The worlds richest man was just handed a chance to become historys first trillionaire.

Elon Musk won a shareholder vote on Thursday that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even the pope.

In the end, more than 75% of voters approved the plan as shareholders gathered in Austin, Texas, for their annual meeting.

Fantastic group of shareholders," Musk said after the final vote was tallied, adding Hang on to your Tesla stock.

The vote is a resounding victory for Musk showing investors still have faith in him as Tesla struggles with plunging sales, market share and profits in no small part due to Musk himself. Car buyers fled the company this year as he has ventured into politics both in the U.S. and Europe, and trafficked in conspiracy theories.

The vote came just three days after a report from Europe showing Tesla car sales plunged again last month, including a 50% collapse in Germany.

Still, many Tesla investors consider Musk as a sort of miracle man capable of stunning business feats, such as when he pulled Tesla from the brink of bankruptcy a half-dozen years ago to turn it into one of the worlds most valuable companies.

The vote clears a path for Musk to become a trillionaire by granting him new shares, but it wont be easy. The board of directors that designed the pay package require him to hit several ambitious financial and operational targets, including increasing the value of the company on the stock market nearly six times its current level.

Musk also has to deliver 20 million Tesla electric vehicles to the market over 10 years amid new, stiff competition, more than double the number since the founding of the company. He also has to deploy 1 million of his human-like robots that he has promised will transform work and home he calls it a robot army from zero today.

Musk could add billions to his wealth in a few years by partly delivering these goals, according to various intermediate steps that will hand him newly created stock in the company as he nears the ultimate targets.

That could help him eventually top what is now considered Americas all-time richest man, John D. Rockefeller. The railroad titan is estimated by Guinness World Records to have been worth $630 billion, in current dollars, at his peak wealth more than 110 years ago. Musk is worth $493 billion, as estimated by Forbes magazine.

Musks win came despite opposition from several large funds, including CalPERS, the biggest U.S. public pension, and Norways sovereign wealth fund. Two corporate watchdogs, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, also blasted the package, which so angered Musk he took to calling them corporate terrorists at a recent investor meeting.

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Critics argued that the board of directors was too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches offered too much.

He has hundreds of billions of dollars already in the company and to say that he wont stay without a trillion is ridiculous, said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at research firm Telemetry who has been covering Tesla for nearly two decades. Its absurd that shareholders think he is worth this much.

Supporters said that Musk needed to be incentivized to focus on the company as he works to transform it into an AI powerhouse using software to operate hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla cars many without steering wheels and Tesla robots deployed in offices, factories and homes doing many tasks now handled by humans.

This AI chapter needs one person to lead it and thats Musk, said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. Its a huge win for shareholders.

Investors voting for the pay had to consider not only this Musk promise of a bold, new tomorrow, but whether he could ruin things today: He had threatened to walk away from the company, which investors feared would tank the stock.

Tesla shares, already up 80% in the past year, rose on news of the vote in after-hours trading but then flattened basically unchanged to $445.44.

For his part, Musk says the vote wasnt really about the money but getting a higher Tesla stake it will double to nearly 30% so he could have more power over the company. He said that was a pressing concern given Teslas future robot army that he suggested he didnt trust anyone else to control given the possible danger to humanity.

Other issues up for a vote at the annual meeting turned out wins for Musk, too.

Shareholders approved allowing Tesla to invest in one of Musks other ventures, xAI. They also shot down a proposal to make it easier for shareholders to sue the company by lowering the size of ownership needed to file. The current rule requires at least a 3% stake.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump's administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and nonbinary people from choosing passport sex markers that align with their gender identity.

The decision by the high court's conservative majority is Trump's latest win on the high court's emergency docket, and it means his administration can enforce the policy while a lawsuit over it plays out. It halts a lower-court order requiring the government to keep letting people choose male, female or X on their passport to line up with their gender identity on new or renewed passports.

The State Department changed its passport rules after Trump, a Republican, handed down an executive order in January declaring the United States would "recognize two sexes, male and female," based on birth certificates and "biological classification."

Transgender actor Hunter Schafer, for example, said in February that her new passport had been issued with a male gender marker, even though she's marked female on her driver's license and passport for years.

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The plaintiffs argue that passports limited to the sex listed on a birth certificate can spark harassment or even violence for transgender people.

"By classifying people based on sex assigned at birth and exclusively issuing sex markers on passports based on that sex classification, the State Department deprives plaintiffs of a usable identification document and the ability to travel safely," attorneys wrote in court documents.

Sex markers began appearing on passports in the mid-1970s and the federal government started allowing them to be changed with medical documentation in the early 1990s, the plaintiffs said in court documents. A 2021 change under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, removed documentation requirements and allowed nonbinary people to choose an X gender marker after years of litigation.

A judge blocked the Trump administration policy in June after a lawsuit from nonbinary and transgender people, some of whom said they were afraid to submit applications. An appeals court left the judge's order in place.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer then turned to the Supreme Court, pointing to its recent ruling upholding a ban on transition-related health care for transgender minors. He also argued Congress gave the president control over passports, which overlap with his authority over foreign affairs.

"It is hard to imagine a system less conducive to accurate identification than one in which anyone can refuse to identify his or her sex and withhold relevant identifying information for any reason, or can rely on a mutable sense of self-identification," Sauer wrote in court documents.

France's court of auditors urged the Louvre museum to speed up its security modernization plans as a priority, in a report conducted before the Oct. 19 jewels heist that noted major delays in the renovation of the worlds most-visited museum.

Thursdays report by the Cour des Comptes comes after a series of failings and security issues came to light following the robbery of the $102-million worth Crown Jewels that shocked the world. The thieves used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach a window of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove within minutes.

The theft of the crown jewels is undoubtedly a deafening alarm bell, Pierre Moscovici, head of the court of auditors, said at a news conference.

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The report, focusing on the 2018-2024 period, said the museum's investments prioritized visible and attractive operations like buying new pieces of art and improving visitor experience. That was at the expense of the maintenance and renovation of buildings and technical installations, particularly safety and security systems, it said.

