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Mitch McConnell trips and falls during confrontation with protesters

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Mitch McConnell trips and falls during confrontation with protesters

“He is in good spirits,” the spokesperson said, adding that the 83-year-old “went to the polls and was ready to vote again.”

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WASHINGTON – On Thursday, October 16, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tripped and fell while confronting protesters in the basement of the Senate Office Building.

Video of the incident shows an activist named Stella challenging the 83-year-old Republican lawmaker over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

“Do you support ICE taking workers off the streets and kidnapping them?” a protester asked as he approached McConnell, walking within inches.

The former Senate majority leader turned the corner of his desk and fell onto his side, catching himself with one arm. He grabbed a man who was standing next to him and, along with a Capitol Police officer, helped him retreat. Mr. McConnell turned, waved, and appeared to smile.

McConnell’s press secretary, Stephanie Penn, told USA TODAY that the senator was safe after the incident.

“He’s fine,” she said Thursday afternoon. He was “ready to go to the vote and vote again at 1:30 to determine whether Democrats will fund our nation’s defense priorities.”

The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure to bring forward the year-round defense spending bill despite the ongoing government shutdown.

The activists who approached McConnell belonged to the Sunrise Movement, a progressive group often seen around the Capitol to advocate for halting the effects of climate change.

“Republicans hate Gen Z”: Teens arrested after storming McCarthy’s office to protest shutdown

In a statement to USA TODAY, the group criticized McConnell’s age and did not apologize.

“Mitch McConnell was unable to answer even simple questions without falling over, and this is certainly not the first time he has failed to answer young people,” said Al Shiny Adjei, executive director of Sunrise Movement. “Both parties are run by apathetic octogenarians who have been in politics longer than any of us have been alive. Their incompetence and need to cling to power is not just embarrassing, it’s costly, and the American people are paying the price.”

U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The press office is closed due to the shutdown, but an automated email said the press office would be activated in the event of a “serious incident.”

McConnell has suffered a number of health problems on the job in recent years. He fell twice in February, left the Capitol building in a wheelchair, and was repeatedly left speechless and frozen in front of reporters.

Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..

Ford puts rare 2006 GT Heritage Edition storage unit up for auction

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Ford puts rare 2006 GT Heritage Edition storage unit up for auction

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  • Ford Motor Co. and Barrett-Jackson will auction off the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition Production No. 3 on Saturday.
  • This vehicle, one of only approximately 4,000 built, was never driven and was owned solely by Ford Motor Company.
  • Ford plans to use the proceeds to maintain and restore its current Heritage fleet.

For the first time ever, Ford Motor Company will open its private vehicle storage facility to auction rare supercars to the public.

The plan is to use all the money raised from the car’s auction to refurbish and maintain other cars in Ford’s heritage fleet, as well as prepare a GT collection in the UK for next year’s Le Mans. Ford also said on October 13 that it may be the first of its kind to be sold to the public.

On Saturday, October 18, at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET, Barrett-Jackson Auction Company and Ford will auction off 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition Production No. 3 (Lot #1026) during the Scottsdale Fall Auction at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. The car will be put up for auction with ‘no reserve’. This is the earliest Heritage Edition ever released to the public.

“No reserve means the item will be sold to the highest bidder. Proceeds from the sale will be used to restore and maintain the Ford Heritage fleet,” Ford spokesman Harry Robinson told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Oct. 13.

In March, Ford gave the Detroit Free Press and several other companies a sneak peek at about 50 of the 500 vehicles in Ford’s Heritage fleet. Ford stores about 175 of them in a huge garage at Ford World Headquarters on Michigan Avenue.

A 2018 Ford F-150 Lightning all-electric prototype is on display in one corner of the garage. The vehicle is famous for towing more than 1 million pounds of freight cars in a 2019 TV commercial. There’s a 1938 V8 ambulance used by the Belmar, New Jersey, emergency department, a precursor to today’s highly profitable police vehicle business at Ford. These include the 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang that famously climbed to the top of the Empire State Building. In addition to the Dearborn Collection, other vehicles are stored at Ford locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

“When we announced the Ford Heritage Fleet earlier this year, we knew we had some great vehicles that are reproductions and beyond our collection range,” Ted Ryan, Ford Heritage and Brand Manager, said in a statement. “Thanks to our partners at Barrett-Jackson, we are offering a 2006 Heritage Edition No. 3 Ford GT in Epic Orange and Heritage Blue.”

Ryan added that the sale of the Ford GT “is the first of several vehicles that will benefit great cars that have been identified for permanent preservation in the Ford Heritage Fleet,” hinting that Ford may sell more vehicles from the collection.

This weekend is “Automotive History”

Barrett-Jackson describes the car as “the earliest example of the 2006 GT Heritage Edition ever offered to the public.” Separately, Barrett-Jackson will also auction off a licensed 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor 25th Anniversary Limited Edition and a 1969 Ford Bronco at the event. Two more GTs will also be up for auction.

But this auction is special given that the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition Production No. 3 is exclusively owned and used by Ford and is the first Heritage Edition model offered to the public.

“We look forward to making automotive history with Ford Motor Company at the Scottsdale Fall Auction,” Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson, said in a statement. “Ford is opening its vaults to the public to offer an incredible vehicle: the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition Production No. 3. This vehicle is part of the Blue Oval and Shelby’s sensational collection of vehicles that represent the best of American automotive performance and design.”

As for how much the car will fetch at auction, Barrett-Jackson spokesman Scott Black told the Detroit Free Press, “Barrett-Jackson does not provide estimates or values ​​for vehicles on the block. There are three generations of street and racing Ford GTs: 1964-1969, 2005-2006, and 2017-2022.”

The fact that Heritage Fleet’s GT is in like-new condition means it could sell for between $800,000 and $1 million, John Wiley, director of valuation and analysis at classic car insurance company Hagerty, told the Detroit Free Press.

Ford said the car has 8,435 miles on its odometer as journalists have driven it for years.

Wylie added that Barrett-Jackson is good at bringing excitement to his vehicles, so the car could fetch much more than his estimate of $800,000 to $1 million.

According to a press release for Barrett-Jackson’s Fall 2024 Auction, a 2006 Ford GT (lot number 758) sold for $423,500. But rare and unique cars can fetch even more, such as Sammy Hagar’s The Red Rocker, a 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari (lot number 760), which sold for a whopping $4.675 million at the same auction.

At the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Fall Auction, a 2005 Ford GT Hennessey 1000 (lot number 725) sold for $495,000 and a 2005 Ford GT (lot number 735) sold for $418,000.

Ford Heritage Vehicles: Former Ford dealer (102) tours the automaker’s rare car collection at the company’s headquarters

Specific uses of proceeds by Ford

Wiley said it’s not common for automakers to sell cars from private collections, but when they do, they usually make a hefty profit.

In May 2022, Mercedes-Benz sold a 1955 300SLR Uhlenhout Coupe from a private collection for a world record $143 million at an invitation-only auction by RM Sotheby’s in Germany. This car was one of only two built. The funds were used to establish a scholarship fund.

In Europe, too, some subsidiaries of imported automakers have sold traditional vehicles entirely, either because they need the money or because they can no longer afford to maintain the cars, Wiley said.

“For Ford, I don’t think it’s because they need money to buy a car,” Wiley said. “If they announce they’re selling 100 cars, it might mean they need the money, but one car means nothing.”

He said Ford has auctioned off some of its concept cars in the past. The 2004 Ford Shelby Cobra concept car, affectionately known as Daisy, sold for $2.64 million at the 2021 Mecum Auction, with Ford keeping the proceeds, Wiley said. He said the GT is not as unique as this Cobra concept.

Ford’s Ryan told the Free Press how much profit Ford hopes to make on the sale of the vehicles, the annual cost of repairing and maintaining the heritage fleet, and if Ford finds itself in a dire predicament where it needs to sell assets to raise money to maintain the vehicles.

“We don’t typically share specific internal numbers when it comes to sales price or restoration costs. Our main goal here is not to hit a specific dollar amount, but really to make sure this great piece of Ford history goes to someone who will cherish and preserve it for years to come. It’s more about its heritage than just a ledger for us,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Ford has a large and rich fleet of heritage vehicles and “as part of prudent management, we occasionally make strategic decisions about which vehicles will best thrive with private collectors.”

