President Trump said the release of the 20 living hostages was “monumental” but that fewer dead hostages may be released than previously thought.
President Trump says Hamas will disarm or ‘we will disarm’
President Donald Trump said Hamas must voluntarily disarm or face swift and violent consequences.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, one day after a trip to the Middle East celebrating a cease-fire agreement, that Hamas would disarm within a “reasonable period of time” or the United States would do so “possibly violently.”
President Trump said, “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and probably violently.” “But they will disarm.”
Trump was asked how he would disarm Hamas if he were to do so. President Trump responded, “I don’t need to explain that.” “They know I’m not playing games.”
President Trump’s comments came less than a day after he returned from a trip to Israel and Egypt, where he declared an end to the war between Israel and Hamas. But after freeing 20 living hostages, relatives of the dead hostages are questioning the release of their bodies.
“We did something monumental,” President Trump said. “We’ve got our hostages back.”
But other tasks in his 20-point peace plan still need to be accomplished, such as getting Hamas to lay down its arms.
President Trump said the release of the dead hostages was clouded by previous talk of 24 or 26, but that number now appears to be decreasing. The bodies of the four hostages were released on October 13th.
“They’re talking about a much lower number, so it’s as if they don’t have it,” President Trump said. “It’s a very difficult subject. We want them back.”
President Trump remained vague about the deadline for disarming Hamas.
“It’s a reasonable period of time,” President Trump said.
This is the correct way to start and extinguish a campfire.
Problem solved, reviewed
Outdoor retailer REI will be pitching tents at three locations.
The Seattle-based cooperative, which has more than 25 million members and more than 190 stores, announced it will close stores in Boston, New York City and Paramus, New Jersey in 2026.
“We are deeply grateful to our team, members, customers and store community for their support over the years,” REI said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. “As markets and customer needs evolve, we must adapt to ensure the Co-op’s long-term success. We will continue to serve our members and customers at these stores until closing, and at our other stores in the New York and Boston areas.”
Walmart: Retail giants are incorporating ChatGPT into online shopping. Here’s how:
Outdoor retailers make concessions as consumer confidence shakes
REI isn’t the only outdoor retailer facing challenges. Outdoor sporting goods chain Orbis recently announced plans to close around half of its stores by early 2026, with Orbis president Simon Perkins citing an “unprecedented pricing situation” that was driving up costs and price tags.
Additionally, real estate news site Costar.com noted in an Oct. 10 article that Eddie Bauer has closed several stores this year, reflecting problems for outdoor retailers as consumer spending on goods has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Consumer sentiment among low- and middle-income earners has declined due to stricter discretionary spending. The outdoor industry has grown 31% since 2020, but the market is down 2% from a year ago, Matt Tucker, director of client development for Circana’s sporting goods business, told Outside magazine earlier this year.
“Out-of-home specialty retail has experienced four quarters of decline, and the trend is getting worse,” former REI CEO Eric Ertz told employees in early 2024. The co-op continues to face challenges, reporting a net loss of $156.4 million in 2024. Revenue decreased 6.2% year over year, REI reported in May 2025.
In January 2025, REI discontinued its experiences business, which included adventure travel, day trips, classes, and other events. The company also laid off 180 full-time and 248 part-time employees, most of whom were employed in its operations.
REI will open 10 new stores in 2024 and six more in 2025, according to its website. Mary Beth Lawton, who took over as CEO of REI in February, announced on September 29 the details of a new three-year strategic plan titled “Peak 28: Rising Together,” with the goal of becoming “the most trusted retailer for people who love the outdoors.”
As Lawton said in an email to employees (and a post on the REI website), “Making these changes won’t be easy. They will require us to fundamentally transform, make hard choices, and evolve the way we work over the next few years.”
Which REI stores will be closing?
Paramus, New Jersey: It will be completed in the first three months of 2026.
Boston: Closed at the end of 2026.
New York City: The REI SoHo flagship store is scheduled to close at the end of 2026.
Contributor: Mary Walrath-Holdridge
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: blythe & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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Pat Murphy talks about the impossible double play in Game 1 of the NLCS
Brewers manager Pat Murphy talks about the 8-6-2 double play started by Sal Frelick in the fourth inning.
MILWAUKEE — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is convinced the famous Pfister Hotel is haunted and has refused to stay at the team hotel in downtown Milwaukee for years.
So when the Dodgers come to town, he always checks into an Airbnb away from the team, unprepared to encounter ghosts.
Well, if there is space, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez would also like to join.
Hernandez claimed before Game 2 of the National League Championship Series that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, but that his wife does, so the couple is arranging separate accommodations.
“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Hernandez said. “I’ve stayed here before, but I’ve never seen or heard anything.
“But my wife is traveling this time and doesn’t want to stay there. So we have to find another hotel.”
“But I’ve heard from other players and other wives that something has been going on over the last few nights.”
So what exactly are they listening to?
“The lights go off and on in some rooms,” Hernandez said. “And I hear doors, noises, footsteps, things like that. I don’t know.
“I’m not the kind of person to come in here and say, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve been through that before,’ because I really haven’t. And I don’t think I’m ever going to go through something like that.”
Well, he can’t convince Betts that something is wrong and refuses to take the chance, saying, “I just don’t want to find out for myself.”
Players have discussed strange occurrences at the 132-year-old hotel in the past, with Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper saying his clothes were once moved across the room, and players talking about ghostly footsteps and TVs and radios mysteriously playing in their rooms.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton once said: “It’s creepy, with mugshots on the walls and old curtains everywhere. It reminds me of the haunted house at Disneyland. The less time you’re there, the better.”
According to one former MLB executive, the truth is often just a joke by teammates.
The doors to the rooms on the older side of the hotel don’t go all the way to the floor, leaving about a quarter-inch gap from the bottom.
“So the players take the TV remote and go into other players’ or staff’s rooms in the middle of the night and click on the TV under the door,” he said. “I’ve seen it done a lot over the years. That’s where all the ghostly stuff started back in the day.”
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed by a gunman on September 10 while speaking to a crowd at a university in Utah.
Charlie Kirk receives Medal of Freedom on his birthday
Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom. His widow Erica Kirk paid a moving tribute.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom to conservative advocate Charlie Kirk, who was killed during a rally in Utah.
The ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on October 14 coincided with Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Immediately after his assassination, both houses of Congress approved resolutions to designate this day as a national day of remembrance.
“We will never forget your husband’s sacrifice for our country,” President Trump said. “Today, we are here to honor and remember the late, great Charlie Kirk, a fearless fighter for freedom, a beloved leader who inspired the next generation like no other American patriot has ever seen, and an American patriot with the deepest convictions, the greatest qualities, and the greatest talent.”
President Trump presented the award to Kirk’s widow, Erica. Erika later became CEO of Turning Point USA, a group co-founded by Kirk. She wiped tears from her eyes as she stood next to President Trump as the quote was read.
“Charlie always said that the next generation will decide whether freedom survives,” Erika Kirk said. “Freedom is the right to live without fear.”
She said her husband prefers quiet birthdays and eats mint chocolate chip ice cream on one out of two days a year. (The other day was Independence Day.)
“Mr. President, I can confidently say that you gave him the best birthday present ever,” Erica Kirk said. “There is no limit to what he sacrificed for freedom.”
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who has worked with Kirk to mobilize young voters, also attended the event. Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, also attended. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also attended.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18. The nonprofit champions conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
On September 10, Kirk was killed by a gunman while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“This was a horrific, heinous, diabolical act of murder. He was assassinated at the peak of his life, boldly speaking the truth,” President Trump said. “Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and freedom.”
Kirk has worked closely with President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign, and is credited with helping propel the president to the White House through outreach to young voters. President Trump said he supported Kirk in 2015, before he won his first term, even though he was initially running against more than a dozen rivals for the Republican nomination.
“He said, ‘You’re going to win,'” Trump said. “He helped make that happen.”
The organization has a presence on hundreds of college and high school campuses, hosts conferences, encourages young people to organize around conservative issues, and produces a variety of media, including “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
The group’s mission is to “discover, educate, train, and organize students who advance the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government” and to build “the most organized, active, and powerful conservative grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses nationwide.”
What happened to Kirk’s murder suspect?
The suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested in connection with the shooting and was arraigned on September 16 on seven felonies, including aggravated murder, felonious discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and tampering with a witness.
