Jonathan Saul, Yana Chokair, Nayela Abdallah, Parisa Hafezi, Youssef Saba, Tara Ramadan, Lenny Maltezou |Reuters
What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for oil?
Iranian Television reported on Sunday that Iran’s top security body must take a final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz.
DUBAI – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized the Marshall Islands-flagged oil products tanker Talala and entered Iranian territorial waters, maritime security sources reported, but the ship’s management said it had lost contact with its crew.
Maritime officials said the tanker had previously sailed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, carrying a cargo of high-sulfur gas oil through the Indian Ocean on its way from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Singapore.
more: Federal authorities: ICE arrests 11 Iranians living in the US as Middle East tensions rise
“Contact was lost at around 8:22 a.m. local time (3:22 a.m. ET) on Friday approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates,” Columbia Shipmanagement, the ship’s management company, said in a statement, adding that it was working closely with relevant parties, including coast guard agencies and the ship’s owner, to restore contact.
Columbia Shipmanagement did not provide further details.
The ship is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.
more: The United States helped overthrow the Iranian regime. This is what happened in 1953.
Britain’s naval agency UKMTO said the incident was “believed to be state-related and the vessel was sailing towards Iranian territorial waters.”
The tanker was seized at sea by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and diverted to the Iranian coast, according to British maritime emergency management group Vanguard and maritime security officials.
The foreign ministries of the UAE and Iran did not respond to requests for comment.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have regularly seized commercial ships in Gulf waters in recent years for maritime violations, including suspected smuggling, technical violations and legal disputes.
The ship last reported its position at around 8:10 a.m. ET, sailing near the Iranian coast, according to ship tracking data from Marine Traffic on Friday.
Patriots’ Drake Maye, Trevellon Henderson dominate New York Jets
Patriots fans enjoyed a show Thursday night with standout performances from Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson, and Stefon Diggs.
The New York Jets lost to the New England Patriots 27-14, dropping their season record to 2-8.
Quarterback Justin Fields struggled in the passing game, finishing with 116 yards through the air.
Fields was more effective as a runner, gaining 67 yards on the ground with one touchdown.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New York Jets made their intentions clear for the second half of the 2025 season at the trade deadline by moving away from the cornerstone of their defense and stocking up on draft picks for the future. These two blockbuster signings were definitely positive moves by first-year general manager Darren Mousey for a team that sank two to eight days later in a 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
Victories come at a price, including New York’s win over the fellow last-place Cleveland Browns on Nov. 9. Price is a valuable draft position.
That’s why hiring Justin Fields as quarterback is the smartest decision a tanking team can make in the modern NFL.
Yes, that’s a harsh criticism of Fields. However, one of the main job duties of a “quarterback” is to throw the ball. Fields is barely up to the task in the Jets’ offense at this point.
Fields completed 15 of 26 passes for 116 yards. He also rushed 11 times for 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown on the opening series of a game that lasted 8 minutes and 4 seconds. The impulse resembled the product of a professional attack.
What about the remaining games? There aren’t that many.
“Listen, there were some good things, some really good things,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “I thought he could get the ball out. I’m sure we have some guys that can make plays for him as well. I know he would say he could actually do more.”
“I thought he pitched really well. We just have to finish it.”
At halftime, Fields had more rushing yards (28) than passing yards (23). 41 of his passing yards (almost a third of the total) ended in garbage time. He has fewer than 54 yards in four of his nine starts this season. Explosions through the air for quarterback Fields are as rare as the Jets’ playoff appearances, with the franchise’s postseason drought now approaching 15 seasons.
Fields’ effectiveness as a runner makes this offense a challenge for the coaching staff. Because, as Glenn said, they “don’t want to make it a habit for our quarterback to just keep running because that could put our quarterback at risk.”
“Justin ran the ball quite a bit,” Glenn said. “The problem is, we can’t put Justin in a running back situation, and I think we all know that, because we would be putting him at risk.
“He did a good job with some runs. We just have to be calculated when we do those things.”
Anyway, Fields plays the role of a good and loyal soldier.
“Whatever I have to do to make this team as successful as possible and reach its fullest potential, I’m going to do it,” Fields said. “So if that’s me running the ball, that’s what it is.”
New AD Mitchell (a wideout who arrived in the trade that sent Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts) and Fields didn’t see eye-to-eye in the second quarter. With one-third left, Mitchell beat Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez with a double move to the left sideline and took a step away. Fields made a nice throw to his back shoulder on the stride, but Mitchell couldn’t catch the pass.
On another drive, Fields got Mitchell wide open on an outbreak route to the right. Due to a poor throw, Mitchell had little chance to play.
“You just have to roll with it and deal with it,” Fields said of the rookies he throws to (newly acquired receiver John Metchie had the longest catch of 22 yards and three total catches for 45 yards). “You can’t ignore your situation. You just have to go out and play.”
To be fair to Fields, the deck is stacked against him. It’s not Fields’ fault that the defense hasn’t recorded an interception all season (and had just one turnover). Before the game, the Jets placed receiver Garrett Wilson on injured reserve.
On Thursday, the injured acid appeared in the fourth quarter with the Jets trailing by 10 points. Fields fumbled the snap on the first play of the drive, trying to pick up the pork rind and run instead of just falling. It was a fateful endeavor. New England recovered after four plays and kicked a field goal.
The difficult thing for Fields’ teammates is that he looks like a stand-up guy. A week after Jets owner Woody Johnson raved about him to the world, he helped the team win its first game of the season. He shared a moment of true vulnerability in his post-game press conference, sending the message that not being okay is indeed okay. That’s powerful and important.
The sad reality is that most of the problems are not even on the gridiron.
Glenn has made it a ritual not to announce the starting quarterback if there is any conflict with the Big Apple media. Talking heads will continue to ask about Fields’ potential starting role as long as there’s another game.
But if Fields is in the conversation to be the starting pitcher anyway, losing is probably for the best.
Monopoly fans can start peeling pieces of the classic game from McDonald’s for a chance to win fun prizes.
The holiday season is approaching and McDonald’s is bringing back sweet treats to help customers celebrate.
The fast food chain is bringing back its holiday pies for a limited time starting November 14th.
McDonald’s says the handheld pie has a crunchy, buttery crust dusted with sugar, topped with rainbow sprinkles, and filled with a “creamy, smooth” custard filling.
The fan-favorite dessert first appeared on the menu in 1999 and quickly became a holiday staple at the chain.
More news: Oreo releases cookies inspired by Thanksgiving. Check out our flavors and when they’re available.
McRib is back on the menu
In addition to holiday pies, McDonald’s also brought back the McRib this week.
Some people can now get the McRib. This sandwich can be found at restaurants in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and St. Louis. McDonald’s recommends checking availability at local restaurants.
The announcement comes after the sandwich began appearing in some markets last week, the McRib Locator website reported.
A McRib is a pork patty shaped like a rack of ribs, served in a bun with barbecue sauce, pickles, and onions. Therefore, the ribs are not involved. McRib is made from pork, water, salt, glucose, and rosemary extract.
McDonald’s has periodically brought the McRib back on the menu since removing the sandwich from its permanent menu in 2005. Re-appearances were held in 2020 and 2022 under the title of “Farewell Tour.” The McRib then returned to menus at select locations in 2023, and nationwide last year.
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, or email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
Gabe Hauari is USA TODAY’s national trends news reporter. You can follow him at X @gabehauari Or email Gdhauari@gannett.com.
The H-1B visa program costs technology companies $100,000 per application. The question is whether it will incentivize companies to hire American workers.
The Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rules would mean groups, including students and foreign media personnel, could only be in the United States for a limited period of time.
The administration has said the changes are necessary to ensure proper oversight of the visa program and prevent abuse, but experts are skeptical of the administration’s reasoning.
Institutions and groups that have publicly opposed the proposed rule include Columbia University, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
President Donald Trump suggested this week that the United States needs a path for high-skilled foreign workers to enter the country, sparking a wave of criticism from conservatives.
President Trump’s comments on the H-1B visa program reflect the views of business leaders but are controversial among members of his base who want a tougher approach to immigration.