He said that by selling certain vehicles, the automaker can focus resources on other heritage projects, future innovations and continued management of the remaining collection.

“In fact, a portion of the proceeds from this sale will be used to restore the Ford of England GT Collection to a 60 year model and in great running condition.th “Next year is Le Mans Anniversary, and this is a deliberate choice to ensure these historic assets continue to be celebrated,” Ryan said.

He described the vehicle as “the embodiment of our racing heritage.”

Features of this car

A Barrett-Jackson media release describes the car as being “finished in the iconic Gulf Oil livery” of Epic Orange and Heritage Blue, which pays homage to Ford’s racing heritage.

It’s powered by a supercharged V8 engine that produces 550 horsepower and 500 ft/lbs of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. Barrett-Jackson said the sale includes a certificate of authenticity and the original “build book” that records the car’s construction from start to finish.

Ford added that at the time of the GT’s release, various media reported that the GT could do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, hit the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds, and had a top speed of over 200 mph. The automaker says only 4,038 Ford GTs were produced from 2005 to 2006, making it a desirable vehicle.

“As a final farewell to the iconic supercar, Ford has developed the Epic Orange and Heritage Blue Heritage Package for the 2006 model year,” Ford writes about the car. “The Heritage Paint livery is reminiscent of the Le Mans-winning Ford GT racer sponsored by JW Automotive/American Gulf Oil.”

Ford said the Heritage Package was a $13,000 option that was only available on 343 cars because of the time and effort involved in painting the cars with intricate designs and multiple colors.

Also, while the car’s four white “roundels” were painted, the Heritage package included a box with the car containing black vinyl numbers from 0 to 9 for the customer to apply the number of their choice.

“One of the most memorable looks in Ford racing history, the Heritage Package’s unique paint scheme makes it the most desired and sought-after Ford GT version today,” Ford said in a news release.

What else might be in the vault?

Ryan said Ford’s history began in a garage, with Henry Ford building a four-wheeler in his home in 1896. Now, 129 years later, Ford is honoring that legacy with the Heritage Fleet.

However, until last year, historic vehicles were scattered around the world with no central organization.

“At the request of Ford CEO Jim Farley, we began searching for historic vehicles we already owned to understand the breadth of our collection,” Ryan said. “We created the Ford Heritage Fleet as a valuable resource for designers and engineers to draw inspiration from the best of the company’s past to shape its future.”

The Ford Heritage Collection is dedicated to chronicling Ford’s history, from its people to its key innovations, design breakthroughs, racing milestones and the company’s role in popular culture.

“This also serves as inspiration for the next generation of vehicles at Ford,” Ryan said in the release. “Opening the Ford Heritage Fleet will allow us to share a tangible part of our performance history directly with the enthusiasts who cherish it most.”

Ryan said this 2006 Ford GT provides an opportunity for someone to own a piece of Ford history and help preserve the rest of the collection.

But if you miss your chance to get this car, there may or may not be more, Hagerty’s Mr. Wiley said. Or maybe Ford decided it didn’t need or want to sell any other cars. ”

Anyone interested in bidding on the Ford GT Production No. 3 can register at www.barrett-jackson.com/bidders.

Jamie L. Lareau is a senior auto writer covering Ford Motor Company for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jalalean. To sign up for our automotive newsletter. become a subscriber

Chicago judge orders ICE to wear body cameras, reports say

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Chicago judge orders ICE to wear body cameras, reports say

U.S. District Judge Sarah L. Ellis issued the order after operatives were seen using chemical weapons on protesters.

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CHICAGO – A federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois on October 16 ordered immigration enforcement agents in the area to begin using body-worn cameras, according to local news reports.

U.S. District Judge Sarah L. Ellis issued the order in federal court in downtown Chicago after reports that immigration agents clashed with residents in the city’s southeast, ending with agents deploying tear gas and other chemical weapons. Ms. Ellis’ decision came after she issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 9 restricting immigration officers from using non-lethal weapons against civilians.

“I’m very concerned about what’s been happening over the past week since I issued this order,” Ellis said, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. “In case you guys haven’t noticed, I live in Chicago. And I’m not blind. … I get the news a lot.”

The federal court’s decision comes amid President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz. Operation Midway Blitz is a crackdown on immigration enforcement in the Chicago area, and the administration says it aims to capture the “worst of the worst” criminal immigrants.

Critics say innocent people are being targeted and that the Department of Homeland Security’s aggressive tactics are upending the lives of many people in the region.

Mr. Ellis’ order was aimed at lowering the temperature by ensuring that immigration officials warn protesters before deploying chemical weapons. But the scene on the city’s southeast side left her with “grave concerns.”

Photos from the scene taken by the Sun-Times and shared by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office show uniformed federal agents pointing non-lethal weapons directly at the faces of unarmed young people protesting the enforcement action.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, ignored the photo’s optical problems. “This is a U.S. citizen who was arrested with his cousin on charges of assaulting law enforcement and throwing rocks. That’s a 40mm launcher that fires bean bags and rubber bullets,” McLaughlin said in a post on X. “But please continue to make this thug your masterpiece.”

What else will the judge’s order cause ICE to do?

Ellis’ Oct. 16 order amends an Oct. 9 order she issued in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of clergy, protesters and journalists who say federal agents improperly used chemical weapons on people outside a suburban immigration enforcement facility.

Trump administration attorney Eric Hamilton said during an Oct. 9 hearing on sending the National Guard to the area that immigration enforcement facilities have become hotbeds of protests and that officials have deployed about $100,000 worth of non-lethal weapons to thwart “riots” who try to disrupt immigration enforcement.

The clergy, protesters and journalists who filed the lawsuit said the officials opened fire without provocation. Among the moments cited was a high-profile video of federal agents shooting a local pastor, the Rev. David Black, in the head with a pepper ball.

In court filings, Ellis said the use of chemical weapons “likely amounted to an excessive use of force” and that the attack on Black was an “unprovoked use of force.”

The original court order required staff to wear identification cards, an important step in a city where many people were angry about masked men detaining people. Give two warnings before using chemical weapons.

Ellis’ ruling applies throughout the Chicago area, where immigration enforcement officers used tear gas “without any warning or apparent justification.”

“The TRO essentially instructs its officers and officers to follow the training they have already received regarding crowd control and what the Constitution requires,” Ellis wrote.

Charmin releases the longest toilet paper roll ever

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Charmin releases the longest toilet paper roll ever

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Charmin has unveiled its latest product: a toilet paper roll as tall as the Washington Monument.

Now available online and in stores nationwide, Forever Roll offers consumers “a simpler, smoother tear,” Charmin announced in a Thursday, Oct. 16, news release.

Charmin reports that the product, which is being rolled out nationwide, is expected to last up to a month and contains 32 times more sheets than a standard roll.

“Less swapping, more moving,” the company boasted in its announcement of its biggest roll drop ever.

The 1,700-sheet Forever Roll lasts up to a month based on an average two-person household and is designed “to help people keep using it without the dreaded empty roll panic.”

The company said the new TP is designed to ensure consumers don’t sacrifice “the signature comfort and softness of the two-layer Charmin Ultrasoft that people know and love.”

“We know that changing rolls all the time can be a huge pain. That’s why we developed the Forever Roll and are offering it to people in retail stores nationwide. It’s the same soft, two-ply Charmin you love, but with a larger roll that covers you and lets you enjoy it for up to a month before having to replace it,” Charmin Vice President Jessica Hastings said in a Procter & Gamble release.

16th day since the government shutdown. Senate to vote on funding bill for 10th time: Live updates

Where can I buy Charmin “Forever Roll”?

On Thursday, October 16th, Charmin Forever Rolls began arriving at retailers including Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Charmin says the new product comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Click here to visit Charmin’s website for more product information.

Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.

President Trump meets President Putin on the eve of White House meeting with President Zelensky

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President Trump meets President Putin on the eve of White House meeting with President Zelensky

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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House on October 17, while considering the possibility of the United States supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.

In an Oct. 16 post on Truth Social, Trump said he was currently meeting with Putin, adding that the meeting would be “long” and that he would “debrief” afterwards.

The call came shortly after President Trump visited the Middle East this week, where he celebrated a ceasefire agreement that ended fighting between Israel and Hamas and secured the release of remaining Israeli hostages from Gaza.

