ATLANTA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira spoke briefly ‌at a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting and ‌agreed to meet in coming weeks before a G20 leaders summit, a source familiar with the plans said.
A Brazilian official downplayed tensions over Brazil's failure to approve Trump's pick as ambassador and the re-election of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Vieira took part ‌in the G20 meeting, ⁠which was hosted by Rubio in Atlanta. The two ministers agreed to meet again before G20 ⁠leaders meet in Miami in December.
The plan for the two to meet again, first reported by Bloomberg, reflects a desire by the two countries to move on after discord over the ambassador's visa ‌and the US decision to grant a visa to Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro after his election loss to the leftist incumbent Lula.
"We're clearly not politicizing the issue, as we haven't in other situations regarding Brazilian citizens who have fled to the ‌US," the Brazilian official said.

#brazilian #vieira #agreed

Daily · The day's top stories, summarized for you.
The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a rule that would charge schools $70,000 per international student seeking to work in the U.S. through a program known as Optional Practical Training. It marks the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to curb foreign enrollment.

#daily #optional

Christa Pike is feeling "angry and confused" after waking up in the hospital in the wake of a failed execution attempt that left her with severe physical health challenges that put her on a "long road to recovery," her attorneys said on Wednesday.
Pike had been unconscious and in critical condition in the days after two doses of pentobarbital failed to end her life on Sept. 30, they said.
"On Monday night, it was our understanding that Christa was brain-dead and that life support would be removed the next day," Randy Spivey, a member of her legal team, said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone … Christa woke up and began talking."
Spivey said the effects of the pentobarbital have caused her to develop a blood clot, pneumonia and left her arms and hands "tremendously swollen," to the point where she's not currently able to use them. He added that Pike is still dealing with significant "cognitive confusion," but is "very aware" that the state had tried and failed to end her life.
The press conference came shortly after a hearing in which a judge granted Pike's attorneys' request to order the state to preserve all evidence connected to the execution, including medical equipment, communications related to the decision to call off the procedure or related to her emergency care and "anything that was in the actual room." The judge also ordered that any "barriers" that may prevent Pike from communicating with her attorneys while she's in the hospital be removed.

#attorneys #execution

The Trump administration is struggling to get clear answers about the death of a Russian laboratory worker at an institute dedicated to studying the plague and has formally escalated its request for information from the country, amid days of stonewalling from Russian officials about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the episode.
The death of the technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia immediately raised alarms throughout the administration, prompting a race to compile intel and plot for a potential public health response, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
But Russia’s reluctance to share information about the incident has complicated those efforts, leaving officials uncertain what broader risks it could pose — and how exactly to defend the US against them.
The US escalated its request for information, issuing a formal diplomatic communication, called a démarche, a source familiar told CNN late Tuesday.
“We have officially requested additional information from the Russian government,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We are also in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.”

#information #russian #request #officials

A civilian cargo ship has sunk and its crew is missing after being attacked by drones in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.
A second vessel - carrying grain - was also hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its 18 crew were rescued.
Radev did not say who was behind the attacks, which come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea, particularly the eastern side, as part of its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has not commented on the latest incident, a day after it was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks were "unacceptable".
Air and sea drones were involved in the attacks at about 03:00 (23:00 GMT), some 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, Radev said.

#radev #carrying

Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a ****** scandal and financial crimes, has died. He was 86.
Bakker died Monday, his second wife, Lori Bakker, said in a statement. His cause of death was not immediately clear.
"He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry," she said.
The pair lived near the Missouri entertainment town of Branson and filmed their TV show "The Jim Bakker Show" there since it launched in 2003. Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.
But it was another evangelical program that made Jim and his first wife Tammy Faye Bakker cultural icons — so much so that they were often skewered in the 1980s and 1990s by late-night comedians and parodied on "Saturday Night Live." A theatrical movie on their lives, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," was released in September 2021.

