high-profile writers and people who would become famous, including Jake Tapper and Glenn Greenwald. Two of its editors-in-chief, Talbot and Joan Walsh, went on to become prominent progressive political voices as well.

As the internet grew, so did Salon's competition. Slate emerged the following year, and soon after, online magazines became the order of the day. Eventually, older print publications like The Atlantic began putting more content online and the marketplace of online ideas grew. Salon used Princess Diana's death in 1997 to go beyond its culture-and-criticism roots and wade into breaking-news coverage.

Salon's

archives will remain online for now

Salon told The Associated Press that it had no immediate plans to take down its online archives, which include three decades of stories from across the world and across topics and genres.

In its statement, Salon also made a point of thanking its readers.

“You came to Salon for the journalism, the dialogue, the essays, the criticism, the unexpected discoveries and the sense that there was a place on the internet where ideas mattered,” it said. “You read, shared, challenged, subscribed, wrote to us and kept coming back. Your engagement made Salon a publication and a community, and it gave our work meaning. We are so grateful for the time you spent with us.”

—

Noveck reported from New York.

Jennifer Christine Pledger, 39, of West Des Moines, stood above one woman who she had shot and fired again, police said, and continued firing as she fled the building.

A male employee was injured in a fall while trying to escape. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening, according to police.

“They’re all at the hospital. They are being cared for right now,” Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said of the victims, who included two women, 45 and 53, and a 55-year-old man. All were in stable condition.

Pledger is being charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and intimidation. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach possible relatives were unsuccessful and information was not immediately available on an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

The shooting happened on the facility’s second floor, in an area not accessible to the public. Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 12 shots, he said.

Parizek said officers responded within three minutes and quickly captured Pledger, who was detained along a nearby bike path without resistance. A 9 mm handgun was recovered where she was detained.

Police began receiving calls about the shooting around 9:10 a.m., and the suspect was detained at 9:21 a.m., Parizek said.

The post office is just north of downtown Des Moines and across the street from one of the city’s main hospitals.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said in an email that it was investigating the shooting along with local, state and federal law enforcement.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said she was in contact with the Department of Public Safety regarding the shooting.

“We are monitoring the situation and our prayers are with everyone involved,” she posted online. “Grateful for the immediate response by law enforcement.”

Des Moines Public Schools said the district’s nearby elementary school, welcome center and nutrition center temporarily barred anyone from entering or leaving the facilities due to the shooting. Those restrictions were lifted after police told them the suspect was in custody.

Past shootings at postal facilities have prompted the Postal Service to study employee safety.

In 1986, a disgruntled postal worker went on a deadly rampage at a post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, shooting 14 fellow workers before killing himself. In 1991, a fired postal worker killed four former co-workers at his former post office in Royal Oak, Michigan, before killing himself. After those and other shootings, postal officials commissioned a study released in 2000 to examine workplace violence around the time that the term “going postal” was becoming conversational.

The report issued several recommendations to flag violent tendencies while concluding that “going postal” was a myth and that postal employees are less violent than the national workforce.

Other attacks have occurred since the report, including a 2006 shooting in Goleta, California, where a former postal worker stormed into a sorting facility and fatally shot six workers before killing himself.

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Associated Press writers R.J. Rico in Atlanta and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

About three hours before Wednesday's shooting, Jacob Pearson called an attorney affiliated with Citibank and threatened violence, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told a news conference.

On the phone, Pearson demanded that the lawyer cancel a court hearing over Pearson's unpaid credit card debt “unless you want me to go over there with my AR-15, my bulletproof vest and my insanity,” Chronister said.

The sheriff said Pearson, 35, had no criminal history. Pearson’s father, Richard Pearson, told The Associated Press that he had never seen an indication that his son was capable of carrying out a violent shooting.

Gunman targeted Citibank, but had 'zero connection' to the victim

The attack unfolded as many of the 3,200 employees at Citibank's campus in suburban Tampa were eating lunch.

Pearson drove from his home in Orlando to Tampa, about 90 miles (144 kilometers) away, crashed his car through a fence at the campus and plowed into a courtyard where employees were eating lunch, Chronister said.

The sheriff said Pearson got out of his car with a rifle and shot the first employee he saw. His rifle jammed after three shots, he said, and the gunman then retrieved a handgun from his car and again shot the same person, who died.

She was identified as 41-year-old Leanne Selman, who worked in human resources.

Selman had worked for Citibank for nine years and was “a beloved employee,” said Ed Skyler, spokesman for Citibank parent Citigroup. The sheriff said there was “zero connection” between Selman and her killer.

“He was there intent on one purpose, and that purpose was to hunt any human being he could find and kill them,” Chronister said.