At the same time, the Trump administration has quietly pushed a series of new restrictions on other visas for students and foreign journalists, raising other concerns for some about the future of academic and press freedom.
The Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule would change existing policy by allowing F, J, and I visa holders (students, exchange visitors, and foreign media personnel) to enter the United States for a limited period of time. Such individuals are currently allowed to stay indefinitely as long as they comply with the conditions of their visas.
The new rules, first outlined in August, would allow international and exchange students to stay in the U.S. for up to four years during their programs. Foreign journalists are allowed to stay in the US for up to 240 days, with an exception for reporters from China who are allowed to stay in the US for up to 90 days.
According to the department’s proposal, individuals could apply for an extension if they need to stay in the United States beyond these periods.
Columbia University, industry group opposes
Lucas Guttentag, a professor at Stanford Law School, said this would be a “very dramatic change” with “really significant consequences” for both these individuals and the institutions they serve.
The administration similarly acknowledged the content of the proposed rule, adding that the changes would “impose additional costs” on these individuals and institutions but were necessary to “protect the integrity of the F, J, and I programs.”
The department received more than 20,000 comments during the proposal’s public comment period, which ended in September.
Columbia University and the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration opposed the proposed rule.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association also submitted comments to the American Immigration Council outlining the common view that the rule “relies on poorly supported logic and arguments to justify sweeping changes that could harm international students, U.S. institutions of higher education, and U.S. employers.”
Guttentag said federal agencies should consider such comments when deciding whether to issue final rules, and if they do, they should address common concerns raised by the public.
Experts skeptical of government claims of visa abuse
In justifying its efforts to make this change, the department said that the “significant increase” in the number of nonimmigrants coming to the United States through the F, J, and I visa classifications has “posed challenges to the Department’s ability to monitor and supervise these nonimmigrants while in the United States.”
The changes will increase oversight and reduce the likelihood that people will “abuse these programs,” the department said.
But experts rejected the idea that visa abuse would become widespread among groups affected by the changes.
“I think there are scammers and opportunities for abuse in everything in life,” Kate Angstia, supervisory policy and practice advisor for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told USA TODAY.
Guttentag echoed that sentiment, saying he was “deeply skeptical of unverified and generalized statements of abuse” by the administration.
New rules will be part of the administration’s ‘patchwork’
Guttentag said the proposed changes reflect the administration’s “hostility” toward immigrants, particularly international students. For example, the administration has sought to deport foreign-born student protesters who gave pro-Palestinian speeches, but a Boston judge has ruled the effort unconstitutional.
“It’s not just the single rule that’s difficult,” Angstia says. “The problem is that we have a patchwork of interacting policies and rules.”
Mr. Angustia also addressed the potential impact of the proposed rule on journalism, pointing to groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists Without Borders, which oppose the rule. The latter group said the rule “serves no purpose other than to erect unnecessary barriers to foreign reporters and will have a chilling effect on press freedom.”
Guttentag said there is no legal standard that requires the department to decide whether to issue a final rule within a certain period of time, adding that it could choose not to move forward with the proposal.
USA TODAY has reached out to the department for comment.
Breanna Frank is USA TODAY’s First Amendment reporter. Please contact bjfrank@usatoday.com..
USA TODAY’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded by the Freedom Forum in collaboration with our journalism funding partners.Funders do not provide editorial input.
According to IBM, the main barrier to enterprise AI is not the technology itself, but the persistent problem of data silos.
Ed Lovely, vice president and chief data officer at IBM, describes data silos as the “Achilles heel” of modern data strategies. Lovely made the comments following the publication of new research from the IBM Institute for Business Value that says AI is ready to scale, but enterprise data still cannot.
The report, which surveyed 1,700 senior data leaders, found that functional data remains stubbornly siled. Financial, human resources, marketing, and supply chain data all operate independently, with no common classification or shared standards.
This fragmentation has a direct negative impact on AI projects. “When data resides in isolated silos, any AI initiative becomes a long-term data cleansing project that takes six to 12 months,” said Ed Lovely, vice president and chief data officer at IBM. “Teams spend more time exploring and tweaking data than generating meaningful insights.”
This is a direct threat to competitive advantage. The mission of CIOs and CDOs is no longer just to collect and protect data, but to effectively deploy it to power these new AI systems.
From data custodian to value driver
The consensus emerging from this research is that data leaders must maintain a constant focus on business outcomes, with 92% of CDOs agreeing that success depends on this focus.
There is a central tension here. While 92% are aiming for business value, only 29% are confident they have “clear measures to determine the business value of data-driven outcomes.”
This gap between ambition and reality is where AI agents that can learn and act autonomously to achieve goals hold promise. Leaders are increasing their confidence in these tools, with 83% of CDOs in an IBM survey saying the potential benefits of deploying AI agents outweigh the risks.
At Medtronic, a global medical technology company, teams were stuck reconciling invoices, purchase orders, and proof of delivery. By implementing an AI solution, the company automated this workflow. As a result, document matching time was reduced from 20 minutes per invoice to just 8 seconds, with accuracy exceeding 99%. This allowed staff to be redeployed from low-value data entry to higher-value work.
Similarly, renewable energy company Matrix Renewables has implemented a centralized data platform to monitor its assets. This reduced reporting time by 75% and costly downtime by 10%.
IBM finds AI roadblocks: architecture, governance, and talent gaps
Achieving these results requires a new approach to data architecture while avoiding silos. The old model of costly and time-consuming data relocation to a central lake is being replaced. An IBM study found that 81% of CDOs are currently deploying AI to data, rather than migrating data to AI.
This approach relies on modern architectural patterns such as data mesh and data fabric that provide a virtualization layer to access data where it resides. We also support the concept of “data products” (packaged, reusable data assets designed for specific business purposes, such as “customer 360-degree” views or financial forecasting datasets).
However, making data more accessible creates governance challenges. Collaboration between CDO and CISO is now essential to balance speed and security. Data sovereignty is of particular concern, with 82% of CDOs seeing it as a core part of their risk management strategy.
However, the biggest hurdle may be human resources. The report reveals that the talent gap is widening and threatens to slow progress. In 2025, 77 percent of CDOs will report difficulty attracting or retaining top data talent, up from 62 percent in 2024.
This shortage is further exacerbated by the fact that the required skills are a constantly moving target. IBM found that 82% of CDOs are “seeking and hiring for data roles that didn’t exist last year as they relate to generative AI.” This culture and skills challenge is often the most difficult part.
Hiroshi Okuyama, chief digital officer of Yanmar Holdings, explained: “Culture is difficult to change, but people are becoming more aware that decisions must be based on data and facts, and that evidence needs to be collected when making decisions.”
Open up data silos and launch enterprise AI
On the technology side, enterprise leaders must move away from siled data assets. This means investing in modern federated data architectures and encouraging teams to develop and use “data products” that can be securely shared and reused across the organization.
Second, on the cultural front, data literacy needs to become a business-wide priority, not just an IT issue. 80% of CDOs say that democratizing data helps organizations move faster, and they’re right. This means fostering a data-driven culture and investing in intuitive tools that make it easy for non-technical employees to interact with data.
The goal is to move organizations from running individual AI experiments to extending intelligent automation across core business processes. Successful companies are those that treat data as their most valuable asset, not as a byproduct of their applications.
“Enterprise AI at scale is within reach, but success depends on organizations leveraging the right data to power AI,” said Ed LaBrie, vice president and chief data officer at IBM. “For CDOs, this means establishing a seamlessly integrated enterprise data architecture that drives innovation and unlocks business value.”
“Organizations that get this right will not only improve AI, but transform the way they do business, make faster decisions, adapt to change faster, and gain a competitive advantage.”
See also: New data center project marks Anthropic’s largest expansion in the U.S. to date
Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out the AI & Big Data Expo in Amsterdam, California, and London. This comprehensive event is part of TechEx and co-located with other major technology events including Cyber Security Expo. Click here for more information.
AI News is brought to you by TechForge Media. Learn about other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars.
Who will replace Mike Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District?
These are the members who will try to take over the 11th Congressional District, the seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill.
