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Why AMD and DOE collaboration is important for your enterprise AI strategy

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Why AMD and DOE collaboration is important for your enterprise AI strategy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and AMD are collaborating on two new AI supercomputers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as part of a larger AI strategy to advance scientific, energy, and national security research and strengthen the nation’s position in high-performance computing.

The two machines will involve a combined public and private investment of approximately $1 billion. Once completed, it will form part of a secure national computing network designed to support AI research using standards-based infrastructure built in the United States. This project reflects how a tailored AI strategy can align national goals in innovation, energy efficiency, and data governance.

Dr. Lisa Su, AMD Chairman and CEO, said the company is “proud and honored to partner with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to accelerate America’s science and innovation infrastructure.” He added that these systems will “leverage AMD’s high-performance and AI computing technologies to advance America’s most important research priorities in science, energy, and medicine.”

Lux AI: Training the next wave of AI models

Scheduled to be operational in early 2026, Lux AI will be the nation’s first “AI Factory,” a facility built to train and deploy advanced AI models for science, energy, and security. The system is developed in collaboration with ORNL, AMD, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Lux uses AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, EPYC CPUs, and Pensando networking to handle data-intensive AI tasks. It is designed to speed up research in areas such as energy systems, materials, and medicine. The system’s architecture allows multiple groups to work together while securely separating data, making it a model that reflects how many large enterprises are beginning to manage sensitive AI workloads.

Discovery: Strengthening America’s AI and Supercomputing Strategy

The Discovery system will follow in 2028 and become DOE’s next flagship supercomputer at Oak Ridge. It uses AMD’s upcoming “Venice” EPYC processor and MI430X GPU. These are part of a new series built for AI and scientific computing.

Discovery’s “bandwidth everywhere” design improves memory and network performance without using more power. This means you can process more data and run complex models efficiently while maintaining energy costs. This is a challenge many large data centers face today.

The system builds on lessons learned from Frontier, the world’s first exascale computer, and makes it easy to migrate existing applications to new platforms.

“Winning the AI ​​race will require new and creative partnerships that bring together the brightest minds and industry that American technology and science has to offer,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. He said the new system demonstrates a “common sense approach to computing partnerships” that strengthens the country through shared innovation.

ORNL Director Steven Streifer said Discovery will “drive scientific innovation faster and farther than ever before,” adding that the combination of high-performance computing and AI will shorten the time from research problems to real-world solutions.

Partnerships that drive AI innovation and long-term strategy

AMD, HPE, and Oracle each play a key role in building and supporting the system. HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri said the partnership will enable Oak Ridge to achieve “unprecedented productivity and scale.” Mahesh Thiagarajan, Oracle’s executive vice president, said the company will work with the DOE to “provide a sovereign, high-performance AI infrastructure to support the joint development of the Lux AI cluster.”

Once operational, Lux and Discovery will enable DOE to run large-scale AI models to improve understanding of energy, biology, materials science, and national defense. Discovery will also help design the next generation of batteries, reactors, semiconductors, and critical materials.

What it means for corporate leaders

For organizations, these systems highlight how AI strategies and HPC can accelerate research, improve efficiency, and secure data management. It also shows that improved performance does not have to come at the expense of increased energy usage.

DOE’s partnerships with technology providers reflect a model that private companies may follow: combining expertise across sectors to develop shared infrastructure while maintaining data control. As AI workloads grow, both public and private organizations need to build systems that balance power, performance, and governance.

The Lux and Discovery projects show what that balance looks like in practice. That means it’s open, collaborative, and built to support discovery at scale. This is a lesson in how advanced AI strategies can transform infrastructure into a long-term competitive advantage.

(Photo provided by Saeed Ali)

See also: How to fix the AI ​​trust gap in business

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. Click here for more information.

AI News is brought to you by TechForge Media. Learn about other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars.

We expected the Fed to cut rates again. Who benefits from doing so?

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We expected the Fed to cut rates again. Who benefits from doing so?

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The Federal Reserve appears poised to cut short-term interest rates again on Oct. 29 at the end of a two-day meeting as upward inflation pressures recede and job growth slows, complicated by a lack of economic data as the government shutdown continues.

Inflation rose in September and remains above the Fed’s 2% target, according to a recent report from Oxford Economics, but analysts see the risk of a cooling in the labor market as more pressing than lingering price pressures and expect the Fed to cut rates by another quarter of a percentage point.

Given the Fed’s dual mission of stabilizing prices and minimizing unemployment, Chairman Jerome Powell said in an Oct. 16 appearance at the National Association for Business Economics that there is no “risk-free” path to policy.

“The outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed significantly since our September meeting,” Powell said, adding that data available before the government shutdown showed the overall economy “may be on a slightly more robust trajectory than expected.”

more: Chairman Powell says there is no ‘risk-free’ path as Fed considers rate cuts amid government shutdown

Will the Fed cut interest rates?

The Fed cut short-term interest rates by a quarter of a point in September, lowering the Fed’s benchmark to a range of 4% to 4.25%.

Lower rates could offset inflation by lowering borrowing costs, said Michele Ranelli, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion.

“While the broader impact on consumer financial health is not yet fully understood, early signs point to increased credit activity and potential for borrower relief,” Ranelli said in a statement on Oct. 27.

James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, expects a 25 basis point (bp) rate cut on Wednesday. He expects another quarter-point rate cut in December, followed by another 50 basis point cut in early 2026.

Mr Knightley said there was a risk that companies would eventually start cutting jobs more aggressively. Amazon recently confirmed plans to cut about 14,000 corporate jobs.

“While tariff-related inflation will remain a concern in the near term, the job market is becoming a more pressing issue for the Fed,” Knightley said in an Oct. 24 memo.

As of Oct. 27, futures markets are predicting additional quarter-point rate cuts in both October and December.

Who benefits when the Fed adjusts interest rates?

When the Fed lowers interest rates, its purpose is to stimulate the economy and the job market. Lower interest rates make loans and credit more affordable, benefiting borrowers and homebuyers.

interest rate hike, Conversely, interest rates can be kept high for long periods of time to control spending to control inflation. Higher fees can help consumers by stabilizing prices.

A recent WalletHub study found that additional rate cuts could save consumers more than $1 billion combined, but most consumers don’t care. It found that more than half of respondents felt that an additional quarter-point cut would not make a difference in their lives.

Dimitri Silva, managing director and head of global rates and foreign exchange at Reams Asset Management, said changes in interest rates take time to ripple through the economy, often six months to a year.

For the average American, Silva said, lower interest rates mean less interest paid on credit cards, car loans and mortgages, making debt a little easier to manage.

He added that the cuts are an important driver of job creation and will help small businesses struggling to survive high borrowing costs.

What data is the Fed using during the government shutdown?

The October meeting will be held amid a data blackout due to the government shutdown, which delayed the September employment report and halted most data collection at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The agency still released the September consumer price index needed to calculate the 2026 Social Security cost of living adjustment. It said consumer prices rose 3% year-on-year, up slightly from 2.9% in August. On a monthly basis, expenses increased by 0.3% following a 0.4% increase in the previous month.

But Powell said the Fed is turning to alternative data sources as official numbers decline. But the data is not as effective as what the federal government typically provides, he said.

He said this includes state-level unemployment claims reports and ADP’s national employment report, which revealed that private U.S. employers cut 32,000 jobs in September.

