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Today โ€” 8 November 2025Main stream

Supreme Court weighs longshot appeal to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide

7 November 2025 at 22:24

A call to overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide is on the agenda Friday for the justices' closed-door conference.

Among the new cases the justices are expected to consider is a longshot appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the courts 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn a lower court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and attorneys fees to a couple whom she denied a marriage license.

The justices could say as early as Monday what they'll do.

In urging the court to take up her case, Davis' lawyers repeatedly invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who alone among the nine justices has called for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling.

Thomas was one of four dissenting justices in 2015. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito are the other dissenters who also remain on the court.

Roberts has been silent on the subject since he wrote a dissenting opinion in the case. Alito has continued to criticize the decision, but said recently he was not advocating that it be overturned.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was not on the court in 2015, has said there are times when the court should correct mistakes and overturn decisions, as it did in the 2022 case that ended a constitutional right to abortion.

But Barrett has suggested recently that same-sex marriage might be in a different category than abortion because people have relied on the decision when they married and had children.

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Davis drew national attention to eastern Kentuckys Rowan County when she turned away same-sex couples, saying her faith prevented her from complying with the high court ruling. She defied court orders to issue the licenses until a federal judge jailed her for contempt of court in September 2015.

She was released after her staff issued the licenses on her behalf but removed her name from the form. The Kentucky Legislature later enacted a law removing the names of all county clerks from state marriage licenses.

Davis lost a reelection bid in 2018.

Trump pardons former Mets great Darryl Strawberry on past tax evasion, drug charges

7 November 2025 at 19:43

President Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets great Darryl Strawberry of tax evasion and drug charges, citing the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year's post-career embrace of his Christian faith and longtime sobriety.

Strawberry was an outfielder and eight-time All-Star, including seven with the Mets from 1983-90. He hit 335 homers and had 1,000 RBIs and 221 stolen bases in 17 seasons.

Plagued by later legal, health and personal problems, Strawberry was indicted for tax evasion and eventually pleaded guilty in 1995 to a single felony count. That was based on his failure to report $350,000 in income from autographs, personal appearances and sales of memorabilia.

RELATED STORY | Trump signed more than 145 executive orders in first 100 days of second term

Strawberry agreed to pay more than $430,000 as part of the case. He was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy in 1998.

The following year, Strawberry was sentenced to probation and suspended from baseball after pleading no contest to charges of possession of cocaine and soliciting a prostitute. He eventually spoke in court about struggling with depression, and was charged with violating his probation numerous times including on his 40th birthday in 2002.

Strawberry ultimately served 11 months in Florida state prison and was released in 2003.

A White House official said Friday that Trump approved a pardon for Strawberry, who had served time and paid back taxes. Speaking on background to detail a pardon that had not yet been formally announced, the official noted that Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for a decade-plus, and that he'd become active in ministry and started a still-active recovery center.

RELATED STORY | Trump signed more than 145 executive orders in first 100 days of second term

Strawberry posted on Instagram a picture of himself and Trump and wrote, Thank you, President @realdonaldtrump for my full pardon and for finalizing this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past.

He described being home on Thursday afternoon, caring for his wife who was recovering from surgery, when my phone kept ringing relentlessly.

Half asleep, I glanced over and saw a call from Washington DC. Curious, I answered, and to my amazement, the lady on the line said, Darryl Strawberry, you have a call from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, Strawberry wrote. I put it on speakerphone with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player of the 80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past.

Trump was a New York real estate mogul before becoming a reality television star and twice winning the presidency.

Strawberry said he was overwhelmed with gratitude thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man, Husband and Father.

This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ, Strawberry wrote, while also noting This has nothing to do with politics its about a Man, President Trump, caring deeply for a friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever!

Strawberry's followed Trump issuing pardons this week for a former Republican speaker of the Tennessee House and a onetime aide on public corruption charges. It adds to a list of celebrities and political allies who have similarly received unlikely pardons including a former Republican governor of Connecticut, an ex-GOP congressman and reality TV stars who had been convicted of cheating banks and evading taxes.