A plan to modernize security equipment was being studied since 2018 but its implementation kept being delayed, the report said. Actual technical work was only to start next year and was planned to be fully implemented by 2032.

"The pace is far too slow," Moscovici said.

The court of auditors believes security can be improved without hiring more staff at the museum, Moscovici added. A previous assessment shows that the Oct. 19 heist was made possible by outdated security systems, not because of lack of staff, he said.

The cost for security modernization is estimated to 83 million euros ($95 million), out of which only 3 million euros ($3.5 million) have been invested between 2018 and 2024, according to the report.

The museum said that over the past three years, 134 digital cameras have been installed to supplement or replace outdated cameras throughout the museum, the report noted.

The court of auditors, which is an independent body, recommended that the Louvre focuses on priorities including bringing the museums technical facilities, particularly safety and security, up to standards, and cut its expenses in other areas. That means reducing art acquisition and saving on museum rooms' renovation projects, the report said.

In response to the audit, the Louvre on Thursday said it regretted that the report did not take into account the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the museum said impacted certain decisions.

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The Louvre said it agrees with most of the court of auditors recommendations and already made similar proposals. It noted that the Oct. 19 theft occurred weeks before planned security improvements were to start being implemented.

The decade-long Louvre New Renaissance plan, which includes security improvements, was launched earlier this year. It is estimated it would cost up to $933 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.

Last week, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the Louvre will install streetside anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices in the next two months, following a provisional investigation that found a chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of theft at the Paris landmark.

Dati acknowledged security gaps, refused the resignation of the museum director and cited four failings: underestimated risk, underequipped security, ill-suited governance and obsolete protocols.

Four suspects in the Louvre heist were arrested last week, including three believed to be members of the team of four that was filmed using a basket lift to reach the museums window. They face preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. The jewels have not been recovered, authorities said.

A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trumps law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

A viral video of the sandwich tossing made Sean Charles Dunn a symbol of resistance to Trumps deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nations capital.

His misdemeanor acquittal is another setback for prosecutors, who have faced a backlash for their aggressive charging tactics during the law enforcement surge. The Justice Department had initially sought a felony assault indictment against Dunn, but in a highly unusual move, the grand jury declined to sign off on the felony charge. The office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro then charged Dunn with a misdemeanor.

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There was no dispute over whether Dunn threw the sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10. But his lawyers argued it was a harmless gesture during an act of protest protected by the First Amendment.

Prosecutors said Dunn knew he did not have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent. Dunn shouted fascists and racists and chanted shame toward the group of agents who were in front of a club hosting a Latin Night."

Why are you here? I dont want you in my city! Dunn shouted, according to police.

Dunn hugged his lawyers after the foreperson read the verdict. Later, he said, Im relieved and Im looking forward to moving on with my life.

Court officers escorted the 12 jurors out of the building with a gaggle of reporters following. Several jurors, including the foreperson, declined to be interviewed.

Dunn ran away after hitting the agent with the sandwich but was apprehended. He was released from custody but rearrested when armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home. The White House posted a highly produced propaganda video of the raid on its official X account, Dunns lawyers said.

Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the Justice Departments criminal division. After Dunns arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as an example of the Deep State.

Dunn lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case for what they alleged was a vindictive and selective prosecution. They argued that the posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech.

Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in Russias Volgograd region for the second time in almost three months, Ukraines general staff said Thursday. Russian officials did not confirm the attack, although the local governor said drones started a fire at an unspecified industrial facility in the region.

Ukraines general staff said in a statement that the attack took place the previous day. The refinery is the largest producer of fuel and lubricants in Russias Southern Federal District, processing more than 15 million tons of crude annually about 5.6% of the countrys total refining capacity, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia and Ukraine have traded almost daily assaults on each others energy infrastructure as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the nearly four-year war make no impact on the battlefield.

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Ukraines long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to weaponize winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said foreign countries are helping Kyiv in its efforts to keep the power grid operating amid Russias onslaught.

Practically every day, our power engineers, repair brigades, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are carrying out restorations on-site after attacks: hits keep occurring across various points, especially in our communities, and especially near the Russian border and close to the front, Zelenskyy said late Wednesday.

Also, saboteurs inside Russia burned dozens of locomotives in a bid to hamper the logistics of Russias armed forces, Ukraines military intelligence said Thursday.

The Freedom of Russia group used Molotov cocktails to set fire to the control and power supply systems of dozens of locomotives that transported military cargo, according to a statement from GUR, as the intelligence agency is known.

It was not possible to independently verify the claim, nor did the statement say whether the GUR was involved in the operation. Russian officials offered no immediate comment.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has attempted to strike targets on Russian soil with domestically developed long-range drones.

Ukrainian forces also struck three fuel lubricants facilities in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and a storage and assembly base for Russias Shahed drones in an occupied area of Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, the general staff statement said.

In the Kostroma region northeast of Moscow, a Ukrainian aerial attack hit unidentified energy infrastructure facilities, Gov. Sergei Sitnikov said. There were no casualties and power supplies were not disrupted, he said.

Unconfirmed media reports said the attack targeted a hydroelectric power plant in the Kostroma region, one of the biggest in Russia.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday its air defenses shot down 75 drones overnight over multiple Russian regions and annexed Crimea.

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Russia, meantime, attacked the city of Kamianske in Ukraines eastern Dnipropetrovsk region with drones overnight, killing one person and injuring eight others, the head of the regional military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, said on his official Telegram channel.

Several fires broke out and the roof of a four-story building was partially destroyed, he said.

The Russian military also continued its assault on Ukraines rail infrastructure, causing delays and route changes in Ukraines eastern regions of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraines state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 135 drones of various types overnight on Thursday, Ukraines air force said.

Democrat Jay Jones was elected Tuesday as Virginia attorney general, riding a wave of voter dissatisfaction with the White House to overcome the revelation that in 2022 he sent widely condemned texts embracing violence against a fellow state lawmaker.

The former Virginia delegate defeated Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares weeks after it emerged that Jones had texted a fellow delegate suggesting the then-House speaker should get two bullets to the head. Jones apologized for the private messages both in statements and at a debate in October.

