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Voters on Tuesday will be casting ballots in U.S. state and local elections with an injection of presidential-level politics, including a pair of competitive races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, the mayoral race in the nation’s largest city and a ballot measure in California that Democrats are counting on for next year’s elections to determine control of Congress.The off-year elections have drawn President Donald Trump ’s attention, and no race has attracted as much lip service or social media opinions from Trump as the mayor’s race in his hometown of New York City.Though local issues are a major factor in Tuesday’s contests, the winners take on an outsize role in a year when Trump has battled with governors and mayors as he’s deployed National Guard troops and immigration agents across cities and states. For Democrats, the offices offer a chance to push back on the president’s agenda, while Republicans see it as an opportunity to support his aims.Here's the latest:NY mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani casts ballot in Queens, calls for ‘new day’ in city politicsThe Democrat kicked off his busy Election Day morning schedule by voting with his wife, Rama Duwaji, at a local school.He held a brief news conference outside afterward, wearing an “I Voted” sticker on the left lapel of his dark gray suit jacket.“We are on the brink of making history in our city. On the brink of saying goodbye to a politics of the past,” he said.He then embarked for several TV and radio appearances.New Jersey responds quickly after Election Day threats against some polling placesNew Jersey law enforcement and election officials responded swiftly after threats were made against several polling locations as voting began in one of two states that will be electing new governors.Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who serves as the state’s top elections official, described them as emailed bomb threats targeting polling places in seven counties but said law enforcement determined there are no credible threats at this time.New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said some polling locations had already reopened to the public, while voters at others were being directed to nearby polling locations to cast their ballot. Law enforcement officers “have worked swiftly to secure these polling locations and ensure the safety of every voter,” he said.Bomb threats also disrupted voting across several battleground states during last year’s presidential election.The race for Virginia governor’s mansionRepublican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger are looking to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.The winner is set to become the first female governor in the state. An Earle-Sears’ victory would turn her into the first Black female governor of any U.S. state.Spanberger is a former CIA case officer turned Congresswoman, and Earle-Sears is a Marine veteran.▶ Read more about Virginia’s gubernatorial raceWhat races are we watching on Election Day?In the first off-year general election of Trump’s second term, we are watching high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a proposition in California to redraw the state’s congressional map.The results of these contests and others on Tuesday’s ballot will signal how voters are feeling about Trump’s agenda and about how Democrats are responding to it.More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday.▶ Read more about the races with national implications to be decided on Election Day
NEW DELHI (AP) — A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in central India Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a senior government official said.The incident happened near Bilaspur, about 116 kilometers (72 miles) from Chhattisgarh’s state capital, Raipur.Local television channels showed images of one train colliding with another near the accident site. Rescuers are searching through the debris for survivors.The local passenger train hit the goods train from behind, senior government official Sanjay Agarwal told The Associated Press, adding that a coach ended up on top of a wagon of the goods train.A “rescue team is trying to cut through the train to take out at least two passengers trapped inside,” he said. “We hope they will be alive but can't confirm until we get them out.”About a dozen people were injured in the accident and have been taken to local hospitals for treatment. The condition of one of them is critical, said Agarwal, who serves as the district collector of Bilaspur where the incident occurred.In a statement, network operator Indian Railways said it has moved all its resources for rescue efforts. It said an inquiry into the cause of the accident has been started.Chhattisgarh’s highest-elected official Vishnu Deo Sai offered his condolences to the bereaved families.Train collisions aren’t uncommon in India where the vast rail network faces issues of aging infrastructure and human error.More than 12 million people travel on India's 14,000 trains each day across 64,000 kilometers of track. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents — some deadly — occur annually and are often blamed on human error or outdated signaling systems.A crash in the eastern part of the country in 2023 killed more than 280 people in what was one of India’s deadliest train disasters.