Strawberry played for the Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants between 1983 and 1999. He won the World Series with the 1986 Mets, starring alongside the likes of Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez, and with the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

Strawberry was hospitalized with a heart attack in March 2024, a day before he turned 62. That same year, the Mets retired his No. 18 and an emotional Strawberry told the Citi Field crowd: Im truly, deeply sorry that I ever left you guys. I never played baseball in front of fans greater than you guys.

6 players accused of throwing games, gambling ties lose NCAA eligibility

7 November 2025 at 18:46

The NCAA revoked the eligibility of six mens college basketball players for allegations of sports betting on Friday in three separate cases at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley and Arizona State.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an investigation that concluded Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton BJ Freeman either manipulated their performances to lose games, not cover bet lines or ensure certain prop bets were reached, or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season.

The NCAA said last month it had been investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. Its push to clean up college sports in the era of legal sports betting comes as the NBA and professional sports grapple with what the FBI has called a sophisticated gambling ring that involved organized crime families.

RELATED STORY | NCAA delays rule allowing athletes to bet on pro sports

The NCAA also banned three college basketball players in September for betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State.

The violations at New Orleans against Hunter, Short and Vincent came to light after the NCAA received a tip about game manipulation. The NCAA said a student-athlete overheard the three players discuss a third party placing a bet on their game against McNeese State on Dec. 28, 2024. New Orleans lost 86-61.

That same student-athlete reported that during a timeout near the end of the game, Short instructed him not to score any more points. New Orleans suspended all three student-athletes for the remainder of the season while it investigated the allegations.

The NCAA investigation showed that the three players manipulated their performances in seven games from December through January to lose by more points than the spread for that game.

The violations against Freeman were uncovered when the NCAA reviewed text messages involving Mykell Robinson, who played at Fresno State. Records on Robinsons phone indicated that on four separate occasions between November and December 2024, Freeman knowingly provided information to Robinson, who was betting on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.

Freeman also knowingly provided information on at least two occasions to his then-girlfriend, who was also betting on Freeman.

The NCAA reached out to an integrity monitoring service to review Mississippi Valley games after a related, but separate NBA gambling ring that was uncovered earlier this year showed potential ties to college basketball, including the school.

The service indicated betting trends for the Mississippi Valley games on Jan. 6 against Alabama A&M were suspicious. Mississippi Valley lost 79-67.

During an interview with the NCAA, a mens basketball student-athlete said that before the teams Dec. 21, 2024, game, he overhead Sanders on the phone with an unknown third party talking about throwing the game.

Sanders asked the student-athlete to participate in the call because the third party had told Sanders the individual intended to bet on the game and wanted to know that another of Sanders teammates would participate in the scheme.

The student-athlete denied altering his performance or receiving money from Sanders or any other individuals. Sanders texted the same student-athlete after that game and told him to delete their messages.

During a second interview, Sanders could not explain the student-athletes account of the events or the text messages. He did say, however, that he and Stredic were offered money to throw the teams Jan. 6 game by another anonymous caller, who instructed them to perform poorly in the first half.

The enforcement staff demonstrated that Sanders knowingly provided information to a third party for the purposes of sports betting for two games and Stredic did the same for one game.

This all comes in the wake of the NCAA potentially allowing student athletes and staff to bet on professional sports. It was originally approved by all three Divisions and was set to go into effect on Nov. 1, but late last month the Division I Board voted to delay the start date until Nov. 22.

A rarely used rule allows 30 days for each Division I school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet. Even if the rule passes, no college sports are allowed to be bet on by players.

Farmers' Almanac ceasing publication after 208 years, citing financial challenges

7 November 2025 at 17:05

A 208-year-old publication that farmers, gardeners and others keen to predict the weather have relied on for guidance will be publishing for the final time.

Farmers' Almanac said Thursday that its 2026 edition will be its last, citing the growing financial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today's chaotic media environment. Access to the online version will cease next month.

The Maine-based publication, not to be confused with the even older Old Farmers Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire, was first printed in 1818. For centuries, it's used a secret formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts.

RELATED STORY | Farmers' Almanac vs. NOAA: Clashing forecasts for winter weather patterns

The almanac also contains gardening tips, trivia, jokes and natural remedies, like catnip as a pain reliever or elderberry syrup as an immune booster. But its weather forecasts make the most headlines.

