Texas Highway Patrol will partner with ICE, DPS said Monday.
Katie Goodale/The Augusta Chronicle
USA TODAY NETWORK
The Highway Patrol division of the Texas Department of Public Safety said it would partner with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday, making it the second DPS wing to sign a 287(g) agreement. The program gives state officers the ability to perform designated ICE duties.
The DPS Highway Patrol supervises traffic and is the general law enforcement agency on rural Texas highways.
The DPS Criminal Investigations Division signed onto the 287(g) program on Oct. 17. Before that, the Texas National Guard and the Office of the Attorney General were the only state agencies who were partnered with ICE.
There are three models of participation, and the two DPS divisions signed onto the one that gives them the most responsibilities from ICE. The Task Force Model allows DPS to take custody of undocumented immigrants and arrest an undocumented immigrant without a warrant in specific instances, among other duties, with ICE direction and supervision.
Danny Woodward, a staff attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project, said this should concern every driver in the state of Texas.
“This expanded authority for one of Texas’ primary statewide law enforcement agencies, which includes highway patrol, will inevitably result in more non-safety, racial profiling traffic stops by law enforcement, creating danger on roadways, diverting attention from real public safety concerns, and exposing more people to unnecessary law enforcement interaction and potential arrest,” Woodward said.
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.
Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a cash and stock deal worth about $48.7 billion, creating a massive consumer health goods company.
Shareholders of Kimberly-Clark will own about 54% of the combined company. Kenvue shareholders will own about 46% in what is one of the largest corporate takeovers this year. The deal must still be approved by the shareholders of both companies.
The combined company will have a huge stable of household brands under one roof, putting Kenvue’s Listerine mouthwash and Band-Aid side-by-side with Kimberly-Clark’s Cottonelle toilet paper, Huggies and Kleenex tissues. It will also generate about $32 billion in annual revenue.
Kenvue has spent a relatively brief period as an independent company, having been spun off by Johnson & Johnson two years ago. J&J first announced in late 2021 that it was splitting its slow-growth consumer health division from the pharmaceutical and medical device divisions.
Kenvue has since been targeted by activist investors unhappy about the trajectory of the company and Wall Street appeared to anticipate some heavy lifting ahead for Kimberly-Clark.
Kenvue’s stock jumped 12% Monday afternoon, while shares of Kimberly-Clark, based outside of Dallas, slumped by nearly 15%.
Kenvue shares have shed nearly 50% of their value since approaching $28 in the spring of 2023. Morningstar analyst Keonhee Kim said Kenvue’s volatile journey as a public company may have been driven in part by poor execution and a lack of experience operating as a stand-alone business.
He said the leadership of a more-established consumer products company like Kimberly-Clark could help unlock some of Kenvue’s value.
He also noted that Kenvue brands include Neutrogena, Benadryl and other names that have been in store consumer health aisles for decades. Kim said he thinks Kimberly-Clark may have seen upside in adding those products.
“I think that may have made the deal a lot more attractive … especially after the past couple of months of Kenvue’s stock price decline,” he said.
Trump then urged pregnant women against using the medicine. That went beyond Food and Drug Administration advice that doctors “should consider minimizing” the painkiller acetaminophen’s use in pregnancy — amid inconclusive evidence about whether too much could be linked to autism.
Kennedy reiterated the FDA guidance during a press conference last week. He said that there isn’t sufficient evidence to link the drug to autism.
“We have asked physicians to minimize the use to when it’s absolutely necessary,” he said.
Kenvue has continued to push back on the Trump administration’s public statements about Tylenol and acetaminophen, the active ingredient it contains.
“We strongly disagree with allegations that it does and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents,” Kenvue said in a statement on its website.
The merger could face other hurdles. Citi Investment Research analyst Filippo Falorni said he is concerned about the deal’s size given the recent history in the sector, particularly given the challenges faced by Kenvue.
In July, Kenvue announced that CEO Thibaut Mongon was leaving in the midst of a strategic review, with the company under mounting pressure from activist investors unhappy about growth. Critics say Kenvue has relied too much on its legacy brands and failed to innovate.
Industry analysts also point out the poor track record for mergers involving consumer packaged goods companies. In September, Kraft Heinz said it would break up its decade-old merger. Its net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue, like Kraft Heinz, are facing increasing competition from cheaper store brands. In 2024, 51% of toilet paper and other household paper products sold in the U.S were store brands, according to Circana, a market research company, while store brands held a 24% share of sales of health products, including medications and vitamins.
On Monday, a bottle of 100 extra-strength Tylenol caplets cost $10.97 on Walmart’s website. A bottle of 100 extra-strength acetaminophen caplets from Walmart’s Equate brand cost $1.98.
Inflation drove some of that buyer behavior, Circana said. Shoppers are also shifting their purchases to stores with more private-label brands, like Aldi and Costco. And stores are improving their offerings and adding more of them; last year, Walmart and Target both launched new store brands to complement their existing ones.
Still, both Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue make name-brand products in segments where consumers are less likely to shift to store brands, including hair care, skin care, feminine products and mouth care, according to Circana. Kenvue owns brands like Aveeno and Neutrogena, for example, while Kimberly-Clark makes Kotex and Depend.
Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu will be chairman and CEO of the combined company. Three members of the Kenvue’s board will join Kimberly-Clark’s board at closing. The combined company will keep Kimberly-Clark’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, but there will be significant operations around Kenvue facilities and locations as well.
The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year. It still needs approval from shareholders of both both companies.
Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash and 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares for each Kenvue share held at closing. That amounts to $21.01 per share, based on the closing price of Kimberly-Clark shares on Friday.
Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue said that they identified about $1.9 billion in cost savings that are expected in the first three years after the transaction’s closing.
___
AP Health Writer Tom Murphy contributed to this report.
The second supermoon of the year will appear in the skies this Wednesday. The Beaver Moon, which is always the name of November’s full moon will be the second of three supermoons in 2025.
The Beaver Moon will reach peak illumination around 8:19 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 5th.
What You Need To Know
November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon
This is the second and biggest of three supermoons that will occur this year
The next supermoon will appear on December 4, 2025
The Beaver Moon is named for the time of the year when beavers are preparing to take shelter in their dams for the winter months. An earlier sunset will allow many on the east coast to see the full moon for a longer period of time.
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon is when the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Beaver Moon will be the biggest supermoon since 2019. It’s the second of three supermoons that round out 2025.
Alternative names
According to the farmer’s almanac, names of moons corresponded with entire lunar months and were derived from Native American, Colonial American and European sources.
The month is a transitional month as we move away from summer toward fall and the alternative names reflect this.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The second supermoon of the year will appear in the skies this Wednesday. The Beaver Moon, which is always the name of November’s full moon will be the second of three supermoons in 2025.
The Beaver Moon will reach peak illumination around 8:19 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 5th.
What You Need To Know
November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon
This is the second and biggest of three supermoons that will occur this year
The next supermoon will appear on December 4, 2025
The Beaver Moon is named for the time of the year when beavers are preparing to take shelter in their dams for the winter months. An earlier sunset will allow many on the east coast to see the full moon for a longer period of time.
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon is when the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Beaver Moon will be the biggest supermoon since 2019. It’s the second of three supermoons that round out 2025.
Alternative names
According to the farmer’s almanac, names of moons corresponded with entire lunar months and were derived from Native American, Colonial American and European sources.
The month is a transitional month as we move away from summer toward fall and the alternative names reflect this.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The second supermoon of the year will appear in the skies this week. The Beaver Moon, which is always the name of November’s full moon, will be the second of three supermoons in 2025.
The Beaver Moon will reach peak illumination around 8:19 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Even though its peak is Wednesday morning, it will appear full on both Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
What You Need To Know
November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon
This is the second and biggest of the three supermoons that will occur this year
The next supermoon will appear on Dec. 4, 2025
The Beaver Moon is named for the time of the year when beavers are preparing to take shelter in their dams for the winter months. An earlier sunset will allow many on the east coast to see the full moon for a longer period of time.
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon is when the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Beaver Moon will be the biggest supermoon since 2019. It’s the second of three supermoons that round out 2025.
Alternative names
According to the farmer’s almanac, names of moons corresponded with entire lunar months and were derived from Native American, Colonial American and European sources.
The month is a transitional month as we move away from summer toward fall, and the alternative names reflect this.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The second supermoon of the year will appear in the skies this week. The Beaver Moon, which is always the name of November’s full moon, will be the second of three supermoons in 2025.
The Beaver Moon will reach peak illumination around 8:19 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Even though its peak is Wednesday morning, it will appear full on both Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
What You Need To Know
November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon
This is the second and biggest of the three supermoons that will occur this year
The next supermoon will appear on Dec. 4, 2025
The Beaver Moon is named for the time of the year when beavers are preparing to take shelter in their dams for the winter months. An earlier sunset will allow many on the east coast to see the full moon for a longer period of time.
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon is when the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Beaver Moon will be the biggest supermoon since 2019. It’s the second of three supermoons that round out 2025.
Alternative names
According to the farmer’s almanac, names of moons corresponded with entire lunar months and were derived from Native American, Colonial American and European sources.
The month is a transitional month as we move away from summer toward fall, and the alternative names reflect this.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
Texas’ rapid population growth could lead to a water shortage in the coming years. A Nov. 4 ballot initiative could help secure the state’s water resources.
Romain Costaseca
Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
On the Nov. 4 ballot in Texas is Proposition 4, a measure that would allocate $1 billion a year of state tax money for shoring up Texas’ water supplies, something that officials at the Tarrant Regional Water District would like voters to consider.
Last month, the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University released findings that showed Texas is rapidly consuming its “cheap” water — that water that is easily accessible and requires relatively little treatment before reaching our faucets. In the coming years, as the state’s population continues growing, we’re going to depend more and more on water that’s more expensive to make ready for consumption. That includes the brackish water in aquifers that requires desalination, as well as reuse water that goes through additional treatment before being injected back into cities’ water supplies.
Already, TRWD is providing its municipal customers with reuse water that is treated and filtered, in part, as it flows through a dedicated wetlands area near Richland-Chambers Reservoir, one of six water sources for Tarrant County. TRWD plans to have another wetlands area near Cedar Creek Reservoir on line by 2032.