“The alternative data we’re considering is best used as a supplement to the underlying government data that is the gold standard,” Powell said on October 16. “As a supplement, it’s probably not going to be as effective as the main course.”

What about the overall US economy?

The Federal Reserve heads into its October meeting amid heightened uncertainty.

In addition to data delays, the government shutdown has led to delayed paychecks for federal employees and contractors, as well as disruptions to services such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Although closures are unlikely to have a lasting impact on the economy, they could slow GDP and put a strain on local economies.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s tariff policy continues to fluctuate.

Separately, mortgage interest rates have also fallen, giving some sense of security to those considering buying a home.

At the same time, consumer confidence continues to decline, dropping to 53.6 in October, from 70.5 a year ago, according to the University of Michigan index.

Contact Rachel Barber at rbarber@usatoday.com and follow her at X @rachelbarber_

Republican House oversight report calls on Justice Department to investigate Biden’s autopen use

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Republican House oversight report calls on Justice Department to investigate Biden’s autopen use

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Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are calling on the Justice Department to open an investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign government documents in a newly released report that questions Biden’s mental state and executive actions.

In its report, released Oct. 28, the committee scathingly criticized the administration, alleging that White House aides engaged in a cover-up to conceal Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline and saying the administration’s use of autopens allowed staff to enact policies without the president’s knowledge. The report echoes the claims of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who conclude without presenting new evidence, argue that former aides’ refusal to participate in the investigation constitutes a cover-up, and are calling for the Justice Department to intervene.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondy on Oct. 28, committee chair Rep. James Comer asked the Justice Department to investigate “all executive actions” of Mr. Biden to determine whether the former White House physician and two aides committed “criminal conduct.”

more: President Trump displays autopen photo of Biden’s “Walk of Fame” White House portrait. What is it?

The report questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s executive actions, pointing to his use of an autopen, a device that mechanically reproduces signatures that presidents have used for decades. Trump told reporters in March that he used the document “only for very unimportant papers.”

After a months-long investigation, Republican committee members concluded that Biden’s executive actions, which they said could include “unwarranted” pardons and executive actions, “need to be scrutinized to determine whether legal action is necessary to improve outcomes.” The committee also concluded that Biden’s presidential actions, signed using an autopen, are considered “null and void.” However, it does not have the power to annul an enforcement action.

“The committee found that numerous executive actions taken under the Biden administration, particularly the amnesty actions, were unlawful,” the report said. “Accordingly, the committee urges the Department of Justice to investigate all alleged executive actions by President Joe Biden.”

The report also names two aides who served under the Biden administration who declined to answer questions during the investigation by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. Senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini invoked the Fifth Amendment when they were called to testify, along with Biden’s personal physician Kevin O’Connor. Mr. Comer sent a letter to the chairman of the District of Columbia Medical Board asking for an investigation into Mr. O’Connor in addition to the Justice Department’s investigation.

The former president was furious at suggestions that his administration had misused autopens, and defended himself in a July 13 interview with the New York Times.

“You know, autopens are legal. You know, other presidents have used autopens, including Trump,” Biden said, according to excerpts of the interview published by the Times. “They’re liars,” Biden said when asked about Republican claims that the White House abused autopens.

“They have consistently lied about almost everything they do. The best thing they can do is change their focus and focus on something else,” the former president said. “That is consistent with President Trump’s strategy.”

In 2023, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee also released a 19-page report alleging that Biden and his family engaged in corrupt international business transactions, which the administration denounced as politically motivated and lacking evidence.

Contributors: Joey Garrison, Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. You can contact her at kapalmer@usatoday.com or at X@.Kathryn Purml.

Obesity rates in the United States are decreasing. Is GLP-1 drug the cause?

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Obesity rates in the United States are decreasing. Is GLP-1 drug the cause?

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There are an estimated 7.6 million fewer obese adults today than there were three years ago, according to a new study, and injectable weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy may be a contributing factor.

The U.S. adult obesity rate, calculated as a BMI of 30 or higher, has gradually declined from a record high of 39.9% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, according to a Gallup National Health and Welfare Index study released on Tuesday, October 28.

At the same time, the index found that GLP-1 drug use among both men and women has more than doubled in the past year, with 12.4% of respondents saying they had used the drug, compared to 5.8% in February 2024, when Gallup first measured it. Approved as a weight loss drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021, the drug has become popular as an effective way to lose weight by keeping you feeling full longer and reducing food intake.

But while Americans are losing weight, the study also found that the diagnosis rate for diabetes – a lifelong disease that can be managed but not cured – is now at an all-time high of 13.8%, raising continuing questions about how to become healthier.

Obesity in America: This genetic test may be able to predict childhood obesity.

More Americans are using injectable drugs to lose weight

Americans view GLP-1 as the preferred option for weight loss, a lifelong struggle for many. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans think GLP-1 is a good choice if you want to slim down. Knowledge about GLP-1 has also skyrocketed, with 9 out of 10 Americans now aware of these drugs, the study says.

In recent years, the use of GLP-1 has increased rapidly across the United States, especially now that 13 states fully cover GLP-1 for obesity treatment under Medicaid. Lawmakers across the country are pushing for more coverage because drugs can cost hundreds of dollars a month without insurance. An April 2025 study found that wide disparities in prescription rates cut across racial, economic, and geographic lines, with some Americans even cooking GLP-1 drugs at home to cut costs.

A better financial framework could help solidify GLP-1 as a long-term obesity solution in the United States, the study says. Additionally, obesity rates among Americans continue to rank much higher than other countries, which the study says could help justify expanded policies and coverage.

GLP-1 coverage is uneven: In this state, the benefits of the new GLP-1 are not widespread.

Americans weigh less. However, diabetes is still on the rise.

Despite the increase in GLP-1 injections for weight loss, diabetes rates have not fallen, according to the survey, which asked adults, “Have you ever been told by a doctor or nurse that you have diabetes?”

Among respondents diagnosed with diabetes, 14.1% said they used GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, slightly more than the general adult population. However, while GLP-1 is a powerful solution to weight management and the effects of long-term diseases such as diabetes, it is not a panacea, the study says. Research says genetics, environment, and our overall health also play a role. Achieving healthier lives across America requires medical intervention as much as personal choice. Therefore, do not forget to eat correctly, exercise and maintain beneficial habits.

OpenAI offers free ChatGPT Go in India: Marketing Strategy Analysis

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OpenAI offers free ChatGPT Go in India: Marketing Strategy Analysis

OpenAI has just made its biggest bet ever on India. The company will be handing out free annual access to ChatGPT Go starting November 4th. It’s a move that lets all marketing executives know how aggressively AI companies are fighting for the world’s fastest-growing digital market.

OpenAI is offering ChatGPT Go plans to users in India who sign up during a limited promotional period starting November 4th. For those who track ad spend, customer acquisition costs, and market share battles, this is no charity. It’s a calculated war in a market where the prize is 1.4 billion potential users.

Timing reveals a sophisticated strategy. The announcement coincides with OpenAI’s DevDay Exchange developer conference in Bengaluru on November 4, where the company plans to make India-specific announcements aimed at local developers and enterprises. Do you simultaneously launch your product alongside your ecosystem? That’s textbook platform marketing.

$17 billion in prize money

India’s AI market is expected to triple to US$17 billion by 2027, according to a Boston Consulting Group white paper, and the country is OpenAI’s second-largest market and one of the fastest growing, prompting the company to open an office in New Delhi and build a local team in August.

