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  • Trump heads to Asia where he will meet with China’s Xi

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    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump departed Washington Friday night for Asia with trade and U.S. relations with China top of mind. 

    The nearly weeklong trip will include visits to three countries as well as a refueling stop in Qatar, touch two separate summits and include individual meetings with multiple heads of state. But all eyes are likely to be fixated on the end of his trip when he is set to hold a high-stakes sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid a recently reinflamed trade war between the world’s two largest economies and with the threat of massive new tariffs looming.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump departed Washington on Friday night for Asia with trade and U.S. relations with China top of mind
    • The nearly weeklong trip will include visits to three countries as well as a refueling stop in Qatar, touch two separate summits and include individual meetings with multiple heads of state

    • But all eyes are likely to be fixated on the end of his trip when he is set to hold a high-stakes sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid a recently reinflamed trade war between the world’s two largest economies and with the threat of massive new tariffs looming

    • Trump is set to meet with the leaders of Qatar, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and China and take part in events for the ASEAN and APEC summits

    Briefing reporters on a phone call, senior U.S. officials said Trump will sign a “series of economic agreements” over the course of the trip, including what they described as “forward looking and tough” trade deals as well as a new agreement on critical minerals. On the first leg of the visit, Trump is also set to preside over a “significant peace agreement,” the officials added. 

    Before arriving in Malaysia on Sunday morning, Trump will speak with the emir and prime minister of Qatar aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop at Al Udeid Air Base, a White House official said early Saturday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would join the president for the meeting with Qatari leaders, the official said.

    Once in Malaysia, the U.S. president will meet with its prime minister, ​​Anwar Ibrahim, and then attend a working dinner with leaders from a bloc of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, also known as ASEAN, as part of the group’s 2025 summit, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. 

    Trump will head to Japan on Monday and meet with its newly elected leader and the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday, Leavitt added. While there, senior U.S. officials said the president will also pay a visit to U.S. troops in the region. 

    He will set off Wednesday for Busan, South Korea, where he will sit down with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and take part in two events for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit, including delivering keynote remarks at a CEO luncheon and joining a working dinner, according to Leavitt. 

    APEC, a forum established in 1989 to focus on the economies of nations in the Asia-Pacific, includes 21 countries, including China, Russia, Australia, Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

    Thursday is when Trump is scheduled to hold his first in-person meeting of his second term with Xi, Leavitt said, before he heads back to the White House. 

    Trump spent this week leading up to the meeting projecting confidence it would lead to a successful outcome, with a lot on the line for both countries. 

    Officials were able to temporarily cool a trade war that exploded this spring between the U.S. and China and saw each country place tariffs of well over 100% on one another. But tensions flared again after China’s announcement earlier this month that it was placing new export controls on its rare earth minerals. The move to put restrictions on access to its critical minerals, which are considered essential for manufacturing and technology moving forward, led Trump to vow to increase the tariffs he’s placed on the country by 100 percentage points, resulting in a total rate of 157%, if a deal isn’t worked out by Nov. 1.

    China processes nearly 90% of the world’s rare earths, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Trump brought Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, a country fertile with rare earth resources of its own, to the White House this week to sign a critical minerals deal in a bid to counter Beijing’s commanding presence in the space. 

    In the immediate wake of the announcement, the U.S. president also hinted at calling off the yet-to-be-scheduled meeting with his Chinese counterpart but tides shifted again just days later when he pledged “all will be fine” with China and insisted Xi “just had a bad moment.”

    This week, Trump has insisted his administration will be able to reach a “very fair deal” with China on trade and has touted his relationship with his Chinese counterpart. Two of his top trade officials are already engaging in talks in Asia with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

    “I think we’re going to come out very well, and everyone’s going to be very happy,” Trump declared to reporters Thursday regarding the upcoming meeting. 

    Trump also said he will discuss China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. with his Chinese counterpart. 

    Despite calling on European nations to halt buying oil from Russia as he hopes to hinder its economy as part of his effort to end the war in Ukraine and putting higher tariffs on the U.S. ally of India for doing so, Trump has yet to take the same action against China. But he told reporters this week he plans to bring the topic up with Xi.

    “What I’ll really be talking to him about is, how do we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it’s through oil or energy or anything else?” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the same day his administration announced new sanctions on Russian oil companies. 

    Trump also told reporters that day he believed he and Xi could reach deals on critical minerals, soybeans and “maybe even nuclear.” 

    Democrats and some Republicans are also fuming over his administration’s decision to lend an economic hand to Argentina, even after the Latin American country cut export taxes on agricultural products, including soybeans. China has been the biggest export market for U.S. soybeans, and lawmakers argue that boosting Argentina is hurting U.S. farmers. 

    In Asia, the U.S. leader is also likely to talk trade with Japan and South Korea. 

    The administration cut a deal earlier this year with Japan that is set to include the country investing billions in the U.S. but Trump will now be talking details with a new prime minister. 

    Meanwhile, the trade deal that the U.S. made with South Korea still has specifics to be worked out, and the meeting between Trump and his South Korean counterpart comes just weeks after the Trump administration’s immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia led to the arrest of more than 300 South Korean workers.

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    Maddie Gannon

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  • National Guard deployments in DC and Portland are focus of court hearings

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    No National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Portland, Oregon, for at least several days, after a temporary federal appeals court decision Friday. Meanwhile, a judge in Washington, D.C., is weighing whether to pull more than 2,000 troops off the streets of the nation’s capital.

    What You Need To Know

    • No National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Portland, Oregon, for at least several days, after a temporary federal appeals court decision Friday

    • Meanwhile a judge in Washington, D.C., is weighing whether to pull more than 2,000 troops off the streets of the nation’s capital

    • The developments are the latest in a head-spinning array of lawsuits and overlapping rulings prompted by Trump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities despite fierce resistance from mayors and governors

    • Troop deployment remains blocked in the Chicago area, where all sides are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes to allow it

    The developments are the latest in a head-spinning array of lawsuits and overlapping rulings prompted by Trump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities despite fierce resistance from mayors and governors. Troop deployment remains blocked in the Chicago area, where all sides are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes to allow it.

    Here’s what to know about the latest legal efforts to block or deploy the Guard in various cities.

    Troops in Oregon remain in limbo

    A federal appeals court on Friday paused a decision issued by a three-judge panel earlier in the week that could have allowed President Donald Trump to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops, ostensibly to protect federal property in Portland.

    The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it needs until 5 p.m. Tuesday to decide whether to reconsider the panel’s decision, and the panel’s decision won’t take effect until then.

    U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee in Portland, issued two temporary restraining orders earlier this month — one prohibiting Trump from calling up Oregon troops to Portland and another blocking him from sending any Guard members to Oregon at all after he tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead.

    A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel put the first ruling on hold Monday, letting Trump take command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. But the second order remained in effect, blocking him from actually deploying them.

    At a hearing Friday, the Justice Department told Immergut she must immediately dissolve the second order because its reasoning was the same as that rejected by the appeals panel in a 2-1 decision Monday. Attorneys for Oregon disagreed, saying the orders were distinct and that she should wait to see if the 9th Circuit will reconsider the panel’s ruling.

    A challenge to troops in Washington, DC

    U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, heard arguments Friday on District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb‘s request for an order that would remove more than 2,000 Guard members from Washington streets. She did not rule from the bench.

    In August, Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the district — though the Department of Justice itself says violent crime there is at a 30-year low.

    Within a month, more than 2,300 Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling under the Army secretary’s command. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist them.

    “Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” attorneys from Schwalb’s office wrote.

    Government lawyers said Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard’s operation. They argued that Schwalb’s lawsuit is a frivolous “political stunt” threatening to undermine a successful campaign to reduce violent crime in Washington.

    Although the emergency period ended in September, more than 2,200 troops remain. Several states told The Associated Press they would bring their units home by Nov. 30, unless extended.

    Judge continues hearing on West Virginia’s deployment

    Among the states that sent troops to the district was West Virginia. A civic organization called the West Virginia Citizen Action Group says Gov. Patrick Morrisey exceeded his authority by deploying 300 to 400 Guard members to support Trump’s efforts there.

    Under state law, the group argues, the governor may deploy the National Guard out of state only for certain purposes, such as responding to a natural disaster or another state’s emergency request.