New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill used the first U.S. House of Representatives meeting since the October 1st government shutdown to announce her resignation as representative of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
“This will be my last speech in this chamber,” she said Wednesday night during a debate on the House floor ahead of a vote on a Senate-passed funding deal that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“I’m going to hand in my resignation next week and move on to protecting the entire state of New Jersey,” Sherrill said during the 90 seconds he was given during the Nov. 12 debate.
Sherrill was first elected in 2018 in a North Jersey suburban district, riding a wave of discontent with then-President Donald Trump to win a seat held by Republicans for decades. Number 11, which was redrawn after the 2020 Census, now covers parts of Morris, Passaic, and Essex counties.
She did not mention a specific date for her resignation. Her swearing-in as governor is scheduled for January 20th.
Sherrill joined most Democrats in opposing the government reopening bill, citing Republican efforts to cut health insurance subsidies.
“I will stand up against the rules in this bill that will do nothing to protect the more than 450,000 New Jerseyans whose health insurance premiums are skyrocketing,” she said. “I took my first oath to the Constitution when I was 18 and went to the Naval Academy. It’s an oath to serve, to go to war. And I ran for Congress because I saw Washington Republicans attacking the Affordable Care Act.”
“I promised myself that I would accept the status quo. I would fight the big battles because that’s what people expect from their leaders,” Sherrill said. “That’s what people deserve from their leaders. And I’m proud of the victories I’ve had.”
Mikie Sherrill’s farewell words
She took time to reflect on some of her accomplishments during her tenure, which she said included “capping the price of prescription insulin for seniors, funding the Gateway Tunnel, the PACT Act for Veterans, flood mitigation projects, contributions to Picatinny Arsenal, and more.”
“New Jersey, you trusted me. And last week, you trusted me again and elected me as your 57th governor,” she continued. “So I made a similar commitment to take on anyone, doing whatever it takes to reduce costs and build opportunity for everyone.”
Her farewell message included thanking voters and staff and challenging her colleagues.
“This body cannot be used as a ceremonial red seal for a regime that deprives people of health care and deprives children of food,” she said. “To my country, I say be strong. As we say in the Navy, don’t let go of the ship.”
She was hugged by several colleagues in the House chamber as the debate continued.
more: Passaic County was key to Mikie Sherrill’s New Jersey landslide. How Democrats regained victory from Trump
Who will take her place in Congress?
Sherrill, who has been re-elected to the House of Representatives three times, began campaigning this year to succeed two-term Governor Phil Murphy.
Despite most polls showing a close race, she won a decisive victory on November 4th, defeating Republican candidate Jack Citterelli with 57% of the vote.
A number of Democrats have already expressed interest in replacing her, including former 7th District Congressman Tom Malinowski, who lost his seat to Tom Keene Jr. in 2022. Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill and Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett have also declared themselves on the Democratic side. So far, only one Republican has announced his candidacy: Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway.
A special election will be held to fill the 11th District seat.
In her new book, Obama takes readers on a journey through the evolution of her style and how it intertwines with her heritage.
Michelle Obama breaks her silence after not attending Trump’s inauguration
Former first lady Michelle Obama has denied rumors of divorcing her husband and said she is reevaluating her public appearance.
It didn’t take long for former first lady Michelle Obama to reminisce about the East Wing of the White House.
Speaking to a captive audience in Washington, D.C., on a live podcast about her new book, “The Look,” President Obama compared the colorful costumes she wore as first lady to her work in the East Tower, which was demolished by President Donald Trump earlier this year to make way for a ballroom.
“I felt like the East Wing was a place of color and light and joy,” President Obama told host Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Morris.
She explained that for her and her husband, former President Barack Obama, the East Wing literally served as an entry point for visitors to the White House and a place where they welcomed Americans through their work there.
“We were thinking about the kids like us who were outside the gates on the South Lawn looking in without knowing what was going on in the White House…because so many of those kids felt uninvited,” Michelle Obama said. “Our goal was to make the house as open as possible, and the East Wing was the place to do that.”
Throughout her tenure in the White House and beyond, Michelle Obama’s fashion choices have been driven by a desire to welcome and embrace the public.
In her new book, co-written with her longtime stylist Meredith Koop, the former first lady takes readers on a journey through the evolution of her dress, hair and makeup from her childhood on Chicago’s South Side to her time in the White House and now as a political and cultural icon.
“It’s not what you look like that matters,” she said, alluding to the book’s title. “It’s us looking out for the country. It’s us looking out for the country. It’s us looking out for all the people who depend on us. … That gaze goes both ways,” she said.
“Can I hug someone in here?”
During her eight years as first lady, Obama remained active. Some days, she said, she would dig in the kitchen garden on the White House lawn with her children after giving a speech.
She conducted NFL drills and played soccer with David Beckham to promote “Let’s Move!” Tackling childhood obesity. She visited preschool classrooms and traveled to Africa to encourage young women to stay in school.
What she wore to keep President Obama active tAudience in the studio of an old podcast recording.
“I was worried, ‘Is it okay to hug people in here? Will it get dirty?'” She told Morris:
“What I think about clothes is that they can welcome people or they can push people away. When clothes are so neat and so precious and things are so clear and the pins are so big, you’re saying to people, ‘Don’t touch me,'” she said.
“This is not DEI employment.”
The designers Obama chose to make her clothes as first lady were also intentional, she told the audience on a taping of “IMO: The Look.”
When President Obama walked out of her husband’s inaugural ball in 2009 wearing a white silk one-shoulder dress by Jason Wu, she helped catapult the young designer to fame. This choice made a statement.
“This was not a DEI hire. It was the most beautiful gown,” President Obama said. “He just happened to be a child of immigrants, new to the business, and just as talented, if not more talented, than the greats who always had the opportunity.”
President Obama said he could have chosen an Oscar de la Renta dress, In addition to herself, she has dressed first ladies Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton. But not only did Ms. Wu make her feel “out of this world,” she also influenced the administration’s message.
“What we were trying to do with the choices we made was to change lives and say something different about who is worthy and who is good enough,” President Obama said.
USA TODAY Nation Desk reporter Karissa Waddick can be reached at kwaddick@usatoday.com.
When Visa announced its Intelligent Commerce Platform for Asia Pacific on November 12, it wasn’t just introducing another payment feature; it was building an AI commerce infrastructure to solve a crisis that most merchants are still unaware of. Websites are flooded with AI agents, and there is no reliable way to tell which are legitimate shoppers and which are malicious bots.
With AI-driven traffic to retail sites surging 4,700% in just one year, Visa’s early 2026 regional trial will give businesses 14 months to prepare their payment systems for a world where artificial intelligence processes purchases and transactions on behalf of consumers.
Why Asia Pacific, why now?
Visa’s strategic decision to pilot agent commerce capabilities in Asia Pacific by early 2026 reflects more than geographic preference, recognizing the region’s leadership in mobile payments adoption and digital-first consumer behavior.
The introduction of AI commerce infrastructure represents a fundamental architectural change. Payment systems are designed from the ground up to accommodate machine-initiated transactions that exceed the speed and volume that human shoppers can process.
“Agent commerce is transforming the very fabric of online payment transactions and requires an integrated ecosystem to realize its full potential,” said TR Ramachandran, head of products and solutions for Asia Pacific at Visa.
“With Visa Intelligent Commerce and its underlying Trusted Agent Protocol, Visa connects consumers, AI agents, and merchants through a secure and scalable solution.” The numbers clearly demonstrate why this infrastructure is important now.
According to Adobe Data Insights cited in Visa’s announcement, 85% of consumers who used AI for shopping reported an improved experience. But this enthusiasm masks a crisis. Merchants cannot reliably differentiate between legitimate AI agents making purchases and sophisticated bots attempting fraud or data scraping.
Technical architecture behind Agentic Commerce
Visa Intelligent Commerce consists of unified APIs across tokenization, authentication, payment instructions, and transaction signals, creating what amounts to a new protocol layer for AI commerce infrastructure.
At its core is a trusted agent protocol that uses agent-specific cryptographic signatures to verify that the AI assistant has genuine commercial intent and valid consumer authority. This validation layer solves a problem that traditional payment security was not designed to address.
