The Republican governor of Indiana said Monday hes scheduling a special session to redraw congressional boundaries after weeks of pressure to back President Donald Trumps bid to add more winnable seats with midcycle redistricting.

Trump has pressed Republicans to draw new maps that give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House in the midterms. While Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have moved quickly to enact new districts, Indiana lawmakers have been hesitant.

Republican Gov. Mike Braun called for the General Assembly to convene Nov. 3 for the special session. Its unclear whether enough of the GOP majority Senate will back new maps.

The White House held multiple meetings with Indiana lawmakers who have held out for months. The legislative leaders kept their cards close as speculation swirled over whether the state known for its more measured approach to Republican politics would answer the redistricting call.

National pressure campaign

Vice President JD Vance first met with Braun and legislative leaders in Indianapolis in August and Trump met privately with state House Speaker Todd Huston and state Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray in the Oval Office weeks later. Vance also spoke to state lawmakers visiting Washington that day.

Vance returned to Indianapolis on Oct. 10 to meet with the governor, as well as the Republican state House and Senate members.

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Braun is a staunch ally of Trump in a state the president won by 19 percentage points in 2024. But Indiana lawmakers have avoided the national spotlight in recent years especially after a 2022 special session that yielded a strict abortion ban. Braun previously said he did not want to call a special session until he was sure lawmakers would back a new map.

I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair, Braun said in a statement Monday.

Typically, states redraw boundaries of congressional districts every 10 years after the census has concluded. Opponents are expected to challenge any new maps in court.

State lawmakers have the sole power to draw maps in Indiana, where Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers. Democrats could not stop a special session by refusing to attend, as their peers in Texas briefly did.

Opposition to redrawing the maps midcycle

A spokesperson for Bray said last week that the Indiana Senate lacked the votes to pass a new congressional map and she said Monday that the votes are still lacking, casting doubt on whether a special session will achieve Braun's goals.

With only 10 Democrats in the 50-member Senate, that means more than a dozen of the 40 Republicans oppose the idea. Some state Republican lawmakers have warned that midcycle redistricting can be costly and could backfire politically.

Republicans who vote against redistricting could to be forced out of office if their colleagues back primary opponents as punishment for not towing the party line. Braun's move to call a special session could force lawmakers who haven't commented publicly to take a stance.

Indianas Republican legislative leaders praised existing boundaries after adopting them four years ago.

I believe these maps reflect feedback from the public and will serve Hoosiers well for the next decade, Bray said at the time.

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Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder decried the special session and threatened legal action over any maps passed by the Legislature.

This is not democracy. This is desperation," she said in a statement.

Redistricting balloons

Democrats only need to gain three seats to flip control of the U.S. House, and redistricting fights have erupted in multiple states.

Some Democratic states have moved to counter Republican gains with new legislative maps. The latest, Virginia, is expected to take up the issue in a special session starting this week.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Indianas congressional delegation 7-2, limiting possibilities of squeezing out another seat. But many in the party see it as a chance for the GOP to represent all nine seats.

The GOP would likely target Indianas 1st Congressional District, a longtime Democratic stronghold that encompasses Gary and other cities near Chicago in the states northwest corner. The seat held by third-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan has been seen by Republicans as a possible pickup in recent elections.

Lawmakers in Indiana redrew the borders of the district to be slightly more favorable toward Republicans in the 2022 election, but did not entirely split it up. The new maps were not challenged in court after they were approved in 2021, not even by Democrats and allies who had opposed the changes boosting GOP standing in the suburbs north of Indianapolis.

Mrvan still won reelection in 2022 and easily retained his seat in 2024.

I believe that representation should be earned through ideas and service, not political manipulation, Mrvan said in a statement Monday.

Republicans could also zero in on Indianas 7th Congressional District, composed entirely of Marion County and the Democratic stronghold of Indianapolis. But that option would be more controversial, potentially slicing up the states largest city and diluting Black voters influence.

A fighter jet and a helicopter based off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz both crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said.

The three crew members of the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued on Sunday afternoon, and the two aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet ejected and were recovered safely, and all five are safe and in stable condition, the fleet said in a statement.

The causes of the two crashes were under investigation, the statement said.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo on Monday, said the incidents could have been caused by bad fuel. He ruled out foul play and said there was nothing to hide.

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The USS Nimitz is returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer as part of the U.S. response to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning.

Another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, suffered a series of mishaps in recent months while deployed to the Middle East.

In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 jet from the Truman.

Then, in April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the Truman's hangar deck and fell into the Red Sea.

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And in May, an F/A fighter jet landing on the carrier in the Red Sea went overboard after apparently failing to catch the steel cables used to stop landing planes and forcing its two pilots to eject.

No sailors were killed in any of those mishaps. The results of investigations into those incidents have yet to be released.

Former New York Jets center Nick Mangold, one of the franchise's most popular and decorated players, has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 41.

The Jets said in a statement on social media that Mangold died Saturday night from complications of kidney disease.

We are heartbroken to share the news of Nick Mangolds sudden passing.

New York Jets (@nyjets) October 26, 2025

His death comes less than two weeks after the two-time All-Pro selection announced on social media that he had kidney disease and needed a transplant. He said he didn't have any relatives who were able to donate, so he went public with the request for a donor with type O blood.

I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have had more time, he wrote in a message directed to the Jets and Ohio State communities.

While this has been a tough stretch, Im staying positive and focused on the path ahead. Im looking forward to better days and getting back to full strength soon. Ill see you all at MetLife Stadium & The Shoe very soon.

Mangold said he was diagnosed with a genetic defect in 2006 that led to chronic kidney disease. He was on dialysis while waiting for a transplant.

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Nick was more than a legendary center, Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. He was the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade and a beloved teammate whose leadership and toughness defined an era of Jets football. Off the field, Nicks wit, warmth, and unwavering loyalty made him a cherished member of our extended Jets family.

Mangold was a first-round draft pick of the Jets in 2006 out of Ohio State and was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. He was enshrined in the Jets ring of honor in 2022.

Mangold is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their four children Matthew, Eloise, Thomas and Charlotte.

The NCAA owes a former college football player and his wife $18 million, a South Carolina jury decided while finding college sports major governing body negligent in failing to warn the player about the long-term effects of concussions.

Following a civil trial that wrapped up late last week, Orangeburg County jurors awarded $10 million to 68-year-old Robert Geathers, who played at South Carolina State University from 1977 to 1980 as a defensive end. His wife, Debra, was awarded $8 million, according to a court document.