Given the competitive landscape, this proposal becomes important. The move follows a similar strategy by Perplexity and Google, which recently offered free access to premium AI features in India to attract users.

Perplexity partnered with Airtel to offer a free Perplexity Pro subscription to the telco’s 360 million subscribers, while Google introduced a free one-year AI Pro plan for students.

drawn battle lines

The numbers speak for themselves. In the second quarter of 2025, Perplexity downloads in India grew 600% year over year to 2.8 million, while OpenAI’s ChatGPT grew 587% to 46.7 million.

However, ChatGPT maintains a significant lead in absolute numbers, with 19.8 million monthly active users compared to Perplexity’s 3.7 million. The ChatGPT Go program answers market insights. Launched in India in August, this tier was developed following feedback from users who wanted access to ChatGPT’s advanced features at a more affordable price.

In the first month, the number of ChatGPT paid subscribers in India more than doubled, demonstrating a strong product-market fit. In response, OpenAI expanded ChatGPT Go to nearly 90 countries around the world.

What marketers need to know

ChatGPT Go offers great value. This plan offers higher message limits, more image generation, more memory, and more file and image upload capabilities. At a standard price of less than $5 per month, 12 months of benefits is a serious investment in customer acquisition.

Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT, said, “Since we first launched ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, we have been inspired by user adoption and creativity. Ahead of our first DevDay Exchange event in India, we are making ChatGPT Go available for free for a year to help more people across India easily access and benefit from advanced AI.”

Retention play is equally smart. Existing ChatGPT Go subscribers in India will also be eligible for a free 12-month promotion, rewarding early adopters while preventing churn and providing a lesson in the economics of lifetime value.

distribution playbook

India has over 700 million smartphone users and over 1 billion internet subscribers, creating unprecedented scale for digital products. Unlike competitors that rely on communications partnerships, OpenAI’s direct-to-consumer approach builds first-party relationships with users, making it a valuable asset for long-term monetization.

Payal Arora, a professor at Utrecht University, said India serves as a “high-pressure testing ground” and a source of training datasets. Training AI on India’s vast dataset allows the model to handle linguistic diversity, low-resource contexts, and noisy real-world data, making it more globally robust.

3 marketing lessons

This effort offers clear lessons for marketing professionals. First, OpenAI sacrifices short-term revenue to gain market position. This is a classic land grab in a digital market where the winner takes most of the time.

Then, sync your offers with DevDay Exchange to create compound marketing value through ecosystem momentum. Third, extending benefits to existing subscribers shows a sophisticated understanding of customer lifetime value.

OpenAI describes the promotion as “a continuation of OpenAI’s ‘India First’ commitment, supporting IndiaAI’s mission and reinforcing the growing momentum around AI in the country as the country prepares to host the AI ​​Impact Summit next year,” calling it a strategic alignment with national priorities that strengthens the company’s geopolitical positioning.

Monetization challenges

Monetizing India’s large user base remains difficult, and consumers are notoriously price-sensitive. Still, the opportunities to scale are enormous. Particularly when AI is deeply integrated into a professional’s workflow, converting even a small portion of free users into paid subscribers after a promotional period can help justify acquisition costs through lifetime value.

what this means

OpenAI’s announcement suggests that the AI ​​platform wars have entered a phase where large-scale user acquisition is more important than immediate monetization. For marketing professionals, the lesson is clear. In the transformative technology market, active distribution and ecosystem building are more important than traditional profit margin optimization.

As AI capabilities become commoditized, the winner will be determined by who understands user habits and builds the most powerful network effects first.

See also: OpenAI opposes ChatGPT data deletion in Indian court

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. Click here for more information.

AI News is brought to you by TechForge Media. Learn about other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars.

Here are the most dangerous jobs in America

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Here are the most dangerous jobs in America

You might think that America’s most dangerous job would come with hazard pay. Often that’s wrong.

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Common sense would tell you that dangerous jobs like climbing on roofs or protecting your skull with a helmet should bring higher wages. The term “hazard pay” comes to mind.

But some of America’s most dangerous jobs don’t pay very well. These are the conclusions of the report from the resume writing service “Resume Now.”

Nearly 1,000 truck drivers will die in 2023, making truck driving one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation. But the median annual salary for tractor-trailer and heavy-duty truck drivers was just $57,440 in 2024, Resume Now reported in a Sept. 22 analysis.

more: Explosion at Tennessee explosives factory kills all 16, sheriff says

“I think a lot of people think that high risk should lead to high reward,” says Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. New analysis suggests “absolutely not,” he said.

Take a look at some of the most dangerous low-wage jobs and dangerous high-wage jobs compiled by Resume Now.

This is the most dangerous job in America

But first, here is a list of the most dangerous jobs, regardless of pay. This is calculated based on the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 fatal workplace injury rate per 100,000 workers.

  1. Logging workers: 99 deaths per 100,000 workers
  2. Fishing and hunting workers, 87 deaths per 100,000 people
  3. Roofing contractor: 52 people killed
  4. Trash/recycling collectors: 41 dead
  5. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 31 killed
  6. Construction industry helpers: 27.4 people died
  7. Drivers, sales staff and truck drivers: 26.8 deaths
  8. Ground maintenance workers: 20.5 people died
  9. Other agricultural workers: 20.2 deaths
  10. Steel structure workers: 19.8 deaths

For your information: The overall death rate for all occupations is 3.5 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that logging is extremely dangerous. And sadly, logging is not very profitable. The median wage in 2024 was $49,540, according to the Labor Department.

According to Resume Now’s analysis, truck driving is the most dangerous job ever in terms of total deaths.

“I didn’t expect truck drivers to be at the top of the list,” Spencer said. “But that’s not surprising given how common road traffic fatalities are.”

Resume I have created two lists. One table shows the most dangerous jobs that make less than $60,000 a year, and the other shows the highest-paying jobs that are also dangerous.

These are the most dangerous low-wage jobs

Here are the most dangerous jobs in America that pay less than $60,000, ranked by total deaths in 2023.

  1. Driver/Salesperson and Truck Drivers, 984 deaths, median salary $57,440
  2. Construction workers, 318 deaths, median salary $46,050
  3. Grounds maintenance worker, 226 fatalities, median salary $38,470
  4. Farm workers, 146 deaths, median salary $35,980
  5. Workers and truckers, 114 deaths, median salary $37,680
  6. Roofers, 113 deaths, median salary $50,970
  7. Guards, 79 deaths, median salary $38,390
  8. Logging workers, 52 deaths, median salary $49,540
  9. Trash and recycling collectors, 41 deaths, median salary $47,810

Other professions, such as the aviation industry, balance occupational risks with financial rewards. Here are some of the highest paying jobs, albeit dangerous ones.

“As someone who is sensitive about air travel, I don’t want airline pilots to be on this list,” Spencer said.

These are the highest paying and dangerous jobs

  1. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural operators, 171 deaths, median salary $87,980
  2. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers, 62 fatalities, median salary $198,100
  3. First-line supervisor of mechanics, installers, and repairers, 47 deaths, median salary $75,820
  4. Power line installer and repairer, 27 deaths, median salary $92,560
  5. Construction Manager, 21 deaths, median salary $106,980
  6. Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Manager, 9 deaths, median salary $102,010
  7. Mining and geological engineer, 8 deaths, median salary $101,020
  8. Water vessel captains, navigators, pilots, 5 deaths, median salary $85,540
  9. Industrial Production Manager, 5 deaths, median salary $121,440

Looking for a more secure job? Here’s our database.