Fraud detection systems identify suspicious patterns in human behavior, such as unusual purchase locations, unusual timing, and unusual product combinations. AI agents naturally exhibit behaviors that trigger these alerts. For example, simultaneous transactions across multiple sellers, machine-speed checkouts, and purchasing patterns optimized by algorithms rather than human impulses.
The infrastructure Visa is building maintains consumer visibility even when AI mediates transactions. Whether an AI agent books a hotel or orders groceries, merchants can identify real consumers and store customer relationship data that companies rely on for marketing, loyalty programs, and service personalization.
Importantly, Visa designed its AI commerce infrastructure as an open, low-code framework. This architectural choice lowers integration barriers for merchants and enables interoperability across the emerging ecosystem of AI platforms, payment processors, and commerce applications in Asia Pacific.
An ecosystem emerging around AI payments
Visa’s partnerships with Ant International, LG Uplus, Microsoft, Perplexity, Stripe, and Tencent highlight the collaborative nature of building AI commerce infrastructure at scale.
These are not traditional payment processing relationships, but instead represent nodes in the network where AI agents need to authenticate across platforms, securely access payment credentials, and perform transactions across multiple services with a single consumer intent.
Consider a scenario where a consumer asks Microsoft’s AI assistant to “make plans for my weekend in Kuala Lumpur.” Agents might use Perplexity to explore options, use Stripe to process ticket payments, and conduct transactions on Visa’s network. All the while maintaining secure authentication and consumer approval throughout the journey.
This requires an infrastructure that enables seamless handoffs between platforms while maintaining security and transparency. The pilot schedule for early 2026 suggests that Visa is moving in parallel with regulatory frameworks that are still taking shape across Asia-Pacific markets. Approaches to licensing AI agents, consumer protection in automated transactions, and cross-border AI commerce vary by country, creating complexities that are reflected in global standards as the technology expands.
What this means for digital commerce
The shift to AI-mediated transactions changes fundamental assumptions about online retail. Consumer actions that used to involve browsing, comparing, and clicking “buy” will now be done through conversational instructions to an AI assistant.
Merchants optimizing for human attention spans and click-through rates will need to rethink their strategies for an environment where AI agents evaluate options through algorithmic comparisons rather than emotional appeals.
Visa’s AI commerce infrastructure also introduces new competitive dynamics. Companies that integrate experience early with agent-driven sales flows, develop strategies to maintain customer relationships through AI intermediation, and improve fraud detection for machine-initiated transactions will
Those who wait risk an operational gap when consumer adoption reaches critical mass. The payments giant showcased Intelligent Commerce at the Singapore FinTech Festival held from November 12 to 14, providing businesses with concrete visibility into their integration requirements and implementation challenges.
Visa’s 4.8 billion credentials have the potential to access AI agents in millions of stores around the world, so the infrastructure being piloted in Asia Pacific will likely define how agent commerce operates globally.
The road to 2026
While 14 months to start a regional pilot may seem far away, the necessary technical, operational, and strategic preparations make the timeline demanding. Businesses need to audit their payment infrastructure for AI compatibility, evaluate customer experience design for agent-mediated interactions, and recalibrate security systems to distinguish legitimate AI commerce from threats.
The AI commerce infrastructure that Visa is deploying not only enables new payment methods, but also establishes the foundation for different models of digital transactions. As Asia Pacific becomes a testing ground for this transformation, the lessons learned will shape how commerce operates in an AI-driven world.
(Photo provided by Yoco Photography)
SEE ALSO: How Huawei is building agent AI systems that make independent decisions
Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out the AI & Big Data Expo in Amsterdam, California, and London. This comprehensive event is part of TechEx and co-located with other major technology events including Cyber Security Expo. Click here for more information.
AI News is brought to you by TechForge Media. Learn about other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars.
With used car prices exceeding $31,000 in Q3 2025, EVs are emerging as a budget-friendly option.
america today
A six-figure salary doesn’t mean what it once did.
That’s the conclusion from the latest Harris poll, suggesting that a six-figure income in 2025 will equate to survival, but not necessarily success.
One in three people with six-figure incomes said in a poll that they were in financial difficulty. Two in three people said a six-figure salary is not a sign of wealth.
The Harris poll, released Nov. 14, surveyed 2,109 Americans, 728 of whom earned more than $100,000 a year.
The idea that highly paid workers are struggling is counterintuitive. Economic data shows that high-income Americans are spending more freely and increasingly driving the economy as less wealthy households tighten.
The top 10% of earners account for more than 49% of all consumer spending, the highest level in decades, according to research by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. Rising home values and record stock returns are inflating the balance sheets of wealthy Americans.
“Overall, high-income households are doing well,” said Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “They’re the ones spending. They’re the ones primarily supporting consumer spending.”
People with six-figure incomes live off their paychecks.
Considering that the median annual income for full-time workers in the United States is about $62,000, an income of $100,000 would put you firmly in the middle class.
America’s middle class may not be wealthy, but they have come to expect some degree of economic security.
But in the Harris survey, many high earners described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck.
Three-quarters of people with six-figure annual incomes said they recently used a credit card because they ran out of cash. More than half of people with six-figure incomes said they would need to double their income to feel financially secure.
“People used to feel that anything above six digits was a sign of financial stability,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer and futurist at Harris Poll. “And now we just see it as a sign that we’re surviving and that we’re in survival mode.”
The study found that high-income earners were more likely than other consumers to use credit cards when they were short on cash. High-income earners were also more likely to use “buy now, pay later” financing for everyday purchases.
Some with six-figure incomes said they have sold personal items, cut medical costs and even skipped meals to make ends meet.
Years of inflation have reduced the value of $100,000 of income.
As in other parts of the United States, high-income earners have been dealing with years of cumulative inflation. Prices have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices are now at least 24% higher than they were at the beginning of 2020, according to Bankrate.
“Even though inflation has come down, people still feel expensive,” said Gbenga Ajilore, chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank.
Years of inflation have devalued six-figure incomes.
Bill Adams, Comerica Bank’s chief economist, estimates that a worker would need to earn $170,000 in 2025 to wield the same purchasing power that a $100,000 salary earned in 2005.
The value of a six-figure income also depends on where you live.
A 2025 analysis by personal finance site LendingTree found that in many American cities, families can earn six-figure incomes and still feel broke.
The report found that in 25 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas, average monthly spending on basic expenses exceeds the monthly income of a family of three with an income of $100,000.
Adams said six-figure earners are “concentrated in America’s largest and most expensive metropolitan areas, where the cost of living is higher.”
So some high-income Americans surveyed in the Harris poll may be thinking about the limits of six-figure salaries in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
“Living $200,000 in Manhattan and $200,000 living in Toledo, Ohio are two completely different things,” Ajiroa said.
Economic data tells a confusing story
Harris’ new poll is called the “Income Paradox Study.” The latest troves of economic data also provide a somewhat paradoxical picture of today’s economy.
Meanwhile, consumer confidence is declining. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 53.6 in October, its lowest level in three years.
Meanwhile, federal data shows consumer spending continues to rise, with wealthy Americans leading the increase.
“Consumers often do what they say they don’t,” Sweet says. “If I’m going to hold my foot to the fire, I’m going to look at what consumers do, not what they say.”
Trump’s reaction to Zoran Mamdani’s New York mayoral election victory
President Donald Trump reacted to the 2025 election with more communist accusations about Zoran Mamdani. Let’s see what they said.
President Donald Trump has a net positive approval rating in 24 states, according to a Morning Consult poll.
According to a national polling company, President Trump’s approval rating is net negative and has recently fallen to an all-time low.
The fight over the state’s redistricting efforts is heating up, with the Department of Justice joining a lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Democrats won a landslide victory in state and local elections on Nov. 4, seen by many as a decisive condemnation of President Donald Trump’s policies. The 2026 midterm elections will be even more difficult for Republicans, when Democrats hope to regain a majority in at least one chamber.
Victories included California’s Proposition 50, which temporarily allows the state to redraw its congressional maps without a bipartisan commission to try to offset Republican seats gained by Texas’ new map.
According to aggregation companies, Trump’s approval rating nationwide has continued to decline in recent weeks, but what about Trump’s approval rating in each state?
more: Justice Department joins lawsuit over California’s new congressional districts
In which state does President Trump have the highest approval rating?