A physician diagnosed Robert Geathers with dementia several years ago, The Times and Democrat newspaper in Orangeburg reported. Now he has trouble with day-to-day tasks such as dressing himself and helping making meals.

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Other physicians who testified at the trial said Geathers displays symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease found in former football players who received repeated blows to their heads while playing. CTE can be diagnosed only posthumously.

The couples attorneys argued to jurors that blows Geathers took during practices and games for the historically Black school in Orangeburg caused trauma that didnt show up until decades later, the newspaper reported.

Geathers attorney Bakari Sellers alleged the NCAA knew about concussion risks since the 1930s and when Robert Geathers college career ended but didnt tell coaches or players about those risks until later.

All of the information they knew, they withheld, Sellers told jurors, adding that their job was to keep the boys safe."

The verdict can be appealed. NCAA spokesperson Greg Johnson said Saturday in an email that the organization disagreed with the verdict and that it was prepared to pursue our rights on post-trial motions and on appeal, if necessary.

Johnson said the NCAA has prevailed in every other jury trial around the country on these issues and that the South Carolina State team standards followed the knowledge that existed at the time, and college football did not cause Mr. Geathers lifelong health problems.

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NCAA trial attorney Andy Fletcher said at the trial that Robert Geathers has several health conditions that influence dementia-like symptoms, and that the NCAAs football rules committee is composed of representatives of member schools that could propose rules.

Theres going to be head-hits. Thats inherent to the game. You cant take head-hits out of football, Fletcher said in closing arguments.

According to the newspaper, the jury determined the NCAA unreasonably increased the risk of harm of head impacts to Robert Geathers over and above the risks inherent to playing football. And it also determined the NCAA voluntarily assumed duties to protect the health and safety of Robert Geathers and that the NCAA negligently breached their duties to him.

After the trial, Sellers said the result provided justice: I felt good to hug Debra Geathers. She gets to go home and tell her husband some good news.

June Lockhart, who became a mother figure for a generation of television viewers whether at home in Lassie or up in the stratosphere in Lost in Space, has died. She was 100.

Lockhart died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Santa Monica, family spokesman Lyle Gregory, a friend of 40 years, said Saturday.

She was very happy up until the very end, reading the New York Times and LA Times everyday, he said. It was very important to her to stay focused on the news of the day.

The daughter of prolific character actor Gene Lockhart, Lockhart was cast frequently in ingenue roles as a young film actor. Television made her a star.

From 1958 to 1964, she portrayed Ruth Martin, who raised the orphaned Timmy (Jon Provost), in the popular CBS series Lassie. From 1965 to 1968, she traveled aboard the spaceship Jupiter II as mother to the Robinson family in the campy CBS adventure Lost in Space.

Her portrayals of warm, compassionate mothers endeared her to young viewers, and decades later baby boomers flocked to nostalgia conventions to meet Lockhart and buy her autographed photos.

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Offscreen, Lockhart insisted, she was nothing like the women she portrayed.

I must quote Dan Rather, she said in a 1994 interview. I can control my reputation, but not my image, because my image is how you see me.

I love rock n roll and going to the concerts. I have driven Army tanks and flown in hot air balloons. And I go plane-gliding the ones with no motors. I do a lot of things that dont go with my image.

Early in her career, Lockhart appeared in numerous films. Among them: All This, and Heaven Too, Adam Had Four Sons, Sergeant York, Miss Annie Rooney, Forever and a Day and Meet Me in St. Louis.

She also made Son of Lassie, the 1945 sequel to Lassie, Come Home, playing the grown-up version of the role created by Elizabeth Taylor.

New life on television

When her movie career as an adult faltered, Lockhart shifted to television, appearing in live drama from New York and game and talk shows. She was the third actor to play the female lead in Lassie on TV, following Jan Clayton and Cloris Leachman. (Provost had replaced the shows original child star, Tommy Rettig, in 1957.)

Lockhart spoke frankly about her canine co-star: I worked with four Lassies. There was only one main Lassie at a time. Then there was a dog that did the running, a dog that did the fighting, and a dog that was a stand-in, because only humans can work 14 hours a day without needing a nap.

Lassie was not especially friendly with anybody. Lassie was wholly concentrated on the trainers.

After six years in the rural setting of Lassie, Lockhart moved to outer space, embarking on the role of Maureen Robinson, the wise, reassuring mother of a family that departs on a five-year flight to a faraway planet in Lost in Space.

After their mission is sabotaged by a fellow passenger, the nefarious Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris), the party bounces from planet to planet, encountering weird creatures and near-disasters that required viewers to tune in the following week to learn of the escape. Throughout the three-year run, Mrs. Robinson offered consolation and a slice of her space pie.

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As with Lassie, Lockhart enjoyed working on Lost in Space: It was like going to work at Disneyland every day.

So smart, quick, and funny she filled her 100 years with curiosity, laughter, and rock n roll, Angela Cartwright, who played her daughter on Lost in Space posted on Facebook. I can only imagine shes feeling right at home as she steps off this planet and into the stars.

Bill Mumy, who played her son in the film, posted on social media: A one of a kind, talented, nurturing, adventurous, and non compromising Lady. She did it her way. June will always be one of my very favorite moms."

In 1968, Lockhart joined the cast of Petticoat Junction for the rural comedys last two seasons, playing Dr. Janet Craig.

A little bit of everything

Lockhart remained active long after Lost in Space, appearing often in episodic television as well as in recurring roles in the daytime soap opera General Hospital and nighttime soaps, Knots Landing and The Colbys. Her film credits included The Remake and the animated Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm, for which she provided the voice for Mindy the Owl.

She also used her own media pass to attend presidential news conferences, narrated beauty pageants and holiday parades, and toured in the plays Steel Magnolias, Bedroom Farce and Once More with Feeling.

Her true passion was journalism, Gregory said. She loved going to the White House briefing rooms.

Lockhart liked to tell the story of how her parents met, saying they were hired separately for a touring production sponsored by inventor Thomas A. Edison and decided on marriage during a stop at Lake Louise, Alberta.

Their daughter was born June 25, 1925, in New York City. The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in avuncular roles, sometimes as a villain. His wife, Kathleen, often appeared with him.

