WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said New Hampshire can fully enforce a ban on voters using student IDs as a form of identification at the polls next month, a win for the Republican Party's effort to tighten voting procedures.

The court on Oct. 22 agreed to pause a lower court’s ruling that a student ID is among the forms of identification that may be considered by poll workers if the voter lacks an approved government-issued ID.

The state's U.S. Senate race is among the contests that will decide whether Republicans keep control of that chamber after the midterm elections. The Republican National Committee had backed the state's unsuccessful emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.

Meta’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has wielded enormous power over the social media empire he built more than two decades ago, leading the California juggernaut through major scandals, scrutiny and technological shifts.

But the 42-year-old tech mogul considered leaving the state because he feared that a ballot measure to impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of California billionaires could reduce the amount of control he has over Meta, a recent regulatory filing shows. Meta’s board struck a deal so he would stay in California. Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The filing highlights how one of the world’s wealthiest people, whose net worth totals more than $200 billion, is bracing for the possibility that California voters pass Proposition 40, a wealth tax proposal that would primarily be used to fund healthcare.

Although supporters say the fear that billionaires will flee the state are overblown, the ultrawealthy have made moves to potentially avoid paying the tax or are funding campaigns to defeat it.

Read more: Your guide to Proposition 40: California's billionaire tax proposal

Zuckerberg’s influence over Meta is partly tied to how the company structures its stock. Zuckerberg holds roughly 60% of voting power over Meta even though he only owns about 13% of the company’s total shares.

Meta has a dual-class share structure, dividing the stock into Class A shares with one vote each and Class B shares with 10 votes each. Zuckerberg holds a large amount of Class B stock, which gives him majority control over company decisions.

If the wealth tax proposal passes, Zuckerberg is worried that it could reduce his voting power, according to the filing. The tech executive makes an annual salary of $1, so most of his wealth is linked to his stake in Meta. If he had to sell his Class B shares to pay the tax, that would reduce his voting majority in the company, according to the filing.

In September, he told Meta’s board that he planned to list his Palo Alto home for sale, pressuring board members to find a solution.

On Wednesday, Meta announced a new class of stock with no voting rights called Class C that would take effect in January. As part of the deal, Zuckerberg could sell or transfer up to 20% of Class C stock so his voting majority doesn’t decrease even if he has to pay the tax.

“Mr. Zuckerberg’s continued leadership role in our Company, and his continuing presence at the Company’s headquarters in California, is critical at this current inflection point for the Company and the tech industry in order to continue to provide value-maximization for all shareholders,� the filing said.

Since the company’s public debut, its share price has risen more than 1,700%, outperforming the S&P 500.

In Meta’s third-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said creating a new class of nonvoting stock benefits the company in various ways, including “capital raising, employee compensation, acquisitions, other general corporate purposes.�

“We believe this share class will maintain our founder-led structure. It will expand our funding tools and give us flexibility to invest behind the unprecedented momentum we’re seeing across every part of our business driven by AI,� she said.

Meta has roughly 66,700 workers globally. Its sprawling headquarters is in Menlo Park.

Some billionaires such as Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and Google co-founder Sergey Brin have opposed the wealth tax proposal. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, on the other hand, has said he doesn’t mind paying more taxes.

The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West is backing the wealth tax proposal and says it applies to roughly 200 billionaires who have resided in California as of January 1, 2026, and could raise $100 billion.

More than $300 million has been contributed to fight the billionaire tax, including two propositions that could block it if they gather more votes. Although stock prices fluctuate, Zuckerberg could face a tax liability of roughly $12 billion based on his net worth.

In 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, pledged to give away 99% of his Facebook shares over their lifetimes when they celebrated the birth of their first daughter.

The couple created the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization whose efforts include curing, managing and preventing all diseases. Although Zuckerberg lives in Palo Alto, he also owns real estate elsewhere, including in Hawaii, Washington, D.C. and Ireland.