Local prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty.
Will AI replace your job? Which occupations are most at risk?
Recent research on artificial intelligence reveals which jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI in the near future.
Unbranded – Lifestyle
People are already using the artificial intelligence agent ChatGPT for parenting and dating advice. Now, Walmart wants AI to help it shop online.
The world’s largest retailer is partnering with OpenAI to enable customers to shop and pay with the ChatGPT chatbot, Walmart announced on Tuesday, October 14th. Scheduled to roll out soon, this deployment will empower shoppers and enable them to pay using OpenAI’s instant checkout technology.
“For years, the e-commerce shopping experience has consisted of search bars and long lists of product answers. That’s about to change,” Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in a news release. “Introducing multimedia, personalized, and contextual native AI experiences.”
Walmart debuted its own Sparky AI shopping assistant in June, and it looks like it will continue to be part of the new shopping experience powered by ChatGPT. “Through our partnership with Sparky, and including this important step with OpenAI, we are moving toward a more enjoyable and convenient future,” McMillon said.
How can OpenAI and ChatGPT help you shop at Walmart?
Walmart shoppers and Sam’s Club members can use AI to “plan meals, restock household essentials, or find new items. Customers just chat and buy, and Walmart takes care of the rest,” the company said in a statement.
With ChatGPT, when a shopper asks about, say, “the best running shoes under $100” or “gifts for ceramics lovers,” the chatbot suggests related products, and with Instant Checkout, which OpenAI announced on September 29, “users can tap ‘Buy,’ review order, shipping and payment details (with the ability to save payment options), and complete the purchase.”
Grocery shopping: We’ve discovered some of Kroger’s controversial digital price tags. Here’s how they worked.
According to OpenAI, Etsy and Shopify have been announced as the first merchants to use Instant Checkout for single-item purchases, with multi-item online carts to be introduced in the future.
“We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday shopping a little easier,” Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said in a statement. “This is just one way that together we can help AI help people with their daily lives.”
shop at walmart
AI shopping could be easier, but also has potential risks
Artificial intelligence is being deployed for many purposes in retail, including AI that lets you try on clothes while shopping online, and automated shopping that automatically tallies purchases (no checkout lanes required), pioneered by Amazon in its own stores, airports, stadiums, and even Walmart’s Sam’s Club.
Three months ago, Walmart announced it would begin using AI to assist shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers to improve the shopping experience for shoppers and streamline company operations.
Consumers are already embracing AI shopping agents, with 64% saying they already use, plan to use, or want to use generative AI for shopping, according to a Coresight Research survey of 400 online consumers released on October 14th. Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) said they are more likely to shop on a website powered by an AI chatbot.
Many shoppers are experimenting with AI chatbots. “Younger generations are kind of AI-first consumers, and they start with ChatGPT,” John Harmon, managing director of technology at Coresight Research, told USA TODAY.
Using AI to help you shop can help you make better purchases, Harmon says. I considered myself a skeptic until a friend helped me. “I was looking for a backpack, so I went to ChatGPT and said, ‘Show me stylish designer backpacks for men under $100,’ and it generated a page full of products, photos, recommendations, descriptions, and reviews,” he said. “What these chatbots provide is a truly enriching shopping and search experience.”
Walmart said the AI-powered shopping experience will “learn, plan and predict, moving from being reactive to being proactive, allowing customers to anticipate their needs in advance.”
Some shoppers may not want to share all the information needed to shop online with an AI bot, Harmon says. “Everything you enter into the chatbot is used to improve the model. So the chatbot remains there. Protecting your personal information is very important,” he said.
Shoppers will need to learn how to balance AI advice. “I get tons of emails every day offering 40% off jewelry from certain retailers, but I don’t buy jewelry,” Harmon said.
He said chatbots “could improve personalization by learning about you and what you like. That could save time and help people buy more things, but it could also improve the shopping experience so you don’t waste time with ads for products you don’t want.”
Contributed by: Reuters
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: blythe & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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Here’s what you need to know about Social Security payments during the ongoing government shutdown.
Funding for critical programs remains deadlocked between Republicans and Democrats in Congress as the government shutdown extends into its 14th day.
So far, programs such as Social Security, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have continued to distribute benefits to enrollees, but officials have warned that may soon become impossible for some.
The day before the shutdown began, the National WIC Association warned that the program, which provides funding to millions of low-income women and children, would run out of funding within weeks unless Congress passes a new budget.
As that deadline approached last week, the White House announced a temporary funding injection to keep the program going. But the National WIC Association warns that this temporary fix won’t be enough to keep it running long term.
Here’s what you need to know about WIC as the shutdown “barrels” toward what Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said could be “one of the longest shutdowns in American history.”
USA TODAY reached out to the White House and the National WIC Association for comment, but did not receive a response.
What is WIC?
WIC is a federal nutrition program that provides meals, education, and counseling to approximately 7 million at-risk pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individuals, as well as infants and children up to age 5 years.
What happens to WIC during a government shutdown?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) contingency plan, WIC will continue to operate in the event of a closure as long as funding is available. However, because WIC is not designated as a “mandatory expenditure,” funding for the program is subject to regular appropriations and approvals by Congress.
Georgia Machel, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, said in a Sept. 30 news release that the program’s funding would be depleted within a week or two if the shutdown continues.
If WIC runs out of funds, it can “capture and reallocate unused grants from prior fiscal years” to state-level activities. However, according to the plan, federal operations would cease if the funds were no longer available. States can roll over up to 3% of their fiscal year 2025 funding if unused, according to the Center for Food Research and Action. The remaining funds will be returned to USDA and reallocated to fiscal year 2026.
If the federal government runs out of money, states and local governments can fill in the gaps if they have the money and later apply for reimbursement from the federal government.
How much funding was provided to WIC at one time?
On October 7, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said in a social media post that the White House had found “creative ways” to continue funding WIC through tariff revenue. On October 9, the Associated Press reported that $300 million of unused tariff revenue and remaining funds from other programs had been injected into the program. At least some states began receiving funds by that afternoon.
Some, like Alaska and Washington, told The Associated Press the funding would last until late October or early November.
“While we welcome efforts to keep WIC open during the shutdown, families need long-term stability, not short-term uncertainty,” Machel said in an Oct. 7 statement. “There is no substitute for the work of Congress. WIC needs year-round funding, not just a temporary lifeline.”
USDA told USA TODAY in an Oct. 14 statement that it will continue to use customs revenue to fund WIC “for the foreseeable future.”
Earlier this year, the National WIC Association criticized House Republicans and the White House for proposing deep cuts to the program, saying in May that President Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget request threatens the health and nutrition of millions of low-income families.
“I am extremely disappointed in the President’s proposed cuts to WIC’s nutrition assistance budget,” Machel said in a May 30 statement. “By cutting WIC’s cash value benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables by two-thirds and reducing overall program funding, this proposal would take healthy food directly out of the hands of low-income mothers and young children who face nutritional risks.”
Check out Tyndall Ford’s 33rd Annual Custom Car Cruise
There were plenty of classic cars to dazzle at at the 33rd Annual Custom Car Cruise hosted by Tyndall Ford on Saturday, October 4, 2025 in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Friends With Classic Cars recently brought the community together for a show highlighting vintage cars and horse-drawn carriages in the rebuilding of Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood.
this was 6th The show is held twice a year, in the spring and fall at Etheldra Mae Williams Park. The fall show, held on October 11th and 12th, focused primarily on American classic cars, but there were also some German and Japanese classics on display. The biggest attraction of the show wasn’t the cars, but the horses.
horseless carriage
The main theme of the show was how horse-drawn carriages transitioned from the original horse-drawn carriage invented by Karl Benz in 1886 to today’s automobiles. Some of the oldest cars on display included a 1925 Garden four-door inline-six sedan, a 1926 Ford Model T formerly owned by Faygo Beverage Co., a 1932 Rincon Continental, and several other classic and antique cars.
Recent car shows: Lowriders parade through San Francisco, celebrating generations of Latino heritage
original horsepower
Horses for the event were transported by Queen Carriage Horserides. Founder Sabrina Cesaire has a stable of horses available for booking events in the Detroit area.
buy back blocks
The Brightmoor area has been a struggle for many years. There was even a Hollywood horror movie called “The Barbarian” set in this neighborhood. Michael Williams, a Detroit native and leader of the Etheldra May Foundation, has been working with the community to rebuild the region. He hosts events at the park he named after his mother. Many of the vehicles on display at the show are from his collection.
