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Tag: California

  • OpenAI and Amazon sign $38 billion deal for AI computing power

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    SEATTLE (AP) — OpenAI and Amazon have signed a $38 billion deal that enables the ChatGPT maker to run its artificial intelligence systems on Amazon’s data centers in the U.S.

    OpenAI will be able to power its AI tools using “hundreds of thousands” of Nvidia’s specialized AI chips through Amazon Web Services as part of the deal announced Monday.

    Amazon shares increased 4% after the announcement.

    The agreement comes less than a week after OpenAI altered its partnership with its longtime backer Microsoft, which until early this year was the startup’s exclusive cloud computing provider.

    California and Delaware regulators also last week allowed San Francisco-based OpenAI, which was founded as a nonprofit, to move forward on its plan to form a new business structure to more easily raise capital and make a profit.

    “The rapid advancement of AI technology has created unprecedented demand for computing power,” Amazon said in a statement Monday. It said OpenAI “will immediately start utilizing AWS compute as part of this partnership, with all capacity targeted to be deployed before the end of 2026, and the ability to expand further into 2027 and beyond.”

    AI requires huge amounts of energy and computing power and OpenAI has long signaled that it needs more capacity, both to develop new AI systems and keep existing products like ChatGPT answering the questions of its hundreds of millions of users. It’s recently made more than $1 trillion worth of financial obligations in spending for AI infrastructure, including data center projects with Oracle and SoftBank and semiconductor supply deals with chipmakers Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom.

    Some of the deals have raised investor concerns about their “circular” nature, since OpenAI doesn’t make a profit and can’t yet afford to pay for the infrastructure that its cloud backers are providing on the expectations of future returns on their investments. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last week dismissed doubters he says have aired “breathless concern” about the deals.

    “Revenue is growing steeply. We are taking a forward bet that it’s going to continue to grow,” Altman said on a podcast where he appeared with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

    Amazon is already the primary cloud provider to AI startup Anthropic, an OpenAI rival that makes the Claude chatbot.

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  • California Voters Take up Democrats’ Push for New Congressional Maps That Could Shape House Control

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The national battle to control the U.S. House shifts to California on Tuesday as voters consider a Democratic proposal that could erase as many as five Republican districts and blunt President Donald Trump’s moves to safeguard his party’s lock on Washington power.

    The outcome will reverberate into next year’s midterm elections and beyond, with Democrats hoping a victory will set the stage for the party to regain control of the House in 2026. A shift in the majority would imperil Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term at a time of deep partisan divisions over immigration, health care and the future direction of the nation.

    “God help us if we lose in California,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says.

    Democrats need to gain just three seats in the 2026 elections to take control of the House.

    Heavily Democratic California and its 52 congressional districts represent by far the Democrats’ best opportunity in an unprecedented state-by-state redistricting battle, which started when Texas Republicans heeded Trump’s demand that they redraw their boundaries to help the GOP retain its House majority. Democrats hold 43 of the state’s seats and hope to boost that to 48.

    Trump is fighting not just the Democrats but history. Midterm elections typically punish the party in the White House, but four GOP-led states so far have adopted new district maps to pack more Republican voters into key districts.


    Measure supported by Newsom, Obama

    California’s Proposition 50 asks voters to suspend House maps drawn by an independent commission and replace them with rejiggered districts adopted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Those new districts would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.

    The recast districts aim to dilute Republican voters’ power, in one case by uniting rural, conservative-leaning parts of far northern California with Marin County, a famously liberal coastal stronghold across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

    The measure has been spearheaded by Newsom, who has thrown the weight of his political operation behind it in a major test of his mettle ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign. Former President Barack Obama has urged voters to pass it as well.

    Newsom has sought to nationalize the campaign, depicting the proposal as a counterweight to all things Trump.

    “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,” Obama says in one ad. “You can stop Republicans in their tracks.”

    Critics say two wrongs don’t make a right. They urge Californians to reject what they call a Democratic power grab, even if they have misgivings about Trump’s moves in Republican-led states.

    Among the most prominent critics is Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie star and former Republican governor who pushed for the creation of the independent commission, which voters approved in 2008 and 2010. It makes no sense to fight Trump by becoming him, Schwarzenegger said in September, arguing that the proposal would “take the power away from the people.”

    After an early burst of TV advertising, opponents of the plan have struggled to raise cash in a state with some of the nation’s most expensive media markets. Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact last week showed Democrats and other supporters with over $5 million in ad buys booked on broadcast TV, cable and radio. But opponents had virtually no time reserved, though the data didn’t include some popular streaming services like Hulu and YouTube or mail advertising.

    Total spending on broadcast and cable ads topped $100 million, with more than two-thirds of it coming from supporters. Newsom told people to stop donating in the race’s final weeks.

    Trump, who overwhelmingly lost California in his three presidential campaigns, largely stayed out of the fray. A week before the election, he urged voters in a social media post not to vote early or by mail — messaging that conflicts with that of top Republicans in the state who urged people to get their ballots in as soon as possible.


    The national House map is in flux

    Democrats hope to pick up as many as five seats in California if voters approve the new boundaries, offsetting the five that Republicans hope to pick up through their new Texas maps. Republicans also expect to gain one seat each from new maps in Missouri and North Carolina, and potentially two more in Ohio.

    Congressional district boundaries are typically redrawn every 10 years to reflect population shifts documented in the census. Mid-decade redistricting is unusual, absent a court order finding fault with the maps in place.

    Five other GOP-led states are also considering new maps: Kansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana and Nebraska.

    On the Democratic side, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Virginia have proposals to redraw maps, but major hurdles remain.

    A court has ordered new boundaries be drawn in Utah, where all four House districts are represented by Republicans, but it remains to be seen if the state will approve a map that makes any of them winnable for Democrats.

    Cooper reported from Phoenix and Nguyen from Sacramento, California.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Isolated flight delays may spread as air traffic controllers go without pay during shutdown

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    Air traffic controllers missed their paychecks Tuesday because of the ongoing government shutdown, and that has Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the head of the controllers’ union concerned that flight delays could multiply as increasingly stressed-out controllers call out sick.

    Recent absences have led to a number of isolated delays around the country because the Federal Aviation Administration was already extremely short on controllers prior to the shutdown. The FAA restricts the number of flights landing and taking off at an airport anytime there is a shortage of controllers to ensure safety.

    There’s no way to predict when or where delays might happen because even a small number of absences can disrupt operations at times. Sometimes the delays are only 30 minutes, but some airports have reported delays more than two hours long — and some have even had to stop all flights temporarily.

    So far, most of the delays have been isolated and temporary. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that normally about 20% of all flights are delayed more than 15 minutes for a variety of reasons.

    The data Cirium tracks shows there has not been a dramatic increase in the total number of delays overall since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Nearly 80% of the flights at a sample of 14 major airports nationwide have still been on time this month.

    Though a two-hour-long staffing-related ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport made national news on Sunday, a major thunderstorm in Dallas that day had a bigger impact on flights when only about 44% of flights were on time. Cirium said 72% of the flights out of LAX were still on time Sunday.

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    But Duffy and the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Nick Daniels have continued to emphasize the pressure that controllers are feeling. They say the problems are likely to only get worse the longer the shutdown continues.

    “Air traffic controllers have to have 100% of focus 100% of the time,” Daniels said Tuesday at a news conference alongside Duffy at LaGuardia Airport in New York. “And I’m watching air traffic controllers going to work. I’m getting the stories. They’re worried about paying for medicine for their daughter. I got a message from a controller that said, ‘I’m running out of money. And if she doesn’t get the medicine she needs, she dies. That’s the end.’”