Young June made her stage debut at 8, dancing in a childrens ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House. Her first film appearance was a small role in the 1938 A Christmas Carol, playing the daughter of Bob Cratchit and his wife, who were played by her parents.

She was married and divorced twice: to John Maloney, a physician, father of her daughters Anne Kathleen and June Elizabeth; and architect John C. Lindsay.

Throughout her later career, Lockhart was connected in the public mind with Lassie.

Even though she sometimes mocked the show, she conceded: How wonderful that in a career there is one role for which you are known. Many actors work all their lives and never have one part that is really theirs.

Trade tensions between the United States and China appeared to cool on Sunday ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with the Chinese government suggesting that a mutual understanding had been reached between the world's two largest economies.

The talks followed China placing limits on the exporting of rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies and Trumps threat of an additional 100% tariffs on Chinese goods. The conflict has been poised to weaken economic growth worldwide.

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Chinas top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters that the two sides had reached a preliminary consensus on areas of dispute and would seek to further stabilize the relationship. Trump also expressed confidence that an agreement was at hand.

They want to make a deal and we want to make a deal, he said. Trump reiterated his plan to visit China in the future and suggested that Xi could come to Washington or Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida.

The announcement came at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted in Kuala Lumpur, with Trump seeking to burnish his reputation as an international dealmaker.

Yet the path to those deals has involved serious disruptions at home and abroad, with his tariff hikes scrambling the global economy and a U.S. government shutdown that has him feuding with Democrats.

Trump attends ceasefire ceremony between Thailand and Cambodia

At the summit, Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire agreement on Sunday during a ceremony attended by Trump, whose threats of economic pressure prodded the two nations to halt skirmishes along their disputed border earlier this year.

Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin withdrawing heavy artillery as part of the first phase of the deal. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure fighting doesn't restart.

We did something that a lot of people said couldnt be done," Trump said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called it a historic day, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the agreement creates the building blocks for a lasting peace.

Trump touched down in the Malaysian capital shortly before 0200 GMT, where he performed his trademark campaign trail dance with local performers and waved an American flag in one hand and a Malaysian flag in the other. His trip will also include visits to Japan and South Korea and a planned meeting with Xi.

The president signed economic agreements with Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, some of them aimed at increasing trade involving critical minerals. The U.S. wants to rely less on China, which has limited exports of key components in technology manufacturing.

Its very important that we cooperate as willing partners with each other to ensure that we can have smooth supply chains, secure supply chains, for the quality of life, for our people and security, said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Trump reengages with a key region of the world

The president attended this summit only once during his first term, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed unfamiliar with ASEAN during his confirmation hearing in January.

But this year's event was a chance for Trump to reengage with a collection of nations that have a combined $3.8 trillion economy and 680 million people.

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The United States is with you 100%, and we intend to be a strong partner and friend for many generations to come," Trump said. He described his counterparts as spectacular leaders and said, everything you touch turns to gold.

The summit also allowed Trump to play global peacemaker with Thailand and Cambodia, which have competing territorial claims that result in periodic violence along their border. Some of the worst modern fighting between the two countries took place over five days in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, some of the worst modern fighting between the two countries.

Trump threatened, at the time, to withhold trade agreements unless the fighting stopped in a display of economic leverage credited with spurring negotiations. A shaky truce has persisted since then.

The fact that Trump was holding the tariff card was actually very, very significant, said Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penhs Future Forum think tank. Thats probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but definitely the main reason why the two sides agreed immediately to the ceasefire.

Now, he said, theres a ceremony for Trump to be in front of cameras so he can be seen as the champion that brings an end to wars and conflicts, giving him more ammunition for his bid for Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has explicitly campaigned for the honor, continuously adding to a list of conflicts that he either helped resolve or claims to have ended.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during opening remarks at the summit, saying, "it reminds us that reconciliation is not concession, but an act of courage.

Tariffs are in focus on Trump's trip

Trump sat down with Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva in Kuala Lumpur, who was also attending the summit. There has been friction between the two leaders over the Brazilian prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, the country's former president, who has been close to Trump. Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup in his country earlier this week.

During his meeting with Lula on Sunday, Trump said he could reduce tariffs on Brazil that he enacted in a push for leniency for Bolsonaro.

I think we should be able to make some good deals for both countries, he said.

While Trump was warming to Lula, he avoided Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The president is angry with Canada because of a television advertisement protesting his trade policies, and on his way to the summit, announced on social media he would hike tariffs on Canada because of it.

Trump has expressed confidence about reaching deals during the rest of his trip, including with China. Fentanyl trafficking and soybean sales are among Trump's priorities.

I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal, Trump said.

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It remains to be seen whether Trumps dealmaking addresses longstanding issues or puts them off for another day.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested Sunday that Washington and Beijing could step back from their confrontation instead of pushing forward with higher tariffs by America and export restrictions on rare earth elements by China.

When asked if the two countries could extend the trade truce from earlier this year, Bessent said: I would say yes." However, he emphasized that the final decision would be up to Trump.

One leader who was absent from the summit in Kuala Lumpur is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, the relationship has been more tense lately. Trump caused irritation by boasting that he settled a recent conflict between India and Pakistan, and he has increased tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil.

Suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from Paris Louvre museum, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday, a week after the heist at the worlds most visited museum that stunned the world.

The prosecutor said that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men taken into custody was preparing to leave the country from Roissy Airport.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Two arrests made in Louvre jewelry heist

Two arrests made in Louvre jewelry heist

French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests and did not say whether jewels had been recovered.

Thieves took less than eight minutes to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) last Sunday morning. French officials described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the Louvres faade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled. The museums director called the incident a terrible failure.

Beccuau said investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts made the arrests. She rued in her statement the premature leak of information, saying it could hinder the work of over 100 investigators mobilized to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators. Beccuau said further details will be unveiled after the suspects custody period ends.

French Interior minister Laurent Nunez praised the investigators who have worked tirelessly, just as I asked them to, and who have always had my full confidence.

The Louvre reopened earlier this week after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century stunned the world with its audacity and scale.

The thieves slipped in and out, making off with parts of Frances Crown Jewels a cultural wound that some compared to the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019.

The thieves made away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amlie and Hortense.

They also took an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonapartes second wife, as well as a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugnies diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship were also part of the loot.

One piece Eugnies emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.

The detention by immigration authorities of a Chicago man whose 16-year-old daughter is undergoing treatment for advanced cancer is illegal, and he must be given a bond hearing by Oct. 31, a federal judge has ruled.

