Some of your favorite streaming services just got more expensive, and it's prompting customers to rethink which services stay and which get cut.

Hulu, Disney Plus, and HBO Max all raised prices this week, adding to a growing list of subscription services that have increased costs throughout the year. We broke down the changes you can expect to see.

Hulu

Most ad-supported plans and bundles increased by $2-$3 per month. The largest jump affects live TV subscribers, whose plan increased by $7 per month.

Here's what plans cost now:

Hulu with ads increased to $11.99 Hulu without ads stayed the same at $18.99 Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads increased to $12.99 Disney+ Premium and Hulu bundle without ads stayed the same at $19.99 Disney+ Premium, Hulu and ESPN Select bundle without ads increased to $25 Hulu and Live TV plan increased to $89.99HBO Max

HBO Max rolled out price increases across all subscription tiers for new subscribers, effective immediately. Current monthly subscribers will see increases starting Nov. 20.

Here's what plans cost now:

Basic plan with ads increased to $10.99 per month and $109.99 per year Standard ad-free plan increased to $18.49 per month and $184.99 per year Premium plan increased to $22.99 per month and $229.99 per year

Hear more about the price changes and how subscribers feel in the video below:

Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max raised prices again. Here's what it means for youWhy are prices going up?

Dashia Milden with CNET said Americans spend an average of $90 a month on subscriptions.

"People are spending money on subscriptions that they're also not using," Milden said.

Experts say the higher prices are due to rising content production costs. Competitors like Netflix, Peacock and Apple TV Plus have all increased their prices this year as well.

How to manage your subscription costs

The best way to manage your subscription costs is to audit your spending. Check your bank account to see what you're spending on, and ask yourself which services you really need. You can also rotate services by picking one or two platforms for the month and then cancel and switch to different services next month.

Paying by the year can also save you money in some cases. For Hulu and Disney+, paying annually instead of monthly can save you 15% to 20%.

This article was written by Taylor Nimmo for the Scripps News Group in Cincinnati.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday endorsed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, delivering a potentially critical boost to his campaign ahead of November's election.

The move is significant for Mamdani: Jeffries is a Black Democrat from Brooklyn and has historically criticized the Democratic Socialists of America, which Mamdani is affiliated with.

But Jeffries said in a statement Friday that he respected the will of New York's primary voters and that Republican policies must be opposed.

"As with any Mayor, there will be areas of agreement and areas of principled disagreement. Yet, the stakes are existential. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have unleashed an unprecedented assault on the economy, ripped healthcare away from my constituents, weaponized the Department of Justice against our states Attorney General and ordered masked agents to callously target law-abiding immigrant families," his statement reads. "The communities I represent in Brooklyn are being devastated by this extreme version of the Republican Party. In this environment, we have a clear obligation to push back against the national nightmare being visited on the American people by Republican extremism."

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Mamdani became the Democratic nominee in the mayoral race on June 24. He has also received endorsements from progressive politicians including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

He appeared in a mayoral debate with independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa earlier in October.

New York City's general election will take place November 4, 2025.

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.

RELATED STORY | Trump halts National Guard deployment to San Francisco for now

"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.

Neutrogena's popular makeup remover wipes have been recalled in multiple states due to possible bacterial contamination.

Kenvue Brands, based in New Jersey, issued a recall for 1,312 cases of Neutrogena's Makeup Remover Ultra-Soft Cleansing Towelettes after testing revealed contamination with Pluralibacter gergoviae, a bacterium resistant to preservatives that are typically found in cosmetic or hair care items.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration assigned a Class II risk level to the recall, meaning it could result in "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."

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The plant-based wipes were sold in bundles of two 25-count packs in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and have lot number 1835U6325A, according to the notice on the FDA's website.

The recall notice does not specify if consumers can get a refund or replacement for the product.

Though infections from Pluralibacter gergoviae are rare, health experts say exposure can lead to respiratory, urinary, or eye infections, and immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk.

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.

A surprising new study found that nearly one in five urinary tract infections may be linked to handling contaminated meat.

Researchers at George Washington University found that E. coli strains from chicken and turkey can cause UTIs infections that are among the most common in the world, but disproportionately affect women and the elderly.

Urinary tract infections have long been considered a personal health issue, but our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem, said Lance B. Price, senior author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health at the George Washington University, in a press release.

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The study was conducted in Southern California. Researchers from GWU and Kaiser Permanente collected over 5,700 E. coli cultures from patients with UTIs and retail meat samples from the same neighborhoods.

