Month: October 2026

Department of Justice says it’s investigating whether the White House press pool’s decision violated antitrust laws.

The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into television networks’ decision to halt coverage of President Donald Trump last month.

A spokesperson said on Saturday that the department was investigating whether the networks violated federal antitrust laws by their boycott, which followed a White House decision to pull the credentials of reporters from three news organisations, including CNN.

The ⁠networks under investigation are ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, said Emily Convington, the Justice Department spokesperson.

“Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” she said of the antitrust legislation.

“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”

The investigation is the latest in a series ‌of clashes between the Trump administration and major news organisations. Trump has repeatedly called the mainstream media “fake news” and frequently clashes with reporters during encounters with the press.

The action also puts legal and potentially financial pressure on the media to continue coverage of the president even when they disagree with how the White House handles them.

The networks did not immediately comment on the announcement.

The Justice Department’s move came after the television pool of five broadcasters last month ceased presidential coverage after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

The White House said on September 19 that covering the president was a “privilege – not a right”. The outlets ⁠sued the administration, alleging the exclusions violated the First Amendment and that the White House was retaliating over their coverage.

CNN is one of the five ⁠news organisations – along with ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC – ⁠that make up the primary White House television pool.

They share the costs of covering the president, take turns organising coverage, and share the footage with outlets around the country.

All of the five television networks that cover the White House, including Fox ‌News, suspended coverage in solidarity and refused to provide replacement coverage.

The White House reinstated the credentials on September 24 after US District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the ban was likely unconstitutional and ‌ordered ‌the administration to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” their access.

However, disputes over access to specific presidential events and pool assignments continued.

Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Americas director, on Saturday criticised the administration’s decision to investigate.

“The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access,” Zamora said on X. “The public’s right to know depends on that access.”

Under an existing state appropriations restraint, also known as the Gann Limit, lawmakers cannot spend more in the state budget than an amount determined by a formula that takes annual tax proceeds, changes to the population and cost of living into consideration.

Tax revenue above the limit must be divided between schools and refunds to taxpayers. More recent carve-outs in the law also allow leaders to direct excess funds to infrastructure and local government.

The limit applies to most other appropriations of tax revenue, including money that lawmakers tuck away into the “rainy day” fund and other reserves.

California voters also have capped the amount of money lawmakers can set aside in the rainy day fund at 10% of general fund proceeds in a given year.

The proposed changes would exempt deposits into the rainy day fund and a short-term reserve, called the Projected Surplus Temporary Holding Account, from the state appropriations limit. The cap on the rainy day fund would grow from 10% of general fund tax revenue to 20%.

In effect, the measure would allow the governor and the Legislature to put more money into budget reserves, creating another option to avoid triggering rebates.

For example, if the spending limit is $400 billion for the year, and revenue hits $410 billion, the measure would give lawmakers the option to deposit the $10 billion above the spending limit into the rainy day fund, direct the money to infrastructure or give it to local governments, instead of returning the funding to taxpayers and increasing funding for schools.

USC coach Lincoln Riley kept his offense on the field on fourth and four at the USC 13.

The decision was so confounding, Penn State coach Matt Campbell burned the Nittany Lions’ final timeout with 4:15 remaining. Riley grinned with his team protecting a 31-23 lead in front of a rowdy crowd of more than 106,000 fans decked in all white at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.

USC punted after the timeout and Riley watched his maligned defense recover Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen’s fumble on the Nittany Lions’ first snap of the ensuing drive.

With no timeouts remaining, Penn State had no room for error while trying to stop USC. The Trojans burned as much clock as they could and were again prepared to snap the ball on fourth down when the Penn State defense jumped offside, effectively sealing the Trojans’ win.

Riley has long been scrutinized for clock management and late-game decision making, but in one of the most hostile environments in the country, he helped the No. 19 Trojans work their way to a 31-23 win.

USC (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) had the better record and national ranking, but Penn State (3-3, 0-3) was favored to win by 1½ points in a sign of the plunging confidence in Riley and his Trojans.

“We came in here against the odds,” Riley said during his postgame on-field interview with NBC. “Everybody in the country counted us out and said we weren’t going to win a tough road game.

“Trojans came [to] play. Great environment here. Tonight the white-out game went cardinal and gold.”

Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who had struggled at times the past few weeks, completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked once.

Trent Mosley, who returned after missing the past two games with an injury, and Tanook Hines delivered a series of highlight catches to support Maiava. Mosley hauled in nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Hines added four catches for 82 yards and another touchdown.

King Miller ran for 102 yards in 19 carries and scored off a Maiava option pitch.

USC wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt catches a touchdown pass ahead of Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas during the second half of the Trojans’ 31-23 win Saturday.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

The teams traded touchdowns and field goals early, entering halftime tied 17-17.

Riley made the curious decision to open the third quarter with an onside kick, but his defense limited Penn State to a field goal.

Miller ran for a 13-yard touchdown on USC’s next drive.