President Trump told reporters on October 12 that he was considering sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in response to increased U.S. military aid.

President Trump said: “We may have to talk to Russia about the Tomahawk. Do they want the Tomahawk to go their way? I don’t think so.” “In all fairness, I think I might talk to Russia about that. I told President Zelenskyy about it, because the Tomahawk is a new phase of aggression.”

“I might say, if this war doesn’t get resolved, we might send them the Tomahawks,” Trump added.

Trump, who has vowed to end Russia and Ukraine within his first 24 hours, has acknowledged that the three-and-a-half year war has become the most difficult international conflict of his presidency.

A face-to-face meeting between President Trump and President Putin was held in Alaska in mid-August, but peace negotiations did not progress as much as President Trump had hoped. A few days later, President Trump met with President Zelenskiy and European leaders at the White House, marking a united diplomatic front after Trump and Zelenskiy’s heated meeting in February.

X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.

FIFA says US government will be responsible for security for 2026 World Cup

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FIFA says US government will be responsible for security for 2026 World Cup

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FIFA has distanced itself from a potential conflict with President Donald Trump over his claims that some of next summer’s World Cup matches could be moved from U.S. cities deemed unsafe.

President Trump suggested earlier this week that parts of Boston had been “taken over” due to recent riots and said he would “very easily” move 2026 World Cup matches from their designated host city if requested by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In response, FIFA acknowledged that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety of World Cup venues rests with the host nation.

A FIFA spokesperson said in a statement: “Safety and security is a top priority at all FIFA events around the world. Safety and security is clearly the responsibility of governments, and it is for them to decide what is in the best interest of public safety.”

Earlier in the day, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hinted that the city was prepared for a direct confrontation with President Trump if he tried to reschedule the game, which was scheduled for Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxboro.

“A lot of it is locked in by contract, and no one can undo it, even if you’re currently living in the White House,” Wu said on “Java with Jimmy.” “We’re going to continue to be who we are, and unfortunately that means continuing to have the conversation in a way that targets Boston’s values.”

78 of the 104 games in the 2026 World Cup will be played in the United States, and the number of participating teams will expand to 48 for the first time. FIFA has not commented on the cities or stadiums mentioned by Trump.

President Trump also suggested that he would consider moving the 2028 Summer Olympics from Los Angeles for similar reasons.

“If we don’t think L.A. is ready, we’ll move elsewhere if we have to.”

Contribution: Field Level Media

Jack in the Box restaurant chain sells Del Taco for $115 million

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Jack in the Box restaurant chain sells Del Taco for 5 million

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This taco deal is truly an enchilada. Jack in the Box is selling the entire Del Taco chain to one of its franchisees, Yadav Enterprises.

Fremont, Calif.-based Yadav Enterprises will pay $115 million to acquire Del Taco Holdings, a Jack in the Box subsidiary with more than 550 Del Taco restaurants.

Yadav Enterprises operates 310 franchise restaurants including Jack in the Box, Denny’s and TGI Friday’s. The company also owns Taco Cabana, a 150-store fast-casual restaurant chain, and Nick the Greek, a 90-store chain.

The transaction is expected to close by January 2026 and will allow Jack in the Box to repay its debt, the company said in an Oct. 16 news release.

“This sale is an important step in our return to simplicity, and we look forward to focusing on our core Jack in the Box brand,” Jack in the Box CEO Lance Tucker said in a statement. “After a robust process, we are confident that we have concluded a transaction with the right management for the next chapter in Del Taco’s evolution. We wish Del Taco every success as it enters its next chapter.”

Advantages of snap: USDA warns program faces ‘underfunding’ in November if shutdowns continue

The burger chain, which has about 2,160 stores in 22 states, acquired Del Taco in a $575 million deal in 2022, with the aim of diversifying its position and cashing in on the Mexican restaurant chain’s drive-thru business.

But Del Taco, winner of multiple 2025 USA TODAY 10Best Readers awards, including Best Fast Food Restaurant, struggled and temporarily closed nearly all of its Colorado locations in March, before reopening in June.

After becoming CEO of Jack in the Box in March, Tucker included the sale of Del Taco as part of a turnaround plan announced in April.

This is an interesting development. Anil Yadav, CEO of Yadav Enterprises, began his career in the restaurant industry at the age of 17 as a fry cook at Jack in the Box. He became a manager in a year and a half and bought his first restaurant in 1989, Yadav said in a video profile that named him the recipient of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2018 Face of Diversity Award.

Contributor: Gabe Hauari

Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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Approximately 46,000 soldiers deployed without pay due to government shutdown

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Approximately 46,000 soldiers deployed without pay due to government shutdown

Dual status technicians are full-time members of the Guard and Reserve. And now many people are working without pay.

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Approximately 46,000 full-time U.S. military personnel remain unpaid during the federal government shutdown, despite President Donald Trump’s calls for active duty soldiers to be paid.

Affected military personnel, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other reserve units who, under federal law, are required to wear military uniform every day, maintain part-time military personnel, and meet military standards. According to the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Policy Act, the military currently has about 46,000 dual-duty engineer positions spread across critical functions such as helicopter and airplane maintenance, technical support, weapons repair, and management support for isolated units.

What about the prey? Dual-status engineers are technically civilian employees of the Department of Defense, even though their duties have military aspects in nature. And while Defense Department civilian employees are unpaid during the ongoing federal government shutdown, many (including most engineers) must continue to work because of their critical national security work.

Deemed a “rare bird” by the Supreme Court, dually qualified technicians often work side-by-side with active-duty members of the force, receiving different pay and benefits for similar duties and risks. Active-duty colleagues also received their full paychecks on Oct. 15 after President Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to move about $6.5 billion into payroll. (The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to inquiries from USA TODAY.)

Will I receive my salary? The government shutdown leaves military families in limbo.

Advocates from the tech community who spoke to USA TODAY expressed frustration at what they believe is an unfair deal.

“It’s clearly unfair. You come to any unit and you don’t know who’s who. (Active-duty soldiers and engineers) are literally indistinguishable,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Francis McGinn, president of the National Guard Association and former commander in chief of the Massachusetts National Guard. He worries that those paying technicians have “slipped through the cracks” amid the chaos of the shutdown.

McGinn added that furloughing or not paying dual-status technicians risks compromising the National Guard’s readiness. The organization’s aviation assets (mainly kept in the air by mechanics) are often taken on unannounced missions, such as rescuing stranded hikers or responding to natural disasters.

The legislative director of the Civilian Engineers Association, a union representing dual-status engineers, told USA TODAY that the Trump administration’s moves against federal employees have “demoralized” this important segment of the military.

“These people are hired to do a job and they’re trying to do it well,” said Les Hackett of ACT. “And then there are the people who basically say their jobs aren’t needed and that everyone is lazy.”

Mr. Hackett and Mr. McGinn, both retired National Guard and dual-licensed engineers, argued that the pay disparity is just the latest manifestation of disparities in employee pay and benefits. Dual-status technicians, unlike other technicians, are not eligible for military health insurance (until 2030), do not receive valuable time-based education benefits like the post-9/11 GI Bill, and cannot receive VA disability treatment or pay for injuries sustained outside of training weekends.

Gen. McGinn argued that the simplest solution to the problem at hand is for Congress to pass a continuing resolution and negotiate a year-round defense spending bill.

Disclosure: USA TODAY reporter Davis Winkie is a member of NGAUS.

What turned Chicago into a “rat hole”? Study says it wasn’t rats

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What turned Chicago into a “rat hole”? Study says it wasn’t rats

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Chicago’s “rat holes” may not actually be rat holes at all, according to a new study.

Chicago is known for its deep-dish pizza, its museums, its famous statue nicknamed Bean, and, of course, the “rat hole” in Roscoe Village.

The decades-old footprint, which looks like a giant rat, first went viral in January 2024 after a photo of it was posted online. Tourists and locals alike paid their respects to the sidewalk with its “rat hole.”

But looks can be deceiving, and people may have been mistaken about the type of rodent that formed the now-famous tracks.

On October 15, the Royal Society published research suggesting the now-famous tracks are likely a different type of rodent. This conclusion was reached after researchers compared its tracks to eight other species in the area.

Here’s what you need to know about “rat holes” (if you can still call them that).