#show

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits "something's clearly not working" with the artificial intelligence money that has flooded the midterm elections — and he doesn't expect President Donald Trump's rebrand of the technology to improve his industry's image with the American public, either.
"I get why AI has a really negative perception right now," Altman told Brendan Bordelon in an exclusive interview marking the launch of Decoded by POLITICO. "I don't think spending money on politics is what's going to make people feel better about it. The industry needs to figure out a way to address what the actual concerns are, and right now, a lot of people in the industry are being quite tone deaf."
In the wide-ranging conversation, Altman offered a window into how OpenAI is confronting new political pressures and intensified competition with Anthropic, its corporate archrival run by former employee Dario Amodei.
Altman says OpenAI is more tolerant than Anthropic of less-than-catastrophic harms from AI, drawing out what he sees as a fundamental split in worldview between the two leading labs even as they converge on tougher rules in the wake of high-profile autonomous hacking incidents.
"We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency," said Altman, who characterized those harms as linked to "the lighter touch regulatory stance that we advocate for."

#openai #money #president

What is the Supreme Court's first case about climate change?
Will the Catholic Church win the preschool case?
Why is the AR-15 ban case significant?
Full Summary
WASHINGTON – A new Supreme Court term will get off to a fast start when the justices on Oct. 5 take up a landmark case about climate change that could have broad implications for local governments to tackle national issues.

#church #summary

A provocative, **** ually suggestive ad by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is drawing heat from his fellow Republicans while drawing millions of viewers online.
Two young women sit on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, with one urging the other to try a new experience.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," one woman says, and the other replies. "Don't be nervous. It's not that bad ... Just try it. Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes, and I'll do all the work."
She leads the hesitant woman's hand to mark her ballot for Hilton rather than Democrat Xavier Becerra, the front-runner in the race, and says, "Now lick it," referring to the mail ballot envelope.
Fellow Republicans as well as several Democrats denounced Hilton over the messaging.

#fellow #drawing #hand #lgbtq

Suspected kratom derivatives were found in the student's room, police said.
A father and son who worked at a Mississippi smoke shop were charged by federal prosecutors in connection with one of the two Ole Miss student deaths that took place last week.
U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary for the Northern District of Mississippi announced Friday that a criminal complaint was filed against Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, on charges with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances in connection with the death of Aidan Hamilton.
The father and son, who were arrested last week, worked at the smoke shop that allegedly sold illegal substances to Hamilton, investigators allege.
Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, was found dead on campus on Sept. 21, and investigators found "packages, some with missing tablets, of suspected kratom derivatives," according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

#kratom #derivatives

What type of jet is missing off Nantucket?
Where was the missing jet traveling from and to?
What was the outcome of Christa Pike's botched execution?
Full Summary
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching off the coast of Nantucket for a missing jet carrying six people after it went missing the morning of Oct. 3.

#full #guard #type #outcome

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Thursday that Republicans face an “uphill climb” in next month’s midterm elections — and that the results may be a data point he reviews as he decides whether to run for president in 2028.
“Historically there’s always a bit of an uphill climb, and I think you definitely sense that,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News. “I also think you can sense a sense of cautious optimism, in the sense that, you know, people feel like the numbers are sort of moving, maybe in our direction.”
He added: “Politically, there’s just a recognition that it’s always going to be hard to win a midterm when you have the White House, the Senate and the House.”
Vance spoke aboard Air Force Two shortly after it landed on a return trip from Lakeland, Florida, where he campaigned for Sen. Ashley Moody and Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor. It was his latest headlining gig at a rally meant to boost support for the party’s candidates in what is expected to be a challenging year for the GOP.
Aside from the historical trends Vance mentioned, polls have shown President Donald Trump and the war in Iran highly unpopular among voters. A related rise in gas prices has added to a cascade of affordability concerns. And Americans are growing more skeptical of artificial intelligence and the large, power-hungry data centers being built to accommodate the technology. All of those issues could factor into voters’ choices in this fall’s key races for the House, the Senate and governor.

#vance #House #president

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The Treasury Department said that over 60 million children have been automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts, according to guidance filed with the Federal Register.
"Millions of children have already enrolled in Trump Accounts. With automatic enrollment, over 60 million more eligible children now have an account ready to be claimed," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
The idea behind Trump Accounts is to give children a head start on building wealth. The accounts are a new type of tax-deferred individual retirement account for children. Any eligible child under 18 with a valid Social Security number can open an account, while U.S. citizens born between 2025 and 2028 may also qualify for a one-time $1,000 contribution from the government.
Until now, parents or guardians were required to sign up for accounts on their children's behalf. Participation has been low, however.