    “The Governor cannot transform our citizen-soldiers into a roving police force available at the whim of federal officials who bypass proper legal channels,” the group’s attorneys, with the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, wrote in a court document.

    Morrisey has said West Virginia “is proud to stand with President Trump,” and his office has said the deployment was authorized under federal law. The state attorney general’s office has asked Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Richard D. Lindsay to reject the case, saying the group has not been harmed and lacks standing to challenge Morrisey’s decision.

    Lindsay heard some arguments Friday before continuing the hearing to Nov. 3 to give the state time to focus more on whether Morrisey had the authority to deploy the Guard members.

    In Chicago, awaiting word from the Supreme Court

    U.S. District Judge April Perry on Wednesday blocked Guard deployment to the Chicago area until the case is decided in her court or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes. Perry previously blocked the deployment for two weeks through a temporary restraining order.

    Attorneys representing the federal government said they would agree to extend the order, but would also continue pressing for an emergency order from the Supreme Court that would allow for the deployment.

    Lawyers representing Chicago and Illinois have asked the Supreme Court to continue to block the deployment, calling it a “dramatic step.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Jeffries demands House Republicans return to Washington to negotiate

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    WASHINGTON — As hundreds of thousands of federal workers went unpaid Friday during the 24th day of an agonizing government shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called on House Republicans to return to Washington to negotiate a bipartisan agreement.

    “We need Republican support for a bipartisan path forward in order to get out of this situation,” Jeffries said Friday during a news conference at the Capitol.

    What You Need To Know

    • As hundreds of thousands of federal workers went unpaid Friday during the 24th day of an agonizing government shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called on House Republicans to come back to Washington, D.C. and negotiate a bipartisan agreement

    • House Republicans have been on recess since September 19 after passing a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21

    • That bill has repeatedly failed in the Senate as Democrats demand an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that will otherwise expire at the end of the year

    • On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bill called the Shutdown Fairness Act that would have allowed pay for air traffic controllers, military troops and other essential federal workers the Office of Personnel Management has approved while the government is shut down


    “I said this directly to the president with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson and (Senate Majority Leader John) Thune right next to me,” Jeffries said, referencing a White House meeting in late September to avert the current shutdown. “This does not get resolved until you decide to give permission to Republicans on Capitol Hill to negotiate a bipartisan resolution.”

    House Republicans have been in recess since Sept. 19 after passing a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21. That bill has repeatedly failed in the Senate as Democrats demand an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that will otherwise expire at the end of the year.

    The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1, when Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to pass legislation that would fund it for the 2026 fiscal year. Hundreds of thousands of essential federal workers are now working without pay while others are furloughed.

    On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bill called the Shutdown Fairness Act that would have allowed pay for air traffic controllers, military troops and other essential federal workers the Office of Personnel Management has approved while the government is shut down.

    “Deranged Democrats just blocked our bill to pay essential workers who keep Americans safe. Why? They believe that forcing Americans to work without pay gives them leverage,” Senate Republicans wrote on X after the failed vote.

    On Friday, Jeffries reiterated a point he has made multiple times since the shutdown began.

    “We’re prepared to support any bipartisan legislation that comes out of the Senate that is designed to decisively address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government and enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people,” he said.

    Jeffries cited Friday’s Bureau of Labor Statistics report that inflation rose at an annual rate of 3% in September as evidence that Republican policies are not working. He said the upcoming health care open enrollment season will make it “even more significant for Congress and the president to deal with” the protracted shutdown as Americans begin to see increased costs for health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles in 2026.

    He refuted the idea that Democrats bear responsibility for any lasting fallout from the shuttered government and pushed back on the Republican contention that their stalled funding bill continues spending levels approved during the Biden administration.

    He said the spending levels the Republicans would like to extend are based on the Republican stopgap funding bill Congress passed in March to keep the government running through the end of September. That bill cut $13 billion for domestic programs, including Medicaid.

    “That March spending bill wasn’t Biden-level spending. It was Trump partisan-level spending,” Jeffries said Friday.

    “We’ve made clear we will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people. We’ve been saying that for six weeks. We have not moved off our position.”

    Neither have Republicans, who insist the govenrment must reopen before any negotiations can happen. 

    “It’s becoming clearer by the day that Democrats don’t want an outcome, they want a political issue,” Thune wrote on X on Friday. “They’ve refused to reopen the government – 12 times. They’ve refused my offer to discuss Obamacare’s failures. They’ve refused my offer to hold a vote on their own proposal to address a problem they created. They’ve refused to pay the troops and federal employees who are working without a paycheck. The only thing they’ve said yes to? The Schumer Shutdown and political ‘leverage.’”

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • The FBI’s NBA probe is putting sports betting in the spotlight

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    NEW YORK — The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures, on charges of illegal sports betting has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of professional sports gambling across the U.S.

    What You Need To Know

    • The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people has drawn new scrutiny on the country’s booming sports betting business 

    • The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone

    • But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge
    • Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows

    Since widespread legalization, the multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy to place wagers on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. It’s just about impossible to go to a basketball, football, baseball or other pro game today — or watch a matchup on TV — without seeing ads for sports betting.

    Fans can place wagers from their stadium seats, while “Bet” tickers scroll on TV sports broadcasts. Star athletes are frequently at the center of ads promoting it all.

    In Thursday’s indictment, federal investigators accused Rozier and other defendants of breaking the law by exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement that his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

    A separate indictment alleges Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and others participated in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games. Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement denying the allegations, calling his client a “man of integrity.”

    Regulating sports wagering has proven to be a challenge — and experts warn about the ramifications for gamblers who typically lose money. Professional leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has raised eyebrows.

    Here’s what we know.

    Explosion of legalized sports betting

    Sports betting is probably as old as sports itself. But in the U.S., legal gambling really took off in 2018.

    That’s when the Supreme Court struck down the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act, which barred sports betting in most states. Once allowed only in Nevada, sports betting is now permitted online or in retail locations in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Missouri will become the 39th state on Dec. 1.

    Experts say the biggest jump has been online, through smartphone apps and platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. Through the third quarter of this year, legal sports betting generated $10 billion in revenue, up about 19% from the same period a year ago, according to the American Gaming Association.

    The industry argues that legal wagering generates money for states and can deter illegal betting. Major operators point to technology they use to monitor suspicious activity. FanDuel said Thursday’s news illustrates “the stark contrast between legal and illegal betting markets.”

    Who benefits?

    There is plenty of money on the table both for those who place winning bets and the platforms that make it possible. The NBA and other pro sports leagues have also created revenue streams by partnering with sportsbooks and reaping advertising dollars.

    Live game stats provided by leagues are key to the sports world’s relationship with the gambling industry. When you’re able to bet what the next pitch in a baseball game is going to be, that’s because Major League Baseball is selling data to platforms “for a pretty high price,” according to Isaac Rose-Berman, whose research focuses on sports betting as a fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men.

    The NBA has a partnership with Sportradar for its data rights. Sportradar, in turn, provides FanDuel Sportsbook official NBA statistics. When the deal was announced in 2022, Sportradar touted it as a way “to monetize our long-term partnership with the NBA.”

    How is sports betting regulated?

    Each state has its own regulations and tax rates for sports betting. A handful restrict where you can place bets — allowing users to use mobile apps, but only while they’re physically inside a casino or within a certain radius of a stadium, for example. Others limit which betting platforms you can use or what you can bet on.

    “States sort of opened up a can of worms, and now some of them are starting to realize just how crazy this sports betting world sort is,” said Wayne Taylor, a professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University.

    An even stickier factor is when players and other team or league personnel are involved. The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL all prohibit employees and players from betting on their own league games, although some gambling in separate areas is allowed.

    Legalized betting has certain security advantages in that unusual betting patterns — such as large bets being placed on a random player’s performance — can be immediately flagged. In some cases, sportsbooks have taken down odds on certain events to protect against manipulation.

    Still, experts like Taylor note that companies’ own financial interests may bring some of that into question. And across the sports market, he says the large number of players and scope of micro bet possibilities makes potential manipulation “easier to hide.”

    What is prop betting?

    A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether a basketball player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds, assists and more.

    This kind of bet is key to the sports betting probe announced Thursday. Investigators pointed to a March 23, 2023, game involving Rozier, then playing for the Charlotte Hornets.

    Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game — and not only did he not return that night, citing a foot issue, but he did not play again that season. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists — a productive opening quarter, but well below his usual total output for a full game. At the time, many bettors turned to social media to say that something shady occurred regarding prop bets involving his stats for that night.

    More broadly, the NBA has expressed concern about prop bets, while other sports leagues have worried about the potential for manipulation.

    Earlier this year, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urged his state’s gambling commission to ban prop bets after Major League Baseball placed two Cleveland Guardians pitchers on leave during a sports betting investigation.

    What are other pitfalls and social implications?

    Sports betting also faces criticism for opening the door to addictive gambling.

    “The fact that it’s normalized, the advertising is aggressive, it’s available 24/7, the micro bets — all of this is adding up to tremendous increase in usage across individuals,” said Taylor, citing algorithms and other incentives betting platforms use to increase engagement.

    Rose-Berman notes that platforms make the most off of returning “biggest losers.” Recent research suggests that young men in low-income communities are particularly affected by financial consequences tied to sports gambling.

    “Upwards of 90% of sports bettors are not really going to experience significant negative impacts — but it’s really concentrated among those big losers and it’s going to be devastating for them,” he said.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press

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  • Social Security recipients get a 2.8% cost-of-living boost in 2026

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    WASHINGTON — The Social Security cost-of-living increase will go up by 2.8% in 2026, which translates to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month, agency officials said Friday.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Social Security cost-of-living increase will go up by 2.8% in 2026, which translates to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month

    • Agency officials made the announcement Friday

    • The benefits increase will go into effect for Social Security recipients beginning in January

    • Friday’s announcement was meant to be made last week but was delayed because of the federal government shutdown

    The benefits increase for nearly 71 million Social Security recipients will go into effect beginning in January. And increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving Supplemental Security Income will begin on Dec. 31.

    Friday’s announcement was meant to be made last week but was delayed because of the federal government shutdown.

    The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees and disabled beneficiaries is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers, up to a certain annual salary, which is slated to increase to $184,500 in 2026, from $176,100 in 2025.

    Recipients received a 2.5% cost-of-living boost in 2025 and a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, after a historically large 8.7% benefit increase in 2023, brought on by record 40-year-high inflation.

    The smaller increase for 2026 reflects moderating inflation.

    Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in a statement Friday that the annual cost of living adjustment “is one way we are working to make sure benefits reflect today’s economic realities and continue to provide a foundation of security.”

    Emerson Sprick, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s director of retirement and labor policy, said in a statement that cost-of-living increases “can’t solve all the financial challenges households face or all the shortcomings of the program.”

    The latest COLA announcement comes as the Social Security Administration has been navigating almost a year of turmoil, including the termination of thousands of workers as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. Trump administration officials have also made statements they later walked back that raised concerns about the future of the program.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in July that the Republican administration was committed to protecting Social Security hours after he said in an interview that a new children’s savings program President Donald Trump signed into law “is a back door for privatizing Social Security.”

    And in September, Bisignano had to walk back comments that the agency is considering raising the retirement age to shore up Social Security. “Raising the retirement age is not under consideration at this time by the Administration,” Bisignano said at the time in an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press.

    “I think everything’s being considered, will be considered,” Bisignano said in the statement when asked whether raising the retirement age was a possibility to maintain the old age program’s solvency.

    In addition, the Social Security Administration faces a looming bankruptcy date if it is not addressed by Congress. The June 2025 Social Security and Medicare trustees’ report states that Social Security’s trust funds, which cover old age and disability recipients, will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2034. Then, Social Security would only be able to pay 81% of benefits.

    Social Security benefits were last reformed roughly 40 years ago, when the federal government raised the eligibility age for the program from 65 to 67.

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    Associated Press

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  • U.S. inflation stays elevated but prices rose less than feared last month

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    WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation remained elevated last month as gas prices jumped while the cost of rents cooled, painting a mixed picture of the expenses consumers are facing in a murky economy where growth appears steady but hiring slow.

    What You Need To Know

    • U.S. inflation remained elevated last month as the costs of some imported goods rose while rental prices cooled

    • Consumer prices increased 3% in September from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, up from 2.9% in August

    • The figures reflect a smaller increase than many economists had forecast, and will likely encourage the Federal Reserve to cut its key interest rate when it meets next week for the second time this year

    Consumer prices increased 3% in September from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, the highest since January and up from 2.9% in August. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories core prices also rose 3%, down from 3.1% in the previous month.

    On a monthly basis, price increases slowed: They rose 0.3% in September, down from 0.4% the previous month. Core inflation also cooled to 0.2%, from 0.3% in August.

    The figures show that inflation continues to rise more slowly than many economists expected when President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in April. Some of those duties were later reduced as part of trade deals, while many companies have only passed on part of the tariff cost to consumers out of concern that doing so would reduce sales. Businesses may shift more costs to consumers in the coming months if the duties appear permanent.

    The smaller increase will come as a bit of relief to Federal Reserve officials, who have signaled that they will cut their key interest rate at their meeting next week for the second time this year. Yet inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, underscoring the high stakes of the Fed’s moves.

    “Put simply, while inflation doesn’t appear to be accelerating, neither is it moving back toward target,” said Eric Winograd, chief U.S. economist at asset manager AllianceBernstein. “That will keep the Fed cautious rather than aggressive.”

    The report on the consumer price index was issued more than a week late because of the government shutdown, now in its fourth week. The Trump administration recalled some Labor Department employees to produce the figures because they are used to set the annual cost-of-living adjustment for roughly 70 million Social Security recipients. Friday that increase was set at 2.8% for 2026, equal to about $56 per month.

    Gas prices jumped 4.1% just in September from the previous month, a major driver of inflation last month. Grocery prices rose 0.3%, less than in August, and are 2.7% higher than a year ago.

    Trump’s duties are pushing up the prices of many goods: Furniture costs jumped 0.9% last month and are 3.8% more expensive than a year ago. Appliance costs rose 0.8% just in September, though they are up only 1.3% from a year earlier. Clothing prices increased 0.7% last month and shoes 0.9%, though neither have risen that much from last year.

    The issues of affordability and the cost of necessities are gaining in political importance. Concerns over the costs of rent and groceries have played a key role in the mayoral race in New York City. And Trump, who has acknowledged that the spike in grocery prices under President Joe Biden helped him win the 2024 election, has been considering importing Argentine beef to reduce record-high U.S. beef prices, angering U.S. cattle ranchers.

    The cost of ground beef has jumped to $6.32 a pound, a record, in part because of tariffs on imports from countries such as Brazil, which faces a 50% duty. Years of drought that have reduced cattle herds have also raised prices. Beef costs rose 1.2% in September and are up 14.7% from a year earlier, Friday’s report showed.

    Even as inflation has fallen sharply from its peak of 9.1% more than three years ago, it remains a major concern for consumers. About half of all Americans say the cost of groceries is a “major” source of stress, according to an August poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

    And the Conference Board, a business research group, finds that consumers are still referencing prices and inflation in responses to its monthly survey on consumer confidence.

    Many economists, as well as some Fed officials, expect that the tariffs will create a one-time lift to prices that will fade by early next year. At the same time, inflation excluding the tariffs is cooling, they argue: Rental price increases, for example, are declining on average nationwide.

    Yet Trump is imposing tariffs in an ongoing fashion that could raise prices in a more sustained fashion.

    For example, the Trump administration is investigating whether to slap 100% tariffs on imports from Nicaragua over alleged human rights violations. The prospect of such steep duties is a major headache for Dan Rattigan, the co-founder of premium chocolate maker French Broad, based in Asheville, N.C.

    “We’ve been shouldering some significant additional costs,” Rattigan said. The United States barely produces any cocoa, so his company imports it from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Uganda. The imports from Nicaragua were duty-free because the country had a trade agreement with the United States, but now faces an 18% import tax.

    Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past two years because of poor weather and blights in West Africa, which produces more than 70% of the world’s cocoa. The tariffs are an additional hit on top of that. Rattigan is also paying more for almonds, hazelnuts, and chocolate-making equipment from Italy, which has also been hit with tariffs.

    French Broad raised its prices slightly earlier this year and doesn’t have any plans to do so again. But after the winter holidays, “all bets are off … in what is a very unpredictable business climate,” Rattigan said.