At the end of the day, this election has never been about me or my opponent, Jones said at a campaign party. It has always been about every single one of us and the future of Virginia.

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Jones victory amid the controversy could signal trouble for Republicans heading into next years midterm elections. He weathered the storm in part by working to shift the debate away from his character and toward President Donald Trumps administration.

Jones campaigned against the impact of federal encroachment on Virginia since Trump took office in January shrinking the civil service, levying tariffs and a Republican federal tax cut bill that Democrats argued imperiled the states health care system.

The win could soon add Virginia to the roster of Democratic-led states legally challenging actions taken by Trump.

A descendant of slaves, Jones is set to become the first Black attorney general in the former capital of the Confederacy. His victory is a landmark moment for Black Virginians in a statewide contest that was already poised to make history, with voters choosing between two women to elect the states first female governor.

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Miyares faced a difficult political climate in his bid for reelection. Ever since Democrat Jimmy Carter won the White House in 1976, every time a new president has been elected, Virginia has voted in a governor the following year from the opposite party.

And while the state has had split tickets before meaning voters backed candidates for statewide offices from a party that differs from the elected governor they havent picked an attorney general from the opposite party in 20 years.

Listen, Virginians, politics is like a pendulum. The publics sentiments sway one way and then the next, Miyares said Tuesday. Tonight, it swung a bit too far in the wrong direction, in my opinion. And folks, it will swing back.

Republicans had hoped to persuade swing voters to reelect Miyares but faced challenging headwinds in a state with tens of thousands of federal employees.

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Outrage over Jones text messages is unlikely to fade once Jones is sworn into office. Republicans, including Trump and Miyares, described his conduct from three years ago as disqualifying him from the attorney generals position in 2025.

Even Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Ghazala Hashmi, the partys candidates for governor and lieutenant governor Tuesday, had stayed silent about whether Jones still had their endorsements. Jones did, however, speak at a Spanberger campaign rally on Saturday.

Jones comes from a family of Hampton Roads politicians and civil rights pioneers. His father was also a Virginia delegate, and his grandfather was the first Black member of the Norfolk School Board. Jones previously ran for attorney general in 2021 but lost the primary to then-incumbent Mark Herring.

My father, my mother, my uncles, my aunts endured segregation, all so that I could stand here before you today, Jones said.

All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term, ensuring Democratic jurists keep their majority on the presidential battleground states highest court one at the center of pivotal fights over voting rights, redistricting and elections.

The result shapes the makeup of the seven-member court through the next presidential election in 2028. The three justices had been elected as Democrats, and voters were deciding whether to extend the courts Democratic majority. Rejecting all three could have plunged the court into a partisan deadlock if the states politically divided government could not agree on temporary appointees to fill in.

Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht won new terms, with support from the Democratic Party and allies including Planned Parenthood, labor unions, trial lawyers and a constellation of progressive groups.

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In particular, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro considered a potential White House contender in 2028 who is up for reelection next year appeared in ads for the justices and lobbied for their retention.

Pennsylvania sent a resounding message by voting to retain all three Supreme Court Justices who will continue to defend the rule of law, safeguard our elections, and protect our constitutional rights, Shapiro said in a statement.

In addition to voting rights, Democrats leaned heavily on the protection of abortion rights in a state where abortion remains legal.

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All three were running in what is called a retention election, in which voters are asked to vote yes or no on whether to give current justices another term. They were not identified by party on the ballot. Terms are 10 years, though age limits can shorten that time on the bench.

Reelecting them extends the Democratic majority, currently 5-2.

The court could again be called on to settle partisan battles over election laws ahead of next years midterm contests to decide the governors office and the U.S. House majority. Democrats need to gain just three seats in the 2026 elections to take control of the House.

Traditionally, a retention campaign is an under-the-radar election. But in an era of increasingly polarized judicial elections, spending in the race was on track to exceed $15 million, far surpassing previous spending in a retention election.

While not all spending or financial sources have been disclosed publicly, Democrats easily outspent a Republican campaign by as much as four-to-one. President Donald Trump didn't campaign against the justices and only weighed in on social media on Sunday night, urging Republicans to vote no.

Defeating all three justices could have left the bench in a partisan 2-2 stalemate for two years, including through next years elections.

In recent years, the court has made major decisions around voting and elections, necessitated in part by the politically divided and often stalemated state government.

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The justices in 2018 threw out a GOP-drawn map of Pennsylvanias congressional districts as unconstitutionally gerrymandered and, four years later, again picked new boundaries after a stalemate in government.

The court turned away GOP challenges to Pennsylvanias expansive vote-by-mail law, which became a focal point of Republican efforts to overturn Trumps loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Republican justices dissented.

The justices also rendered verdicts in cases involving abortion rights and public school funding.

Two years after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, Maine residents voted Tuesday to make it easier for family members to petition a court to restrict a potentially dangerous persons access to guns.

A ballot question asked residents if they wanted to build on the states yellow flag law, which allows police officers to initiate a process to keep someone away from firearms. Approval adds Maine to more than 20 states that have a red flag law, which empowers family members to take the same step.

Gun safety advocates began pushing for that after 18 people were killed when an Army reservist opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston in October 2023. An independent commission appointed by Maines governor later concluded that there were numerous opportunities for intervention by both Army officials and civilian law enforcement.

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Gun control proponents characterized that law as too weak and difficult to implement. The yellow flag law requires police to take the potentially dangerous person into protective custody and hold them for a mental health evaluation.

Maine voters have taken the safety of our communities into our own hands by passing common-sense, responsible gun legislation that will save lives and help keep our kids and families safe, not just from the horrors of a tragedy like Lewiston, but from the devastating impacts of everyday gun violence, said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which sponsored Tuesday's proposal.

Opponents of the red flag law said Tuesday that it's significant the yellow flag law is still state law.

"We are glad that Maines yellow flag law remains intact, and we look forward to continuing to work to improve our states safety. Were going to be reviewing all options to keep Mainers safe as we move into the future of the state, the No on 2 Coalition said in a statement.

