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Gunmen torched vehicles as they fled the scene of a mass shooting at bar near Johannesburg [Getty Images] Twenty-seven people have been killed in two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, the latest gun violence to hit the country.Seventeen people were killed when eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured.In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town and a further 11 were injured.South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years. Police have not given a definitive motive for either of the latest attacks.In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing.Police said thirteen men and four women were killed.Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni said people from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those caught up in the shooting, but that the vast majority were South African.He also said police believed the motive behind the shooting was robbery, as personal belongings had been taken, but that they could not rule out turf wars between illegal mining groups. In Johannesburg, gunmen torched two vehicles after opened fire on customers at a bar. [BBC] Mining without permission in abandoned shafts or dump sites is a persistent problem in South Africa, causing numerous deaths from unsafe conditions. Authorities say the miners are typically undocumented migrants recruited by organised crime gangs.Earlier, deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the attack may have been a retaliation for an incident last month, in which one person was killed and another wounded, according to news agency AFP.He said at the scene that police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects. In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning.The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Durban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township. Armed security forces were deployed to the scene of a mass shooting in Cape Town on Sunday morning [Reuters] Illegal weapons are prevalent in South Africa and gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.But a recent spate of mass shootings has raised fears that the problem is deepening, with violence often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining.In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime "the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development".Earlier this year, the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates in an effort to reduce armed violence.On Saturday, a tenth woman's body was found in Ekurhuleni, to the east of Johannesburg, with local police saying they were unable to rule out a serial killer operating in the area with similarities between the deaths.This article originally appeared on BBC at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck5ywnp075d1o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D

British police announced on Sunday morning that five people were arrested "on suspicion of offenses under the explosives act" close to a major air base hosting U.S. forces in the southwest of England."A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident," Gloucestershire Police said in a statement. "It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offenses under the explosives act."The village of Whelford is located around 2 miles from RAF Fairford, which hosts the U.S. Air Force and has since February been serving as a key hub for American operations against Iran -- including for heavy bombers like the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress.Toby Shepheard/Reuters - PHOTO: A police officer blocks a road near the RAF Fairford airbase, which hosts United States Air Force (USAF) personnel, in Fairford, U.K., on Sept. 27, 2026."The Army's specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles," the police statement said.Local residents were evacuated to a nearby recreation center, with a cordon put in place. "We believe this incident is contained," police said. "We are working closely with our partners and are enacting the well-rehearsed plans we have in place."During a press conference later on Sunday, Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone said that police acted after receiving a call about three suspicious vehicles traveling toward the base at 12:45 a.m.Officers arrested five men, who remain in custody, on suspicion of explosive offenses, Ocone said. Local police, he added, are working closely with counter-terror police on the investigation.Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed that the five detained men were also arrested "on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act."Police said that a 400m cordon was put in place around the suspect's vehicles while armed forces explosives experts examine them. Around 85 households were also evacuated as a "precaution," police said.Toby Shepheard/Reuters - PHOTO: Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone of Gloucestershire Police speaks at a press conference after police declared a major incident at the RAF Fairford airbase in Cirencester, U.K., on Sept. 27, 2026.A British government spokesperson told ABC News that Prime Minister Andy Burnham "is being kept updated on the incident in Gloucestershire.""We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe," they added. "It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing."British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said in a post to X, "We can be reassured that this is being dealt with, and it is exactly why our emergency response teams and Armed Forces are on standby 24/7."Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also posted to X thanking the emergency services "for their swift response to the major incident in Gloucestershire this morning and their reassurance that they believe the incident is contained."A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force 501st Combat Support Wing, based at RAF Fairford, told ABC News that the unit "appreciates the swift response and continued support of our local law enforcement partners.""The safety and security of our airmen, families, and surrounding communities remains our highest priority," the spokesperson added. "We remain in close coordination with our U.K. partners to help ensure the safety and security of both our military and local communities."Toby Shepheard/Reuters - PHOTO: A B-1 Lancer bomber is parked at the RAF Fairford airbase, which hosts United States Air Force (USAF) personnel, in Fairford, U.K., on Sept. 27, 2026.Amid reports that U.S. air bases in the U.K. had raised their threat levels, the 48th Fighter Wing -- an American unit based at RAF Lakenheath in eastern England -- told ABC News in a statement that it was "unable to discuss specific force protection measures" citing "operational security reasons.""We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures are implemented or modified. Please be assured that the Tri-Base area (RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell) remains vigilant and will take appropriate action to ensure the safety and security of U.S. service members, U.S. and U.K. civilians, contractors, and their families," the statement said.ABC News' Rashid Haddou-Riffi, Guy Davies, Lama Hasan, Kevin Shalvey and Jamie Dorrington contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Good Morning America at https://abcnews.com/International/uk-police-arrest-explosives-act-major-incident-us/story?id=136793301

A panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where the pair sent to Atlanta departed from (Hector RETAMAL)Two giant pandas sent by China arrived in the United States on Sunday, Beijing's state media said, after a leaders' summit that was heavy on symbolism and light on major breakthroughs.The pandas' transfer had already been agreed but the departure was announced Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.The black-and-white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out as part of a "panda diplomacy" programme to foster foreign ties.Ping Ping and Fu Shuang departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight at around 3:00 am (1900 GMT on Saturday), state news agency Xinhua reported.After a 16-hour flight that crossed the international date line, the bears touched down in Atlanta, Georgia shortly before 7:00 am local time (1100 GMT on Sunday), Xinhua said later.Steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots and carrots were prepared to keep the pandas nourished during their flight, Chinese state-run media the Global Times reported.The Boeing 777 operated by FedEx was the top-tracked aircraft on aviation information platform FlightRadar24 as it neared Alaska, roughly halfway into its journey.The pandas will be hosted by Zoo Atlanta for the next 10 years.A farewell ceremony was held for the pair before their departure by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.Experienced keepers were dispatched by the US side to accompany the duo on their flight, the Global Times reported.In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers.It has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate that is very similar to Chengdu.Zoo Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China for a quarter of a century starting in 1999, but it has not had any since 2024.Both arrivals were born in 2020. Ping Ping, a male, is now six years old while Fu Shuang, a female, will turn six next month.Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years.Beijing has sent the furry creatures across the globe for decades as soft-power ambassadors of its diplomatic goodwill.In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation.Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan's prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.tc-pfc/amiThis article originally appeared on AFP at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/two-giant-pandas-sent-china-111607831.html

A slow-moving, powerful storm crept along the coast of the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, producing high winds that knocked out electricity to thousands while whipping up big waves and heavy rains that created dangerous conditions in some places.Tens of millions of people were in the path of the nor'easter, which was forecast to affect the mid-Atlantic area and New England throughout the weekend. Around 100,000 customers in the region were without electricity Saturday.In Brooklyn, New York, a 56-year-old man was struck and killed by a falling tree, according to the New York City Police Department, the first confirmed fatality from the storm. The New York City Housing Authority later confirmed he was an employee of the agency. He was identified by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a social media post as Leighton Brown. And in Egg Harbor Township in eastern New Jersey, nine adults and a dog were rescued from flooded motel rooms.   The forecast showed no immediate reprieve. There will be "a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possibility over the next few days for the northeastern U.S.," said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected from the Philadelphia region into eastern New Jersey, and portions of Long Island and southern New England could see 3 to 5 inches of rain. The nor'easter is rapidly intensifying and is expected to make a sharp turn back toward the New Jersey coast Saturday night into Sunday. It may stall or meander nearby through Monday, prolonging the rain, wind and coastal impacts before finally departing on Tuesday. Beach towns see severe flooding In Long Island, New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets.In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, Kenny Formica sat at his home watching surveillance cameras showing water rising inside the marina he owns. Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said. The last time he remembers it happening was during Hurricane Sandy, which he said caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.Ahead of the storm, Formica said workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm's way and parked the marina's trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property. By Saturday morning, even those were nearly surrounded by water.Formica said he woke Saturday to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis. One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot boat after it had blown off its lift."This is like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat — just gone," Formica said.In Ocean City, Maryland, heavy surf caused beach erosion, washed out fencing by the dunes and was leading to flooding."In all the canals, the water is up really high and coming into people's backyards," Jay Boyd said by telephone.Further south, Ellie Hodge stood on her front stoop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday and watched as passing vehicles left wakes. The coastal city has seen isolated flooding all week because of the nor'easter."We've seen cars get stuck on the road, going up the sidewalks," Hodge said. "It's been pretty bad this time around."The storm forced a change of plans for many people. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, as were the vast majority of flights at the popular Massachusetts tourist destinations of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.Wind gusts may cause damage, increase flooding The New Jersey and Delaware coasts could see wind gusts of about 60 miles per hour, though meteorologists have already seen reports of winds over 70 miles per hour. Inland, residents could see wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph. Eastern Long Island and southeastern New England could see gusts of 45 to 65 mph. Peak wind gusts for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket could approach 60 to 65 miph on Friday night and Saturday, NWS meteorologist Matthew Belk said. Inland residents will see wind gusts of about 50 to 55 mph, Belk said. "It's definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you're likely to see," Belk said. The early timing of the nor'easter in the season could lead to even more damaging effects. Because trees are still fully leafed, they will have more wind resistance, Belk said. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which, combined with the saturated ground caused by heavy rain, could cause power outages, leave debris on roads and lead to other property damage. Strong winds could also push ocean waves over seawalls, creating flooding. Large waves and elevated water levels could also lead to beach erosion and sand dune breaches. On Massachusetts' South Shore, the towns of Cohasset and Scituate were sitting right in the bullseye of the storm. While parts of the coastline are protected by seawalls, some of those seawalls are in the middle of repair projects or have seen those projects stall due to federal funding cuts. "So the waves hit the seawall and they go straight up about 60, 70, 80 feet, and the wind hits it from the northeast and every wave ends up hitting the house," Kevin Gill, owner of an oceanfront Scituate home, told CBS News Boston on Thursday. Storm leads to event cancellations and travel disruptions The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs — both gearing up for the playoffs during the final weekend of the regular Major League Baseball season — had to shuffle the schedule for their three-game series. They played a double-header Friday in Boston to try to avoid the storm. Then MLB rescheduled their finale on Sunday to occur in Florida, at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.Ed Sheeran canceled his high-profile concerts Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Also canceled: an Ironman triathlon in New York and the three-day Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, which had been promoted online as "a wave of music."Farther south, a highway closure on North Carolina's Hatteras Island scrambled Jayden Sink and Kimberly Laprad's Saturday wedding plans. The Virginia couple had made it onto the island before the storm, but most of their roughly 45 guests were stranded on the other side of the closure, the Island Free Press reported. A local campground offered a new venue, cabins and an officiant, and a DJ volunteered to provide music. Organizers invited anyone on the island to come celebrate with the couple Saturday afternoon.In New York City, the Global Citizens Festival and All Things Go NYC were canceled ahead of the storm. The nor'easter also caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. The flight-tracking service FlightAware reported 260 flight cancellations for Boston Logan International Airport as of early Saturday evening.State officials along the East Coast urged people to use caution. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said coastal flooding is the biggest threat, but the storm will also bring heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet."The rain is underway and while it's only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words: Much more is coming," the governor said early Saturday.In Long Island, ferry owner Stephanie Sherman said she had paused operations between Patchogue and the barrier island of Fire Island."It's been a pretty wild storm," Sherman said. "But nothing that we haven't experienced in the past. These happen every so often." This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-coast-noreaster-severe-flooding-winds-evacuations/

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed a "seven-day plan" to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)Iran stood firm Sunday on its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump's rejection of the proposal that had created some optimism for breaking the Mideast war stalemate.The waterway is key to the world's energy supply and is now central to the conflict between Washington and Tehran, which was triggered nearly seven months ago with deadly strikes on Iran.Iran's plan called for a cessation of all hostilities in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, according to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and fulfilling conditions in the ceasefire deal that fell apart months ago.That agreement, which dissolved during fighting over Hormuz, called for the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade."Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent upon these conditions being fulfilled. We will not back down from them," Araghchi said on Sunday, state broadcaster IRIB reported."We have never closed the door to diplomacy or negotiations, but at the same time, we have never backed down from our rights."But Trump said on Saturday that he rejected the truce deal."They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," he told reporters. "They want to make a deal and I think that's fine. I like making a deal too."Araghchi said on Sunday that the Iranians "saw the first reaction from the US president, but so far, nothing has been conveyed to us by the mediators"."We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive positions to us, and we will make a decision based on them," the foreign minister added.- 'Tool for pressure' -Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that aimed to end the war, to reopen the strait and to launch talks on Iran's nuclear programme.But the deal broke down shortly afterwards when Iran fired on commercial ships in Hormuz that it accused of deviating from its approved route through the waterway.Iran requires ships to obtain authorisation before passage, citing security and sovereignty reasons. Ships that refuse to comply are regularly targeted, while the United States sporadically bombs Iranian coastal areas in retaliation.At the UN, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan complained that the "international community has been absent" and is failing to live up to the responsibility to keep the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab open."The kingdom rejects any party's use of these vital passages as a tool for pressure, threat, or harm to the interests of states," he said, stressing the waterways' importance to global energy security.His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, told member states that "Russia, together with other responsible states, stands ready to constructively contribute to stabilising this strategically important region." In New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to his office, and said: "Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table but, given past experiences, it no longer trusts the United States."Araghchi said at the UN: "Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days.""The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure," he added.Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying: "We will not cease punishing the US until Iran's seven conditions are met."Mohebi had told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that ending hostilities in Yemen was also among Tehran's demands.bur/hol/jmThis article originally appeared on AFP at https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/iran-proposes-hormuz-plan-trump-020229577.html