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    Associated Press

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  • U.S. sending aircraft carrier to Latin America in escalation of military buildup

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    WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, the Pentagon announced Friday, in the latest escalation of military firepower in a region where the Trump administration has unleashed more rapid strikes in recent days against boats it accuses of carrying drugs.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America in the latest escalation of military firepower to a region

    • A Pentagon spokesman said Friday that the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group would deploy to the U.S. Southern Command region to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States”

    • The USS Ford is port in Croatia and it was not clear how long it would take for the strike group to arrive

    • Earlier Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military had conducted the 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, killing six people

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to the U.S. Southern Command region to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media.

    The USS Ford, which has five destroyers in its strike group, is now deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. One of its destroyers is in the Arabian Sea and another is in the Red Sea, a person familiar with the operation told The Associated Press. As of Friday, the aircraft carrier was in port in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea.

    The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, would not say how long it would take for the strike group to arrive in the waters off South America or if all five destroyers would make the journey.

    Deploying an aircraft carrier will surge major additional resources to a region that has already seen an unusually large U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off Venezuela. The latest deployment and the quickening pace of the U.S. strikes, including one Friday, raised new speculation about how far the Trump administration may go in operations it says are targeted at drug trafficking, including whether it could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S.

    Moving thousands more troops into the region

    There are already more than 6,000 sailors and Marines on eight warships in the region. If the entire USS Ford strike group arrives, that could bring nearly 4,500 more sailors as well as the nine squadrons of aircraft assigned to the carrier.

    Complicating the situation is Tropical Storm Melissa, which has been nearly stationary in the central Caribbean with forecasters warning it could soon strengthen into a powerful hurricane.

    Hours before Parnell announced the news, Hegseth said the military had conducted the 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, leaving six people dead and bringing the death count for the attacks that began in early September to at least 43 people.

    Hegseth said on social media that the vessel struck overnight was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang. It was the second time the Trump administration has tied one of its operations to the gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison.

    “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” Hegseth said in his post. “Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”

    The strikes have ramped up from one every few weeks when they first began last month to three this week, killing a total of at least 43 people. Two of the most recent strikes were carried out in the eastern Pacific Ocean, expanding the area where the military has launched attacks and shifting to where much of the cocaine is smuggled from the world’s largest producers, including Colombia.

    Escalating tensions with Colombia, the Trump administration imposed sanctions Friday on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.

    U.S. focus on Venezuela and Tren de Aragua

    Friday’s strike drew parallels to the first announced by the U.S. last month by focusing on Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization and blamed for being at the root of the violence and drug dealing that plague some cities.

    While not mentioning the origin of the latest boat, the Republican administration says at least four of the boats it has hit have come from Venezuela. On Thursday, the U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela.

    Maduro argues that the U.S. operations are the latest effort to force him out of office.

    Maduro on Thursday praised security forces and a civilian militia for defense exercises along some 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles) of coastline to prepare for the possibility of a U.S. attack.

    In the span of six hours, “100% of all the country’s coastline was covered in real time, with all the equipment and heavy weapons to defend all of Venezuela’s coasts if necessary,” Maduro said during a government event shown on state television.

    The U.S. military’s presence is less about drugs than sending a message to countries in the region to align with U.S. interests, according to Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region.

    “An expression that I’m hearing a lot is ‘Drugs are the excuse.’ And everyone knows that,” Dickinson said. “And I think that message is very clear in regional capitals. So the messaging here is that the U.S. is intent on pursuing specific objectives. And it will use military force against leaders and countries that don’t fall in line.”

    Comparing the drug crackdown to the war on terror

    Hegseth’s remarks around the strikes have recently begun to draw a direct comparison between the war on terrorism that the U.S. declared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug traffickers.

    President Donald Trump this month declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was in an “armed conflict” with them, relying on the same legal authority used by the Bush administration after 9/11.

    When reporters asked Trump on Thursday whether he would request that Congress issue a declaration of war against the cartels, he said that wasn’t the plan.

    “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We’re going to kill them, you know? They’re going to be like, dead,” Trump said during a roundtable at the White House.

    Lawmakers from both major political parties have expressed concerns about Trump ordering the military actions without receiving authorization from Congress or providing many details.

    “I’ve never seen anything quite like this before,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who previously worked in the Pentagon and the State Department, including as an adviser in Afghanistan.

    “We have no idea how far this is going, how this could potentially bring in, you know, is it going to be boots on the ground? Is it going to be escalatory in a way where we could see us get bogged down for a long time?” he said.

    Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, who has long been involved in foreign affairs in the hemisphere, said of Trump’s approach: “It’s about time.”

    While Trump “obviously hates war,” he also is not afraid to use the U.S. military in targeted operations, Diaz-Balart said. “I would not want to be in the shoes of any of these narco-cartels.”

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  • Ontario premier pulling ad that prompted Trump to end trade talks with Canada

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    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad sponsored by one of its provinces that used the words of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs — prompting the province’s leader to later pull the ad.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump says he is ending trade negotiations with Canada

    • This decision follows a television ad from one of Canada’s provinces that used former President Ronald Reagan’s words to criticize U.S. tariffs

    • Trump claims the ad misrepresented Reagan’s stance on tariffs and was intended to influence the U.S. Supreme Court decision on his tariffs policy

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s pulling the ad

    The post on Trump’s social media site came Thursday night ratcheted up tensions with the U.S.’s northern neighbor after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he plans to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. White House officials said Trump’s reaction was a culmination of the administration’s long, pent-up frustration about Canada’s strategy in trade talks.

    Later Friday, Ontario premier Doug Ford, whose province had sponsored the ad, said it would be taken down.

    Ford said after talking with Prime Minister Mark Carney he’s decided to pause the advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume. Ford said they’ve achieved their goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.

    “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford said. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.”


    The U.S. president alleged the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president who remains a beloved figure in the Republican Party, and was aimed at influencing the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of a hearing scheduled for next month that could decide whether Trump has the power to impose his sweeping tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy. Trump is so invested in the case that he has said he’d like to attend oral arguments.

    “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” Trump wrote on his social media site Friday morning. “They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY. Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country.”

    Canadian premier digs in after Trump ends talks

    The ad was paid for by Ontario’s government, not the Canadian federal government. Ontario Premier Doug Ford didn’t back down, posting on Friday that Canada and the U.S. are allies “and Reagan knew that both are stronger together.” Ford then provided a link to a Reagan speech where the late president voices opposition to tariffs.

    Ford has said the province plans to pay $54 million (about $75 million Canadian) for the ads to air across multiple American television stations using audio and video of Reagan speaking about tariffs in 1987.

    A spokesperson for Ford said the ad will run during a Game 1 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

    Ford is a populist conservative who doesn’t belong to the same party as Carney, a Liberal.

    For his part, Carney said his government remains ready to continue talks to reduce tariffs in certain sectors.

    “We can’t control the trade policy of the United States. We recognize that that policy has fundamentally changed from the 1980s,” he said Friday morning before boarding a flight for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. Trump is set to travel to the same summit Friday night.

    Reagan’s foundation speaks out against ad

    Earlier Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute posted on X that the ad “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.” It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks” and said it was reviewing legal options.

    The foundation in Simi Valley, California, is perhaps best known for maintaining the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Its board includes longtime Republican Party stalwarts such as former Trump Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose free-market philosophy often clashes with Trump’s protectionist tendencies.

    Another board member is Lachlan Murdoch, the son of Rupert who is executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation. The board is chaired by Fred Ryan, the former publisher and CEO of The Washington Post.

    Trump wrote Thursday night that “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.” He added, “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

    Blowup was a long time coming, administration officials indicate

    White House spokesman Kush Desai said the ad was the “latest example of how Canadian officials would rather play games than engage with the Administration.”

    Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House on Friday that Canada has shown a “lack of flexibility” and also cited “leftover behaviors from the Trudeau folks,” referring to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had a frosty relationship with the Trump administration.

    “If you look at all the countries around the world that we’ve made deals with, and the fact that we’re now negotiating with Mexico separately reveals that it’s not just about one ad,” Hassett said.

    Carney met with Trump earlier this month to try to ease trade tensions, as the two countries and Mexico prepare for a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal Trump negotiated in his first term but has since soured on.

    More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian ($2.7 billion U.S.) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.