As employees scattered to flee the gunfire, Pearson entered the building and walked through a cafeteria. An executive who is part of Citibank’s armed security team shot the gunman five times before he could hurt anyone else. Pearson was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The violence could have been far worse, the sheriff said. Pearson brought 90 rounds of ammunition to the campus, he said, but fired just 15 times before he was stopped.

No one else was shot, the sheriff said. Four people were treated at a hospital for minor injuries from fleeing and medical concerns such as chest pains.

Selman’s father declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday.

Deputies headed to Citibank campus after the threat was reported

Chronister said Citibank's security team and law enforcement were already on the lookout for Pearson after the attorney he called Wednesday morning reported the threat.

He said police went to Pearson's home in Orlando, but were told by his wife that he had already left. In Tampa, Hillsborough County deputies had just arrived at the Citibank complex to provide extra security when the gunman opened fire.

Court records in Orange County, where Orlando is located, show Citibank filed a complaint against Pearson on Oct. 23, saying he owed $2,556.40 in credit card debt. Pearson's bill for that amount was dated July 4, according to the court documents. The court issued a summons for Pearson to appear at a hearing Feb. 15.

Banks in Florida typically wait at least six months before they sue someone over defaulting on repayment, allowing late payment fees and other penalties to accumulate, Scott Florin, an attorney specializing in consumer credit card debt, said.

Pearson’s father said they last spoke by phone several weeks ago and that his son sounded fine. He said they did not discuss his son’s financial situation.

Sheriff's investigators wrapped up evidence gathering at the Citibank complex by early Thursday. But Tampa employees can work remotely for now, said Skyler of Citigroup.

“We will not be demanding people return to the scene of this incident on Monday or in the very near future,” Skyler said. “It's really important for us to recognize the traumatic events that our colleagues experienced.”

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This story has been updated to correct the victim's first name to Leanne, instead of Leann.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Schumer would not say if he would hold a Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016. But he said that Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court — or to the lower courts or Trump’s Cabinet, either.

“The bottom line is we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said.

Schumer’s pledge came two days after Democrats won a decisive Senate majority in the midterm elections — a feat few predicted a year ago, when Schumer was facing intense criticism from progressives within his party and Senate Republicans were betting that a favorable map and backing from Trump would help them keep power.

While there is still frustration with Schumer in some corners of the party, the New Yorker is expected to easily be reelected as leader by his caucus after leading them to wins in Republican-leaning states across the country. Democrats could have as many as 56 seats in the Senate if they win Mississippi and Alaska, which still have not been called — “a durable majority,” Schumer predicts, that has been 20 years in the making as he has been directly or indirectly in charge of his party’s Senate campaign operation.

With so many seats, Schumer is betting that “it’s not just a flip of the Senate once.” And the party will have the power not only to reject any of Trump’s nominees, forcing him to seek more moderate choices, but also to halt the Iran war and alter policies that they have been unable to counter in the minority.

Navigating divided government, Schumer says focus will be on costs

Schumer says the party’s agenda will center around lowering prices, along with five issues that they have focused on in the minority — healthcare, housing, Trump’s tariffs, childcare and lowering energy bills. He has said Democrats will try to ban federal elected officials from stock trades, and limit consumer costs from data center expansion.

Democrats also want to investigate Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and scrutinize the Trump administration, which he says is the “most corrupted administration by far in American history.”

But Schumer would not get into specifics, or how he plans to get around Trump — who posted a picture of a red hat with the word “veto” in large letters on election night.

Beyond Trump, Schumer will also have to navigate his own caucus, including progressives who have criticized him and incoming freshman who won red states and would not commit to supporting him for leader during their campaigns. And to pass any legislation, he will still have to win Republican support as well.

He predicts that Republicans will suffer more losses “and keep following Trump over the cliff” if they don't work with Democrats in a bipartisan way.

But that will not be easy. Schumer would not say if he would try and eliminate the filibuster, which he tried and failed to do when he was majority leader during President Joe Biden’s term, to allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.

“The focus has got to be on getting things done,” he says. “That’s all I am saying.”

Asked if he would support a third Trump impeachment after Trump was impeached and acquitted twice during his first term, Schumer responds that he would support an impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an effort that House lawmakers have already launched.

And Trump? “That’s up to the House,” Schumer said.

Election wins two decades in the making

Schumer first led his party’s campaign arm in the 2006 cycle and has had a hand in every election since then, with mixed results.

He attributes this year's wins to good candidates and a focus on local issues in Republican states — the effect of Trump’s tariffs on farms in Iowa, where Democrat Josh Turek won, Trump’s war with Canada in Maine, where Democrat Troy Jackson beat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, and data centers in Ohio, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown won after losing his seat two years ago to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Still, the party's focus on lowering costs was “a message that resonated everywhere,” he says. “That’s a big difference than in the past.”