“This was a haven for illegal dumping, illegal drug abuse, prostitution, abandoned cars and homes,” Williams said. Over the years, great efforts have been made to make the area safer with free community events that are open to everyone. “I bought some properties with some partners at auction in Wayne County, and we created what we have here today,” he said.
Kenan Thompson is a car culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Keenan at kthompson@freepress.com. Follow him on Instagram @keenanaautos. To sign up automotive newsletter. become a subscriber.
Israel has restricted aid and called for borders to be closed until at least Wednesday.
Nidal Al Mughrabi, Maayan Rubel, Emma Farge |Reuters
Israel releases about 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza ceasefire agreement
Israel has released around 2,000 Palestinians, including minors and bodies of militants, after Hamas released 20 living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
CAIRO/JERUSALEM – Hamas handed over more dead hostages on Tuesday after Israel threatened to cut aid to Gaza and President Donald Trump threatened violence if Palestinian militants do not disarm.
more: Who are the hostages released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement?
A day after President Trump spoke in Jerusalem touting a plan to end the war, reemerging Hamas fighters executed a man in the street, and Israel told the United Nations it would only allow half the number of people per day agreed to in last week’s cease-fire deal.
more: President Trump says if Hamas doesn’t disarm, the US will force it to do so, ‘perhaps violently’
Israeli officials said Israel decided to limit aid and delay plans to open southern border crossings to Egypt after Hamas violated a cease-fire agreement by failing to hand over the bodies of hostages who died after being captured in Israel’s October 2023 invasion.
Hours later, Hamas informed intermediaries that the four bodies would be transferred to Israel starting at 3pm ET, a person involved in the operation told Reuters.
Later, the Israeli military announced that the Red Cross had received four coffins from Hamas and was on its way to hand over the remains to the Israeli military. Two years of Israeli attacks have left much of the enclave in ruins. Hamas said on Tuesday that Israel was killing people in the Gaza Strip and violating the ceasefire. President Trump has suggested that Hamas is reneging on its promise to return the dead and threatened the group with violence.
“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm,” Trump told reporters in Washington after returning from a weekend trip to the Middle East. “And it’s going to happen quickly and probably violently.”
President Trump and Middle East leaders sign Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement
President Donald Trump signs an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire agreement as aid flows into Gaza, freeing hostages and prisoners.
Hamas, which occupied Gaza in a brief civil war in 2007, quickly reclaimed streets in urban Gaza following the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces last week.
In a video circulating late Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men with their hands tied behind their backs into a Gaza City square, forced them to their knees and shot them in the back as dozens of onlookers watched from nearby storefronts.
Hamas officials confirmed that the video was shot on Monday and that Hamas fighters took part in the execution. Reuters was able to confirm the location from visible geographical features.
Delay in handing over hostage bodies
President Trump previously gave Hamas his blessing to reassert some control over Gaza, at least temporarily. Israeli authorities have so far declined to comment publicly on the re-emergence of the group’s fighters.
On Monday, President Trump proclaimed “a new historical dawn for the Middle East” in Israel’s parliament, as Israel and Hamas exchanged 20 of the last surviving Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip and approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners of war.
Before the latest hostage bodies were handed over to the Red Cross, Hamas handed over four coffins of dead hostages, leaving at least 23 people dead and one person missing in the Gaza Strip.
Obstacles to lasting peace
Gaza residents said they saw more Hamas fighters on Tuesday, deploying them along routes needed to deliver aid. Palestinian security officials say dozens of people have been killed in clashes between Hamas fighters and rival forces in recent days.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed five Palestinians and injured another, while Israel used a drone to check homes on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City, Gaza health authorities announced.
Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. The Israeli military said it opened fire on people who ignored calls to turn back and crossed the cease-fire line to approach Israeli forces.
On Monday, a summit he co-hosted with President Trump in Egypt ended without announcing any major progress toward establishing an international military force or a new governing body for Gaza.
Aid trucks, which were expected to arrive in the hundreds per day, have not yet been allowed to enter Gaza City and its surrounding areas, where hunger afflicts more than 500,000 Palestinians. Plans to open the border to Egypt to allow some Gazans to escape have not yet been implemented, and were initially intended to evacuate the injured for treatment.
Hamas asserts control
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the war will not end until Hamas lays down its arms and cedes control of Gaza, a demand the fighters reject.
Hamas officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the group would not tolerate further violations of order in the Gaza Strip and would target collaborators, armed looters and drug traffickers.
The group was severely weakened by two years of Israeli shelling and ground incursions, but has been gradually re-establishing itself since the ceasefire took hold. The company sent hundreds of workers to begin clearing debris along routes needed to access damaged or destroyed homes and repair broken water pipes. Road clearance and safety measures will also be needed to increase aid delivery.
The ceasefire halted two years of devastating war in Gaza that began with an Oct. 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to an Israeli tally.
Israeli forces have killed at least 67,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, and thousands more are feared to have died after being trapped under rubble. The Gaza Civil Defense Authority said 250 bodies had been recovered since the start of the ceasefire.
Which NFL coaches will be in the spotlight after Week 6?
Brian Callahan’s absence will further heat up the NFL hot seat for Mike McDaniel, Aaron Glenn and Kevin Stefanksi.
Three weeks later, three different teams held the number one spot.
The Lions’ second loss leaves them well out of first place, but this is partly due to circumstance, given how crowded the field is.
Do you seek stability? Look in the basement.
NFL power rankings entering Week 7 of the 2025 season (previous rankings in parentheses):
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4): If the season ended today, which it doesn’t, they would have home field advantage and a bye in the NFC playoff field. If the season ended today, it’s very likely that QB Baker Mayfield would be worthy of the league MVP, even though it actually isn’t. Mayfield & Co., which scored its first game-ending kneedown of the season on Sunday, has consistently shown it can win even without all of its top players. Still not convinced? Maybe you will, too, if the Bucks pass their next test — in prime time against an injured Lions team at Motown.
2. Green Bay Packers (5): If this seems lofty for a team that hadn’t won in the month leading up to Sunday, that’s fine, but it’s partly a reflection of other clubs failing to pack up their boards. But there’s no denying the talent that exists here and the fact that they got healthier during the bye. And what about when your best offensive player is upchucking down the field… racking up 150 total yards and 2 TDs? It’s legal.
Josh Jacobs rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns despite the weather.
He said he vomited before, during and after the game and was microphoned. He said he didn’t know if it would work. pic.twitter.com/QgRvC5j8Cn
3. Los Angeles Rams (8): WR Puka Nacua’s ankle sprain comes at a less-than-ideal time, forcing the team to park in Baltimore before heading east to London. The glass is half full, and the team’s bye week arrives after this weekend’s matchup with the Jags in UK.
4. Seattle Seahawks (12): A team of road warriors that is philosophically built to play nasty defense (check) and run the ball, and has perhaps, and surprisingly, probably the strongest quarterback-receiver duo in the league at the moment. WR Jackson Smith-Njiba has surpassed Nacua to lead the league in receiving yards (696) and is within touching distance of the elusive 2,000-yard pace. Sam Darnold continues to be incredibly efficient (116.0 QB rating) while making the most of his opportunities with a league-best 13.5 yards per attempt.
5. Indianapolis Colts (9): If the season ended today – which it doesn’t – they would have home field advantage and a bye in the AFC playoff field. If the season ended today — which it doesn’t — QB Daniel Jones could very well be the well-deserved Comeback Player of the Year. Still, I can’t help but feel a little skeptical. Indy’s only win in Week 2 against Denver remains against an opponent that currently has at least two wins.
6. Denver Broncos (10): A week after beating an undefeated team, they almost lost to an undefeated team. Still, this defense may be the single most dominant unit in the league, with 90 sacks since the start of last season, 28 more than any other team. With a league-high 30 wins in 2025, the Broncos are on pace to break the Bears’ 1984 single-season record (72 wins).
7. Buffalo Bills (2): To be fair, they are missing a lot of key players at the moment. And to be fair, their four wins were against clubs with a combined 3-21 record.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (3): Is a team with RB Saquon Barkley and QB Jalen Hurts in the backfield expected to rush for nearly 400 fewer yards than Barkley alone did in 2024? What? teeth? Happening? here?