#accounts #treasury #million

What theory did Bank of America economists propose about older workers' retirement?
What percentage of early retirees cited financial reasons in the Allianz study?
How many women have been executed in the U.S. in the last 50 years?
Full Summary
Older Americans make up an ever-larger share of the workforce, a trend that dates to the 1990s.

#americans

Airport security employees checking boarding passes and IDs will no longer be allowed to sit down while working, the Transportation Security Administration confirmed Tuesday.
All chairs are being removed from the travel document checker podiums at the entrance to checkpoints nationwide, the union representing the screeners said. The American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100 said it found out about the decision from its members and called it a “disregard for workers rights and safety.”
TSA defended the move, saying the document checkers are the first to interact with the traveling public and requiring them to stand will create a better experience for passengers.
“This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert,” the agency said in a statement. “All officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to be capable of performing their vital national security function while simultaneously creating a welcoming and professional environment for travelers.”
The move comes nearly two months after TSA Administrator David ******* mins was confirmed to lead the agency.

#security #confirmed #document

The move to import foreign beef infuriated Republicans in farm states facing tough reelections — and gave Democrats and independents a rare opening with rural voters.
Independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn speaks at an election night watch party at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center in La Vista, Neb., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. | Bonnie Ryan/AP
09/20/2026 01:00 AM GMT+9
Farm-state Republicans don’t support President Donald Trump’s move to import cheap beef — but they’re still getting grilled for it.

#republicans #farm #import #democrats

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed legislation to increase security for the state's voting systems and protect Californians' ability to cast ballots in an effort to guard against potential interference in the Nov. 3 election, including by the Trump administration.
Newsom pointed to the Trump administration's recent effort to restrict mail-in voting through the U.S. Postal Service, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the presence of federal monitors at California polls last year as evidence that Trump "will continue his efforts to interfere with the November election."
"Donald Trump won't stop until he can exert dictatorial control over your free vote and disenfranchise millions of people this November. California will stop him at every opportunity," Newsom said in a statement. "We have no bigger task than fighting to protect the right to vote from interference and meddling — the future of democracy is on the line. These bills today build upon the wall California has built to safeguard our electoral process."
The governor signed the package of bills at the ****** anese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, where a year earlier federal agents gathered outside a political rally he was hosting. Then-Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, who had been leading the immigration operations in California, was among those outside the event, joined by agents in helmets, camouflage, masks and holding guns. Newsom described their presence as political intimidation.
One bill Newsom signed Saturday cites efforts to "weaponize law enforcement authority for political purposes," including Republican "Sheriff Chad Bianco's seizure of ballots in Riverside County," and the election monitors sent by the U.S. Justice Department to polling sites in five counties during a 2025 special election on redistricting.

#political

President Trump was photographed this week on board Air Force One examining a large poster with the words "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" printed above a rendering of a construction site, heightening concerns that his administration wants to raze Washington, D.C.'s iconic performing arts venue if his name is not added to its facade.
"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition," the president told reporters before he boarded the plane Wednesday in North Carolina. "Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down."
Trump's comments and the photographs that followed are the latest developments in a convoluted saga that started when he dismissed the center's trustees in February 2025 — just days after returning to office — and replaced them with loyalists who elected him chairman.
Despite several legal setbacks, Trump's handpicked board has been pushing ever since to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was built as a "living memorial" to the slain 35th president, after the White House's current occupant.
The day before Trump was photographed with the "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" poster, his appointees voted to close the center's main building for renovations. Does this mean Trump will bulldoze the Kennedy Center if he doesn't get the "recognition" he wants? Here's what we know — and what we don't.

#performing

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines on Friday left two 14-year-old students and the teenage gunman dead and wounded at least eight people, local government and police officials said.
The shooting at Banga National High School in the South Cotabato town of Banga is under investigation, the Philippine National Police said in a statement. Police officers secured the campus and coordinated with school officials and medical responders, the statement said.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said the two students killed were a boy and a girl, both 14. He said the gunman also shot himself and died.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia told DZBB radio that the gunman hit 10 students in the classroom next to his, two of whom died while eight were wounded. A person who was hyperventilating was also brought to a hospital, according to the governor.
Tamayo said the gunman's best friend told officials that the teenager was a member of an online "true crimes community." Authorities were investigating the account and whether it had any connection to the shooting, he said.