What is Chicago’s “Rat Hole”?

This isn’t a restaurant with a weird nickname or a domed hole in the wall like something out of Tom and Jerry. Chicago’s “Rat Hole” is a sidewalk splatter shaped like a rat that has fallen from the sky.

Its shape consists of individual traces of toes, claws, legs, and a tail attached to the body.

So what gave rise to the famous trace?

Researchers suggest that a squirrel likely created the “rat hole,” but the species of squirrel is up for debate.

This track may have been made by an eastern gray squirrel or fox squirrel. However, given the regional population density of eastern gray squirrels, it is likely that rodents created the tracks.

The squirrel theory has been proposed before

This isn’t the first time someone has suggested that squirrels may actually be the culprit.

When the “rat hole” story first went viral, Roscoe residents told the Washington Post that they believed the marks were actually from a squirrel, not a rat.

Cindy Nelson told the paper in 2024 that traces of it had been there since she and her husband moved into the neighborhood in 1997. A neighbor who had been there since the early 1990s told her it had been there since then.

The couple raised their three children across the street from where the site once stood. Nelson said there was once a “huge, old, beautiful” oak tree on top of the splatmark, so he thinks an unlucky squirrel may have fallen from the tree onto the fresh cement.

‘Rat Hole’ goes viral and takes social media by storm

The rodent-shaped hole caught the attention of social media users and tourists visiting Roscoe Village after it went viral online.

People started leaving gifts. The video shows chips, coins, vials of alcohol and mysterious pills left in and around the “rat hole”.

TikTok user @Marshian_Rover posted a video of someone pouring the contents of a small bottle of what appears to be Chicago’s famous liquor, Marot, into an offering into a hole.

Can you still visit Chicago’s “rat holes”?

No, patrons can no longer visit the original Chicago “Rat Hole” location, formerly located in Roscoe Village.

The city removed the traces from the sidewalk in April 2024, according to Block Club Chicago. It is preserved at City Hall by the Chicago Department of Street Sanitation.

Chicago Street Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard told local news station FOX 32 where the “rat hole” is currently on display on the 11th floor of City Hall.

“This is it,” the commissioner told the news station. “They also put a nice case on it,” Stallard said, pointing to a giant concrete square encased in a wooden frame.

“If you’re wondering where it is, it’s well maintained. It’s here under glass. And we’re managing it.”

Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY, covering scientific research and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn ×Instagram, TikTok: @juliamaigz or email jgomez@hannett.com.

Elaina St. James was a “trad wife in training.” Now she’s on OnlyFans

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Elaina St. James was a “trad wife in training.” Now she’s on OnlyFans

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Elaina St. James, 36, says she thought all her dreams were about to come true.

My husband, my children, and the white picket fence I had admired since I was a child were within reach. Or so she thought. Four years later, the man she once thought she was happy with broke up with her via text, and she says her perspective has changed dramatically.

Now, St. James is living a life that is far from what he dreamed of. The 58-year-old is an adult content creator on the subscription-based website OnlyFans, and has reportedly earned more than $1.5 million since joining in April 2021.

Until then, Ms. St. James said, she had always admired the lifestyle touted by today’s self-proclaimed “trad wives.” She envisioned herself as a housewife submissive to her husband. She thinks that if that trend had existed back then, she probably would have even become a trad wife influencer.

St. James knows her journey has been an unusual one, from what she calls a “trad wife in training” to an OnlyFans model. After all, most women don’t identify as trad wives or work in adult content. These two positions appear to be at odds when it comes to how women express their sexuality and seek fulfillment.

Still, St. James believes people can learn from her story. The way she sees it, her life serves as a warning to those who think they have it all solved, and at the same time gives hope to those who think it is too late to make a change. It also highlights the pressures women face amid a proliferation of conflicting labels and worldviews.

“Women need to understand that nothing is permanent and that can be good or bad,” she says. “As long as you’re alive, you can start your life over again. That’s true for men, too. … At some point, you can decide that your happiness is more important than someone else’s, especially if that someone doesn’t treat you with love and respect.”

“This is what I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

St. James says that when she first grew up, she dreamed of becoming an actress or singer like her childhood heroes Cher, Dolly Parton and Carol Burnett.

But she says the conservative culture around her influenced her thinking. So she set her sights on marriage and family, putting all career aspirations aside.

“I’ve always been told from a young age…women have a lifetime of being attractive, and that’s about 40 years old. And after that, you become invisible,” says St. James. “You have one value: appearance.”

St. James worked various jobs and waited patiently for Prince Charming. Eventually, she says, he arrived via Match.com.

According to her, the man was a handsome lawyer who wanted a wife. He also wanted children – check. In short, he was everything St. James wanted.

“I was like, ‘This is the lottery. I won the lottery,'” St. James said. “This is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life. This is worth the wait. This is the person.”

“I was living with him. I was taking care of everything. All the things a traditional wife would take care of,” she says. “We were building a house for us and our future children.”

Eventually, St. James says, his controlling nature began to surface. For example, he didn’t want her to talk to the neighbors. She sensed a rift in their relationship. At one point, she recalls, they decided to live apart for a month. Shortly thereafter, she says she received an email from him ending their relationship.

OnlyFans model’s viral documentary And why it sparked such a big conversation about sex

“I haven’t spoken to him since,” St. James said. “What would you do if you received an email like that?…I was really surprised.”

St. James’s worst fears came true. She was 40 years old, unmarried, and had no children. Her lifelong dreams were shattered. What was she supposed to do now?

Trad wives, OnlyFans, and the pressures women face

The next few years were tough, she says.

St. James struggled financially, holding various jobs. At one point, he was making about $30,000 a year with no benefits. On top of that, she says, she had to support her son, who was conceived through sperm donation.

In 2021, St. James came across a People magazine article about a woman who made $100,000 a month on a website called OnlyFans. She thought it sounded like a scam.

But her curiosity was piqued. She started researching.

“I almost pushed my eyelids open at night. I was obsessed with finding out what this OnlyFans thing was,” she says. “‘Are people really doing this? Are people paying for this? What is this? This is crazy.'”

Are you a “female provider”? The opposite of “trad wife”? It is attracting attention on TikTok.

After a few months, she decided to take the plunge and join the website. She says considering her age helped her find her niche, and her popularity has exploded ever since.

St. James says joining OnlyFans comes at a cost. She lives with deep concerns about privacy and safety. She regularly receives violent threats. So does her family. People around her began to treat her differently, including her son’s teachers.

Still, she says she wouldn’t trade her life for the submissive housewife role she once wanted.

“I’ve experienced withdrawal when you’re in a position like that, and you get thrown aside,” St. James says. “You’ve lived your whole life to please someone, and when that person rejects you, you’re like, ‘Well, what do we do?'”

more: The patriarchal Hannah built a following as the perfect trad wife. Was it all a lie?

For St. James, the rise of trad wives and OnlyFans models speaks to the economic hardships women face. Traditional wives cope with this situation by seeking marriages with men who can provide for them. Similarly, many women rely on OnlyFans because they see it as a path to financial stability. As it turned out, St. James was one of them.

“People are scared now. It’s even harder to live alone as a woman,” she says. “There comes a time in most women’s lives when the idea of ​​motherhood and the central role you play becomes very, very appealing.”

While there are a variety of competing women’s brands that are popular right now, it’s important to remember that there are many different ways to live a happy life.

“I lived it,” St. James says of the traditional role he dreamed of. “And when it was gone…I was devastated.”

Some investors say Bitcoin will not crash again. are they right?

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Some investors say Bitcoin will not crash again. are they right?

The coin’s resilience during the recent flash crash makes this new argument even more convincing.

Alex Karkidi
|The Motley Fool

There is a moment in every market cycle when investors begin to believe that things are different this time, the guardrails are higher, and the road is smoother. But after the October 10 flash crash, a different kind of lesson is emerging. The idea is that Bitcoin tilted, but did not collapse when many cryptocurrencies collapsed.

This observation ties into a larger discussion about what future crashes will look like. In fact, one prominent crypto investor says, and others agree, that Bitcoin probably won’t see any more severe declines due to the four-year halving cycle. But is it?

Why is this argument reliable?

Arthur Hayes, former CEO and co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, said in an Oct. 8 blog post that the old narrative about Bitcoin’s volatility and its tendency to crash and enter a bear market every four years or so is fading.