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (6): A talented young team is easily disappointed as they are six days away from defeating a reigning dynasty. Let’s see how the Jags bounce back against a potentially debilitating Rams and end their three-game “homestand” in London.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (14): The talented, old-school team was six days removed from facing an up-and-coming nation, but they responded with a decidedly nimble effort, scoring four touchdowns, no penalties, and no turnovers against a powerhouse in the same league. And reinforcements are in the works, as WR Laci Rice is no longer suspended and LT Josh Simmons is scheduled to return from a one-game absence.
11. Detroit Lions (1): This is a good place to pause for a moment and ask whether it’s appropriate to drop a team from 1st to 11th overall just because a dominant four-game winning streak has ended. Maybe so? But it’s hard to differentiate between the teams currently assembled, as 1) the Lions suffer from poor competition and their losses were clearly handled by the best teams they’ve ever faced (Packers, Chiefs), and 2) the league’s apparent teams are so densely packed that there are 14 teams with a winning percentage of .667 or higher (and three more teams with a 3-2 record). The Bucks will likely testify. DB Brian Branch’s own suspension doesn’t help much either.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (13): Mike Tomlin went into full-on boring mode and made plays that hurt opponents abnormally, which led to Cleveland trading QB Joe Flacco to the Bengals, leaving Pittsburgh facing Jake Browning on a short week. That shouldn’t be a problem, considering the Steelers are based right next to the river in Cincy and have won 10 of their last 12 games.
13. New England Patriots (15): Mike Vrabel will next take a burgeoning team to Nashville, starting at least 4-2 for the first time since Tom Brady’s final year in Foxboro (2019)…where he won’t even have the satisfaction of beating the coach hired to replace him.
14. Chicago Bears (19): It’s currently three games in the heat, but the temperature could soar considering they play opponents who currently have two or fewer wins over the next four weeks. Rookie coach Ben Johnson knew it would take time for his system and culture to take root, but this could be the point where it sticks.
15. Commander Washington (11): They doubled their season total from three to six on Monday night. QB Jaden Daniels, who kept Chicago from losing until the end anyway, was able to get some of his weapons back.
16. San Francisco 49ers (7): We know, but they are still in first place with a sweep in the bag after passing through the division once. But how will an already middling defense survive the loss of Nick Bosa? and Fred Warner?
17. Los Angeles Chargers (20): We know, but they are still in first place with a sweep in the bag after passing through the division once. And they won on Sunday, with their third and fourth offensive tackles stopping all but one sack of QB Justin Herbert and running back Kimani Vidal gaining 138 yards and a TD. But even a two-point escape from a dysfunctional Dolphins team doesn’t bode well for the playoffs.
18. Houston Texans (17): How stingy is this defense? They are scoring a league-low 1.19 points per drive, and if they can maintain that number, Houston could eventually return to the top of the division.
19. Carolina Panthers (23): In case you’re wondering, RB1 Chuba Hubbard is in the first season of a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension, but only $4.5 million is guaranteed after 2025. It’s hard to say what that means for his revelatory replacement Rico Doodle, who is being paid $2.8 million this year, but it stands to reason that Hubbard will at least rejoin the team soon.
20. Atlanta Falcons (24): Manager Raheem Morris continues to say running back Bijan Robinson is “the best player in football.” After rushing for a career-best 238 yards, including an 81-yard TD Bolt, in a win over the Bills, who’s to say Morris is wrong?
21. Minnesota Vikings (18): QB1 JJ McCarthy’s return is still undetermined. That’s not the case with the Vikes’ schedule, as they will face four consecutive opponents who qualified for the playoffs last season. Interesting conundrum.
22. Dallas Cowboys (16): Owner Jerry Jones has received a lot of criticism (rightfully so?) for trading DE Micah Parsons, and he deserves more credit for failing to retain Dowdle, Dallas’ leading rusher, in 2024. But give Jones credit for acquiring WR George Pickens, who had 19 catches for 359 yards and four TDs in the three games the injured CeeDee Lamb missed. The next question, of course, is how Jones will handle Pickens, who is set to become a free agent in 2026, financially.
23. New York Giants (28): Interesting quarterback fun fact – Jackson Dart became only the third player in league history to gain at least 50 rushing yards in his first three starts (the others being Hurts and Lamar Jackson). It will be tough to keep that winning streak alive Sunday in Denver.
24. Baltimore Ravens (21): The 1-5 start is tied for the worst in team history. But with any luck, Jackson, and likely many of his currently injured teammates, will be back on the other side of a Week 7 bye.
25. Cincinnati Bengals (25): Their 2-4 start mirrors their start in 2024, when they narrowly missed making the playoffs. But with any luck, QB Joe Burrow, and perhaps the defense and run game, will be back…at some point this season.
26. Arizona Cardinals (22): Is this a sub-optimal scenario for a team that is struggling after four games with most of its top players faltering? Why not visit from Pakku? Still, those four losses combined for nine points are worth nothing. QB2 Jacoby Brissett led his team to 27 points (tied for a season high) and 400 yards (a season high) in a near miss at Indy on Sunday.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (29): Second-year DT Jonah Raul is off to a great start, tying Maxx Crosby for the team lead with four sacks. Raul trails Crosby in TFL (6 RBI) and QB hitting (5 RBI).
28. New Orleans Saints (27): Although there are few results in the win column, second-year QB Spencer Rattler has a very good opinion of himself.
29. Cleveland Browns (26): Is there a perfect remedy for an offense that hasn’t scored more than 17 points in the past 11 games? Visiting Miami defense that hasn’t allowed fewer than 21 points in the past seven games.
30. Miami Dolphins (30): Say this to Mike McDaniel, who is in a tough spot. He won’t be the first coach to be fired this season, as QB Tua Tagovailoa has claimed, both on and off the field.
31. Tennessee Titans (31): It’s been 47 games since they won back-to-back games…so fired HC Brian Callahan is only half the blame. But that ineptitude is likely to continue, with the Titans’ next three games coming against opponents who currently have at least four wins.
32. New York Jets (32): The Cigars appear to be nearing the halfway mark of winless NYJ’s six losses by two points. And considering the offense nearly won Sunday despite racking up 82 yards? There are no moral victories in the NFL, but there are reasons not to let morale slip away here.
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Save money on groceries with these budget-friendly tips.
Problem solved, USA TODAY
When Sydney Martin is looking for a quick and affordable dinner for her mother and daughter, she’s increasingly stopping at the grocery store to buy prepared meals. She makes the side dishes at home, including rotisserie chicken, pot pie, and stuffed salmon.
“I feel like it’s cheaper than buying take-out food,” said Martin, 31, of Riverside, California. “With the fast food prices, you end up spending a lot more money than you do now.”
A new report from FMI, the food industry association, says shoppers like Martin are increasingly choosing food prepared in grocery store delis for their family meals, opting for pre-made snacks over going out to restaurants and using a combination of some prepared foods and some home-cooked foods.
Shoppers want dining convenience
Rick Stein, vice president of fresh produce at food industry association FMI, said grocery store owners have gone from feeling like they were competing primarily with the next supermarket to finding themselves competing with restaurants for “shares of stomach.”
“People have every opportunity to eat where they want to eat,” Stein told USA TODAY. “Consumers want convenience, so we think our industry is poised to be a great solution for consumers because they can combine that with their regular grocery shopping, but still enjoy that convenience with premium prepared foods.”
According to NIQ data cited in the FMI report, grocery store foodservice/prepared food purchases continue to increase. $19.6 billion was spent in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 9, an increase of 3.7% from the same period last year.
Nearly 64% of households said they purchased prepared food from a grocery store at least once in a 52-week period, an increase of 0.7%.
Fully cooked meat led the category, with dollar sales up 4.5% and unit sales up 8.1%. Pizza and marinated olives/vegetables also saw strong dollar strength and strong sales volume, according to NIQ data cited by FMI.
Two processed food categories that saw declines were lunch meats and deli processed beverages.
The variety of prepared foods at supermarkets is expanding
23% of shoppers surveyed by FMI said they shopped less at quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Instead, 85% said they are purchasing more at a grocery store or equivalent food service compared to last year.
