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The controversial, US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says it is winding down its aid operations in the Palestinian territory, after almost six months.

The organisation had already suspended its three food distribution sites in Gaza after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect six weeks ago.

The GHF aimed to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to Gaza’s population. UN and other aid agencies refused to co-operate with its system, saying it was unethical and unsafe.

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed while seeking food amid chaotic scenes near GHF’s sites, mostly by Israeli fire, according to the UN. Israel said its troops fired warning shots.

The GHF said on Monday that it was winding down operations now because of the “successful completion of its emergency mission”, with a total of three million packages containing the equivalent of more than 187 million meals delivered to Palestinians.

The GHF’s executive director, Jon Acree, also said the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) – which has been set up to help implement US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan – would be “adopting and expanding the model GHF piloted”.

US state department spokesperson Tommy Piggott wrote on X: “GHF’s model, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, played a huge role in getting Hamas to the table and achieving a ceasefire.”

Hamas – which denies stealing aid – welcomed the closure of the GHF, Reuters reported. A spokesman for said GHF should be held accountable for the harm it caused to Palestinians.

“We call upon all international human rights organisations to ensure that it does not escape accountability after causing the death and injury of thousands of Gazans and covering up the starvation policy practised by the (Israeli) government,” Hazem Qassem wrote on his Telegram channel.

The GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 May, a week after Israel had partially eased a total blockade on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that lasted 11 weeks and caused severe shortages of essential supplies. Three months later, a famine was declared in Gaza City.

The GHF’s food distribution sites in southern and central Gaza were operated by US private security contractors and located inside Israeli military zones.

The UN and its partners said the system contravened the fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and that channelling desperate people into militarised zones was inherently unsafe.

The UN’s human rights office said it recorded the killing of at least 859 Palestinians seeking food in the vicinity of GHF sites between 26 May and 31 July. Another 514 people were killed near the routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added. Most of them were killed by the Israeli military, according to the office.

The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots at people who approached them in a “threatening” manner.

The GHF said there were no shootings at the aid sites and accused the UN of using “false and misleading” statistics from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The GHF’s future had been uncertain since Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire deal to implement the first phase of Trump’s peace plan.

It said aid distribution would take place “without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner” with Hamas and Israel.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the GHF’s shutdown would have “no impact” on its operations “because we never worked with them”.

He also said that while more aid was getting into Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, it was “not enough to meet all the needs” of the 2.1 million population.

Nov. 22 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said he is “immediately” ending deportation protections for more than 400 Somali immigrants living in Minnesota.

Trumo made the announcement on Truth Social on Friday night.

The East African nation has had protection since 1991, and it was renewed on Sept. 18, 2024, through March 17, 2026, when Joe Biden was president.

“I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota,” he wrote. “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”

He did not offer evidence related to the allegations of terrorist gangs in the state.

In addition, he blamed Democratic Gov. Walz of overseeing a state that had become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” — also without proof.

“It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject,” Walz, who was Kamala Harris‘ vice presidential candidate in the 2024 election against Trump, said less than two hours later in a post on X.

TPS was created in 1979 to allow migrants who escaped “civil unrest, violence or natural disasters” from being deported from the United Stats.

Somalia, which for decades has experienced civil war and instability, is among 17 migrants’ countries with protection. Somalia’s population is 20 million.

There are 705 Somali immigrants approved for the status as of March 31 with 430 in Minnesota, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood east of downtown Minneapolis is nicknamed “Little Mogadishu” because of its large Somali population.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat representing Minneapolis and born in Somalia, blasted the decision.

“Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay,” Omar wrote on X, noting that most Somalian immigrants are U.S. citizens.

Trump in the past has been at odds with Omar.

“I look at somebody that comes from Somalia, where they don’t have anything – they don’t have police, they don’t have military, they don’t have anything,” Trump said in a Nov. 11 interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News. “All they have is crime — and she comes in and tells us how to run our country.”

Since 1979, more than 26,000 Somali refugees moved to Minnesota, according to the state Department of Health.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said his office is “monitoring the situation and exploring all of our options.

“Somali folks came to Minnesota fleeing conflict, instability and famine, and they have become an integral part of our state, our culture and our community,” Ellison wrote on Facebook. “Donald Trump cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on a bigoted whim.”

