Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska Senate race if GOP incumbent loses
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge on Sunday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, the latest development in a ballot controversy that has roiled the final days of one of the nation’s most closely watched races.
Sullivan, an ally of President Donald Trump, faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, in a race that is among a handful expected to determine which party controls the Senate for the final two years of Trump's term.
Tuesday’s ranked-choice election also includes two candidates who have done little campaigning, one of whom shares the incumbent’s name. It was that candidate's presence on the ballot that prompted Trump to push for the lawsuit out of fear he would siphon votes from the incumbent.
Shortly after the ruling, the Justice Department filed a notice that it would appeal: “Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
The lawsuit, filed less than two weeks before the election and as early voting was underway, called for an investigation into whether votes for retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan were intended for the senator. The state said the case lacked merit and argued there would be no way to determine that without violating voter privacy.
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Analysis: Republicans face a midterm reckoning of Trump's making
WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Donald Trump, this week's elections are about him. For his fellow Republicans, the risk is voters will agree.
Midterms almost always serve as a referendum on the president’s party, and losses typically ensue. But Trump’s decisions to impose tariffs, start a war and oversee extravagant Washington renovations — largely without congressional consultation — have made it harder for Republicans to navigate those historical headwinds.
There is a direct connection between his actions and higher gas prices, costlier groceries and persistently high inflation.
Republicans cannot blame the fallout from those decisions on past administrations when Trump has owned them so fulsomely. They also cannot easily distance themselves from an unpopular president who demands loyalty and routinely tells voters the economy is just fine.
At virtually every juncture before Election Day on Tuesday, Trump has complicated the task of protecting Republican majorities in Congress.
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Civilians in Ukraine's Kherson prepare for the return of war as localized ceasefire ends
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Civilians in Ukraine’s southeastern Kherson region prepared Sunday for the end of a localized ceasefire that has marked the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly five years ago.
The White House said that U.S. first lady Melania Trump helped to broker the limited truce, which began early Tuesday and is expected to end Sunday evening. The pause in hostilities allowed besieged residents in the front-line city of Oleshky to be evacuated in a rare joint operation that ended Saturday.
“The ceasefire across Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region has provided residents with the freedom to move, access to food, clean water, medicine, plus a renewed sense of dignity without the constant threat of attack," Trump said on social media. "Let Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace.”
An estimated 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the temporary truce took hold. They were offered the choice of evacuating to territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. For the safety of those who have stayed, exact numbers weren't released after the evacuation.
At the Ukrainian border Saturday, family members waited for a glimpse of their loved ones, while residents of nearby villages lined the highway waving flags and flashlights to greet the humanitarian convoy.
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What to know about the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment period now underway
WASHINGTON (AP) — People heading into the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period with plans to sign up for insurance should expect a variety of changes in 2027, including higher premiums and fewer coverage options.
The sign-up window for the marketplace, also known as Obamacare, starts Sunday in most states and runs through Jan. 15.
Big changes to the exchange include expiring financial assistance, rising rates, potential delays in working with a broker, new restrictions on immigrants, and stricter enrollment checks.
Financial help, including premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, is now restricted for many groups of people who were previously eligible.
Across the board, healthcare experts predict less coverage and higher prices, with the average price of health insurance purchased through the marketplaces expected to rise by 13% in 2027, according to analysis of new CMS data by the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
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French protest violence eases while scattered riots hit Germany ahead of school return
PARIS (AP) — French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs resulted in less violence than previous weekends. But police expect new demonstrations as high schools at the heart of the movement reopen Monday after their autumn break.
Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. Around Europe, hundreds of thousands joined overwhelmingly peaceful marches Saturday inspired by young people, despite scattered unrest.
In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march on the city’s eastern edge, injuring three officers and setting a car ablaze, police said. Across town, masked groups hurled fireworks at officers at a viewpoint across from the Eiffel Tower, and police charged repeatedly, sending panicked visitors fleeing the area.
Overall, however, the violence was less severe than on Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted in hours of violence that authorities seemed unprepared to control, or during follow-up protests Oct. 24.
Police arrested 779 people Saturday, compared with 2,628 on Oct. 17 and 1,314 last weekend. Paris and Marseille police said a handful of shops were targeted but no major damage was reported. About 70,000 police were deployed around the country.