Times data journalist Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Justice Department prosecutors are investigating allegations of contract misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security, including the role of Corey Lewandowski who worked as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.

The probe follows a criminal referral for Lewandowski from the DHS Inspector General’s office, which has been examining contracting practices at the agency during Noem’s and Lewandowski’s tenure, according to one of the people familiar.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.

“Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity,� Lewandowski’s attorney Adam Trigg told CNN.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately return a request for comment on the matter.

The referral is an unusual move for the Trump administration, which has been hesitant to criminally investigate its own members.

Critics have instead largely accused the Justice Department of improperly targeting the president’s political enemies and accused DHS of protecting their own employees from scrutiny.

In recent months, as the allegations of possible corruption emerged, Washington, DC, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro told officials in her office that she wanted investigators to look into claims of kickbacks connected to contracting at DHS, according to a second source familiar with the investigation.

It’s still not clear which US Attorney’s office is leading the investigation.

Prosecutors have been awaiting results from the DHS inspector general probe, the person familiar with the probe said.

Lewandowski, a Republican operative, became a fixture at DHS early in President Donald Trump’s second term, serving as Noem’s chief adviser. But on paper, he was originally tapped to serve as a special government employee — a unique role meant to span a limited number of days.

Lewandowksi’s straddling of senior government functions at DHS and service as a special government employee was uncharted territory, according to multiple people who spoke with CNN.

Homeland Security officials ultimately viewed Lewandowski, a Trump ally, as Noem’s gatekeeper. He left the department when Trump fired Noem.

Noem’s handling of contracts within DHS was one of the main catalysts for her ouster by Trump earlier this year, notably when she claimed that Trump knew of a $220 million ad campaign prominently featuring the secretary.

During her tenure, Noem also tightened her grip on her department’s purse strings, ordering that every contract and grant over $100,000 had to cross her desk for approval — a move that Noem frequently defended as intended to cut down on waste but that multiple Homeland Security officials found unusual and unnecessary.

The inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, complained to Congress in early March that Homeland Security leadership had been obstructing some of his work.

Trump, when asked by a reporter on Thursday about the Lewandowski investigation, said he didn’t know much about it as he only just learned of it. He repeatedly said, however, that if people working for him are dishonest, he wants them prosecuted.

“They’re stealing from me, so I want my people to be honest,� Trump said. “And if they’re not honest, I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.�

This story has been updated with additional details.

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Holiday hiring is heating up with multiple companies saying they are adding temporary workers in the coming months, ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Amazon announced it is looking to fill 300,000 seasonal part-time and full-time roles across their national support operations during the holidays -- an increase of 50,000 positions compared to the same period in 2025. Seasonal employees will earn an average rate of about $20 an hour.

Shipping company UPS said it will hire 100,000 workers in the next few months, noting that many applicants can get a job offer in less than 7 minutes.

Spirit Halloween, the largest Halloween retailer in the U.S., said it plans to employ a record 52,000 associates at store locations.

Poultry company Butterball, famous for their turkey hotline, also said they are hiring their largest team on record to handle calls coming into their 'Turkey Talk-Line' ahead of Thanksgiving.

The October jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will be released in November but data released in September shows that hiring has been increasing, although not as much as economists expected. Approximately 29,000 jobs were added in September, down from the 162,000 projected the month prior.

Inflation has also been top of mind for concerned shoppers as unemployment sits at 4.2%.

According to Indeed Hiring Lab, seasonal postings are up 10%, more than this time last year, but job postings for roles in physical stores have also declined.

Retail job postings have gone up 61%, Indeed said, but other roles are also available with loading and stocking jobs up 9%, sales roles increasing 8% and customer service positions rising 6%, as shoppers continue to purchase items online.

A New York tradition more than a century old is ending.

The New York City Council on Oct. 22 voted to ban horse-drawn carriages, winding down a historic tradition that's popular among tourists and fiercely opposed by animal rights groups.

In a 40-7 vote, the council approved a ban that will phase out the operation of horse carriages that are in and around Central Park by June 2028.

