Trump cancels rallies in Kansas and Iowa, opting for telerallies to reach more voters, RNC says
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas, opting instead to support Republican candidates with telerallies that his party said could reach more voters in nearly two dozen states in the final days of a midterm election that could cost the GOP control of Congress.
The president traveled to South Carolina Thursday for the second time in a month, a sign of Republican anxiety about Darline Graham's ability to fend off a robust challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews for a critical U.S. Senate seat.
Voters in South Carolina have not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly three decades. But Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress, is urging voters seeking change to “try something new for once.”
That message could resonate in an election year defined by voter frustration with the economy, gas prices and the war in Iran, putting Trump's Republican Party on defense in territory where they have rarely had to compete in recent years.
Beyond South Carolina, Republicans are entering the final days of this year's midterm elections navigating tight contests in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and Alaska. Both parties are also closely following developments in the Mississippi Senate race.
___
Netanyahu’s party claims election 'stolen' as results show him losing majority
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party on Thursday amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, potentially with foreign assistance, as final results showed his bloc had lost its majority in parliament.
The opposition accused Netanyahu of demonizing the Arab population after a historic showing by Arab-led parties in an attempt to delegitimize the election. If the rest of the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially form a majority government in parliament, the Knesset.
Results released by election officials on Thursday showed Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member assembly, well below the 68 seats it had controlled at its peak in the previous parliament. His main opposition won 48 seats and Arab-led parties secured the other 19.
The count is complete, but the results still need to be certified and submitted to the country's president next Wednesday.
Netanyahu's party, Likud, has been spreading claims of malfeasance by Arab-led parties since exit polls indicated the prime minister had suffered a setback in Tuesday's vote. But it ramped up the rhetoric after the head of Israel's election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said that “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought before him.
___
Patrick Stewart, legendary actor of ‘Star Trek’ and 'X-Men' fame, dies at 86
Patrick Stewart, the classically trained actor who added Shakespearean gravitas to the “Star Trek” and “X-Men” franchises, has died. He was 86.
Stewart died Wednesday in Los Angeles, following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said. Stewart’s diagnoses had not been previously disclosed.
“We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today,” Hugh Jackman, a frequent Stewart co-star in the “X-Men” universe, said on social media. “And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.”
While best known as Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the “X-Men” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series and films, respectively, Stewart spent more of his career onstage than in the X-Mansion or on the USS Enterprise.
Besides playing everyone from Claudius to Macbeth, he often performed a one-man rendition of “A Christmas Carol” and did West End and Broadway runs of Harold Pinter's “No Man's Land” and Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” in repertory with buddy Ian McKellen.
___
Strong growth and inflation paints mixed picture of economy days before midterm elections
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth was notably strong from July to September, yet inflation accelerated at the same time, new data showed Thursday, painting a mixed picture about the country's economy less than a week before midterm elections in which the uncomfortably high cost of living looms larger than perhaps any other issue.
Strong consumer spending and soaring investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure were key drivers of growth in the third quarter. When unemployment is as low as it is right now, consumers often spend at a healthy clip and they are doing so, particularly wealthier Americans who are riding a wave of record stock market gains.
The economy grew at a strong 3.4% annual rate in the July-September quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday, much faster than the 2.2% growth in the April-June quarter.
Consumer spending climbed 3.8% at an annual rate, marking the second straight quarter of strong growth and far exceeding the 0.7% increase in the first three months of the year. Business investment, driven by spending on AI infrastructure, jumped 12.7%, the most in six years.
Yet economists worry that persistently high prices are eroding Americans' ability to keep up. Thursday's data suggest consumers are increasingly dipping into savings to cover their costs. After-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, slipped from August to September and were up just 1% from a year earlier. At the same time, inflation-adjusted spending rose 2.5% from a year earlier.
___
Peltola denies knowing about Alaska spoiler candidate as Justice Department escalates investigation
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola denied Thursday that she knew anything about an effort to put another candidate on the Alaska ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent as the Justice Department escalated a criminal investigation with new grand jury subpoenas.
“I just want to clear the air," she said at the top of a speech in a downtown bar in Juneau, Alaska’s capital. “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters."
Peltola is running against Sen. Dan Sullivan. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony or documents, along with records preservation demands, were issued after The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as part an alleged effort to confuse voters.
The race is considered key to control of the U.S. Senate. More subpoenas were expected, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing probe. Neither the recipients of the subpoenas nor the number of them were immediately clear.
The Justice Department for months has been looking into allegations that Dan J. Sullivan Jr. entered the race to siphon votes from the incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The potential targets of the investigation are unclear, but President Donald Trump earlier this week called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign.