“I am confident that Minnesotans know better than to fall for Donald Trump’s scare tactics and scapegoating,” he added.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke out with a Facebook post that he is “standing with our Somali community today. Minneapolis has your back — always.”

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuthg, who is running for governor against Walz, applauded the decision.

“The unfortunate reality is that far too many individuals who were welcomed into this country have abused the trust and support that was extended to them, and Minnesota taxpayers have suffered billions of dollars in consequences as a result,” Demuth said in a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer adding a post posted on X that “accountability is coming.”

Emmers post linked to a report from right-wing Breitbart about a letter he wrote to Daniel Rosen, U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, urging him to “open an investigation into reports that Minnesota taxpayer dollars are ending up in the hands of the al-Shabab terrorist network in Somalia.”

The move was criticized by Jaylani Hussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“This is not just a bureaucratic change; it is a political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric,” Hussein told CBS News. “We strongly urge President Trump to reverse this misguided decision.”

He added that the protection provided “a legal lifeline for families who have built their lives here for decades.”

Trump has also ended TPS protections for Afghan, Venezuelan, Syrian and South Sudanese nationals. Those actions from each have been challenged in courts.

Drake Batherson scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:58 to play, and the Ottawa Senators held off a furious Anaheim rally after the Ducks pulled their goalie in the final minutes for a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Batherson was camped in front of the Ducks net when he deflected a blue-line shot from Jake Sanderson past goalie Petr Mrazek to snap the Ducks’ six-game home win streak.

Nick Cousins and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa, and Linus Ullmark stopped 24 shots.

Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish scored in the second period for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. Mrazek, the backup who made his fifth start of the season in place of Lukas Dostal, had 22 saves.

The Ducks were playing their third game in four nights and the second game of a back-to-back, and it showed during a sluggish first period in which they went eight minutes — including a two-minute power play —without a shot on goal and put only three shots on net.

Cousins gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead when he took a pass from Nick Jensen in the high slot, wound up and rifled a shot over the glove of Mrazek with 3:21 left in the first.

But the Ducks scored twice within a span of 1:26 in the second to turn that 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.

The comeback started with a whiff, Cutter Gauthier misfiring on a snap shot from the slot. But the 20-year-old from Sweden was able to control the puck, poke it through the legs of defender Artem Zub and slip a pass to Sennecke, who snapped a shot into a nearly open net for a 1-1 tie with 6:52 left.

Moments later, Ducks forward Chris Kreider, playing in his 900th game, streaked down the right side on a two-on-one break and slid a pass to McTavish, who beat Ullmark stick-side for a 2-1 lead with 5:26 left.

A McTavish interference call with 2:52 left gave the Senators a man advantage, and Pinto took advantage, slipping a puck under Mrazek’s pads with 57 seconds left for his 10th goal of the season and a 2-2 tie.

Nov. 17 (UPI) — The Trump administration on Monday ended a Biden-era policy that forced airlines to reimburse travelers for issues such as long flight delays.

The White House pulled the proposal by then-U.S. President Joe Biden from the Federal Register, arguing the move was part of President Donald Trump‘s plan to scrap perceivably wasteful federal regulations.

It required airlines to, among other things, compensate its customers with meals, hotels, transportation, or rebooking fees after significant domestic flight delays.

The department announced in September it intended to ditch the policy implemented by Biden and then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

On Monday, the Transportation Department said it would “continue to allow airlines to compete on the services and compensation that they provide to passengers.”

“Rather than imposing new minimum requirements for these services and compensation through regulation, which would impose significant costs on airlines and potentially consumers,” it added.

On Friday, Trump Transportation officials claimed the passenger protection rule created “unnecessary regulatory burdens.”

Officials added Monday that the Transportation Department was “not convinced that a new regulatory regime that includes passenger compensation requirements would yield meaningful improvements in airline flight performance.”

But it was “just the latest example of [the Trump administration] siding with corporations and against customers,” Buttigieg, a rumored 2028 presidential candidate, stated in September on X.

The air carrier trade group Airlines for America previously praised the action.

Meanwhile, the senate’s leading consumer advocate criticized Trump’s move, saying it lets airlines “off the hook.”

“Who does this policy help aside from the CEOs at major airlines?” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said on social media. “If this is Trump’s idea of lowering costs, then we’re in a lot of hot water.”

Saturday’s event was promoted as “unfinished business”, but in the build-up it did not feel like that really rang true – there was no contention over the result of the first contest.