Attorneys for Ruben Torres Maldonado, 40, who was detained Oct. 18, have petitioned for his release as his deportation case goes through the system. While U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel said in an order Friday that Torres' detention is illegal and violates his due process rights, he also said he could not order his immediate release.

While sympathetic to the plight the petitioner's daughter faces due to her health concerns, the court must act within the constraints of the relevant statutes, rules, and precedents, the judge wrote Friday.

Torres' attorney took the ruling as a win for now.

Were pleased that the judge ruled in our favor in determining that ICE is illegally detaining Ruben. We will now turn the fight to immigration court so we can secure Rubens release on bond while he applies for permanent residence status, his attorney, Kalman Resnick, said in a statement Friday night.

Torres, a painter and home renovator, was detained at a suburban Home Depot store. His daughter, Ofelia Torres, was diagnosed in December with a rare and aggressive form of soft-tissue cancer called metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Torres entered the U.S. in 2003, according to his lawyers. He and his partner, Sandibell Hidalgo, also have a 4-year-old son. The children are both U.S. citizens, according to court records.

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My dad, like many other fathers, is a hard-working person who wakes up early in the morning and goes to work without complaining, thinking about his family, Ofelia said in a video posted on a GoFundMe page set up for her family. I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here.

The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Torres has been living illegally in the U.S. for years and has a history of driving offenses, including driving without a valid license, without insurance, and speeding.

This is nothing more than a desperate Hail Mary attempt to keep a criminal illegal alien in our country," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "The Trump administration is fighting for the rule of law and the American people.

At a hearing Thursday, which Ofelia attended in a wheelchair, the family's attorneys told the judge that she was released from the hospital just a day before her fathers arrest so that she could see family and friends. But since his arrest, she had been unable to continue treatment because of the stress and disruption, they said.

Federal prosecutor Craig Oswald told the court that the government did not want to release Torres because he didn't cooperate during his arrest,

Several elected officials held a news conference Wednesday to protest Torres' arrest. The Chicago area has been at the center of a major immigration crackdown dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, which began in early September.

President Donald Trump headed for Asia Friday night for the first time this term, a trip where hes expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to deescalate a trade war.

We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us," Trump told reporters as he left the White House. "I think well have a good meeting.

The president will have a long-haul flight that has him arriving in Malaysia on Sunday morning, the first stop of a three-country sprint.

His trip comes as the U.S. government shutdown drags on. Many federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck this week, there are flight disruptions as already-squeezed air traffic controllers work without pay, and states are confronting the possibility that federal food aid could dry up. As Republicans reject Democratic demands for health care funds, theres no sign of a break in the impasse, but Trump seems to be continuing on with business as usual, including his foreign trip.

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"America is shut down and the President is skipping town, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday night.

Trumps first stop is at a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur. Trump attended the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit only once during his first term, but this year it comes as Malaysia and the U.S. have been working to address a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia.

On Sunday, hes scheduled to have a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia.

Trump threatened earlier this year to withhold trade deals with the countries if they didnt stop fighting, and his administration has since been working with Malaysia to nail down an expanded ceasefire.

The president credited Ibrahim with working to resolve the conflict.

I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The U.S. leader on Sunday may also have a significant meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, who wants to see the U.S. cut a 40% tariff on Brazilian imports. The U.S. administration has justified the tariffs by citing Brazils criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro a Trump ally.

Beyond trade, Lula on Friday also criticized the U.S. campaign of military strikes off the South American coast in the name of fighting drug trafficking. He said he planned to raise concerns with Trump at a meeting on Sunday in Malaysia. The White House has not yet publicly confirmed the meeting is set to take place.

After Malaysia, Trump has stops in Japan and South Korea

From there, Trump heads to Japan and South Korea, where hes expected to make progress on talks for at least $900 billion in investments for U.S. factories and other projects that those countries committed to in return for easing Trumps planned tariff rates down to 15% from 25%.

The trip to Tokyo comes a week after Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Trump is set to meet with Takaichi, who is a protg of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office.

Trump said Takaichi's relationship with Abe was a good sign and I look forward to meeting her.

While there, Trump is expected to be hosted by Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and meet with U.S. troops who are stationed in Japan, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity about the planned trip.

In South Korea, Trump is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with China's Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

While the APEC summit is set to be held in Gyeongju, the Trump-Xi meeting is expected to take place in the city of Busan, according to the U.S. official.

The meeting follows months of volatile moves in a trade war between China and the U.S. that have rattled the global economy.

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Trump was infuriated earlier this month after Beijing imposed new export controls on rare earths used in technology and threatened to hike retaliatory tariffs to sky-high levels. He has said he wants China to buy U.S. soybeans. However, earlier this week, Trump was optimistic, predicting he would reach a fantastic deal with Xi.

Trump also said he might ask Xi about freeing Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy newspaper founder, saying "itll be on my list."

The only meeting that could possibly eclipse the Xi summit would be an impromptu reunion with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speculation has been rife since South Koreas Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told lawmakers this month it was possible that Trump could again meet with Kim in the Demilitarized Zone, as he did in 2019.

But such a meeting is not on the president's schedule for this trip, according to the U.S. official.

Trump suggested it was hard to reach the North Korean leader.

They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service," he said.

A man who says he was detained by police for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader's theme song from "Star Wars" on his phone sued the District of Columbia on Thursday, claiming the officers violated his constitutional rights.

Sam O'Hara's federal lawsuit says the ominous orchestral music of "The Imperial March" is the soundtrack for his peaceful protests against President Donald Trump's deployment of Guard members in Washington, D.C. Millions of TikTok users have viewed O'Hara's videos of his interactions with troops, according to the suit, filed by American Civil Liberties Union attorneys.

O'Hara, a 35-year-old Washington resident, says he didn't interfere with the Ohio National Guard troops during their Sept. 11 encounter on a public street. One of the troops summoned Metropolitan Police Department officers, who stopped O'Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit.

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"The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests," his lawsuit says.

O'Hara also sued four MPD officers and the Guard member who called them to the scene. The suit accuses them of violating his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. O'Hara is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

O'Hara, an artist who works in the hospitality industry, said he was looking for a humorous and creative way to protest what he views as a military "occupation."