Both publications were among hundreds of almanacs that served a nation of farmers over two centuries ago. Most were regional publications and no longer exist.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the end of what has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life, an inspiration for many who realize the wisdom of generations past is the key to the generations of the future, Editor Sandi Duncan said in a statement.

Readers, saddened to hear the news, posted online about how they used it in their families for generations as a guide to help them plant gardens and follow the weather.

In 2017, when Farmers' Almanac reported a circulation of 2.1 million in North America, its editor said it was gaining new readers among people interested in where their food came from and who were growing fresh produce in home gardens. It developed followers online and sent a weekly email to readers in addition to its printed editions.

Many of these readers lived in cities, prompting the publication to feature skyscrapers as well as an old farmhouse on its cover.

The Farmers Almanac was founded by David Young in New Jersey before moving to Maine in 1955. The Old Farmers Almanac is believed to be the oldest continually published periodical in North America.

Among Farmers Almanac articles from the past is one urging folks to remember old-fashioned neighborhoodliness in the face of newfangled technology like cars, daily mail and telephones in 1923. Editors urged readers in 1834 to abandon tobacco and in 1850 promoted the common bean leaf to combat bedbugs.

The almanac had some forward-thinking advice for women in 1876, telling them to learn skills to avoid being dependent on finding a husband. It is better to be a woman than a wife, and do not degrade your sex by making your whole existence turn on the pivot of matrimony, it counseled.

Kendrick Lamar leads 2026 Grammy nominations, followed by Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Cirkut

7 November 2025 at 16:43

Not like us? More like him: Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy Award nominations, announced Friday.

The rapper is up for nine trophies at February's ceremony: record, song and album of the year marking the third time he's had simultaneous nominations in those big categories as well as pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. He's also nominated twice in the rap performance category.

Lamar, who is riding the success of last year's blockbuster "GNX" album, has 22 Grammy career wins and 66 nominations. "GNX" is his fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for album of the year, something no other artist has ever done. If it wins, it will be his first win in the category. And it will be only the third rap album to win the top prize, following Outkast in 2004 for "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" and Lauryn Hill in 1999 for "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow Lamar with seven nominations each.

Lady Gaga is up for song, record and album of the year her first time receiving nominations in all three categories simultaneously. She could also score potential wins in the pop solo performance, pop vocal album, dance pop recording and traditional pop vocal album categories.

Antonoff is nominated in the record, album and song of the year categories twice, for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter. He's also nominated for rap song for the first time. That's for "tv off" with Lamar, featuring Lefty Gunplay.

Antonoff and Cirkut will face off in the producer of the year, non-Classical category. If Antonoff wins, he will tie Babyface's record of most career wins in the category, with four.

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That's not all. Cirkut is up for both record and song of the year, twice for Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra" and Ros and Bruno Mars' "APT." as well as album of the year and best dance pop recording.

In addition to Lady Gaga's "Mayhem" and Lamar's "GNX," the album of the year category is rounded out by Carpenter's "Man's Best Friend," Bad Bunny's "Deb Tirar Ms Fotos," Justin Bieber's "Swag," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice's "Let God Sort Em Out," Leon Thomas' "Mutt" and Tyler, the Creator's "Chromakopia."

This is the first time three albums have been up for both rap album and album of the year: "GNX," "Let God Sort Em Out" and "Chromakopia."

Additionally, Bad Bunny's "Deb Tirar Ms Fotos" is only the second time an all-Spanish language album has been nominated for the top prize. The first was also a Bad Bunny release in 2023, for "Un Verano Sin Ti." Harry Styles' "Harry's House" won that year.

Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each.

Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 were eligible for nominations. The final round of Grammy voting, which determines its winners, will take place Dec. 12 through Jan. 5.

In the best new artist category, global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young will all go head-to-head.

The record of the year category is made up of Bad Bunny's "DtMF," Carpenter's "Manchild," Doechii's "Anxiety," Billie Eilish's "Wildflower," Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra," Lamar and SZA's "luther," Chappell Roan's "The Subway" and Ros and Bruno Mars' "APT."