Maybe it was harking back to the rivalry between their fathers, who fought a controversial draw in their second and final meeting in 1993.

It was a feud that gripped the British public but felt unsettled.

The scars of that fight still haunt Benn’s father Nigel and at the post-fight news conference he was dragged right back into that mindset.

“He [Eubank Sr] just loves the limelight, he doesn’t care about his son, ” Nigel Benn said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever speak to him again. He tries to quote scripture but he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

As Nigel was growing more and more animated, his son began to laugh and could possibly picture himself speaking about Eubank Jr in three decades.

Despite still holding a grudge, it did feel like Nigel was able to gain some closure on the feud through his son.

“I don’t know if Conor knows but this is my last training camp,” he added.

“I won’t be doing this any more. I have three lovely kids in Australia that need me. I have a lovely wife that needs me.”

The sons were never meant to fight. Eubank Jr is seven years older, and Conor Benn has operated two weight classes lower for most of his career.

But the appetite to see two icons – Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn – back in the boxing sphere alongside their offspring was insatiable.

As characters, they could not be further apart.

Eubank Sr is a performer, often pulling focus from his son with his dance moves, while the elder Benn is straight and to the point.

At the post-fight news conference, Nigel had changed out of his cream suit and donned a blue Team Benn tracksuit.

He entered the room next to his son and they were followed by a group of around 20 people made up of family, friends and coaches.

Benn made sure to pay tribute to every one of them after helping him through “dark times” when he was banned from boxing after testing positive for a banned substance.

“There were a lot of people in the changing room that were there for me in those dark times,” Benn said.

“I wasn’t strong enough to do it alone and they gave wisdom and helped carry me. The win is for them.”

With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it could still take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.

A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from President Trump’s administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While some states had already issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.

The federal food program serves about 42 million people, or about 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of about $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for a regular month.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” But the agency didn’t say whether that timeline indicates when the money will be available to states or when it could be loaded onto the electronic cards used by beneficiaries.

West Virginia, which hadn’t issued SNAP benefits, should have full November benefits for all recipients by Friday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday.

The Illinois Department of Human Services, which previously issued partial November benefits, said Thursday that it is “working to restore full SNAP benefits.” But it won’t happen instantly.

“We anticipate that the remaining benefit payments will be made over several days, starting tomorrow,” the department said in a statement, and that “all SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits by November 20th.”

Colorado officials said late Wednesday that they are switching from delivering partial to full SNAP benefits, which could be loaded onto electronic cards starting as soon as Thursday.

Missouri’s Department of Social Services, which issued partial SNAP payments Tuesday, said Thursday that it is waiting for USDA guidance on how to issue the remaining November SNAP benefits but would move quickly once that guidance is received.

Paused SNAP payments stirred stress for some families

The delayed SNAP payments posed a new complication for Lee Harris’ family since his spouse was laid off a few months ago.

Harris, 34, said his North Little Rock, Ark., family got help from his temple and received food left by someone who was moving. With that assistance — and the knowledge that other families have greater needs — they skipped stopping by the food pantry they have sometimes used.

Harris’ family, including his three daughters, hasbeen able to keep meals fairly close to normal despite missing a SNAP payment this week. But they have still experienced stress and uncertainty.

“Not knowing a definite end,” Harris said, “I don’t know how much I need to stretch what I have in our pantry.”

Federal legislation funds SNAP for a year

The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP benefits for November amid the government shutdown. Many Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored.

After judges ruled the Trump administration must tap into reserves to fund SNAP, the administration said it would fund up to 65% of its regular allocations. When a judge subsequently ordered full benefits, some states scrambled to quickly load SNAP benefits onto participants’ cards during a one-day window before the Supreme Court put that order on hold Friday.

Meanwhile, other states went forward with partial benefits, and still others issued nothing while waiting for further USDA guidance on the situation.

Amid the uncertainty over federal SNAP funding, some states tapped into their own funds to provide direct aid to SNAP recipients or additional money for nonprofit food banks.

The legislation to reopen the U.S. government provides full SNAP benefits not only for November but also for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which runs through next September. Citing that legislation, the Justice Department on Thursday dropped its request for the Supreme Court to continue blocking a judicial order to pay full SNAP benefits.

Mulvihill and Lieb write for the Associated Press. AP writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Ill.; John Raby in Charleston, W.Va.; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.