This mechanism relies on natural processes and aquatic life to remove sediment and nutrients from treated wastewater that is discharged into the Trinity River. After the water leaves the wetlands, it’s directed into the reservoir, then sent to TRWD’s municipal customers for final treatment.
To some, recycled water may sound unappetizing, but Zach Huff, TRWD’s water resources engineering director, said it meets all safety standards and is perfectly fine to drink.
“We’ve been using reuse water since the beginning of time,” said Huff. “It’s a perception thing.”
Like TRWD, providers across Texas are turning to nontraditional water sources to meet growing demand. By 2060, Texas’ population is expected to grow by between 10 million and 15 million people. In Tarrant County alone, the population could surpass 3 million people by 2060, up from just over 2.1 million in 2020.
We’re going to need new, and expensive, infrastructure to provide enough water to all those new people. That’s where Proposition 4 comes in. That $1 billion a year over 20 years, beginning in 2027, would go some distance toward ensuring Texas is water resilient, experts say, though it falls far short of the $154 billion the Texas Real Estate Research Center said the state would need to invest to avoid a potential water shortfall during future drought conditions.
TRWD’s seven-year plan has about $2 billion worth of projects. Huff said a portion of the Proposition 4 money could go to subsidizing those. The rest of the funding would come from TRWD’s water customers, which includes municipal customers in Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield.
A dependable funding source is important, Huff said, because TRWD is constantly looking at least 20 years ahead with its projects. Because of that, TRWD can’t rely solely on income from customers to finance its activities.
“You can’t wait until just in time,” Huff said of developing water infrastructure. “And being several decades ahead is a big financial burden.”
State funding alleviates some of that burden, Huff said, and helps providers like TRWD keep costs to their customers lower.
Should Proposition 4 pass, that $1 billion a year would come from state sales and use tax income once it exceeds $46.5 billion. That money would go directly to the Texas Water Fund, which is administered by the Texas Water Development Board. A portion of the money would be earmarked for the New Water Supply Fund for Texas, with an eye toward developing new water source infrastructure.
Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.
The Big 12 had two teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in two years Sunday, Notre Dame was back in the top 10 after a two-month absence and Oklahoma and Texas made the biggest upward moves.
The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night to kick off the run-up to the CFP bracket release Dec. 7.
The Buckeyes and Hoosiers again were followed by Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Mississippi. Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami shuffled the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 spots, now held by BYU, Texas Tech and Notre Dame.
The distribution of first-place votes was the same as last week. Ohio State received 54, Indiana got 11 and Texas A&M one.
No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech gave the Big 12 two teams in the top 10 for the first time since Oct. 29, 2023. The Cougars, who were idle, have their highest ranking of the season. The Red Raiders won at Kansas State and re-entered the top 10 for the first time in three weeks. The two teams face each other this weekend.
Notre Dame, winner of six straight, was pushed by a one-win Boston College on the road before it won by 15 points and moved up two spots to No. 10. The Fighting Irish were last in the top 10 in Week 3, at No. 8, before a home loss to Texas A&M dropped them to 0-2 and dropped them to No. 24.
No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas received seven-spot promotions for their wins Saturday. The Sooners beat Tennessee on the road and the Longhorns knocked off Vanderbilt at home. Tennessee took the biggest fall, dropping nine spots to No. 23.
In and out
— No. 24 Washington, which was idle, is in the poll for the first time since it finished the 2023 season at No. 2 following its loss to Michigan in the national championship game. The Huskies’ only losses are to No. 1 Ohio State at home and to a then-unranked Michigan on the road.
— Houston, whose No. 22 ranking last week was its first Top 25 appearance since 2022, dropped out after losing at home to West Virginia.
Poll points
— BYU has risen in the poll six straight weeks since making its debut on Sept. 21. The Cougars have gone from No. 25 to No. 8 over that span.
— Miami’s losses to two then-unranked opponents in three weeks have caused a 16-spot plummet, from No. 2 to No. 18.
— Ohio State is in the Top 25 for a 90th straight poll, third-most on the active list. Notre Dame is in a 50th straight time, fifth on the active list.
— Texas made its 800th appearance in the poll, seventh all-time.
— No. 8 BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1): The game of the year in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have lost 16 straight against top-10 teams.
— No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) at No. 19 Missouri (6-2, 2-2): The Aggies embarrassed Missouri in College Station last year, getting out to a 34-0 lead and winning 41-7.
Flight delays continued at U.S. airports Sunday amid air traffic controller shortages as the government shutdown entered its second month, with Newark airport in New Jersey experiencing delays of two to three hours.
New York City’s Emergency Management office said on X that Newark delays often ripple out to the region’s other airports.
Travelers flying to, from or through New York “should expect schedule changes, gate holds, and missed connections. Anyone flying today should check flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer waits,” the social media post added.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O’Hare were also seeing dozens of delays and one or two cancellations, along with major airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami, according to FlightAware.
As of Sunday evening, FlightAware said there were 4,295 delays and 557 cancelations of flights within, into or out of the U.S., not all related to controller shortages. In July, before the shutdown, about 69% of flights were on time and 2.5% were canceled.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go without a paycheck.