Trump has a net approval rating in 24 states, according to Morning Consult, which compiles polls over three months to examine state-level data on registered voters. The November 12th update includes the same number of floating provinces as the previous month’s update.
According to Morning Consult, President Trump’s approval ratings are negative in all 2024 battleground states. As before, Trump’s approval rating was highest in Wyoming and lowest in Vermont, but it should be noted that these polls have the largest margins of error in small states.
The percentage of voters who rated Trump’s job performance in New Jersey and Virginia in recent months was proportional to the number of votes won by the defeated Republican gubernatorial candidates, with 42% of voters approving of Trump’s job performance in those states in the months leading up to the election, according to Morning Consult. According to unofficial results, Virginia Republican candidate Winsome Earl Sears lost to Democrat Abigail Spanberger with 42.3% of the vote. New Jersey Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli lost to Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill with 42.8% of the vote, according to the New York Times.
What is President Trump’s average approval rating?
President Trump’s approval rating is a net negative, according to an average based on RealClearPolitics and the New York Times aggregator, and after being relatively stable for months, it has fallen sharply in recent weeks.
According to graphics from RealClearPolitics, President Trump’s approval rating was 50.5% as of January 27th, making him net positive, but by March 13th, his approval rating was 47.8%, and his disapproval rating was 48.5%, making him net negative. Trump’s approval rating reached its lowest point on April 29 at 45.1%, but it declined near the 100th anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. It hit a new low of 42.4% on Nov. 12, the end of the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
President Trump’s approval rating fell from 52% in January to 44% in April, then remained roughly flat for several months, according to a New York Times tally. According to the Times, Trump’s lowest approval rating during his term was 41%, which he reached for the first time on November 12th.
President Trump’s approval rating is lower than other presidents
A Gallup poll conducted from October 1 to 16 found that 41% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, a slight increase from the previous month.
Trump’s approval ratings in his first October as the 45th and 47th president of the United States were lower than any other modern president during the same period, according to a historical analysis by Gallup. According to Gallup, his October confirmation compares to other presidents’ first year in office.
Joe Biden (October 2021) – 42% support
President Trump (October 2017) – 37% approve
Barack Obama (October 2009) – 53% approve
George W. Bush (October 2001) – 88% approved
Bill Clinton (October 1993) – 48% support
George H.W. Bush (October 1989) – 68% approve
Ronald Reagan (October 1981) – 55% approve
Contributor: Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), blue sky and TikTok.
Don’t throw away the pickle jar yet. Here are three things you can make with leftover salt water.
problem solved
National Pickle Day is here. Great dill for fans of salty snacks.
According to the National Day Calendar, Friday, November 14th is an annual day of celebration for pickle lovers around the world.
This comes as more people than ever seem to be embracing pickles. Pickle-forward menu items such as pickle fries, pickle pizza and pizza lemonade have doubled year-over-year at top quick-service restaurants since 2024, according to data from commerce platform Qu.
Some restaurants and other businesses are celebrating this anniversary by offering special discounts on pickle-inspired products. Here’s a summary.
National Pickle Day Sale
buffalo wild wings
On Nov. 14, the restaurant chain will let guests order free fried pickles with any purchase of $10 or more. Use promo code FREEPICKLES. This offer is not available for third-party distribution.
jimmy johns
The sandwich shop, home of the popular Pickle Witch, is celebrating the day with several promotions.
Enter to win a $500 Jimmy John’s gift card. The chain says the card is worth a year’s worth of free pickles. Customer must be participating in the JJ Rewards program. There are two input methods.
Order a Pickle Witch on the Jimmy John’s app and use code PICKLEFREAK at checkout to enter. You must be logged into your JJ Rewards account.
Email jjpickledaysweets@dja.com with the subject line “Jimmy John’s Pickle Day Sweepstakes.” In the main text, enter your name, address, city, state, zip code, date of birth, and the email address associated with your JJ Rewards account.
Buy one Picklewich, get a second Picklewich free. Use promo code PICKLEFREAK at checkout on the app or website. You must be logged into your JJ Rewards account.
New limited edition merchandise, including hats, sweatshirts and more, will also be available on November 14th at 12pm ET at store.jimmyjohns.com/products/pickle-freaks.
iron
Pickle brand Grilo’s is hosting National Pickle Day parties in New York City, Boston and Tampa. Each will feature pickle snacks and other festivities throughout the day. The locations and times are as follows:
new york: Bar Snack, 92 2nd Ave., closes at 6:30 p.m.
boston: Small Victories, 400 Dorchester St., closes at 6 p.m.
tampa: Skate Park Tampa, doors open at 12pm, event starts at 4:30pm.
Jason’s Deli
Jason’s Deli will be giving away 100 gallons of pickle chips in 4-gallon ice buckets to 25 people. To enter, follow Jason’s Deli on Instagram and like and comment on the Pickle Day post.
Oh snap!
We will give away salt-free pickle brand “OH SNAP!” pickles and limited edition goods. Check out our Instagram page for more information.
Twan
Salt and seasoning company Twang is launching pickle gift boxes for National Pickle Day. It includes items such as a fanny pack, salt shaker, and drink trimmer, and retails for $50.
Twang is offering 10% off all Pickle products including gift boxes using the code PICKLEDAY.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
Stephen Bryant is scheduled to become the third person to be executed by firing squad in the United States this year. He is on death row for the murder of Willard “TJ” Tietjen and is considered a serial killer.
History of execution by firing squad in the United States
Punishment by firing squad has a long history, and has recently attracted new attention as prisoners have chosen it as their method of execution.
A South Carolina killer who murdered three people in one week and provoked police with messages written in blood will become the state’s third inmate to be executed using the controversial firing squad this year.
Stephen Bryant, who once used 62-year-old Willard “TJ” Tietjen’s blood to scrawl “Get me if you can” on a wall, is scheduled to be executed on Friday, Nov. 14, for the 2004 murder. If the execution goes ahead, Bryant will become the 42nd inmate to be executed in the United States in 2025, the most in a single year since 2012.
He is also only one of six people to be executed by firing squad in modern U.S. history.
According to South Carolina protocol, Bryant’s executioner will place a hood over his head and tie him to a chair. Three volunteer correctional officers are to shoot him in the heart at the same time.
A defense lawyer who last witnessed an execution of this kind in April described it as “barbaric” and “a horrific act that belongs to the darkest chapter of history.” State officials defend the method as constitutional.
Here’s what you need to know about Bryant’s execution.
When and where will Stephen Bryant be executed?
Stephen Bryant is scheduled to be executed on Friday, November 14th at 6pm ET at the Broad River Correctional Facility in Columbia, South Carolina.
What was Stephen Bryant convicted of?
In October 2004, Steven Bryant was on probation for robbery when he went on an eight-day killing spree that left three people dead and one seriously injured.
Bryant pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced him to life in prison for two of the murders and the death penalty for the murder of an unknown man named Willard “TJ” Tietjen. Tietjen was shot nine times at his home just east of Columbia after allowing Bryant to enter. Bryant later admitted to police that he told Tietjen that his truck was overheating and that the two had been chatting for hours before Bryant attacked him.
After the murder, he used Tietjen’s blood to scribble a provocative message on police officers that read, “Four victims in two weeks. Catch me if you can,” according to court records.
Like Tietjen, the other three people shot and killed by Bryant appear to have been targeted at random during a series of unexplained murders. Among them were his friend, 36-year-old Clifton Gainey, and another unknown man, 35-year-old Christopher Burgess. A 56-year-old man named Clinton Brown was shot in the back and left for dead, but he survived.
Why would Stephen Bryant be executed by firing squad?
South Carolina allowed Bryant to choose from three execution methods: firing squad, electric chair, or lethal injection. If he doesn’t choose, the default method is the electric chair.
Firing squads are rarely introduced in the United States, but they appear to be gaining momentum as states say they are struggling to obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections.
Before this year, Utah was the only state to use this method, doing so only three times: in 1977, 1996 and 2010. Utah had planned to use the method on inmates in August, but the Utah Supreme Court blocked it over concerns about dementia.
South Carolina legalized firing squads in 2021 and began using the method this year, executing two inmates in April and May.