In his view, global liquidity increasingly directly shapes supply and demand, and the sharp decline and four-year price cycle associated with Bitcoin’s halving (when the reward for creating new coins is cut in half and supply growth slows) is less important. To be clear, Mr. Hayes is not saying that Bitcoin will never crash again or that it will never enter another bear market. He said the actions of central bankers, who control the world’s money supply, are likely to cause the coin’s value to rise over time, rather than knocking the wind out of the wind as they did in past monetary tightening and interest rate hikes.

There are several reasons to believe that Hayes is right. It starts with the Federal Reserve’s apparent tolerance for inflation exceeding its long-standing goal of 2% a year. This means that the money supply will increase at a consistently faster pace than past Bitcoin halvings. It also means investors have even more incentive to try to escape inflation by buying coins that cannot be printed like fiat currency.

Other factors, such as institutionalization, may also contribute to vindicating hazing. The largest U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) currently holds nearly $93 billion in net assets, with Bitcoin exposure predominant in rules-based allocations to pensions, advisors, institutional investors, and general brokerage accounts. When sustained demand for an asset flows through new channels, it becomes much more difficult to create the kind of price vacuum typical of early crashes.

But what about the most recent real-world test of the coin’s stability during the October 10th flash crash?

While altcoins plummeted more than 70% in the sell-off that rocked digital assets, Bitcoin held up relatively well, dropping just 7%. This is consistent with a pattern of large, steady buyers anchoring the market even when sentiment cools. While the flash crash was in no way caused by Bitcoin’s halving or its scarcity, this pattern supports the idea that Bitcoin is becoming less volatile and less prone to repeating previous patterns.

Of course, this does not make Bitcoin crash-proof. Black swans are still flying around, and some may destroy the value of the coin even more than they did on October 10th.

Is the 4 year cycle really over?

The four-year halving cycle is a core part of Bitcoin investment folklore among crypto natives.

In this story, half-life occurs once every four years. Supply growth from mining will slow further. About a year and a half after the halving, a euphoria follows, followed by a long, harsh winter of about 12 months, during which prices fall by at least 60%. While halvings themselves will continue to occur, Hayes’ argument is that the expansion of fiat liquidity and deepening institutional adoption are beginning to blur the neat patterns of boom and bust. For now, the evidence suggests he’s at least partially right.

On the other hand, history warns against declaring victory over gravity.

Since 2014, Bitcoin has experienced multiple drawdowns of more than 50%, with the largest decline averaging around 80%. Even if the downstream effects are somewhat mitigated, it is unlikely that half-life’s influence on human psychology will be permanently neutralized. Despite the market’s maturity, the broader crypto complex can still experience violent air pockets, and supply phenomena may indeed contribute to air pockets in ways that are difficult to accurately predict before they occur.

So are the optimists right? Partly yes. New sources of structural demand from ETFs and corporate holders are likely to bottom out many declines and shorten recovery times.

A smart way to take advantage of this information is to size your position so that a 50% drop doesn’t force you to sell, and use dollar-cost averaging (DCAing) to take advantage of the coin’s lack of supply over the years. In the future, collapse is not expected to be zero, but to be reduced by 80%.

Alex Karkidi has a position in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a position in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner providing financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Zoran Mamdani directly addresses President Trump in FOX News interview

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Zoran Mamdani directly addresses President Trump in FOX News interview

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Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York mayor, appeared on Fox News for the first time and spoke directly to one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics.

In an Oct. 15 interview on “The Martha McCallum Story,” the 33-year-old democratic socialist and racial justice front-runner spoke directly to the president on camera, criticizing outgoing Mayor Eric Adams and his arch-racist rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

more: New York AG Letitia James makes energetic remarks at first court appearance after being indicted

“I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said. “I’m not going to be a mayor like Mayor Adams who calls to figure out how to get out of jail. I’m not going to be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who calls to ask how to win this election. I can do those things myself.”

Mamdani mentioned that Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges in 2024, but the Justice Department dropped those charges after Trump took office.

“But I intend to be a mayor who is always ready to speak out to reduce the cost of living,” Mamdani said, referring to one of the platforms that defined his campaign. “That’s how I want to lead this city.”

Mamdani’s interview was conducted ahead of the first debate scheduled for October 16, less than two weeks until voting day. The state lawmaker will face off against Cuomo, a centrist Democrat who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in June’s Democratic primary, and Curtis Sliwa, the lone Republican candidate.

Polls consistently show Mamdani ahead of Cuomo. The latest Quinnipiac University poll released on October 10 shows Mamdani with a huge double-digit lead, even though Cuomo has increased his approval rating by 10 points since the September poll.

Mamdani’s continued popularity caught the attention of the president. In an interview with “Fox & Friends” in September, Trump predicted Mamdani would win the mayoral race and said the democratic socialist represented a “rebellion” against other candidates.

He has since threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani wins.

During an Oct. 15 appearance on Fox News, Mamdani was also asked about the relationship between the Israel-Hamas war and the New York City Police Department.

When asked about the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a key issue within the Democratic Party and a dividing line in New York’s mayoral race, he largely sidestepped the question. Mr. Mamdani has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has called Israel’s military operation in Gaza a genocide, while Mr. Cuomo is an ardent supporter of Israel.

“I have no particular opinion on the future of Hamas and Israel, other than the question of justice and security and the fact that everything must follow international law,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani also publicly apologized to the NYPD in an interview for comments he made in 2020 in the wake of the George Floyd protests, calling the group “racist, anti-gay and a serious threat to public safety.”

“This is an apology that I have shared with many rank-and-file police officers, so I hereby apologize to the police officers,” he said. “And I apologize for the fact that I want to work with these police officers. I know that these police officers, these men and women who work for the NYPD, risk their lives every day.”

Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml.

MHRA quickly responds to the next wave of AI tools for patient care

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MHRA quickly responds to the next wave of AI tools for patient care

Healthcare regulator MHRA is racing to develop new AI tools that promise to dramatically improve patient care.

It can take days, weeks, or even months for the results of a medical exam to be available. That wait is often filled with anxiety and always feels like an eternity. But what if that wait time could be reduced from weeks to just minutes?

In the next phase of its ‘AI Airlock’ programme, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is evaluating seven new technologies designed to tackle some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges.

An innovation being tested could reduce the time it takes to get results for a colon cancer test to just a few minutes, allowing for earlier detection of skin cancer and inherited eye diseases. The AI ​​Airlock initiative provides a safe and controlled environment for manufacturers to test these advanced systems. This “regulatory sandbox” will enable the effectiveness and limitations of AI to be assessed, helping to forge a clear path towards final regulatory approval and introduction into healthcare services.

Insights gained from this real-world testing will feed directly into the MHRA’s future regulation of AI as a medical device and into the National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare. The committee brings together a diverse group of patient advocates, clinicians, regulators, and technology companies to advise the agency.

The seven selected technologies include AI-powered clinical note-taking to reduce the administrative burden on physicians, advanced cancer diagnostics, advanced eye disease detection, and tools that can summarize a patient’s entire hospital stay or interpret complex blood tests. The ultimate goal is to use AI to support clinicians in making faster, better-informed treatment decisions for their patients.

Minister of Health and Innovation Zubir Ahmed said: “The AI ​​Airlock program is a great example of how we can keep pace and thoroughly test new innovations as we seek to deliver on the promise of moving healthcare from analog to digital.”

“Through our 10-year health plan, we will drive the NHS to become the most AI-enabled health system in the world.”

Pioneering the path to secure AI healthcare innovation

Advances in AI pose unique challenges for regulators tasked with ensuring the safety of patient care.

Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive Officer of the MHRA, commented: “As the first country to create a dedicated regulatory environment, or “sandbox,” specifically for AI medical devices, we are pioneering solutions to the unique challenges of regulating these emerging medical technologies.

“The first phase of AI Airlock demonstrated the value of close collaboration between innovators and regulators, and we look forward to the results of this new cohort and how its technology will shape the next generation of safe and effective AI tools in healthcare.”

This second phase builds on the success of the first pilot. The MHRA has published four reports detailing key findings from the initial group of participants, which included innovative companies such as Philips and OncoFlow.

