Lula is declared winner of Brazil's election as Bolsonaro rejects results
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, was reelected Sunday in a result that provides relief to critics of widening U.S. influence in Latin America.
With 100% of the vote counted, Brazil’s electoral court announced that the soon to be 81-year-old Lula had a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, giving him 51.8% of the total vote. Bolsonaro quickly refused to concede defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled after an evening of chaos at some polling places that followed a last-minute decision to extend voting by two hours.
Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated to take the presidency in 2022.
Lula's triumph bucks a regional trend of victories for right-of-center presidential candidates allied with Trump. It also means Latin America’s largest economy, with a GDP of $2.6 trillion per year, will likely continue defying Trump’s demands, despite the pressure of increased tariffs.
A video published by Lula’s campaign shows the veteran leader celebrating with First Lady Rosângela da Silva and allies after his runoff victory was confirmed by Brazil’s electoral court. Wearing star-shaped red glasses, he kissed his wife.
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Serbia’s strongman leader Vucic concedes defeat to student-led movement in seismic political shift
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.
It was a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.
Almost immediately, crowds flooded the streets of the capital Belgrade and other Serbian cities in an outburst of euphoric celebration.
Belgrade resident Dragana Kovacevic was thrilled that “everyone greets with smiles.” She said "we are all too happy, finally we are becoming one normal and free country.”
Maja Stetic said she feels “fantastic.” Vucic's ouster, she said, "means liberation for me, means a new future for us and our children.”
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Trump escalates anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed in Michigan, drawing Arab American rebuke
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) — President Donald Trump intensified his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, portraying him as a threat to national security and questioning his loyalty to the United States in remarks that drew a sharp rebuke from a former top Arab American ally.
Trump called El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists” and would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.” He also repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate chamber and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93.
El-Sayed, who would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected, has called attacks on his loyalty to the country “shameful” and repeatedly denied any ties to extremist groups. The Republican president's remarks were condemned by Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that helped lead the president’s outreach to Arab American voters in 2024.
“The president’s statements are out of line," he said in a phone interview. "They are crossing a red line. They are racist.”
With Republicans on the defensive over inflation, soaring fuel prices and the Iran war, the president has been trying to generate turnout by claiming that El-Sayed and other Democrats are existential threats to America, instead of electoral rivals. Michigan’s Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is among a handful of contests that could determine control of the chamber.
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Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns after months in exile, as doubts over democracy deepen
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela Sunday for the first time since December, returning from exile at a time when doubts about the country's democratic future — and the role of the U.S. — are growing.
It was her first appearance since the U.S. military deposed the country’s then-President Nicolás Maduro in January, replacing him with an interim president who has exceeded the time she was authorized to serve, with no election scheduled.
Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, “I am here. With you.”
Another leading figure in the Venezuelan opposition, Edmundo González, wrote on X that he would be at her side “very soon.”
“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans," he wrote. "Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!”
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Blanche says Trump isn't trying to meddle with Alaska election results by suing over Senate race
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Trump administration's lawsuit to block certification of Alaska's Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses the race and argued that the legal challenge was a necessary step to avoid confusing voters in the closely watched midterm race.
President Donald Trump, who said Friday that he was "the one that said do it,” is not trying to overturn state election results “in any way, shape or form” on the cusp of the Nov. 3 election, Blanche told CNN's “State of the Union.”
“We wish that we didn’t have to do this. We hope for a resolution that works,” Blanche said.
Republicans fear that a second candidate on the ballot who is named Dan Sullivan — a retired teacher and school administrator from the tiny fishing community of Petersburg — could siphon away votes from the senator and tip the outcome in favor of Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.
A day after the lawsuit was filed on Thursday, Peltola called it “just flagrant, flagrant corruption in my opinion” and a diversion tactic by Republicans. Alaska’s other Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, also criticized the lawsuit in a social media post.
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A fire at a seafood plant in Oregon forces evacuations amid fear of ammonia exposure
Residents and visitors in a small coastal city in Oregon were evacuated Sunday when a fire erupted at a seafood production plant and it was feared ammonia tanks could rupture and send dangerous amounts of the chemical into the air.
The fire at Pacific Seafood closed off the popular Bayport section of Newport. Firefighters swarmed the plant and were able to keep flames from the tanks, but continued to battle the fire Sunday evening.