    Controllers gathered outside 20 airports nationwide Tuesday to hand out leaflets urging an end to the shutdown as soon as possible. Worrying about how to pay their bills is driving some to take second jobs to make ends meet.

    The number of controllers calling in sick has increased during the shutdown both because of their frustration with the situation and because controllers need the time off to work second jobs instead of continuing to work six days a week like many of them routinely do. Duffy has said that controllers could be fired if they abuse their sick time, but the vast majority of them have continued to show up for work every day.

    Air traffic controller Joe Segretto, who works at a regional radar facility that directs planes in and out of airports in the New York area, said morale is suffering as controllers worry more about money.

    “The pressure is real,” Segretto said. “We have people trying to keep these airplanes safe. We have trainees — that are trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced, very stressful, very complex — now having to worry about how they’re going to pay bills.”

    Duffy said the shutdown is also making it harder for the government to reduce the longstanding shortage of about 3,000 controllers. He said that some students have dropped out of the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City, and younger controllers who are still training to do the job might abandon the career because they can’t afford to go without pay.

    “This shutdown is making it harder for me to accomplish those goals,” Duffy said.

    The longer the shutdown continues, pressure will continue to build on Congress to reach an agreement to reopen the government. During the 35-day shutdown in President Donald Trump’s first term the disruptions to flights across the country contributed to the end of that disruption. But so far, Democrats and Republicans have shown little sign of reaching a deal to fund the government.

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  • What to know about California’s Proposition 50 redistricting measure and the Nov. 4 special election

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    Voters will now be heading to the polls across the state for California’s Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50, a measure backed by legislative Democrats and Gov. Gavin Newsom that, if approved, would redraw the state’s congressional districts.

    Polling places open statewide at 7 a.m. Tuesday for those casting their ballots in person.

    Here’s what California voters should know about Proposition 50.

    What is Proposition 50? 

    Proposition 50 would replace California’s current congressional district maps that were drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission based on the 2020 U.S. Census. If the proposition passes, it would shift five of California’s U.S. House seats to be more favorable to Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. 

    California Democratic leaders launched the effort to counter a move by Texas Republicans to redraw that state’s congressional districts to create five GOP-friendly seats. 

    What does a “yes” or “no” vote on Proposition 50 mean?

    A “yes” vote for Proposition 50 supports California’s use of the new, legislatively drawn congressional district maps beginning in 2026. The maps would be used until the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new maps after the 2030 U.S. Census. 

    A “no” vote opposes implementation of the new maps and instead supports using current congressional district boundaries until new maps are drawn after the 2030 U.S. Census.

    Which California congressional districts would change?

    California has 52 congressional districts, with Democrats representing 43 of them and Republicans representing nine. The Proposition 50 effort seeks to redraw five districts held by GOP House members to make them more favorable to being won by Democrats, but there is no guarantee that Democrats will win the seats if voters approve the maps.

    On the left are Northern California’s proposed congressional districts, and on the right are the current congressional districts.   

    Legislative Analyst’s Office


    south-ca-districts.png

    On the left are Southern California’s proposed congressional districts, and on the right are the current congressional districts.  

    Legislative Analyst’s Office


    The five Republican-led districts most targeted under Proposition 50 are District 1, represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa; District 3, represented by Rep. Kevin Kiley; District 22, represented by Rep. David Valadao; District 41, represented by Rep. Ken Calvert; and District 48, represented by Rep. Darrell Issa.

    LaMalfa’s district covers a broad area of Northern California, stretching from the Oregon border south through the Sacramento Valley to about the northern end of Sacramento County. The new map would shift the district’s boundaries southward, removing the more conservative areas in the northeast corner of the state to incorporate areas with a stronger Democratic presence.

    Kiley’s District 3 would undergo the most change if voters approve the new maps. Currently, the district covers parts of the Sacramento suburbs and Sierra foothills, stretching down the Eastern Sierra and through Death Valley. If Proposition 50 passes, the Eastern Sierra and everything below it — more conservative-leaning areas — would be removed from District 3.

    A redrawn District 22 in Central California would be larger in size, stretching north to include parts of Fresno County and exclude parts of Kings County.

    Further south, Calvert’s district, which covers a large section of Riverside County, would shrink to become more centered on the urban areas of the county, cutting out Republican-leaning desert communities. Issa’s District 48, which includes parts of San Diego, would see its boundaries moved further inland and as far north as Palm Springs in Riverside County.

    Who are the major backers of Proposition 50?

    Gov. Newsom has been a vocal champion of Proposition 50, along with the field of Democratic candidates vying to succeed him in 2026.

    In total, more than $167.9 million has been raised in support of Proposition 50 as of Oct. 28, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

    According to the Secretary of State’s office, top donors in support include the House Majority PAC for Proposition 50 with $45.9 million in total contributions, and billionaire investor George Soros’ Fund for Policy Reform with $10 million.

    In early October, investor and 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign in support of Proposition 50.

    The Yes on 50 campaign has also debuted an ad featuring former President Barack Obama making a direct-to-camera plea to California voters.

    Who are the major opponents of Proposition 50?

    The top contributors to the committee against Proposition 50 as of Oct. 13 are the Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC, with more than $43.5 million donated, and Republican political donor Charles Munger Jr., whose contributions total more than $32.7 million, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

    Other major donors include former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy with $1 million and businessman Thomas M. Siebel — a second cousin of Jennifer Siebel Newsom — also with $1 million.

    In total, the campaign opposing Proposition 50 has raised more than $83.5 million as of Oct. 28, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

    Republican former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has also been critical of the redistricting initiative, with his remarks having featured prominently in ads opposing Proposition 50.

    How do I vote in the Nov. 4 election? What are the dates and deadlines I need to know?

    Election officials were required to mail out ballots to registered voters by Oct. 6. Voters who haven’t returned those mail-in ballots can still mail them back, but the ballots need to be postmarked on or before election day and received by the county no later than a week after election day in order for them to count.

    Vote-by-mail ballots can also be delivered to any polling place within the state or the office of your county elections official. A number of ballot drop-off locations are also open. Ballots must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.

    Voters can authorize someone to return their ballot, but the authorization section on the outside of the ballot’s envelope must be filled out.

    The last day to register to vote was Oct. 20. People who haven’t registered to vote or need to change their registration can do so at a county elections office, vote center or polling place.

    You can check the California Secretary of State’s website for information on same-day voter registration, and to find your polling place or vote center, if you’re in a Voter’s Choice Act county.

    Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

    How do I find my vote center if I’m in a Voter’s Choice Act county?

    A number of counties across the state have had vote centers open as of Oct. 25 for early in-person voting. Only Voter’s Choice Act counties have opened early voting centers: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yolo.   

    Check the California Secretary of State’s website for information on where to find your vote center.

    I’ve heard some of the California voter guides are inaccurate. What information was incorrect?

    On page 11 of the 2025 voter information guide, a proposed congressional district was mislabeled on a map as District 22 instead of District 27. On page 15, the guide included a separate map that correctly identified District 27. 

    The California Office of the Secretary of State said a correction postcard was mailed to all voter households that received the mislabeled map. 

    The voter guide’s website has also been updated.

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  • SF Giants’ Webb not named finalist for 2025 NL Cy Young Award

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    Logan Webb arguably turned in the best season of his career. His 207 innings led the majors, and his career-high 224 strikeouts led the National League. He earned his second All-Star selection, and on Sunday, Webb took home his first Gold Glove Award.