Ros, perhaps best known as one-fourth of the juggernaut girl group BLACKPINK, is the first K-pop artist to ever receive a nomination in the record of the year field.

Some may be surprised to see Eilish included in the bunch, as "Wildflower" was released on her spring 2024 album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft," ahead of the eligibility window. However, there is a Recording Academy rule that allows albums released during the previous ceremony's eligibility period to be considered, "provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy," with a few exceptions. By that rule, Eilish's "Wildflower" which was not previously entered is eligible.

Song of the year an award for a track's songwriters, which sometimes include the performer but not always is made up of an almost identical list to record of the year, except Roan is replaced by "Golden" from the "KPop Demon Hunters" soundtrack.

"The Grammy Awards are our opportunity to honor the people who make this community so vibrant and this year's nominees remind us of the incredible talent that is driving music forward," said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. in a statement. "From emerging talent to influential icons, these nominees reflect today's broad and diverse musical landscape, and I am excited to celebrate them in the coming weeks ahead."

There are a number of first-time nominees as well this year, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Peloton recalls nearly 878,000 exercise bikes after several seat posts break

7 November 2025 at 14:55

Peloton is recalling nearly 878,000 of its exercise bikes across the U.S. and Canada because the products' seat posts can break during use, posing fall hazards.

According to notices published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada on Thursday, the recall covers certain "Peloton Original Series Bike+ units carrying model number PL02. Peloton has received three reports of seat posts breaking on these bikes in the U.S., two of which resulted in fall injuries. There's been no additional incidents in Canada to date.

Both consumer safety watchdogs and Peloton urge owners of these bikes to stop using them and contact the New York-based exercise company for a free seat post replacement.

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The integrity of our products and our Members well-being are our top priorities," a Peloton spokesperson said in an emailed statement adding that the company would make its redesigned seat post replacements available to all affected Bike+ users.

Pelotons website has information to help determine if your bike is part of the recall and instructions on how to install the new seat post if needed.

The now-recalled bikes were sold at Peloton and Dicks Sporting Goods stores, as well as websites like Amazon and eBay, from 2020 through April 2025 for about $2,495. The impacted Bike+ units have serial numbers beginning with the letter "T." About 833,000 units were sold in the U.S. and another 44,800 in Canada.

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Peloton previously recalled 2 million of its original Bikes (with model number PL01) back in 2023, following similar and more numerous reports of breaking seat posts and related injuries.

The Bike+ products recalled this week were manufactured before that 2023 recall, between December 2019 and July 2022. But the company has since rolled out its redesigned seat post. According to Peloton's spokesperson, Bike+ products made since the middle of 2023 have had that new seat post and are not impacted.

Yesterday โ€” 7 November 2025Main stream

Musk could become history's first trillionaire as Tesla shareholders approve giant pay package

7 November 2025 at 02:16

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.

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to limit gender markers on passports to 'male' or 'female'

6 November 2025 at 20:28

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.

The Louvre urged to speed up security upgrades in audit conducted before the heist

6 November 2025 at 20:19

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.

RELATED STORY | Preliminary charges filed against two new suspects in Louvre jewels heist

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.

Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in DC found not guilty of assault

6 November 2025 at 19:40

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.

Ukraine says it has hit a major Russian oil refinery with long-range drones

6 November 2025 at 17:15

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.

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Democrat Jay Jones wins Virginia AG race despite texts endorsing violence

5 November 2025 at 04:23

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.

Pennsylvania reelects Supreme Court justices, extending a Democratic majority

5 November 2025 at 03:54

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.

Maine voters approve red flag gun law after mass shooting that killed 18

5 November 2025 at 03:41

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 spot the brightest flare yet from a supermassive black hole

4 November 2025 at 21:06

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 warns of 'mass chaos' in skies if shutdown continues

4 November 2025 at 20:02

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.

Mississippi woman kills escaped monkey fearing for her children's safety

3 November 2025 at 13:57

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.

The remains of 8 hostages still remain in Gaza

3 November 2025 at 13:47

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.

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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.

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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 buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in $48.7 billion deal

3 November 2025 at 12:43

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.

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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.

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"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.

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