The Democrats who won were not all his recruits — in Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed represents the progressive wing of the party and beat Schumer’s original choice for the seat, Haley Stevens, in the primary. But Schumer poured $67 million into that race to help El-Sayed and the two “talk regularly,” he said.

Schumer's future is unclear

Even with his winning record this year, it is still unclear how long he will stay in power — and how long the party will support him as some call for a new generation of leadership. He is up for reelection in 2028, and he won’t say if he’ll run again for a sixth term.

“I’m focused on 2027,” said Schumer, who became the party's Senate leader in 2015.

Senators in his caucus are sticking by him, but many are also agitating for change as they enter a new era of power.

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a potential contender for the 2028 presidential nomination who has not committed to supporting Schumer, said in an interview with the AP on Wednesday that Democrats need to have an “open and honest discussion” about the next leader.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch said in a separate interview that Schumer “has to adjust and open things up and take into account the criticism of our efforts.”

Still, Welch said, there’s no indication of a leadership challenge. “Schumer did an incredible job on this campaign,” he said.

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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Archaeologists who led a dig at a monumental tomb in Siberia said they turned up evidence of the earliest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes.

The findings point to cannabis consumption at least 300 years earlier than previously known use in neighboring China.

Ancient drug use has long intrigued scholars. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about inhabitants of Central Asia smoking cannabis around 440 B.C., and recent archaeologists have found the seeds in tombs across its highlands.

The team from Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland said analysis of hair in the royal tomb where cannabis seeds turned up sheds new light on the plant's role in ancient societies.

“It’s extremely rare that we have both preserved plant parts and human soft tissue with the active compounds in it in the same context," said co-author Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the University of Bern.

It's not clear whether the cannabis was consumed through inhalation or ingestion, he said.

The dig took place starting in 2017 at a large burial mound at the Tunnug 1 site in the Uyuk Valley of southern Siberia, home to one of the earliest monumental tombs showing material culture of the Scythians — ancient nomads who migrated from Central Asia to southern Russia and Ukraine.

The team, deployed “essentially out in the middle of nowhere,” lived in tents for months and faced a spring-to-autumn season that variously featured swamps, snowstorms, frosts and swarms of mosquitoes. Herds of horses ran freely across the grassy steppe.

Larger artifacts on the site include weapons in the burials, horse gear and animal-style motifs. But the team “struck gold” as it also found tiny black spots that turned out to be cannabis seeds along with preserved human hair, Caspari said.

“It’s only so often as an archaeologist that you do get to drug test a person that’s been dead for almost 3,000 years," he said.

Radiocarbon dating on some of the more than 1,000 seeds helped establish the time of origin, and “they are not there by accident" but deposited within the tomb, suggesting that the plant material had significance in the community, he said.

Results were published Thursday in the journal Science.

Not all independent experts were convinced.

The hair analysis “is scientifically weak” and there’s not enough evidence to tell whether cannabis was used, wrote Volker Auwaerter, head of the forensic toxicology section at the University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, in an email.

“For a central part of the study, the article falls far short of what would have been possible,” Auwaerter said. “This matters because the hair data carry the abstract’s main claims (cannabis consumption and use for its psychoactive properties)."

Today, scholars don’t consider ancient accounts trustworthy without corroborating evidence. Because the cannabis plant has other uses — seeds are pressed for oil and fibers used for cloth — their presence alone doesn’t confirm drug use.

Auwaerter, who was not part of the study, said the data didn't distinguish consumption from external exposure — in other words, the hair could have picked up traces of weed simply by being buried together with it. He said a lab test involving forensic toxicology expertise would have been advisable and easy to arrange.

But Elisa Guerra Doce of the University of Valladolid in Spain, who has written about use of consciousness-altering substances in European prehistory, said toxicological hair analysis was not new in archaeology and has been used to identify consumption of psychoactive substances. She was not involved in the study.

In an email, she credited the authors for showing, through their methodology, that “cannabis was not merely deposited as a funerary offering but was actually consumed by individuals associated with the burial rite.”

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Jenne reported from Vienna, Austria.

Trump, who has long boasted he could quickly broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, has lately blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to make concessions to end the conflict. During the closing weeks of the midterm election campaign, Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove sanctions from Russian diesel exports.

Trump told reporters he met with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev but declined to give details. The meeting took place as Trump’s own envoys held talks with other Ukrainian and European officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

“There’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that it might include all of Europe.