“We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights canceled to make sure the system is safe,” Duffy said Sunday on CBS’S “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
He also said he does not plan to fire air traffic controllers who don’t show up for work.
“Again when they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” Duffy said. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.”
Earlier in October, Duffy had warned air traffic controllers who had called in sick instead of working without a paycheck during the shutdown risked being fired. Even a small number of controllers not showing up for work is causing problems because the FAA has a critical shortage of them.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday on X that nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks.
Staffing shortages can occur both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, flight data showed strong on-time performance at most major U.S. airports for the month of October despite isolated staffing problems throughout the month.
Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a long-standing shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.
Halloween was a few days ago, but don’t throw out those pumpkins. There are lots ways to reuse your pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns now that the trick-or-treating is done.
What You Need To Know
There are several ways to recycle your pumpkins
Leftover pumpkins can make tasty dishes
Pumpkin scraps are also an excellent fertilizer for your garden.
Turn pumpkins into food
If you didn’t carve the pumpkins yet, consider using it for food. You can scoop out the guts of the pumpkin and turn it into a puree.
To make a puree, you need to cut up the pumpkin and roast the halves. After they’ve roasted, scoop out the flesh and blend it to turn into a puree.
The puree could then be used to make pies, soups and sauces.
(Pexels)
You can also the roast the pumpkin seeds too after taking out the guts and rinsing them. One cup of pumpkin seeds is equivalent to approximately 12 grams of protein.
Pumpkin for animals
Leftover pumpkins can also become bird feeders.
You just have to cut off the top third of the pumpkin, empty the cavity, fill it with bird seeds and hang it in the yard for the birds.
Check with your local zoo. Some will take donated pumpkin scraps and use them as feed for animals. Polar bears enjoy them as a snack.
Composting pumpkins
Pumpkins are also good for composting. You can use the pumpkin scraps to help fertilize your garden.
You can even make it a game for kids to smash leftover pumpkins and use it as compost.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
Halloween was a few days ago, but don’t throw out those pumpkins. There are lots ways to reuse your pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns now that the trick-or-treating is done.
What You Need To Know
There are several ways to recycle your pumpkins
Leftover pumpkins can make tasty dishes
Pumpkin scraps are also an excellent fertilizer for your garden.
Turn pumpkins into food
If you didn’t carve the pumpkins yet, consider using it for food. You can scoop out the guts of the pumpkin and turn it into a puree.
To make a puree, you need to cut up the pumpkin and roast the halves. After they’ve roasted, scoop out the flesh and blend it to turn into a puree.
The puree could then be used to make pies, soups and sauces.
(Pexels)
You can also the roast the pumpkin seeds too after taking out the guts and rinsing them. One cup of pumpkin seeds is equivalent to approximately 12 grams of protein.
Pumpkin for animals
Leftover pumpkins can also become bird feeders.
You just have to cut off the top third of the pumpkin, empty the cavity, fill it with bird seeds and hang it in the yard for the birds.
Check with your local zoo. Some will take donated pumpkin scraps and use them as feed for animals. Polar bears enjoy them as a snack.
Composting pumpkins
Pumpkins are also good for composting. You can use the pumpkin scraps to help fertilize your garden.
You can even make it a game for kids to smash leftover pumpkins and use it as compost.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The Big 12 had two teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in two years Sunday, Notre Dame was back in the top 10 after a two-month absence and Oklahoma and Texas made the biggest upward moves.
The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night to kick off the run-up to the CFP bracket release Dec. 7.
The Buckeyes and Hoosiers again were followed by Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Mississippi. Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami shuffled the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 spots, now held by BYU, Texas Tech and Notre Dame.
The distribution of first-place votes was the same as last week. Ohio State received 54, Indiana got 11 and Texas A&M one.
No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech gave the Big 12 two teams in the top 10 for the first time since Oct. 29, 2023. The Cougars, who were idle, have their highest ranking of the season. The Red Raiders won at Kansas State and re-entered the top 10 for the first time in three weeks. The two teams face each other this weekend.
Notre Dame, winner of six straight, was pushed by a one-win Boston College on the road before it won by 15 points and moved up two spots to No. 10. The Fighting Irish were last in the top 10 in Week 3, at No. 8, before a home loss to Texas A&M dropped them to 0-2 and dropped them to No. 24.
— No. 24 Washington, which was idle, is in the poll for the first time since it finished the 2023 season at No. 2 following its loss to Michigan in the national championship game. The Huskies’ only losses are to No. 1 Ohio State at home and to a then-unranked Michigan on the road.
— BYU has risen in the poll six straight weeks since making its debut on Sept. 21. The Cougars have gone from No. 25 to No. 8 over that span.
— Miami’s losses to two then-unranked opponents in three weeks have caused a 16-spot plummet, from No. 2 to No. 18.
— Ohio State is in the Top 25 for a 90th straight poll, third-most on the active list. Notre Dame is in a 50th straight time, fifth on the active list.
— Texas made its 800th appearance in the poll, seventh all-time.
— No. 8 BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1): The game of the year in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have lost 16 straight against top-10 teams.