'Today’s historic vote marks our commitment to animal welfare, public safety, and protecting workers,' council speaker Julie Menin said in a statement.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani supports the bill and is expected to sign it into law. In early October, he declared that the horse carriage industry is 'coming to an end in New York City.'

The city's horse carriages have traversed a loop in Central Park dating back to the 1800s. By the mid-20th century, the city limited horse-drawn carriage licenses to 68. Over the decades, the carriages became a tourism staple and appeared in iconic films and television shows, such as 'Sex and the City,' 'Elf' and 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.'

But in recent years, animal rights groups and others have increasingly called for the end to the tradition, arguing that the practice subjects horses to harsh unnatural conditions and physical exhaustion.

Opposition mounted this summer following the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, an Indian tourist killed in June after being thrown from a horse carriage. The legislation phasing out the longstanding tradition is named after Mahajan, whose parents appeared at the Oct. 22 city council meeting.

In June, a horse named Deniz collapsed suddenly in Central Park while pulling a carriage with passengers, setting off another wave of backlash against the horse-carriage industry.

President Donald Trump, who is from New York, weighed in on the vote, criticizing the city council's decision and calling horse carriages a 'great tradition' that 'will be missed.'

'The Horse-drawn Carriage in New York City is a quintessential New York experience. So sad that, for political reasons, we will see it go!' he said in a post on Truth Social.

Some who oppose the legislation say it does not adequately protect workers who rely on the carriages for their income. Officials say there are about 150 horse-carriage drivers currently working in the city.

Outside City Hall, carriage driver Alexus Lawson, 28, called the vote a “travesty.�

“New Yorkers want us,� she said, wearing a tie and a black top hat. “We’re not going down without a fight.�

The union representing Lawson and over 100 other carriage drivers, the Transport Workers Union of America, has vowed to sue the city in an attempt to block the legislation from taking effect.

'If the NYC Council bans horse-carriage rides, hundreds of blue-collar drivers, owners, and their family members will be financially ruined and emotionally devastated,' the union previously said in a statement on X.

The bill requires the mayor’s office to develop a transition plan by April 2027 and to consider a program to compensate carriage operators for their businesses and help with the disposition of their horses. Under the proposal, the horses could not be slaughtered.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged Thursday that her successor Katie Zacharia, who stepped down after less than a week as press secretary, was not a good fit for the job. 

“Look, White House press secretary is a tough job. I know that because I did it,� Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“Many people say it’s one of the hardest jobs in politics. It takes a lot of preparation. Sometimes you don’t know how someone will perform until they go out there,â€� she continued. “As the president said, we wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her.â€� 

Leavitt said Trump is continuing his search for potential candidates, and she has offered to assist the president in finding a replacement. 

“I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well. Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows that he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal and can go out there and put up a fight,� she said.

Leavitt served as press secretary from the beginning of the second Trump administration in January 2025 until this August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family. 

Prior to serving as White House press secretary, Leavitt worked as press secretary on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Despite her exit from the White House, Leavitt is still seen as a close confidant of Trump's. 

Leavitt’s comments came after Zacharia left the role after only five days on the job earlier this month. 

Zacharia's departure followed intense scrutiny over a shaky first press conference, which lasted 14 minutes, as well as skepticism over her legal background. 

With days before a close election in Israel in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and before next month’s U.S. midterm election in which war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger, there are concerns that U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.

“Netanyahu wants to attack Iran, that’s not even a question,� Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran specialist in Israel’s military and intelligence services, told The Associated Press.

He accused Israel of rushing into another round with Iran without revamping its strategy. A clear Netanyahu victory in the Oct. 27 election means an attack is almost guaranteed, he said.

Main opposition candidates are likely to focus on domestic issues first, but Citrinowicz said he believed the region is on the way toward 'another kinetic escalation.�

Iran repeats threat to attack U.S. bases in the region

Iranian state television reported the claims about the latest attacks on ships, which the AP couldn't independently confirm. The report cited the Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, which again threatened to strike U.S. military bases in the region if the U.S. keeps helping to guide commercial ships through the strait.