The study found 18% of UTIs in the population were linked to E. coli strains of animal origin, with the highest-risk strains most often found in chicken and turkey.

The findings also showed people in low-income neighborhoods face a 60% higher risk of these "foodborne UTIs."

Experts say the best way to protect yourself is to thoroughly cook all meat and avoid cross-contamination in your kitchen. You should also wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

The Environmental Protection Agency is starting to feel the effects of the government shutdown.

While it did not have to implement a full furlough plan at the beginning of October because it operates with multi-year funding, the agency ordered its first large-scale furloughs this week.

As time goes by and the carryover funding goes down, the total lapse would be an 89% furlough at EPA, EPA head Lee Zeldin said. But again, were not there yet.

RELATED STORY | Senate rejects competing bills to pay federal workers amid government shutdown

The EPA is responsible for enforcing environmental laws, protecting air and water quality and conducting research on public health and the environment.

The agency had already been scaled back after President Donald Trump took office as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal government. At the beginning of the year, the EPA had about 16,000 employees. Zeldin said he plans to reduce the workforce to about 12,500 employees, which he says will save the agency an estimated $750 million annually.

IN RELATED NEWS | Trump orders Pentagon to pay troops despite ongoing government shutdown

Zeldin argues the downsizing will help the agency operate more efficiently, including by increasing its use of AI.

Its all about setting priorities, focusing on our statutory obligations, he said.

To watch the full interview with Lee Zeldin, click play on the video above.

Millions of college students could face significant new obstacles paying for graduate school after federal loan limits were signed into law this summer as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Starting July 1, 2026, Grad PLUS loans will be eliminated. Those loans previously allowed graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance.

New borrowers will be limited to $200,000 for professional degrees like law and medicine. Students in other graduate programs can borrow up to $100,000.

WATCH: New federal loan limits eliminate Grad PLUS loans and cap borrowing at $100,000-$200,000

New federal loan limits threaten graduate school access for millions of students

The lifetime limit for all federal student loans is now $257,500 per person.

But experts say the average cost of a bachelor's degree can reach $224,000 at private universities. Add law and medical school, and the total can exceed $390,000.

"Getting Master's and PhDs are going to be out of the question for a lot of students in a lot of areas," said Rodney Coates, a global and intercultural studies professor at Miami University.

"They don't have people who can be a co-signer, so that's already an option taken away because of that," said Pranathi Suhas, a third-year medical student.

The new limits could especially impact students from less prosperous backgrounds who rely on federal loans to pursue advanced degrees. Students say private loans aren't always an option.

For medical students, the financial burden is particularly steep.

"First years, or even ones that are applying right now, will definitely need to reevaluate their financial situations," said Suhas. "Just because of this, medical school is already such a huge financial burden. People have loans that grew up to like $300,000, even more, depending on what school you go to."

Coates pointed to the broader implications for workforce shortages in critical fields.

"If you are already dealing with a shortage of individuals in these areas. Adding this to that only exacerbates this," said Coates. "The changes eliminate what was previously guaranteeing that they would have access to graduate school."

This article was written by De'Jah Gross for the Scripps News Group in Cincinnati.

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.

A new study suggests mRNA coronavirus vaccines effectively prolonged the lives of certain cancer patients.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, examined health records of patients who received the vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy for lung and skin cancer.

The researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center believe the vaccines awakened the body's immune system to the presence of cancer but exactly how isn't clear.

ICYMI | Former CDC director warns 'many people will suffer' from funding cuts to mRNA vaccine development

Researchers compared the records of more than 1,000 patients who received mRNA vaccines with those who hadn't.

According to the study, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines nearly doubled the median survival length of patients who received them.

The implications are extraordinary this could revolutionize the entire field of oncologic care, said co-senior author of the study, Dr. Elias Sayour, a UF Health pediatric oncologist and the Stop Childrens Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research.

The study's lead author says more research is needed. Other experts pointed out that while the findings are not yet proven to be causal, it marks a pivotal step in the ongoing research.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

More than 350,000 curling irons are being recalled due to a burn hazard.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the barrel on the Bio Ionic One-Inch Long Barrel Curling Iron can snap and detach during use. The agency said the company has received 258 reports of the barrel detaching, including six reports of minor burn injuries.