    Trump initially appeared unfazed by the ad

    Trump said earlier in the week that he had seen the ad on TV and didn’t seem bothered by it. “If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also,” he said Tuesday during a lunch with Republican senators.

    Ontario bought more than $275,000 of ad reservations for the spot to air in 198 of the nation’s 210 media markets this month, according to data from the nonpartisan media tracking firm AdImpact. It was broadcast most frequently in the New York market, with more than 530 airings, followed by Washington, D.C., at around 280. The only other markets with more than 100 airings were those around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and West Palm Beach, Florida.

    Ford previously got Trump’s attention with an electricity surcharge to U.S. states. Trump responded by doubling steel and aluminum tariffs.

    The president has moved to impose steep U.S. tariffs on many goods from Canada. In April, Canada’s government imposed retaliatory levies on certain U.S. goods — but it carved out exemptions for some automakers to bring specific numbers of vehicles into the country, known as remission quotas.

    Trump’s tariffs have especially hurt Canada’s auto sector, much of which is based in Ontario. This month, Stellantis said it would move a production line from Ontario to Illinois.

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  • Billups, Rozier and Jones: A look at arrested NBA player and coaches

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    Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones were arrested Thursday in connection with a federal investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by Mafia.

    What You Need To Know

    • Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested Thursday in connection with a federal investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by Mafia

    • Authorities said Billups is charged in an indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families

    • Rozier and Jones are accused in a separate indictment of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information

    Billups is charged in an indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said. Rozier and Jones are accused in a separate indictment of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information.

    Here’s a look at the NBA figures involved:

    Damon Jones

    Jones, 49, was an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022-23 when he allegedly was involved with the betting scheme, according to the indictment. He’s been coaching since at least 2014 after finishing an 11-year NBA playing career.

    He is from Galveston, Texas, and played for Houston in college before suiting up with NBA teams in New Jersey, Boston, Golden State, Dallas, Vancouver, Detroit, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Miami and Cleveland.

    Jones averaged 11.6 points in the 2004-05 season with Miami, his only season scoring in double figures.

    Jones joined Cleveland’s coaching staff in 2014 as a shooting consultant. He was on Tyronn Lue’s Cleveland staff for the postseason in 2016 and was named a full-time assistant for the Cavaliers later that year. He also worked as a TV analyst for ESPN in 2018.

    Chauncey Billups

    Billups, 49, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2024. The Denver native played college ball at Colorado, then was the No. 3 pick by Boston in 1997. He also played for Toronto, Denver (two stints), Minnesota, Detroit (two stints), the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers in a 17-year playing career.

    Billups was a five-time All-Star and won a championship with Detroit in 2004, when he was named the NBA Finals MVP.

    This combo of images shows, from left, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers’ Damon Jones. (AP Photo/File)

    On Nov. 16, 2020, Billups was named a Clippers assistant on coach Tyronn Lue’s staff. Billups was hired as Portland’s coach in 2021 and signed a multi-year extension with the Trail Blazers on April 13. Billups took a 117-211 coaching record into this season.

    Billups was known as Mr. Big Shot during his playing career and won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Nuggets.

    Terry Rozier

    Rozier, 30, was raised primarily by his mother as his father, Terry Rozier Sr., has been in prison for most of the younger Rozier’s life. Rozier, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, was a standout guard at Louisville who was the 16th pick by the Boston Celtics in 2015.

    Rozier was traded to Charlotte on July 6, 2019 and flourished with the Hornets. He set career highs by averaging 18 points in the 2019-20 season, 20.4 points the following season and 21.1 points in 2022-23.

    Onn Jan. 23, 2024, Rozier was traded to Miami for Kyle Lowry. Rozier averaged 10.6 points for Miami in the 2024-25 season while playing in 64 games, including 23 starts.

    In 2018, Rozier became only the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his first start when he scored 17 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Boston’s 103-73 win over the Knicks.

    Rozier’s game on March 23, 2023 for Charlotte against New Orleans has been in question. He played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds in the first quarter before exiting and did not play again in that game or the final eight games of the season. Charlotte was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down. However, posts still online from that 2023 game show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks. Many posted on social media that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving Rozier’s stats for that night.

    A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds, assists and more.

    Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic in Orlando Wednesday evening, though he did not play in the game.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press

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  • NFL moves its Pro Bowl festivities to Super Bowl week

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    NEW YORK — The NFL is moving its Pro Bowl festivities to Super Bowl week beginning this February, the latest adjustment for the all-star event that became a flag football game a few years ago.

    What You Need To Know

    • The NFL is moving its Pro Bowl festivities to Super Bowl week beginning this February

    • Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the change Wednesday at the league’s annual fall owners meeting

    • The plan is to hold the Pro Bowl Games on Tuesday night, Feb. 3, in the Bay Area

    • The NFL is hoping to take advantage of increased interest in flag football ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

    Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the change Wednesday at the league’s annual fall owners meeting.

    “We’ve spent a lot of time evolving our Pro Bowl, talking about how to make our Pro Bowl more attractive, both for our players participating but also our fans,” Goodell said. “We spent a great deal of time talking about the objectives, and the objectives really are to celebrate and honor our incredible players, and second is to use our game as a global platform.”

    The plan is to hold the Pro Bowl Games on Tuesday night, Feb. 3, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the venue that is hosting the Super Bowl experience fan fest. The largest ballroom holds 4,000 people, making it a more intimate event than in previous years, with a focus on television.

    It remains a flag football game between the AFC and NFC, though executive VP of international events Peter O’Reilly did acknowledge the format could become more internationally focused in the leadup to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

    “Flag has become a global game,” Goodell said. “Our players have embraced playing that in the all-star format, and we think it’s really important to continue that initiative.”

    NFL owners unanimously approved players participating in the ’28 Games, though work is still being done to finalize the agreement with the union.

    The 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8, in Santa Clara, California.

    There will be two new coaches, replacing Peyton and Eli Manning, though O’Reilly said the brothers would remain involved in the event in some capacity. The league is not committing to Tuesday night beyond 2026, according to O’Reilly, who said it’s a process of continuing to learn about what’s best for the Pro Bowl.

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    Associated Press

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  • What you need to know about keeping your pets safe on Halloween

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    NATIONWIDE — There’s no need to spook your pets this Halloweekend.

    “Halloween can be the spookiest night of the year, but keeping your pets safe doesn’t have to be tricky,” the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.

    ASPCA released these safety tips ahead of the holiday:

    Hide the candy

    Pet owners need to keep candy and other Halloween treats away from their pets. A lot of Halloween goodies, such as anything with chocolate, are toxic to pets. Remind your little ones not to share their candy haul with their four-legged siblings.

    “Chocolate in all forms — especially dark or baking chocolate — can be very dangerous for cats and dogs, and sugar-free candies containing the sugar substitute xylitol can cause serious problems in pets,” ASPCA said.

    If your furry friend accidentally gets into the candy bowl or eats something toxic, call your vet immediately.

    Kitty- and puppy-proof your decor

    Keep an eye on those pretty pumpkins. While pumpkins and corn are not likely to be fatal toxins to your pet, they can cause upset stomachs. Plus, pets could knock over lit jack-o’-lanterns and start a fire.

    “Curious kittens are especially at risk of getting burned or singed by candle flame,” ASPCA said.

    If there are cords, sockets, inflatables, lights or other yard decor, pet owners will need to make sure their furry friends aren’t nibbling on any wires, too.

    Costume considerations

    No human would want to wear something uncomfortable all weekend, and the same goes for animals. Make sure any pet costumes are comfortable and safe. Pet costumes should not impair breathing, vision, hearing, ability to “speak” or mobility.

    “Check the costume carefully for small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that could present a choking hazard,” ASPCA said. “Ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.”

    Wisconsin Humane Society suggested having pets wear something simple first, such as a bandana, so they get used to dressing up over time. Then, add more elements as they work their way up to their full Halloween attire. WHS said positive reinforcement, like treats and toys, can help make the experience more of a “treat” for your pet.

    ASPCA said pets should try their costumes on before Halloween, just like people. If the animal seems “distressed or shows abnormal behavior” it may be best to ditch the costume this year.