The report didn't mention casualties. Iran still asserts control over the waterway, a central point of leverage in any talks with the U.S. over the war.

October has had the most reported attacks on commercial shipping since March in the war's opening weeks, according to a British military monitor, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. UKMTO didn't report the latest attacks, but it has noted new reluctance by some shippers to report incidents.

Oil producers have found ways to keep crude flowing, experts say, but at a mounting cost.

Tankers continue moving through Strait of Hormuz despite attacks

Oil tankers are still moving oil through the strait under U.S. military protection despite the recent upsurge in attacks, according to shipping data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Tanker operators willing to risk the voyage have been shuttling oil from Gulf producers through the strait at night with their location systems and mobile phones turned off using a U.S.-protected lane near the coast of Oman. Those tankers transfer oil to other tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman for shipment to customers in Asia.

Those “active Gulf operators show little sign of retreating� despite 28 attacks on ships in October, the highest since the start of the war, Lloyd’s said in an online webinar Thursday.

The so-called “dark shuttle� overseen by U.S. Central Command has helped return oil shipments from the Gulf at roughly prewar levels, but at high costs in time, money and sailors' lives. Spot charter rates for tankers have soared into the hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, while the ship-to-ship transfers can take several days.

UN urges US and Iran to return to diplomacy to end conflict, reopen strait

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said no commercial ships should be attacked and called for diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the strait.

“For the sake of the people of the region and for the broader world, we need to see that waterway reopen, and we need to see tensions go down,' he told reporters Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said Tehran remains open to diplomacy, but is ready to defend itself.

Iran has warned that it learned important military lessons from the war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, indicating in recent days that it could expand targets to include infrastructure such as undersea cables and data centers.

The United States, for its part, is sending more military assets to the region, including a third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops, to join the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades.

Mediators, meanwhile, have been trying to bring Washington and Tehran back to formal talks.

Iran still promotes its latest proposal to end the war and fully open the strait within a week if the U.S. meets several conditions, including ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. It echoes conditions in the deal that fell apart within days of both sides signing it in June.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the latest proposal last month, but both sides acknowledged that indirect discussions have continued.

The stakes are even higher if all-out war resumes

A return to full fighting would again endanger civilians throughout the region and complicate global deliveries of oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer from the region and likely bring another spike in prices.

The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, this week acknowledged that the Islamic Republic will suffer under a prolonged U.S. blockade. But economic pain and strategic collapse are not the same thing, he added, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Now the conflict has widened with the recent surge in fighting between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi kingdom backs a coalition of forces with Yemen’s internationally recognized government that is fighting the rebels.

The Houthis' repeated deadly attacks on airports and other facilities inside Saudi Arabia have pressured the close U.S. ally, which has sought military aid.

The escalation also has threatened a crucial shipping corridor, the Bab el-Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, the president of Saudi oil company Aramco, whose sites have been targeted by the Houthis, said the amount of oil moving through a pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz has increased threefold in light of the global energy crisis.

The East-West pipeline’s capacity has surged from two million to seven million barrels each day, Amin Nasser said in an interview with Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya Business. He said the company has been using drones to assess any damage to the pipeline and help with firefighting.

The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett came as lawyers for the British broadcaster complained that Trump had delayed his appearance in his own lawsuit. Charles Tobin, attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.�

Meanwhile, it remained uncertain whether former special counsel Jack Smith would be allowed to sit for a deposition. Federal rules require current and former employees to receive permission from agency heads before testifying in court cases. Smith has requested permission but has not received an answer, and the judge ruled that the department must respond to him by Nov. 2.

In arguments about Trump's deposition, Tobin noted there had been an agreed-upon date of Oct. 16, but Trump had canceled it for a “matter of national importance.� He said the Republican president was in fact campaigning in Georgia that day. “He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,� Tobin said.