President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP for November, after two judges issued rulings requiring the government to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running. The government says an emergency fund it will use has $4.65 billion — enough to cover about half the normal benefits — and exhausting the fund could set the stage for a similar situation in December if the government shutdown isn’t resolved by then.Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at age 84. Years after leaving office, he became a target of Trump, especially after his daughter Liz Cheney became the leading Republican critic and examiner of Trump’s desperate attempts to stay in power after his election defeat.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he plans to take a “ringside seat” at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday when the justices hear arguments on whether Trump overstepped federal law in setting many of his sweeping tariffs.The Latest:Some Head Start preschools shutter as government shutdown continuesThe government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation’s neediest children out of preschool. The closures mean Head Start students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care — are missing out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and receive therapy vital to their development.A half-dozen Head Start programs never received grants that were anticipated in October, but there are now 140 programs that have not received their annual infusion of federal funding. All told, the programs have the capacity to assist 65,000 preschoolers and expectant parents.More than 1,100 children in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma were shut out of centers run by the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, said CEO Javier Gonzalez. About 900 staff members across the centers have also been furloughed.▶ Read more about how the shutdown is impacting Head Start programsTrump administration says SNAP will be partially funded in NovemberPresident Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP for November, after two judges issued rulings requiring the government to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, had planned to freeze payments starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it during the federal government shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs more than $8 billion per month nationally. The government says an emergency fund it will use has $4.65 billion — enough to cover about half the normal benefits.It’s not clear exactly how much beneficiaries will receive, nor how quickly they will see value show up on the debit cards they use to buy groceries. November payments have already been delayed for millions of people.▶ Read more about SNAP benefitsDick Cheney, one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents of US history, dies at 84Cheney died Monday night due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a statement from family spokesman Jeremy Adler.The quietly forceful Cheney served father and son presidents, leading the armed forces as defense chief during the Persian Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush before returning to public life as vice president under Bush’s son, George W. Bush.Years after leaving office, he became a target of Trump, especially after daughter Liz Cheney became the leading Republican critic and examiner of Trump’s desperate attempts to stay in power after his election defeat and his actions in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.▶ Read more about former Vice President Dick Cheney
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers were digging through ice and snow on a mountain in Nepal on Tuesday to recover the bodies of seven climbers who were killed by an avalanche a day earlier, officials said.The avalanche pounded the base camp at Mount Yalung Ri, located at 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), on Monday morning. Snowstorms prevented rescuers from reaching the site on the day.Improving weather allowed a helicopter to reach the base camp Tuesday and rescuers were able to begin shifting through the snow and ice.Dolkha district Police Chief Gyan Kumar Mahato said four climbers who were injured in the avalanche were rescued by the helicopter and flown to the capital, Kathmandu, for treatment.Two French nationals were getting treated at the Era Hosptial in Kathmandu for their injuries.Isabelle Solange Thaon, 54, said she lost her husband, identified as Christian Manfred, in the avalanche but was lucky to have survived with another French climber, Didier Armand.“We were lucky because we were on the left,” Thaon said from her hospital bed. “And we leap (over the) rocks and we swim along and after we were in the snow and after someone came immediately (to help).”Unfortunately, Christian died. ... It was not possible because of rocks hit his head," she said, adding she was lucky because she was not covered by the snow piled by the avalanche."The other people were under the snow, they said they think it was six meters (20 feet) under snow so it was completely dead in front. It was not possible to help them.”Also among those killed were two Nepali mountain guides, but the identity of the remaining four was still unclear.At least three bodies were pulled out of the snow by Tuesday afternoon, the police official said. It was not clear when they would be brought out of the mountains.Mount Yalung Ri is a 5,600-meter (18,370-foot) peak considered suitable for novice mountaineers.
DETROIT (AP) — Two men were charged with terrorism-related crimes in the Detroit area after federal authorities made arrests and seized a cache of weapons last week in a storage unit and elsewhere, officials said Monday.The men had scouted LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, according to a 72-page criminal complaint unsealed in federal court."Our American heroes prevented a terror attack," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X.FBI Director Kash Patel had announced arrests Friday, but no details were released at the time while agents searched a home in Dearborn and a storage unit in nearby Inkster.The court filing says the two men who were charged, Momed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, and other co-conspirators were inspired by Islamic State extremism. Investigators say a minor was also involved in the discussions.The FBI said the men repeatedly referred to “pumpkins” in their conversations, a reference to a Halloween attack.Ali and Mahmoud were charged with receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism. Mahmoud had recently bought more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition that could be used for AR-15-style rifles he and Ali possessed, and they practiced at gun ranges, the government alleged.They will appear in court Monday afternoon for their initial appearance. Mahmoud's lawyer, William Swor, declined to comment. Messages seeking comment from Ali's lawyer, Amir Makled, were not immediately answered.Over the weekend, Makled seemed to wave off the allegations, saying they were the result of “hysteria” and “fearmongering.”FBI agents were surveilling the men for weeks, even using a camera on a pole outside a Dearborn house, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators got access to encrypted chats and other conversations.