— No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) at No. 19 Missouri (6-2, 2-2): The Aggies embarrassed Missouri in College Station last year, getting out to a 34-0 lead and winning 41-7.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
No. 8 Georgia Tech was upset for the first time this season, defeated by North Carolina State. That leaves the Bowl Subdivision with four unbeaten teams, given that Navy also lost.
All top 5 poll spots are likely to remain unchanged, given that No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana both reeled in victories and No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama were idle. That leaves No. 5 Georgia unlikely to move up despite a win this week, because the Bulldogs have already lost to the Crimson Tide.
Promotions may be in store for No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 15 Virginia, No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 20 Texas, thanks to their wins this weekend.
How high will they climb?
Follow live updates from The Associated Press below for poll projections, game recaps and voter answers to fan questions, all in one place.
Four top 10 teams came out on top of their matchups this week, but three lost games.
Ohio State (1), Indiana (2), Georgia (5) and Ole Miss (7) notched conference wins on Saturday.
Ohio State running back Bo Jackson, top, is tackled by Penn State defensive back Antoine Belgrave-Shorter during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
The remaining top 10 teams weren’t as fortunate. NC State outscored No. 8 Georgia Tech 48-36, handing the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season. No. 9 Vanderbilt dropped 34-31 to No. 20 Texas. And No. 10 Miami suffered its second defeat in the past three games, falling 26-20 to SMU in overtime.
Texas (3), Alabama (4), Oregon (6) and BYU (T-10) were idle.
Who votes in the poll and how does it work?
No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, which has done the job since 1936.
AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.
Voting is a straight points system: A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote is worth 24 points, down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote.
Then it’s just a summary of which teams are 1-25 based on the totals. Others receiving votes are also noted.
Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
When it comes to Proposition 50, Marcia Owens is a bit fuzzy on the details.
She knows, vaguely, it has something to do with how California draws the boundaries for its 52 congressional districts, a convoluted and arcane process that’s not exactly top of the mind for your average person. But Owens is abundantly clear when it comes to her intent in Tuesday’s special election.
“I’m voting to take power out of Trump’s hands and put it back in the hands of the people,” said Owens, 48, a vocational nurse in Riverside. “He’s making a lot of illogical decisions that are really wreaking havoc on our country. He’s not putting our interests first, making sure that an individual has food on the table, they can pay their rent, pay electric bills, pay for healthcare.”
Peter Arensburger, a fellow Democrat who also lives in Riverside, was blunter still.
President Trump, said the 55-year-old college professor, “is trying to rule as a dictator” and Republicans are doing absolutely nothing to stop him.
So, Arensburger said, California voters will do it for them.
Or at least try.
“It’s a false equivalency,” he said, “to say that we need to do everything on an even keel in California, but Texas” — which redrew its political map to boost Republicans — “can do whatever they want.”
A reasoned attempt to even things out in response to Texas’ attempt to nab five more congressional seats. Or a ruthless gambit to drive the California GOP to near-extinction.
It all depends on your perspective.
Above all, Proposition 50 has become a political ink-blot test; what many California voters see depends on, politically, where they stand.
Mary Ann Rounsavall thinks the measure is “horrible,” because that’s how the Fontana retiree feels about its chief proponent, Gavin Newsom.
“He’s a jerk,” the 75-year-old Republican fairly spat, as if the act of forming the governor’s name left a bad taste in her mouth. “No one believes anything he says.”
Timothy, a fellow Republican who withheld his last name to avoid online trolls, echoed the sentiment.
“It’s just Gavin Newsom playing political games,” said the 39-year-old warehouse manager, who commutes from West Covina to his job at a plumbing supplier in Ontario. “They always talk about Trump. ‘Trump, Trump, Trump.’ Get off of Trump. I’ve been hearing this crap ever since he started running.”
Riverside and San Bernardino counties form the heart of the Inland Empire. The next-door neighbors are politically purple: more Republican than the state as a whole, but not as conservative as California’s more rural reaches. That means neither party has an upper hand, a parity reflected in dozens of interviews with voters across the sprawling region.
On a recent smoggy morning, the hulking San Bernardino Mountains veiled by a gray-brown haze, Eric Lawson paused to offer his thoughts.
The 66-year-old independent has no use for politicians of any stripe. “They’re all crooks,” he said. “All of them.”
Lawson called Proposition 50 a waste of time and money.
Gerrymandering — the dark art of drawing political lines to benefit one party over another — is, as he pointed out, hardly new. (In fact, the term is rooted in the name of Elbridge Gerry, one of the nation’s founders.)
What has Lawson particularly steamed is the cost of “this stupid election,” which is pushing $300 million.
“We talk and talk and talk and we print money for all this talk,” said Lawson, who lives in Ontario and consults in the auto industry. “But that money doesn’t go where it’s supposed to go.”
Although sentiments were evenly split in those several dozen conversations, all indications suggest that Proposition 50 is headed toward passage Tuesday, possibly by a wide margin. After raising a tidal wave of cash, Newsom last week told small donors that’s enough, thanks. The opposition has all but given up and resigned itself to defeat.
It comes down to math. Proposition 50 has become a test of party muscle and a talisman of partisan faith and California has a lot more Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents than Republicans and GOP-leaning independents.
Andrea Fisher, who opposes the initiative, is well aware of that fact. “I’m a conservative,” she said, “in a state that’s not very conservative.”