    (Amy Sussman/AP Images for PetSmart)

    Keep calm

    If your pet gets stressed around people in costumes, either inside your house or elsewhere, don’t force them to get in on the fun. WHS said a “safe, quiet space inside your home” to make them comfortable is a perfect place for them to hangout for Halloween.

    “All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours,” ASPCA said.

    ID, please

    Make sure your pet has a collar with their ID tags and is micro-chipped.

    ASPCA explained the constant stream of activity and strangers trick-or-treating brings to your home is scary and stressful for pets. When you open the door, make sure your pet doesn’t scamper outside.

    If your pet does manage to spook you and get outside, having them properly ID’d and easily identifiable can be a lifesaver. 

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    Aly Prouty

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  • Advice to feed babies peanuts helped thousands of kids avoid allergies

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    A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent development of life-threatening allergies, new research finds the change has made a big difference in the real world.

    What You Need To Know

    • A study that upended medical practice by recommending feeding babies peanut products early to prevent allergies has had a big effect in the real world

    • A new study in the medical journal Pediatrics found that peanut allergies in children ages 0 to 3 declined by more than 27% after guidance was first issued, and by more than 40% after it was expanded in 2017

    • For decades, doctors had recommended delaying feeding children peanuts and other foods likely to trigger allergies until age 3

    • The approach has helped 60,000 children avoid food allergies, including 40,000 children who otherwise would have developed peanut allergies

    Peanut allergies began to decline in the U.S. after guidance first issued in 2015 upended medical practice by recommending introducing the allergen to infants starting as early as 4 months. The rate of peanut allergies in children ages 0 to 3 fell by more than 27% after guidance for high-risk kids was first issued in 2015, and by more than 40% after the recommendations were expanded in 2017.

    “That’s a remarkable thing, right?” said Dr. David Hill, an allergist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and author of a study published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics. Hill and colleagues analyzed electronic health records from dozens of pediatric practices to track diagnoses of food allergies in young children before, during and after the guidelines were issued.

    “I can actually come to you today and say there are less kids with food allergy today than there would have been if we hadn’t implemented this public health effort,” he added.

    About 60,000 children have avoided food allergies since 2015, including 40,000 children who otherwise would have developed peanut allergies. Still, about 8% of children are affected by food allergies, including more than 2% with a peanut allergy.

    Peanut allergy is caused when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies proteins in peanuts as harmful and releases chemicals that trigger allergic symptoms, including hives, respiratory symptoms and, sometimes, life-threatening anaphylaxis.

    For decades, doctors had recommended delaying feeding children peanuts and other foods likely to trigger allergies until age 3. But in 2015, Gideon Lack at King’s College London, published the groundbreaking Learning Early About Peanut Allergy, or LEAP, trial.

    Lack and colleagues showed that introducing peanut products in infancy reduced the future risk of developing food allergies by more than 80%. Later analysis showed that the protection persisted in about 70% of kids into adolescence.

    The study immediately sparked new guidelines urging early introduction of peanuts — but putting them into practice has been slow.

    Only about 29% of pediatricians and 65% of allergists reported following the expanded guidance issued in 2017, surveys found.

    Confusion and uncertainty about the best way to introduce peanuts early in life led to the lag, according to a commentary that accompanied the study. Early on, medical experts and parents alike questioned whether the practice could be adopted outside of tightly controlled clinical settings.

    The data for the analysis came from a subset of participating practice sites and may not represent the entire U.S. pediatric population, noted the commentary, led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a child allergy expert at Northwestern University.

    However, the new research offers “promising evidence that early allergen introduction is not only being adopted but may be making a measurable impact,” the authors concluded.

    Advocates for the 33 million people in the U.S. with food allergies welcomed signs that early introduction of peanut products is catching on.

    “This research reinforces what we already know and underscores a meaningful opportunity to reduce the incidence and prevalence of peanut allergy nationwide,” said Sung Poblete, chief executive of the nonprofit group Food Allergy Research & Education, or FARE.

    The new study emphasizes the current guidance, updated in 2021, which calls for introducing peanuts and other major food allergens between four and six months, without prior screening or testing, Hill said. Parents should consult their pediatricians about any questions.

    “It doesn’t have to be a lot of the food, but little tastes of peanut butter, milk-based yogurt, soy-based yogurts and tree butters,” he said. “These are really good ways to allow the immune system exposure to these allergenic foods in a safe way.”

    Tiffany Leon, 36, a Maryland registered dietician and director at FARE, introduced peanuts and other allergens early to her own sons, James, 4, and Cameron, 2.

    At first, Leon’s own mother was shocked at the advice to feed babies such foods before the age of 3, she said. But Leon explained how the science had changed.

    “As a dietician, I practice evidence-based recommendations,” she said. “So when someone told me, ‘This is how it’s done now, these are the new guidelines,’ I just though, OK, well, this is what we’re going to do.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Trump suggests U.S. will buy Argentinian beef to bring down prices for Americans

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    ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States could purchase Argentinian beef in an attempt to bring down prices for American consumers.

    “We would buy some beef from Argentina,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight from Florida to Washington. “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.”

    Trump promised earlier this week to address the issue as part of his efforts to keep inflation in check.

    U.S. beef prices have been stubbornly high for a variety of reasons, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico due to a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds there.

    Trump has been working to help Argentina bolster its collapsing currency with a $20 billion credit swap line and additional financing from sovereign funds and the private sector ahead of midterm elections for his close ally, President Javier Milei.

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    Associated Press

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  • Zelenskyy: Meeting with Trump was ‘positive’ though he didn’t get missiles

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    KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his reportedly tense meeting with U.S President Donald Trump last week was “positive” — even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine — and emphasized what he said is continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv.

    What You Need To Know

    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week was “positive,” highlighting what he sees as continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv

    • Zelenskyy says Trump backed away from sending long-range missiles to Ukraine after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin

    • Ukraine hopes to buy Patriot air defense systems from American firms, using frozen Russian assets and partner assistance

    • Trump supports a freeze along the current front line, which Zelenskyy sees as positive

    Zelenskyy said Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, which would have been a major boost for Kyiv, following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before the Ukrainian leader and American president were to meet on Friday.

    “In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday. His comments were embargoed until Monday morning.

    Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from American firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelenskyy said procuring all of these would require time because of long production queues. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring these quicker, potentially from European partners.

    According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged.

    Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands — a tactic he has kept up since the disastrous Oval Office spat on Feb. 28 when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for not being grateful for continued American support.

    Zelenskyy said that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message “is positive” for Ukraine.

    He said Trump was looking to end the war and hopes his meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way for a peace deal after their first summit in Alaska in August failed to reach such an outcome.

    So far, Zelenskyy said he has not been invited to attend but would consider it if the format for talks were fair to Kyiv.

    “We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war. After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team, his message, in my view, is positive — that we stand where we stand on the line of contact, provided all sides understand what is meant,” Zelenskyy said.

    Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Hungary’s capital of Budapest being a suitable location for the next Trump-Putin meeting.

    “I do not consider Budapest to be the best venue for such a meeting. Obviously, if it can bring peace, it will not matter which country hosts the meeting,” he added.

    Zelenskyy took a stab at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying he does not believe that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.”

    Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism about Putin’s proposal to swap some territory it holds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine surrenders all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

    “We wanted to understand exactly what the Russians meant. So far, there is no clear position,” he said.

    Zelenskyy said he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a possible end to the war.

    “That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy added.

    He said the United States is interested in bilateral gas projects with Ukraine, including the construction of an LNG terminal in the southern port city of Odesa. Other projects of interest to the U.S. include those related to nuclear energy and oil.

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  • Ukraine strikes Russian gas plant as Trump says Kyiv may need to give up land

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    KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian drones struck a major gas processing plant in southern Russia, sparking a fire and forcing it to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan, Russian and Kazakh authorities said Sunday.

    U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile suggested that Kyiv may have to give up territory in exchange for an end to Moscow’s more than 3 1/2-year invasion, in the latest of apparent reversals on how to pursue peace.