ATLANTA — With the Lakers down by 20 in the third quarter at Atlanta, the only sound coming from their bench was Nick Smith Jr.’s hollow claps of encouragement. The rest of the Lakers sat with slumped shoulders on the bench or loitered with blank faces in a semicircle waiting for their coaches to join.

There wasn’t much that could be said.

The Lakers’ five-game winning streak ended in a blowout as the Hawks dominated 122-102 on Saturday at State Farm Arena.

Playing a third consecutive game without Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic tried to keep the Lakers (7-3) in it with 22 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, but all his points came in the first half and he came out after only 27 minutes as the Hawks built a 25-point lead by the middle of the third quarter. Forward Jake LaRavia had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jarred Vanderbilt had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career high.

“This isn’t the identity of this team,” LaRavia said. “This game was an outlier of the first 10 games that we played. [We have to] just not let it break us and be ready to play the next game.”

The Lakers, who won their first four road games, started their five-game trip on a sour note and now need to bounce back when play Charlotte on Monday.

The Hawks (5-5) were playing the second game of a home back-to-back after losing to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. They had four of five starters sidelined, including Trae Young (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (rest) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back).

The Lakers should know the dangers of a desperate, shorthanded team. Only five days ago they ended Portland’s three-game winning streak without Reaves, Doncic or LeBron James. Coach JJ Redick said he would reiterate the lesson before Saturday’s game to avoid a letdown.

Then the Lakers fell behind by 13 in the first quarter. Their deficit ballooned to 26 after three quarters. Redick began sitting his starters by the middle of the third.

“Just not a lot to like tonight,” Redick said matter-of-factly.

Facing a cross-country trip, the Lakers arrived in Atlanta on Thursday and scheduled a practice Friday with a team-bonding activity that night. They held a shootaround in the arena Saturday morning.

Yet even with the extra time to prepare, Redick could tell within the first two minutes that the team didn’t have the necessary energy to win. What did the coach see during that fateful stretch?

“Nothing,” Redick said.

Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci shoots between Lakers center Deandre Ayton and forward Rui Hachimura in the first half Saturday.

(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)

It was the final word of his news conference, which lasted 100 seconds.

Doncic helped lead a quick third-quarter surge, assisting on three consecutive baskets in a 7-0 run that cut the lead to nine, but the Hawks responded by scoring seven unanswered points and forcing two turnovers. Center Deandre Ayton subbed out for the last time with 8:49 to go in the third.

“They played phenomenal,” said Ayton, who had 11 points on five-for-five shooting and five rebounds. “But us not even damn near competing in a sense, it looks bad on paper and it looks bad on film. This is one of them games where yeah, food’s going to taste bad tonight.”

Doncic and Marcus Smart, another veteran leader, were not made available to reporters after the game.

Atlanta’s Mouhamed Gueye torched the Lakers for 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting and made four three-pointers. The Lakers, who had credited their connection and chemistry for carrying them through long stints without their stars, suddenly fell silent when faced with a large deficit in front of a rowdy crowd.

With most of Atlanta’s fans streaming toward the exits in the final two minutes, the Hawks’ most dedicated fan group, the “404 Crew,” echoed through the mostly empty arena with a final chant: “Where is LeBron?”

The superstar has yet to play a single minute this season because of a bout with sciatica.

Celebrity real estate agent Chrishell Stause is moving on from Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” after nine seasons on the hit reality TV series.

Stause revealed to Bustle in a story published Friday that she is quitting the popular show, telling the outlet that not even “Jesus Christ himself” or the show’s producing team could persuade her to return. “I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” the 44-year-old reality star and former “All My Children” actor told Bustle.

“I’m lucky to have other forms of employment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health,” she said.

“Selling Sunset” debuted on Netflix in 2019 and stars the female agents, including Stause, at the Sunset Strip office of the Oppenheim Group, a luxury real estate agency. Over the years, with Stause part of the main cast, the series has documented some of her professional wins and losses as well as her personal struggles, notably her divorce from “This Is Us” actor Justin Hartley in 2019. That divorce was finalized in 2021 and Stause has since remarried to Australian musician G Flip.

As Stause announced her exit to Bustle, she discussed her issues with other members of the “Selling Sunset” circle, namely co-star Emma Hernan and her boyfriend, Blake Davis. She also expressed disapproval with the series’ editing. Netflix did not comment to Bustle about Stause’s comments, but she wished the “Selling” franchise well in its future installments.