ROME (AP) — Firefighters worked to rescue a worker trapped for hours beneath the rubble of a medieval tower that partially collapsed while under renovation in the heart of Italy's capital on Monday, critically injuring another worker.Firefighters faced a complex task as the structure continued to give way as they tried to get near the trapped worker through a first-floor window, forcing their retreat on telescopic aerial ladders in a cloud of smoke. Another approach on two ladders was also aborted, and a drone sent up in their stead.Three workers were rescued unharmed after the initial midday collapse, which forced one worker to be hospitalized in critical condition, said firefighter spokesman Luca Cari. There was no immediate update on his condition. No firefighters were injured in the ongoing operation.Rome's top law enforcement official, Prefect Lamberto Giannini, said there were “signs of life” from the trapped worker, and that firefighters had managed to give him some protective cover during an earlier rescue attempt.Giannini called the situation “very complex” and said that other equipment was being brought in.“It will be a very long operation. We must try to save this person while mitigating the enormous risks to the people who are trying to save him,'' Giannini told reporters.Hundreds of tourists had assembled to watch as firefighters used a mobile ladder to bring a stretcher to the upper level of the Torre dei Conti during the first rescue attempt. Suddenly, another part of the structure partially collapsed, sending up a cloud of debris and forcing firefighters to quickly descend on the ladder.Queen Paglinawan was working in a nearby gelato parlor when she heard the two loud noises from the town in quick succession.“I was working and then I heard some like falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way,'' Paglinawan, 27, said as yet another collapse occurred in the background.German student Viktoria Braeu passed by the scene just as the partial collapse during the firefighters' rescue occurred.“We were just at the Colosseum … and we were just walking to get some food. … And then we were like, ‘It’s probably not long until it's going to go down,' and then it just started erupting,'' said Braeu, 18.The Torre dei Conti was built in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his family. The tower was damaged in a 1349 earthquake and suffered subsequent collapses in the 17th century.Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli were at the scene, but did not speak to reporters.“The firefighters risked their lives with the second collapse. We are worried for the worker who remains trapped,'' said Federico Mollicone, chairman of the parliamentary culture committee.
President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders to resume funding benefits through SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown, which is now in its 34th day.Trump, meanwhile, says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats, signaling no end soon. During a “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said he would only negotiate on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies once the government is reopened. At that point, the slim Republican majorities in Congress will enable them to continue ignoring Democratic input.The shortage of air traffic controllers amid the shutdown continues to lead to delayed flights into and out of the United States. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go without a paycheck.The shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers where students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care — will miss out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and receive therapy vital to their development. Some centers say they’ll close indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding.The Latest:Judges mull legality of National Guard deployments in D.C.West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey deployed up to 300 Guard members to Washington, D.C., through the end of November to support Trump’s crime-fighting efforts. A civic organization, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, said state law limits out-of-state deployments to certain purposes, such as responding to a natural disaster or another state’s emergency request. Morrisey’s office has argued the deployment was authorized under federal law.While Trump issued an executive order in August declaring a crime emergency in the nation’s capital, the U.S. Justice Department says violent crime there is at a 30-year low. Within a month, more than 2,300 Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling under the Army secretary’s command. A federal judge has yet to rule on District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb ’s request for an order to remove them.Judge considers Trump use of military in Memphis, TennesseeTrump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities has unleashed a whirlwind of lawsuits and overlapping court rulings. The latest legal efforts include Monday’s hearing before Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal in Nashville.Tennessee Democrats contend in a lawsuit that Republican Gov. Bill Lee cannot deploy the Tennessee National Guard for civil unrest unless there is rebellion or invasion, and even then, it would require action by state lawmakers.Trump announced in September that the National Guard would accompany authorities from a slew of federal agencies as part of the so-called Memphis Safe Task Force. Since their arrival on Oct. 10, National Guard troops have been patrolling neighborhoods and commercial areas, wearing fatigues and protective vests that say “military police.” The U.S. Marshals Service has tallied more than 1,500 arrests and thousands of traffic citations.Trump predicts Democrats will capitulate to Republicans“I think they have to,” Trump said during the “60 Minutes” interview. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”With Senate Democrats now voting 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first, Trump said Republican leaders should change Senate rules and scrap the filibuster.“Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump told CBS. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea, arguing that requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections is vital to the Senate, and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they’re in the minority.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of riot police Sunday separated opponents and loyalists of Serbia's autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic in central Belgrade as political tensions boiled after a year of persistent anti-government protests.Several thousand people faced off on both sides of the police cordons with officers in full gear standing in several rows between the shouting crowds who threw bottles, flares and stun grenades.Tensions in Belgrade soared a day after tens of thousands of people joined a huge rally in the northern city of Novi Sad that marked the first anniversary of a train station disaster there which killed 16 people, and triggered a youth-led movement demanding political changes, which has challenged Vucic's firm grip on power.Anti-government protesters in Belgrade gathered in support of Dijana Hrka, the mother of Stefan Hrka, one of the Novi Sad station tragedy victims. Hrka earlier on Sunday said she was launching a hunger strike near a tent camp outside the parliament building which has been occupied by Vucic’s loyalists since March.Both police and Vucic on Sunday accused anti-government protesters of attacking his supporters' camp that he described as a “symbol of freedom." Protesters said most incidents were caused from within the camp.Protesters on Sunday evening also gathered in Novi Sad and some smaller towns in support of Hrka.The commemoration rally on Saturday in Novi Sad also reflected major discontent with Vucic's 13-year-long increasingly authoritarian rule. Youth-led protesters are demanding an early election they hope would oust the populist government from power.Protesters believe that rampant government corruption and nepotism during renovation work on the Novi Sad station building led to negligence and disregard of the construction safety rules, and consequently to the collapse of the concrete canopy on the people standing below.Hrka said she was seeking accountability for the death of her son and the 15 other victims. She has also demanded that all detained protesters be released and that Vucic schedule an early parliamentary election as sought by the university students at the forefront of the demonstrations.Vucic set up the loyalists' camp ahead of a major rally in Belgrade in March. The enclosed zone colloquially known as “Caciland" apparently serves as a human shield for Vucic, filling a park and a street between his office and the parliament building.Police have guarded the camp while the area has been off limits for the residents of Belgrade. A shooting incident there last month has triggered fears of violence.Authorities have cracked down on the protesters i n recent months, with hundreds detained and police breaking up protests. Pro-government media and officials have branded protesting university students as “terrorists,” accusing them of inciting violence.