Want to read more? Back in 2023, USA TODAY published an exhaustive database of the nation’s deadliest occupations, based on 2021 fatality data.

This report includes a list of the 25 most dangerous jobs, some of which are not listed above.

There are five below.

  1. Tree pruners and pruners with a fatality rate 21 times higher than the national average
  2. farm and ranch animal workers
  3. Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers
  4. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
  5. crane and tower operators

States file lawsuits over Trump administration’s suspension of food benefits during government shutdown

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States file lawsuits over Trump administration’s suspension of food benefits during government shutdown

Nate Raymond
|Reuters

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As the U.S. government shutdown continues, a coalition of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit Tuesday to block President Donald Trump’s administration from suspending food aid benefits starting Nov. 1.

Attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in Boston federal court after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would no longer use $6 billion in reserves to pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have traded accusations over the government shutdown and the potential expiration of SNAP benefits, which provide food assistance to more than 41 million low-income Americans, in November.

USDA’s closure plan included the possibility of using reserve funds for SNAP, but the agency updated its website Saturday to announce that benefits would not be distributed as planned on Nov. 1, citing a “dry well.”

The lawsuit alleges that the suspension of benefits is avoidable and arbitrary, and is carried out in violation of the Food and Nutrition Act, which requires that “assistance under this program be provided to all eligible households.”

The plaintiffs, led by the attorneys general of Massachusetts, California, Arizona, and Minnesota, argue that the failure of the federal government to issue monthly food assistance payments as a result of the appropriations lapse would be the first in the SNAP program’s 60-year history.

States want a judge to move quickly to force the Department of Agriculture to use available emergency funds for November’s SNAP benefits and prevent millions of families from losing access to food assistance in the coming days.

“Millions of Americans are going hungry because the federal government has withheld the food assistance it is legally obligated to provide,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.

The Department of Agriculture did not respond to requests for comment.

SNAP benefits are available to Americans with incomes below 130% of the federal poverty line, and in many areas reach $1,632 per month for a one-person household and $2,215 for a two-person household.

SNAP benefits are paid monthly, but the exact dates on which payments are distributed vary depending on the state responsible for day-to-day administration of benefits.

The closure also threatens the benefits of about 7 million participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC.

In the absence of federal action, some states have stepped in to intervene. California and New York said they would send money to food banks, and Virginia declared a state of emergency to fund November benefits.

How does the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays epic rank?

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How does the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays epic rank?

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Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays make history with 18-inning marathon 2025 World Series Game 3tied the record for the longest match in the Fall Classic.

Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning gave the Dodgers the victory and should have gone down as an instant classic. This matched the record for an 18-inning game in 2018, when the Dodgers defeated the Boston Red Sox on Max Muncy’s home run in the 18th inning of Game 3 here at Dodger Stadium.

Prior to the record-setting incident in 2018, the longest World Series games were 14 innings in 1916, 2005, and 2015.

Let’s take a look at the only game in World Series history to go over 14 innings.

Longest game in World Series history

  • 18 innings: 2018 World Series, Game 3
  • 18 innings: 2025 World Series, Game 3
  • 14 innings: 2015 World Series, Game 1
  • 14 innings: 2005 World Series, Game 3
  • 14 innings: 1916 World Series, Game 2

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Texas sues Tylenol manufacturer over autism link

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Texas sues Tylenol manufacturer over autism link

Texas AG Ken Paxton claims Tylenol’s manufacturers failed to warn consumers about the risks of taking the drug during pregnancy.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on October 28 that he will sue the manufacturer of Tylenol for failing to warn consumers about the risks of taking Tylenol during pregnancy.

Paxton filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and its spinoff company Kenvue, alleging that the companies violated state consumer protection laws by “deliberately ignoring and attempting to silence the science” linking Tylenol to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The lawsuit also alleges legal violations in which Johnson & Johnson transferred responsibility to Kenvue and separated it in 2023 to protect its assets from lawsuits.

“These companies have lied for decades and intentionally put millions of people’s pockets at risk,” Paxton said in a statement. “Furthermore, seeing a day of reckoning approaching, Johnson & Johnson sought to escape responsibility by illegally shifting the blame to another company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help make America healthy again.”

The lawsuit comes just over a month after President Donald Trump and top health officials urged pregnant women to stop taking Tylenol painkillers for touting an unproven link between the drug and increased autism diagnoses in children.

Experts say multiple factors, including genetics, contribute to the development of autism. Some medical organizations reject Tylenol autism claims.

“Unfortunately, government officials have touted several observational studies suggesting a potential link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism…As medical professionals, it is important to emphasize to patients the limitations of these studies and that a causal relationship has not been established,” American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists President Steven Fleischman said in an Oct. 25 MedPage Today opinion piece.

Tylenol, pregnancy, autism: Why is science so complex?

Tylenol maker says claims are ‘baseless’

Acetaminophen, a generic version of Tylenol, “is the safest pain medication option for pregnant women to use as needed throughout their pregnancy,” Kenbu said in a statement to USA TODAY. The company said it was “deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation” about the drug’s safety.

“We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and respond according to legal process,” the company said in a statement. “We firmly stand with the global medical community that recognizes the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to prevail in litigation, as these claims lack legal and scientific support.”

Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that the company “sold its consumer health business several years ago, and Kenvue owns all rights and responsibilities associated with the sale of over-the-counter products containing Tylenol (acetaminophen).”

The controversy over acetaminophen and autism intensifies

At a Sept. 22 press conference alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump linked Tylenol to an increased risk of autism and called on expectant mothers to “fight like hell to avoid taking Tylenol.”

More than 20 studies, including a report published in August in BMC Environmental Health, have linked frequent acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

However, several studies found conflicting evidence. This included a 2024 study in Sweden of nearly 2 million children, more than 180,000 of whom were exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy, which found no link between painkillers and children’s risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.

The Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both supported the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.

Fleischman said Tylenol’s label changes “emphasize unfounded risks and only increase fear and confusion about using over-the-counter medications during pregnancy.”

Fleischman wrote that patients are “hearing misleading warnings from the government” and fear they are doing something wrong by taking Tylenol during pregnancy.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Fleischman wrote. “In fact, by avoiding acetaminophen during pregnancy, you may be unintentionally exposing your fetus to the very harm you are trying to prevent, or potentially even greater risk.”

“Although numerous studies have reported an association between acetaminophen and autism, a causal relationship has not been established, and there are studies in the scientific literature to the contrary,” FDA Commissioner Marty McCulley said in a letter to doctors nationwide. Still, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it has begun taking steps to change the labeling of acetaminophen “to reflect evidence suggesting that acetaminophen use by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children.”

Recently, a citizen petition has been filed asking the FDA to add a warning to the drug’s label, which Kenbue is asking the FDA to reject.

The Texas lawsuit alleges that the companies “have the authority and obligation” to update their labels but have not taken steps to do so. Had they done so, the lawsuit alleges, the pregnant Texan would have reduced or stopped taking acetaminophen.

“Contrary to the recommendations of our nation’s public health officials, these defendants are effectively encouraging women to ignore the warnings of the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Food and Drugs,” the complaint states.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributor: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY; Reuters

State judges target U.S. Supreme Court

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State judges target U.S. Supreme Court

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In a recent case dealing with sovereign immunity for Native American tribes, Washington Supreme Court Justice Sal Munguia issued a rare concurrence. Based on U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the Stillaguamish Tribe agreed to a state high court legal ruling that exempts them from lawsuits over land ownership. “But I disagree,” he wrote Flying T Ranch v. Stillaguamish“from the racial discrimination embedded in the federal case law applicable to this dispute.”