    For all Webb accomplished, he was not named a finalist for the 2025 NL Cy Young Award when the finalists were revealed on Monday evening.

    The three finalists for the award are the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez; the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who also won 2025 World Series MVP; and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes, who is considered the favorite.

    Webb will likely finish in the top five after becoming the first Giant to lead the National League in both innings and strikeouts since Bill Voiselle did so for the 1944 New York Giants. Regardless of where he finishes, it will mark his fourth consecutive year he has received votes.

    The right-hander finished with a career-best 2.60 FIP (fielding independent pitching), which ranked fourth among all pitchers in the majors behind only Skenes (2.36), Tarrik Skubal (2.45) and Sánchez (2.55). Webb’s 3.22 ERA, though, was significantly higher than that of Skenes (1.97), Yamamoto (2.49) and Sánchez (2.50). Webb also allowed 210 hits, the most in the majors.

    Giants decline Murphy’s club option

    The Giants also announced on Monday evening that they have declined catcher Tom Murphy’s $4 million club option for 2026, making Murphy a free agent.

    The team will pay Murphy a $250,000 buyout.

    Murphy signed a two-year, $8.25 million deal ahead of the 2024 season with a club option for ’26, but he only played 13 total games with the club — all in ’24 — due to injuries. He sustained an injury at the beginning of spring training and didn’t spend a single day with the major-league team.

    In Murphy’s absence, Andrew Knizner (29 games), Sam Huff (20 games) and Logan Porter (four games) served as the backup catchers for Patrick Bailey, who is now a two-time Gold Glove Award winner.

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  • Huntington Beach Voter ID Measure Violates California Law, Appeals Court Says

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    SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California appeals court ruled Monday that a Huntington Beach measure requiring voter identification at the polls violates state law.

    The Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana determined that the measure passed by voters in the seaside city of 200,000 people should be struck down because it conflicts with state election law, said Lee Fink, a lawyer for Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby, who challenged the city’s measure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta also sued over the Huntington Beach law contending it would disenfranchise voters.

    “Voting is the fundamental right from which all other rights flow, and no matter where threats to that right come from — whether from Washington D.C. or from within California — we will continue holding the line,” Bonta said in a statement. “California’s elections are already fair, safe, and secure.”

    Corbin Carson, a Huntington Beach spokesperson, said the city is reviewing the appeals court’s ruling.

    Residents of Huntington Beach voted last year to let local officials require voter identification at the polls starting in 2026. The measure also allows the city to increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections.

    Bonta filed a lawsuit saying the measure conflicts with state law and could make it harder for poor, non-white, young, elderly and disabled voters to cast ballots. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, then signed into state law a measure barring local governments from establishing and enforcing laws that require residents provide identification to vote in elections.

    Huntington Beach, which is known as “Surf City USA” for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 41,000 Democrats, county data shows.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Diane Ladd, 3-Time Oscar Nominee, Dies at 89

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    OJAI, Calif. (AP) — Diane Ladd, the three-time Academy Award nominee whose roles ranged from the brash waitress in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” to the protective mother in “Wild at Heart,” has died at 89.

    Ladd’s death was announced Monday by daughter Laura Dern, who issued a statement saying her mother and occasional co-star had died at her home in Ojai, California, with Dern at her side. Dern, who called Ladd her “amazing hero” and “profound gift of a mother,′ did not immediately cite a cause of death.

    “She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” Dern wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

    A gifted comic and dramatic performer, Ladd had a long career in television and on stage before breaking through as a film performer in Martin Scorsese’s 1974 release “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” She earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for her turn as the acerbic, straight-talking Flo, and went on to appears in dozens of movies over the following decades. Her many credits included “Chinatown,” “Primary Colors” and two other movies for which she received best supporting nods, “Wild at Heart” and “Rambling Rose.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Elderly woman tells bank employees she was kidnapped, ordered to withdraw large sum of cash

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    Two people were arrested after an older woman told bank employees in Ceres, California, that she had been kidnapped and was ordered to withdraw a large amount of money, according to police. Wells Fargo employees reported the incident to police on Thursday. Police responded and immediately arrested a woman who police later learned identified herself with a false name. Police said that 33-year-old Nicholas Payton, who is a felon on probation, was also involved in the kidnapping. He fled the area before police arrived but was arrested a block away.Officers said they found a loaded rifle without a serial number in Payton’s backpack. Both suspects were booked on kidnapping, elder abuse charges and conspiracy to commit a crime charges. Payton was also booked for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in public, carrying a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, and possession of an unserialized firearm.The victim was reunited with her family.Police said Saturday that they later learned with the help of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and fingerprint analysis that one of the suspect’s real names was Stephanie Maghoney. She had an active felony warrant for her arrest in Tracy, California, for burglary. Maghoney was re-arrested for that outstanding warrant and now also faces a felony charge for false impersonation.

    CERES, Calif. —

    Two people were arrested after an older woman told bank employees in Ceres, California, that she had been kidnapped and was ordered to withdraw a large amount of money, according to police.

    Wells Fargo employees reported the incident to police on Thursday. Police responded and immediately arrested a woman who police later learned identified herself with a false name.

    Police said that 33-year-old Nicholas Payton, who is a felon on probation, was also involved in the kidnapping. He fled the area before police arrived but was arrested a block away.

    Officers said they found a loaded rifle without a serial number in Payton’s backpack. Both suspects were booked on kidnapping, elder abuse charges and conspiracy to commit a crime charges.

    Payton was also booked for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in public, carrying a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, and possession of an unserialized firearm.

    The victim was reunited with her family.

    Police said Saturday that they later learned with the help of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and fingerprint analysis that one of the suspect’s real names was Stephanie Maghoney.

    She had an active felony warrant for her arrest in Tracy, California, for burglary.

    Maghoney was re-arrested for that outstanding warrant and now also faces a felony charge for false impersonation.

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  • Polls tighten as races heat up in New York and New Jersey ahead of Election Day

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    The mayoral race in New York City is tightening ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day. Meanwhile, the race for New Jersey governor between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill heated up with an appearance from former President Barack Obama at a rally for Sherrill over the weekend. CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe has more details.

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  • 5 key races to watch on Election Day 2025

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    With three days until Election Day, and the latest polls pointing to a potential photo finish in the battle for New Jersey governor, the two major party nominees are urging their supporters to get out and vote.

    “When we vote, we win,” Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill told supporters.

    And her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, told his supporters that “championship teams finish strong… let’s win this race.”

    New Jersey is just one of two states, along with Virginia, that hold statewide elections for governor this November. And the contests, which traditionally grab outsized national attention, are viewed as crucial early tests of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda, as well as key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm showdowns for the U.S. House and Senate.

    HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

    New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, right, and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final debate, on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

    Also in the political spotlight this November is New York City’s high-profile mayoral election, the ballot box proposition over congressional redistricting in California and three state Supreme Court contests in battleground Pennsylvania.

    Democrats, who are aiming to exit the political wilderness following last year’s election setbacks when they lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, are highlighting their success so far this year in special elections.

    “There’s wind at our back,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin recently touted. “We have overperformed in every single election that’s been on the ballot since Donald Trump was inaugurated.”

    ONE OF THE TOP 2025 RACES MAY END UP IN A PHOTO FINISH

    But Republicans point to the multitude of problems facing the Democratic Party.

    “Sadly for the DNC, the truth is that Democrats’ approval rating is at a 30-year low as the party has hemorrhaged more than 2 million voters over the past four years,” Republican National Committee communications director Zach Parkinson told Fox News Digital recently.