"It feels surreal and dystopian," he told The Associated Press. "When I see armed troops at our farmers markets and outside of my favorite restaurants and my dog park, I don't think, 'Oh, wow, I feel safe.' I think: 'These feel like Stormtroopers. I feel like I'm living in a Star Wars episode or movie, and this is like an invading, dark force.'"

Spokespeople for Mayor Muriel Bowser's office and the police department declined to comment on the suit's claims. The MPD spokesperson said the four officers named as defendants all remain on full duty. A spokesperson for the Ohio National Guard didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

In August, Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist in patrols.

Trump's law enforcement surge has inflamed tensions with residents of the heavily Democratic district. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued Trump to end it.

O'Hara's lawsuit says he became "deeply concerned about the normalization of troops patrolling D.C. neighborhoods."

"To many District residents, the deployment constituted an attack on D.C.'s autonomy and a dangerous departure from the Nation's tradition of barring troops from policing civilians," the suit says.

O'Hara had staged and recorded other "Star Wars"-themed protests against Guard deployments. The troops mostly ignored him, the suit says.

On Sept. 11, O'Hara was returning home from work when he began following four armed Guard members from Ohio. Less than two minutes later, one of the troops warned him that he would summon police officers to "handle" him if he kept following them, according to the suit.

The police officers who arrived minutes later accused O'Hara of harassing the troops, which he denied. They detained him without conducting any investigation and ignored his complaints that the handcuffs were too tight, the suit alleges.

"Mr. O'Hara brings this suit to ensure accountability, secure compensation for his injuries, and vindicate core constitutional guarantees," the suit says.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by Trump.

President Donald Trump's favorability has fallen among Hispanic adults since the beginning of the year, a new AP-NORC poll shows, a potential warning sign from a key constituency that helped secure his victory in the 2024 election.

The October survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 25% of Hispanic adults have a somewhat or very favorable view of Trump, down from 44% in an AP-NORC poll conducted just before the Republican took office for the second time. The percentage of Hispanic adults who say the country is going in the wrong direction has also increased slightly over the past few months, from 63% in March to 73% now.

The shift could spell trouble for Republicans looking to cement support with this group in future elections. Many Hispanic voters were motivated by economic concerns in last year's election, and the new poll shows that despite Trump's promises of economic revitalization, Hispanic adults continue to feel higher financial stress than Americans overall. Hispanic voters made up 10% of the electorate in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of interviews with registered voters, and the number of eligible Hispanic voters has been growing rapidly in recent decades.

Alejandro Ochoa, 30, is a warehouse worker in Adelanto, California. He identifies as a Republican and voted for Trump last year, but hes now unhappy with the president. He criticized some of Trumps budget cuts, adding that the cost of groceries is too high and buying a home is still unattainable for him.

RELATED STORY | Americans grow anxious about jobs and inflation under Trump, new poll shows

He was kind of relying on essentially the nostalgia of, Hey, remember, before COVID? Things werent as expensive, Ochoa said. But now its like, OK, youre in office. Im still getting done dirty at the grocery store. Im still spending an insane amount of money. Im trying to cut corners where I can, but that bill is still insanely expensive.

Declining approval on economy and immigration

Hispanic voters shifted toward Trump in the last election, though a majority still backed Democrat Kamala Harris: 43% of Hispanic voters nationally voted for Trump, according to AP VoteCast, up from 35% in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

But the poll now finds that Hispanic adults are slightly less likely to approve of Trump's handling of the economy and immigration two issues that were major strengths for him in last year's presidential campaign and their views of his overall presidential performance have slipped a little as well.

In March, 41% of Hispanic adults approved of the way Trump was handling his job as president, but now that has fallen to 27%.

Over the past few months, Hispanic communities have also been a target of the presidents hard-line immigration tactics. The poll found that Hispanic adults approval of his handling of immigration has declined slightly since March.

Some see the two issues as linked. Trumps attacks on immigration have affected low-wage and high-skilled workers alike, at a moment when the economy is already uncertain because of his erratic trade policies.

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Fel Echandi, of Winter Haven, Florida, is a behavioral specialist who identifies as a Democrat but sometimes votes for Republican candidates. He said he appreciates Trumps views on transgender issues, including restroom access for transgender women.

But hes concerned that Trumps immigration policies leave many people living in fear, with negative effects on the economy.

A lot of people rely on immigrants to do labor in certain areas, Echandi said. When that gets affected, all prices go up. Our food costs more because of the costs to get people to do that work.

The poll found particularly high levels of financial stress among Hispanic adults, compared with the rest of the country. More Hispanics say the cost of groceries, housing and health care and the amount of money they get paid are major sources of stress, compared with U.S. adults overall.

Favorability among Hispanic Republicans drops slightly

Views of Trump have even soured a little among Hispanic Republicans.

In the latest poll, 66% of Hispanic Republicans said they have a very or somewhat favorable view of Trump. That's a slight shift compared with where Trump stood in an AP-NORC poll from September 2024, when 83% of Hispanic Republicans viewed him at least somewhat favorably. About 8 in 10 white Republicans had a favorable view of Trump in the new poll, which was unchanged from the year before.

In another potentially worrying sign for the president, younger Hispanics and Hispanic men two groups that swung particularly dramatically toward him in last year's election also see him a bit more negatively.

About two-thirds of Hispanic adults under age 45 and Hispanic men now view Trump unfavorably, according to the new poll. That's a slight uptick from September 2024, when about half in both groups had a negative opinion of him.

Other concerns about Trump's chaotic second term emerged in interviews.

Teresa Covarrubias, a 65-year-old retired schoolteacher from Los Angeles, feels things are going in the wrong direction and said she was troubled by how some of Trumps actions have defied norms and may impact social safety net programs.

My major concern is the disregard for the Constitution and the law, and then also the level of cronyism, said Covarrubias, who is an independent voter. The people at the top are just grifting and taking, and then theres the rest of us.

Hispanic adults are more likely to prioritize immigration

There are signs in the poll that Trump's tough immigration approach may be alienating some Hispanic adults. Over the past few months, the president has doubled down on his pledge of mass deportations, with escalating crackdowns in Latino neighborhoods in cities including Chicago.

The poll found that, in general, Hispanic adults are more likely to say immigration is an important issue to them personally. About two-thirds of Hispanic adults prioritize immigration, compared with about 6 in 10 white adults and about half of Black adults.