Munguia’s agreement reveals racist stereotypes rooted in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision cited by the Washington high court. In these 19th-century cases, judges said Native Americans had a “low level of organized society” and a “savage nature.” Munguia argued that these incidents are based on racist assumptions.

Mr. Munguia’s concurrence was surprising not only because it pointed to a bias embedded in long-held legal precedent, but also because of how it relates to his role as a state court judge in the federal system. Munguia acknowledged that the Washington Supreme Court is obligated to follow the precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court. But he insisted that “we have no obligation to remain silent about the underlying racism and bigotry that is woven into the fabric of these opinions.” He called on his colleagues to “say clearly, loudly and unequivocally that this is wrong.”

Although the cases Munguia denounces are more than a century old, state judges have also harshly criticized some modern-day U.S. Supreme Court decisions based on their own illegitimate foundations. Last month, for example, Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Todd Eddins noted that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions involving shadow dockets reflect “a disdain for the federal judiciary’s fact-finders, the district courts, which throws judges under the bus.” Looking at the High Court’s Establishment Clause precedent, Eddins argued as follows: Hilo Bay Marina v. Hawaii They agree that the justices “repackaged and manipulated facts to achieve desired outcomes” and imposed policy priorities through “unprincipled legalism.”

State Supreme Court justices have a unique institutional stance when it comes to criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court. Like other judges, they can talk about the reality of having to apply questionable precedents, but because they sit outside the federal judicial hierarchy, lower court judges often bite their tongues. Notably, federal judges have increasingly vocally criticized the courts’ use of shadow dockets in cases involving the Trump administration, which is largely done anonymously, itself highly unusual.

State Supreme Court justices are also in a special position, as they are the ultimate arbiters of state law interpretation. This means that they can serve as an alternative model to the courts for how to interpret, apply, and address state constitutions, laws, and precedents within their own territory. For example, Eddins said he treats recent Supreme Court precedents as “white noise” when it comes to interpreting state constitutions. And, as Munguia points out, the Washington Supreme Court has previously struck down some of its own earlier decisions that “ignored the rights of Native Americans and their treaty rights.”

Historically, controversial Supreme Court decisions have not been the end of conversations about the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws. case like Lochner vs. New YorkThis law, which struck down worker protections as inconsistent with the right to freedom of contract, was only the beginning of a dialogue, and sometimes conflict, between the Supreme Court and Congress, the states, and other institutional actors. Today’s state court opinion may signal a new generation of controversy.

Alicia Bannon is the editor-in-chief state court report. She is also the director of justice programs at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Recommended quote: Alicia Bannon State judges target U.S. Supreme CourtSᴛᴀᴛᴇ Cᴏᴜʀᴛ Rᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ (October 24, 2025), https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/state-judges-denounce-prejudice-precedents

Is there a problem with Amazon?

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Is there a problem with Amazon?

good morning! I’m Daniel de Visé from Daily Money.

Amazon is cutting thousands of jobs. Will it cause problems for the Magnificent Seven tech giants?

Consider this Social Security benefit

If you’re an elderly parent, here’s how your children can collect Social Security with you.

Shutdowns could leave some Americans out in the cold

As winter sets in amid an extended government shutdown, states are asking utility companies not to cut off service to customers who are unable to pay their bills due to delayed aid payments.

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Daniel de Visse covers personal finance for USA TODAY. Daily Money breaks down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.

President Trump wants to deploy more troops to American cities

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President Trump wants to deploy more troops to American cities

President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago is being challenged in federal court. The Supreme Court could rule on Chicago’s mission at any time.

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President Donald Trump has threatened to send “more than just the National Guard” to “troubled” U.S. cities, potentially escalating the deployment of troops where mayors and governors oppose them in a dispute that has reached the Supreme Court.

“We’re sending in the National Guard, but if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send in more than the National Guard, because we can have safe cities,” President Trump said on October 28 at the U.S. Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan, during a week-long tour of Asia. “We’re not going to kill people in our city. Whether people like it or not, that’s what we’re doing.”

President Trump did not say what the expansion meant or which cities it was targeting.

President Trump has dispatched the National Guard to Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Memphis and other cities to quell protests against stricter immigration enforcement. But mayors and governors outside of Memphis opposed the deployment and challenged it in federal court, with mixed results.

If courts block the deployment of the National Guard, President Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows active-duty military to be sent to fight crime and fight protesters.

President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on October 6, “If I have to, I will do it.” “So far, we haven’t had to. But we have the Insurrection Act for a reason. If we have to enact it, I will do it.”

A federal judge in Chicago temporarily blocked the deployment there while the dispute was pending, and President Trump asked the Supreme Court to lift the restrictions. A judge may rule on the temporary injunction at any time.

The Justice Department relied heavily on two written statements in its request to the Supreme Court to justify the need for the National Guard to protect federal employees and property.

Statements from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Russell Hott and Border Patrol agent Daniel Parra describe the situation on the ground as dire and dangerous.

However, U.S. District Judge April Perry found the administration’s factual sources unreliable, a ruling the Court of Appeals upheld.

Perry said in his decision that Hotto and Parra “demonstrate a possible lack of candor” and “call into question their ability to accurately assess the facts.”

Cities and states offer hope to people drowning in medical debt

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Cities and states offer hope to people drowning in medical debt

New York City is among the cities and states that are buying and forgiving medical debt for $1. Pitfall: There is usually no way to ask for forgiveness.

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Mayor Eric Adams announced on October 22 that more than $135 million in medical debt owed by thousands of New Yorkers has been canceled, marking the latest effort to ease the enormous financial burden on millions of Americans.

The city partnered with Undue Medical Debt in 2024, investing $18 million over three years to reduce medical debt for 500,000 residents, valued at more than $2 billion. This nonprofit organization specializes in purchasing and forgiving debt portfolios from hospitals, healthcare providers, and collection agencies at a fraction of the cost.

Approximately 100 million Americans owe more than $220 billion in medical debt, according to a recent analysis of Census data by the Peterson Center on Health Care and KFF. A 2023 study by the Commonwealth Fund found that even those with insurance report struggling to pay their medical bills, with some cutting back on necessities like food, utilities and rent, or skipping or postponing medical care altogether.

Mitigating these costs could be more important than ever, as an estimated 10 million Americans risk losing health insurance if Obamacare subsidies at the center of the battle for Medicaid cuts and government shutdowns continue to expire.

“We hear every day from the constituents we serve who are concerned about access to health care, that it’s unaffordable, and that’s a really hard pill to swallow,” said Allison Sesso, president and CEO of Wrongful Medical Debt. “And this system is really broken.”

More cities and states are waiving medical debt

New York is one of a growing number of cities and states working to address this problem by forgiving large amounts of medical debt.

Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, became one of the first areas to use American Rescue Plan Act recovery funds to eliminate medical debt in July 2022, according to a report from the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy. Since then, at least 26 state and local governments have pledged to use public funds to alleviate medical debt.

more: Americans borrowed $74 billion to cover health care costs. Here are the people who paid the most:

According to the report, Connecticut will be the first state to launch a medical debt relief initiative in 2023, followed by Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, and North Carolina, which reportedly has the most extensive program targeting $6.5 billion in debt for 2.5 million residents. Similar plans proposed in Pennsylvania, as well as St. Louis and Barberton, Ohio, have stalled.