Penn State mounted a long drive that the Trojans’ defense again limited to a field goal, giving USC a 24-23 lead with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Maiava then led a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive. On the final snap of the drive, Maiava had time to sit in the pocket, scan the field and connect with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown. USC hit the extra point and led 31-23 with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter.

USC’s defense forced a Penn State punt and Riley worked the clock to protect the win.

Desman Stephens II returned from his one-game suspension for his hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and led the Trojans with nine tackles.

Freshman Luke Wafle delivered five tackles and one massively important sack of Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht for a loss of 10 yards with six minutes left in regulation.

It was raining in State College late in the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ defense danced on the sideline as the song “Umbrella” played in the stadium and the Trojans lingered on the field to soak up a big road victory.

US military jet strikes stern of commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman ‘without harming the crew’, CENTCOM says.

United States forces have disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew “ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran”, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

A US military fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, with a precision munition on Saturday, “fully disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew”, CENTCOM said in a statement. The vessel was attempting to transit regional waters after “having previously departed an Iranian port”.

CENTCOM said its forces resumed their blockade against all ships “entering or departing Iranian ports on July 14”, disabling four commercial vessels and turning around 135 ships during “three months of strict enforcement”.

US forces also destroyed 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC’s) “multibillion-dollar shadow network” over the same period, CENTCOM said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s IRGC said it struck a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz for attempting to take an “illegal route”, as Tehran seeks to enforce its own blockade on the vital waterway.

In a statement carried by official Iranian media, the IRGC claimed Iranian forces “have taken control of the administration of the strait”.

“In carrying out this mission, a few hours ago, a giant LPG carrier named NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit, which was attempting to transit via the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz, was struck,” the statement said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Sunday that an outbound tanker in the strait was struck on the port side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on board. The UK agency said crew members were reported safe, while the damage and environmental impact remained unknown at the time of the report.

Tehran has attempted to enforce control over the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel war on Iran, insisting that ships obtain permission to cross via its preferred routes. However, vessels have increasingly risked taking an alternative route hugging the strait’s southern coast.

The UKMTO said on Thursday that a vessel sailing 94km (58 miles) north of Madinat ash Shamal, off the north coast of Qatar, was struck by multiple projectiles, resulting in a number of casualties.

The agency did not specify the origin of the ship or the number of people killed or injured, adding that authorities were investigating the incident amid a recent rise in attacks on vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.

Ships in the Gulf attempting to cross the strait, which is the sole maritime route in or out of the oil-rich region, have faced repeated attacks since the US and Israel began the war in late February.

The Strait of Hormuz remains vital to the global economy, with about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the passage before the war began.

Just over two years after the U.S. Air Force retired the last of its KC-10A Extender aerial refueling tankers, four of those aircraft may be bound for a new career in North Africa for a mysterious end user.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) put out a contracting notice yesterday “solely for information and planning purposes” with the express intent “to identify potential industry sources that possess the capability, expertise, and facilities to execute the regeneration, one-time flight clearance, depot-level return to service, worldwide ferry delivery, in-country Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), and operational/maintenance training for up to four (4) KC-10 Extender aircraft.”

The KC-10s could be “transferred via Excess Defense Articles (EDA) to a partner nation in North Africa,” the notice adds, without naming the country in question.

The Air Force operated KC-10s between 1981 and 2024. TWZ has reached out to the U.S. Air Force, as well as the U.S. State Department, for more information. The State Department directed us to contact the Pentagon.

The EDA program allows for materiel deemed extraneous to U.S. military needs to be transferred to allies and partners either at a reduced cost or as a grant. The foreign nation in question has to pay for those assets to be delivered, as well as refurbishment, if applicable.

It is important to note here that the Extender, as designed, is capable of refueling receivers using either the boom or the probe-and-drogue method. Tankers equipped for the probe-and-drogue method are, by far, more common internationally. We will come back to this later on.

While we don’t know what the North African country might be in line now to receive the quartet of KC-10s, Egypt and Morocco would seem to be the most likely candidates based on their current and planned aircraft inventories. They are also both major U.S. allies.

The Egyptian Air Force currently does not operate any dedicated aerial refueling tankers. The country is in the process of acquiring two new C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft for use as airlifters, as well as tankers, using the probe-and-drogue method. It does already fly C-130s, but none explicitly configured for aerial refueling duties. Egypt also has a very diverse array of fighters that includes U.S.-made F-16 Vipers that can only be refueled in mid-air via boom.

Morocco’s Air Force also flies F-16s and is in the process of acquiring more. The first new-production Block 72 F-16D for the Moroccan Air Force just flew for the first time earlier this week. Morocco does have an organic aerial refueling capability now, but in the form of C-130s equipped to dispense fuel via probe-and-drogue.

As mentioned, the KC-10 was designed to connect with receivers via probe-and-drogue, as well as boom, and could be used to refuel other tactical jets in Egyptian or Moroccan service. As an aside, fighters belonging to both regularly receive foreign tanker support during exercises, as already seen earlier in this story. Just last month, Chinese YY-20 tankers (also sometimes referred to as Y-20Us) notably did just this in an exercise in Egypt.