HEIDELBERG, Miss. (AP) — One of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi roadway was shot and killed early Sunday by a homeowner who says she feared for the safety of her children.Jessica Bond Ferguson said she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She got out bed, grabbed her firearm and her cellphone and stepped outside where she saw the monkey about 60 feet (18 meters) away.Bond said she and other residents had been warned about the diseases that the escaped monkeys carried so she fired her gun.“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Bond, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that's when he fell.”The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but said the office didn't have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff's office said.The Rhesus monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university. In a statement, Tulane University said the monkeys do not belong to the university, and they were not being transported by the university.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Voters in North Macedonia cast ballots Sunday in local election runoffs that are expected to cement the ruling conservatives’ landslide victory in the first round.VMRO-DPMNE candidates won 33 out of 44 mayoral contests decided in the Oct. 19 first round, including a majority of city councilors, leaving opposition Social Democrats trailing and dashing hopes of an early general election.There are 81 municipalities in North Macedonia and runoffs are taking place in 37, including the capital, Skopje. Conservative candidates are leading in almost all contests.Candidates’ promises about the economy, jobs and education in Skopje are likely to take a backseat to problems linked to garbage collection. Until Sunday, trash had been accumulating for weeks due to operational and financial problems faced by the garbage collection company.The garbage has attracted rats, flies and stray cats and dogs. A child was recently bitten by a rat and was treated at a clinic.But on Sunday, the roads in Skopje suddenly appeared bright and clean, surprising residents.Just over 1 million are eligible to vote in the runoffs. Turnout in the first round of local elections was 46.48%.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fire and explosion at a convenience store in northwestern Mexico killed at least 23 people, including children, and injured 12 others, state authorities said.The fire occurred Saturday in downtown Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo said in a video posted on social media.Six people remained hospitalized on Sunday morning, according to Sonora’s prosecutor’s office. Sonora Attorney General Gustavo Salas Chávez said preliminary investigations showed the deaths were caused by inhalation of toxic gases.Images circulating on social media show a massive fire engulfing the Waldo’s store. One video showed a burned man collapsing onto the asphalt a few meters (yards) from the store entrance.Prosecutors said they believe the fire originated in a transformer but the exact cause is under investigation.Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum sent her “deepest condolences” to the families and loved ones of the victims. She said she was in touch with the state governor to provide support and instructed Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez to send a team to assist victims' families and the injured.The store Waldo's also lamented the deaths on social media and said it was collaborating with authorities.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death toll from a deadly landslide in western Kenya has risen to 26 after four more bodies were retrieved on Sunday, shortly before rescue efforts to find survivors were suspended due to a flash flood.Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said 25 people are still missing and that the government had intensified the search mission, with the military deploying four aircrafts to help teams access the area that has been completely cut off after roads were washed away during Saturday’s landslide.On Sunday, search teams had to abandon the site after flash floods from a hill in the Chesongoch area in Kenya’s Rift Valley region.Heavy rains continue across Kenya, and floods have been reported in several counties, displacing thousands of people.The government has urged those living in flood or landslide prone areas to move, as the rains are expected to continue across the country.Murkomen said the government would continue airlifting supplies to those affected, including to 15 schools that have been cut off, and that ongoing national examination papers would be airlifted to candidates.He said the government would cover the medical bills of more than 30 injured people and resettle dozens of others whose homes were swept away.“It is very sad that families have lost five to six immediate family members,” the minister told journalists on Sunday.Oscar Okum, regional manager for the Kenya Red Cross, said the Rift Valley area was still susceptible to land slides.“Today, while we were doing search and recovery and rescue, we have had roads that are already opened being populated again by mudslides. So it’s still an active incidence and we urge the community members to move to safer grounds for purposes of their safety, lives and livelihoods as well,” he said.