In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officers testified before the independent commission that they had difficulty implementing the states existing yellow flag law, which they described as cumbersome and time-consuming.

The campaign in favor of the red flag law released an ad this fall in which Arthur Barnard, father of Lewiston shooting victim Artie Strout, said the stronger law could have saved his sons life.

People who are having a mental health crisis need help, not easy access to guns, Barnard said in the ad. Maines laws were too weak to save my sons life. Vote Yes on 2 to change that.

The red flag proposal has encountered resistance from Republicans, hunting groups, gun rights organizations and some Democrats. Maine is a state with relatively low crime where gun ownership is common, and the states laws should reflect that, opponents have said.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, opposed the ballot question. She said in October that the yellow flag law was carefully crafted with Maine in mind, and it remains the right law for the state.

We found common ground on one of the most controversial issues of our time, Mills wrote in an opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald. Question 2 would create a new, separate and confusing process that will undermine the effectiveness of the law and endanger public safety along with it.

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The ballot question campaign came as the legal aftermath of the Lewiston shooting is still unfolding.

The survivors and family members of victims of the deadly shooting have sued the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense, seeking unspecified damages and arguing the U.S. Army could have stopped Robert Card, the reservist, from carrying out the shootings. They also point to a Department of Defense watchdog report issued in September that faults the U.S. Army for a high rate of failure to report violent threats by service members.

The report specifically mentions Card, who died by suicide two days after the shootings. It says failure to consistently report violent threats could increase the risk of additional violent incidents by service members, such as what occurred with SFC (Sgt. 1st Class) Card.

Card was in the midst of a mental health spiral that was known to many, and that led to his hospitalization and left him paranoid, delusional and expressing homicidal ideations, attorneys for the victims have said.

Cards family members and fellow reservists said he had exhibited delusional and paranoid behavior months before the shootings. One fellow reservist said in a text: I believe hes going to snap and do a mass shooting.

Scientists have spotted the brightest flare yet from a supermassive black hole that shines with the light of 10 trillion suns.

These bursts of light and energy can come from things like tangled-up magnetic fields or hiccups in the heated gas disks surrounding black holes. The flares help illuminate researchers' understanding of the black holes within.

The latest cosmic display was spotted in 2018 by a camera at the Palomar Observatory in California. It took about three months to shine at peak brightness and has been decaying in the years since.

It likely happened because a large star wandered too close to the black hole and got shredded to pieces.

At first, we didn't really believe the numbers about the energy, said study author Matthew Graham with the California Institute of Technology, which operates Palomar.

The new findings were published Tuesday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

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The flare came from a supermassive black hole that's 10 billion light years away, making the flash the most distant one observed so far. It hails from a time when the universe was rather young. A light year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

Almost every large galaxy, including our Milky Way, has a supermassive black hole at its center. But scientists still arent sure how they form.

Studying such behemoths can help researchers better understand the stellar neighborhood surrounding supermassive black holes.

The discovery also allows scientists to probe the interaction of supermassive black holes with their environments early in the universe," said Joseph Michail with Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, which didn't have a role in the new study.

Those early interactions created the cosmos we now call home.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck.

There have already been numerous delays at airports across the country sometimes hours long because the Federal Aviation Administration slows down or stops traffic temporarily anytime it is short on controllers. Last weekend saw some of the worst staff shortages and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.

Duffy and the head of the air traffic controllers union have both warned that the situation will only get worse the longer the shutdown continues and the financial pressure continues to grow on people who are forced to work without pay. FAA employees already missed one paycheck on Oct. 28. Their next payday is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Many of the controllers said A lot of us can navigate missing one paycheck. Not everybody, but a lot of us can. None of us can manage missing two paychecks, Duffy said. So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. Youll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we dont have air traffic controllers.

Most of the flight disruptions so far during the shutdown have been isolated and temporary. But if delays become more widespread and start to ripple throughout the system, the pressure will mount on Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the travel industry have been urging Congress to end this shutdown as soon as possible by voting to support the clean funding resolution that Republicans have proposed.

The U.S. Travel Association said in a letter to Congressional leaders this week that the economy has already lost more than $4 billion because of the shutdown, and the industry worries the impact will get significantly worse if the shutdown continues into the holiday travel season.

With Thanksgiving, the busiest travel period of the year, imminently approaching, the consequences of a continued shutdown will be immediate, deeply felt by millions of American travelers, and economically devastating to communities in every state, the U.S. Travel Association said.

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Normally, airlines strive to have at least 80% of their flights depart and arrive within 15 minutes of when they are scheduled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the total number of delays overall has not fallen significantly below that goal because most of the disruptions so far have been no worse than what happens when a major thunderstorm moves across an airport.

But on Sunday, only about 56% of Newark's departures were on time, and the Orlando airport reported that only about 70% of its flights were on time, according to Cirium.

As of midday Tuesday, there have been 1,932 flight delays reported across the United States, according to www.FlightAware.com. That is lower than what is typical although the FAA did say that flights in Phoenix were being delayed Tuesday morning because of staffing shortages. Strong winds are also causing delays at the Newark and LaGuardia airports Tuesday.

One of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi highway was shot and killed early Sunday by a woman who says she feared for the safety of her children.

Jessica Bond Ferguson said she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She got out of bed, grabbed her firearm and her cellphone and stepped outside where she saw the monkey about 60 feet (18 meters) away.

Bond Ferguson said she and other residents had been warned that the escaped monkeys carried diseases so she fired her gun.

I did what any other mother would do to protect her children, Bond Ferguson, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that's when he fell.

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The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but said the office didn't have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff's office said.

Before Bond Ferguson had gone out the door, she had called the police and was told to keep an eye on the monkey. But she said worried that if the monkey got away it would threaten children at another house.

If it attacked somebody's kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me, said Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old professional chef. It's kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.

The Rhesus monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university. In a statement last week, Tulane said the monkeys do not belong to the university, and they were not being transported by the university.