Whichever country may be in line to receive the four KC-10s, there is a question about the current state of those aircraft. Earlier in this story, we talked about the Extender’s capabilities as designed.

McDonnell Douglas (since absorbed into Boeing) delivered a total of 60 KC-10s to the U.S. Air Force between 1979 and 1987. The Extender was derived from the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the last of which was produced in 1989. The Air Force lost one of its KC-10s in an accident in 1987.

Of the remaining 59 KC-10s, 10 were put up for auction in a non-flyable state last year. For reasons that remain unclear, a single engine had been removed from under one of the wings of each of those aircraft. These Extenders were also among the first to be retired, and their booms had been stripped to be used as spares for the examples that remained in service until 2024. Private aerial refueling contractor Omega Air looks to have subsequently won those auctions. Omega also operates two ex-Dutch KDC-10 tankers, which are broadly similar to the KC-10, as well as another DC-10 converted into a probe-and-drogue-only tanker. The company has several Boeing 707-based tankers, as well.

The condition of the remaining 49 Extenders is unclear. Congress included a provision in the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the 2026 Fiscal Year that required the Air Force to preserve remaining retired KC-10s, but only stipulated they be maintained “in the same storage condition” they were in as of September 30, 2025. The bill, which was signed into law in December 2025, also made clear that the Air Force could still “dispose” of the aircraft in accordance with existing property management statutes.

Regenerating military aircraft, especially larger ones, back to service can be costly, complex, and time-consuming, even when they are kept in storage in a highly maintained state. In this particular case, acquiring KC-10s via the EDA program, with a very low up-front purchase price, could still be attractive to the right buyer, especially compared to the cost of acquiring new-production tankers.

For a country like Egypt or Morocco that has never operated a boom-equipped tanker, second-hand Extenders could be a valuable entry point to future aerial refueling capabilities, as well. In general, organic aerial refueling capability is an important force multiplier for any air arm.

There is a possibility that KC-10s could be regenerated not as tankers, but as cargo aircraft, though this seems less likely to be the case. Cargo carrying was also an important duty for the Extenders while in U.S. Air Force service, and they still could operate in this role even when returned to service as tankers.

Though the aging KC-10s were getting increasingly more difficult to operate and maintain, the Air Force’s decision to retire them was still controversial. The Extender was a highly flexible tanker that could carry more fuel than the KC-46s that supplanted them. Clearly, there are others still interested in operating them.

It should be stressed that the AFLCMC contracting notice does not present the transfer of the four KC-10s as a done deal. At the same time, it has revealed that one of America’s partners in North Africa could breathe new life into four of these retired tankers.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Brandon Flowers stands onstage at the Ford Theatre wearing a sharp black suit and a bejeweled bolo tie and tells the audience about his cousin Bobby’s job parking cars in the 110-degree heat of the Las Vegas Strip.

“That was gonna be me in another life, only my big plan was to work at the Bellagio,” he adds. “Nicer place, more tips.”

As the frontman of the Killers, Flowers, 45, has spent more than two decades singing about the struggles and the temptations at the heart of the American dream. But on his new solo album, “Thrasher,” he trades the Killers’ gleaming, synth-laced rock for the crackling sound of hand-played country music.

He cut the LP at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, where country giants like Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings once worked; not only that, but to accompany him he recruited veteran session players including David Rawlings, Bruce Bouton and 85-year-old Charlie McCoy, who played harmonica on George Jones’ immortal “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

Yet for all its old-school country cred, “Thrasher” also emphasizes Flowers’ roots as a Vegas showman — his tremulous croon, his go-for-broke emotion, his almost preacherly understanding of how to take a crowd up (and up) and how to take it back down. Think Glen Campbell or Donny Osmond.

“Or Wayne Newton,” says Rawlings with admiration. The guitarist, known for his long collaboration with Gillian Welch, performed with Flowers at July’s Newport Folk Festival. “It’s really thrilling to see the way he inhabits this stuff onstage,” he adds. “I have such incredible respect for anybody who knows how to entertain at that level because it’s an absolute gift — and it’s really hard work.”

Flowers, who grew up in Las Vegas and Utah and who shares three sons with his wife, spoke about the album in his dressing room last month a few hours before the Ford show. A sequel to “Thrasher,” recorded during the same sessions, is due out next year.

The Nashville OGs who played on these records — do you think they were impressed by you?
I think they were refreshed. I think they didn’t quite know what they were getting into and were pleasantly surprised.

For you, it was a different way of working, right? These players are artists. But it’s also just another day on the job.
You feel that: “Charlie’s got to leave at 4 to go to the Opry.” He still gets his licks in.

I wonder what it would’ve sounded like to cut 10 Killers classics with this band.
Probably like the Traveling Wilburys or something. The second album has some of that DNA. This one was more of a narrative album — a lot of stories. The other one, it’s more in the romantic realm. I’m excited to get it out. I have another one cooking.

A third album?
Well, because they’re so efficient. It’s opened up a door for me that I feel like I’ll always be able to explore. If I have 10 songs, I can go to Nashville for five days and cut the whole thing. We do two songs a day, no problem.