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, and his wife, Katie Miller, attend the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 21, 2025. - Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USA Two veteran FBI agents overseeing counterterrorism operations in the nation’s capital have been removed from their jobs and reassigned over the handling of an investigation involving Katie Miller, the conservative podcaster and wife of senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, according to two people familiar with the move. Michael Burgwald, the special agent in charge of counterterrorism matters at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and his deputy, Courtland Rae, were ousted from their positions by bureau leadership after investigators determined that allegedly harassing phone calls Katie Miller received from unknown individuals did not warrant further investigation, the sources said. The field office team that reviewed the reported harassing calls determined they did not meet the threshold required for an FBI investigation, and no nexus to terrorism was identified, the sources said. This decision did not sit well with bureau leadership, and the two senior field office agents were removed from their positions, according to the sources. Since taking office last year, FBI director Kash Patel — a fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump — has fired, demoted, or forced into retirement countless career employees who handled past investigations into Trump and his allies. Many of those forced out have filed lawsuits seeking reinstatement. In a statement on an official FBI “Rapid Response” social media account established to tout the agency and respond to critics, Darren Cox, the senior executive who oversees the bureau’s DC office, confirmed the ousting of Burgwald and Rae, but denied the order came from Patel. “This was a personnel decision made at the Washington field office level alone based on our constant evaluation of mission needs,” Cox said. “Any suggestion otherwise is false.” CNN is attempting to locate contact information for Burgwald and Rae. The decision to remove them from their positions has riled many rank and file FBI employees who have been critical of personnel moves they view as highly politicized, sources said. Burgwald graduated from the United States Military Academy West Point and was the recipient of FBI investigative awards, while Rae similarly rose through the ranks of the organization after a lengthy career in national security, sources said. The reassignment of the two senior officials was first reported by Bloomberg Law. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. In a statement to Bloomberg Law, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said Stephen and Katie Miller had no interaction with Burgwald or Rae, adding, “Senior leadership at the FBI determined they were stifling investigations into very serious threats and made a unilateral decision to remove them.” Still, there is a history of the Millers expressing their displeasure at the FBI’s handling of personal incidents they viewed as threatening in nature. According to people familiar with an incident last year, the couple grew irate with FBI officials over pushback by career agents to use bureau resources to investigate paper flyers critical of Stephen Miller that were posted in the family’s neighborhood. Like several senior Trump officials, the couple later moved into military housing. CNN’s Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.comThis article originally appeared on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/26/politics/fbi-agents-katie-miller-stephen-miller

ATHENS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Six people have died after a two-storey residential building in a tourist area of central Athens collapsed, ‌the Greek fire brigade said on Saturday, following an explosion ‌that the mayor said was likely linked to gas infrastructure. The explosion killed four Americans, US ​officials said. Emergency crews in heavy gear and red helmets assisted by rescue dogs, cameras and sensors found the bodies of six people, fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said in a televised briefing. They were looking for an elderly ‌couple who lived in one ⁠apartment and four tourists who were staying in another as they removed debris from the building. The fire brigade's ⁠crime investigation unit was also on site to identify the cause of the blast after reports of a gas smell in an area that is ​home to ​hotels and short-term rentals. The tourists, two ​American couples, had been expected to ‌catch a flight from Athens airport at 3 p.m. on Friday but did not show up, a police source said. Ambulances stood by on Saturday to take the bodies to the hospital for identification. "I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of four American citizens in yesterday’s explosion in ‌central Athens," Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador ​to Greece, posted on X. The blast destroyed ​the building in Plaka, near ​some of Athens' most visited sites, including the Acropolis ‌and the Temple of Zeus, damaging ​nearby houses, shops ​and cars and sending rubble and broken glass as far as three blocks away. The building was reduced to twisted metal, shattered tiles ​and concrete, strewn ‌with household items and clothing. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Additional reporting by ​Stelios Misinas, Vania Turner and Valentini Anagnostopoulou; Editing by Kirsten ​Donovan, Alexander Smith and William Mallard) This article originally appeared on Reuters at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/one-dead-5-missing-explosion-074346686.html