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Mass shootings over Halloween weekend leave at least 6 dead and dozens injured across US
Mass shootings over the Halloween weekend — largely in nightlife districts across the U.S. — left at least six people dead and dozens injured, officials said.
The deadliest violence occurred in Dallas, where a handful of shootings in the city's Deep Ellum neighborhood, a center of music and restaurants, killed four people and injured 15 others, police said.
Police in college towns like Fayetteville, Arkansas; Birmingham, Alabama; Newark, Delaware, and Bloomington, Illinois, also reported shootings in their nightlife districts.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said investigators were still trying to determine if three separate shootings Saturday night over the span of about an hour and 15 minutes were related, and it wasn't immediately known why they started. Comeaux said some arrests were made but he didn’t specify how many or what charges were involved.
“This is a really big scene. It's spread out,” Comeaux said.
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Iran's top diplomat hopes US shows 'rationality,' and other Mideast news
Iran's top diplomat says he hopes there is “rationality” on the U.S. side as diplomatic efforts seek to avert a return to all-out war.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed eight people, including a young boy. And Qatar's national gas company said one of its vessels was struck in the Persian Gulf.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Read our full coverage here.
Iran’s top diplomat said consultations with mediators are ongoing as diplomatic efforts try to avoid a return to all-out war, and the final outcome depends on answers provided by the United States to the “Iranian questions.”
In an interview shared on his Telegram channel, Abbas Araghchi said Iran hoped the U.S. would choose “diplomacy over other paths.” He said Iran was ready for both defense and diplomacy, depending on Washington’s “rationality."
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Trump administration promises US farmers $15 billion in the weeks before the midterms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration has made $15 billion worth of promises to agriculture producers in the last few weeks before the midterm elections, initiatives intended to help offset higher costs for diesel and fertilizer that farmers have endured largely due to his tariffs and the war in Iran.
Whether that will motivate more voters to turn out in agricultural states where traditionally Republican seats are now seen as competitive is unclear. It may explain his increased attention on rural areas, including visits Sunday to Iowa and Kansas, two days before the election.
A look at the Republican administration's pledges to farmers:
Besides the more than $15 billion worth of payments and initiatives announced by Trump's Department of Agriculture, the agency plans $13.8 billion in safety net program payments for eligible producers for the 2025 crop year, offsetting shortfalls for farmers who grow key crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and rice.
Of the $15 billion, more than half will go toward an $8 billion one-time payment plan for farmers buffeted by soaring diesel prices. The USDA said it will release more details about the payments this month. It is not clear when the payments will go to farmers, who rely on diesel for trucks, tractors and combines.
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Sheila Chepkirui wins matchup of past champions in NYC Marathon, Andreas Almgren makes winning debut
NEW YORK (AP) — Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women's race of the New York City Marathon for the second time in three years on Sunday while Andreas Almgren of Sweden was victorious in his debut in the distance.
Chepkirui pulled away from defending champion Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to seal the victory in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 36.
“The last mile was really tricky,” said Chepkirui, who also won in 2024. “I had to be patient because I knew Hellen was really strong, so I had to really push up to the finish line.”
What Chepkirui didn’t know was that American Jessica McClain had been gaining on both of the Kenyans in the final 800 meters of the race. McClain finished 6 seconds behind Chepkirui after passing Obiri — a two-time winner who set the course record in 2025 — in the final few strides. It was the first time a U.S. woman finished in the top three since 2018.
"It was a really fun, magical day out there. New York, you never know what to expect and I honestly didn’t feel like amazing through (Mile) 18, and just kind of had to stick in it and adjust as I went,” McClain said. “Top five was top of mind, then podium. I was just like, stick with it. And then all of a sudden Hellen was coming back to me, so I don’t really know what happened, but I couldn’t be happier right now.”
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AP Top 25 live updates: Ohio State falls out of top 10, UCLA cracks Top 5
Miami dug deep to hold off North Carolina and keep its status as No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the third consecutive week. Ohio State wasn’t as fortunate, dropping nine spots to No. 11 after losing to USC in the biggest upset of the week.
Florida also took a big fall, landing at No. 25 after a 28-7 loss to Georgia.
The Trojans were one of four newcomers this week alongside Iowa, South Carolina and New Mexico. It’s the first AP Top 25 appearance in program history for the Lobos.
Northwestern, SMU, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin are out after Week 9 losses.
And this poll could set the table for the initial College Football Playoff rankings coming out Tuesday night.