    Here’s a closer look at 2025’s top elections.

    New Jersey

    Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off victory in blue-leaning New Jersey.

    In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, a recent public opinion poll suggested Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy.

    Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey Jack Ciattarelli

    Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey, speaks to a raucous crowd of supporters at a diner in Saddle Brook, N.J., on Oct. 15, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

    While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.

    And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

    THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR

    Trump headlined a tele-rally with Ciattarelli a week ago, on the eve of early voting. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

    The race in New Jersey was rocked a couple of weeks ago by a report that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. 

    Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey

    Rep. Mikell Sherrill of New Jersey, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, speaks at a news conference on Oct. 13, 2025, in Clifton, N.J. (Mikie Sherrill campaign)

    But Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.

    Sherrill, who was never accused of cheating in the scandal, went on to serve nearly a decade in the Navy flying helicopters.

    The showdown was jolted again at last month’s final debate after Sherrill’s allegations that Ciattarelli was “complicit” with pharmaceutical companies in the opioid deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, as she pointed to the medical publishing company he owned that pushed content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain.

    CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING

    And Trump recently set off a political hand grenade in the race, as he “terminated” billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York.

    Sherrill, holding a news conference at a major commuter rail station just a few miles from the site of the tunnels in one of the busiest train corridors in the nation, called the project “critical” as she took aim at Trump and Ciattarelli.

    Virginia

    Explosive revelations in Virginia’s attorney general race that the GOP is aiming to leverage up and down the ballot recently shook up the race for governor, forcing Democratic Party nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, back on defense in a race where most polls indicated her enjoying a sizable lead over Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

    A split of Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger.

    The two major party gubernatorial nominees in Virginia: Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, left, and Democrat former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. (Getty Images)

    Virginia attorney general Democratic nominee Jay Jones was in crisis mode after controversial texts were first reported a couple of weeks ago by the National Review.

    Jones acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, when he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head.

    But he faced a chorus of calls from Republicans to drop out of the race. 

    Earle-Sears hasn’t wasted an opportunity to link Spanberger to Jones.

    And during last month’s chaotic and only gubernatorial debate, where Earle-Sears repeatedly interrupted Spanberger, the GOP gubernatorial nominee called on her Democratic rival to tell Jones to end his attorney general bid.

    FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE VIRGINIA SHOWDOWN, HEAD HERE 

    “The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said at the debate. But she neither affirmed nor pulled back her support of Jones.

    Earle-Sears has kept up the pressure.

    “Abigail Spanberger should have been the first to call for Jay Jones to step down. Instead, she doubled down — because deep down, she’s OK with what he said,” Earle-Sears argued recently in a social media post.

    New York City

    The mayoral election in the nation’s most populous city always grabs outsized attention, especially this year as New York City may elect its first Muslim and first millennial mayor.

    Democratic socialist 34-year-old state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani’s victory in June’s Democratic Party mayoral primary sent political shock waves across the country. And he’s come under attack from Republicans and from his rivals on the ballot over his far-left proposals.

    NYC debate candidates stand behind podiums

    From left, independent mayoral candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York.  (Angelina Katsanis/Pool-AP Photo)

    Mamdani is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner in the heavily blue city as he faces off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who came in a distant second in the primary and is now running as an independent candidate. Cuomo is aiming for a political comeback after resigning as governor four years ago amid multiple scandals.

    THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL ELECTION IS RIGHT HERE 

    Also running is two-time Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a co-founder of the Guardian Angels, the non-profit, volunteer-based community safety group.

    Embattled Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who was running for re-election as an independent, dropped out of the race last month. He recently backed Cuomo, but his name remains on the ballot.

    California

    Voters in heavily blue California will vote in November on whether to set aside their popular nonpartisan redistricting commission for the rest of the decade and allow the Democrat-dominated legislature to determine congressional redistricting for the next three election cycles.

    The vote will be the culmination of an effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats to create up to five left-leaning congressional seats in the Golden State to counter the new maps that conservative Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a couple of months ago, which will create up to five more right-leaning U.S. House districts in the red state of Texas.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom at Prop 50 event

    Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California speaks during a congressional redistricting event, on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

    The redistricting in Texas, which came after Trump’s urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

    Polls suggest majority support for passage of what’s known as Proposition 50.

    Pennsylvania

    Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the Supreme Court in the northeastern battleground of Pennsylvania.

    But three Democrat-leaning justices on the state Supreme Court, following the completion of their 10-year terms, are running this year to keep their seats in “Yes” or “No” retention elections.

    The election could upend the court’s composition for the next decade, heavily influence whether Democrats or Republicans have an advantage in the state’s congressional delegation and legislature, and impact crucial cases including voting rights and reproductive rights.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    While state Supreme Court elections typically don’t grab much national attention, contests where the balance of a court in a key battleground state is up for grabs have attracted tons of outside money.

    The state Supreme Court showdown this spring in Wisconsin, where the 4-3 liberal majority was maintained, drew nearly $100 million in outside money as both parties poured resources into the election.

    Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

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  • Both sides say democracy is at stake with Prop. 50 — but for very different reasons

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    If the ads are any indication, Proposition 50 offers Californians a stark choice: “Stick it to Trump” or “throw away the constitution” in a Democratic power grab.

    And like so many things in 2025, Trump appears to be the galvanizing issue.

    Even by the incendiary campaigns California is used to, Proposition 50 has been notable for its sharp attacks to cut through the dense, esoteric issue of congressional redistricting. It comes down to a basic fact: this is a Democratic-led measure to reconfigure California’s congressional districts to help their party win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 and stifle President Trump’s attempts to keep Republicans in power through similar means in other states.

    Thus far, the anti-Trump message preached by Proposition 50 advocates, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top Democrats, appears to be the most effective.

    Supporters of the proposal have vastly outraised their rivals and Proposition 50, one of the most expensive ballot measure campaigns in state history, leads in the polls.

    “Whenever you can take an issue and personalize it, you have the advantage. In this case, proponents of 50 can make it all about stopping Donald Trump,” said former legislative leader and state GOP Chair Jim Brulte.

    Adding to the drama is the role of two political and cultural icons who have emerged as leaders of each side: former President Obama in favor and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger against, both arguing the very essence of democracy is at stake.

    Schwarzenegger and the two main committees opposing Proposition 50 have focused on the ethical and moral imperative of preserving the independent redistricting commission. Californians in 2010 voted to create the panel to draw the state’s congressional district boundaries after every census in an effort to provide fair representation to all state residents.

    That’s not a political ideal easily explained in a 30-section television ad, or an Instagram post.

    Redistricting is a “complex issue,” Brulte said, but he noted that “the no side has the burden of trying to explain what the initiative really does and the yes side gets to use the crib notes [that] this is about stopping Trump — a much easier path.”

    Partisans on both sides of the aisle agree.

    “The yes side quickly leveraged anti-Trump messaging and has been closing with direct base appeals to lock in the lead,” said Jamie Fisfis, a political strategist who has worked on many GOP congressional campaigns in California. “The partisanship and high awareness behind the measure meant it was unlikely to sag under the weight of negative advertising like other initiatives often do. It’s been a turnout game.”

    Obama, in ads that aired during the World Series and NFL games, warned that “Democracy is on the ballot Nov. 4” as he urged voters to support Proposition 50. Ads for the most well-funded committee opposing the proposition featured Schwarzenegger saying that opposing the ballot measure was critical to ensuring that citizens are not overrun by elected officials.