Shoppers who said they plan to purchase more deli-prepared foods from grocery stores in the future included hybrid workers (40%), households with children (38%), Millennials (41%), urban households (29%), high-income households (28%), and Hispanic households (24%).
The appeal of grocery store-made meals has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow among shoppers, Stein said. It has also expanded to-go options, options for fully or partially cooked meals that are not hot, he said.
Stein said stores are offering more diverse menus for shoppers looking for healthier options and different cooking styles, while also managing “shrink,” or over-preparing food that goes to waste instead of being purchased.
Increased costs: Fast food used to be an inexpensive meal option. Why has it changed?
When shoppers are asked where they plan on buying their meals, Stein said, grocery stores are starting to become more of an answer. For years, supermarkets were No. 5 or 6 on the list, but in some areas they are starting to move up to No. 1 or No. 2 on the list, he said.
“We’re finally starting to realize as an industry that when we start thinking about what we want to eat, we say, ‘Oh, my grocery store might have it,'” Stein said.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist D’Angelo dies at age 51
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
D’Angelo, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer who created the retro R&B sound that symbolized the neo-soul movement of the mid-’90s, has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 51 years old.
Michael, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died on Tuesday, October 14, D’Angelo’s family confirmed to USA TODAY in a statement from a representative for RCA Records.
“Our family’s bright star dimmed its light for us in this world,” D’Angelo’s family said. “After a long and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to fans around the world as D’Angelo, is back home.”
“While we are saddened that he will only be left with cherished memories of his family, we are forever grateful for the extraordinary and inspiring musical legacy he left behind,” the family added. “While we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, we ask that you join us in mourning his loss, while also celebrating the gift of song he left to the world.”
The son of a Pentecostal preacher, D’Angelo got his big break in music by co-producing the 1994 single “U Will Know” by the supergroup Black Men United, a musical collective comprised of R&B heavyweights like Boyz II Men, Usher and Al B. R. Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, etc. The song peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The Virginia-born singer parlayed this mainstream breakthrough into a solo career with her 1995 debut solo album, Brown Sugar. Nominated for the D’Angelo Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, the platinum-certified LP signaled the emergence of neo-soul, an experimental branch of soul music known for its fusion with genres such as funk, jazz fusion, hip-hop, and rock.
D’Angelo’s second album, “Voodoo,” released in 2000, cemented his status as a pop culture sex symbol. The album’s provocative third single, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” caused controversy with its provocative music video, which featured a naked D’Angelo singing along to the sensual song.
RCA Records said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the news of D’Angelo’s passing. He was a unique visionary who effortlessly combined the classic sounds of soul, funk, gospel, R&B and jazz with hip-hop sensibilities.” “D’Angelo’s songwriting, musicality and unmistakable vocal style remain and will continue to inspire generations of artists.”
“One of one”: Jamie Foxx, Maxwell, Tank react to singer D’Angelo’s death
D’Angelo struggles with ‘Untitled’ sex symbol fame
Despite the success of “Untitled,” which included four MTV Video Music Award nominations, the video’s impact on D’Angelo’s image was a source of conflict for D’Angelo, who was reportedly uncomfortable with its sensual depictions.
D’Angelo’s former manager, Dominic Trenier, previously told Spin magazine: “I feel really guilty because I didn’t mean to do that.” “‘Untitled’ was not supposed to be his ‘voodoo’ mission statement. I’m glad the video was that, but he was disappointed and so was I, because to this day in the public’s memory he is the naked man.”
D’Angelo also had personal struggles, including a battle with alcoholism, which kept him out of the spotlight in later years.
In his personal life, D’Angelo dated R&B/soul singer Angie Stone in the 1990s, and Stone became the muse for Angie Stone’s album Brown Sugar. D’Angelo, who had a son with Stone in 1998, also appeared on Stone’s 1999 debut album, Black Diamond.
D’Angelo and Stone broke up in 1999 after D’Angelo, then 25, was accused of cheating on Stone, then 38. The soulful singer never married.
In addition to his son with Stone, D’Angelo had two other children, a daughter born in 1999 and a son born in 2010.
D’Angelo hints at the future of music with his final album
D’Angelo’s last album, Black Messiah, was released in December 2014. The album won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song (for “Really Love”).
Released 14 years after the release of his previous album, Voodoo, D’Angelo opened up about the album’s decade-and-a-half delay in an interview with Rolling Stone in June 2015.
Angie Stone: D’Angelo’s death comes less than a year after his former partner
“Events that happened in my personal life didn’t help, but it wasn’t the only thing. There were some moving parts, like management changes and record company changes,” D’Angelo told the magazine. “The music business is a tightrope, especially for someone like me who’s a real purist. Balancing the pressures of commercialism is a tightrope. There’s a fine line between sticking to your beliefs and insanity.”
The singer also reflected on the legacy of “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and his change of heart regarding the controversial song.
“I’m happy with it, and I feel like too much has been made out of it,” D’Angelo reflected. “The problem I had was that I thought it wasn’t about the song, it was all about me appearing nude.
“But now I think people were drawn to how sexy and beautiful the song was. Even if the song wasn’t good, it wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows. The video was just a great accompaniment.”
D’Angelo, who was 41 at the time of the interview, remained optimistic about his musical future even after a long hiatus.
“I want to do what Yahweh (God) has led me to do. Do I know exactly what that is? No, I don’t,” D’Angelo said. “I’m trying to keep myself open and open-minded and accept and understand what it is. But I want to put a lot of music out there. In many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.”
This story has been updated to add new information.
Chairman Powell says the U.S. economy may be on a “stronger trajectory than expected”
Although the U.S. labor market remains depressed through September with few jobs and layoffs, the overall economy “may be on a somewhat stronger trajectory than expected,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday.
In what is expected to be the Fed’s last public remarks before its October interest rate decision, Chairman Jerome Powell said there is no “risk-free” path for policy as inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target while the labor market shows signs of cooling.
Mr. Powell delivered the Adam Smith Award speech at the National Association for Business Economics in Philadelphia on October 14, defending the Fed’s balance sheet and participating in a question-and-answer session. His comments suggested the Fed remains on track to cut rates again at its two-day meeting on Oct. 28 and 29.
Despite discrepancies in federal data due to the government shutdown, he said, “The outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed significantly since our September meeting.”
But he said data available before the shutdown showed the overall economy “may be on a slightly more robust trajectory than expected.”
In his remarks, Powell noted that the 12-month core PCE inflation rate in August was 2.9%, up slightly from the start of the year, and that there were “significant downside risks” to the labor market. Employers added just 22,000 jobs in August, according to the latest publicly available Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report, but private sector data released since then shows a further cooling.
Employment statistics are delayed due to the government shutdown. What data economists are tracking instead
Fed considers non-government data during shutdown
Powell said the Federal Open Market Committee will continue to follow its meeting schedule and make decisions based on available data. Powell said that in the absence of the BLS’s main employment report, the committee would consider alternative sources of information, such as state-level unemployment claims reports and ADP’s national employment report, which found that U.S. private employers cut 32,000 jobs in September.
“In general, the private and alternative data we consider is better used as a supplement to the underlying government data, and this is the gold standard,” Powell said. “If you take it as a supplement, it won’t be as effective as the main course.”
The department announced that it will release the September Consumer Inflation Report (CPI) on October 24 to help the Social Security Administration determine annual cost-of-living adjustments for 2026. That means FOMC members will have an opportunity to review the report before their two-day meeting at the end of October.
Tariffs and Fed balancing measures
Powell highlighted the dual mandate of stabilizing prices and maximizing employment, acknowledging the risk that tariffs could contribute to sustained inflation rather than a one-time adjustment if they are passed through to consumer prices more slowly than expected.
Tariffs pose a challenge for the Fed because they could both raise consumer prices and slow economic growth, forcing the central bank to walk a delicate tightrope.
“If we act too quickly, we could leave inflation work unfinished and have to come back later and finish it,” Powell said. “Moving too slowly could result in unnecessary and painful losses in the job market.”
Contact Rachel Barber rbarber@usatoday.com X Follow her at @rachelbarber_
President Donald Trump is not a fan of Time magazine’s cover photo.
Time published the cover of its next November 10th issue on X. The photo features a photo of President Trump taken from a low altitude in the sun, creating a halo effect with his hair blurring in the light. It features three titles: “His Victory,” “The Leader Israel Needed,” and “How to Heal Gaza.” XPost links to an article that says a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas could be the signature outcome of President Trump’s second term.