The recalled irons have model number LXT-CL-1.0 and a date code between 0722 and 1223.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Popular Coca-Cola products recalled for metal contamination in Texas

"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled curling iron, unplug it, and contact Bio Ionic to register for a free replacement curling iron," the CPSC said. "Consumers will be asked to cut off the plug and return the plug to the recalling firm using a prepaid shipping label."

The curling irons were sold at beauty supply stores nationwide, including Ulta and Sephora, as well as online at Amazon and BioIonic.com from August 2022 through July 2024. They retailed for about $165.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Burritos sent to schools across the country recalled over listeria concerns

New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

The Department of Justice alleges that James falsely claimed on mortgage paperwork for a Virginia home that it would be her primary residence, even though she primarily lived and worked in New York. Prosecutors say the misrepresentation allowed her to secure more favorable loan terms, saving her about $18,000.

James, who has sued Trump and his administration numerous times, has called the indictment politically motivated.

RELATED STORY | NY Attorney General Letitia James indicted in mortgage fraud case

"This is not about me. This is about all of us, and about a justice system which has been weaponized a justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge," James said outside court. "This justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge and a weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and stood up for the rule of law. And a justice system which unfortunately is being used as a vehicle of retribution."

In court documents obtained by Scripps News, James is seeking to have the case dismissed because the indictment was brought by interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan.

Halligan, President Trump's former personal attorney, replaced the previous U.S. attorney after they reportedly expressed concerns about bringing the charges.

Former FBI Director James Comey is also challenging Halligan's appointment after he was indicted for lying to Congress.

RELATED STORY | Former FBI Director Comey pleads not guilty to federal charges

Popular Coca-Cola canned sodas distributed in Texas have been recalled due to potential metal contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall includes more than 4,000 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola, Sprite and Coke Zero in various size packages.

The recall is listed as a Class II risk, meaning "a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

RELATED STORY | Burritos sent to schools across the country recalled over listeria concerns

Currently, only products distributed to Texas are covered under the recall.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.

RELATED STORY | Target and Ulta Beauty are ending their store partnership 

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.

RELATED STORY | Passengers rate their favorite airlines. Heres who came out on top

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.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump threatens Zohran Mamdani with arrest if he were to interfere with ICE as NYC mayor

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.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Why this so-called off year could shape Americas political future

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.

With the federal government in its 23rd day of a shutdown, Republicans and Democrats remain far apart on how to end the stalemate. But one idea is drawing bipartisan support congressional term limits.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Maryland Democratic Rep. David Trone joined forces on an opinion piece in the New York Times calling for new limits on how long lawmakers can serve.

"Greater turnover would mean more politicians invested in the interests of their constituents and the nation as a whole over those of entrenched and influential advocacy groups," DeSantis and Trone wrote. "It would go a long way toward restoring trust in our political institutions and reducing the influence of money in our elections."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Senate rejects competing bills to pay federal workers amid government shutdown

Nick Tomboulides, CEO of the advocacy group U.S. Term Limits, told Scripps News he is pushing for a three-term limit in the House and a two-term limit in the Senate.

We think that would be striking the right balance in terms of getting some experience while also allowing for, you know, a regular inflow of new faces, new ideas in Washington D.C., Tomboulides said.

He argued that Congress is failing at its basic responsibilities, including keeping the government open.

The one thing that we know is the system is broken, Tomboulides said. We've got Congress, it's pretty dominated by career politicians, many of whom have been in office for decades 20, 30 years and they can't even do their most basic responsibilities. They can't even pass a budget to keep the government open. I mean, it's like having a lifeguard who can't swim.

Applying the proposed limits to the current Senate would make 46 senators ineligible for re-election. Tomboulides said thats a good thing.

I'll quote what Ronald Reagan said: The only experience you get in politics is how to be political, he said. We have people in Washington for decades and decades, they just become more entrenched. They don't become better at their jobs.

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Should age limits be set for US elected officials in office?

Tomboulides said entrenched incumbents also have a fundraising advantage.

There is a very corrosive relationship between money and incumbency, he said. The special interests, the PACs, the lobbyists, they give about $10 to incumbents for every $1 they give challengers. It makes it almost impossible for outsiders to compete and get elected to Congress.

Tomboulides believes term limits would create more open-seat races, reducing the advantage of incumbents and attracting candidates from varied backgrounds.

Term limits is just the basic idea that we want open seats, we want new blood, we want new ideas, he said.

Watch Scripps News' full interview with Nick Tomboulides, CEO of U.S. Term Limits, in the video player above.