A truck carrying the monkeys overturned Tuesday on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg. Of the 21 monkeys in the truck, 13 were found at the scene of the accident and arrived at their original destination last week, according to Tulane. Another five were killed in the hunt for them and three remained on the loose before Sunday.

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The Mississippi Highway Patrol has said it was investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the state capital, Jackson.

Rhesus monkeys typically weigh about 16 pounds (7.2 kilograms) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet. Video recorded after the crash showed monkeys crawling through tall grass beside the interstate, where wooden crates labeled live animals were crumpled and strewn about.

Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson had said Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious, despite initial reports by the trucks occupants warning that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases. Nonetheless, Johnson said the monkeys still needed to be neutralized because of their aggressive nature.

The monkeys had recently received checkups confirming they were pathogen-free, Tulane said in a statement Wednesday.

Rhesus macaques are known to be aggressive, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It said the agencys conservation workers were working with sheriffs officials in the search for the animals.

The search comes about one year after 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research because an employee didnt fully lock an enclosure. Employees from the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, had set up traps to capture them.

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began this month, Palestinian militants have so far released the remains of 20 hostages that were held for the past two years. But the process of returning the bodies of the last eight remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly.

Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israels two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.

In the most recent release, Hamas returned the bodies of three Israeli troops killed during the militants' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Israel's military said they were identified as hostages Omer Neutra, Oz Daniel and Col. Asaf Hamami.

In return, Israel has so far released the bodies of 270 Palestinians back to Gaza. Israel has not provided any details on their identities, and it is unclear if they were killed in Israel during the attack on Oct. 7, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody, or bodies that were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.

IN RELATED NEWS | Hamas claims bodies Israel turned over show signs of torture

Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits, and have successfully identified just 78 of the bodies.

Heres a look at the hostages whose remains have not been returned.

Itay Chen, 19

Itay Chen was an Israeli American originally from Netanya, in central Israel, who was abducted along with two other members of his tank battalion: Daniel Peretz, who also died, and Matan Angrest, who survived and was released from captivity on Oct. 13. Chen loved basketball and studying biology, according the Hostages Families Forum.

Chen was killed on Oct. 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. His father, Ruby Chen, has met frequently with American leaders about getting all hostages returned, including the deceased. Itay Chen is survived by his parents and two brothers.

Meny Godard, 73

Meny Godard was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Beeri. He served in a variety of different positions in the kibbutz, including at its printing press.

On the morning of Oct. 7, Godard and his wife, Ayelet, were forced out of their home after it was set on fire. She hid in the bushes for a number of hours before militants discovered her and killed her. She was able to tell her children that Meny had been killed before she died. The family held a double funeral for the couple. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren.

Hadar Goldin, 23

Hadar Goldins remains are the only ones that have been held in Gaza since before the war. The Israeli soldier was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, two hours after a ceasefire took effect ending the that years war between Israel and Hamas. Based on evidence found in the tunnel where Goldins body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes, the military quickly determined that he had been killed in the attack.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal

Goldin is survived by his parents and three siblings, including a twin. He had proposed to his fiance before he was killed. Earlier this year, Goldins family marked 4,000 days since his body was taken. The military retrieved the body of another soldier who was killed in the 2014 war earlier this year.

Ran Gvili, 24

Ran Gvili, who served in an elite police unit, was recovering from a broken shoulder he sustained in a motorcycle accident but rushed to assist fellow officers on Oct. 7. After helping people escape from the Nova music festival, he was killed fighting at another location and his body was taken to Gaza. The military confirmed his death four months later. He is survived by his parents and a sister.

Joshua Loitu Mollel, 21

Joshua Mollel was a Tanzanian agricultural student who arrived at kibbutz Nahal Oz only 19 days before Oct. 7. He had finished agricultural college in Tanzania and hoped to gain experience in Israel he could apply at home. Two smaller Palestinian militant groups posted graphic footage on social media showing their fighters stabbing and shooting Mollel, according to a Human Rights Watch report. He is survived by two parents and four siblings in Tanzania.

Dror Or, 52

Dror Or was a father of three who worked at the dairy farm on Kibbutz Beeri for 15 years, rising to the position of manager. He was an expert cheesemaker, according to family and friends. On Oct. 7, the family was hiding in their safe room when militants lit the house on fire. Dror and his wife, Yonat, were killed. Two of their children, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were abducted and released during the November 2023 ceasefire.

Sudthisak Rinthalak

Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural worker from Thailand who had been employed at Kibbutz Beeri. According to media reports, Rinthalak was divorced and had been working in Israel since 2017. A total of 31 workers from Thailand were kidnapped on Oct. 7, the largest group of foreigners to be held in captivity. Most of them were released in the first and second ceasefires. The Thai Foreign Ministry has said in addition to the hostages, 46 Thais have been killed during the war.

Lior Rudaeff, 61

Lior Rudaeff was born in Argentina and moved to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak at age 7. He volunteered for more than 40 years as an ambulance driver and was a member of the communitys emergency response team. He was killed while battling militants on the morning of Oct. 7 and his body was brought to Gaza. Rudaeff is survived by four children and three grandchildren.

Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a cash and stock deal worth about $48.7 billion, creating a massive consumer health goods company.

Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash and 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares for each Kenvue share held at closing. That amounts to $21.01 per share, based on the closing price of Kimberly-Clark shares on Friday.

RELATED STORY | Trump links Tylenol in pregnancy to autism despite contested science

Kimberly-Clark shareholders are expected to own about 54% of the combined company. Kenvue shareholders will own about 46%.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year. It still needs approval from shareholders of both companies.

President Donald Trump recently thrust Tylenol into the national spotlight. In September, he announced that the Food and Drug Administration would issue a physician notice and begin the process for updating safety labels for acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, linking its use during pregnancy to autism despite disputed science.

The administration said research suggests a possible association between acetaminophen and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

RELATED STORY | RFK Jr. disputes CDC conclusion on why autism rates have jumped in US

"Don't take Tylenol if you're pregnant and don't give Tylenol to your child when he's born," President Trump said.

Despite Trump's insistence that pregnant women should not take acetaminophen, the official guidance from his administration is for clinicians to "exercise their best judgment" when recommending the drug for fevers and pain during pregnancy.