But Trump appeared on Truth Social early in the morning after returning to the United States from Egypt to criticize the photo.
“Time magazine wrote a relatively good article about me, but the photo may be the worst ever. They ‘erased’ my hair and then they had what looked like a crown floating on top of my head, but it was very small,” Trump wrote. “Really strange! I’ve never liked taking pictures from below, but this is a very bad picture and deserves to be condemned. What are they doing and why?”
Did Ivanka Trump convert to Judaism? President Trump mentions her in Israel speech
See the cover of Trump on Time magazine
Living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released under the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, alongside the release of Palestinian prisoners. The agreement could be the signature achievement of President Trump’s second term and could be a strategic turning point for the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/0bZDABIDGj
Time Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its November cover.
This is not the first time Trump has appeared on the cover of the magazine. The February 2025 cover featured an illustration of President Trump brushing things off his desk in the Oval Office, with the caption, “He’s back.” The May 2025 cover featured a close-up portrait of him staring into the camera, titled “Dealing with It.”
Trump was also named Time magazine’s 2024 Person of the Year.
“Perhaps no individual has played a greater role in changing the course of politics and history than Mr. Trump since he began running for president in 2015,” editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs wrote at the time.
President Trump previously expressed outrage over his portrait in Colorado.
In March, a portrait of President Donald Trump that was put up by state Republicans in the Colorado State Capitol six years ago was removed after the president was outraged on social media.
“No one likes a bad photo or painting of themselves, but the pictures that the governor and other presidents put up in the Colorado State Capitol were intentionally distorted to a degree that probably even I have never seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time, without explaining why he thought it was distorted.
The portrait’s artist, Sarah A. Boardman, told The Denver Post when it was unveiled in 2019 that the portrait was intended to represent American history, not tell the story of any particular president, and was intended primarily to appear apolitical.
Trump also made changes to his presidential portrait. In June, just months after taking office, the White House unveiled an updated version of his official portrait for the second time in this presidential term. Like the portrait released in January, President Trump’s latest portrait shows him with a furrowed brow and a serious expression. However, the new image uses more dramatic lighting on a black background, rather than the flag or decorative wall in the background of the previous portrait. Trump also swapped his blue tie for a red one.
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky (@kinseycrowley.bsky.social).
Venezuela accuses US Navy of illegally seizing fishing boat
Tensions continue in the Caribbean after Venezuela claims that an American citizen aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer illegally boarded a tuna fishing boat.
straight arrow news
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced on October 14 that his administration has ordered another military attack on ships carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela. This is the fifth such attack in the Caribbean since September.
President Trump announced that six male “narco-terrorists” on the boat were killed. In his post to X, President Trump attached a video showing an attack on a boat at sea ending in a fiery explosion.
“Intelligence officials have confirmed that this vessel is engaged in drug trafficking, is involved in an illegal narco-terrorism network, and was sailing along known DTO routes,” Trump said. “The airstrike took place in international waters, and six male narco-terrorists on board the ship were killed in the airstrike. There were no casualties to U.S. forces.”
more: 21 people were killed in attacks on fishing boats in the Caribbean ordered by President Trump. Attempts to prevent this have failed.
The Trump administration said four previous attacks on similar vessels had killed 21 people transporting drugs.
In February, President Trump designated some drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” a move that government officials say provides legal justification for the attacks. But Democrats question Trump’s legal basis for using military force to attack ships that pose no imminent threat of attack, even if they are carrying drugs.
In October, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected a Democratic-backed bill sponsored by California Sen. Adam Schiff and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine that would have halted the use of military force against ships in the Caribbean.
Nasser al-Qudwa, a prominent critic of the current Palestinian leadership, called for a “serious confrontation with corruption in this country.”
Tom Perry and Ali Sawafta |Reuters
“A lot of money is flowing into Gaza,” President Trump says after hostages are released.
President Trump held a summit with world leaders to discuss next steps for rebuilding Gaza following the ceasefire agreement.
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 14 (Reuters) – The nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has returned to the West Bank after four years in self-imposed exile, declaring his readiness to help Hamas govern and transform it into a political party, outlining a roadmap to ensure peace in the Gaza Strip.
Nasser al-Qudwa, a prominent critic of the current Palestinian leadership, also called for a “serious confrontation with corruption in this country.” He said President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement needs fundamental reforms and needs to do more to counter Jewish settler violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“The first duty… is to regain the trust in the streets that we have lost. And we have to have the courage to say it’s no longer there. Without that, frankly, it’s a waste,” Kudwa told Reuters in an interview.
more: Biden and Harris ‘praise’ Trump for securing Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal
Mr. Khudwa left the West Bank in 2021 after being expelled from the Fatah movement founded by his uncle over his decision to field his own list in the election against Mr. Abbas, who canceled the vote.
Abbas, 89, readmitted Qudwa to Fatah last week after offering amnesty to the expelled member.
Palestinian Authority seeks role in Gaza
His return comes at the same time as renewed pressure on Abbas to carry out long-delayed reforms in the Palestinian Authority, which sought a role in Gaza after losing to Hamas in 2007 despite Israeli opposition and being removed from President Donald Trump’s plans.
With President Trump declaring an end to the war, the future governance of Gaza has become a focus. The next step must address demands for Hamas’ disarmament and end to its rule in the Gaza Strip, where it launched the attack on Israel that sparked the war on October 7, 2023.
more: Israel latest news: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says “We are at war” as Hamas launches surprise attack from multiple directions
Although scant on details, President Trump’s proposal foresees an internationally supervised, technocratic Palestinian commission to run Gaza and the deployment of international forces to support a new Palestinian police force.
Palestinian analysts say Mr. Qudwa could play a role depending on how Trump’s plan develops, citing his ties to Arab countries, his contacts with Hamas, his status as Mr. Arafat’s nephew and his Gaza background, meaning he was born in Khan Younis.
“If I have to, I won’t hesitate,” said Kudwa, 72.
Promote change in Hamas
Qudwa’s idea hinges on whether Hamas commits to abolishing both executive and security control over Gaza and placing arms under the control of a new governing body. Hamas has indicated it will not play any role as a government, but has refused to disarm.
In return, “the door should be opened for political change to political parties,” Kudwa said.
He said existing police assets in Gaza should be utilized for a new police force, and that Gaza’s current police force could be scrutinized and utilized as well.
Hamas should be given guarantees.
“Hamas needs to understand that no one will come after them, that some of their staff will have other opportunities, that they will not be assassinated, and that they will have the opportunity to participate in political activities.”
He said a Palestinian “committee” could run Gaza. Mr Abbas could appoint a director while maintaining ties with the West Bank and Gaza, but Mr Qudwa said he was not suggesting “the (Palestinian) Authority be brought back in its place to govern Gaza”.
He said international monitoring would be “fine,” but Gaza must be run by Palestinians and must be able to hold elections (the last one in 2006).
Kudwa did not provide details of the corruption he was referring to, but said he was “astounded” by how widespread it was. Opinion polls show the PA is widely seen as corrupt among Palestinians.
Political analyst Hani al-Masri said Qudwa could play a role in Gaza, but Palestinian factions first need to agree on a way forward. “Without consensus, no one person can play a successful role,” he said.
“The challenges are big. The most important one is Israel, which does not want the PA to return to Gaza.”
How many stick shift cars can you name from American brands?
Manual transmissions from American brands are almost extinct except for these vehicles.
Manual transmissions are very rare these days, especially in American car companies.
Most drivers prefer automatics, so stick shift becomes an acquired preference. Most of them remain only in enthusiast cars and the general public has little interest in them, so it doesn’t make economic sense for companies to manufacture them. But for those who are paying attention, there are a few still under construction.
Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing
Cadillac has specialized in luxury cars for more than a century, and they still have a lineup of great performance cars. The CT4-V Blackwing features a 6-speed manual to match the 3.6-liter V6 engine.
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
The CT4-V Blackwing’s big brother, the CT5-V Blackwing, also uses the same six-speed manual transmission. The biggest feature of this model is that it is equipped with a 6.2 liter V8 engine. With the Chevrolet Camaro being discontinued and the Corvette being automatic-only, the Blackwing lineup offers the only manual car that GM still sells.
ford bronco
Most stick shifts are found on road performance cars, but some off-road performers also have them. The classic Ford Broncos came with three-speed, four-speed, and five-speed manual options over the years. The new-generation Bronco is available with an optional manual in base, Badlands, and Big Bend trim levels. For those who want better control over the throttle when tackling tough trails, the manual is a very attractive option.