She has come to accept that reality, but fears things will get worse if Democrats have their way and slash California’s already-scanty Republican ranks on Capitol Hill. Among those targeted for ouster is Ken Calvert, a 16-term GOP incumbent who represents a good slice of Riverside County.
“I feel like it’s going to eliminate my voice,” said Fisher, 48, a food server at her daughter’s school in Riverside. “If I’m 40% of the vote” — roughly the percentage Trump received statewide in 2024 — “then we in that population should have fair representation. We’re still their constituents.” (In Riverside County, Trump edged Kamala Harris 49% to 48%.)
Amber Pelland says Proposition 50 will hurt voters by putting redistricting back into the hands of politicians.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Amber Pelland, 46, who works in the nonprofit field in Corona, feels by “sticking it to Trump” — a tagline in one of the TV ads supporting Proposition 50 — voters will be sticking it to themselves. Passage would erase the political map drawn by an independent commission, which voters empowered in 2010 for the express purpose of wrestling redistricting away from self-dealing lawmakers in Washington and Sacramento.
“I don’t care if you hate the person or don’t hate the person,” said Pelland, a Republican who backs the president. “It’s just going to hurt voters by taking the power away from the people.”
Even some backers of Proposition 50 flinched at the notion of sidelining the redistricting commission and undoing its painstaking, nonpartisan work. What helps make it palatable, they said, is the requirement — written into the ballot measure — that congressional redistricting will revert to the commission after the 2030 census, when California’s next set of congressional maps is due to be drafted.
“I’m glad that it’s temporary because I don’t think redistricting should be done in order to give one political party greater power over another,” said Carole, a Riverside Democrat. “I think it’s something that should be decided over a long period and not in a rush.” (She also withheld her last name so her husband, who serves in the community, wouldn’t be hassled for her opinion.)
Texas, Carole suggested, has forced California to act because of its extreme action, redistricting at mid-decade at Trump’s command. “It’s important to think about the country as a whole,” said the 51-year-old academic researcher, “and to respond to what’s being done, especially with the pressure coming from the White House.”
Felise Self-Visnic, a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher, agreed.
She was shopping at a Trader Joe’s in Riverside in an orange ball cap that read “Human-Kind (Be Both).” Back home, in her garage-door window, is a poster that reads “No Kings.”
She described Proposition 50 as a stopgap measure that will return power to the commission once the urgency of today’s political upheaval has passed. But even if that wasn’t the case, the Democrat said, she would still vote in favor.
“Anything,” Self-Visnic said, “to fight fascism, which is where we’re heading.”
A demonstration voting machine at the Tarrant County Election Administration displays the screen voters will see after casting their ballot on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, in Fort Worth. The 2025 local runoff election will take place on June 7.
FortWorth
Unless there’s a major swell Tuesday, just a small fraction of Tarrant County’s registered voters will decide the results of Tuesday’s election.
During early voting, 111,291 of Tarrant County’s roughly 1.3 million registered voters cast ballots in person, according to an unofficial tally from the Tarrant County Elections Administration. The in-person early voting period started Oct. 20 and ended Friday.
Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years. Support my work with a digital subscription
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Arch Manning is available to play for the No. 20 Longhorns on Saturday against No. 9 Vanderbilt after clearing concussion protocol.
Manning was not listed on Texas’ injury report filed Friday night with the Southeastern Conference. Manning had been listed as questionable on Wednesday, but coach Steve Sarkisian also said his quarterback was practicing and making “good progress” during the week.
Manning was injured in Texas’ 45-38 overtime win over Mississippi State when he led a 17-point fourth-quarter rally. Matthew Caldwell entered the game in overtime and threw the winning touchdown pass.
Manning has passed for 1,795 yards and 15 touchdowns. A preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, Manning struggled for much of the early season but played his best game against Mississippi State with 346 yards passing and three touchdowns. He passed for 169 yards in the final quarter.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The discovery was made Oct. 29 at the Camino Real International Bridge when officers referred a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban for secondary inspection.
A closer search revealed five plastic bottles containing 88.8 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $816,556, CBP said in a statement.
“This significant seizure was possible because of the continued vigilance and alertness our CBP officers put forth on a daily basis,” Port Director Pete Beattie of the Eagle Pass Port of Entry said.
90 lbs of liquid methamphetamine was confiscated by CBP officers at Eagle Pass, Texas on Oct. 29.(Customs and Border Protection)
On social media, the agency struck a lighter note, posting photos of the evidence with the caption:
“When there’s something strange, in a vehicle, who you gonna call? Meth Busters!”
The pun-filled post quickly drew attention online, but officials emphasized the serious stakes behind the operation, calling the seizure part of an intensified effort to block synthetic drugs at South Texas ports of entry.
Federal authorities display barrels containing chemicals used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine during a news conference in Pasadena, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.(Ronaldo Schemidt/Getty)
Liquid-form meth shipments have become increasingly common along the border, according to CBP data. The agency has reported several similar interdictions in recent months, including seizures at Laredo, Brownsville and Pharr involving narcotics concealed in vehicle compartments and household containers.