    What You Need To Know

    • Ukrainian drones have struck a major gas processing plant in southern Russia, causing a fire
    • The Orenburg plant, operated by Gazprom, is one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind
    • The regional governor says the attack damaged a workshop but caused no casualties. Ukraine’s military claims a large-scale fire erupted at the plant
    • Kyiv has increased attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent months
    • Elsewhere, U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Kyiv may have to give up territory in exchange for an end to Moscow’s aggression, in the latest of apparent reversals on how to pursue peace.=

    The Orenburg plant, run by state-owned gas giant Gazprom and located in a region of the same name near the Kazakh border, is part of a production and processing complex that is one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind, with an annual capacity of 45 billion cubic meters. It handles gas condensate from Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field, alongside Orenburg’s own oil and gas fields.

    According to regional Gov. Yevgeny Solntsev, the drone strikes set fire to a workshop at the plant and damaged part of it. The Kazakh Energy Ministry on Sunday said, citing a notification from Gazprom, that the plant was temporarily unable to process gas originating in Kazakhstan, “due to an emergency situation following a drone attack.”

    Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement Sunday that a “large-scale fire” erupted at the Orenburg plant, and that one of its gas processing and purification units was damaged.

    Kyiv has ramped up attacks in recent months on Russian energy facilities it says both fund and directly fuel Moscow’s war effort.

    Russians modified bombs for deeper strikes

    Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors claim that Moscow is modifying its deadly aerial-guided bombs to strike civilians deeper in Ukraine. Local authorities in Kharkiv said Russia struck a residential neighborhood using a new rocket-powered aerial bomb for the first time.

    Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Russia used the weapon called the UMPB-5R, which can travel up to 80 miles, in an attack on the city of Lozava on Saturday afternoon. The city lies 93 miles south of Kharkiv, a considerable distance for the weapon to fly.

    Russia continued to strike other parts of Ukraine closer to the front line. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, at least 11 people were injured after Russian drones hit the Shakhtarske area. At least 14 five-story buildings and a store were damaged, said acting regional Gov. Vladyslav Haivanenko.

    Ukraine’s General Staff also claimed a separate drone strike hit Russia’s Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery, in the Samara region near Orenburg, sparking a blaze and damaging its main refining units.

    The Novokuibyshevsk facility, operated by Russian gas major Rosneft, has an annual capacity of 4.9 million tons, and turns out over 20 kinds of oil-based products. Russian authorities did not immediately acknowledge the Ukrainian claim or discuss any damage.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement early Sunday that its air defense forces had shot down 45 Ukrainian drones during the night, including 12 over the Samara region, one over the Orenburg region and 11 over the Saratov region neighboring Samara.

    In turn, Ukraine’s air force reported Sunday that Russia during the night launched 62 drones into Ukrainian territory. It said 40 of these were shot down, or veered off course due to electronic jamming.

    Trump says Ukraine may have to give up land for peace

    Trump appeared to edge back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia, in exchange for an end to Moscow’s aggression.

    Asked in a Fox News interview conducted Thursday whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would be open to ending the war “without taking significant property from Ukraine,” Trump responded: “Well, he’s going to take something.”

    “They fought and he has a lot of property. He’s won certain property,” Trump said. “We’re the only nation that goes in, wins a war and then leaves.”

    The interview was aired on Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” but was conducted before Trump spoke to Putin and Zelenskyy last week.

    The comments amounted to another shift in position on the war by the U.S. leader. In recent weeks, Trump had shown growing impatience with Putin and expressed greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war.

    In Thursday’s interview, he was noncommittal about sending Tomahawk missiles requested by Ukraine, saying “I’m looking at it” but expressing concern about depleting U.S. weapons stocks.

    “We need them for ourselves too,” Trump said. “We can’t give all our weapons to Ukraine. We just can’t do that.”

    Russians and Ukrainians interviewed by The Associated Press last week voiced hopes for progress at an upcoming summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary, but said they anticipated no major breakthrough.

    The two leaders agreed in a phone call Thursday to meet in the coming weeks, according to Trump, who also sat down with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.

    Contrary to Kyiv’s hopes, Trump did not commit to providing it with Tomahawks following that meeting. The missiles would be the longest-range weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal and would allow it to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow, with precision.

    Deliveries of Tomahawks could provide leverage to help push the Kremlin into negotiations, analysts say, after Trump expressed frustration over Putin’s refusal to budge on key aspects of a possible peace deal.

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  • Shooting at an Oklahoma State University residence hall wounds at least 3 people

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    STILLWATER, Okla. — A shooting at an Oklahoma State University residence hall wounded at least three people early Sunday morning, according to a university spokesperson.

    Police said there was “no ongoing threat to campus.”

    Initial reports indicate the shooting happened when people arrived at the residence hall after attending a large private party off-campus, university police said. Officers responded at about 3:40 a.m.

    University police Chief Michael Beckner said in a statement posted online that there were multiple victims, one of whom was known to be a student at the school. A university spokesperson said at least three people were shot. All were being treated at hospitals.

    Police became aware of the shooting at Carreker East residence hall “after shooting victims arrived at off-campus locations and reported the incident.”

    The university is located in the city of Stillwater, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.

    This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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  • Palestinians, Israel disagree on whether Rafah crossing will reopen Monday

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    CAIRO — The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen Monday for people returning to Gaza, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said Saturday, but the territory’s sole gateway to the outside world will remain closed to people trying to leave.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Palestinian embassy in Egypt says the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen Monday for people returning to Gaza

    • But Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the Rafah crossing will not reopen “until further notice” 

    • The office said Saturday it will depend on how Hamas fulfills its role in returning all 28 bodies of dead hostages

    • The crossing is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war, and it has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side

    However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing wouldn’t reopen “until further notice,” adding that it would depend on how Hamas fulfills its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages.

    Israel’s foreign ministry on Thursday had said that the crossing would likely reopen Sunday — another step in the fragile ceasefire.

    The Rafah crossing is the only one not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side. A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.

    It’s unclear who will operate the crossing’s heavily damaged Gaza side once the war ends.

    Meanwhile, Gaza’s ruins were being scoured for the dead, over a week into the ceasefire. Newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.

    The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. But the ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

    Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the attack on southern Israel that sparked the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

    Palestinians watch members of the Hamas militant group searching for bodies of the hostages in an area in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

    Hostages’ remains

    Israel said the remains of a 10th hostage that Hamas handed over the day before were identified as Eliyahu Margalit.

    The handover of hostages’ remains, called for under the ceasefire agreement, is among key points — along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory’s future — in a process backed by much of the international community to help end two years of war.

    The office of the Israeli prime minister said that Margalit’s family had been notified. The 76-year-old was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 attack. His remains were found after bulldozers plowed up pits in the southern city of Khan Younis.

    The effort to find the remaining 18 hostages followed a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would greenlight a resumption of the war by Israel, if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return them all.

    In a statement, the hostage forum that supports the families of those abducted said they won’t rest until the remaining hostages come home. The forum said that it will continue holding weekly rallies until all are returned.

    Hamas has said it is committed to the terms of the ceasefire deal, but that the retrieval of remains is hampered by the scope of the devastation and the presence of unexploded ordnance. The group has told mediators that some remains are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

    As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of a further 15 Palestinians to Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the International Committee of the Red Cross handed over the bodies to Nasser Hospital, bringing the total number Israel had returned to 135.

    In announcing the updated Palestinian death toll, the ministry said the number has climbed since the ceasefire began, with the majority of the newly counted bodies being found during recovery efforts.

    Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.

    A tent camp for displaced Palestinians sits adjacent to destroyed homes and buildings in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

    A tent camp for displaced Palestinians sits adjacent to destroyed homes and buildings in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

    Hamas accuses Israel of violations

    Hamas again accused Israel of continuing attacks and violating the ceasefire, asserting that 38 Palestinians had been killed since it began. There was no immediate response from Israel, which still maintains control of about half of Gaza.

    On Friday, Gaza’s Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, said nine people were killed, including women and children, when their vehicle was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City. The Civil Defense said the car crossed into an Israeli-controlled area in eastern Gaza.

    The Civil Defense said Israel could have warned the people in a manner that wasn’t lethal. The group recovered the bodies Saturday with coordination from the United Nations, it said.

    Israel’s army said it saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the so-called yellow line and approaching troops. It said it fired warning shots, but the vehicle continued to approach in a manner that posed an “imminent threat.” The army said it acted in accordance with the ceasefire.

    Aid demands

    Hamas has urged mediators to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza for its 2 million people, expedite the full opening of the Rafah border crossing and start reconstruction of the battered territory.

    The flow of aid remains constrained because of continued closures of crossings and Israeli restrictions on aid groups.