“I have no ill will toward the show. The show has given me so many opportunities, and I don’t want to be bitter about it, even though I’m leaving not in the way that I would’ve loved,” she said.

Stause, who appeared earlier this year in NBC’s celebrity competition show “The Traitors,” also talked about growing her family with G Flip and diversifying her friend groups: “I just really love being around accepting, beautiful-hearted people.”

The actor-reality star closes her “Selling Sunset” chapter two days after Netflix aired its Season 9 reunion episode. On Instagram, Stause acknowledged that “the season ended on a bit of a sour note,” but expressed gratitude to the Netflix series and its fans.

“It introduced me to you guys — and I am deeply thankful for your support. There were lots of fun memories I am going to focus on from here on out and you will see me again so it’s not goodbye,” she said Friday in an Instagram story. “Just goodbye for now.”

Nov. 6 (UPI) — The Trump administration has moved to end deportation protections for those from South Sudan as the United Nations warns the country is on the brink of war.

Amid President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on immigration, the Department of Homeland Security has targeted countries that have been given Temporary Protected Status, which is granted to countries facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions.

TPS enables eligible nationals from the designated countries to live and work in the United States legally, without fear of deportation.

DHS announced it was ending TPS for South Sudan on Wednesday with the filing of a Federal Register notice.

The termination will be in effect Jan. 5.

“After conferring with interagency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in South Sudan no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements,” DHS said in a statement, which explained the decision was based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review of the conditions in South Sudan and in consultation with the Department of State.

South Sudan was first designated for TPS in November 2011 amid violent post-independence instability in the country, and the designation has been repeatedly renewed since.

The Trump administration has sought to end TPS designations for a total seven countries: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Venezuela and now South Sudan. Court challenges have followed, with decisions staying, at least for now, the terminations for all of the countries except for Afghanistan and Cameroon, which ended July 12 and Aug. 4, respectively.

The move to terminate TPS for South Sudan is also expected to be challenged in court.

The announcement comes a little more than a week after the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned the General Assembly that the African nation is experiencing escalating armed conflict and political crisis, and that international intervention is needed to halt mounting human rights violations.

A civil war erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, just two years after the country gained independence — a conflict that came to an end with a cease-fire in 2018.

Barney Afako, a member of the human rights commission in South Sudan, said Oct. 29 that the political transition spearheaded by the cease-fire agreement was “falling apart.”

“The cease-fire is not holding, political detentions have become a tool of repression, the peace agreement’s key provisions are being systematically violated and the government forces are using aerial bombardments in civilian areas,” he said.

“All indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war.”

The DHS is urging South Sudanese in the United States under TPS to voluntarily leave the country using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection smartphone application. If they do, they can secure a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 “exit bonus” and potential future opportunities for legal immigration.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) — Farmers for Free Trade, a nonprofit group that advocates for lower tariffs and expanded global market access, wrapped up its “Motorcade for Trade” tour Tuesday in Washington to urge policymakers to ease trade tensions and support struggling producers.

Dozens of farmers joined at different points along the route to participate in town halls and farm stops, contributing to discussions on trade priorities, export markets and challenges.

The organization has prioritized five issues, including tariff reductions, exemptions for agricultural necessities, such as fertilizer and equipment, and a timely review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The caravan began Sept. 5 in Dorchester, Neb., with a cooperative event between farmers and Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. The next three stops included sessions with Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Jim Baird, R-Ind.

Although the Farmers for Free Trade team did not live in its RV, the group named it Ruth after driving more than 2,800 miles with it, spending many hours inside planning and being interviewed with their furry companion, a dog named Huckleberry.

“It’s really about getting information from farmers throughout the Midwest to understand what impact the administration’s trade and tariff policies have had on individuals,” said Brent Bible, an Indiana grain farmer. “It’s had an individual impact, not just on producers, but on communities throughout rural America,”

The caravan made 10 stops — in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington.

“We hosted events throughout the Midwest — everything from meetings with members of Congress to farmer roundtables and tariff town halls,” said Brian Kuehl, the Farmers for Free Trade executive director.

Between the fourth and fifth stop, Kuehl said, it became increasingly difficult to set a schedule.