Two men were arrested in July after law enforcement seized nearly 900 pounds of suspected methamphetamine worth approximately $1.7 million.(@FBIDDBongino via X)
CBP said it will continue heightened inspections along the Eagle Pass corridor, where officers process thousands of commercial and passenger vehicles daily.
The agency urged the public to remain alert for smuggling activity and to report suspicious behavior through the CBP Tip Line or by contacting local authorities.
CBP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
Originally known as the food stamp program, it has existed since 1964, serving low-income people, many of whom have jobs but don’t make enough money to cover all the basic costs of living.
Public attention has focused on the program since President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 in the midst of a monthlong federal government shutdown. The administration argued it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it to help keep the program going. But on Friday, two federal judges ruled in separate challenges that the federal government must continue to fund SNAP, at least partially, using contingency funds. However, the federal government is expected to appeal, and the process to restart SNAP payments would likely take one to two weeks.
Here’s a look at how SNAP works.
There are income limits based on family size, expenses and whether households include someone who is elderly or has a disability.
Most SNAP participants are families with children, and more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability.
Nearly 2 in 5 recipients are households where someone is employed.
Most participants have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023.
People who are not in the country legally, and many immigrants who do have legal status, are not eligible. Many college students aren’t either, and some states have barred people with certain drug convictions.
Under a provision of Trump’s big tax and policy law that also takes effect Nov. 1, people who do not have disabilities, are between ages 18 and 64 and who do not have children under age 14 can receive benefits for only three months every three years if they’re not working. Otherwise, they must work, volunteer or participate in a work training program at least 80 hours a month.
How much do beneficiaries receive?
On average, the monthly benefit per household participating in SNAP over the past few years has been about $350, and the average benefit per person is about $190.
The benefit amount varies based on a family’s income and expenses. The designated amount is based on the concept that households should allocate 30% of their remaining income after essential expenses to food.
Families can receive higher amounts if they pay child support, have monthly medical expenses exceeding $35 or pay a higher portion of their income on housing.
The cost of benefits and half the cost of running the program is paid by the federal government using tax dollars.
States pay the rest of the administrative costs and run the program.
People apply for SNAP through a state or county social service agency or through a nonprofit that helps people with applications. In some states, SNAP is known by another, state-specific name. For instance, it’s FoodShare in Wisconsin and CalFresh in California.
The benefits are delivered through electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, cards that work essentially like a bank debit card. Besides SNAP, it’s where money is loaded for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program, which provides cash assistance for low-income families with children, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
The card is swiped or inserted in a store’s card reader at checkout, and the cardholder enters their PIN to pay for food. The cost of the food is deducted from the person’s SNAP account balance.
SNAP benefits can only be used for food at participating stores — mostly groceries, supermarkets, discount retail stores, convenience stores and farmers markets. It also covers plants and seeds bought to grow your own food. However, hot foods — like restaurant meals — are not covered.
Most, but not all, food stores participate. The USDA provides a link on its website to a SNAP retail locator, allowing people to enter an address to get the closest retailers to them.
Items commonly found in a grocery and other participating stores that can’t be bought with SNAP benefits include pet food, household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products, and toiletries like toothpaste, shampoo and cosmetics. Vitamins, medicines, alcohol and tobacco products are also excluded.
Sales tax is not charged on items bought with SNAP benefits.
Are there any restrictions?
There aren’t additional restrictions today on which foods can be purchased with SNAP money.
But the federal government is allowing states to apply to limit which foods can be purchased with SNAP starting in 2026.
All of them will bar buying soft drinks, most say no to candy, and some block energy drinks.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The state program intended to give additional exposure to businesses owned by women, minorities and disabled veterans seeking state contracts was frozen by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ office this week, the latest instance of Republican state officials targeting a program perceived as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Information regarding the Historically Underutilized Business program was removed from the comptroller’s website and the office said it was pausing the issuance of all new and renewed certifications for state procurement, according to a statement by the comptroller’s office.
The office said it was freezing the program to allow for a review to ensure it is constitutional and complies with Gov. Greg Abbott’s January executive order banning DEI programs from state agencies.
“Businesses deserve a level playing field where government contracts are earned by performance and best value — not race or sex quotas,” acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock wrote on social media Tuesday. “We must END ALL DEI in Texas!”
Hancock’s social media posts were coupled with a memo to state agencies and universities saying they are prohibited from granting contracts on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.
While his office has stopped issuing new certifications, Hancock does not have the power to end the program altogether.
The program, in its current form, was written into state law over the course of several legislative sessions during the 1990s. Doing away with the program would require either a court ruling it unconstitutional or the Legislature repealing the law.
State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, co-authored the 1999 bill that codified the program into state law and said its opponents misunderstand the program’s intent and effectiveness.
“The program is not a quota program,” West said Thursday. “This program was passed when (George) W. Bush was governor of Texas, and he was not a governor that would have accepted a quota program. We were able to strike what we thought was a good compromise, a fair program that made sure agencies would go out and make an effort to seek procurement opportunities.
“All it does is create opportunities for smaller, disadvantaged businesses to be part of the procurement network for the state of Texas,” West added.