One of the U.S. envoys in Brussels, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, said on social media that Thursday’s talks with Ukraine, NATO and European allies were productive and focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and a broader security structure for Europe. The United States is holding three-way talks next week in Abu Dhabi with Ukraine and Russia, the first trilateral peace discussions since February.

“We are working intensively with all parties to find practical solutions that can bring this war to an end and establish the foundations for lasting peace,” Kushner wrote.

The first lady helped secure a recent temporary ceasefire in Oleshky

Dmitriev was at the White House for an event recognizing the recent six-day truce between Russia and Ukraine in the besieged Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The local ceasefire in the war-divided region of Kherson in southern Ukraine was in effect from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 and amounted to the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Dmitriev thanked the first lady for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in securing the temporary ceasefire. Dmitriev said Putin personally gave instructions as part of the operation and sent his thanks to Melania Trump for her work.

The head of the parliamentary faction of Zelenskyy’s party, Davyd Arakhamia, and Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, also spoke at the event.

Trump did not say why he didn’t meet with the Ukrainian officials, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arakhamia told the first lady she did an “amazing job" and encouraged her to keep helping the Ukrainian people, who have endured more than four years of war after Putin sent his troops across the border and invaded the country in February 2022.

“Definitely we would like to ask you to keep going and to find new missions and to de-escalate more as much as possible,” Arakhamia said.

The first lady has worked with both countries since last year to reunite families separated by the war. So far, she has helped nearly three dozen children return to their relatives.

She said Thursday that she hoped the Oleshky ceasefire could become more enduring and more widespread.

“Let Oleshky be the modest spark that grows into a lasting flame of peace,” she said.

Zelenskyy, in a speech in Spain last week, said the operation in Oleshky proved “something very simple. When Putin wants the fighting to stop, it stops. And there was real silence, no attacks some days, and we saved hundreds of lives.”

Melania Trump has become more involved in foreign affairs lately

The ceasefire is the latest example of how Melania Trump has become more involved in foreign affairs than some of her recent predecessors, who typically travel abroad to spread U.S. goodwill and largely avoid involvement with warring countries, though there have been some exceptions.

In 2022, months after Russia invaded Ukraine, first lady Jill Biden traveled to western Ukraine to visit with Zelenskyy's wife in a town far away from the front lines. Under tight security, first lady Laura Bush made several visits to war-torn Afghanistan.

In an announcement that came as a surprise, the White House said on Oct. 23 that the first lady had brokered the ceasefire to help with the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid and to allow civilians to evacuate from a place she described as being “on the brink of disaster.”

An estimated 2,000 people remained in Oleshky when the temporary truce took hold. They were offered the choice of evacuating to territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies.

Supplies were delivered during the six-day window while hundreds of Oleshky residents crossed into Ukrainian-held territory in a major evacuation operation.

Melania Trump said Thursday that nearly 800 people had been evacuated from Oleshky, and she described how she initiated talks with officials in both countries after learning about the situation at an event she held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session in September. She said she and her top adviser, Marc Beckman, worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire.

The situation in Oleshky was dire

Food and medical supplies had been scarce for months in Oleshky, once a city of about 24,000 residents that sits on the Dnipro River separating Ukrainian forces from the city’s Russian occupiers. There is no electricity, heat or running water.

Oleshky was captured by Moscow’s forces on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Its buildings were shelled and burned, and its infrastructure damaged. In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.

Those left in the city along Ukraine’s southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms. Ukraine has appealed repeatedly for a local ceasefire to organize evacuations. Russia, as the occupying power, is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive.

The first lady presented Putin and Zelenskyy's representatives with large white envelopes and asked them to deliver her personal letter to each leader. Dmitriev presented her with a painting from an 11-year-old girl, while Zelenskyy sent her a Ukrainian award recognizing her role in the ceasefire.

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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

The Lakers made the move Thursday, also assigning first-round pick Cameron Carr to the Coachella Valley Lakers.

James has moved up and down between the NBA and the G League throughout his three-year career. The oldest son of LeBron James has only played mop-up minutes during the Lakers' 7-2 start to the current season, making five appearances and scoring 0.8 points per game in 2.4 minutes per contest despite the home fans regularly chanting for him late in those victories.

The Lakers kept Bronny James even after his famous father's departure for the Philadelphia 76ers last summer, but the guard has appeared in only 74 games in his three NBA seasons. He has been effective during his significant time in the G League, averaging 18.4 points and 4.4 assists per game over the past two seasons.

The Lakers moved their G League affiliate's home this season from their training complex in El Segundo, California, to Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs. The G League team opens its regular season Friday while the NBA Lakers host Portland, one of only two teams to beat them this season.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here