“Our No. 1 one priority was to meet with members of Congress, and a lot of times you wouldn’t know their schedule until a few days in advance. Then, in the middle of the tour, we had the government shutdown. A bunch of members we had events with canceled because they had to be in D.C.,” Kuehl said.

His team then pivoted to hosting listening sessions and trade talks with farmers, along with visiting the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin and various farms.

Despite some adjustments, Kuehl shared his team’s optimism for the tour.

“One of the things that’s so cool about agriculture is how diverse it is throughout the United States,” he said. “In the Midwest, you’re looking at soybean and corn farms. As we moved east, we saw more dairies and hog farms. We even visited a winery in Pennsylvania. Pretty much the trade disruptions are impacting them all negatively.”

In Indiana, Bible said, “Our input costs have gone up dramatically because of tariffs on imports — fertilizer, equipment, steel, aluminum. If we need a replacement part or a new tractor, all of those things are impacted. We’re getting squeezed at both ends, and when that happens, there’s nothing left in the middle.”

In Ohio, corn, soy and cattle farmer Chris Gibbs said, he’s felt that squeeze firsthand. After more than 40 years in agriculture, he described 2025 as “a cash flow and working capital crisis,” noting that he’s paying well above production costs for major crops.

“We’re about $200 per acre under the cost of production for corn and about $100 under for soybeans,” Gibbs said.

Because of the shutdown — now the longest in history — the U.S. Department of Agriculture “is essentially not functioning,” Gibbs said. “They normally release reporting information that the market relies on, but that hasn’t been occurring. Farmers are having to make major business decisions without the data we depend on.”

Gibbs added: “I’ve been farming almost 50 years, and I’m struggling, If I’m having to move money around just to stay afloat, what happens to the young farmers who don’t have savings yet? They’re hanging on by a thread.”

Farmers strategically planned the finale of their motorcade to be in Washington this week in alignment with the Supreme Court of the United States’ schedule. The high court plans to hear oral arguments Wednesday on whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorizes President Donald Trump to impose tariffs to the extent he has.

“We’re in a commodity business,” Bible said. “If we have a truly free, functioning market, we can be competitive. But that hasn’t been the case. Prices have been artificially manipulated by policy decisions and retaliation from other countries.”

Nov. 1 (UPI) — As daylight saving time ends overnight Saturday, a large majority of Americans will turn their clocks back and gain an extra hour of sleep early Sunday morning.

Many clocks will self-adjust at the appropriate time, such as the clocks on computers and cell phones, but others still must be changed manually.

The official time to turn the clocks back is 2 a.m. in states that participate in daylight saving time, which many view as an opportunity to get in an extra hour of celebration in states and locales that require bars to close at 2 a.m. or later.

Most of Canada and northern Mexico also will change their clocks as daylight saving time ends for them.

The purpose is to add an hour of daylight during the morning hours during the winter months and an extra hour of daylight during the evening hours during the summer months, according to USA Today.

Most of Arizona and all of Hawaii do not follow daylight saving time, though, which means clocks will remain the same as the rest of the nation joins them on standard time.

Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, forgoes daylight saving time due to the summers there being so hot.

Hawaii does not participate in daylight saving time due to its close proximity to the Equator and relatively consistent daylight hours throughout the year.

The U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands likewise do not participate in daylight savings time due to their relatively stable hours of sunlight.

Daylight saving time started this year on March 9, and Sunday marks its earliest end since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed the end date from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November, starting in 2007.

The act also changed its start date to the second Sunday in March, which extended daylight saving time by about four weeks per year.

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. on March 8, 2026.

Germany was the first nation to adjust its clocks in 1916 during World War I, with the goal of reducing its energy usage.

Other nations, including the United States, soon followed.

Daylight saving time became a requirement in the United States upon the adoption of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, but states have the ability to opt out.

No state, however, has the option of permanently setting their clocks on daylight saving time.

Acceptance of the annual fall and spring time changes is not universal.

A CBS/YouGov poll in 2022 showed 80% of respondents favored keeping daylight saving time in effect all year, and the Senate that year passed the Sunshine Protection Act.

The measure died in the House of Representatives, however, as it chose not to bring it up for a vote.

Nineteen states, though, are prepared to eliminate the time change if Congress passes enabling legislation to do so.

A measure that would do so has been introduced in the Senate, but it has not been put up for a vote.