That legislation placed the program under the purview of the comptroller’s office, which is tasked with certifying HUB businesses and monitoring other state agencies for compliance in their procurement processes. A business can be certified under the program if a majority of its ownership is determined to be an “economically disadvantaged person,” defined by the state as Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, Asian Pacific Americans, Native Americans and disabled veterans.
The law sets requirements for state agencies to solicit bids from a set number of HUB-certified businesses, but does not require that a HUB-certified business must be selected for a given contract.
The law also set statewide goals for HUB participation in state contracts based on the 2009 State of Texas Disparity Study. That study was also removed from the comptroller’s office on Tuesday.
Michael Adams, a professor and director of the Master of Public Affairs Graduate Program at Texas Southern University, said programs seeking to increase the participation of women and minority-owned businesses in the public procurement process are present in all levels of government across the country.
With government representation of minorities still lagging behind their population, programs like Texas’ HUB program were seen as a way of helping historically disenfranchised groups by taking advantage of government’s status as the nation’s largest employer to fight discrimination, Adams said.
“How do you move beyond the public welfare state if you don’t have the opportunity to strike out and create a business and create opportunity for yourself?” Adams said. “In terms of policy outputs, the HUBs have been a way of doing that.”
West said the program has not been a political issue throughout most of its existence, arguing the recent attention is a result of Republican attempts during President Donald Trump’s second term to roll back decades of progress toward societal equity.
“It’s all part of the Project 2025 plan,” West said, referencing an ultra-conservative political initiative published by Heritage Foundation in preparation for Trump’s second term. “Many of the cultural wars in America start in Texas … Now we’re trying to further Trump’s goals to do away with any programs that give people a hand up, not a hand down.”
West noted that women-owned businesses are by far the biggest benefactor of the HUB program, “but the focus by Republicans has been on the poster child, which are African American owned businesses.”
Hancock took office in July in an acting role after former Comptroller Glen Hegar was named chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Hancock said the review of the program has been a top priority since he took office.
The decision comes after Austin-based recruiting company Aerospace Solutions sued the state last November arguing the HUB program puts it at a disadvantage when bidding for state contracts because it is not a HUB-certified company.
This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
It’s that time of the year again, when we “fall back” one hour, ending daylight saving time and returning to standard time and thus igniting the semi-annual debate.
Do we proceed with the current standards and switch the clocks biannually in 48 of the 50 states? Or do we establish one standard and end this shifting of time?
19 states say yes, end the shifting and establish permanent daylight saving time. Federal law says no, and thus the debate continues.
Why we change the clocks
The United States began the concept of daylight saving time in 1918, during World War I, to save fuel. The thought was that by advancing one hour ahead, coal-fired energy would assist the war effort rather than that hour at home.
Standard time returned following the war and continued until World War II. After World War II, some states and even cities kept daylight saving time, creating various time zones within regions. Frustrated with no uniform time, the public pushed Congress to pass the Uniform Time Act in 1966.
This established the time frame for daylight saving time would begin the last Sunday in April and end the last Sunday in October.
In 1987, it extended to include the first Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October.
Part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the modern daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
This current time shift began in 2007, but this practice, according to millions of Americans, is outdated.
Not every state changes the clocks
The law passed by Congress in 1966 allows states to opt out of observing daylight saving and stay in standard time year-round but not the other way around. Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, along with multiple U.S. territories have done so and thus stay in standard time the full year.
Hawaii doesn’t take part because of its location. With not much variation throughout the year between sunrise and sunset, it made little sense to switch the clocks.
Only the Navajo Nation in Arizona observes daylight saving time. The rest of the state exempted itself in 1968.
They cited the heat as their reason for opting out, adding that if they switched the clocks ahead one hour, the sun would not set until 9 p.m. in the summer, limiting nighttime activities.
President Trump’s feelings on time change
Even President Trump sees it from both sides of the debate.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our nation,” he wrote on his social media back on Dec. 13, 2024.
However, his Truth Social post in April boasted something completely different.
A hearing convened in April by the Senate Commerce Committee was debating this issue. Trump’s endorsement might help settle the debate for lawmakers.
Sunshine Protection Act and its opponents
On March 15, 2022, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously in favor of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, meaning Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year to account for the time change.
While the Senate passed the bill, three and a half years later it remains stalled in the House and has not been signed into law by President Trump.
Not everyone agrees with eliminating standard time.
Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton was on hand to thwart a bipartisan effort on the chamber floor to pass a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time.
“If permanent Daylight Savings Time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans,” said Cotton in his objection to a request by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to advance the bill by unanimous consent.
Adding, “For many Arkansans, permanent daylight savings time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until after 8:00 or even 8:30 a.m. during the dead of winter,” Emphasizing, “The darkness of permanent savings time would be especially harmful for school children and working Americans.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called for the Senate to pass the bill this week, citing states’ rights as a major reason for his support for the so-called “Sunshine Protection Act.”
“It allows the people of each state to choose what best fits their needs and the needs of their families,” said Scott. “The American people are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year. It’s confusing, unnecessary and completely outdated.”
Cotton strengthened his argument by bringing up the “abject failure” of the last time Congress enacted permanent daylight saving time in 1974, pledging to always oppose legislation that would do just that.
Vote in Live Poll: Cancel daylight saving time or stay on it permanently?
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