The AI ​​Airlock program worked with the first cohort to identify several areas for regulatory improvement. These include better ways to validate synthetic data used to train AI models, ensuring that decisions made by AI are “explainable” to clinicians, and developing new approaches to address emerging risks such as AI “hallucinations,” where models produce inaccurate or meaningless information.

“Participating in the AI ​​Airlock sandbox has been a very positive experience. The opportunity for R&D personnel to influence regulatory strategy with regulators is almost unprecedented,” said Ynon Dolev, Gen AI Product Owner at Philips Medical Systems.

“Our interactions with the team and experts were exceptional. They provided valuable insight and support, which made the entire process smooth and productive. Weekly meetings with the MHRA during the pilot also catalyzed meaningful progress that accelerated development activities.”

A clinician’s perspective on using AI tools for patient care

For frontline medical staff, the promise of AI requires caution. Sir Andrew Goddard, Chair of the AI ​​Airlock Governance Committee and Consultant Gastroenterologist at Royal Derby Hospital, highlighted the program’s role in building trust.

“Many clinicians, like me, want AI to take hold in the NHS, but are concerned about over-promising outcomes and a lack of reassurance about patient safety,” Lord Goddard explained. “This program will go a long way in embedding safety and rapid development of these new technologies into our health services.”

By connecting innovators and regulators at an early stage, AI Airlock will help deliver the next wave of medical technology to improve patient care, but in a way that is safe, reliable, and worthy of the trust of both patients and physicians.

See also: NVIDIA GPUs power Oracle’s next-generation enterprise AI services

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Taco Bell brings back the Beefy Crunch Burrito with a Flamin’ Hot twist

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Taco Bell brings back the Beefy Crunch Burrito with a Flamin’ Hot twist

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Taco Bell is bringing back the beloved Beefy Crunch Burrito with a spicy twist.

Available nationwide for a limited time, the new Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito is stuffed with ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, creamy chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, a three-cheese blend, and Fritos Flamin’ Hot Corn Chips.

Added to the mix is ​​the new Flamin’ Hot Rice, flavored and flavored with red bell pepper, paprika, garlic, cheddar cheese powder, and lime. The burrito is then grilled with a layer of cheese on the outside for added flavor.

“We know how much people love Flamin’ Hot’s signature spice, and our fans are always asking for something cheesier and crunchier,” Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer, said in a news release. “Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito combines all these elements, capturing the heat of a classic burrito, the crunch of crispy Fritos, and the deliciousness of cheese inside and out.”

Dunkin’s Halloween menu: The donut and coffee chain is back with two popular flavors and a new drink.

The Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito can be ordered a la carte ($5.49) or as part of the $9 Discovery Luxe Cravings Box (while supplies last).

When will Taco Bell’s new Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito be available?

The new product “Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito” will be released nationwide for a limited time from October 16th (Thursday).

Taco Bell said in a news release that the new menu item pays homage to the “cult favorite Beefy Crunch Burrito,” which was first introduced in 2010, removed from the menu in 2011, and then sold in limited quantities several times over the past decade or so. The Beefy Crunch Burrito is made with seasoned beef and rice, nacho cheese sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, and Flamin’ Hot Fritos and was last sold in August 2023 after winning a fan vote in the Taco Bell app.

Also available at Taco Bell starting Oct. 16: Several new menu items featuring Frank’s Red Hot Diablo sauce, which the fast food chain describes as a blend of existing Diablo sauce and Frank’s Red Hot’s classic Buffalo flavor with Spicy Ranch.

New menu items available for a limited time: Frank’s RedHot Diablo Crispy Chicken Burrito ($5.49), Frank’s RedHot Diablo Crispy Chicken Soft Taco ($2.99), Frank’s RedHot Diablo Chicken Nacho Fries ($4.99), and Crispy Chicken Strips with Spicy Ranch ($6.99).

Nutritional information for Taco Bell’s new Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito

Here are the nutritional details for Taco Bell’s Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito, according to the restaurant chain.

  • Calories: 730 (36.5% of daily intake)
  • Total fat: 41 grams (approximately 63%).
  • Cholesterol: 75mg (25%)
  • Sodium: 1570mg (65%)
  • Total carbohydrates: 65g (approx. 22%)
  • Protein: 26g (52%)

Contributor: Melina Khan

Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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The Pentagon asked reporters to accept restrictions or lose access.

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The Pentagon asked reporters to accept restrictions or lose access.

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Dozens of journalists covering the Pentagon vacated their offices inside the Pentagon and handed in their credentials Wednesday as new restrictions on media access went into effect.

The Pentagon had set a Tuesday deadline for news organizations to sign on to the Pentagon’s new access policy or lose their press credentials and access to Pentagon workspaces.

At least 30 news organizations, including Reuters, refused to sign the new policy, citing threats to press freedom and the ability to conduct independent reporting on the world’s most powerful military.

The policy requires journalists to accept new rules regarding press access, including that if they ask newsroom employees to disclose classified or some unclassified information, they could be branded a security risk and have their Pentagon press badges revoked.

The Pentagon Press Association, which represents more than 100 news organizations including Reuters, said in a statement that Wednesday was “a dark day for press freedom and raises concerns that America’s commitment to transparency in governance, public accountability in the Department of Defense, and free speech for all will be weakened.”

“This policy is not asking them to agree, it’s just acknowledging that they understand our policy,” Pentagon Chief Press Secretary Sean Parnell said in a statement Monday.

Learn more about the Pentagon: Hegseth wants a leader like General Patton – warts and all.

The Pentagon declined further comment Wednesday.

Journalists said the Pentagon’s news area was unusually quiet Wednesday as furniture, computer servers, soundproofing material from television studios and other items were removed.

“I’ve never seen that place so noisy as a beehive,” said JJ Green, a national security correspondent for news radio station WTOP in Washington.

Greene, who has worked as a national security correspondent for 20 years, submitted his press credentials Wednesday morning. Television stations have until Friday to remove their equipment.

Qualified reporters have traditionally been confined to unclassified spaces within the Pentagon, working across the hallway from the Pentagon press secretary’s office and therefore having access to the department’s press secretary. A press badge indicates that you have undergone a background check.

“We were never allowed to suddenly storm into sensitive areas and people’s offices,” said Air Force Defense News reporter Stephen Losey. “I don’t know of anyone who intentionally eavesdrops or anything like that. Some people make it look like we’re doing it.”

Some journalists interviewed by Reuters said the new restrictions would not prevent them from reporting on the U.S. military.

“The irony of ironies is that Pentagon reporters aren’t having controlled intelligence conversations in the hallways,” said a member of the Pentagon Press Association, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We’re doing it on Signal (an encrypted app).”

The Pentagon’s new policy is the latest expansion of media access restrictions under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host. FOX News is one of the news organizations that has refused to sign on to the new reporting restrictions.

Britney Spears responds to Kevin Federline’s memoir allegations

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Britney Spears responds to Kevin Federline’s memoir allegations

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Britney Spears has responded to allegations made by ex-husband Kevin Federline in his new memoir about their three-year marriage, which included a divorce and custody battle over their two children.

Pop star Federline has accused Spears of lying in her upcoming book, You Thought You Knew, in which the former backup dancer said her sons were afraid to sleep over at Spears’ house because she would stand in their doorway with a knife while they were sleeping.

“The constant gaslighting from[my]ex-husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting. I have always begged and screamed to continue living with my sons. Relationships with teenage boys are complicated. I am depressed by this situation and have constantly begged and almost begged for them to be a part of my life,” Spears wrote to X.

The “Gimme More” singer said on Oct. 15 that her sons Jaden, 19, and Preston, 20, have seen Federline disrespect her for years, adding: “They need to take responsibility themselves.”

“Believe me, the white lies told in that book go straight to the bank and the only one really hurt here is me. I will always love them and if you really knew me you wouldn’t pay attention to the tabloids about my mental health or my drinking,” she wrote.

She added, “I’m actually a pretty intelligent woman who has been trying to live a sacred and private life for the past five years. I talk about this because I’ve been through enough and any real woman would do the same.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Federline’s representative for comment on Spears’ post.

Kevin Federline wanted to tell his story in new memoir

Federline recently gave an exclusive interview to USA TODAY, explaining that he wrote the memoir because “for 20 years, I felt like other people were telling my story, and now it was my time to tell it.”