In addition to Utah and South Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Idaho have also legalized firing squads. Idaho, which approved firing squads in 2023, plans to make them the state’s default method next year.
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter covering the death penalty for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
Rapper Cardi B revealed in an interview that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, football player Stefon Diggs.
cover media
Cardi B and Stefon Diggs have officially started a new chapter.
In an Instagram post on Nov. 13, Cardi, 33, reflected on her recent new start, revealing that she welcomed her first child, a son, with her 31-year-old New England Patriots wide receiver.
“My life has always been a combination of different chapters and different seasons. My last chapter was the beginning of a new season,” Cardi captioned a video of her lip-syncing to her song “Hello.”
“I brought new music and a new album to the world! A new baby in my world and one more reason to be the best version of me. One more reason to love me more than anyone else so I can continue to give them the love and life they deserve,” she continued. “The next chapter is me vs. me! I will stand up to everything that stands in my way.”
The baby was born a few weeks before Diggs’ 32nd birthday. The boy will be the “WAP” rapper’s fourth child.
Cardi shared a video of two floral pink strollers on her Instagram Story, exclaiming, “We just had a baby boy. I love this stroller!”
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Cardi and Diggs for comment.
In September, Cardi released her second album, Am I the Drama, and announced that she would be embarking on her biggest tour in 2026.
Cardi B confirmed her relationship with Diggs in an Instagram PDA post in June that showed the two cuddling on a yacht.
In September, the rapper opened up about her pregnancy and her relationship with Diggs in an interview with CBS Morning host Gayle King.
Cardi told Dr. King, “I feel like I’m in a good space. I feel very strong. I feel very powerful doing all this work.” “But I’m doing all this work while making a baby, and me and my husband, we’re very supportive of each other.”
Cardi’s romance with Diggs follows her highly publicized and tumultuous breakup with her ex-girlfriend and father of her three children, rapper Offset. The former couple have daughters Kulture and Blossom, and son Wave.
Lorenzo Reyes shares his predictions and best bets for Week 11.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye continued his strong season, throwing for 281 yards and one touchdown.
The Jets’ loss moves them closer to securing the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots’ victory temporarily moved them to the top of the AFC standings.
While it probably wasn’t the walkover some had imagined, the New England Patriots had a fairly stress-free night Thursday night, defeating their AFC East rival New York Jets 27-14.
While most of the night was uneventful as it took place on the field, it could have implications for both teams, some clubs beyond Foxboro’s boundaries, and some players, including perhaps even players beyond Foxboro’s boundaries, for the rest of the season and beyond.
So while the Patriots were the big winners on the “Thursday Night Football” scoreboard, we all know there’s a lot more to the margins of any given game. And they are:
winner
Pats playoff outlook
The win vaults New England to the top of the AFC standings for now. The Patriots haven’t won the AFC East since 2019 and haven’t been a No. 1 seed since the 2017 season. There are still a lot of games left before they start approaching the caliber of Brady Belichick’s team, but this season under first-year coach Mike Vrabel has been quite the turnaround for fans who have been brutally starved for almost five years.
drake may
New England’s second-year quarterback continued to refine his MVP credentials with a near-perfect night, but he didn’t have to put in more than an efficient performance against the Jets — going 25-of-34 for 281 yards and a TD, giving him a gaudy 71.9 percent completion rate for the 2025 season.
nick falk
It’s been a perfect season for the Jets kicker, who hit two extra-point tries on Thursday. Faulk has now made all 19 of his field goal attempts and all 14 of his PATs in 2025.
treveillon henderson
The emergence of the Pats’ rookie tailback, wearing an alternate uniform meant to glorify the fog, continued to gain momentum. Henderson had a somewhat modest 93 yards from scrimmage against the Jets, but he did find the end zone three times and scored five touchdowns in five days. Who was the last Patriots rookie to score 3 TDs in one game? Former tight end Rob Gronkowski signed a one-day contract to retire in New England on Wednesday.
jet of the future
Trust the process, guys. With cornerback Sauce Gardner and DT Quinnen Williams not traded at the trade deadline, the second game brought NYJ to within a half-game of the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. The Jets are scheduled to acquire five first-round picks and three second-round picks in the next two drafts.
winner? loser?
Patriots “Nor’easter” uniforms
Huh? The New England version of Nike’s “Rivals” uniform was conceptually interesting, tying the fashion to the region’s maritime nature and weather. But you don’t know if they popped out between the lines once? Not a fail, but not a failure either.
loser
current jet aircraft
It’s kind of remarkable that they won two games despite releasing their top two defensemen and having wide receiver Garrett Wilson on injured reserve with a knee injury. Looks like it’s going to be a long and winding road until NYJ finally wins…Super Bowl 65?
jets offense
New York opened the game with a promising 14-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard TD run by QB Justin Fields. This gave them a point and kept May and the others off the field for the first eight minutes of the game. But what’s the problem? NYJ went 3-and-out on their next three possessions and found themselves in a 14-point hole from which they never recovered.
al michaels
The Jets enter the game as 13-point dogs, according to BetMGM, so Prime Video’s play-by-play man didn’t seem to have a clever way to signal a push…he likes to slyly play little side-actions on the results to the viewers.
Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts
For now, both teams are behind the Patriots in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Colts are on a bye, so they won’t be able to catch up this weekend. However, Denver could move into first place if they defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, and a win would move the Broncos to 9-2 and force them into a tiebreaker due to their strong performance in AFC play.
Justin Fields
It was another tough night for the Jets’ current QB1. Other than the opening march, he largely disappeared, throwing for 116 yards that night and adding a late TD pass that had little bearing on the outcome. Manager Aaron Glenn has been reluctant to name Fields the starter until the last two games, but it will be interesting to see if veteran Tyrod Taylor starts New York’s next game. Either way, the Jets’ trade deadline sell-off suggests their future quarterback could be in Austin, Texas, Eugene, Oregon, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Bloomington, Indiana, or elsewhere.
All your NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th Monday Newsletter.
These are members of New York Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani’s all-female transition team.
Progressive activist Katie Wilson was elected as Seattle’s next mayor on November 13, after incumbent Bruce Harrell conceded in a close race, a win for progressive Democrats across the country.
Harrell, a first-term Democratic mayor, initially had a lead on election night, but delays in the arrival of ballots ultimately gave Wilson the lead. The Seattle Times, which called the race on Nov. 12, reported that Harrell was about 2,000 votes short of the final tally in what the newspaper called the closest race in the city’s modern political history.
In a concession speech at City Hall on Nov. 13, Mr. Harrell, 67, congratulated Mr. Wilson and said he promised to support the transition. He noted that although the two campaigns presented different visions for governing the city, their values were the same.
“The Wilson administration will have new ideas,” Harrell said. “They will have a new vision. By winning the election, they have earned that right. We have to listen to young voters.”
Harrell previously served three terms on the City Council and was elected mayor in 2021, according to the Seattle Times. During his tenure, the city saw a decline in crime, increased police hiring and ended federal oversight of the Seattle Police Department, the newspaper and local radio station KUOW reported.
“We built a people-powered movement.”
Wilson, known as the “Zoran Mamdani of Seattle,” appealed to many voters concerned about affordability, housing, homelessness and public safety. Mr. Wilson, who has never held elected office, is a co-founder of the Transit Riders Union, an advocacy group that seeks to improve public transportation.
“We faced a strong incumbent who was expected to be well on his way to re-election. We faced more corporate PAC money than ever spent attacking a candidate in a Seattle election. We built a people-powered movement rooted in hope for our city’s future,” Wilson wrote in a Nov. 13 post on X. “And we won.”
After his concession speech, Mr. Wilson thanked Mr. Harrell and acknowledged his nearly 20 years of public service. She also unveiled a vision for her tenure that includes universal child care, “world-class mass transit,” “public housing,” and more.
“Workers in our city are tired. They are ready for something new, something more hopeful, fair and just,” Wilson said at a news conference.
Wilson’s campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Nov. 13.