You’ve said there’s this idea in rock music that making an album needs to feel like climbing a mountain.
I blame it on U2. You don’t feel like you’re doing it right if you’re not doing that. We really went into that on “Sam’s Town” — we climbed Everest, man. When we finished “Sam’s Town,” I remember the last day — it was like 6 in the morning, the sun was up and we were finally done. What a relief it was.

Now the veil has been lifted.
It doesn’t have to be like that.

Did you get a feel for Nashville as a town while you were there?
I got a breakfast spot: Cafe Roze. I don’t want to blow it up too much because I want to be able to get in. But you know Cafe Stella in Silver Lake? They used to have my favorite breakfast in the world: sourdough, soft scramble, prosciutto and Parmesan. And they have that exact thing at Cafe Roze — it’s like I’m transported back. I could eat it every day with a side of avocado.

“Thrasher” follows a number of country excursions by rappers and pop stars. Do you have any anxiety about being seen as a carpetbagger?
No, because I’m not trying to bulldoze my way into the world and open a bar in Nashville. This is an authentic part of myself — I have an education in this music. People have a lot of preconceptions about country music, especially lately. Everyone says the same thing: cold beer, dirt road, Friday night. But there’s such an art to the tradition — it’s a soulful artistic endeavor. I’m trying to come at it from that angle.

What’s your relationship with modern country music — Morgan Wallen and Miranda Lambert and the like?
I don’t have one. It’s more people that are on the fringes, I guess — Jason Isbell or Sturgill Simpson. I got Sturgill’s guitar player because I was a fan of that stuff.

Before I heard “Thrasher,” I expected kind of a stripped-down Isbell vibe.
I could see him doing “In a Heartbeat” or “Miss America.” But once we got to Nashville and got the guys in the room, it just got a little more pep in its step.

Does being embraced by the Nashville industry feel like a reasonable goal?
That’s a whole other nut to crack. You hear stories about Dwight Yoakam having a tough time — and he brought some heat. Or John Prine just because he was from Illinois and not from further south. I’m not gonna go on a campaign to prove how worthy I am.

You’ve been dinged by people who think you’re putting on an accent on this record.
I feel like this is more how I speak than maybe they’re accustomed to. I don’t know, I might’ve leaned in a couple times. There is a Utah accent — it was something I was embarrassed by when I was younger. But now I’ve lived there 16 years of my life total, so it just starts feeding its way back in.

Is your vocal approach different for country than for rock?
There’s more quiet in these songs — more room for the story to be told. In the rock band, I’m competing — everybody wants to be heard — whereas this one, there’s this beautiful thing where the guys don’t mind being in the background. They want to frame the picture, and I’m the picture.

Did you find yourself making more of an effort to enunciate?
I’ve always been cognizant of that. Just today, there was a band — I won’t say who it was — but I was interested in hearing their new thing, and I didn’t understand a word until the chorus. I was rooting for the guy the whole time, but it’s like: How can I fall in love with this if I don’t know what’s happening?

Brandon Flowers performs last month at the Ford Theatre.

(Rob Loud)

Got some questions about specific songs. “One of Us” is about your brother-in-law, which made me realize how few people write songs about their in-laws.
He passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. You know, I’m the youngest of six, and he married my oldest sister. She’s 17 years my senior, so when they got married, I was a kid — he became my big brother and was a masculine figure in my life and all that. There’s your family and then there’s your found family, and he’s part of my found family. I wanted to honor him, and this is my way of doing it.

I assume your sister’s heard the song.
Oh yeah. A lot of those moments happen on this record where I had to play the song for the person, and you just can’t help but be brought closer together. You’re taking part in their grief but we’re also celebrating him. It was beautiful.

“Miss America” is about another one of your sisters.
The one next in line.

She’s addressing an abusive ex, and you sing it from her point of view — from a woman’s perspective.
It just started like that. I don’t remember a moment of thinking: Am I gonna do this from the outside or am I gonna step into her shoes? Maybe it’s something to do with that Tom Waits song [“Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis”] — something about that maybe gave me permission.

Did you play “Miss America” for that sister?
It felt like the gentlemanly thing to do. If she’d said no, I would’ve been heartbroken because I think “Miss America” is gorgeous — I’m really proud to be part of it. But I would’ve honored her wishes.

In “An American Dream,” the point of view seems to keep shifting. At one point I think the narrator becomes Elvis Presley?
Chorus 1, I’m singing with this man that used to give me cigars and tobacco when I was a kid — we’re singing it together. Giving a 13-year-old Red Man tobacco — there was nothing shady about it, or nothing too shady — but it was still a wild move. Then Chorus 2, Elvis and I are both singing — I see it that way.

Which era of Elvis are you envisioning?
Whenever I think of him, I think of him in ’68. Nobody’s ever looked that good — it’s not fair.