___
El-Sayed and Stevens to make rare joint appearance as Democrats seek unity in Michigan Senate race
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will campaign Sunday in Detroit alongside former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens, marking their first public appearance together in months after a week in which lingering divisions spilled into public view.
The two will be joined by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, one of the country's most prominent Black politicians, at a get-out-the-vote event at a Detroit church, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. The event was first reported by The Associated Press.
The joint appearance — their first since a Democratic unity breakfast days after the Aug. 4 primary — follows weeks of Democrats struggling to unite behind El-Sayed following his razor-thin victory over Stevens. She received significant support from the Jewish and Black communities, leading to concerns about turnout in the general election.
Tensions again spilled into public view Wednesday when Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News that he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers.
Hours later, Stevens appeared on CNN to reaffirm that she would be voting for El-Sayed, but urged his campaign to “shut out the hate and call it out.” She said El-Sayed needs to reach out to people who were part of her coalition and “make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls.”
___
Spain reckons with second deadly train crash of the year ahead of national election
URDA, Spain (AP) — Spain's second high-speed rail disaster this year, in which one train struck another from behind, killing 69 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network ahead of a national election.
Search teams with sniffer dogs continued to look for victims on Thursday, a day after the collision in central Spain. Cranes shifted the carriages as police and soldiers picked through the wreckage strewn down the gravel slope where at least three train carriages were tossed by the impact.
One more body was found overnight, taking the death toll to 69, according to the regional leader of Castilla La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page. He added that 50 people remained hospitalized, while officials worked with family members to identify the dead.
“As a society, we have once again suffered a devastating blow, and we must adopt measures so that this doesn’t happen again,” Spain’s King Felipe VI said after visiting injured passengers at a hospital in Toledo.
Spain’s government declared three days of mourning starting Thursday. A minute of silence was held at various points at noon, including with lawmakers outside the Parliament and by rail workers and union leaders in Madrid's main train station.
___
Man pleads guilty to federal hate crimes in deadly firebomb attack on Colorado demonstrators
DENVER (AP) — An Egyptian man faces an additional life sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to federal hate crime and other charges for a deadly firebombing attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, last year.
Mohamed Soliman is already serving life in prison plus hundreds of years of additional time after pleading guilty to state charges last spring. Federal prosecutors, who previously said they would not seek the death penalty against Soliman, said at his change-of-plea hearing they would seek a life term plus 50 years in prison for the dozen counts.
Soliman spoke through an interpreter at the hearing and said little besides “yes” and “no” responses to the judge’s questioning, such as whether he understood the consequences of pleading guilty. That was in contrast to his change-of-plea hearing and sentencing in state court in May, when Soliman apologized to the victims and expressed regret for the attack but also defended his basic view motivating it.
Wearing a brown shirt and khaki-colored pants, Soliman was led out of court in handcuffs and shackles without looking at the victims in the courtroom.
Yelling “Free Palestine,” Soliman lit and threw two Molotov cocktails at the demonstrators who were marching in support of hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
___
DoorDash offers $17 billion for Instacart in what would be a big consolidation for grocery delivery
DoorDash is offering $17 billion to buy Instacart in a deal that could consolidate the grocery delivery business in the U.S. and abroad.
The companies say the tie-up would combine DoorDash's global reach and expertise in logistics with Instacart's purpose-built technology and long relationships with grocers. It could also help the companies better compete with rivals like Amazon.
But it could also lead to less competition in the delivery space, which could raise prices for consumers and give grocers fewer partners to negotiate with.
“They were competing for a share of consumers' wallet," said Randall Sargent, a partner specializing in grocery and retail at the consulting firm Oliver Wyman. “As a general economic principle, less competition and more consolidation tends to be worse for consumers.”
The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of 2027 or in early 2028 if it’s approved by Instacart shareholders and government regulators.
___
CNN, MS NOW and Politico ask court to make Trump access order permanent
Three news outlets have beefed up their legal complaint against the White House over access, saying it is continuing to defy a judge's orders by refusing to let them return to covering President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and on Air Force One — thus violating their free speech rights by continuing to keep them out of the rotating press “pool.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said Wednesday that the president is retaliating against them for reports he does not like, which violates U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly's previous orders for the administration to allow reporters for the outlets to fully return to the pool of journalists covering the president.
Even after those orders, the White House was continuing to block reporters for those outlets from covering Trump in “the very locations that the president most frequently engages with the press,” Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., the outlets' attorney, said in a statement.
The most recent filing asks the court to make those previous orders permanent.
At issue is whether the president, or anyone, can punish news outlets for the content of their reports. The news organizations say that doing so is “viewpoint discrimination” forbidden by the First Amendment’s free-speech protections.