The government partnered with unjust medical debt in all of these efforts, except for the program in Columbus, Ohio, according to the report.

No application process is required to receive one-time relief. Sesso said the nonprofit uses a proprietary “debt engine” to comb through medical debt portfolios to identify eligible candidates. Generally, these include people who earn less than 400% of the federal poverty level or whose debt equals at least 5% of their household income. Wrongful medical debt uses funds from charitable donors or public funds provided by local governments to purchase the debt.

Debt relief alone is not enough, advocates say

Sesso said that while many recipients say debt forgiveness is a huge and unexpected relief, some “continue to worry about the future.” He acknowledged that immediate debt relief would not address the root of the problem or prevent future debt burdens.

“We’re not pretending that what we’re doing is solving the problem,” Sesso said. “It solves personal problems, and I think that’s necessary, necessary, and a great thing.”

He said debt relief needs to be combined with policy changes such as interest rate caps and preventing medical debt from appearing on consumer credit reports.

When consumers have medical debt, it is often turned over to collection agencies and appears on credit reports, which can make it difficult for people to buy a home or finance a car. The Biden administration proposed a federal rule that would ban unpaid medical debt from appearing on consumers’ credit reports, but a judge granted a request from the Trump administration and two financial industry groups to overturn the rule.

Some states have stepped in to enact additional protections, such as implementing bans on medical debt credit reporting and encouraging health care providers to adopt debt relief policies. For example, Ohio lawmakers recently proposed a bill that would cap interest rates at 3% and ban wage garnishment practices for medical debt.

Maryland, California, Maine, New York and Colorado rank among the states with the best regulations to protect consumers from medical debt and its consequences, according to a policy analysis by Innovation for Justice and researchers at the University of Arizona and the University of Utah.

“I think states are increasingly interested in doing something,” Sesso said. “And we hope to see more movement in terms of patient protection.”

Contributor: Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY. Reuters

Caregivers are in crisis. How bad it is depends on where you live.

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Caregivers are in crisis. How bad it is depends on where you live.

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Almost one in four adults is a caregiver, a 45% increase compared to the number of caregivers in the United States in 2015.

That means 63 million adults struggle to care for a loved one with an illness or disability, often leading to financial, physical and emotional strain.

Caregiving advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations and government agencies are building programs to help caregivers, but access to caregiving assistance depends on where you live, according to new data jointly released by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.

“These state-by-state disparities reveal how policy choices determine whether families thrive or collapse under the burden of caregiving responsibilities,” Jason Rezendes, the coalition’s president and CEO, said in a press release. “Fifty-nine percent of family caregivers in Georgia experience financial strain, compared to just 34 percent in Minnesota. So given that where you live can double your risk of financial hardship, it’s clear that patchwork state solutions are insufficient.”

AARP and the American Alliance for Long-Term Care are calling on state and federal lawmakers to address the growing crisis.

Below are the key takeaways from the data. More information for each state, including state-specific resources for caregivers, can be found on AARP’s website.

Five key takeaways from newly released care status data

  1. The percentage of adults who are caregivers ranges from 20% in Washington, DC to 34% in Mississippi.
  2. High-intensity caregivers, those who provide the most intensive care to their loved ones, were lowest in Wisconsin at 32% and highest in Tennessee at 55%.
  3. The percentage of family caregivers providing 40 or more hours of care ranges from 14% in Iowa to 37% in Tennessee.
  4. Many caregivers help their loved one with at least one task of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, and getting in and out of bed. The percentage of caregivers who help with these tasks ranges from 54% in Indiana to 76% in Georgia.
  5. Paid family caregiver programs, including the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waiver and Veterans Affairs Assistance, can help caregivers, but each state has different rules. Some states do not allow spouses to receive compensation for caregiving work. The percentage of family caregivers who receive wages for their caregiving work is lowest in Iowa at 10% and highest in New Jersey at 28%.

The report found that states with paid leave, respite care, and health system integration generally had better outcomes for family caregivers.

Nancy Leamond, AARP’s executive vice president and director of advocacy and engagement, said caregivers are the “invisible backbone of our health care system and economy.”

“Too many people are paying that price out of pocket,” Leamond said.

Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by partnerships such as: extremely important and Journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.

Is it appropriate to discuss company issues on social media?

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Is it appropriate to discuss company issues on social media?

Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
| USA TODAY Special Feature

As part of USA TODAY’s series, Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles human resources questions. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR professional association, and author of Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.

Have a question? Please submit here.

Question: One of our young employees posted on LinkedIn about an unfair pay disparity and cited our company by name. Many of our older colleagues condemned it as unprofessional, while others called it courageous. Does criticizing your employer on social media hold you accountable or is it a betrayal of trust? – Kelly

Answer: As stated earlier, two things can be true. In this case, the employee has the right to speak and the employer has the right to expect professionalism.

Younger employees often view public calling out as a form of accountability, especially if they believe internal channels are broken. More experienced employees may consider it dishonest or damaging to the organization’s reputation. Both opinions have a point. But when employees start discussing company issues on social media, it’s usually a sign of a deeper problem. This means that employees don’t feel heard within the organization.

Let’s talk about the legal aspects first. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), most private sector employees have the right to work. collaborative activities. This means two or more employees working together, or one employee acting on behalf of another, to improve working conditions such as pay, safety, and fairness. This protection extends to social media posts, even if they are critical of your employer.

Abusive leadership: Should we allow top performers to undermine our leadership? Ask HR

However, the NLRA’s protections have limitations. For example, posts that include false or defamatory statements, personal attacks, or confidential company information are not protected. Nor does it mean that individual grievances have nothing to do with collective concerns. Employers therefore have the right to deal with such situations within the limits of the law and their policies, including disciplinary action or even dismissal.

However, companies that rush to discipline employees in such cases risk overlooking a larger issue. Before responding, leaders should ask: Why did this happen? Were employees ignored when they raised concerns internally? Do people trust internal channels to safely surface sensitive issues? If not, the post is a symptom of a larger communication or culture issue. Please fix that first.

For employees, on the other hand, there is another very important truth to consider. Publicly criticizing your current or former employer may feel empowering, but it often comes with lasting consequences. Many organizations now implement social media screening during the hiring process. Posts that seem courageous in the moment can raise red flags for future employers, calling your professionalism and discretion into question. In other words, you may win the argument in the moment, but it will cost you dearly in terms of career opportunities down the line.

The best path forward for both parties is prevention, not response. Employers should facilitate transparent and secure ways for employees to raise concerns within the organization and educate managers on how to address concerns. Employees should use these channels first and consider public appeals only as a true last resort. Because when trust breaks down internally or online, everyone loses.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

Job offer? How can I consider counter-offers and evaluate the entire package? Ask HR

Amazon confirms layoffs of 14,000 employees

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Amazon confirms layoffs of 14,000 employees

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Amazon announced on October 28 that it would cut 14,000 corporate jobs, confirming reports that began circulating on Monday.

In a memo shared with employees and later posted on its website, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, wrote that the tech giant was targeting “approximately 14,000 employee role reductions companywide.”

Most affected employees will have 90 days to find a new role within the company, according to the memo. Other employees who will not remain with Amazon will be provided with severance and other transition benefits, Galetti wrote.

This story will be updated.

Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

Hardin County Republican Party leader apologizes for racist video

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Hardin County Republican Party leader apologizes for racist video

The Republican chairman of Hardin County, Kentucky, has apologized after posting, then deleting, a video that depicted former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as monkeys.

The Kentucky Republican Party said it is investigating the matter and will “take the harshest possible action against those involved.”

“The Kentucky Republican Party condemns hate in all its forms,” party chairman Robert J. Benvenuti III said in an Oct. 25 statement. “This post is vile, reprehensible and goes directly against everything we stand for as a party and a nation.”

The depiction of President Obama was captured in a screenshot of a video shared with WAVE-TV.

Hardin County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Coleman acknowledged late Saturday night in a Facebook post that he shared the video on his party’s account. She initially said she did not think the video contained racist metaphors, but instead portrayed President Trump as “the Lion King winning over liberal Democrats.”

“I thought this video was a silly way to celebrate the policy victories of the past nine months: lower taxes, peace in the Middle East, stronger borders, lower gas prices,” Coleman said.

Coleman later posted a video apologizing for “reinforcing offensive images of former President Obama.”

“As someone who does not engage with racist tropes, I did not consider the potential implications of this video. I am not a racist and any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect my values ​​or character,” she said.

“We condemn hate in all its forms,” ​​said Benvenuti, the state Republican.

“We will continue to uphold Lincoln’s values ​​and promote freedom and prosperity for all Americans.”

Coleman said Benvenuti deleted the video from her Hardin County account before issuing her statement.

Storm is expected to hit Jamaica

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Storm is expected to hit Jamaica

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Potentially devastating Hurricane Melissa is expected to hit Jamaica’s southern coast on the morning of October 28 with sustained winds of up to 175 mph, stronger gusts and a life-threatening storm surge, leaving a trail of destruction across the island before concentrating its fury in southeastern Cuba.

Between 15 and 30 inches of rain was possible, with up to 40 inches possible in isolated places and could cause deadly landslides in the island’s mountainous regions, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The intense development made Melissa the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2025, “surpassing Typhoon Lagatha in the western Pacific,” meteorologist Jeff Masters wrote in an article for Yale Climate Connections on October 27. As of October 27, at least seven deaths in the Caribbean region have been blamed on this dangerous hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center reported at 5 a.m. ET on October 28 that the center of Melissa was approximately 115 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and 490 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The hurricane began moving north-northeast, but its speed remained at about 5 miles per hour, with maximum wind speeds reaching about 175 miles per hour.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other officials urged Jamaicans to seek safe shelter and stay off the roads until the worst of the hurricane passes. Island residents were also encouraged to prepare for impacts unlike anything experienced in previous hurricanes.

“It’s becoming clearer by the hour that the impact of Hurricane Melissa is greater than the impact of Hurricane Beryl, certainly in terms of rainfall and flooding,” Holness said.

Melissa is expected to be the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the island. This is the highest category possible for the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Anemometer. Jamaica’s south coast is also expected to experience storm surges of up to 13 feet on top of large crashing waves, and Cuba’s southeast coast is expected to see storm surges of about the same height, the hurricane center said.

After days of torrential rain, tropical storm-force winds and rain in Melissa’s outer band began to batter Jamaica in the early hours of October 27th. The hurricane was predicted to make landfall near the Black River and begin gaining speed.

In an eyewall’s catastrophic winds, “the entire structure is likely to fail, especially in high-altitude areas where wind speeds on hill and mountain tops and on the windward side can be up to 30 percent stronger than surface winds,” the hurricane center warned. If the estimated sustained wind speed at the surface remains at 175 mph, wind speeds at higher elevations will be well over 200 mph.

The center said the storm could cause “massive infrastructure damage, prolonged power outages and communications disruptions” and isolate communities.

The hurricane center warned that there is little difference in destructive power between Category 4 (130 to 156 mph) winds and Category 5 (157 mph or more) winds, even though the most intense winds begin to weaken as the hurricane approaches land.

Melissa gained strength over the warm waters of the Caribbean between October 25 and 26, with wind speeds increasing by 105 miles per hour in 15 hours. Low pressure and strong winds put Melissa in a rare group of hurricanes, the most dangerous in the Atlantic Basin, researchers said.

Jamaican Minister of Health and Human Services Christopher Tufton announced on October 27 that at least three people had died in Jamaica as the country prepared for Hurricane Melissa.

Tufton said the deaths in Hanover, St. Catherine and St. Elizabeth parishes occurred while trees were being cut down. Two people were killed when the tree fell, including a medical worker who was airlifted to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. The health minister said the third incident also involved someone who was electrocuted.

Another 13 people were injured, most of them falling from ladders or roofs as they tried to prepare for the storm, Tufton said.

At least four deaths were also reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by the evening of October 27, according to Reuters.

On Monday, October 27th, as Melissa’s pressure dropped and the winds picked up, it began to make history. This is the third Category 5 hurricane of the Atlantic season.

Phil Klotzbach, a senior hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, said in a post on X that the lower the pressure, the stronger the hurricane.

When pressure plummeted to 901 millibars in the 2 a.m. update on Oct. 28, Melissa became the sixth lowest-pressure Atlantic hurricane since researchers began recording pressure continuously in 1979, according to Klotzbach’s data.

Klotzbach listed hurricanes in descending order of atmospheric pressure.

  • Wilma (2005): 882
  • Gilbert (1988): 888
  • Milton (2024): 895
  • Rita (2005): 895
  • Allen (1980): 899
  • Melissa (2025): 901
  • Katrina (2005): 902

According to historical records, only five other hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or more have made landfall in Jamaica, Klotzbach said. Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall in 1988 with maximum winds of 130 mph, is the strongest storm on record to make direct landfall on the island.

Turbulence within the eye of a powerful hurricane forced a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reconnaissance flight to depart from the eye of the storm early on Oct. 27, according to the hurricane center.

Forecasts of several feet of rain during Jamaica’s fall storms are rare, but not unheard of.

2010 – Hurricane Nicole matched this, but in a shorter amount of time, dumping 37.42 inches of rain in five days on Belair, Jamaica, the Hurricane Center reported. During the same period, much of the island received between 1 and 2 feet of rain. More than 13 people were killed and damage to the country’s infrastructure was reported to be around $235 million.

2001 – According to the Hurricane Center, during the last few days of October and the first few days of November 2001, slow-moving Hurricane Michelle caused widespread heavy rains across Central America and Jamaica. At Comfort Castle, Jamaica, the 10-day precipitation total reached 37.44 inches. Jamaica reported two deaths and Cuba reported five deaths.

1963 – Hurricane Flora reportedly dumped 60 inches of rain in Silver Hill, Jamaica, and 100.39 inches in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, according to a historical report by NOAA meteorologist David Ross.

1909 – Historical records, including monthly surveys by the National Weather Service, show 135 inches of rain was recorded in Silver Hill over an eight-day period from Nov. 4 to Nov. 11.

Contributed by: Reuters

Dinah Boyles Pulver, national correspondent for USA TODAY, has been writing about hurricanes, tornadoes and severe weather for more than 30 years. Contact dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or dinahvp.77 on X or Signal.

Catholic statue in Massachusetts shows recent fight over religious freedom

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Catholic statue in Massachusetts shows recent fight over religious freedom

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  • More than a dozen residents of Quincy, Massachusetts, have joined a lawsuit alleging the city violates the state’s constitutional religious neutrality.
  • The Beckett Fund, which successfully represented Hobby Lobby in a landmark Supreme Court case a decade ago, is also representing the city in this case.
  • The Supreme Court has previously ruled in favor of displaying clearly Christian items when government agencies have identified a secular purpose that outweighs their religious content.