The FDA also notes that "acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children."

Kenvue said the company stands with public health officials and believes there's no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.

Israel on Sunday announced that the remains of three hostages had been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire held.

A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday's handover.

Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains arent of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

Israels military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.

IN RELATED NEWS | Hamas claims bodies Israel turned over show signs of torture

Emotions around the remains have been high among families, who continue to rally weekly. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to have restraint.

This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again, Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.

Israel in turn has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.

Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope that families will recognize them.

It is unclear if the Palestinians returned were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.

The exchange has been the central part of the initial phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilization force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gazas borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.

Multiple nations have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but called for a clear U.N. Security Council mandate before committing troops.

Other difficult questions include Hamas disarmament and the governance of a postwar Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Sunday that there are still pockets of Hamas in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces.

There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated, Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal

The deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas began with the Hamas-led 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

Israels military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministrys figures without providing a contradicting toll.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya set a women's course record to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday while compatriot Benson Kipruto won the men's race by edging Alexander Mutiso in a photo finish.

Obiri, who also won the race in 2023, finished in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds. Obiri was running with 2022 winner Sharon Lokedi until she pulled away from her countrymate in the final mile, surging ahead and winning easily, besting the previous course record of 2:22.31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003.

Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui finished third. All three beat the previous course best.

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Kipruto and Mutiso separated themselves from the chase pack in the men's race heading into Mile 24. Kipruto seemed to have put the race away, pulling away from Mutiso in the last 200 meters. But Mutiso, who also is from Kenyan, wasn't done, surging in the last 50 meters before just falling short. Kipruto finished in 2:08.09. Mutiso was a hair behind, finishing with the same time.

Kenyan Albert Korir, who won in 2021, was third, giving Kenya a sweep of the top three spots in both the men's and women's races. Joel Reichow was the top American, coming in sixth.

Eliud Kipchoge, who turns 41 next week, wrapped up a historic run as one of the most accomplished marathoners in the sport. He ran the New York City Marathon for the first time and finished 17th.

On the women's side, the trio of former champions separated themselves heading into the Bronx at Mile 20. American Fiona OKeeffe and Dutch runner Sifan Hassan had made it a pack of five once the group entered Manhattan a few miles earlier but couldnt hang on for the final six miles.

This was the first time that the previous three womens winners had been in the same race since 2018. The trio didnt disappoint, putting forth stellar efforts. It was the second straight year that Kenyans took the top three spots.

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OKeeffe finished fourth, with fellow American Annie Frisbie finishing fifth. Hassan, who won the Sydney Marathon two months ago, was next. Four of the top nine finishers were Americans.

The 26.2-mile course took runners through all five boroughs of New York, starting in Staten Island and ending in Manhattan's Central Park. This is the 49th year the race has been in all five boroughs. Before that, the route was completely in Central Park. The first race had only 55 finishers while a record 55,642 people finished last year, the largest in the history of the sport until the London Marathon broke it earlier this year.

The weather was great to run in, with temperatures in the 50s Fahrenheit when the race started.

In one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the nation, a line stretched along the side of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and Pantry.

Willy Hilaire is homeless, unemployed and 63. He lives in a New York shelter with his two grandchildren and often goes hungry so that they can eat the food he gets from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

On many days, Hilaires only food is a hot meal he gets from Holy Apostles in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. With SNAP at risk, he worries there won't be enough for him and the children, forcing more sacrifice.

I always tell them, Grandpa is there for you,' he said. "'Whatever I have, Ill give it to you.

RELATED STORY | Gopuff, Instacart and DoorDash launch promotions to help people on SNAP

Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trumps administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nations biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. But officials said it was too late to stop recipients from losing benefits on Saturday and that restoring them could likely take at least one week.

Reliance on food aid hits Black people harder

One in eight Americans use SNAP but its halt will disproportionately hurt Black Americans like Hilaire. Black people are 13.7% of the population but 25.7% of SNAP recipients. Other racial groups get SNAP at rates lower than their overall share of the population.

Historians and advocates say that's an example of what's known as systemic racism. There may be no formally racist policy at play but Americas long history of racism from slavery to unfair zoning rules has left Black communities with a series of structural disadvantages, and far less wealth accumulated over generations.

White people are nearly 75% of the population but just 35.4% of SNAP recipients, the latest data show.

Meanwhile, Black Americans are just 13.7% of the country but more than a quarter of SNAP recipients, the largest overrepresentation of any ethnic or racial group.

Hispanic people are underrepresented in the SNAP statistics. Asian Americans are overrepresented but much less than Black Americans. And Native Americans get SNAP at basically the same rate that their group is in the general population.

Asian Americans living in poverty face constraints like lack of English fluency and neighborhood gentrification. In New York City, 253,000 of the 1.5 million Asian residents use SNAP, according to the nonprofit Asian American Federation. Over 91% of them work. But, with limited English proficiency, many are limited in their job opportunities, said CEO Catherine Chen. Families who have lived comfortably in cultural enclaves like Chinatown for one or two generations are getting priced out.

Working, on food aid

A majority of adult SNAP recipients who can work, do. Some still qualify for SNAP typically $187 a month despite holding down one or more jobs, according to nonprofit advocates. Theyre often low-wage jobs without benefits like paid sick days.

A report by the National Urban League last year found that the racial income gap has been virtually unchanged for more than 20 years, with Black Americans making 64% of the income of white people, on average.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Well has run dry: USDA blames Democrats for SNAP funding lapse during shutdown

Theres so much discrimination in the work force, so much discrimination in America today, that Black people who were enslaved and segregated for 350 years are still fighting for economic parity, said Marc Morial, president of the civil rights group. While we have a growing number of African Americans, middle-class Americans, we still have a disproportionate number of poor (Black) Americans.

At the current pace, it would take anywhere from one to three centuries for most Black Americans to achieve parity with their white peers, depending on where they live, according to the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility.