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas city council candidate was arrested Saturday morning on a misdemeanor charge for “riot participation" in connection with behavior authorities said they observed at a protest against the shooting of a Venezuelan man by a federal immigration officer. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and special agents took Misael Ramos, 40, into custody around 8:45 a.m. Saturday on an outstanding warrant “stemming from his actions” during a Sunday protest, the agency's media department wrote in an unsigned email. Protesters on Sunday had been demonstrating against the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin. Ramos, who is running for city council in Austin, “was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic,” the department said. The department also provided photos and video it said captured “some of Ramos' actions” at the scene. Ramos, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, denies any wrongdoing and will contest the charge, his campaign said in a news release. “I didn’t see any riots,” said Ramos’ attorney, Edmund “Skip” Davis. “I saw people out there chanting and protesting.” Ramos was released from custody during a news conference outside the county jail Saturday, with the crowd erupting in cheers. Ramos thanked those for being there, saying it was “one of the craziest mornings I have had in a long time.” He spoke of his surprise arrest and criticized federal immigration raids in the community. “When we fight,” he said, to which those gathered replied, “we win!” Garces Perez was shot Sunday and then taken to a detention center after an encounter with an immigration officer. An attorney for Garces Perez has said he was an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit. “Like the hundreds of Austinites who were shocked to hear news that an ICE officer shot someone in the back, Misael quickly joined people at the scene of the incident to offer his condemnation of the incident and show solidarity by holding the line in the protest, chanting, and amplifying the incident through campaign channels,” Ramos' campaign manager, Jeffrey Clemmons, said in a statement. Kristen Dark, a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, confirmed in an email that Ramos was booked into the agency's custody around 9:30 Saturday morning on a charge of riot participation. Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery Sunday afternoon when ICE officers in an unmarked truck sideswiped his car twice, his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch has said. He was shot and taken to a hospital, then released into ICE custody with a bullet still in his back, she said. ICE and DHS haven’t said what led to the shooting beyond that Garces Perez was “the subject of a targeted vehicle stop.” ___ Rankin reported from Richmond, Virginia. This article originally appeared on Associated Press at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/texas-city-council-candidate-protested-213303799.html

U.S. President Donald Trump goes to speak to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, 2026. —Samuel Corum—Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump announced Friday that he is seeking to cancel almost $1 billion in federal funding, sidestepping congressional approval and earning criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.Using a controversial move known as a “pocket rescission,” Trump said he wanted to nullify $810 million in spending that Congress had approved for programs and agencies, much of which would serve immigrants, minorities, and children.Read More: A Debt Ceiling Fight Looms in 2027. Could a Democratic Congress Make it the Last One?Over half of the cuts would land on the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to a request sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. It said that rescinding the funds is “consistent with the Administration's goal of ending the use of Federal taxpayer dollars to support non-citizens, putting Americans first.”In a statement accompanying the request, the Trump Administration also called the funds “wasteful” and “harmful.” The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan government watchdog, has asserted, however, that the move is an illegal sidestepping of the constitutionally protected separation of powers—chiefly, Congress's power of the purse.What is a pocket rescission? A “pocket rescission” is not a formal or legal term; it was coined to reference a “pocket veto,” a process in which a bill fails to become law because the President does not sign it within 10 days and Congress’s adjournment prevents its return. Similarly, the “pocket rescission” aims to withdraw allocated funding without direct congressional intervention.The timing is important when it comes to pocket rescissions. In order to be fully effective, this “occurs when a president asks Congress to rescind (or cancel) funds very close to the end of the fiscal year—so close that the funds expire before they can be used for new obligations,” according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), helmed by Director Russell Vought, submitted the requests Friday and holds that the move is valid under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The Impoundment Control Act was created in response to President Richard Nixon’s heavy use of impoundments to achieve his policy goals. It has since been used to limit or regulate a president’s ability to control spending that has already been appropriated by building in 45 days of continuous congressional session. During this time, Congress is meant to review a President’s rescission requests and either approve them or see the funds released as planned.Trump’s request to cancel $810 million in funding, however, came just five days before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, all but ensuring that Congress will not have time to review the proposal in full or prevent the cuts from going into effect. It is not the first time Trump has used this strategy to thwart spending attempts. He submitted a request on Aug. 28, 2025, to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funds approved by Congress, including $3.2 billion that had been allocated to USAID. Although the move was contested, the Supreme Court last year stayed a lower court injunction requiring roughly $4 billion covered by the rescission request to be obligated. The GAO claims that the move is illegal, writing on its website that this application of the ICA would “cede Congress’s power of the purse by allowing a president to, in effect, change the law by shortening the period of availability for fixed-period funds.”