    “The Constitution does not start with ‘We, the politicians.’ It starts with ‘We, the people,’” Schwarzenegger told USC students in mid-September — a speech excerpted in an anti-Proposition 50 ad. “Democracy — we’ve got to protect it, and we’ve got to go and fight for it.”

    California’s Democratic-led Legislature voted in August to put the redistricting proposal that would likely boost their ranks in Congress on the November ballot. The measure, pushed by Newsom, was an effort to counter Trump’s efforts to increase the number of GOP members in the House from Texas and other GOP-led states.

    The GOP holds a narrow edge in the House, and next year’s election will determine which party controls the body during Trump’s final two years in office — and whether he can further his agenda or is the focus of investigations and possible impeachment.

    Noticeably absent for California’s Proposition 50 fight is the person who triggered it — Trump.

    The proposition’s opponents’ decision not to highlight Trump is unsurprising given the president’s deep unpopularity among Californians. More than two-thirds of the state’s likely voters did not approve of his handling of the presidency in late October, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll.

    Trump did, however, urge California voter not to cast mail-in ballots or vote early, falsely arguing in a social media post that both voting methods were “dishonest.”

    Some California GOP leaders feared that Trump’s pronouncement would suppress the Republican vote.

    In recent days, the California Republican Party sent mailers to registered Republicans shaming them for not voting. “Your neighbors are watching,” the mailer says, featuring a picture of a woman peering through binoculars. “Don’t let your neighbors down. They’ll find out!”

    Tuesday’s election will cost state taxpayers nearly $300 million. And it’s unclear if the result will make a difference in control of the House because of multiple redistricting efforts in other states.

    But some Democrats are torn about the amount of money being spent on an effort that may not alter the partisan makeup of Congress.

    Johanna Moska, who worked in the Obama administration, described Proposition 50 as “frustrating.”

    “I just wish we were spending money to rectify the state’s problems, if we figured out a way the state could be affordable for people,” she said. “Gavin’s found what’s working for Gavin. And that’s resistance to Trump.”

    Newsom’s efforts opposing Trump are viewed as a foundational argument if he runs for president in 2028, which he has acknowledged pondering.

    Proposition 50 also became a platform for other politicians potentially eyeing a 2026 run for California governor, Sen. Alex Padilla and billionaires Rick Caruso and Tom Steyer.

    The field is in flux, with no clear front-runner.

    Padilla being thrown to the ground in Los Angeles as he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the Trump administration’s immigration policies is prominently featured in television ads promoting Proposition 50. Steyer, a longtime Democratic donor who briefly ran for president in 2020, raised eyebrows by being the only speaker in his second television ad. Caruso, who unsuccessfully ran against Karen Bass in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral race and is reportedly considering another political campaign, recently sent voters glossy mailers supporting Proposition 50.

    Steyer committed $12 million to support Proposition 50. His initial ad, which shows a Trump impersonator growing increasingly irate as news reports showing the ballot measure passing, first aired during “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Steyer’s second ad fully focused on him, raising speculation about a potential gubernatorial run next year.

    Ads opposing the proposition aired less frequently before disappearing from television altogether in recent days.

    “The yes side had the advantage of casting the question for voters as a referendum on Trump,” said Rob Stutzman, a GOP strategist who worked for Schwarzenegger but is not involved with any of the Proposition 50 campaigns. “Asking people to rally to the polls to save a government commission — it’s not a rallying call.”

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  • San Jose woman, Menlo Park man die in multi-vehicle crash in Santa Clara

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    A Menlo Park man and a San Jose woman died following a multi-vehicle crash in Santa Clara on Sunday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

    The two individuals were traveling northbound in a 2023 Hyundai Elantra on Highway 101 when they were struck from behind by an unknown vehicle, causing the first vehicle to hit the median barrier and flip over, according to CHP.

    The unknown vehicle then reportedly drove away from the collision, which occurred around 1:11 a.m.

    The two passengers of the Elantra managed to exit the overturned car, which was then struck by a third vehicle – a Hyundai Accent – leading to the two fatalities, according to CHP.

    The driver of the Accent reportedly remained on the scene.

    The victims were a 27-year-old woman from San Jose and a 44-year-old man from Menlo Park.

    Information on this incident is being listed as preliminary at this point and the CHP is expected to release a full report on Monday.

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  • Flight delays persist as government shutdown leads to air traffic controller shortages

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    Flight delays continued at U.S. airports Sunday amid air traffic controller shortages as the government shutdown entered its second month, with Newark airport in New Jersey experiencing delays of two to three hours.

    New York City’s Emergency Management office said on X that Newark delays often ripple out to the region’s other airports.

    Travelers flying to, from or through New York “should expect schedule changes, gate holds, and missed connections. Anyone flying today should check flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer waits,” the social media post added.

    George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O’Hare were also seeing dozens of delays and one or two cancellations, along with major airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami, according to FlightAware.

    As of Sunday evening, FlightAware said there were 4,295 delays and 557 cancelations of flights within, into or out of the U.S., not all related to controller shortages. In July, before the shutdown, about 69% of flights were on time and 2.5% were canceled.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go without a paycheck.

    “We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights canceled to make sure the system is safe,” Duffy said Sunday on CBS’S “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

    He also said he does not plan to fire air traffic controllers who don’t show up for work.

    “Again when they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” Duffy said. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.”

    Earlier in October, Duffy had warned air traffic controllers who had called in sick instead of working without a paycheck during the shutdown risked being fired. Even a small number of controllers not showing up for work is causing problems because the FAA has a critical shortage of them.

    The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday on X that nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks.

    Staffing shortages can occur both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, flight data showed strong on-time performance at most major U.S. airports for the month of October despite isolated staffing problems throughout the month.

    Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a long-standing shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

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  • Who is Zico Kolter? A professor leads OpenAI safety panel with power to halt unsafe AI releases

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    If you believe artificial intelligence poses grave risks to humanity, then a professor at Carnegie Mellon University has one of the most important roles in the tech industry right now.

    Zico Kolter leads a 4-person panel at OpenAI that has the authority to halt the ChatGPT maker’s release of new AI systems if it finds them unsafe. That could be technology so powerful that an evildoer could use it to make weapons of mass destruction. It could also be a new chatbot so poorly designed that it will hurt people’s mental health.

    “Very much we’re not just talking about existential concerns here,” Kolter said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re talking about the entire swath of safety and security issues and critical topics that come up when we start talking about these very widely used AI systems.”

    OpenAI tapped the computer scientist to be chair of its Safety and Security Committee more than a year ago, but the position took on heightened significance last week when California and Delaware regulators made Kolter’s oversight a key part of their agreements to allow OpenAI to form a new business structure to more easily raise capital and make a profit.

    Safety has been central to OpenAI’s mission since it was founded as a nonprofit research laboratory a decade ago with a goal of building better-than-human AI that benefits humanity. But after its release of ChatGPT sparked a global AI commercial boom, the company has been accused of rushing products to market before they were fully safe in order to stay at the front of the race. Internal divisions that led to the temporary ouster of CEO Sam Altman in 2023 brought those concerns that it had strayed from its mission to a wider audience.

    The San Francisco-based organization faced pushback — including a lawsuit from co-founder Elon Musk — when it began steps to convert itself into a more traditional for-profit company to continue advancing its technology.

    Agreements announced last week by OpenAI along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings aimed to assuage some of those concerns.

    At the heart of the formal commitments is a promise that decisions about safety and security must come before financial considerations as OpenAI forms a new public benefit corporation that is technically under the control of its nonprofit OpenAI Foundation.