Worsening statistics

This year Black unemployment rose from 6.2% to 7.5%, the highest level since October 2021. Black homeownership fell to the lowest level in four years, according to an analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. The Census Bureau found the median Black household income fell 3.3% last year to $56,020. Thats around $36,000 less than what a white household earns.

The looming absence of grocery dollars would almost certainly make it harder for families to afford rent, gas and other expenses. Even if SNAP benefits are restored before November ends, nonprofit leaders say low-income residents could face financial setbacks into next year.

Tribal nations navigate a web of bureaucracy for food aid

For tribal nations, food and nutrition assistance programs are part of the U.S. governments trust and treaty responsibilities the government's legal and moral obligations to fund tribes' health and well-being. The U.S. promised to uphold those rights in exchange for the land and resources it took from Indigenous peoples.

However, those rights continue to be chronically underfunded and uniquely vulnerable to government shutdowns, according to a report released last week by the Brookings Institution. The study found that in 2024, more than two-thirds of trust and treaty responsibilities were funded through discretionary spending, meaning they are not guaranteed during a shutdown. It also noted that one of the largest sources of mandatory spending owed to tribes comes in the form of SNAP benefits.

Another U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides food to income-eligible Native American households, the Food Distribution Program in Indian Reservations, is still operating. But Native Americans already enrolled in SNAP cannot participate in that program. FDPIR President Mary Greene-Trottier said in October that her agency asked USDA Undersecretary Patrick Penn for a waiver, which the agency has granted for November, according to a letter Greene-Trottier received on Friday.

She she expects to see a substantial increase in demand for her program once SNAP benefits are shut off.

Ive heard the pleas from the people in the community and outside the community that are just really concerned with not having enough food to eat and the choices between paying medical bills or utility bills that are increasing, Greene-Trottier said.

I cant say this loud enough, but this is the weaponization of food again, she said, a reference to the U.S. governments historic policies of withholding or cutting off food supplies to starve out tribal nations during the countrys expansion.

RELATED STORY | Mom's Facebook post sparks grassroots food assistance effort for SNAP families

Meanwhile, tribal nations across the country including Spirit Lake Nation, Cherokee Nation, Blackfeet Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Shawnee Tribe declared states of emergency ahead of the loss of SNAP benefits.

Misinformation drives stereotypes about SNAP recipients

The disproportionate need for food stamps among non-white households has contributed to misinformation and stereotypes. Starting in the 1960s the term welfare queen became popular, playing to assumptions that poor people of color were profiting off government assistance rather than looking for work.

But two-thirds of the over 40 million SNAP beneficiaries are people you wouldn't expect to work. Thirty-nine percent are children, 20% are elderly and 10% are children or non-elderly adults with disabilities, according to the Urban Institute.

Pastor Cleo Lewis, who usually conducts street ministry in Phoenix, organized a food drive for the first time to cushion the blow as much as possible for the 30 families he counsels at a local shelter

We usually are dealing with areas that are spiritually related, Lewis said. Now were having to increase our presence, and dealing with issues of substance and material issues that we know are significant, but we relied on other professionals to deal with this.

Jacqueline Chapman is a retired school aide who relies on a $630 monthly Social Security check to get by. She was navigating the loss of her federal food aid benefits when she learned the assistance she receives for heating her Philadelphia apartment may also be at risk.

I feel like Im living in scary times. Its not easy to rest when you know you have things to do with limited accounts, limited funds. There isnt too much you can do, said Chapman, 74.

Chapman relies on the $4.1 billion Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps millions of low-income households pay to heat and cool their homes.

With temperatures beginning to drop in areas across the United States, some states are warning that funding for the program is being delayed because of the federal government shutdown, now in its fifth week.

RELATED STORY | Trump wants nuclear option to end shutdown; it could shake Capitol Hill to its core

The anticipated delay comes as a majority of the 5.9 million households served by the federally funded heating and cooling assistance program are grappling with the sudden postponement of benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. Money is running out for other safety net programs as well and energy prices are soaring.

The impact, even if its temporary, on many of the nations poor families is going to be profound if we dont solve this problem, said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state directors of the program. Commonly called LIHEAP, it serves all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federally recognized tribes.

These are important income supports that are all potentially heading toward a cliff at the same time, Wolfe said. And I cant point to a similar time in recent history where weve had this.

States are warning applicants about a funding delay

LIHEAP, created in 1981, assists families in covering utility bills or the cost of paying for fuels delivered to homes, such as home heating oil. It has received bipartisan congressional support for decades.

States manage the program. They receive an allotment of federal money each year based on a formula that largely takes into account state weather patterns, energy costs and low-income population data.

While President Donald Trump proposed zero funding for the program in his budget, it was anticipated that Congress would fund LIHEAP for the budget year that began Oct. 1. But since Congress has not yet passed a full 2026 spending bill, states have not gotten their new allocations yet.

Some states, including Kansas, Pennsylvania, New York and Minnesota, have announced their LIHEAP programs are being delayed by the government shutdown.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiros administration said it cannot front the $200 million-plus in federal LIHEAP aid it had expected to help pay heating bills for some 300,000 low-income households. It is predicting payments will not go out until at least December, instead of November, as is customary.

Minnesotas energy assistance program is processing applications but the states Department of Commerce said federal LIHEAP dollars will likely be delayed by a month. The agency does not plan to pay recipients heating bills until the shutdown ends.

As temperatures begin to drop, this delay could have serious impacts, the agency said. The program services 120,000 households, both homeowners and renters, that include many older adults, young children and people with disabilities.

Connecticut has enough money to set aside to pay heating bills through at least the end of November or December, according to the group that helps administer LIHEAP. But the program faces uncertainty if the shutdown persists. Connecticut lawmakers are considering covering the cost temporarily with state budget reserves.

The situation will get much more perilous for folks who do need those resources as we move later into the heating season, said Rhonda Evans, executive director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action. More than 100,000 households were served last year.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the assistance program, blamed the federal shutdown and the delay in LIHEAP payments on congressional Democrats and said the Trump administration is committed to reopening the government.