The City of Newport initially issued an evacuation order for a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius around the plant due to concerns that smoke from the fire contained ammonia. Officials later decreased the evacuation zone to a couple of blocks surrounding the plant after they determined the ammonia tanks were stable.
The city, located about 132 miles (212 kilometers) southwest of Portland, Oregon, has a population of about 10,000 people. Its bayfront is a popular tourist attraction featuring restaurants, shops and tours.
Ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp odor. High levels of exposure can cause skin, eye and throat irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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What to know about China’s plenum as Xi seeks stronger Communist Party discipline
HONG KONG (AP) — China's political leaders and elites begin a four-day meeting Monday to discuss strengthening the ruling Communist Party's discipline, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes for greater loyalty and reliability from officials while deepening his yearslong campaign against corruption.
This week’s closed-door gathering, known as the fifth plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, comes roughly a year before Xi is widely expected to secure his fourth five-year term as the party's leader and personnel changes to key leadership bodies.
While Xi has consolidated his grip on power, analysts say the plenum will offer him an opportunity to further align what Chinese officials do with what Beijing wants.
“The plenum is a chance to ensure the new generations rising the ranks share Xi’s assessment of the opportunities and risks China faces,” said Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London’s Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Here's what to know about one of Beijing's most significant political meetings this year.
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Ukraine disputes Elon Musk's claim that its military violated Starlink's terms of service
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials have disputed claims by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that the country’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service by using the civilian satellite internet network for offensive drone strikes.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said long-standing restrictions on the civilian system in Ukraine made such offensive use impossible.
“It’s very strange that Elon Musk doesn’t know about the restrictions on Starlink’s operation in Ukraine,” he wrote in an online post.
SpaceX’s Starlink and its military-focused Starshield service are critical to Ukraine’s wartime connectivity. Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones connected to Starshield lost connectivity at high speeds, disrupting air defenses during daily Russian air attacks. Officials said the so-called speed caps were lifted on Saturday, and the service was restored.
Still, questions have persisted about who ordered the interruptions to satellite internet system that Kyiv has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.
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More flooding in Four Corners region after storms bring heavy rain and at least one tornado
A rain-soaked swath of the Southwest U.S. endured additional flooding as crews in New Mexico scoured evacuated neighborhoods Sunday for dead animals, downed power lines and other hazards left behind by receding floodwaters and at least one tornado.
With more showers and thunderstorms moving through, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the Four Corners region — the meeting point of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The area has experienced unusually heavy rain since Wednesday that caused rivers to surge, flooding homes and forcing water rescues.
“The soils are very saturated right now, so it’s not going to take much rain for at least the small creeks and streams to overflow,” said Kris Sanders, a meteorologist at the weather service office in Grand Junction, Colorado.
A tornado touched down in Santa Fe, New Mexico, around 7 p.m. Saturday, and forecasters were trying to confirm whether twisters also struck elsewhere in the state, said meteorologist Scott Overpeck with the weather service office in Albuquerque. He did not have damage estimates.
Michelle Vialpando spotted a tornado from her patio in the Aldea de Santa Fe neighborhood, facing north towards Los Alamos. She had just gotten home from work and stepped outside to look at what she called “crazy” storm clouds when she noticed the twister.
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Ohio State replaces BYU at No. 2 in AP Top 25; No. 1 Miami only team to hold its spot in poll
No. 1 Miami was the only team to hold its spot in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday and idle Ohio State moved up to No. 2 as the poll went through another major reordering in the wake of BYU's loss at UCF and subsequent six-spot fall to No. 8.
A week after five of the top seven teams lost, three more top-10 teams went down Saturday to make it 10 in the last three weeks. Three teams ranked either No. 1 or 2 have lost to an unranked opponent over that span in what is shaping up to be the most topsy-turvy season since 2007.
Miami, Utah and UCLA are the only remaining unbeaten Bowl Subdivision teams, the fewest at this point in a season since there were three left in 1977, according to Sportradar.
Georgia moved up a spot to No. 3 after its open date, Indiana jumped two rungs to No. 4 after winning at Michigan in overtime and Notre Dame slipped a spot to No. 5 after being idle. Utah, UCLA, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama rounded out the top 10.
Miami routed Pitt 52-23 at home in its first game as the No. 1 team since 2002. The Hurricanes received 59 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel, 19 more than a week ago. Ohio State got 10 first-place votes and Utah got one.