    Kolter will be a member of the nonprofit’s board but not on the for-profit board. But he will have “full observation rights” to attend all for-profit board meetings and have access to information it gets about AI safety decisions, according to Bonta’s memorandum of understanding with OpenAI. Kolter is the only person, besides Bonta, named in the lengthy document.

    Kolter said the agreements largely confirm that his safety committee, formed last year, will retain the authorities it already had. The other three members also sit on the OpenAI board — one of them is former U.S. Army General Paul Nakasone, who was commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Altman stepped down from the safety panel last year in a move seen as giving it more independence.

    “We have the ability to do things like request delays of model releases until certain mitigations are met,” Kolter said. He declined to say if the safety panel has ever had to halt or mitigate a release, citing the confidentiality of its proceedings.

    Kolter said there will be a variety of concerns about AI agents to consider in the coming months and years, from cybersecurity – “Could an agent that encounters some malicious text on the internet accidentally exfiltrate data?” – to security concerns surrounding AI model weights, which are numerical values that influence how an AI system performs.

    “But there’s also topics that are either emerging or really specific to this new class of AI model that have no real analogues in traditional security,” he said. “Do models enable malicious users to have much higher capabilities when it comes to things like designing bioweapons or performing malicious cyberattacks?”

    “And then finally, there’s just the impact of AI models on people,” he said. “The impact to people’s mental health, the effects of people interacting with these models and what that can cause. All of these things, I think, need to be addressed from a safety standpoint.”

    OpenAI has already faced criticism this year about the behavior of its flagship chatbot, including a wrongful-death lawsuit from California parents whose teenage son killed himself in April after lengthy interactions with ChatGPT.

    Kolter, director of Carnegie Mellon’s machine learning department, began studying AI as a Georgetown University freshman in the early 2000s, long before it was fashionable.

    “When I started working in machine learning, this was an esoteric, niche area,” he said. “We called it machine learning because no one wanted to use the term AI because AI was this old-time field that had overpromised and underdelivered.”

    Kolter, 42, has been following OpenAI for years and was close enough to its founders that he attended its launch party at an AI conference in 2015. Still, he didn’t expect how rapidly AI would advance.

    “I think very few people, even people working in machine learning deeply, really anticipated the current state we are in, the explosion of capabilities, the explosion of risks that are emerging right now,” he said.

    AI safety advocates will be closely watching OpenAI’s restructuring and Kolter’s work. One of the company’s sharpest critics says he’s “cautiously optimistic,” particularly if Kolter’s group “is actually able to hire staff and play a robust role.”

    “I think he has the sort of background that makes sense for this role. He seems like a good choice to be running this,” said Nathan Calvin, general counsel at the small AI policy nonprofit Encode. Calvin, who OpenAI targeted with a subpoena at his home as part of its fact-finding to defend against the Musk lawsuit, said he wants OpenAI to stay true to its original mission.

    “Some of these commitments could be a really big deal if the board members take them seriously,” Calvin said. “They also could just be the words on paper and pretty divorced from anything that actually happens. I think we don’t know which one of those we’re in yet.”

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  • FDA’s Top Drug Regulator Resigns After Federal Officials Probe ‘Serious Concerns’

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug center abruptly resigned Sunday after federal officials began reviewing “serious concerns about his personal conduct,” according to a government spokesperson.

    Dr. George Tidmarsh, who was named to the FDA post in July, was placed on leave Friday after officials in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel were notified of the issues, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said in an email. Tidmarsh then resigned Sunday morning.

    “Secretary Kennedy expects the highest ethical standards from all individuals serving under his leadership and remains committed to full transparency,” Hilliard said.

    The departure came the same day that a drugmaker connected to one of Tidmarsh’s former business associates filed a lawsuit alleging that he made “false and defamatory statements,” during his time at the FDA.

    The lawsuit, brought by Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, alleges that Tidmarsh used his FDA position to pursue a “longstanding personal vendetta” against the chair of the company’s board of directors, Kevin Tang.

    Tang previously served as a board member of several drugmakers where Tidmarsh was an executive, including La Jolla Pharmaceutical, and was involved in his ouster from those leadership positions, according to the lawsuit.

    Messages placed to Tidmarsh and his lawyer were not immediately returned late Sunday.

    Tidmarsh founded and led a series of pharmaceutical companies over several decades working in California’s pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Before joining the FDA, he also served as an adjunct professor at Stanford University. He was recruited to join the agency over the summer after meeting with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.

    Tidmarsh’s ouster is the latest in a string of haphazard leadership changes at the agency, which has been rocked for months by firings, departures and controversial decisions on vaccines, fluoride and other products.

    Dr. Vinay Prasad, who oversees FDA’s vaccine and biologics center, resigned in July after coming under fire from conservative activists close to President Donald Trump, only to rejoin the agency two weeks later at the behest of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    The FDA’s drug center, which Tidmarsh oversaw, has lost more than 1,000 staffers over the past year to layoffs or resignations, according to agency figures. The center is the largest division of the FDA and is responsible for the review, safety and quality control of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

    In September, Tidmarsh drew public attention for a highly unusual post on LinkedIn stating that one of Aurinia Pharmaceutical’s products, a kidney drug, had “not been shown to provide a direct clinical benefit for patients.” It’s very unusual for an FDA regulator to single out individual companies and products in public comments online.

    According to the company’s lawsuit, Aurinia’s stock dropped 20% shortly after the post, wiping out more than $350 million in shareholder value.

    Tidmarsh later deleted the LinkedIn post and said he had posted it in his personal capacity, not as an FDA official.

    Aurinia’s lawsuit also alleges, among other things, that Tidmarsh used his post at FDA to target a type of thyroid drug made by another company, American Laboratories, where Tang also serves as board chair.

    The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Maryland, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and “to set the record straight,” according to the company.

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • California farmers push back on Prop 50 as Democrats eye new House map

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    California voters are in the final days of a special election that could help determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 50, would allow state lawmakers to temporarily redraw California’s congressional map — a move Democrats say could help them pick up additional seats in Congress.

    Jenny Holtermann, a fourth-generation farmer in California’s Central Valley, said that under the proposed map, she would remain in a Republican District, but worries about the changes could affect her community. 

    “It really is, it’s sad that they are really carving out those Republican areas of the district and moving them to really make the areas more Democrat, and that’s not what the Central Valley is,” Holtermann told Fox.

    REPUBLICANS FIGHT NEWSOM’S $88M REDISTRICTING ‘POWER GRAB’ AS PROP 50 BATTLE HEATS UP

    Early morning at an almond farm in California’s Central Valley.

    OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50

    Beyond Central Valley farmers, the California Farm Bureau has also come out against Prop 50. Holtermann said she’s used to larger cities having more political influence in Sacramento but fears the measure would further silence rural voices.

    Jenny Holtermann is a 4th-generation California farmer. She's worried about how Prop 50 will affect rural representation in the state.

    Jenny Holtermann holds a fresh almond picked from her orchard. (Amalia Roy)

    “We are California, and as Californians we should not be caught up with what other states are doing to [gerry]mander their votes,” Holtermann said.

    NORTHERN CALIFORNIA VOTERS WEIGH IN ON PROP 50 REDISTRICTING FIGHT

    Lonny Johnson, vice chair of the Fresno County Democratic Party, said he doesn’t welcome the fight either, but argued that redistricting efforts in Republican-led states left California Democrats with few options.

    A flyer urging people to vote for Prop 50 sits on a table at the Fresno County Democratic Party office.