American mayor? Why people outside New York should care about Mamdani’s win
Comparison of Seattle’s next mayor and Zoran Mamdani
In an October interview with The Record, part of the USA TODAY Network, Wilson talked about comparing the affordability-focused platform to Mamdani’s campaign in New York City. Looking at his own campaign, Wilson said each other’s campaigns reflect the political dynamics playing out across the country.
“I think there are a lot of the same forces at work right now,” she said. “My career has been about putting money back into the pockets of working people. I decided to enter this race because I recognize that we are at a moment when ordinary people are experiencing high costs for everything from rent to childcare to food to gas.”
Wilson said her policies resonated with Seattle voters because of their growing frustration with lack of financial resources. The city was ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world.
She said Harrell was “out of touch” with the issue of affordability that is important to voters and accused him of being “a transactional politician and kind of an old Democratic mold.” In the nonpartisan primary for mayor, in which the top two candidates advance to the general election, Wilson defeated Harrell 50 to 41.
Wilson said her campaign reflects a growing shift toward progressivism unfolding across the country in reaction to Democrats’ failure to defeat President Donald Trump a year ago.
“People assume that some kind of old-fashioned Democratic politics failed to stop that train wreck,” she says. “I think we really need a new kind of leadership and action, and I think that’s true across the country.”
Contributor: Fernando Cervantes Jr., america today
As more Americans lose their jobs, these tips will help you protect your finances, secure health insurance, and find your next job faster.
Verizon plans to cut at least 15,000 jobs and franchise 180 stores, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources, in what would be its largest layoff ever.
Wireless carriers are struggling with market pressure from a decline in new customers as competitors offer cheaper plans and cable companies like Comcast and Charter enter the market.
Reports say the layoffs could take place as early as next week, affecting about 15% of Verizon’s workforce. Converting company-operated stores to franchises would remove those employees from the telecom giant’s payroll, cutting up to 20,000 jobs, according to Bloomberg.
more: After DEI program cuts, FCC approves Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier
The layoffs, which will reduce non-union management positions by more than 20%, are one of the first moves by CEO Dan Schulman to downsize the company.
Shulman said last month that Verizon needs aggressive changes, including “transforming costs and fundamentally restructuring our expense base.” “We will be a simpler, leaner, more scrappy business.”
The company will have about 100,000 U.S. employees at the end of 2024, after cutting about 20,000 jobs over three years, according to Reuters.
USA TODAY reached out to Verizon to confirm the layoffs.
Verizon’s layoffs begin as companies announce layoffs
Verizon’s job cuts are the latest in a flurry of layoff announcements across the business community.
Amazon announced on Oct. 28 that it would cut 14,000 corporate jobs, while Target reportedly said on Oct. 23 that it plans to cut an estimated 1,800 corporate jobs.
Employers cut more than 150,000 jobs in October, the largest wave of layoffs in more than 20 years, according to a Thursday, Nov. 6 report in Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Dodgers’ Ohtani and Yankees Judge win MLB MVP Award
The MVP of the baseball world has been decided. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani won the National League Award, and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge won the American League title again.
Shohei Ohtani has no one to chase other than Barry Bonds.
On November 13, Ohtani won his fourth Most Valuable Player Award in a vote by the Baseball Writers Association. It was announced. It was his second National League honor with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after winning two American League MVP awards on the highway with the Angels. He became the first player to win multiple MVP awards in both leagues.
Ohtani’s fourth MVP award breaks a tie with 10 players who have won three MVP awards and ranks him second only to Bonds, who has won seven NL MVPs, the most in major league history.
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge focused his efforts on Gang of Three.
Judge won his third American League MVP award over record-setting Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Lowry. Judge hit 53 home runs and led the majors with a batting average of .331, winning his first career batting title. Lowery hit 60 home runs and drove in 125, a record for both a catcher and a switch hitter.
The vote reflected their unique greatness. Judge had 17 first-place votes and Rory had 13 first-place votes. The second place votes were 17 for Rory and 13 for the judges.
batting
Batting average .282, OBP .392, slugging percentage .622, OPS 1.014
55 home runs, 102 RBIs, 20 stolen bases
pitching
2.87 ERA in 47 innings (14 starts)
62 strikeouts, 11.87 K/9
Ohtani’s MVP season was quite unique, which is fitting given his vast skill set. In 2024, he won his first National League MVP with an unprecedented 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. A year later, he ran less, but returned to the pitcher’s mound with a win.
In fact, he stole only 20 bases, but increased his career-high in home runs to 55, and after the Dodgers slowly rehabilitated his pitching, he stepped up from opening pitcher to multi-inning pitcher and by season’s end was a full-fledged starter essential to the Dodgers’ postseason hopes on both sides of the ball.
In a sense, this MVP campaign was a hybrid of Ohtani’s first two MVP seasons in 2021 and 2023, when he hit 46 and 44 home runs, pitched 130 1/3 and 132 innings, and had ERAs of 2.33 and 3.14, respectively. However, Ohtani’s later seasons ended early on the pitching side as he required another elbow reconstructive surgery later that year before signing with the Dodgers.
This time around, he pitched fewer pitches but hit more home runs, and Ohtani’s formula continues to change.
Average .331 (A League battering champion), OBP .457, slugging percentage .688, OPS 1.145
53 home runs, 114 RBIs
Judge’s greatness was historic in many ways. At 6 feet 7 inches tall, he was not only the tallest player to win a batting title, but he also led the major leagues in all three slash lines with a batting average of .331, an on-base percentage of .457, and a slugging percentage of .688. His OPS of 1.144 was significantly higher than second place Ohtani’s 1.014.
This century, only Barry Bonds (2002) and Miguel Cabrera (2013) can claim to have led the major leagues in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in a single season. Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols are the only two players to have won both the batting title and the home run title.
Simply put, Judge’s greatness reached even more diverse levels this season, establishing himself not just as a slugger, but as one of the greatest all-around hitters of all time.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement after Judge’s victory was announced: “I never want to be desensitized to the consistency and greatness of Judge’s accomplishments.” “It’s getting harder and harder to use words to express how great he is. He’s just playing at a higher level and has been for quite some time.”
1st place votes will be worth 14 points, 2nd place will be worth 9 points, 3rd place will be worth 8 points, and 10th place will be worth 1 point.
Aaron Judge, Yankees – 355 (17 of 30 first-place votes)
Cal Lowry, Mariners – 335 (13 first-place votes)
Jose Ramirez, Guardians – 224
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals – 215
Tarik Skubal, Tigers – 139
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners – 136
George Springer, Blue Jays – 125
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox – 74
Junior Caminero, Rays – 37
Jeremy Pena, Astros – 32
Byron Buxton, Twins – 30
Nick Kurtz, Athletics – 29
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays – 14
Cody Bellinger, Yankees – 7
Michael Garcia, Royals – 7
Voting is now being accepted: Bo Bichette, Riley Green, Aroldis Chapman, Yandy Diaz, Jacob Wilson.
2025 National League MVP voting results
1st place gets 14 points, 2nd place gets 9 points, 3rd place gets 8 points, and 10th place gets down to 1 point.
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – 420 (30 out of 30 first-place votes)
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – 260
Juan Soto, Mets – 231
Gerardo Perdomo, Diamondbacks – 196
Trea Turner, Phillies – 102
Paul Skeens, Pirates – 83
Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks – 83
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres – 78
Pete Crowe Armstrong, Cubs – 63
Francisco Lindor, Mets – 61
Pete Alonso, Mets – 48
Christian Yelich, Brewers – 34
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers – 29
Bryce Turan, Brewers – 23
Christopher Sanchez, Phillies – 16
Voting is now being accepted: Michael Busch, Manny Machado, Matt Olson, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Will Smith, Ketel Marte, Ellie Delacruz
2024:Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
2023: Shohei Ohtani (Angels) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
2022:Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals)
2021: Shohei Ohtani (Angels) and Bryce Harper (Phillies)
2020: Jose Abreu (White Sox) and Freddie Freeman (Braves)
2019:Mike Trout (Angels) and Cody Bellinger (Dodgers)
2018: Mookie Betts (Red Sox) and Christian Yelich (Brewers)
2017: Jose Altuve (Astros) and Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins)
2016:Mike Trout (Angels) and Kris Bryant (Cubs)
2015: Josh Donaldson (Blue Jays) and Bryce Harper (Nationals)
american league
national league
Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers before the 2024 season. At the time of his signing, it was the largest contract in North American professional sports history, and the deal defers the package’s $680 million to payments starting in 2034.