“I’m watching my sons try to go through this very difficult situation, and they’re still too young to be trying to go through something like this, so I felt like I needed to sound the alarm,” he said. “I need someone to support my boys. I need someone to support Britney. I need someone to wake up and see this for what it is.”

Federline said in her memoir that her sons decided to stop visiting Spears’ home after there were several records of her yelling at him, “hitting him” and “breaking things in the house.”

He described the boys’ relationship with their mother as “a situation that continues to be in flux”.

Britney Spears says she only spent 45 minutes with her son

According to her X post, Spears has only spent 45 minutes with one son and only met with her other son four times in the past five years. “I have pride too. From now on, I will let you know when I have an opening,” she wrote.

Spears and her youngest son Jaden were reunited in November 2024.

Ms. Federline’s book was published two years after Ms. Spears published her memoir, “The Woman in Me.” The memoir chronicles the conservatorship that gave her father control over much of her life for years and inspired the #FreeBritney movement.

“You Thought You Knew” included multiple allegations about Spears, including that she caught him cheating on her with a female dancer and that her sons felt “helpless” in the middle because “Britney’s freedom movement was wrong.”

Longest government shutdown in history? See where this ranks.

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Longest government shutdown in history? See where this ranks.

“Unless Democrats drop their partisan demands, we will enter the longest government shutdown in American history,” House Speaker Mike Johnson warned.

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As the federal government enters its 16th day of a partial shutdown without a budget agreement, the 22nd shutdown nationwide is on pace to break records. The shutdown began shortly after midnight on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a new budget, and was the fourth shutdown of President Donald Trump’s term.

Over the past 50 years, every president except George W. Bush and Joe Biden has survived a government shutdown of at least a few days. Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama all experienced shutdowns lasting more than two weeks during their terms.

“Unless Democrats drop their partisan demands, we are heading toward the longest government shutdown in American history,” Louisiana House Speaker Mike Johnson warned.

The previous longest government shutdown lasted 35 days during the Trump administration’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019.

As the ongoing shutdown reaches a new record, here’s what you need to know about the shutdown record so far.

US government shutdown: See a timeline of 22 closures spanning nearly 50 years

Friday, October 17th: Day 17

On Friday, Oct. 17, the ongoing shutdown will tie the 2013 shutdown for the fourth-longest in U.S. history at 17 days. The 2013 government shutdown, which ran from October 1 to October 17 under President Barack Obama, was tied to disagreements over the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans sought to repeal.

Monday, October 20th: Day 20

If the government does not reopen by Monday, October 20, the ongoing government shutdown will be the third longest in history, surpassing the 1978 government shutdown under President Jimmy Carter.

According to Time, the government shutdown began on September 30, 1978 and lasted 19 days until October 18, 1978, the second year of President Carter’s presidency. That happened for several reasons, including disagreements over the defense spending bill, which includes funding for abortions and funding for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

Wednesday, October 22nd: Day 22

Wednesday, Oct. 22, the ongoing government shutdown will become the second-longest, surpassing the 1995-1996 government shutdown caused by budget conflicts between House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton. It lasted 21 days from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996.

Wednesday, November 5th: Day 36

If the government shutdown continues until November 5th, it will be the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

So far, the longest 35-day shutdown in history occurred during President Trump’s first term, making it the third shutdown of his tenure. The action began Dec. 22, 2018, after President Trump requested $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019, during which Democrats flatly refused to negotiate on border wall funding until the government reopened, USA TODAY previously reported.

The standoff lasted 35 days and resulted in more than 350,000 federal employees being furloughed and 400,000 others forced to work without pay. Some food safety inspections were temporarily suspended, trash piled up in national parks, federal landmarks and museums were closed, and some airports closed checkpoints because fewer Transportation Security Administration agents were screening passengers.

The blockade ended only after President Trump supported a bipartisan bill that did not include funding for the border wall he had requested.

Contributors: USA TODAY’s Zach Anderson, Joey Garrison, Bert Jansen, Sudiksha Kochi, Terry Moseley, Zachary Shermele and Sarah D. Wire

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

Can you vacation without Wi-Fi? These families did it.

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Can you vacation without Wi-Fi? These families did it.

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  • Some families choose to have no internet or cell phone service while on vacation in order to have more quality time.
  • Without electronic devices, children and adults alike have the potential to become more immersive and immersed in their surroundings and activities.

Jessica Perez has two children who are always on the internet. But she didn’t think about the fact that she would lose cell phone and internet service during the cruise until she boarded the ship in Miami.

She and her family embarked on Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas in early October. Perez told USA TODAY that his 17-year-old daughter is “very into school” and always working on something academic, while his son is “an average 11-year-old gamer who always needs to be connected to Wi-Fi.”

A 37-year-old onboarding coordinator and her husband considered purchasing a Wi-Fi package, but decided against it. “I thought, ‘Why not? No, this would be good for the kids to just eat without having anything in front of them, but also for them to have a conversation with us and enjoy what’s available on the cruise.’

During their three-day trip to the Bahamas and back, the Massachusetts family immersed themselves in a variety of activities, from a quiet disco to a balloon drop on the ship’s Royal Promenade, Perez said. “It was great to see the kids really enjoying the moment,” she said. “They’re supposed to be kids. That’s not something you see all the time because, again, they’re using electronic devices all the time.”

However, it is not completely without drawbacks. At one point, her husband thought he had lost his credit card and couldn’t freeze it without using the service, but he later found it. Other than that, she said, they “loved not having Wi-Fi.”

In an era where Wi-Fi and cell phone service feel essential, some families have found that vacationing without Wi-Fi and cell phone service fosters a unique kind of quality time. However, it’s not always easy to disconnect, at least at first.

“I don’t even want to check my work email.”

Anna Lietz and her family went a week without Wi-Fi in June. Her husband’s family has been staying at a cabin on California’s Pinecrest Lake “for generations,” which is also shared among family friends, but this was the first time they took their two children there.

The cabin owners and other families vacationing there decided that the lack of internet or cell phone service was part of what “made this cabin special,” said the 36-year-old Bay Area resident. Lietz prepared accordingly, downloading a few podcasts for herself and some comics onto her phone, which became part of her 4-year-old daughter’s weekend routine.

“When I think back to that week, I don’t think she even had to pull out ‘Bluey’ because she was so absorbed in herself, her cousins, and everything around the lake,” she recalled. Lietz, who works in customer experience marketing, believes the main reason for this is that children don’t look at their parents’ phones as much.

For Lietz, who also has a 1-year-old child, the adjustment became even more important. While the rest of the group had cell phone service, she didn’t, but still found herself with the urge to check her phone. “And there’s literally nothing new on my phone for me, so I don’t get that little dopamine rush that I’m used to from notifications,” she said. “So I think my brain finally realized there’s nothing on this device.”

That week, she and her family spent time in other ways, such as playing games and walking to a nearby candy shop. They sat by the campfire every night and sang songs. By the end of the trip, the urge to check her phone had subsided.

“And then, of course, there are moments where I leave and get back on the road and get back on Wi-Fi, and I’m almost like, ‘I don’t even want to check the news, I don’t even want to check my work email.’ ”

How to plan a trip without the internet

If you aim to be internet and device-free while traveling, travelers should consider their family’s interests during the planning stage.

“If you get[the kids]engaged and it’s something they really enjoy, they’re going to hang up their phones for longer and actually spend some family time and have fun,” said Karen Aguiar, a travel agent with AAA Northeast. For example, for her 13-year-old twin boys, that means going to the beach, pool, and water sports.

Some destinations are particularly suited for disconnection. “I think a lot of national park tours are about getting outside and doing things outdoors, locally in New Hampshire,” she said. “If you’re going out west, I recommend the Grand Canyon. It’s outdoors, so there’s not a lot of cell phone service. I think that’s great, too.”

Another option is cruises, where Wi-Fi is usually available at an additional cost.

But changes in daily life can be difficult, especially for families with children on the autism spectrum. If you think turning off Wi-Fi is too extreme, Aguiar suggested giving your device a little time to use it as needed before letting you do something else.

“And then we’ll take a little short break and give the iPad back to the kids. We might do it alternating or have a little bit of time in between, because it’s hard to say to the kids, ‘Okay, that’s it. I don’t have the device.'”

However, if travelers can step away from the internet for a few days, they may be able to find a different kind of connection.