“If Congress wanted a president to have that authority, it would need to change the law,” it continues.Zachary Price, a professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, says that the move is an “abuse” of the ICA. “It’s perverse to read that as, instead, creating this mechanism for unilaterally canceling funds,” Price tells TIME, adding that this interpretation is not supported by a lot of “historical practice.”The maneuver seeks to withhold the funds until they expire at the end of the fiscal year, leaving Congress little time to respond.In this case, Price says, it further showcases how the ICA is being manipulated.The government “shouldn't have a lot of money left over at the end of the fiscal year if you've been spending it as you go in the way the statute contemplates,” he says.He also points out that the American government is distinctly separated into three branches, with Congress, sitting in the legislative branch, being given the power to pass legislation—or, in this case, cancel funds that have already been appropriated. It has been explicitly separated from the authority of the executive branch and the President.Bobby Kogan, the senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, says it even plainer than Price: “The administration has picked a bunch of things that they hate, and they say, ‘Well, we're just not going to do those.’”The Supreme Court’s intervention last year did not constitute a ruling on the authority of pocket rescissions, meaning that the Trump Administration's latest use of the tactic could face new legal challenges.Which federal programs would lose funding and what’s at stake?The largest portion of this year’s proposed cuts will target HHS programs providing nonprofit services for refugees and unaccompanied minors. Trump’s request would withdraw $567 million from those services.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was also impacted, with a request to cancel funding for nonprofits that provide mental health services and social services to migrants. Another cut targets almost $25 million that had been slated for the Department of Education’s Special Programs for Migrant Students. The Housing and Urban Development Department’s housing counseling services are also named amid the rescissions; the Trump Administration said that the program included non-governmental organizations with “divisive and DEI-centric agendas.”The Trump Administration also aims to cancel $15 million from a Department of Justice office that focuses on reducing racial tensions, in addition to $10 million that had been allocated to the Minority Business Development Agency, which supports minority entrepreneurs. “I assume that they're picking money to cancel based on some political calculus about what they can get away with,” Price says. When looking at the bigger picture, he argues this is just one maneuver in several to “establish stronger executive control over spending.”The move also risks future negotiations in Congress, Price says. He explains that this application of the ICA would make it harder for Democrats and Republicans to compromise over spending if they anticipate that the sitting President will simply swoop in and cancel funding after thoughtful agreements have been reached.“If the executive branch can come in and effectively impose a more kind of party line view of the spending, then you know why would people agree to the package in the first place?” he asks.Can Congress stop Trump’s pocket rescission?The rescission has earned blowback from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who believe that the move sidesteps Congress's authority.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, lambasted the move on social media Friday evening, saying she would “work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”“This move shows that OMB intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation of appropriations that were approved on a bipartisan basis and signed into law,” Collins said. “OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding.”Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, Collins’s Democratic counterpart on the Appropriations Committee, called the move “theft from the American people.” “Every Republican who voted for these bills should be furious, because Vought is saying their votes don’t count,” Murray said in a statement on X. The August 2025 pocket rescission was challenged in an existing lawsuit brought by nonprofits, including AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, over the Administration’s prior foreign aid freeze. In September, the Supreme Court allowed the funds covered by the rescission request to remain withheld while litigation continued. This year, similar lawsuits are likely to emerge—but how they might shape future ICA actions remains to be seen.According to Kogan, this move sets up a potential battle in Congress to claw back these funds in the next fiscal cycle by reappropriating funds to the same programs.“One thing that Congress could do is they could say ‘I know you illegally didn't spend it this year, but take that money we’re going to slap it right back on,’” he says. “That doesn't make [Vought] spend it next year, but it does say that we are going to make sure this money gets out the door, even if it's years late.”This article originally appeared on Time at https://time.com/article/2026/09/26/what-is-a-pocket-rescission-inside-trump-s-move-to-cancel-810-million-in-federal-funding/

(Getty Images) President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved new federal fuel economy standards, marking another major rollback of Biden-era policies designed to push automakers toward more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. "BIG DAY FOR AMERICAN AUTO WORKERS AND CAR BUYERS!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I have just approved new Fuel Economy Standards that TERMINATE Sleepy Joe Biden and Pete Boot-EDGE-EDGE's ridiculous EV Mandate." Trump did not provide the technical details of the final standards in his post. His administration proposed a sweeping reset of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards in December that would substantially reduce fuel-efficiency requirements for passenger cars and light trucks through model year 2031. Under that proposal, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated the U.S. vehicle fleet would average about 34.5 miles per gallon by model year 2031, compared with roughly 50.4 mpg projected under the Biden-era standards. The Biden administration did not require Americans to purchase electric vehicles. Its fuel economy and separate tailpipe-emissions rules, however, were designed on the assumption that EVs would make up an increasing share of new-vehicle sales. The Trump administration has described those policies as an effective EV mandate and argued they restricted consumer choice and increased vehicle costs. "The Dumocrats cost our Great Auto Manufacturers $Billions, forced Americans into cars they never wanted, and wasted Billions on Chargers that were never built," Trump wrote. The administration estimated when it proposed the CAFE changes that its plan would save Americans $109 billion over five years and reduce the average price of a new vehicle by nearly $1,000 compared with what consumers would pay under the Biden standards. Those figures are administration projections, and critics of the rollback have disputed its cost assumptions, arguing that weaker fuel economy requirements could leave drivers spending more on gasoline. "These new Standards will take the waste out of building cars in America," Trump wrote. "That means LOWER PRICES, saving families thousands on a new, beautiful, and safe car — Far better than the Environmental Monsters that we were building heretofore." Trump has made rolling back federal support for EVs a major part of his second-term agenda. His administration has moved to unwind Biden-era vehicle emissions policies, while legislation Trump signed in July 2025 reduced the civil penalty for violating CAFE standards to $0. Trump also signed legislation blocking California's plan to phase out sales of new gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. Major U.S. automakers have meanwhile announced billions of dollars in new domestic manufacturing investments. General Motors has announced plans to invest billions in U.S. manufacturing while shifting production of some vehicles from Mexico and China. Ford has announced billions in investments in Michigan and Kentucky, while Stellantis has announced a $13 billion U.S. investment plan that it says will expand domestic production by 50%. "Every Manufacturer, from General Motors to Ford to Stellantis, has called me wanting to build here, and now they can!" Trump wrote. Trump said more than $100 billion is being invested in the U.S. auto industry under his administration and pointed to manufacturing activity in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and South Carolina. "Under my Administration, over 100 $Billion is being invested in American Autos, and that's just the beginning," Trump wrote. "The Plants are coming back, and Jobs are returning, to Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, and all over our Country." The White House has credited Trump's tariffs, regulatory changes and other economic policies with encouraging automakers to increase U.S. production. Automakers have cited a mix of factors behind individual investment decisions, including tariffs, changing consumer demand, and shifts in federal EV policy. Trump thanked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for their work on the new standards. "AMERICA IS BACK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" Trump wrote. © 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.This article originally appeared on Newsmax at https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/trump-biden-ev/2026/09/26/id/1270806

More Americans are spending their golden years in poverty.According to the newly released US Census Bureau report on poverty, household income reached a record high last year and the overall poverty rate fell. But the tale is the opposite for seniors. Poverty among Americans age 65 and older rose for the fifth consecutive year and has jumped roughly 45% since 2019 — the highest rate of any age group, an AARP Foundation analysis found. That translates to 10 million seniors living in poverty, up from 5.1 million seven years ago. "No other age group has seen that same pattern, and that should really stop us in our tracks. It's alarming," AARP Foundation president Claire Casey told Yahoo Finance.Women's poverty rate is 'astonishing'For a single renter, the poverty line starts at just over $19,000 a year. "Imagine trying to cover rent, groceries, utilities, and healthcare on that," Casey said.Last year, poverty rates were higher for women over 50 than for men, and the poverty level for women 65 and over is close to 17%, which is "really astonishing and something we should all be paying attention to," Casey said.The problem starts early in their working lives. "Women often reach retirement after a lifetime of lower earnings and less opportunity to save," said Dan Doonan, executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security. "Poverty in later life can be the result of these risks piling up — not bad decisions."Indeed, the poverty slide starts well before age 65.More than 7 million people in their 50s and early 60s are already living in poverty, Casey said.Sources: 2026 Census Bureau Report: Poverty in the United States 2025 and AARP Foundation analysis of 2026 CPS ASEC public-use data.AARP Foundation"Many of us think of our 50s as a person's peak earning years, when they're at the height of their professions," she said. "But when you break down the census figures and look at the cohort just before the traditional retirement age, those 50 to 64, the numbers tell a different story."A single event can be the catalyst that has years-long repercussions, Doonan added."A market downturn, a health problem, or the cost of caring for someone else can drain the resources they have, and because women tend to live longer, they may have to stretch what remains over many years, often on their own," he said.Read more: How much can you contribute to your 401(k) in 2026?No retirement savingsOnly one in four low-income older adults has access to a workplace retirement savings plan, and few earn enough to save, according to AARP Foundation data.Nearly half of Americans report having less than $100,000 saved for retirement, including nearly 2 in 10 with no retirement savings, according to recent research.The barriers to saving: healthcare costs, inflation, long-term care, wages failing to keep pace with expenses, and debt. That leaves many to rely on Social Security to cover their living costs. A low-wage worker retiring at 65 would receive just over $15,000 annually in benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. That's below the federal poverty line for a single adult. "You can work your whole life, do everything right, and still age into poverty," Casey said.Read more: Here's how much your Social Security benefits could rise in 2027Working multiple jobs to make ends meetThe census data lags what's happening right now, but elevated inflation and soaring gas prices haven't helped struggling seniors stay afloat. One-third of low-income older adults could not cover an emergency expense of $100 from savings, up from 28% in the spring, while more than half could not cover $500, according to AARP research.Those between 50 and 64 with low incomes showed the strongest signs of financial strain.And they're hustling as fast as they can to make ends meet. Nearly two-thirds of employed older adults with low income report at least one additional source of paid work beyond their main job. "It is no surprise that the elder poverty rate is rising," said Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist at the New School in New York City. "More and more elders don't have traditional pensions, and their 401(k) balances are nonexistent or too small to matter. "We have been building toward this retirement crisis for decades."Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky and X.Click here for the latest economic news and indicators to help inform your investing decisionsRead the latest financial and business news from Yahoo FinanceThis article originally appeared on Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/article/the-poverty-rate-is-falling-but-not-for-older-americans-142248107.html

As college costs and student debt have Americans doubting the value of higher education, there's growing interest in high-paying jobs that don't require a degree - and in public policy supporting training for them. But six-figure jobs that skip a bachelor's degree do require more than a high school diploma and remain rare, according to an analysis released Monday by Niche, a higher education platform.The highest salaries for workers without a bachelor's degree are typically in jobs gated by federal certification or specialized training, including commercial pilots, air traffic controllers, elevator installers and nuclear reactor operators, the study shows.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.The findings counter an emerging narrative about the prevalence of six-figure jobs in the skilled trades that don't require higher education. Politicians and business leaders have touted careers in electrical work, HVAC and plumbing earning more than $100,000, arguing that a four-year degree is unnecessary for financial security.While those jobs offer healthy salaries, research shows their median earnings are more modest than salaries for less common occupations that don't require a bachelor's degree.Source: Niche analysis of 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics dataUsing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Niche economist Allison Shrivastava found that only 9.4 percent of occupations with a median wage of $100,000 or more don't require a bachelor's degree. Those occupations account for just 0.3 percent of 13.8 million annual openings projected across every occupation in which a bachelor's is not a prerequisite.There are four times as many openings that do not require a bachelor's degree, but the jobs generally pay less. On average, the median earnings for those occupations are around $45,000 a year, compared with $96,000 for job openings seeking people with a bachelor's degree, according to the analysis."There's a little bit of romanticizing the trades," Shrivastava said. "There are some trade jobs that you can make six figures right out the gate, but they are more the exception than the rule."Sign up for our Paying for College 101 newsletterShe said that doesn't discount the power vocational training has to lift people out of poverty and provide economic success. But those workers have less earning potential than people with a bachelor's degree, and can have a harder time finding work in other fields without additional training, Shrivastava said.A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found the college wage premium - the extra pay degree holders make compared to workers with only a high school diploma - doubles over a worker's lifetime, from 27 percent at age 25 to 60 percent at age 55. Workers with college degrees obtain jobs in professions with greater scope for on-the-job training and wage growth, according to the study.Zack Mabel, interim director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, said degree holders earning six figures are typically much younger than those without a college credential earning the same salaries. He said no-degree occupations that yield the highest salaries require considerable work experience and technical skills that come with years of training.A college degree is still valued in the labor market, Mabel said, and that is reflected in wage disparities. Forty percent of mid-career adults ages 35-44 with bachelor's degrees earned more than $100,000 annually in 2024, compared with 13 percent of high school graduates, according to research from the College Board.Higher-paying jobs are often accessible to workers without college credentials because of apprenticeships and union trade programs, but many of these workers achieve sustained wage growth by becoming entrepreneurs, said Mary Alice McCarthy, senior director of the Center on Education & Labor at New America, a Washington think tank."Where we see tradespeople do really well … is when they're able to start their own businesses, start their own contracting firms," she said. "The real path to long-term prosperity does require that kind of evolution."McCarthy said the decline of labor unions in the trades since the 1970s has broadly eroded earning power. Many lucrative manufacturing jobs were also lost during the Great Recession and replaced with lower-paying service jobs.Even though workers without a bachelor's degree have far more job openings than degree holders, McCarthy said the quality of available jobs outside of the skilled trades has gotten worse with fewer benefits, stagnant wages and more precarity.To offer more pathways to higher-paying jobs, private sector and government employers have been ditching degree requirements.Governors in more than 30 states, including Maryland, Colorado and Pennsylvania, have committed to skills-based hiring by removing bachelor's degree requirements for public sector roles. Both the Trump and Biden administrations revised degree requirements on federal jobs. But those efforts are undermined by how hiring managers evaluate candidates, said Mabel at Georgetown."There's still a very big disconnect between the momentum around removing degree requirements and what plays out when it comes to who gets hired," Mabel said. "Folks who are more credentialed are much more likely to ultimately be hired into those roles."In a 2025 study, Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that fewer than 1 in 700 new hires benefited from no-degree policies. They examined more than 11,000 job postings at U.S. firms from 2014 to 2023 and found that hiring of candidates without a college credential only increased by 3.5 percentage points.Mabel said skills-first hiring must be widely adopted to produce meaningful changes in the labor market. Workers are taking on the risk that while their first employer embraces what they have to offer without a college credential, the next one may not, he said.While a bachelor's degree improves the chances of reaching higher rungs on the income ladder, Mabel said the return on investment in higher education varies based on the field of study.Students at a crossroads in deciding whether to pursue a degree or a trade should know there is no one path to a lucrative job, said McCarthy at New America. And those positions require some form of education after high school, whether that means a certificate, associate's degree or bachelor's.Todd Wallack contributed to this report.- - -Graphics:Reality versus perceptionRelated ContentThis article originally appeared on Washington Post at https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/jobs-earn-six-figures-without-121553473.html