    U.N. data on Friday showed 339 trucks have been offloaded for distribution in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Under the agreement, about 600 aid trucks per day should be allowed to enter.

    COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid in Gaza, reported 950 trucks — including commercial trucks and bilateral deliveries — crossing on Thursday and 716 on Wednesday, the U.N. said.

    Throughout the war, Israel restricted aid to Gaza, sometimes halting it altogether.

    International food security experts declared famine in Gaza City, and the U.N. says it has verified more than 400 people who died of malnutrition-related causes, including over 100 children.

    Israel has long said it let in enough food and accused Hamas of stealing much of it. The U.N. and other aid agencies deny the claim.

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  • ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump that GOP calls ‘hate America’ rallies planned

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    WASHINGTON — Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.

    What You Need To Know

    • This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest

    • Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    • More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners

    • Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics


    This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House, and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn is a slide toward American authoritarianism.

    Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday.

    The president was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago Friday. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

    While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition party movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

    “There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.

    As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said their own sign-up numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.

    Republicans have have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

    From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”

    They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

    “I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

    “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said listing off groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

    Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after government reopens.

    But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of the government.

    In a Facebook post, Sanders of Vermont, himself a former presidential contender, said, “It’s a love America rally.”

    “It’s rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”

    The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

    In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations. The march Saturday will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.

    “What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

    House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.

    “What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump’s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.”

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  • Bolton pleads not guilty to charges of sharing classified information

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    GREENBELT, Md. — John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to charges accusing the former President Donald Trump national security adviser turned critic of emailing classified information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home.

    What You Need To Know

    • John Bolton has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of sharing classified information

    • Bolton didn’t comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Friday where he’s expected to make an initial appearance before a judge

    • Bolton’s lawyer says the former Trump administration national security adviser “did not unlawfully share or store any information”

    • It’s the third case to be filed against a Donald Trump adversary in the past month

    Bolton did not comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he made his initial appearance before a judge on the 18-count indictment brought against him on Thursday.

    It’s third criminal case brought in recent weeks by the Justice Department against a Trump adversary, and is unfolding against the backdrop of growing concerns that the Republican president is using the law enforcement agency to seek retribution against his perceived enemies.

    “Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,” Bolton said in a statement after a grand jury returned the indictment on Thursday.

    Bolton is accused sharing with his wife and daughter more than 1,000 pages of notes that included sensitive national defense information he had gleaned from meetings with other U.S. government officials and foreign leaders or from intelligence briefings. Authorities say some of the information was exposed when operatives believed to be linked to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s email account he used to send the diary-like notes about his activities to his relatives.

    Bolton, 76, is a longtime fixture in Republican foreign policy circles who became known for his hawkish views on American power and who served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before being fired in 2019. He later published a book highly critical of Trump.

    “There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Thursday. “Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

    The indictment is significantly more detailed in its allegations than earlier cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Unlike in those cases filed by a hastily appointed U.S. attorney, Bolton’s indictment was signed by career national security prosecutors. While the Bolton investigation burst into public view in August when the FBI searched his home in Maryland and his office in Washington, the inquiry was well underway by the time Trump had taken office in January.

    Sharing of classified secrets

    The indictment suggests Bolton was aware of the impropriety of sharing classified information with people not authorized to receive it, citing an April news media interview in which he chastised Trump administration officials for using Signal to discuss sensitive military details. Though the anecdote is meant by prosecutors to show Bolton understood proper protocol for government secrets, Bolton’s legal team may also point to it to argue a double standard in enforcement because the Justice Department is not known to have opened any investigation into the Signal episode.

    Authorities say Bolton took meticulous notes about his meetings and briefings as national security adviser and then used a personal email account and messaging platform to share information classified as high as top secret with his family members. After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a message to his relatives, “None of which we talk about!!!” In response, one of his relatives wrote, “Shhhhh,” prosecutors said.

    The two family members were not identified in court papers, but a person familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic details, identified them as Bolton’s wife and daughter.

    A Bolton representative told the FBI in July 2021 that his email account had been hacked by operatives believed to be linked to the Iranian government but did not reveal he had shared classified information through the account or that the hackers now had possession of government secrets, according to the indictment.

    The indictment also accuses Bolton of storing at his home top secret intelligence about a foreign adversary’s plans to attack U.S. forces overseas, covert action taken by the U.S. government or other information authorities say could put the country’s national security at risk.

    Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that the “underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago.”

    He said the charges stem from portions of Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45-year career in government and included unclassified information that was shared only with his immediate family and was known to the FBI as far back as 2021.

    “Like many public officials throughout history,” Lowell said, “Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime.” He said Bolton “did not unlawfully share or store any information.”

    Controversy over a book

    Bolton suggested the criminal case was an outgrowth of an unsuccessful Justice Department effort after he left government to block the publication of his 2020 book “The Room Where It Happened,” which portrayed Trump as grossly misinformed about foreign policy.

    The Trump administration asserted that Bolton’s manuscript contained classified information that could harm national security if exposed. Bolton’s lawyers have said he moved forward with the book after a White House National Security Council official, with whom Bolton had worked for months, said the manuscript no longer had classified information.

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  • Trump commutes sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case

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    President Donald Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges

    • The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign

    • He reported to Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, on July 25 and is being housed in a minimum security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates

    The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign.

    He reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, on July 25 and is being housed in a minimum security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.

    “George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump posted on his social media platform. He said he had “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”

    “Good luck George, have a great life!” Trump said.

    Joseph Murray, one of Santos’ lawyers, said late Friday that the former lawmaker’s family was en route to the prison for his release. Andrew Mancilla, another Santos lawyer, applauded the president “for doing the right thing.”

    Spokespersons for the Bureau of Prisons didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

    Santos’ account on X, which has been active throughout his roughly 84 days in prison, reposted a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post Friday.

    During his time behind bars, Santos has been writing regular dispatches in a local newspaper on Long Island, in which he mainly complained about the prison conditions.

    In his latest letter, though, he pleaded to Trump directly, citing his fealty to the president’s agenda and to the Republican Party.

    “Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity — the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” he wrote in The South Shore Press on Oct. 13. “I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”

    Santos’ commutation is Trump’s latest high-profile act of clemency for former Republican politicians since retaking the White House in January.

    In late May, he pardoned former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who in 2014 pleaded guilty to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. He also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two federal prison stints.

    But in granting clemency to Santos, Trump was rewarding a figure who has drawn scorn from within his own party.

    After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year after it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story.

    On the campaign trail, Santos had claimed he was a successful business consultant with Wall Street cred and a sizable real estate portfolio. But when his resume came under scrutiny, Santos eventually admitted he had never graduated from Baruch College — or been a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team, as he had claimed. He had never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

    He wasn’t even Jewish. Santos insisted he meant he was “Jew-ish” because his mother’s family had a Jewish background, even though he was raised Catholic.

    In truth, the then-34-year-old was struggling financially and even faced eviction.

    Santos was charged in 2023 with stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.

    Within months, he was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives — with 105 Republicans joining with Democrats to make Santos just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues..

    Santos pleaded guilty as he was set to stand trial.

    Still, a prominent former House colleague, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, urged the White House to commute Santos’ sentence, saying in a letter sent just days into his prison bid that the punishment was “a grave injustice” and a product of judicial overreach.

    Greene was among those who cheered the announcement Friday. But U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican who represents part of Long Island and has been highly critical of Santos, said in a post on social media that Santos “didn’t merely lie” and his crimes “warrant more than a three-month sentence.”

    “He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged,” LaLota said.

    Santos’ clemency appears to clear not just his prison term, but also any “further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, or other conditions,” according to a copy of Trump’s order posted on X by Ed Martin, the Justice Department’s pardon attorney.

    As part of his guilty plea, Santos had agreed to pay restitution of $373,750 and forfeiture of $205,003.

    In explaining his reason for granting Santos clemency, Trump said the lies Santos told about himself were no worse than misleading statements U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal — a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration — had made about his military record.

    Blumenthal apologized 15 years ago for implying that he served in Vietnam, when he was stateside in the Marine Reserve during the war.

    “This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump wrote.

    The president himself was convicted in a New York court last year in a case involving hush money payments. He derided the case as part of a politically motivated witch hunt.

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