“I think it becomes more immersive when you remove the distracting cell phone,” Lietz said. “You enjoy the conversation. We just sit and talk and play cards. I think I called it a ’90s vacation, because I imagine this must have been for our parents when we were little.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.

NVIDIA GPUs power Oracle’s next-generation enterprise AI services

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NVIDIA GPUs power Oracle’s next-generation enterprise AI services

Oracle and NVIDIA have expanded their partnership to make enterprise AI services more accessible, powerful, and practical. Announcements made during Oracle AI World cover everything from incredibly powerful new hardware to deeply integrated software aimed at putting AI at the very core of enterprise data.

NVIDIA’s Vice President of Hyperscale and High Performance Computing Ian Buck said: “Through this latest partnership, Oracle and NVIDIA are pioneering new frontiers in cutting-edge accelerated computing, streamlining database AI pipelines, accelerating data processing, powering enterprise use cases, and making it easier to deploy and scale inference in OCI.”

The highlight announcement is the new OCI Zettascale10 compute cluster. The platform is accelerated by NVIDIA GPUs and designed for AI training and inference workloads that would otherwise challenge regular servers.

OCI Zettascale10 promises powerful peak AI computing performance of 16 Zettaflops and is combined with NVIDIA’s Spectrum-X Ethernet. It’s a networking fabric specifically designed to prevent GPUs from sitting around waiting for data, allowing organizations to efficiently scale up to millions of processors.

But raw power is only half the story. The essence of this partnership is software integration aimed at weaving AI into every layer of business operations.

Mahesh Thiagarajan, Executive VP, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, commented:

“Additionally, the native availability of NVIDIA AI Enterprise on OCI gives our joint customers access to a leading AI toolset near OCI’s 200+ cloud services to support the long tail of customer innovation.”

Give brains to your Oracle database using AI

The foundation of this new strategy is Oracle AI Database 26ai. For years, the conventional wisdom has been to move data to where the AI ​​models reside. Oracle turns that on its head, arguing that applying AI to data is much safer and more efficient. This latest database release embodies that “AI for Data” vision.

“By architecting AI and data together, Oracle AI Database makes ‘AI for Data’ easy to learn and easy to use,” said Juan Loaiza, executive vice president of Oracle Database Technologies at Oracle.

One of the standout features is the ability to run agent AI workflows within the database. By combining a company’s private sensitive data with public information, AI agents can tackle complex problems without moving that private data outside of a secure environment. This is made possible through features such as integrated hybrid vector search that allows AI to search for context across all data types, whether it’s a relational table, a JSON file, or a spatial map.

Oracle is also clearly thinking about playing the long game with security. The new database implements NIST-approved quantum-resistant algorithms for both data in transit and at rest. This is a defense against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, where hackers steal encrypted data today with the goal of decrypting it on future quantum computers.

Holger Muller, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, commented, “Good AI requires good data. With Oracle AI Database 26ai, customers have both: a single place where their business data is current, consistent, and securely stored. And it’s the perfect place to use AI without moving that data.”

“To help simplify and accelerate AI adoption, AI Database 26ai includes great new AI capabilities that go beyond AI Vector Search. What’s notable is that Oracle is building agent AI into the database, allowing customers to build, deploy, and manage their own in-database AI agents using a no-code, visual platform that includes pre-built agents.”

The new database is designed to work in conjunction with NVIDIA’s toolset. Its programming interface can now connect directly to NVIDIA NeMo Retriever, a collection of microservices that handles the complex plumbing of modern AI for enterprises.

This makes it much easier for developers to implement things like search extension generation (RAG). Simply put, RAGs allow language models to search for relevant facts within a company’s documents before answering a question, making the response more accurate and useful.

Oracle Private AI Services Container is also powered by GPUs. This container allows businesses to run AI models in their own secure environment. You will soon be able to use the cuVS library to offload the heavy lifting of creating vector embeddings, a core task of AI search, to powerful NVIDIA GPUs. This is expected to reduce the time it takes to prepare data for AI applications.

Democratizing enterprise AI

This partnership goes beyond databases and aims to simplify the entire AI pipeline. The new Oracle AI Data Platform now includes a built-in NVIDIA GPU option and NVIDIA RAPIDS Accelerator for Apache Spark. For data scientists and engineers, this is a big problem. This means that you can use GPUs to accelerate data processing and machine learning workflows, often without changing a single line of existing code.

All of these tools and capabilities are integrated within Oracle AI Hub. Its purpose is to provide organizations with a single place to build, deploy, and manage AI solutions. From the hub, users can deploy NVIDIA’s NIM microservices, such as prepackaged AI skills, through a simple, no-code interface.

To further lower the barrier to entry, the complete NVIDIA AI Enterprise software suite is now available natively within the OCI console. This means developers can launch GPU instances and enable all the NVIDIA tools they need with just a few clicks, without going through a separate procurement process. This is a small change, but it makes a big difference in how quickly your team can get started.

It’s clear that this partnership is aimed at solving real-world challenges that businesses face when trying to implement AI. By integrating hardware, data, and software tools into one cohesive ecosystem, Oracle and NVIDIA are making the case that the era of practical, secure, and scalable enterprise AI is firmly here.

See also: Cisco: Only 13% of companies have a solid AI strategy, falling behind rivals

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

Brown University rejects President Trump’s higher education ‘compact’

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Brown University rejects President Trump’s higher education ‘compact’

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PROVIDENCE – Brown University President Christina H. Paxson has rejected a Trump administration-proposed “deal” that would combine preferential access to federal funds with what she called the deprivation of academic freedom.

In a letter to the White House released on Wednesday, Oct. 15, she formally said she “declined Mr. Brown’s invitation to the White House’s proposed Agreement on Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”

She said, “By its very nature, the agreement restricts academic freedom, undermines Brown’s governance autonomy, and seriously impairs our ability to fulfill our mission.”

She went on to say, “Fundamental to academic excellence is the awarding of research funding based on the merits of the proposed research. The cover letter explaining the Compact considers funding research on criteria other than research integrity and potential for impact, which ultimately undermines the health and prosperity of Americans.”

Brown was one of nine universities, including two other Ivies, to initially receive what she described as an “invitation” to join the agreement.

Paxson shared the news of her decision in a message to the Brown community on October 15th. He noted that his decision to decline to participate in the agreement was consistent with the majority of Brown’s stakeholders.

At the same time, he said, “we remain committed to engaging in these values-based conversations” as discussions continue about how to improve higher education in the United States.

What does the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education require?

Brown University was one of nine universities to initially receive the agreement, with comments due by October 20th.

In addition to Brown University, institutions approached by the administration include the University of Arizona, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, and University of Virginia.

The agreement requires schools to pledge allegiance to conservative values ​​and policies in several enumerated areas in order to receive various forms of federal funding.

For example, they must agree not to consider gender, race, or political views in admissions or financial aid. Prevent university employees from participating in “political speech.” Freeze tuition fees for five years and limit international enrollment to 15% of a university’s undergraduate student body, with no more than 5% of students from a single country.

Mr. Brown was the last of the nine invitees to say “no thank you,” after MIT.

Mr. Paxson: Mr. Brown agrees with some of the ideas in the agreement.

In a letter to President Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Paxson said Brown shares the administration’s concerns about college tuition.

He also reminded the administration that Brown reached an agreement with the Trump administration on July 30 to recover $510 million in frozen federal dollars.

In return, the university agreed to refrain from “unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity goals, or similar initiatives,” restrict transgender athletes from joining teams based on their assigned sex at birth, and donate $50 million to development training in Rhode Island.

Paxson described the deal as a “voluntary agreement with the federal government” that “restored research funding from the National Institutes of Health and the ability to compete fairly for new grants.”

In response to the Trump administration’s recent attempts to control what’s happening at some of the nation’s top universities, Brown said he “understands” and is trying to address the very soaring cost of education that is the focus of the deal.

“Financial aid has been one of the fastest growing areas of the Brown budget over the past decade,” she wrote.

“We accept undergraduate students without considering their financial circumstances. All financial aid awards are loan-free and based solely on financial need. And we target initiatives that benefit rural students and veterans.”

“We remain committed to the July agreement and to upholding Brown’s core values, which in any form will be fundamentally unfulfilled by the Compact,” she wrote.

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