You’re known for your flights of lyrical fancy: “Burning down the highway skyline in the back of a hurricane,” for instance, from the Killers’ “When You Were Young.” Did country music allow for those flourishes?
Verse 2 of “Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?” is a great example: “I could’ve been born in Bangladesh but I wasn’t / I was born here with just enough jelly beans in my basket to ask you to go wishing on a star.” That’s fun.

In “An American Dream” you say, “We blew through starlight on bricklayers’ knees.”
We’re performers, and we’re here to entertain you. But we’re working-class men, me and Elvis.

Some of these lines get at this crucial point that I think your music makes, which is that pageantry and sincerity can coexist.
I think people get confused a lot — they might look at a line like the one you just talked about and think it’s total bulls—. It’s annoying to me to read a review and see where they just don’t get it — and they think they’re the smart one. I saw someone talking about my tropes, and they brought up the Bangladesh line. I thought: What are you talking about? That’s the most left-field line.

You’re challenging the listener to accept that over the top doesn’t necessarily mean phony.
It’s so American to be over the top and to still have substance. That’s the chorus of “An American Dream”: “Gold and silver / God and glitter.” I guess I’m trying to spoon-feed it there a little bit.

Plenty of Killers songs involve people making bad decisions. How do you think about the degenerate’s place in country music?
It’s funny how people aren’t quite familiar with how wild it was. The same person in me that was excited about old Depeche Mode stories still gets excited about old George Jones stories. And a part of me yearns for that. But I keep it under wraps.

Your oldest son is 19, which means you became a dad at a fairly young age.
It was just par for the course. I grew up in an LDS family — my sisters were having kids when they were 17 and 18. So having Ammon at 26 — that was the oldest anyone had had their first child in my family. They were like, “Brandon might be gay.”

How did you reconcile the rock star and new dad halves of your life?
It sort of gave me a direction early on because I was a little bit teetering in those days. Who’s ready to have this wild fame brought on them at such a young age? We weren’t the Beatles, but “Hot Fuss” and “Sam’s Town” were really successful records — we went straight to arenas. It was tough to navigate, and family gave me an anchor.

Do you hear before parenthood and after parenthood in your music?
There’s a song called “Be Still” on the fourth record — a song to the kids. But I don’t know if the writing changed that much. Everybody was getting older in the band, so whatever happened, you can’t place the blame just on me.

Oct. 10, 2026 7:06 PM PT

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the decision of the White House television press pool to halt coverage of President Trump last month violated antitrust law, an agency spokesperson said Saturday.

Emily Covington, a spokesperson for the department, said group boycotts among business competitors might violate U.S. law. “The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she said.

The announcement came after the television pool of five broadcasters last month ceased presidential coverage after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House because of coverage Trump disliked.

Messages were sent late Saturday to the five outlets seeking comment: ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC.

The White House press pool, which is a rotating cast of news outlets that covers the president, has become a proxy for the wider fight over whether the president, or anyone, can control the content of news reports — a type of free speech, a pillar of American democracy.

Last month’s developments marked an extraordinary escalation in Trump’s efforts to restrict news reporters and outlets that he finds insufficiently supportive.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued over the days-long ban. It was lifted after a judge handed the three news organizations a reprieve, which is in place until Tuesday.

Television pool coverage of the White House has also resumed.

Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ regional director of the Americas, on Saturday criticized the administration’s decision to investigate.

“The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access,” Zamora said on X. “The public’s right to know depends on that access.”

Durkin Richer and Taxin write for the Associated Press. Taxin reported from Santa Ana.

Nicolas Cage is making it clear — he’s not an “AI-friendly actor.”

The 62-year-old actor spoke out against a tech giant during an appearance at New York Comic Con on Saturday. He alleged that he was asked to sign an artificial intelligence waiver for the television series “Spider Noir.”

“Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI,” Cage said on stage.

“I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I’m not a member of their club. I didn’t sign the waiver to let him use AI on ‘Spider-Noir.’ I’m probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s OK.”

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The use of AI continues to be a major sticking point across Hollywood. Industry unions including SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild recently secured protections against technology in new contracts. But as AI evolves and AI actors like Tilly Norwood continue to make headlines, it’s still unclear exactly how the industry will be affected.

“Spider-Noir,” which premiered in May, is a “Spider-Man” project that put a 1930s crime-thriller spin on the web-slinging superhero. The show was produced by both Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios.

Cage’s part as “The Spider” marked his first leading role in a series. The Oscar-winning actor, whose home in Malibu was recently affected by a sinkhole, is known best for his roles in movies like “National Treasure,” “Moonstruck” and “The Rock.”

Upon its release, “Spider-Noir” received much praise from fans and critics alike. In its first six weeks of streaming, the series earned 2.6 billion minutes watched, according to Nielsen. It was also Amazon’s most-nominated show at this year’s Emmys, with 11 nominations and five wins.

Last month, Amazon announced that the show was canceled after only one season, leaving much of the industry in shock.

During his Comic Con panel, Cage also said he plans to keep working in TV. He announced that he will be joining the HBO series “True Detective.”

“My agent’s out there somewhere listening,” Cage said. “That’s OK that I’m the first to announce that, right?”

Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to another health zone in the east, while a fatal imported case in Kenya has underscored the risk of cross-border transmission.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in an October 8 update that Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu province had reported cases for the first time. As of October 6, four confirmed cases, including two deaths, had been recorded there.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus. According to the WHO, cases had been reported in 64 health zones across seven provinces in the DRC. Ituri remained the worst-affected province in cumulative cases, while North Kivu was accounting for a growing share of newly confirmed infections.

As of October 6, the WHO had recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths in the DRC. A further 2,269 people had recovered, and the crude case fatality ratio stood at 48.2 percent.

Kenya confirms imported case

Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on October 6, according to the WHO. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC, fell ill there and received treatment at several health facilities before travelling to Kenya through Uganda.

The patient travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi, arriving on October 3. The patient was isolated in hospital and tested positive for the virus. Despite supportive treatment, the patient died on October 5, the WHO said.

Kenyan authorities identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers. The WHO also reported efforts to trace passengers and crew members from the flight to Nairobi.

Public health measures have been initiated in Kenya and Uganda, including contact tracing and enhanced surveillance.

On October 8, preliminary laboratory results for a suspected Ebola case in Kenya’s Wajir County came back negative, according to the county governor. The result eased concerns about a possible second case, although monitoring continued.

The imported infection has underscored the importance of surveillance and coordination between neighbouring countries. Identifying exposed people and monitoring them for symptoms are central to detecting infections early and interrupting further transmission.

Treatment capacity under pressure

In the DRC, the response is facing mounting pressure from limited treatment capacity, insecurity and difficulties securing cooperation from some communities.

Daniel Makasi Levergénois, founder of Watoto Radio, said insecurity and misinformation were undermining efforts to contain the outbreak. In Beni and Butembo, both in North Kivu, rumours and misconceptions about Ebola had contributed to reluctance among some residents to cooperate with response teams, he said.

In an October 5 update, medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said North Kivu accounted for nearly 40 percent of newly confirmed cases nationwide, up from 24 percent at the end of August.

MSF also reported that, as of September 28, 34 percent of confirmed Ebola patients were being treated in non-specialised health facilities. Dedicated treatment centres lacked sufficient beds, while delays in diagnosis meant some patients were being treated outside facilities equipped to manage Ebola.

The organisation warned that many of these facilities lacked the resources and expertise needed to manage the disease, increasing the risk of transmission among patients and healthcare workers.

“For weeks, treatment capacity has stretched to its limit,” said Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of MSF’s Ebola treatment centre in Butembo.

“Because there are not enough beds available, we are sometimes forced to refer confirmed Ebola patients elsewhere, despite the significant risk this poses to the wider community. In addition, standards of care in some peripheral facilities do not always meet the requirements for Ebola treatment. This is extremely concerning.”

Mistrust threatens containment efforts

Alberto Lusenge, a community leader in Beni, said the failure to stop transmission early in Ituri province, followed by new cases and attacks on response workers in Beni and Butembo, had deepened public concern.

Lusenge warned that mistrust could discourage residents from reporting symptoms or cooperating with health workers. He said North Kivu could become a greater focus of the outbreak if authorities failed to secure stronger cooperation from local communities.

The WHO said response teams were following up 23,741 of the 29,535 identified contacts as of October 4, equivalent to 80.4 percent – below the response target of at least 85 percent.

Contact tracing allows health authorities to identify people who may have been exposed, monitor them for symptoms and detect infections early. Gaps in follow-up can make it harder to identify and interrupt chains of transmission.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for a community-centred response, including active case finding, systematic contact tracing, daily follow-up of exposed people and sustained engagement with local communities.

A history of deadly outbreaks

The DRC’s 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak, caused by a different virus species, killed nearly 2,300 people. The current outbreak presents distinct challenges: According to the WHO, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease.

Early detection, supportive care and infection prevention therefore remain central to the response. But as infections spread into additional health zones and treatment facilities struggle to accommodate patients, health authorities face the dual challenge of containing transmission and maintaining public trust.

Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, has stressed the importance of rapidly identifying and monitoring people exposed to the virus.

“To bring this outbreak under control, we need to know where every contact is, track them and quickly identify anyone showing symptoms before they pass the virus on to their family, their community or across borders. We will only bring this outbreak under control once the last chain of transmission has been broken,” Kaseya said in a news release seen by Al Jazeera.

A man has died after being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, police have confirmed.

South Yorkshire Police said it had been called at 13:35 BST to reports of a man entering the tiger enclosure at the attraction near Doncaster. The tiger then attacked the man and he died at the scene, the force said.

His family had been informed and were being supported by officers, it added.

A park spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by today’s tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the person who has lost their life.”

They added: “We are working closely with the police and relevant authorities and would ask that the privacy of those affected is respected at this extremely difficult time. The park will remain closed tomorrow.”

Police said the tiger was uninjured, remained in the enclosure following the incident and there had been no wider risk to the public.

The park was evacuated and officers remain at the scene.

The force added: “We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage.”

Earlier, in a statement posted on its website, the park said its emergency response procedures had been “immediately activated” and it was “working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened”.