#students #south

Nearly 600 people have died in crashes since 2024 with trucks operated by companies that had never been subjected to a roadside safety inspection.
By John Kelly and Steve Reilly
Published September 17, 2026
A truck operated by Next Level Express Inc. slammed into an SUV parked on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike last December, killing two parents and their daughter on the way home from a family gathering. A second daughter survived.
In the decade before the crash, none of the company's trucks or drivers had been subjected to a single roadside inspection.
It's a pattern repeating hundreds of times a year.

#john

It was a night of devastation in Chatsworth that began with a deadly Metro bus collision and ended with the fiery crash of an NBC4 helicopter covering the news that left two journalists and, on the ground, a bystander dead.
Tuesday's scene was a mixture of confusion and chaos, with first responders fanned out across two catastrophes and television news teams desperately trying to find out whether their journalists were safe. The crashes claimed the lives of five people and left others with various degrees of injury.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were trying Wednesday to determine exactly what caused the news helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B2, to go down.
NTSB Investigator Fabian Salazar said officials are searching through the wreckage, combing through maintenance logbooks, security footage, weather reports and witness interviews, and reviewing the pilot's training to figure out what went wrong.
But the most critical information so far has been audio captured from the helicopter during a live broadcast of reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw's final moments before it crashed.

#journalists #nbc4

The fate of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour is suddenly uncertain after all of the British singer's remaining opening acts quit in solidarity with the rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from the remaining North American dates over pro-Palestinian comments.
Hours after Sheeran released a statement saying it was the promoter's decision to remove Macklemore from the tour and not his, the rest of his supporting acts — Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Danish pop band Lukas Graham and songwriter Finneas — as well as Sheeran's house band, Beoga, announced that they were pulling out in protest.
"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas, the brother of Billie Eilish, wrote in a note posted to Instagram. "I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people."
The Irish artists cited their country's history of oppression in their decisions to drop out.
"I don't take the decision lightly. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this," Rowe wrote in his own Instagram post. "But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children."

#irish #Instagram

The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants since the president took office for his second term, according to a tracking tool released Wednesday by a pro-democracy nonprofit and a group of researchers and scientists.
The cuts affected all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with health, nutrition, the environment and disaster relief making up the largest share of cuts, the States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness organization found.
Among the grants that were eliminated, frozen or delayed were ones related to maternal health in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and ***** istance to minority farmers in Iowa, the researchers found. California, Texas, New York, Illinois and North Carolina saw the highest amounts of interrupted grant money. The tracking tool is called Lost Funds.
"By bringing thousands of funding disruptions from the Trump administration together in a publicly accessible, verified database, Lost Funds puts the magnitude of their impact on full display," Scott Delaney, co-founder of Grant Witness, said in a statement.
The $177 billion finding represents nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending, the groups said.

#administration

Congressional Republicans have a plan to pass key portions of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act before the end of this year.
The election integrity bill backed by President Donald Trump and fiercely opposed by Democrats has stalled in Congress, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been reluctant to call it up for a vote, given that it's all but ***** ured to fail.
At least several Democrats would be needed to reach the Senate's 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. But left-wing lawmakers in the House and Senate have panned the legislation as an attempt to sow doubt in U.S. elections at best and voter suppression at worst.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now pushing Republicans to pass the bill's main mandates via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy without input from the minority due to its sidelining of the Senate filibuster. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., chairman of the Committee on House Administration, is tasked with overseeing how that part of the bill gets done.
Trump Questions Thune's Leadership As Save America Act Stalls

#Trump #bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's proposal to send $5,000 to every American adult if his Republican Party maintains control of the House and Senate in the November election needs congressional approval, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday, while pledging to try to make it happen.
Trump made the unusual pitch at the party's midterm convention in Dallas last week, promising a "Trump Dividend" if voters keep the GOP in power on Capitol Hill. The president later told CBS News Texas that he did not think Congress would need to authorize the payments, though he did not specify how he could spend more than $1 trillion without lawmakers' authorization.
But Johnson, R-La., said congressional approval is needed. "I would ***** ume, yes, he'd need Congress to act, and that's a creative idea," he said.
A few hours later, Trump said he would deliver on his promise. "The 5,000's going to happen, 100%," he told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Ireland, where he attended a pro golf tournament at his resort.
Johnson, meanwhile, said he would work to get Trump's proposal through Congress despite a small Republican margin.