Once the government reopens, ACF will work swiftly to administer annual awards, the spokesperson said, referring to the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within HHS. The spokesperson did not directly answer whether the timing could be affected by the administrations earlier decision to fire workers who run the LIHEAP program.

Wolfe, from the group that represents state program directors, predicts there could be delays into January. He noted there are questions over who will approve states' program plans and how the money will be released when it becomes available.

Once youve fired the staff, things just slow down, he said.

Low-income families face mounting obstacles

Chapman, the retired school aide, may be eligible for a program through her gas utility to prevent being shut off this winter. But the roughly 9% of LIHEAP recipients who rely on deliverable fuels such as heating oil, kerosene, propane and wood pellets, typically do not have such protections.

Electric and natural gas companies are usually regulated by the state and can be told not to shut people off while the state waits to receive its share of the LIHEAP money, Wolfe said. But it is different when it involves a small oil or propane company, fuels more common in the Northeast.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Judges say Trump administration cant suspend SNAP benefits during shutdown

If youre a heating oil dealer, we cant tell that dealer, Look, continue to provide heating oil to your low-income customers on the possibility youll get your money back, Wolfe said.

Mark Bain, 67, who lives in Bloomfield, Connecticut, with his son, a student at the University of Connecticut, started receiving financial assistance for his home heating oil needs three years ago.

I remember the first winter before I knew about this program. I was desperate. I was on fumes, said Bains, who is retired and relies on income from Social Security and a small annuity. I was calling around to my social services people to find out what I could do.

He has been approved this year for $500 in assistance but he has a half tank of oil left and cannot call for more until it is nearly empty. By that point, he is hoping there will be enough federal money left to fill it. He typically needs three deliveries to get through a winter.

Bains said he can get by if he does not receive the help this year.

I would turn the heat down to like 62 (degrees) and throw on another blanket, you know, just to get through, he said.

The Paris prosecutor said Saturday two new suspects were handed preliminary charges for their alleged involvement in the crown jewels heist at the Louvre museum, three days after they were arrested by police as part of the sweeping investigation.

Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor, said a 37-year-old suspect was charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. He was known to authorities for previous thefts, the statement said.

The other suspect, a 38-year-old woman, was accused of being an accomplice. They were both incarcerated.

RELATED STORY | Arrest total rises to 7 in Louvre jewelry heist; key DNA match found

They both denied involvement, the prosecutor said.

The lawyer for the woman, Adrien Sorrentino, told reporters his client is devastated" because she disputes the accusations.

"She does not understand how she is implicated in any of the elements she is accused of," he said.

Jewels have not been recovered

Officials said the jewels stolen in the Oct. 19 heist have not been recovered a trove valued around $102 million that includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise as a wedding gift, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amlie and Hortense, and Empress Eugnies pearl-and-diamond tiara.

Five people were arrested by police on Wednesday in connection with the case, including one tied to the heist by DNA. That person is suspected of belonging to the team of four who used a freight lift truck to enter the Louvre. The prosecutor did not specify whether the person was among those charged on Saturday.

The three others have been released without charges, Beccuau said.

Two earlier suspects, men aged 34 and 39 from Aubervilliers, north of Paris, were charged this week with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy.

Beccuau said both gave minimalist statements and partially admitted their involvement. The two are believed to be the men who forced their way into the Apollo Gallery. One was stopped at Charles-de-Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria; his DNA matched a scooter used in the getaway.

About 100 investigators involved

Neither names nor extensive biographical details about the suspects have been made public.

Information about investigations is meant to be secret under French law, to avoid compromising police work and to ensure victims right to privacy, a policy known as secret dinstruction. Only the prosecutor can speak publicly about developments, and violators can be prosecuted.

Earlier this week, Beccuau praised an exceptional mobilization about 100 investigators seven days a week, with roughly 150 forensic samples analyzed and 189 items sealed as evidence.

It took robbers less than 8 minutes to steal the jewels. The team of four used a freight lift, allowing two of them to force a window and cut into two display cases with disc cutters, before the four fled on two scooters toward eastern Paris. Only the near-simultaneous arrival of police and museum security stopped the thieves from torching the lift and destroying crucial evidence, the prosecutor said.

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Investigators said there is no sign of insider help for now, though they are not ruling out a wider network beyond the four on camera.

In a separate case, Interior Minister Laurent Nuez said six people were arrested on Thursday soon after a robbery at a gold refining laboratory in the city of Lyon during which thieves used explosives. The loot, which was estimated to be worth 12 million euros ($13.9 million) has been recovered, Nuez said on X.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he told Ontario's premier not to run an anti-tariff advertisement that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada.

Carney also confirmed that he apologized to the president during a dinner at the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit because Trump was offended.

Ontarios television advertisement that aired in in the U.S. criticizes Trumps tariffs by citing a speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The ad infuriated Trump, who ended trade talks with Canada and said he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%.

RELATED STORY | Ontario to pull ad criticizing US tariffs after weekend World Series games

When asked on Saturday what Ontario Premier Doug Fords response was to being asked not to run the ad, Carney said, Well, you saw what came of it.

It's not something I would have done, Carney added at a news conference as he wrapped a nine-day trip to Asia.

Ford is a populist Conservative while Carney is a Liberal. As premier, Ford is the equivalent of a U.S. governor.

Im the one who is responsible, in my role as prime minister, for the relationship with the president of the U.S., and the federal government is responsible for the foreign relationship with the U.S. government, Carney said.

A spokesperson for Ford didn't immediately respond when asked if Carney told Ford not to run the ad.

Ford previously said Carney and Carneys chief of staff watched the ad before it was released.

Ford pulled the ad last Monday but allowed it to be shown in the first two games of the baseball World Series.

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Trump said the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president and a beloved figure in the Republican Party. But Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 address featured in Ontarios ad spelling out the case against them.

Trump has complained the ad was aimed at influencing the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of arguments scheduled this month that could decide whether Trump has the power to impose his sweeping tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy. Lower courts had ruled he had exceeded his authority.

Carney met with Trump at the White House last month and has been trying to secure a trade deal to lower some tariffs on sectors like steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll in the aluminum, steel, auto and lumber sectors.

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