And although their views on immigration enforcement aren't uniform, Hispanic adults are much less likely than U.S. adults overall to favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. About one-quarter of Hispanic adults support this policy, the new poll found, while roughly half of them are opposed and the rest dont have an opinion. Among U.S. adults overall, about 4 in 10 favor deporting all immigrants in the U.S. illegally, while 34% are opposed and about 2 in 10 dont have an opinion.

Rick Alvarado, 63, a Republican who lives in San Diego, says he still supports Trump and praised his actions to cut public spending. Alvarado, a property manager, is behind Trump's immigration crackdown in cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, saying he believes some immigrants are involved in organized crime.

But he added that he would like to see a solution for those without criminal records to obtain legal residency status.

The people who are productive should have a pathway to stay here somehow, Alvarado said.

The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from state Republican parties.

The DOJ announced Friday that it is planning to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno. The goal, according to the DOJ, is to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law."

Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Election monitoring is a routine function of the Justice Department, but the focus on California and New Jersey comes as both states are set to hold closely-watched elections with national consequences on Nov. 4. New Jersey has an open seat for governor that has attracted major spending by both parties and California is holding a special election aimed at redrawing the state's congressional map to counter Republican gerrymandering efforts elsewhere ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The DOJ's efforts are also the latest salvo in the GOPs preoccupation with election integrity after President Donald Trump spent years refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election and falsely railing against mail-in voting as rife with fraud. Democrats fear the new administration will attempt to gain an upper hand in next years midterms with similarly unfounded allegations of fraud.

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The announcement comes days after the Republican parties in both states wrote letters to the DOJ requesting their assistance. Some leading Democrats in the states blasted the decision.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move highly inappropriate and said the DOJ has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions.

Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, said in a statement that No amount of election interference by the California Republican Party is going to silence the voices of California voters."

California's House districts at stake

The letter from the California GOP, sent Monday and obtained by the AP, asked Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, to provide monitors to observe the election in the five counties.

In recent elections, we have received reports of irregularities in these counties that we fear will undermine either the willingness of voters to participate in the election or their confidence in the announced results of the election, wrote GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin.

The state is set to vote Nov. 4 on a redistricting proposition that would dramatically redraw Californias congressional lines to add as many as five additional Democratic seats to its U.S. House delegation.

Each of the counties named, they alleged, has experienced recent voting issues, such as sending incorrect or duplicate ballots to voters. They also take issue with how Los Angeles and Orange counties maintain their voter rolls.

California is one of at least eight states the Justice Department has sued as part of a wide-ranging request for detailed voter roll information involving at least half the states. The department has not said why it wants the data.

Brandon Richards, a spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom, said the DOJ has no standing to interfere with California's election because the ballot contains only a state-specific initiative and has no federal races.

Deploying these federal forces appears to be an intimidation tactic meant for one thing: suppress the vote," he said in an email.

Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page said he welcomes anyone who wants to watch the county's election operations and said it's common to have local, state, federal and even international observers. He described Orange County's elections as accessible, accurate, fair, secure, and transparent.

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said election observers are standard practice across the country and that the county, with 5.8 million registered voters, is continuously updating and verifying its voter records.

"Voters can have confidence their ballot is handled securely and counted accurately," he said.

Most Californians vote using mail ballots returned through the postal service, drop boxes or at local voting centers, which typically leaves polling places relatively quiet on Election Day. But in pursuit of accuracy and counting every vote, the nations most populous state has gained a reputation for tallies that can drag on for weeks and sometimes longer.

In 2024, it took until early December to declare Democrat Adam Gray the winner in his Central Valley district, the final congressional race to be decided in the nation last year.

Passaic County the target in New Jersey

California's request echoed a similar letter sent by New Jersey Republicans asking the DOJ to dispatch election monitors to oversee the receipt and processing of vote-by-mail ballots and monitor access to the Board of Elections around the clock" in suburban Passaic County ahead of the states governor's race.

The New Jersey Republican State Committee told Dhillon that federal intervention was necessary to ensure an accurate vote count in the heavily Latino county that was once a Democratic stronghold, but shifted to President Donald Trumps column in last year's presidential race.

The county could be critical to GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarellis hopes against Democrat Mikie Sherrill. But the letter cited previous voter fraud cases in the county and alleged a long and sordid history of vote-by-mail shenanigans.

In 2020, a judge ordered a new election for a city council seat in Paterson the largest city in Passaic County after the apparent winner and others were charged with voter fraud.

Platkin said the state is committed to ensuring its elections are fair and secure. With the DOJ's announcement, he said the attorney general's office is "considering all of our options to prevent any effort to intimidate voters or interfere with our elections.

Election observers are nothing new

Local election offices and polling places around the country already have observers from both political parties to ensure rules are followed. The DOJ also has a long history of sending observers to jurisdictions that have histories of voting rights violations to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws.

Last year, when the Biden administration was still in power, some Republican-led states said they would not allow federal monitors to access voting locations on Election Day.

Trump has for years railed against mail voting as part of his repeated false claims that former President Joe Bidens victory in 2020 was rigged. He alleges it is riddled with fraud, even though numerous studies have found no evidence of widespread fraud in U.S. elections.

Earlier this year, Trump pledged to ban vote-by-mail across the country, something he has no power to do under the U.S. Constitution.

The DOJs effort will be overseen by Dhillons Civil Rights Division, which will deploy personnel in coordination with U.S. attorneys offices and work closely with state and local officials, the department said

The department also is soliciting further requests for monitoring in other jurisdictions.

David Becker, a former DOJ attorney who has served as an election monitor and trained them, said the work is typically done by department lawyers who are prohibited from interfering at polling places.

But Becker, now executive director of the Center for Election Integrity & Research, said local jurisdictions normally agree to the monitors presence.

If the administration tried to send monitors without a clear legal rationale to a place where local officials didnt want them, That could result in chaos," he said.

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.

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.

RELATED STORY | US carries out 10th strike on boat suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean

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 Nicols 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.

RELATED STORY | Trump administration says the US struck another alleged drug-carrying boat, this time in the Pacific

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 worlds 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.

US 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 countrys coastline was covered in real time, with all the equipment and heavy weapons to defend all of Venezuelas coasts if necessary, Maduro said during a government event shown on state television.

The U.S. militarys 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 Groups senior analyst for the Andes region.

An expression that Im 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 dont fall in line.

Comparing the drug crackdown to the war on terror

Hegseths 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 administrations 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 wasnt the plan.

I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? Were going to kill them, you know? Theyre 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.