In case you missed it: What American V8 engines are still sold today?
ford mustang
The Ford Mustang has been equipped with a stick shift since its launch. Although many buyers opt for automatics and some trims don’t include a manual option, stick shifts are still essential to the Mustang lineage. The Mustang GT has a standard six-speed, but the Dark Horse uses a more precise TREMEC manual gearbox.
jeep wrangler
For those interested, the Wrangler still has a manual option. The Gladiator pickup truck used to have a stick shift option, but it was discontinued for the 2025 model year. This will make the Wrangler the only manual car remaining under the Stellantis umbrella for the U.S. market.
polaris slingshot
Although technically an automatic bicycle rather than a car, the Polaris Slingshot does come with a manual option. Available in any Slingshot trim level.
Kenan Thompson is a car culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Keenan at kthompson@freepress.com. Follow him on Instagram @keenanaautos. To sign up automotive newsletter. become a subscriber.
President Trump and Maine Governor condemn trade involving transgender athletes
President Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills clashed over Trump’s order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
WASHINGTON – Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills has announced that she will run for the U.S. Senate to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has served as the Pine Tree state senator since 1996.
Mills will participate in the Democratic primary for the Senate, which is expected to be a crowded race. Other candidates include Graham Platner, a Marine Corps and U.S. Army veteran who has been endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban, and former congressional aide Jordan Wood.
Mr. Collins, Maine’s senior senator, has earned a reputation as a rare Republican senator willing to stand up to Mr. Trump at times. The 72-year-old voted against final passage of President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, and also opposed the president’s support of $9 billion in cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid funding.
But Mills, 77, claimed in an Oct. 14 video announcing his candidacy that Collins has forgotten his principles and is “at the mercy of bullies like Trump.”
“I cannot stand by while the people of Maine suffer. Politicians like Susan Collins bend the knee as if it’s normal. My life’s work has prepared me for this fight, and I’m ready to win,” Mills said. “This election will be a simple choice: Will Maine bow down or will it stand up?”
In an interview with NBC News, Mills pointed to Collins’ decision to approve some of President Trump’s cabinet picks, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who changed COVID-19 vaccine policy, urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, made unproven claims that Tylenol is linked to increased risk of autism in children, and led an effort to remove eight artificial food dyes from medicines and the nation’s food supply. End of 2026.
Mills also told the news outlet that he does not plan to serve multiple terms if elected, saying his “age is a consideration.”
In a post on X before Mills announced her candidacy, Sanders wrote that it was “unfortunate” that some Democratic leaders were encouraging her to run. “We need to focus on winning seats and not waste millions of dollars on unnecessary and divisive primaries.”
Former Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wilde told X: “Janet Mills is 10 years older than me, and I wonder why she decided not to run for Congress again next year. She didn’t want to add to the aging issue of Congress.”
The Democratic Party views this election as one of its biggest electoral opportunities in 2026.
Netflix’s upcoming documentary “Being Eddie” is based on 40 hours of new interviews from Eddie Murphy’s home.
Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson team up on ‘The Pickup’
Eddie Murphy talks about Pete Davidson, their bond on ‘SNL’ and his new action-packed film ‘The Pickup’.
Please enjoy this!
In Eddie Murphy’s next movie, he’s playing the role of a lifetime: himself.
The Netflix documentary “Being Eddie” (out November 12) chronicles the comedian’s nearly 50-year career, from his stint on “Saturday Night Live” to hits like “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Shrek.” Many of his famous friends are interviewed, and the film takes the audience into Murphy’s home for candid conversations.
“Eddie is someone who feels like he knows who he is from the beginning,” director Angus Wall told USA TODAY in an exclusive premiere of the documentary. “He has been on the path of destiny since childhood. He is an artist who can express himself in many different ways, not only through comedy and acting, but also through music and all other different ways.
“He has an incredibly flexible mind and spirit. His openness was really refreshing and in some ways surprising.”
Wall began work on the film in 2019, when he was given “unprecedented access” behind the scenes of Murphy’s hosting of SNL. “We shot in[Lorne Michaels’]office, and no one has ever done that before, and no one may ever do it again,” the filmmaker says.
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When the coronavirus outbreak hit the following year, the director set up a camera at Murphy’s home during lockdown and had about 10 “open and vulnerable” four-hour chats on a wide range of topics. “For me, this movie is like that conversation and spending time with him,” Wall says. “He’s who he is in every situation. But he can be someone else more easily than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Murphy also talks about his many fan-favorite roles, from Yul Brynner to Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera, delivering one spot-on impression after another. “It’s an eight-part limited series, and it’s the only movie he’s ever made,” Wall says. But Murphy was also getting personal. Wall revealed that he spoke emotionally about the “deep relationship” he had with his brother Charlie, who died of leukemia in 2017.
In general, Wall found Murphy insightful, hilarious, and also spiritual. “He jokes about it in the movie,” Wall says. “But there was something about him that guided him throughout his entire career.”
Many familiar faces speak out about the “Being Eddie” comedian, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Foxx, and Tracee Ellis Ross. The film also depicts Murphy’s close friendships with fellow comedians Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, and Tracy Morgan. While they all have “respect” for the 64-year-old star, Wall says, “He’s very easy-going with them, and there’s a deep sense of kinship there.”
“Eddie is such an icon and a legend, but also one of the most interesting people in the world,” the filmmaker added. “He is truly a human unicorn.”
Job-hugging is a new form of job-hopping due to the slowdown in the labor market.
The government shutdown has delayed the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment data, but while there are some bright spots for job seekers, private data suggests the market remains tough.
Employers added just 22,000 jobs in August in the latest publicly available BLS employment report. Most industries were flat or contracted, but health care and social assistance drove most of the increase, adding about 31,000 and 16,000 jobs, respectively. The leisure and hospitality industry, which includes restaurants and bars, also added 28,000 jobs in August. Still, losses in other sectors offset those gains.
Over the past few months, health care and social assistance have emerged as reliable drivers of job growth. Over the past three months, BLS data shows that health care added about 114,000 jobs and social assistance added about 63,000 jobs. Together, they account for nearly three-quarters of the employment growth over the same period.
Over the past year, BLS data shows these two sectors accounted for just over half of all new jobs, with health care adding about 499,000 jobs and social assistance adding about 333,000.
While the market may be tough for job seekers outside of these industries, staffing agency experts say there are still opportunities wherever you look.
more: Immigration crackdowns could raise costs and reduce quality of care
What kind of work falls under health and social assistance?
In the BLS data framework, the healthcare sector includes outpatient healthcare services (e.g., ambulatory care), hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities. The social assistance sector covers individual and family services, community food and shelter, emergency and other relief services, vocational rehabilitation services, and child care services.
In healthcare, employment growth is relatively stable across subsectors, while within social assistance there is strong demand for personal and family services.
On the clinical side, employers are seeking roles for registered nurses, radiology technicians, physical therapists, nursing assistants, phlebotomists and home health aides, said Raj Namboosiri, senior vice president at staffing firm Manpower North America.
Non-clinical roles are also sought after. Jessica Johnson, Robert Half’s vice president of administrative and customer support operations, said the company is seeing increased demand for workers in areas such as credentialing, insurance verification, office administration and administration, patient registration, member services, registration and financial reconciliation.
Mr Johnson added that “skilled people are currently hard to find for any role”, prompting some employers in these sectors to incentivize the recruitment and retention of staff despite signs of cooling in the broader labor market.
Why health care and social assistance continue to grow
Experts say the health and social assistance sectors are benefiting from the recovery from the pandemic, an aging population and a growing shift to home health care and telemedicine.
“Healthcare is becoming more of an ecosystem than just one service at a time. It’s like a river branching out into all different streams,” Johnson says. “You typically think of traditional medicine, right? But there’s also mental health, home care, telemedicine, wellness, etc. The definition continues to expand.”
Therefore, the number of health workers supporting these services needs to be expanded, Johnson added.
Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at the Pacific Institute, said the field is also embracing artificial intelligence and other technological advances, creating new opportunities across the field.
Weingarten noted that medical demand is not tied to the broader economic cycle.