MICK Jagger’s granddaughter Amba Jackson, 30, has revealed she was “taking a lot of drugs and being a borderline alcoholic” while she was at university.

Amba is the daughter of Jade Jagger, 54, and her former partner, artist Piers Jackson.

In her debut Substack post, artist Amba wrote: “I went to University to study Fashion Design in New York because, at 19, I wanted to be Edie Sedgwick in Factory girl.

“I was taking a lot of drugs, and the school was easy to get into.“

Amba, who was struggling to cope with life at the prestigious Pratt Institut, continued: “‘For a highly sensitive, neurodivergent, mentally unstable, borderline alcoholic adolescent.

“Who wanted to spend a significant amount of time getting drunk and chatting sh** with her equally unstable friends, keeping up with schoolwork was challenging.

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“I felt completely broken by the expectations and couldn’t understand why I seemed to struggle so much more with tailoring than my peers.”

However, in a 2015 Harper’s Bazaar interview with her family, Amba was described as academically successful.

Her older sister Assisi Jackson, 34, said Amba was ‘working her socks off’ at Pratt.Institute

But, Amba has now said she had been struggling with feelings of shame and inadequacy at the time.

She explained: “Looking back, I realise I convinced myself that I was superior to all my classmates to avoid the experience of belonging to the group, and to cope with copious amounts of shame.

“I adopted the identity of cool and aloof, mature and slightly messed up English girl, who lived off campus and did her own thing.”

Amba eventually found an outlet for her passion while spending two years working with experimental artist and fashion designer Susan Cianciolo in Brooklyn, where she helped make clothes, quilts, collages and dolls.

At first she struggled to understand Susan’s unconventional approach but she eventually came to see the studio as a place where the sensitivity she had tried to conceal could be expressed without judgment.

And now Amba is now hoping to create a similar environment in South Devon.

She says she is seeking planning permission to convert stables on her land into a community art centre, following six years studying art therapy.

The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool will be renewed when they meet in Sunday’s supercharged Premier League clash at Anfield.

History suggests Liverpool are often favourites in this fixture, but recent form heavily favours the Manchester club.

City, who have dominated headlines in recent weeks over serious financial breach charges, lead the league’s points table with 15 points – six ahead of Liverpool, who are sixth in the standings.

Sunday’s match will be the 202nd fixture between the teams across all competitions, with Liverpool firmly leading the head-to-head with 95 victories, while City have won 53 matches with 53 drawn.

As Enzo Maresca faces off with Andoni Iraola this weekend, Al Jazeera looks back at the top five clashes over the years:

Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City (January 14, 2018 – Premier League)

Our list begins with this seven-goal league thriller from eight years ago.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool an early lead that night at Anfield before Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a rousing eight-minute spell in the second half to build a staggering 4-1 lead.

But Man City struck twice in the final six minutes through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, forcing Liverpool to hold on for a nervous finish.

That result not only strengthened Liverpool’s top-four bid but also ended City’s unbeaten run that season.

Nonetheless, City went on to lift the title that term with a record-breaking 100 points, while Liverpool came fourth.

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City (April 13, 2014 – Premier League)

This game goes further back in history and it’s another laden with goals.

On the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 97 Liverpool supporters died, a 10-man Liverpool side beat City 3-2 in a dramatic title-race clash.

Early goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control, but City fought back through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal before Philippe Coutinho struck the winner for Liverpool 12 minutes from time.

Coutinho pounced on a loose clearance by City’s Vincent Kompany in the box, drilling the ball into the bottom corner as Anfield went wild for the ‘Little Magician’.

The victory marked a huge step towards Liverpool’s title charge, but ultimately it was City who won the league that season, finishing two points ahead of the Merseyside club.

Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool (January 3, 2019 – Premier League)

The next game on our list sees City on the winning side.

Sergio Aguero had given City the lead with his first-half strike before Firmino equalised four minutes from the hour -mark.

But Leroy Sane won the three vital points for the hosts, scoring the winner in the 72nd minute.

After a quick counterattack, Sterling picked out the onrushing Sane on the left side, just outside the box, before the German’s left-footed shot hit the inside of the post and the ball rolled into the bottom corner.

With that, Liverpool suffered their first loss of the season, ending a 20-game unbeaten streak.

City also went on to reduce Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points and eventually lifted the trophy, beating the Reds by just one point.

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City (November 10, 2019 – Premier League)

This match goes back to the season that was the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goals from Fabinho, Salah and Mane guided the Reds to a hugely impressive 3-1 home win over the title holders.

The match is best remembered by Liverpool fans for Fabinho’s stunning goal, as the Brazilian launched the ball into the net from about 25 yards (23 metres) out.

The result also opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table and went down as a defining moment in Liverpool’s campaign as they ended their 30-year quest to win the league.

That season, Liverpool finished with 99 points, a whopping 18 points ahead of second-placed City.

Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City (April 4, 2018 – Champions League quarterfinal, first leg)

Our top five list ends with a Champions League clash.