Ive 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 Trumps approach: Its 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.

Target said Thursday that it is eliminating about 1,800 corporate positions in an effort to streamline decision-making and accelerate initiatives to rebuild the flagging discount retailers customer base.

About 1,000 employees are expected to receive layoff notices next week, and the company also plans to eliminate about 800 vacant jobs, a company spokesperson said. The cuts represent about 8% of Target's corporate workforce globally, although the majority of the affected employees work at the company's Minneapolis headquarters, the spokesperson said.

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Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke, who is set to become Target's next CEO on Feb. 1, issued a note to personnel on Thursday announcing the downsizing. He said further details would come on Tuesday, and he asked employees at the Minneapolis offices to work from home next week.

The truth is, the complexity weve created over time has been holding us back, Fiddelke, a 20-year Target veteran, wrote in his note. Too many layers and overlapping work have slowed decisions, making it harder to bring ideas to life.

Target, which has about 1,980 U.S. stores, lost ground to Walmart and Amazon in recent years as inflation caused shoppers to curtail their discretionary spending. Customers have complained of messy stores with merchandise that did not reflect the expensive-looking but budget-priced niche that long ago earned the retailer the jokingly posh nickname Tarzhay.

Fiddelke said in August when he was announced as Target's next CEO that he would step into the role with three urgent priorities: reclaiming the companys position as a leader in selecting and displaying merchandise; improving the customer experience by making sure shelves are consistently stocked and stores are clean; and investing in technology.

He cited the same goals in his message to employees, calling the layoffs a "necessary step in building the future of Target and enabling the progress and growth we all want to see."

"Adjusting our structure is one part of the work ahead of us. It will also require new behaviors and sharper priorities that strengthen our retail leadership in style and design and enable faster execution," he wrote.

Target has reported flat or declining comparable sales those from established physical stores and online channels in nine out of the past 11 quarters. The company reported in August that comparable sales dipped 1.9% in its second quarter, when its net income also dropped 21%.

The job cuts will not affect any store employees or workers in Target's sorting, distribution and other supply chain facilities, the company spokesperson said.

The corporate workers losing their jobs will receive pay and benefits until Jan. 8 as well as severance packages, the spokesperson said.

Alaska Airlines said its operations have resumed Friday after it had to ground its planes for hours because of an information technology outage.

The airline said in a statement that 229 flights were canceled because of the outage and that more flight disruptions were expected as it worked to reposition aircraft and crews.

Alaska Airlines said it is working on getting travelers affected by the disruption to their destinations.

It asked that passengers check their flight status before heading to the airport.

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The grounding Thursday affected Alaska Air and Horizon Air flights.

Hawaiian Airlines, which was bought by Alaska Air Group last year, said its flights were operating as scheduled.

In July, Alaska grounded all of its flights for about three hours after the failure of a critical piece of hardware at a data center.

There has been a history of computer problems disrupting flights in the industry, though most of the time the disruptions are only temporary.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the citys mayoral election Thursday, throwing his weight behind a bitter rival as he cast the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, as an avatar for radicals and gentrifiers.

Am I angry Im not the one taking down Zohran, the socialist and communist? Youre darn right I am, Adams said, as he stood alongside a smiling Cuomo in Harlem. We're fighting against a snake-oil salesman."

Adams had deemed Cuomo a snake and a liar before dropping his election campaign last month. Brothers fight, Adams said on Thursday. But when families are attacked, brothers come together.

RELATED STORY | Mamdani and Cuomo spar over experience, integrity in NYC mayoral debate

The endorsement comes as Cuomo has lobbed increasingly caustic attacks on Mamdani, equating his criticism of Israel with antisemitism and warning of a city beset by crime, hatred and disorder if his opponent wins.

Adams, in his endorsement, went a step further.

New York cant be Europe, folks, Adams said. I dont know what is wrong with people. You see whats playing out in other countries because of Islamic extremism, he continued, citing examples of recent terror attacks in Europe and Africa.

The mayor did not elaborate on what those Islamic terror attacks had to do with Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor.

Cuomo then thanked Adams for his comments, describing him as a real Democrat and a real New Yorker.

Its not immediately clear if Adams endorsement would help Cuomo in the citys November election. Adams has seen his political capital crumble under the weight of a federal corruption case that was ultimately dismissed following an extraordinary intervention from the Trump administration.

Cuomo's own political image was tarnished following a sexual harassment scandal, which forced him to resign as governor in 2021. He has denied the allegations.

Cuomo, a centrist, has cast himself as the only candidate who can beat Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist and state assemblymember who shocked the political establishment by soundly defeating the former governor in the June primary.

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In a statement Thursday, Mamdani said Andrew Cuomo is running for Eric Adams second term.

Its no surprise to see two men who share an affinity for corruption and Trump capitulation align themselves at the behest of the billionaire class and the president himself, Mamdani said.

Cuomos path to victory rests on his ability to win over moderates and Republicans, but in recent days he has admitted that it is becoming harder mathematically for him as long as Republican Curtis Sliwa remains in the race.

Sliwa, the colorful founder of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, has steadfastly refused calls to drop out from both Cuomo and his supporters.

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The endorsement would mark a reconciliation between the two longtime New York politicians, each of whom had escalated attacks against the other before Adams ended his campaign.

Shortly before dropping out, Adams accused Cuomo making a career of pushing Black candidates out of races, referring to the former governors past state races.

Cuomo, meanwhile, has described Adams management of the city as a never-ending series of government corruption.

On Wednesday night, immediately after the final mayoral debate, the former governor and mayor were photographed sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden, fueling speculation of an incoming endorsement.

Misty Copeland took one last spin on her pointe shoes Wednesday, showered with golden glitter and bouquets as she retired from American Ballet Theatre after a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in an overwhelmingly white art form.

Copeland, who a decade ago became the first Black female principal dancer in the companys 75-year history, was feted at its star-studded fall gala at Manhattan's Lincoln Center. Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen were among those who gave speeches of praise.

Winfrey spoke of the power of young people of color seeing Copeland lead iconic ballets like Swan Lake.

Misty didnt just perform ballet," Winfrey said of the ballerina who has achieved a unique crossover fame. "She changed it. She redefined who belongs, who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.

In a way, the gala was both a return and a departure for Copeland, 43. She was dancing with the company for the first time in five years. During that time, Copeland has been raising a son, Jackson, with her husband. The 3-year-old came onstage to hug his mother during curtain calls, wearing a tuxedo.