#proposal

A pastor kicked off a recent campaign stop for Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for Senate, with a prayer that asked God to bestow "integrity and honesty" upon the event and to right wrongs "hammered down on the conservative movement."
The prayer was hardly unusual by North Carolina political standards. What was surprising was the man who delivered it. Pastor Daimon L. King is a registered ***** offender, twice sentenced to prison for convictions involving children, according to state and court records.
The episode occurred with two months to go in a marquee Senate race that could help decide which party controls the chamber after the November elections. It risks undermining one of Whatley's central campaign arguments — that his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Roy Cooper, is soft on crime. And it could feed into an advertising blitz by Democrats that has targeted the Republican candidate's ***** ociation with another convicted ***** offender, a former GOP official.
King did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Whatley's campaign declined to make him available for an interview. In a statement, campaign spokesman DJ Griffin said Whatley did not know King and the event "was NOT planned nor organized by the Whatley campaign nor did the campaign invite any of the guests."

#king #prayer #Event

LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The first visitors to the British Museum's blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition spoke of their excitement at seeing with their own eyes the 1,000-year-old embroidery many ‌remember from school lessons.
The sell-out display, which opened to the public on Thursday, has sparked ‌a Bayeux craze across Britain, with newspapers producing special guides, online discussions about securing tickets, and the pub opposite the museum temporarily changing its name to "The Beer Tapestry".
The masterpiece will be shown at the museum in central London for the next 10 months, having left France for the first time since the 11th century. It depicts the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the most famous date in the nation's history.
"It's just magical, isn't it?" ‌said Pauline Gairey, 53, a finance ⁠professional who had travelled from Wales, and recalled studying the tapestry at school.
'THE COLOUR IS STILL SO VIVID'

#bayeux #reuters #british

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Princess Diana's head-turning "revenge dress" is going on sale for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day.
Sarah Pender/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Accidental ingestion of recreational drugs among young children in the US has surged by more than 3,300% over a 25-year period, according to a new study. An ER doctor explains what parents need to know.
Hunter Kozak was asking Charlie Kirk about mass shootings when Kirk was gunned down in front of him. Now, Kozak and other witnesses say they've faced relentless harassment and threats after online influencers falsely tied them to the killing.

#things #princess #images #accidental

A surrogate who defied a California couple's demand to abort their baby after a devastating heart diagnosis is taking her fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing a lower court ruling has left her powerless to advocate for the medically fragile newborn.
Attorneys for Alaska cardiac nurse McKenna West filed an emergency application Wednesday, asking Justice Elena Kagan to temporarily block a Los Angeles court ruling that declared the California couple the baby's legal parents.
Kagan handles emergency matters arising from the 9th Circuit, which includes California. She has not ruled on the request.
Surrogate Gives Birth In Texas To Baby With Heart Defect After Parents Requested Abortion
West carried the child under a surrogacy agreement with California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, who call the baby Rumi. West calls him Gabriel.

#heart #emergency

Federal regulators said the two crew members aboard the Amazon cargo jet that crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday survived the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided the update during a Sunday press conference after officials said the cargo plane overran the runway and caught fire while landing. The crash killed five people and injured five others, authorities said Sunday.
The jet collided with two vehicles carrying at least eight occupants, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Seven of the victims were in a van that was struck and "torn apart" on airport grounds, Homendy said. The 2012 white Ford Econoline van was owned by Ocean Service Corporation, a contract cleaning company that provides services for airlines, she said.
Amazon Cargo Plane Overruns Miami Airport Runway And Strikes 'Multiple' Vehicles; 5 Dead, 5 Injured

#homendy