A showdown over Catholic statues on public buildings in Massachusetts represents a new battle in the national debate over the separation of church and state.

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and firefighters, to decorate the new police headquarters. But more than a dozen residents have accused Koch of violating the state’s constitutional religious neutrality policy.

In mid-October, a judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the statue from being erected while the lawsuit continues.

Koch told The Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the city plans to appeal the ruling.

“We chose the Michael and Florian statues to honor Quincy’s first responders, not to promote religion,” Koch said. “These individuals are recognized as symbols of courage and sacrifice in law enforcement and fire communities around the world.”

The Beckett Fund, a group that claims to defend “religious freedom as a universal right,” is representing the city in the lawsuit. The organization won on behalf of Hobby Lobby in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that gave private employers the right to deny contraceptive coverage to employees based on religious beliefs.

The Massachusetts lawsuit comes at the same time as lawsuits over efforts in several states to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. All of this comes as the Trump administration works to put its own stamp on the meaning of religious freedom under the First Amendment.

President Donald Trump himself has vowed to bring religion back to the country, and members of his Religious Liberty Commission say the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause does not prevent the government from promoting religion, which it can and should do.

The commission has been criticized by some who argue that its purpose is to promote conservative Christian views, not religious freedom for all religious groups.

However, conflicts over religious symbols on public land are not new. In a 7-2 decision in 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a giant Latin cross called the Bladensburg Cross to remain on government land in Maryland. The cross was erected nearly a century ago as a World War I memorial, and the court said the Christian cross symbol “took on secular meaning” when used in such a way.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion: “While the cross is undoubtedly a symbol of Christianity, that fact should not overshadow everything else the Bladensburg cross symbolizes.”

courtroom However, he noted that maintaining existing religious symbols is “quite different from building or adopting new ones.”

Decades ago, the Supreme Court ruled in 1984 that a Rhode Island city did not violate the Establishment Clause by including a nativity scene as part of its Christmas display. The court said the display’s perceived promotion of Christianity was “indirect, abjective, and incidental” and “is not the promotion or support of a religion,” any more than the government acknowledging the origins of Christmas or sponsoring a museum displaying religious art.

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.

Aging parents should consider this Social Security benefit, experts say

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Aging parents should consider this Social Security benefit, experts say

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Experts say elderly parents have access to a little-known Social Security benefit that could potentially maximize their total lifetime benefits.

If you’re 62 or older, you may be able to claim Social Security and dependent child benefits even if you haven’t yet reached age 67 or FRA. This allows your child to receive half of their full retirement age (FRA) benefit in the form of a monthly check.

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), only 1% of Social Security recipients in January were children of retired workers, collecting an average of $919.20 per month. But government data shows the number of children born to women over 45 has soared by 450% since 1990. Alternatively, if elderly parents have young children, it could be the result of a so-called May-December marriage, experts say.

In any case, more people may soon become eligible for this benefit. There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether such a move is right for you, but some families choose it and say it also helped them save for their child’s college education.

“We get more calls about this than any other topic because it’s not advertised by Social Security, so people just stumble upon it by chance,” said Michael Luger, managing partner and chief investment officer at Greenbush Financial Group. “If the child is young, the amount can be very high.”

How do Social Security dependent care benefits work?

You are eligible if:

  • You are 62 or older and eligible for Social Security
  • Your child is unmarried and under 17 years of age, or is 18-19 years old and attending school full-time, or has a disability that began before age 22 years.

If you claim Social Security before FRA, you’ll receive less Social Security each month if you fall below FRA for the rest of your life, but your child can start receiving half of the FRA amount until age 18 (or in some cases, age 19).

What if I have multiple children?

If the total amount for all children exceeds the family limit, which is approximately 150% to 180% of the parent’s FRA amount, SSA will reduce each child’s benefits proportionately until the total equals the maximum allowable amount. Parents’ benefits do not count toward the family limit and are therefore not reduced.

example:

Your parent’s FRA is $1,700 per month, but if you claim Social Security at age 62, your benefits will be reduced to $1,200. Assume the family limit is 150% of FRA, or $2,550, and four children qualify.

If each child received half their FRA, $850, their monthly total would be $4,600, exceeding the limit by $2,050.

SSA applies a family limit of $2,500 and subtracts the parent’s FRA of $1,700 for $850. Split that $850 among your four children, making each child $212.50 per month.

Can I continue working?

You can work, but be aware of the SSA work penalty. In 2025, if you qualify for FRA, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 of income you earn above $23,400. In the FRA year, your deduction is reduced by $1 for every $3 you earn above $62,160, and the reduction ends in the month you reach your FRA. Once you reach your FRA, the reduction is paid back over time to slightly increase your monthly benefits.

“People make the mistake of thinking they’ll take what’s mine but won’t touch my child’s stuff,” Luger said. “That’s not true. Child benefit is also listed on your employment history, so they’ll pursue it. If you earn too much, you’ll get it all back because of the earned income penalty.”

Is it worth claiming Social Security dependent care benefits?

Advisers say it depends on each person’s circumstances.

“If you’re over-retirement planning and have the funds, when you enroll in Social Security doesn’t really matter,” said Andrew Wood, a retirement planning advisor at Daniel A. White & Associates. “But if you’re short on funds, increasing your Social Security benefits can improve your outcome. While it may be tempting (to claim benefits), claiming early can have a negative impact on your retirement 10 to 15 years later because you’ll pay less.”

Other advisers said advocating for the move could increase overall savings.

example:

FRA Social Security for one parent is $2,500 per month, or 30% less to $1,750 if enrolled at age 62. I have two children, ages 8 and 5.

  • If a parent claims at age 62, here’s what happens (excluding annual inflation adjustments):
    • At age 62: $1,750 (parent) + $1,250 (child 1) + $1,250 (child 2) = $4,250 per month ($51,000 per year)
    • At age 72, $1,750 (parent) + $0 (child 1, dropped out at age 18) + $1,250 (child 2) = $3,000 ($36,000)
    • For age 75, $1,750 (parent) + $0 (child 1) + $0 (child 2, dropped out at age 18) = $1,750 ($21,000)

Over 13 years, that’s a total of $618,000 in Social Security benefits ($273,000 for parents + $150,000 for child 1 + $195,000 for child 2).

At age 90, the parents would have received an additional $315,000 ($21,000 per year), bringing the family’s total lifetime Social Security payments to $933,000.

  • If parents wait until FRA age 67, their lifetime Social Security benefits will total $840,000 at age 90.

Other considerations, according to Luger, include:

  • Children’s money is tax-free. They likely won’t earn enough to pay federal taxes, and most states don’t tax Social Security.
  • Children can be claimed as dependents on your taxes.
  • The second parent can continue to work as usual without affecting family benefits.
  • Parents can save and invest their child allowance. Make sure the account is only in your child’s name so SSA can’t claim the remaining money back later. “If you don’t need the money, you can use it to plant seeds for the future,” he says.
  • Approximately 20% of a child’s savings is eligible for need-based financial aid. “This is not the end of the world…it’s free money from Social Security that can be used to pay for college,” Lugar said.

Medora Lee is USA TODAY’s money, markets and personal finance reporter. Please contact us at mjlee@usatoday.com. Subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.

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