Copeland has also been continuing her career as an author the second volume of her Bunheads series appeared in September and working to increase diversity in the dance world with her namesake foundation, including Be Bold, an afterschool program designed for young children of color.

But she decided to dust off the pointe shoes so she could have one last spin on the ABT stage including as Juliet, one of the most passionate roles in ballet and her personal favorite. Copeland's Romeo in the balcony pas de deux was Calvin Royal III, who in 2020 became ABT's first Black male principal dancer in two decades.

The duo later reappeared for another duet, this time a modern one, in Wrecka Stow, by Kyle Abraham. For Copeland's final performance of the night, she performed Twyla Tharp's Sinatra Suite with another of her favorite partners, Herman Cornejo.

The night, which also celebrated ABT's 85th anniversary and was curated in large part by Copeland herself, included speeches and film clips about her career. And her fellow dancers performed excerpts of ballets in her honor. At the end, a beaming Copeland was given a quintessential ballet farewell, as colleagues, teachers, friends and family came out to greet her, one by one, with hugs and bouquets while glittery confetti poured from the rafters.

On to the next stage

Though Copeland has not closed the door on dancing altogether, its clear an era is ending.

Its been 25 years at ABT, and I think its time, she told The Associated Press in an interview in June, when she announced her retirement. Its time for me to move to the next stage.

She added: You know, Ive become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. I feel like this is me saying thank you to the company. So its a farewell. (But) it wont be the end of me dancing. Never say never.

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On the carpet Wednesday before her performance, she said: I feel good. I feel ready to take this next step." She noted that she would be continuing her work promoting diversity: "Theres so much work and effort that has to be continuous.

Allen told reporters that Copeland had "helped to redefine the face of ballet. Shes inspired millions of people around the world and hopefully, American Ballet Theatre will not wait another 50 years before they have another beautiful Black principal dancer.

The evening at Lincoln Centers David H. Koch Theater was streamed live to nearby Alice Tully Hall across the plaza, with attendance free to the public another sign of Copeland's unique brand of fame in the dance world.

Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, where she lived in near poverty and through periods of homelessness as her single mother struggled to support her and five siblings.

For a future professional dancer, she came to ballet relatively late at 13 but soon excelled and went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School and ABT on scholarship opportunities. After a stint in the junior company, Copeland joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, becoming a soloist six years later.

In June 2015, Copeland was promoted to principal dancer. Unlike other promotions, which are announced quietly, Copeland's was announced at a news conference a testament to her celebrity. Only days before, shed made a triumphant New York debut in Swan Lake in the starring role of Odette/Odile, drawing a diverse and enthusiastic crowd to the Metropolitan Opera House.

Trying times for DEI efforts

In the AP interview, Copeland acknowledged that its striking that when she leaves ABT, there will no longer be a Black female principal dancer at the company.

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Its definitely concerning, Copeland said. I think Ive just gotten to a place in my career where theres only so much I can do on a stage. Theres only so much that visual representation can do. I feel like its the perfect timing for me to be stepping into a new role, and hopefully still shaping and shifting the ballet world and culture.

She also noted this is an especially trying moment for anyone working in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Its a difficult time, she said. And I think all we can really do is keep our heads down and keep doing the work. Theres no way to stop the people that feel passionate about this work. We will continue doing it.

A federal grand jury indicted a man on a charge he fatally stabbed a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter train

Wednesday's indictment on a charge of causing death on a mass transportation system keeps a possible death sentence on the table for Decarlos Brown Jr. if prosecutors decide to seek it.

Brown allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently random attack captured on video. Brown is also charged with the killing in state court, but federal prosecutors stepped in after growing questions about why Brown was on the street despite 14 prior criminal arrests.

President Trump's administration has used the case to show how it thinks local leaders, judges and policies in Democratic-led cities like Charlotte are failing to protect their residents from violent crime.

Video from the commuter train showed Zarutska entering a light-rail train on Aug. 22 and taking a seat in front of Brown, who was seated behind her. Minutes later, without any apparent interaction, he pulled out a pocket knife, stood up and slashed her in the neck, investigators said. Passengers screamed and scattered as she collapsed.

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Zarutska had been living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before coming to to the U.S. to escape the war, according to relatives, who described her as determined to build a safer life.

The indictment indicates the charge against Brown is eligible for the federal death penalty.

Brown had cycled through the criminal justice system for more than a decade including serving five years for robbery with a dangerous weapon in Mecklenburg County, according to court records. He was arrested earlier this year after repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, claiming people were trying to control him. A judge released him without bail. His mother told local television she sought an involuntary psychiatric commitment this year after he became violent at home. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia.

The federal case will run parallel with the state case charging Brown with first-degree murder.

The death penalty is also a potential punishment for people convicted of first-degree murder in North Carolina. However, the state has not carried out an execution since 2006. Legal challenges over the use of lethal injection drugs have in part delayed action.

North Carolina's legislature passed a package of criminal justice bills last month in response to the killing that limits bail and seeks to ensure more defendants undergo mental health evaluations.

It also could restart the state death penalty by calling for the state Adult Correction Department secretary to find another form of execution if lethal injection is not available.

The NCAA approved a rule change on Wednesday that will allow athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports.

Two weeks after the Division I cabinet approved the change, Division II and III management councils signed off on it, allowing the new rule to go into effect Nov. 1.

This doesnt change the NCAA rule forbidding athletes from betting on college sports. The NCAA also prohibits sharing information about college competitions with bettors. The institution also doesnt accept advertising or sponsorships of NCAA championships by betting sites.

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Despite the change, the NCAA emphasized that it doesnt endorse betting on sports, particularly for student-athletes.

NCAA President Charlie Baker anticipated the rule change would be passed when he talked with the media on Monday at a Big East Conference roundtable on the future of college basketball.

This change recognizes the realities of todays sports environment without compromising our commitment to protecting the integrity of college competition or the well-being of student-athletes," said Roberta Page, athletic director at Slippery Rock and chair of the Division II Management Council.

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The change comes as NCAA enforcement caseloads involving sports betting violations have increased in recent years. Last month, the NCAA banned three mens college basketball players for sports betting, saying they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and were able to share thousands of dollars in payouts.

We run the largest integrity program in the world on sports betting across all the various games, Baker said Monday. Sadly, we discovered some student-athletes involved with some problematic activity.