    A flyer urging people to vote for Prop 50 sits on a table at the Fresno County Democratic Party office. (Amalia Roy)

    “We can either fight this – which is what we’re doing – and the people of California seem very supportive if you look at recent polling, or we can do nothing. We can let them game the system, keep control of the House of Representatives, and there will be no check, no check, on the Trump Administration,” said Johnson.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Johnson added that unlike other states, the question of redistricting is up to California voters.

    “This was not an option that was afforded the voters of Texas, or the voters of North Carolina, or the voters of Missouri. The state legislatures just put it in,” Johnson told Fox.

    Amalia Roy joined Fox News in 2025 as a Multimedia Reporter based in Phoenix.

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  • SF Giants’ Bailey, Webb named 2025 Gold Glove Award winners

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    Logan Webb didn’t enter this year with the specific goal of winning a Gold Glove Award. But when the Giants ace arrived in Scottsdale for spring training, he prioritized playing better defense, generally, and holding runners on base, specifically.

    Now, Webb and catcher Patrick Bailey are adding some hardware to their shelves.

    Bailey and Webb were named National League Gold Glove Award winners at their respective positions on Sunday evening, becoming the first battery to win the hardware in the same year since catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013.

    “I just wanted to get better at (playing defense),” Webb said. “I didn’t necessarily think it would result in a Gold Glove, but I always thought maybe I could do it. I feel like I get enough ground balls hit to me and a lot of get overs. I just kind of had to fix some of the other stuff. So, it’s a really cool accomplishment and I’m super excited about it.”

    Bailey, who won the award in 2024, becomes the first catcher in franchise history to win the award multiple times, and it’s very possible he becomes the first Giant to win the Platinum Glove as well. Buster Posey won it once, in 2016, when he broke Molina’s string of eight consecutive gold gloves. Bailey also is first Giant to win the honor in back-to-back years since Brandon Crawford won three straight from 2015-17.

    Webb, who led the majors in innings and the N.L. in strikeouts, becomes the second Giant pitcher to win the award in franchise history, joining Rick Reuschel (1987). With a Gold Glove now on his résumé, Webb joked that he plans on doing a little bragging with Bailey, Crawford and five-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman.

    “To be able to say you’re … the best defender at your position in your league is pretty cool,” Webb said. “I always watched Craw and Chappy and Patty’s going to win it many more times. Seeing these guys do it, it’s a huge part of baseball and it’s a huge part of what the Giants try to be. I think that’s why we’ve had so many (Gold Glove Award winners) around here. It’s cool to be a part of that now.

    “Now, when people watch the game, I get that little Gold Glove next to my name when they show the defensive positioning.”

    Bailey cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the majors, regardless of position, by turning in one of the best statistical defensive seasons in the Statcast era this year.

    Over a career-high 132 games, Bailey had a Fielding Run Value of +31, the most in a single season by any defender regardless of position since 2018. Last season, Bailey’s +28 Fielding Run Value also led the majors.

    Much of Bailey’s defensive value derived from his elite framing ability. Even with a smaller strike zone, Bailey was worth +25 Catcher Framing Runs, eclipsing the +23 Catcher Framing Runs he was worth last season.

    Along with the framing, Bailey continued to boast one of the best arms in baseball. Bailey threw out a career-high 27 runners attempting to steal, his pop time of 1.86 seconds being tied for the best in the majors.

    Bailey’s elite framing and throwing was a continuation of what he’s done since making his debut, but he also made a significant leap as a blocker.

    As a rookie, Bailey was one of the worst blockers in the league and was worth -9 Blocks Above Average. After making improving in his sophomore season (-1 Blocks Above Average), Bailey transformed himself into an above-average blocker (+5 Blocks Above Average) this season.

    “I feel like he just keeps getting better,” Webb said. “It’s fun to watch him do his work every day. He works hard at his craft.”

    While Bailey has long been one of baseball’s best defenders, Webb made significant strides this season en route to winning his first Gold Glove.

    Webb allowed 41 stolen bases in 2023 and 2024, one of eight pitchers in the majors who allowed at least 40 steals. This season, by contrast, Webb only allowed nine steals and led all National League pitchers with seven defensive runs saved. From 2019-24, Webb was worth -4 defensive runs saved.

    The right-hander referred to his start on June 23, 2024 against the St. Louis Cardinals as the low point of his inability to prevent runners from swiping bags. Allowing five steals over six innings to the Cardinals was bad enough, but one of those steals belonged to catcher Pedro Pagés, who only swiped six bags in the minors.

    Webb wanted to curb that trend this season and began that work during spring training. He worked on this area of his game during bullpens and live batting practice, mixing up times and holding for as long as possible after coming set. Webb said there wasn’t one specific conversation that made things click, citing conversations he had with former manager Bob Melvin and other coaches.

    The right-hander also spoke with former first-base coach Antoan Richardson when the Giants played the New York Mets in Queens. Webb allowed three steals to the Mets during his start on July 25, and Webb credited Richardson’s ability as a baserunning coach. Richardson, interestingly enough, won’t return to New York in 2026 and could warrant consideration from new manager Tony Vitello as he builds his coaching staff.

    “I just felt like there was an extra focus on it, and I just wanted to be better,” Webb said. “At the end of the day, it helps personally. Talking to guys, there’s some stats that if I keep a runner at first base X amount of times and I give up a base hit, that base hit turns into just first and second instead of a guy scoring a run. I think it helped me and helped the team stay in games, and that’s all I really wanted to do.”

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    Justice delos Santos

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  • How to reuse your pumpkins after Halloween

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    Halloween was a few days ago, but don’t throw out those pumpkins. There are lots ways to reuse your pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns now that the trick-or-treating is done. 

    What You Need To Know

    • There are several ways to recycle your pumpkins

    • Leftover pumpkins can make tasty dishes

    • Pumpkin scraps are also an excellent fertilizer for your garden.

    Turn pumpkins into food

    If you didn’t carve the pumpkins yet, consider using it for food. You can scoop out the guts of the pumpkin and turn it into a puree.

    To make a puree, you need to cut up the pumpkin and roast the halves. After they’ve roasted, scoop out the flesh and blend it to turn into a puree.

    The puree could then be used to make pies, soups and sauces.

    (Pexels)

    You can also the roast the pumpkin seeds too after taking out the guts and rinsing them. One cup of pumpkin seeds is equivalent to approximately 12 grams of protein. 

    Pumpkin for animals

    Leftover pumpkins can also become bird feeders.

    You just have to cut off the top third of the pumpkin, empty the cavity, fill it with bird seeds and hang it in the yard for the birds.

    Check with your local zoo. Some will take donated pumpkin scraps and use them as feed for animals. Polar bears enjoy them as a snack.

    Composting pumpkins

    Pumpkins are also good for composting. You can use the pumpkin scraps to help fertilize your garden.

    You can even make it a game for kids to smash leftover pumpkins and use it as compost.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Meteorologist Keith Bryant

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  • How to reuse your pumpkins after Halloween

    [ad_1]

    Halloween was a few days ago, but don’t throw out those pumpkins. There are lots ways to reuse your pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns now that the trick-or-treating is done. 

    What You Need To Know

    • There are several ways to recycle your pumpkins

    • Leftover pumpkins can make tasty dishes

    • Pumpkin scraps are also an excellent fertilizer for your garden.

    Turn pumpkins into food

    If you didn’t carve the pumpkins yet, consider using it for food. You can scoop out the guts of the pumpkin and turn it into a puree.

    To make a puree, you need to cut up the pumpkin and roast the halves. After they’ve roasted, scoop out the flesh and blend it to turn into a puree.

    The puree could then be used to make pies, soups and sauces.

    (Pexels)

    You can also the roast the pumpkin seeds too after taking out the guts and rinsing them. One cup of pumpkin seeds is equivalent to approximately 12 grams of protein. 

    Pumpkin for animals

    Leftover pumpkins can also become bird feeders.

    You just have to cut off the top third of the pumpkin, empty the cavity, fill it with bird seeds and hang it in the yard for the birds.

    Check with your local zoo. Some will take donated pumpkin scraps and use them as feed for animals. Polar bears enjoy them as a snack.

    Composting pumpkins

    Pumpkins are also good for composting. You can use the pumpkin scraps to help fertilize your garden.

    You can even make it a game for kids to smash leftover pumpkins and use it as compost.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Meteorologist Keith Bryant

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  • Sierra Canyon, Chaminade lead area teams into CIF-SS football playoffs

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    The CIF Southern Section released its football playoff pairings Sunday, and there is a long list of teams in the Daily News area ready to take part.

    First-round games in Divisions 2-14 are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. Division 1 teams will start the playoffs Nov. 14.

    Here is a look at the area teams in each division:

    Sierra Canyon’s Laird Finkel (9) throws a pass against Serra in a game at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

    DIVISION 1

    Sierra Canyon, the first-place team from the Mission League, will begin its postseason push against surging Santa Margarita, which tied for the Trinity League title and finished 7-3 this season under head coach Carson Palmer.

    Sierra Canyon, the No. 4 seed in the division, has notable weapons on offense in running back Jaxson Stokes and quarterback Laird Finkel. The Trailblazers also boast a defense that posted five shutouts and gave up just 43 total points in the regular season.

    Chaminade's Elijah Williams (#6) and Yashar Neal (#5) congratulate one another during a boys high school football game against Notre Dame at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
    Chaminade’s Elijah Williams (#6) and Yashar Neal (#5) congratulate one another during a boys high school football game against Notre Dame at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)

    DIVISION 2

    Chaminade, the No. 2 from the Mission League, will start the playoffs on the road against Chaparral of the Big West North League.

    Chaminade had an up-and-down regular season, but the Eagles were able to grab an automatic playoff bid with a 3-2 mark in a deep Mission League. Junior defensive lineman Kingston Williams is a playmaker for them on defense and receiver Beau Lindus is key player on offense.

    Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Notre Dame runs for a touchdown against Chaminade during a boys high school football game at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
    Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Notre Dame runs for a touchdown against Chaminade during a boys high school football game at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)

    DIVISION 3

    Notre Dame and Valencia both have home games in the first round. Notre Dame will face Laguna Beach, which shared the Foxtrot League title, and Valencia will host Palos Verdes, the No. 2 team from the Bay League.

    Notre Dame received an at-large berth into the playoffs. They might have secured the spot with a 27-21 win over Chaminade on Friday night, making them 5-5 in the regular season. They’ll try to ride their late-season momentum in the playoffs.

    Valencia had an impressive 9-1 record in the regular season that included an undefeated campaign in the Foothill League. It is led by the explosive tandem of quarterback Brady Bretthauer and running back Brian Bonner.

    DIVISION 4

    Westlake completely flipped the script this season, finishing 10-0 in the regular season after going winless last season. The Conejo Coast League champions will open the playoffs at home against Villa Park, the No. 3 team from the Bravo League.

    Oaks Christian is a bit of a surprise inclusion in the playoffs, as it finished 4-6 overall, the program’s worst regular season record. But the Lions received an at-large berth in Division 4 and will be home in the first round.

    Oaks Christian will be facing St. Bonaventure, a team that shut out the Lions 19-0 last month.

    Paraclete went 8-2 this season and shared the Angelus League title after missing the playoffs last season. It will be on the road in the first round against Long Beach Wilson, the Moore League champion.

    Paraclete’s offense is led by receiver Adrian Jones, who averages 137 yards per game and had 23 total touchdowns during the regular season. Sophomore Austin Robinson led the team with nine sacks.

    Thousand Oaks quarterback Jackson Taylor (7) scrambles under Westlake pressure during their game at Thousand Oaks High School on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
    Thousand Oaks quarterback Jackson Taylor (7) scrambles under Westlake pressure during their game at Thousand Oaks High School on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

    DIVISION 5

    Newbury Park, which lost star quarterback Brady Smiegel to a torn ACL on Oct. 3, will be on the road against Loyola, an at-large team from the Mission League, in the first round.

    The Panthers have been using a QB-by-committee approach since Smiegel’s injury. Sophomore Darrien Johnson threw for 136 yards and ran for 111 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-7 win on Friday.

    Thousand Oaks, with a powerful offense led by Boise State quarterback commit Jackson Taylor and running back Jordan Johnson, will be home in the opening round against Rio Hondo Prep, the Gold Coast League champion. Taylor threw for 24 touchdowns this season and Johnson had over 1,000 rushing yards.

    DIVISION 6

    Crespi and Burbank will be home for their first-round games. Crespi, the Del Rey League champion, will face Roosevelt in the opening round, and Burbank will host Lancaster, the Golden League champion.

    Crespi, led by a balanced offense and a defense that allowed just over 11 points per game, was 10-0 during the regular season. Senior Jaden Ayala and sophomore Royel McFarlane were impact running backs, as Ayala had over seven yards per carry and McFarlane had over five yards per rush.

    DIVISION 7

    Hart, Saugus and Calabasas are all in this division and begin the playoffs with home games. Hart will face Mayfair, while Saugus takes on Schurr and Calabasas hosts El Segundo.

    Hart and Saugus were two of the strongest teams in the Foothill League this year.

    Hart has plenty of weapons — namely running back/receiver Matix Frithsmith – while QB Jake Nuttall and receiver Landon Lattimore led a turnaround for Saugus.

    Nuttall broke the Centurions’ school record for career passing yards with 5,783 over three varsity seasons, andLattimore had five touchdown receptions in a win over West Ranch earlier this year, also a school record.

    Calabasas made the playoffs after winning two out of their last three games, Running back Kayne Miller was big for the Coyotes, averaging just under 114 rushing yards per contest.

    DIVISION 8

    St. Genevieve, the No. 3 team from the Camino Real League, will start the playoffs with a rematch against St. Monica Prep, which is the No. 2 team from the Camino Real League.

    The Valiants lost St. Monica 33-19 on Friday night.

    Senior defensive end Leonidas Vargas leads the Valiants with over seven tackles per game.

    DIVISION 10

    Oak Park, which clinched an automatic playoff berth with a 41-20 win over Royal last week, starts the playoffs at Village Christian, the No. 3 team from the Ironwood League.

    The Eagles need to stay strong on defense against a Village Christian team that went 5-0 at home.

    Also in this division is Heritage Christian, which will host Tahquitz in the first round.

    Heritage Christian’s offense has been potent at times, scoring over 31 points a game. If their defense can come through, they could advance.

    DIVISION 12

    Grace, which had a lot of success as an 8-man football power when it was known as Grace Brethren, won the Citrus Coast League title this season. It will host another league champion, Rialto of the Skyline League, in the first round.

    Grace ran through league competition, including a 64-12 win over Santa Clara in its regular-season finale.

    DIVISION 13

    Viewpoint will host Fontana in the first round.

    Viewpoint started the year 7-0, but lost its last three games of the regular season. The Patriots have the offense to give themselves a chance in the playoffs. They average 29 points per game at home.

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    Matt Wagner

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