“If I get sick, I’m going to get sick and need medical services,” he said.
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown may also be playing a role in the increased demand for health care workers. Immigrants make up 17% of the total U.S. workforce, but they make up 31% of the home care worker workforce and 21% of the residential care aide and nursing assistant workforce, according to a 2024 report from Leading Age, an organization representing nonprofit senior care providers.
Although the social assistance sector includes a variety of services, social workers make up the majority of its workforce. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts that demand for BLS will increase by 6% from 2024 to 2034, which is faster than the average for all occupations. This growth may be driven by factors such as the aging baby boomer generation and increased demand for mental illness and substance abuse treatment, the handbook says.
What job seekers need to know
The job market isn’t all doom and gloom. ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey released in September found that 38% of employers plan to hire in the final quarter of this year.
Job seekers looking to secure a stable position may want to look to the medical field, which is relatively recession-proof for people with the “right mindset” and aptitude, Namboosiri said.
Johnson said that while there will probably always be a need for skilled workers to fill critical roles in most fields, health care is not just an opportunity for front-line workers.
“You might consider nonprofit healthcare organizations that support hospitals. You might look at digital or healthcare technology. Maybe apps that focus on health and wellness,” she said. “If you’re interested in health care, there are a lot of options.”
Contact Rachel Barber rbarber@usatoday.com X Follow her at @rachelbarber_
At a cement factory operated by Conch Group, an agent AI system built on Huawei infrastructure predicts clinker strength with more than 90% accuracy and autonomously adjusts firing parameters to reduce coal consumption by 1%. Decisions that previously required decades of human expertise are now possible.
This exemplifies how Huawei is developing agent-like AI systems that move beyond simple command-and-response interactions to platforms capable of independent planning, decision-making, and execution.
Huawei’s approach to building these agent AI systems is centered on a comprehensive strategy spanning AI infrastructure, foundation models, specialized tools, and agent platforms.
Huawei Cloud CTO Zhang Yuxin gave an overview of the framework at the recent Huawei Cloud AI Summit in Shanghai. At the summit, more than 1,000 political, business, and technology leaders explored practical implementations across finance, ports of entry, chemical manufacturing, healthcare, and autonomous driving.
This distinction is important because while traditional AI applications respond to user commands within a fixed process, agent AI systems operate with autonomy, fundamentally changing their role in enterprise operations.
Zhang characterized this as a “major shift in applications and computing,” noting that these systems will make decisions independently, adapt dynamically, and reshape the way computing systems interact and allocate resources. The question for enterprises is how to build infrastructure and platforms that can support this level of autonomous operations.
What do tomatoes and cement have in common? A behind-the-scenes look at how Huawei and Conch Group are using AI to reshape the construction industry. Next on the intelligent transformation menu is a tantalizing new age of architecture: smarter, faster, cheaper and greener. 🤤 pic.twitter.com/hEVIQ0xtUZ
Infrastructure challenges drive new computing architectures
The computational demands of agent AI systems have exposed the limitations of traditional cloud architectures, especially as the requirements for training and inference of the underlying models rapidly increase.
Huawei Cloud support includes CloudMatrix384 supernodes connected through a high-speed MatrixLink network, creating what the company says is a flexible hybrid computing system that combines general-purpose and intelligent computing capabilities.
This architecture specifically addresses bottlenecks in Mixture of Experts (MoE) models through expert parallel inference and reduces NPU idle time during data transfer. According to the company’s technical specifications, this approach improves inference speed on a single PU by 4-5x compared to other popular models.
The system also incorporates memory-centric AI-native storage designed for common AI tasks to increase the efficiency of both training and inference. ModelBest, a company specializing in general purpose AI and device intelligence, has demonstrated a practical application of this infrastructure.
Li Dahai, co-founder and CEO of ModelBest, detailed how the company’s MiniCPM series, which spans basic models, multimodal functions, and full modality integration, is integrated with Huawei cloud AI computing services to improve training energy efficiency by 20% and performance by 10% compared to industry standards.
The MiniCPM model has applications in automotive systems, smartphones, embedded AI, and AI-enabled personal computers.
From basic models to industry-specific applications
The challenge of adapting basic models to specific industry needs has driven the development of more sophisticated training methodologies. Huawei Cloud’s approach includes three main components: a complete data pipeline that handles collection through management, an out-of-the-box incremental training workflow, and a smart assessment platform with preconfigured assessment sets.
Incremental training workflows reportedly improve model performance by 20-30% through automatic adjustment of data and training settings based on core model features and industry-specific goals. Evaluation platforms allow you to quickly set up systems to industry or corporate benchmarks, addressing both accuracy and speed requirements.
Practical implementations demonstrate the practical application of these methodologies. Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Group partnered with Huawei to integrate AI and cultural tourism business.
Huang Yong, chairman of Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Group, explained that the organization used Huawei Cloud’s data and AI convergence platform to combine diverse cultural tourism data and create a comprehensive dataset spanning history, film, and intangible heritage.
The partnership established what is called a “trusted national data space for cultural tourism” on Huawei Cloud, enabling applications such as asset verification, copyright trading, corporate credit enhancement, and creative development.
This collaboration resulted in the Boguan Cultural Tourism Model, which powers AI-driven tools such as Cultural Tourism Intelligent Brain, Smart Management Assistant, Intelligent Travel Assistant, and AI Short Video Platform.
International implementations show a similar pattern. Dubai Municipality collaborated with Huawei Cloud to integrate foundational models, virtual humans, digital twins, and geographic information systems into city systems. Mariam Almheiri, CEO of Dubai Building Regulations and Permits Authority, spoke about how the integration has improved urban planning, facility management and emergency response.
Introducing an enterprise-grade agent platform
The distinction between consumer-grade AI agents and enterprise-grade agent AI systems focuses on integration requirements and operational complexity. Enterprise systems must integrate seamlessly into broader workflows, handle complex situations, and meet higher operational standards than consumer applications designed for rapid interaction.
Huawei Cloud’s Versatile platform addresses this gap by providing the infrastructure for companies to create agents tailored to their production needs. The platform combines AI compute, models, data platforms, tools, and ecosystem capabilities to streamline agent development through the deployment, release, usage, and management phases.
Conch Group’s introduction into cement production provides specific performance indicators. The company partnered with Huawei to develop what it calls the cement industry’s first AI-powered cement and building materials model.
The resulting cementing agent predicts clinker strength after 3 and 28 days. The predicted value deviates from the actual result by less than 1 MPa, indicating an accuracy of more than 90%. To optimize cement calcination, the model proposes key process parameters and operational solutions that reduce standard coal usage by 1% compared to Class A energy efficiency standards.
Xu Yue, assistant general manager at Conch Cement, said the model’s success in quality control, production optimization, equipment management and safety has established the basis for end-to-end collaboration and decision-making through cement distributors, moving the industry “from traditional reliance on expertise to a complete reliance on data across all processes.”
In corporate travel management, Smartcom uses Huawei Cloud Versatile to develop a travel agency that provides end-to-end smart services across departures, connections, and flights. Kong Xianghong, CTO and Director of Smartcom Solutions at Shenzhen Smartcom, reported that the system combines travel industry data, company policies, and personal travel history to generate recommendations.
Employees adopt more than half of these suggestions and complete reservations within two minutes. Through predictive question matching, agents solve 80% of problems in an average of three interactions.
What’s next for autonomous AI?
The implementations discussed at the summit reflect a broader industry trend toward agent AI systems operating with increased autonomy within defined parameters. The advancement of technology from reactive tools to systems that can independently plan and execute complex tasks represents a fundamental architectural shift in enterprise computing.
However, migration requires significant infrastructure investment, advanced data engineering, and careful integration with existing business processes. Performance metrics from early implementations, such as increasing manufacturing efficiency, improving city management, and optimizing travel bookings, serve as benchmarks for organizations evaluating similar implementations.
As agent AI systems continue to mature, the focus appears to be shifting from demonstrating technical capabilities to operational integration challenges, governance frameworks, and measurable business outcomes. Examples from cement manufacturing, cultural tourism, and corporate travel management suggest that practical value arises when these systems address specific operational pain points, rather than acting as general-purpose automation tools.
(Photo provided by: AI News)
SEE ALSO: Huawei details open source AI development roadmap at Huawei Connect 2025
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