Liverpool fired three goals in the opening half-hour, ripping through their opponents in the first leg of this UCL quarterfinal clash.

Once again, Salah, Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the scorers as Liverpool took control of the knockout tie.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce finish – a thundering strike from outside the box – was the highlight of this fixture.

Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they fell to Real Madrid.

Caracas, September 6th, 2016 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) confirmed on Monday during an interview on state news channel Venezuela de Televisión (VTV) that authorities arrested several individuals identified as snipers set to carry out plans unexecuted during the opposition’s September 1st mobilizations.

For many, last week’s mobilizations were marked with great potential for bloodshed and guarimba violence as the political opposition has been insistent on a recall referendum happening this year despite protocols that would make anything earlier than January 2017 an unconstitutional process.

According to Sebin authorities, these individuals prepared to carry out selective assassinations on September 1st during the mobilizations. Since the targeted assassinations did not occur last week, Sebin authorities believe the individuals were ready to execute their plans Wednesday September 7th.

Sebin Director, Gustavo González López, said, “They [those arrested] had already made plans for September 7th, which indicate there are still intentions to carry out a coup.”

In total, five people were arrested in association with these plans. They include: Giovanni Vásquez, Joel José Méndez Semprún, Enrique Gerónimo González Ramírez and Manuel Alejandro González.

Additionally, Venezuelan officials reiterated that they issued arrest warrants for opposition leaders Lestor Toledo and Yorman Barillas, who are allegedly among the plan’s masterminds.

Both Toledo and Barillas are said to be in Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia. As such, the Ministry of Domestic Affairs has requested that the Colombian government repatriate them to Venezuela. González López said that the plans were designed during three meetings with former Colombian President Álavaro Uribe as well as other members of Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Uribe is notorious for founding paramilitary groups in Colombia and supporting their operations throughout the region. Venezuelan authorities have regularly linked Uribe to key opposition figures as well as ongoing attempts to destabilize Venezuelan society and overthrow the Bolivarian government.

Venezuelan authorities say that the preparative meetings took place in Maicao, as well as Mara and Maracaibo in Zulia state.

The Venezuelan military likewise detained four individuals in Páez municipality, Apure state where they found ammunition and 35 mm grenades, among other objects. Three men and one woman were detained, referred to in Venezuelan media as “guerillas”, part of a military operation of 20 soldiers under the orders of General Hermes Hernández Marcano by the Arauca River.

More details surrounding their case, including the individual’s’ identities have not yet been released.

EastEnders actress Maddy Hill has broken her silence about her real-life pregnancy away from the BBC soap

An EastEnders actress has opened up about her being pregnant the same time as her on-screen character in the the BBC soap.

In recent episodes, Nancy Carter, played by Maddy Hill, made a welcome return to Albert Square to seek advice from her younger brother, Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) insisting that their “interfering” mother, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), remained unaware of her visit.

However, Nancy was rumbled when she attended the hospital for abdominal pain, and was met by a shocked Linda, and her grandmother, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe). In a twist, Nandy was revealed to be pregnant but remained tight-lipped about the father’s identity.

That same day, Nancy turned up at Peacock Palace, accompanied by her baby’s mysterious father, who happened to be her sheepish elder brother Lee (Danny Hatchard).

It soon transpired that Nancy is acting as a surrogate for Lee and his partner Jess, but the couple is now separated and not on good terms. Nancy is now pursuing legal guidance from Johnny regarding custody of the baby, as Lee wants to be a single parent with no involvement from his ex-girlfriend.

As actress Maddy Hill embarks on a dramatic baby storyline in EastEnders, she has opened up about her real-life pregnancy. In a behind-the-scenes video showcasing her return to the soap after a four-year absence, the soap star spoke about what it is like expecting a child.

In the “day in the life” video on the EastEnders Instagram page, Maddy spoke about how she’s glad she doesn’t have to spend long in makeup, due to needing to go for a wee about “every 10 minutes” while pregnant.

Shortly after, Maddy went to chat with actress Kellie Bright, who plays her on-screen mum, and appeared to confirm she is expecting a baby girl.

Looking at Maddy’s bump, Kellie asked: “How is she today?”, prompting Maddy to reply, “She’s lively today”. Kellie added, “Oh, she’s a lively one,” as Maddy added that the baby liked the lunch of quiche, potato, and aubergine salad. “There’s something joyful about playing a pregnancy, even when it’s a complicated pregnancy,” she said.

Maddy’s behind-the-scenes video prompted a response from fans who “didn’t realise” that she is pregnant. Taking to the comments, one person asked: “Is she pregnant in real life? Looks very real x.” A second added: “Omg is she actually pregnant irl? Looks so real”, while a third chimed in: “Wahhhhhh such big congrats.”

“Congratulations Maddy! Good to have Nancy back!”, shared one viewer as another echoed the sentiment: “Was saying to my friend bump looks real, didn’t realise it’s her real life pregnancy, congrats Maddy!” Meanwhile, Kellie Bright wrote on the post: “I love you @maddyhill90, and I can’t wait to get my hands on that baby!!!!!”

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer