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Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra wins California governor's race
For a decade, the political map has been largely stagnant, locked into the same half-dozen or so political battlegrounds, reflecting a polarized, evenly divided country. On Tuesday, voters took a wrecking ball to that map, electing Democrats in states that were long considered reliably Republican.Kansas, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Iowa — all states that President Donald Trump easily won two years ago — backed Democrats for the U.S. Senate and, in several of them, for governor, too.Though it’s unclear whether the results represent a durable tectonic shift, they at least open the conversation about whether the country may move beyond its geographic deadlock, and whether Democrats can compete in nominally red states in the next presidential campaign, most notably in Republicans’ electoral stronghold of Texas. "Even though Democrats haven’t won Texas in a presidential race since Jimmy Carter, last night’s historic results may entice them to make a real run at the state’s robust 40 electoral votes," said Texas Republican strategist David Polyansky. Only California has more electoral votes. "At a minimum, that would cost Republicans countless millions of dollars and untold manpower to defend against," he added. Such a shift would also signal a sea change in the way political parties function, said Joshua Huder, a Georgetown political scientist. For Democrats to hold onto their gains in the red center of the country, they would likely need to embrace causes like the farm bill that are vital to voters there but not on the mind of your typical liberal activist. "Are they willing to compete in places like Kansas, Iowa and Texas?" Huder asked of Democrats. "That fundamentally changes politics if they do." Elections 20 hours ago Analysis: Trump has defied political consequences for years. The midterms changed that health care 5 hours ago 5 healthcare fights Democrats could take on after midterms sweep The path to the presidency will not be redrawn overnight, Democratic strategists cautioned. Most of Tuesday’s results stemmed from Trump's deep unpopularity and voters' unhappiness with the cost of living. But Democrats’ widespread, statewide and down-ballot victories in conservative states and onetime swing-states like Iowa and Ohio allow the party to start building an organizational structure they’ve not had for more than 10 years.Democrats won their first Texas Senate race in 38 years, but they also knocked off three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and won control of the state House. It was part of an electoral shock wave that swept across the entire country, knocking out incumbents in long-safe conservative strongholds, flipping reliably right-leaning statehouses in places like Arizona and Wisconsin and delivering the biggest shift in political power since the post-Watergate election of 1974."It clearly was some type of a breakthrough; the level of discontent with Trump and his policies was so strong," said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University. He doesn’t expect it to last. "We remain very polarized, despite what happened in this election," Abramowitz added. "Supporters of each party perceive the other side as a threat to their way of life."But Abramowitz and others noted that the dynamic that fueled the historic election will still be around in 2028. Democrats have for months hoped to repeat the successes of the 2006 and 2008 elections, when they won back Congress and then, two years later, expanded their margins in Barack Obama’s first presidential run.Jim Messina, who worked on that 2008 campaign and managed Obama’s 2012 reelection team, said Democrats will now be able to build up their local apparatus in Texas while taking a careful look ahead of 2028."Texas is a hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars decision for a presidential campaign manager, and you’re going to wait as long as you can to decide," Messina said. That’s why the analysis begins now in states such as Ohio, Iowa and Texas, said Democratic pollster John Anzalone, President Joe Biden’s chief pollster and senior adviser in 2020 and pollster for Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns."What we’ll do is research it. We’ll go into these states, do polling and focus groups and see what the rate of return might be," said Anzalone, who polled for and advised former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s winning Senate campaign. "It’s all about the resources." Still, the Democratic wins were about more than resources. The party was outspent across much of the country, but still racked up wins, including gains among demographics that normally favor Republicans.Democrats nationwide fared better this year, relative to 2024, among white voters without college degrees, according to The AP Voter Poll and AP VoteCast, although Republicans still won them overall. This group was critical to Trump’s success in onetime battlegrounds like Iowa and Ohio after Obama carried them twice.The erosion of Republican support in rural areas was especially pronounced in Iowa, where Trump had dominated in his three presidential races. About 6 in 10 Iowa voters who say they live in a rural area or small town backed Republicans in 2022, but their vote was more closely split this year as tariffs and high fuel prices weighed on farmers' profits. Republican candidate Ashley Hinson won just over half of rural or small-town voters this year, The AP Voter Poll found, while Democratic candidate Josh Turek won about 4 in 10 voters in this group.Turek also triumphed in lightly populated, rural counties in eastern Iowa that no Democratic Senate candidate had carried since former five-term Sen. Tom Harkin won in 2008 before retiring. "We're in a very volatile political era," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is finishing his second term, during a news conference Wednesday. DeSantis will be replaced by Rep. Byron Donalds, a fellow Republican who was only narrowly elected as his successor despite the state's recent reputation as a conservative stronghold. "Things shift quickly, and leaders just got to recognize that," said DeSantis, "and don't act like whatever worked even two years ago in a campaign is necessarily going to work today or would work going forward."Republican strategist Kristin Davison said her party shouldn’t panic, urging members to dig into the results, learn what happened and chart a path forward."I think anyone immediately presuming 2028 implications as the dust settles today will need to make revisions," she said.___Josh Boak contributed to this report.
Cristiano Ronaldo merely the latest example of a great player who couldn't let go | Jonathan Wilson
There is no doubt his international career was an incredible one, but it would have been greater still if he had not lingered on the stage so longNothing, perhaps, is quite so difficult for an elite sportsperson as timing their exit. It's not easy for any person in any job to weigh the hope of having more to give with the desire not to linger beyond their usefulness, but it's perhaps particularly hard for top athletes because unrealistic self-confidence is so essential to their success. It takes an almost unhealthy level of self-belief for anybody to make the sacrifices to get to the top, to dedicate themselves to such a precarious vocation, to overcome all the setbacks and injuries and failures. How can someone – whose whole life has been spent assuring themselves there are no odds they cannot overcome – accept that is it, that the time has come to say goodbye?The news that Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football brings with it, inevitably, a sadness. Sadness we will no longer see him skipping past a defender, or burying a neck-thrusting header, and sadness in that the end of the career of any great is a reminder of mortality; all things in time must pass. But there is also a sadness he timed his departure so badly. For at least three tournaments, there has been a sense of Ronaldo holding Portugal back. Continue reading...
Police investigating pair of unrelated overnight shootings across Philly
For a decade, the political map has been largely stagnant, locked into the same half-dozen or so political battlegrounds, reflecting a polarized, evenly divided country. On Tuesday, voters took a wrecking ball to that map, electing Democrats in states that were long considered reliably Republican.Kansas, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Iowa — all states that President Donald Trump easily won two years ago — backed Democrats for the U.S. Senate and, in several of them, for governor, too.Though it’s unclear whether the results represent a durable tectonic shift, they at least open the conversation about whether the country may move beyond its geographic deadlock, and whether Democrats can compete in nominally red states in the next presidential campaign, most notably in Republicans’ electoral stronghold of Texas. "Even though Democrats haven’t won Texas in a presidential race since Jimmy Carter, last night’s historic results may entice them to make a real run at the state’s robust 40 electoral votes," said Texas Republican strategist David Polyansky. Only California has more electoral votes. "At a minimum, that would cost Republicans countless millions of dollars and untold manpower to defend against," he added. Elections Nov 4 Analysis: Trump has defied political consequences for years. The midterms changed that Health care 10 hours ago 5 healthcare fights Democrats could take on after midterms sweep Such a shift would also signal a sea change in the way political parties function, said Joshua Huder, a Georgetown political scientist. For Democrats to hold onto their gains in the red center of the country, they would likely need to embrace causes like the farm bill that are vital to voters there but not on the mind of your typical liberal activist. "Are they willing to compete in places like Kansas, Iowa and Texas?" Huder asked of Democrats. "That fundamentally changes politics if they do."The path to the presidency will not be redrawn overnight, Democratic strategists cautioned. Most of Tuesday’s results stemmed from Trump's deep unpopularity and voters' unhappiness with the cost of living. But Democrats’ widespread, statewide and down-ballot victories in conservative states and onetime swing-states like Iowa and Ohio allow the party to start building an organizational structure they’ve not had for more than 10 years.Democrats won their first Texas Senate race in 38 years, but they also knocked off three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and won control of the state House. It was part of an electoral shock wave that swept across the entire country, knocking out incumbents in long-safe conservative strongholds, flipping reliably right-leaning statehouses in places like Arizona and Wisconsin and delivering the biggest shift in political power since the post-Watergate election of 1974."It clearly was some type of a breakthrough; the level of discontent with Trump and his policies was so strong," said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University. He doesn’t expect it to last. "We remain very polarized, despite what happened in this election," Abramowitz added. "Supporters of each party perceive the other side as a threat to their way of life."But Abramowitz and others noted that the dynamic that fueled the historic election will still be around in 2028. Democrats have for months hoped to repeat the successes of the 2006 and 2008 elections, when they won back Congress and then, two years later, expanded their margins in Barack Obama’s first presidential run.Jim Messina, who worked on that 2008 campaign and managed Obama’s 2012 reelection team, said Democrats will now be able to build up their local apparatus in Texas while taking a careful look ahead of 2028."Texas is a hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars decision for a presidential campaign manager, and you’re going to wait as long as you can to decide," Messina said. That’s why the analysis begins now in states such as Ohio, Iowa and Texas, said Democratic pollster John Anzalone, President Joe Biden’s chief pollster and senior adviser in 2020 and pollster for Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns."What we’ll do is research it. We’ll go into these states, do polling and focus groups and see what the rate of return might be," said Anzalone, who polled for and advised former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s winning Senate campaign. "It’s all about the resources." Still, the Democratic wins were about more than resources. The party was outspent across much of the country, but still racked up wins, including gains among demographics that normally favor Republicans.Democrats nationwide fared better this year, relative to 2024, among white voters without college degrees, according to The AP Voter Poll and AP VoteCast, although Republicans still won them overall. This group was critical to Trump’s success in onetime battlegrounds like Iowa and Ohio after Obama carried them twice.The erosion of Republican support in rural areas was especially pronounced in Iowa, where Trump had dominated in his three presidential races. About 6 in 10 Iowa voters who say they live in a rural area or small town backed Republicans in 2022, but their vote was more closely split this year as tariffs and high fuel prices weighed on farmers' profits. Republican candidate Ashley Hinson won just over half of rural or small-town voters this year, The AP Voter Poll found, while Democratic candidate Josh Turek won about 4 in 10 voters in this group.Turek also triumphed in lightly populated, rural counties in eastern Iowa that no Democratic Senate candidate had carried since former five-term Sen. Tom Harkin won in 2008 before retiring. "We're in a very volatile political era," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is finishing his second term, during a news conference Wednesday. DeSantis will be replaced by Rep. Byron Donalds, a fellow Republican who was only narrowly elected as his successor despite the state's recent reputation as a conservative stronghold. "Things shift quickly, and leaders just got to recognize that," said DeSantis, "and don't act like whatever worked even two years ago in a campaign is necessarily going to work today or would work going forward."Republican strategist Kristin Davison said her party shouldn’t panic, urging members to dig into the results, learn what happened and chart a path forward."I think anyone immediately presuming 2028 implications as the dust settles today will need to make revisions," she said.___Josh Boak contributed to this report.
NBA schedule includes no games on Election Day. Here's why
What to KnowNithya Raman delivered a February surprise when she announced a challenge to one-time political ally Karen Bass in the election for Los Angeles mayor.With 76% of the expected vote in Thursday morning, Raman held a vote lead of 429,450 to 394,796 over the incumbent, who was seeking a second term.The mayor finished with 34% of the vote in the June election with Raman finishing second, good enough to join the November runoff. During the campaigns that followed, Raman — endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America LA — repeatedly said she is running to fix a “broken city” under Bass. Bass, who had never lost an election for public office, attempted to convince voters that Raman was “ready for prime-time.”Click here for more November election results in California. Challenger Nithya Raman will defeat incumbent Karen Bass in a monumental election for Los Angeles mayor between two former political allies that sent a jolt through the city’s political landscape, NBC News projects.Councilmember Raman, 45, held a 52% to 48% lead in a round of election results released Wednesday and widened that gap in a results drop Thursday morning, two days after Election Day. Raman’s advantage of 405,193 to 379,069 votes Wednesday night expanded Thursday morning to 429,450 to 394,796 votes, according to figures from county elections officials. Los Angeles Mayor 75.7% expected vote in Source: NBC News Decision Desk Projected Winner Nithya Raman 52.1% 429,450 Karen Bass 47.9% 394,796 The update with 76% of the expected vote in continued a trend of increasing margins in Raman’s favor since early Wednesday morning. The dramatic turn of events marks a political first for Bass, who has never lost an election for public office in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. The progressive candidate’s projected victory mean Los Angeles will become one of three major U.S. cities that will be led by politicians with support of democratic socialists, including New York with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Washington, D.C.’s Janeese Lewis George, who won the mayor's race this week. Raman had the endorsement of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The November political shakeup comes nine months after Raman, who will be sworn into office in December, joined the field for the June primary and announced a surprise challenge to Bass. The mayor finished with 34% of the vote in the June election with Raman finishing second, good enough to join the November runoff, at 29%. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt finished third at 25.5%. Decision 2026 Oct 14 Fact-checking the LA mayoral debate between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman Los Angeles Oct 13 Karen Bass vs. Nithya Raman: 5 key takeaways from LA mayoral debate In the November general election, Bass’ narrow early lead after the first election night returns diminished hours later with Raman pulling ahead overnight as the ballot count continued into Wednesday. Raman consistently polled well with a base of younger voters, who tend to cast ballots closer to Election Day.Those votes typically show up in results later in the vote-counting process.“When bigger tranches of the vote are counted, you’re going to see that lead grow,” said Dr. Fernando Guerra, NBCLA political contributor, said Wednesday. “I would imagine, given the trends we saw in June and previous elections, that Nithya Raman will definitely be the next mayor of Los Angeles.”The two candidates have not delivered public remarks about the results since election night. It was not immediately clear whether they planned to speak Thursday. At her election night party, Bass was defiant. See updates results for top California elections“Four years ago, you gave me the honor of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of the city that raised me, the city my parents chose to build a life in, and the city I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Bass said. “And every single day, I have carried that responsibility with me.”Raman, speaking at her election night party in Griffith Park, said voters demanded change.“They are angry about a broken status quo and the politicians who failed them over and over again. But change feels good, doesn’t it?” Raman said. “We have so much to celebrate tonight here in Los Angeles. This election is about change, too, a city that was engineered over the last few decades to resist change, and the people right here who said enough is enough, because for too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do.“Our City Hall became a place where we became so used to saying ‘no,’ we forgot how to say ‘yes,'” Raman said.Raman thanked her supporters for refusing to give up and supporting her campaign.“You saw hopelessness and you chose hope because you know that Los Angeles is a city with hope in its soil, a city built on dreams and ambition and a refusal to accept the status quo. The city is the most incredible place in the world,” Raman said.Bass was seeking a second term leading the second-largest city in the nation. She defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso in the 2022 election and had the endorsement of all but one of Raman’s colleagues on the Los Angeles City Council. Caruso said he planned to vote for Bass in this year’s election. Her campaign attacked Raman in the weeks before Election Day over public safety, specifically her stated intent to oust LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Raman’s campaign team faced criticism in October when it shared, then removed, a social media video that featured the councilwoman and an influencer. In the video, Raman urged people to stop “fascist liars” as images of Bass and McDonnell appeared on-screen — edits the campaign said were later added without Raman’s knowledge.Raman, of Silver Lake, was born in India and moved to the Unite States as a child. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies/Political Theory from Harvard University in 2003 and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and also served in the Office of the city administrative Officer.Before running for council, Raman was executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment. The group aims to combat sexual harassment in Hollywood.Raman defeated incumbent David Ryu in the November 2020 election.Raman has repeatedly said she is running to fix a “broken city” under Bass. She has criticized Bass for pursuing large contracts and projects, such as a billion-dollar agreement to raise salaries for police officers and a costly effort to modernize the downtown convention center.Raman has shared plans to improve basic city services, bolster housing production, reduce the cost of living and support the entertainment industry, among other issues.The two also sparred over homelessness, public safety and housing.Born in Los Angeles, Bass is a 1982 graduate of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program in 1982. She was a physician’s assistant who later started Community Coalition in response to the crack-cocaine epidemic and other issues before turning to politics.Bass appeared to be gaining momentum a week before the election when a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times showed the incumbent and challenger both with support at 40% from likely Los Angeles voters. Nineteen percent remain undecided, according to the poll.The figures represent a dramatic turnaround from the last Berkeley IGS/LA Times poll in the closely watched mayoral race, which showed Councilmember Raman, a former Bass ally, with a double-digit lead. A sizeable 33% of likely voters were undecided in the previous poll published in late September.Raman was favored by 39% of likely Los Angeles voters with Bass at 28% in the September poll.The drop-off in undecided voters since then likely contributed to the comeback for Bass, who has never lost an election for public office, according to the poll’s director. That decline in undecided voters was significant among conservative voters who supported reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the June primary, director Mark DiCamillo told the Times. In the September poll, 22% of Pratt voters indicated they planned to vote for Bass and 16% said they would vote for Raman. That left 63% of Pratt voters undecided.In the latest poll, 41% of Pratt voters said they plan to back Bass over the candidate endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Raman’s support among Pratt voters was at 14% in the October poll. Forty-five percent of Pratt voters remained undecided, according to the poll. The poll released Wednesday was conducted online Oct. 19 and Oct. 25 in English and Spanish with a sample of 2,197 likely city of Los Angeles voters. The margin of error is about 3 percentage points, according to the Times.The mayor’s favorable ratings, which took a significant decline after the January 2025 wildfires, remained low with 65% of respondents viewing her unfavorably. That figure was at 64% in the September poll. Thirty-two percent had a positive view of the mayor, according to the latest poll, up from 28% in the earlier poll.
15-year-old injured after Halloween shooting in Vacaville
What to KnowNithya Raman delivered a February surprise when she announced a challenge to one-time political ally Karen Bass in the election for Los Angeles mayor.With 76% of the expected vote in Thursday morning, Raman held a vote lead of 429,450 to 394,796 over the incumbent, who was seeking a second term.The mayor finished with 34% of the vote in the June election with Raman finishing second, good enough to join the November runoff. During the campaigns that followed, Raman — endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America LA — repeatedly said she is running to fix a “broken city” under Bass. Bass, who had never lost an election for public office, attempted to convince voters that Raman was “ready for prime-time.”Click here for more November election results in California. Challenger Nithya Raman will defeat incumbent Karen Bass in a monumental election for Los Angeles mayor between two former political allies that sent a jolt through the city’s political landscape, NBC News projects.Councilmember Raman, 45, held a 52% to 48% lead in a round of election results released Wednesday and widened that gap in a results drop Thursday morning, two days after Election Day. Raman’s advantage of 405,193 to 379,069 votes Wednesday night expanded Thursday morning to 429,450 to 394,796 votes, according to figures from county elections officials. Los Angeles Mayor 75.7% expected vote in Source: NBC News Decision Desk Projected Winner Nithya Raman 52.1% 429,450 Karen Bass 47.9% 394,796 The update with 76% of the expected vote in continued a trend of increasing margins in Raman’s favor since early Wednesday morning. The dramatic turn of events marks a political first for Bass, who has never lost an election for public office in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. The progressive candidate’s projected victory mean Los Angeles will become one of three major U.S. cities that will be led by politicians with support of democratic socialists, including New York with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Washington, D.C.’s Janeese Lewis George, who won the mayor's race this week. Raman had the endorsement of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The November political shakeup comes nine months after Raman, who will be sworn into office in December, joined the field for the June primary and announced a surprise challenge to Bass. The mayor finished with 34% of the vote in the June election with Raman finishing second, good enough to join the November runoff, at 29%. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt finished third at 25.5%.In the November general election, Bass’ narrow early lead after the first election night returns diminished hours later with Raman pulling ahead overnight as the ballot count continued into Wednesday. Raman consistently polled well with a base of younger voters, who tend to cast ballots closer to Election Day.Those votes typically show up in results later in the vote-counting process.“When bigger tranches of the vote are counted, you’re going to see that lead grow,” said Dr. Fernando Guerra, NBCLA political contributor, said Wednesday. “I would imagine, given the trends we saw in June and previous elections, that Nithya Raman will definitely be the next mayor of Los Angeles.”The two candidates have not delivered public remarks about the results since election night. It was not immediately clear whether they planned to speak Thursday. At her election night party, Bass was defiant. See updates results for top California elections“Four years ago, you gave me the honor of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of the city that raised me, the city my parents chose to build a life in, and the city I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Bass said. “And every single day, I have carried that responsibility with me.”Raman, speaking at her election night party in Griffith Park, said voters demanded change.“They are angry about a broken status quo and the politicians who failed them over and over again. But change feels good, doesn’t it?” Raman said. “We have so much to celebrate tonight here in Los Angeles. This election is about change, too, a city that was engineered over the last few decades to resist change, and the people right here who said enough is enough, because for too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do.“Our City Hall became a place where we became so used to saying ‘no,’ we forgot how to say ‘yes,'” Raman said.Raman thanked her supporters for refusing to give up and supporting her campaign.“You saw hopelessness and you chose hope because you know that Los Angeles is a city with hope in its soil, a city built on dreams and ambition and a refusal to accept the status quo. The city is the most incredible place in the world,” Raman said.Bass was seeking a second term leading the second-largest city in the nation. She defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso in the 2022 election and had the endorsement of all but one of Raman’s colleagues on the Los Angeles City Council. Caruso said he planned to vote for Bass in this year’s election. Her campaign attacked Raman in the weeks before Election Day over public safety, specifically her stated intent to oust LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Raman’s campaign team faced criticism in October when it shared, then removed, a social media video that featured the councilwoman and an influencer. In the video, Raman urged people to stop “fascist liars” as images of Bass and McDonnell appeared on-screen — edits the campaign said were later added without Raman’s knowledge.Raman, of Silver Lake, was born in India and moved to the Unite States as a child. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies/Political Theory from Harvard University in 2003 and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and also served in the Office of the city administrative Officer.Before running for council, Raman was executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment. The group aims to combat sexual harassment in Hollywood.Raman defeated incumbent David Ryu in the November 2020 election.Raman has repeatedly said she is running to fix a “broken city” under Bass. She has criticized Bass for pursuing large contracts and projects, such as a billion-dollar agreement to raise salaries for police officers and a costly effort to modernize the downtown convention center.Raman has shared plans to improve basic city services, bolster housing production, reduce the cost of living and support the entertainment industry, among other issues.The two also sparred over homelessness, public safety and housing.Born in Los Angeles, Bass is a 1982 graduate of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program in 1982. She was a physician’s assistant who later started Community Coalition in response to the crack-cocaine epidemic and other issues before turning to politics.Bass appeared to be gaining momentum a week before the election when a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times showed the incumbent and challenger both with support at 40% from likely Los Angeles voters. Nineteen percent remain undecided, according to the poll.The figures represent a dramatic turnaround from the last Berkeley IGS/LA Times poll in the closely watched mayoral race, which showed Councilmember Raman, a former Bass ally, with a double-digit lead. A sizeable 33% of likely voters were undecided in the previous poll published in late September.Raman was favored by 39% of likely Los Angeles voters with Bass at 28% in the September poll.The drop-off in undecided voters since then likely contributed to the comeback for Bass, who has never lost an election for public office, according to the poll’s director. That decline in undecided voters was significant among conservative voters who supported reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the June primary, director Mark DiCamillo told the Times. In the September poll, 22% of Pratt voters indicated they planned to vote for Bass and 16% said they would vote for Raman. That left 63% of Pratt voters undecided.In the latest poll, 41% of Pratt voters said they plan to back Bass over the candidate endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Raman’s support among Pratt voters was at 14% in the October poll. Forty-five percent of Pratt voters remained undecided, according to the poll. The poll released Wednesday was conducted online Oct. 19 and Oct. 25 in English and Spanish with a sample of 2,197 likely city of Los Angeles voters. The margin of error is about 3 percentage points, according to the Times.The mayor’s favorable ratings, which took a significant decline after the January 2025 wildfires, remained low with 65% of respondents viewing her unfavorably. That figure was at 64% in the September poll. Thirty-two percent had a positive view of the mayor, according to the latest poll, up from 28% in the earlier poll.
A Democratic-controlled Congress will likely try to constrain Trump's foreign adventures
But the president still has veto power, which he can wield to dictate policy over tariffs, the war in Iran or aid for UkraineIn a rare occurrence, a US election may have actually been decided by foreign policy. Donald Trump's war in Iran and international tariffs are seen as playing a key role in the inflationary pressures that drove so many Americans to vote against his party on Tuesday in what has been described as a "generational wipeout" for the Republicans.And in the coming months, the president is going to face severe headwinds on those policies as Democrats storm back into control of Congress, threatening investigations of some of his top envoys and Pentagon contractors, big fights over budgets linked to the Iran war, and greater scrutiny of US relationships with allies such as Israel. Continue reading...
Multiple planes diverted as bomb threats to commercial flights reported across Europe – as it happened
EU transport commissioner says 'too early' to say if bomb threats to 20 flights are linkedTell us: have you been affected by the bomb threats?And the Italian news agency Ansa reported that two more planes with links to Italy were affected by bomb threats this morning: that's a WizzAir service from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw, which reportedly landed in Vienna, and a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome Fiumicino.Belgian newspaper Le Soir also reported a bomb threat against a LOT Polish Airline flight from Warsaw, which now landed at Zaventem. Continue reading...
Mexican judge accused of taking $2M bribe to release Ryan Wedding's right-hand man
A Mexican judge has been arrested on allegations that he accepted a $2-million bribe in exchange for granting bail to a man accused of acting as second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, American…
Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
The old and the new will be on display in the NFL this week.In the wardrobe department, there will be six non-primary uniforms hitting the field — including three throwbacks and three alternates.There will be another throwback vs. throwback game in Philadelphia, a winless team turning back the clock and the debut of an alternate in Baltimore on Thursday night to kick off the action.What are all the uniform matchups for Week 9? Here’s a game-by-game breakdown. NFL Aug 25 NFL Rivalries uniforms unveiled: See the 8 new looks debuting this season NFL Apr 2 Tracking new NFL uniforms for 2026: Here are all the new looks hitting the field Jaguars vs. RavensJaguars: Black helmets, white jerseys, white pantsRavens: Purple helmets, purple jerseys, purple pants (alternate)Bengals vs. FalconsBengals: Orange helmets, white jerseys, orange pantsFalcons: Black helmets, red jerseys, white pantsBrowns vs. SaintsBrowns: Orange helmets, white jerseys, brown pantsSaints: Black helmets, gold jerseys, gold pants (alternate)Cowboys vs. ColtsCowboys: White helmets, blue jerseys, white pants (alternate)Colts: White helmets, white jerseys, white pantsBroncos vs. PanthersBroncos: Navy blue helmets, white jerseys, TBA pantsPanthers: Silver helmets, black jerseys, TBA pantsLions vs. DolphinsLions: Silver helmets, TBA jerseys, TBA pantsDolphins: White helmets, TBA jerseys, TBA pantsRams vs. CommandersRams: Blue helmets, white jerseys, blue pantsCommanders: Burgundy helmets, burgundy jerseys, TBA pantsGiants vs. EaglesGiants: Blue helmets, white jerseys, white pants (throwback)Eagles: Kelly green helmets, Kelly green jerseys, gray pants (throwback)Jets vs. ChiefsJets: Green helmets, white jerseys, green pantsChiefs: Red helmets, red jerseys, TBA pantsTexans vs. ChargersTexans: Navy blue helmets, white jerseys, white pantsChargers: Navy blue helmets, navy blue jerseys, navy blue pants (throwback)Packers vs. PatriotsPackers: Yellow helmets, white jerseys, yellow pantsPatriots: Silver helmets, navy blue jerseys, navy blue pantsRaiders vs. 49ersRaiders: Silver helmets, white jerseys, silver pants49ers: Gold helmets, red jerseys, gold pantsCardinals vs. SeahawksCardinals: White helmets, white jerseys, white pantsSeahawks: Navy blue helmets, navy blue jerseys, navy blue pantsBuccaneers vs. BearsBuccaneers: Pewter helmets, white jerseys, pewter pantsBears: Navy blue helmets, navy blue jerseys, TBA pantsBills vs. VikingsBills: White helmets, white jerseys, white pantsVikings: Purple helmets, purple jerseys, TBA pantsThis story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case
Wong, 30, in prison since 2020, is only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under national security lawExclusive: Joshua Wong laments city's fate from inside maximum security prisonThe Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to "foreign collusion", his second conviction under a national security law critics say has been used to silence political opposition in the city.Wong, who rose to prominence as the teenage face of Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, submitted his guilty plea in September. He had been accused of working with the exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China. Continue reading...
On TV

Black Doves — 2x1: "Black Door" (Netflix)

As her husband steps up as prime minister, Helen helps Reed steal files codenamed Wildflower and a shadowy organization coerces Sam into a contract.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent — 4x7: "Fireworks" (Citytv)

Law & Order — 26x5: "Rage Bait" (NBC)

When a college basketball star is shot dead after winning the championship game, Walker and Calvino uncover a trail of online vitriol that leads far beyond the internet; Price and Maroun face an uphill battle when the defendant claims self-defense.

Grey's Anatomy — 23x4: "Love on the Brain" (ABC)

Amelia sees a young patient with an extremely rare condition, and Bailey receives unfavorable feedback from a TA at school. Jo attends a birth trauma support group, and the Olympic floor is rocked by family drama.

Black Doves — 2x2: "Put Your Head on my Shoulder" (Netflix)

Helen realizes her investigation into Reed's mysterious past connects to Sam's new targets — just after he silences their best hope for answers.

Black Doves — 2x3: "P Is for Poison" (Netflix)

Sam grapples with the fallout of a desperate choice. Helen presses an old foe for answers on Reed and Wildflower before a tense dinner with the Chernovs.

Black Doves — 2x4: "The Opportunity to Become Savage" (Netflix)

East Berlin, 1988. Reed's cover in Kestrel is blown when a botched mission forces an unforgivable choice — and its deadly aftermath reaches into the present.

Black Doves — 2x5: "Murder Mix" (Netflix)

Helen recruits Sam, Williams and Eleanor to extract a high profile target from a secure site, but Kestrel's influence threatens the mission.

Black Doves — 2x6: "Peace Summit" (Netflix)

Kestrel enacts its plan ahead of Wallace's peace summit — forcing Sam to decide where his loyalties lie, and pushing Helen to admit a dangerous truth.

Ask This Old House — 25x6: "Smart Window Film; Walkway Garden" (PBS)

New Music

No new drops today. Go rediscover something in your old playlists.

In theaters
Drummer Boy (129 minutes)
As America’s fight for independence begins, a young drummer boy, an enslaved woman, and a divided family search for freedom. Through battle and loss, music carries hope in a deeply human story of faith and forgiveness.
Launching today

Nothing launching today. Every rocket is staying grounded and behaving.

Useless Fact

On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament buildings is an American flag.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7148
▼ 0.0014
CAD → EUR
0.6368
▼ 0.0006
Today In History
2024 — Donald Trump Wins 2024 U.S. Presidential Election
Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, defeating Kamala Harris. He became the first convicted felon to be elected president and the second to win a nonconsecutive second term.
2013 — India's First Mars Orbiter Mission
India launched its first interplanetary spacecraft, the Mars Orbiter Mission, which was unmanned
1998 — DNA Testing Confirms Jefferson-Hemings Family Relationship
The journal Nature published a report that DNA testing had confirmed (still disputed by some) that a member of Thomas Jefferson's family had fathered a child with the slave Sally Hemings; the testing, however, was unable to definitively prove that Jefferson was the father. Read more about the Jefferson-Hemings paternity debate Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of Thomas Jefferson Coolidge IV in memory of his great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, his grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge II, and his father, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge III, 1986.71
1940 — Franklin D. Roosevelt's Unprecedented Third Term as US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented third term as president of the United States
1930 — Sinclair Lewis Wins Nobel Prize for Literature
Social critic Sinclair Lewis won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first American to receive the honour
1914 — France and Britain declare war on Turkey, 1914
France and Britain declared war on Turkey, widening the conflict of World War I
1913 — Vivien Leigh Born in India, 1913
British actress Vivien Leigh, known for her acclaimed performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche Du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire, was born in India in 1913.
1911 — Birth of American Cowboy Actor and Singer Roy Rogers
Americancowboyactor and singer Roy Rogers—who starred in films and television shows, often alongside his wife, Dale Evans—was born
1872 — Susan B. Anthony Votes Illegally in 1872 Election
Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the American women's suffrage movement, cast a ballot in the presidential election, and she was later arrested for voting illegally and convicted in a trial she called "the greatest outrage history ever witnessed." How much do you know about famous suffragettes?
1838 — Honduras declares independence from Central America
Hondurasdeclared its absolute independence, seceding from the United Provinces of Central America
1605 — Gunpowder Plot
Celebrated with fireworks as Guy Fawkes Day, this English holiday marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, when Roman Catholics led by Robert Catesby tried to blow up Parliament, the king, and his family this day in 1605
1556 — Bayram Khan's Victory at the Second Battle of Panipat
Mughal power was restored in India following Bayram Khan's victory at the second Battle of Panipat in 1556.

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.