The winners of the 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards are:
Karol G made history at the 25th Latin Grammy Awards in Miami, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back awards for Best Urban Album.
Who will win Album of the Year at the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards?
The past year has seen a slew of unskippable albums from some of the biggest names in Latin music, making for some stiff competition at the Nov. 13 awards ceremony.
Bad Bunny set the tone for 2025 with the release of his sixth studio album, Devi Tilal Mas Fotos, in January. Rau Alejandro ended 2024 with a new era of “Cosa Nuestra”. Recording Academy darling Natalia Lafourcade has released a deeply personal album, Cancionera. And ahead of the summer, Karol G marks a new chapter in his career with Tropicoceta.
In terms of who has the most nominations at this year’s ceremony, it’s Bad Bunny, who won a total of 12 nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Baile Inolvidable” and “DTMF.”
Other stars vying for the golden gramophone alongside Bad Bunny include Argentinian hip-hop duo CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso, and Latin icons Alejandro Sanz and Gloria Estefan. Sanz and Estefan are also in the running for album of the year.
Bad Bunny makes residency history. This is not the first time he has set a record.
Mexican music group Fuerza Rezida has also been nominated and could become the first Latin Grammy winner this year.
Not among the notable candidates is Peso Pluma, the breakout Mexican local star who released Éxodo last June during the eligibility period from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025. At last year’s awards ceremony, it was nominated in two categories, including Record of the Year.
Follow the night’s big winners.
2025 Latin Grammy Award Nominations
This year’s record
Winner: “Palm Trees in the Garden” – Alejandro Sanz
“Baile Inolvidable” – Bad Bunny
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Friend’s Day” – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
“#Boobs” – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
“A Wonderful Disaster” – Learning about Jorge Drexler and Russia
“Lara” – Zoe Gottusso
“If we had met before” – Karol G.
“Cancionera” – Natalia Laforcade
“By Your Side” – Liniker
album of the year
Winner: “I should take more pictures” – Bad Bunny
“Our Thing” – Rau Alejandro
“Papota” – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
“Roots” – Gloria Estefan
“Punito de Yocaf” – Vicente Garcia
“Breaking the bubble” – Joaquina
Songbook” – Natalia Laforcade
“To’s Word (Seca)” – Karin Leung
Cashew” – Liniker
“In The Clouds – With My Friends” – Elena Rose
“Now what?” – Alejandro Sanz
song of the year
Winner: “If I Had Known You Before” – Karol G (Songwriters: Edgar Barrera, Andres Jael Correa Rios, Karol G)
“Baile Inolvidable” – Bad Bunny (Songwriters: Marco Daniel Borrero, Antonio Caraballo, Caledo Elikai Rivera Córdoba, Julio Gastón, Armando Josué López, Jay Anthony Nuñez, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Roberto Jose Rosado Torres)
“Bogota” – Andres Cepeda (Songwriters: Andres Cepeda, Mauricio Rengifo, Andres Torres)
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny (Songwriters: Bad Bunny, Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dietrich, Benjamin Farick, Roberto Jose Rosado Torres, Hugo Rene Sención Sanabria, Tyler Spree)
15-year-old California boy Truly Adams has F1 dreams
Truly Adams, 15, has been racing since the age of 11 and had always wanted to compete in F1 one day.
There’s more to F1 than just high speed. Behind these thrilling races are the parts and mechanics that are essential to victory, and they come at an incredible price.
Regular cars, let alone racing cars, can be expensive. In fact, F1 cars can cost quite a bit of money. More than you think.
You don’t need a racing suit or helmet to clear this number. F1 car prices and this season’s schedule are as follows:
How much does an F1 car cost?
The exact cost of an F1 car depends on the overall setup. A set of wings costs about $200,000. Red Bull says some steering wheels can cost up to $50,000. The price of the engine could be as high as $10.6 million.
The price of the F1 car hovers around $15.9 million, but this is an estimate. According to Red Bull, the current price range for these racing cars could be between $12 million and $15 million.
F1 teams were allocated $145.6 million in spending during the 2022 season, but not all of it was spent on a single car. Instead, the money could be used to build the driver’s car. However, Red Bull said the budget also included other costs “with driver salaries and a few other exceptions”.
In case you missed it: 15-year-old Truly Adams takes a big step towards realizing her F1 racing dreams
How fast can an F1 car run?
On average, F1 cars can reach speeds of just over 320 miles per hour. F1 cars can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds.
According to Red Bull, the official fastest speed for an F1 driver is 372.5 km/h, or approximately 231.46 mph. This record was set by Valtteri Bottas at the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix.
2026 F1 season schedule
The official schedule of races for next season is as follows: Qualifying events will be held on each previous day.
USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt’s top holiday movies
USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt has his picks for the holiday season, and his list includes “Wicked: For Good.”
Do you feel like a witch? Chili’s Grill & Bar offers a variety of drinks.
Ahead of the Nov. 21 premiere of Wicked: For Good, the American restaurant chain is celebrating with Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo)-themed cocktails throughout the month of November.
“This fall, Chili’s is conjuring up a little magic behind the bar with our Margarita of the Month program, available in two colors: green and pink,” Chili’s said in a statement. “Inspired by the legendary duo, the Grill & Bar is now offering two limited-edition $6 margaritas, a first in the brand’s rotation program.”
The alcoholic beverages, aptly named “The Witches Brew Marg” and “The Good Witch Marg,” have definitely become a hit in the weeks since their release, at least according to those who have had a chance to try them.
One social media user wrote on Thursday, Nov. 6: “My best friend and I tried the Chili’s Wicked Margarita last night and it was so good (green ones usually come with a broomstick, but we ran out so I gave her a cane).”
Fans of the “Wicked” series are visiting their local Chili’s to sample the margaritas and sharing reviews and photos of the margaritas on social media.
more: ‘Wicked’ series inspires magical collaborations, with tons of products available for fans to purchase
See how Margarita dealt with the “evil” crowd.
Chili’s ‘Wicked’ Margaritas available until November
“Do you feel good or bad?” Chili’s asks customers to “choose one or the other.”
The “Witches Brew Margarita”, which has been on sale since October, is aimed at customers who “dare” to try a striking green cocktail, while the November-only “Good Witch Marg” is perfect for those who prefer “a hint of pink.”
According to Chili’s, “Green and pink margs offer bold flavor and eye-catching color when placed side by side. This limited-time combination was created to turn heads and is offered as November’s Margarita of the Month.”
“Witches Brew Marg” and “Good Witch Marg” both share a few common ingredients: Lunazul Blanco Tequila and a splash of house-made sour.
A list of ingredients (and corresponding accessories) can be found below.
Witch’s Brew Margarita: Lunazul Blanco Tequila, Electric Blue Curacao, refreshing Granny Smith apple syrup, and a sharp splash of fresh sour, garnished with a Witch’s Broom swizzle stick.
Good Witch Marg: Lunazul Blanco tequila, triple sec, Monin dragon fruit syrup, homemade sour topped with soda water and garnished with a pink wand swizzle stick.
‘Great idea’ fans of ‘Wicked’ series praise Margarita
Fans of the “Wicked” series rave about Margarita, or at least some people think so.
It’s a rite of passage, with the audio of “Wicked” playing, and fans bemoaning the distance from the nearest Chili’s or lack of funds to buy a margarita. Some were upset that “everyone” was having drinks except them.
Meanwhile, some customers noted that while the “Wicked” margarita was delicious, it was so strong that they had to consider calling their ex-lover, shared by Carolina A. on TikTok.
“The end is still to die for,” the TikToker said. “That evil margarita is really evil. He said no more than seven, no more than two. Glinda’s margarita is the best.”
Check out the reactions and glowing reviews for Chili’s “Wicked” Margarita below.
Don’t drink the evil marg at Chili’s, you’ll start doing gravity-defying riffs in crowded restaurants, you’ll have to believe me on this one pic.twitter.com/nbW1gFLsz5