Lett said Trump must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11, or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit — unless the discovery period is extended by the presiding judge.

Discovery, where lawyers for both sides exchange documents and other evidence, is scheduled to end Dec. 18, and the BBC's attorneys want to make sure they have Trump’s deposition before that deadline. Lett said only the presiding judge assigned to the case can alter the trial schedule, and the defense said it would be open to scheduling the deposition at a later time if the trial schedule was also changed.

Trump, who has often avoided depositions, filed his lawsuit against the BBC last December. He accused the publicly funded broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance.�

The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem he was directly urging violence. The broadcaster apologized over the editing, and the head of the BBC and its top news executive both resigned. But the BBC has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.

Trump's attorneys also argued against recording his deposition on video, asking for only a court reporter. The judge ruled that the deposition could be recorded on video but only for attorneys, meaning it wouldn’t be released to the public.

It remained unclear whether Jack Smith would be allowed to sit for deposition

To bolster its defense, the broadcaster subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith earlier this month. Trump’s lawyers have argued that there is no good reason for Smith, who is not a party to the case, to appear. The BBC has said Smith has extensive knowledge of what happened that day.

At issue in Thursday's hearing, though, was whether Smith had received the legally required permission from the Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feeley told the judge that Smith had sent a letter to the department saying he would not testify without permission, and the agency had not yet responded. Lett ordered the department to respond to Smith by Nov. 2.

It seems unlikely that the department would grant Smith permission, or that he would move forward without it.

Earlier in the hearing, Tobin, the BBC lawyer, argued that Smith has not objected to being deposed for this case, meaning the only objection is coming from Trump. Tobin said the BBC is not trying to relitigate the events of Jan. 6, but Smith is one of the leading experts in what happened that day, and his deposition could lead the BBC to evidence that could help their case.

“We can argue later on whether his testimony is admissible,' Tobin said, “but we are entitled to that deposition.�

Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, said Smith has no personal knowledge of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech or Trump's state of mind when he gave it. All of Smith’s knowledge about the case is secondhand, Brito argued, and the special counsel's report, along with Smith’s testimony before Congress, is all public and available to the BBC’s attorneys.

Judge says the BBC can see membership records for Mar-a-Lago

The judge agreed that the BBC should be allowed to see records for the total number of applications for membership at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida from Jan. 6, 2020, through Jan. 6, 2026, as well as the total cost of membership and initiation fees for new applicants.

Tobin said one aspect of any defamation case is showing actual damages, and the popularity of Mar-a-Lago is a significant indicator of Trump’s reputation. The BBC's lawyer described the private club as “a place where he exhibits his reputation in front of people who are important to him.�

Brito argued that Trump does not actually run Mar-a-Lago, and that his reputation is not associated with the club.

Lucas, who has been in elected office for decades, used her political power to insulate the operation from scrutiny, according to an indictment charging her and six other defendants, including several of her relatives. She “put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve,� said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who spoke at a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel.

Lucas surrendered, the Justice Department said. She made a brief appearance in federal court in Norfolk on Thursday afternoon, where she was released on her own recognizance, according to court records. She left the court without addressing journalists who shouted questions her way and went straight into a waiting vehicle.

The charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, came after the FBI searched Lucas' hometown office and a cannabis shop in which she has a stake in May. At the time of the search, Lucas — who has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump’s administration — characterized it as an attempt to intimidate her.

Lucas says she won't be bullied by the federal government

A statement attributed to Lucas posted on her social media account did not directly address the substance of the charges but said Thursday's actions amounted to the federal government wielding its “full weight� against a great-grandmother.

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down,� Lucas said in the statement. Her attorney at the hearing declined comment outside.

The brash 82-year-old lawmaker has spent decades ascending the ranks of Virginia politics and has served since 1992 in the state Senate, where she's the president pro tempore, overseeing the chamber in the lieutenant governor’s absence. More significantly, she leads the powerful Senate finance committee, through which all legislation with any budget impact must flow. She’s used the position to kill legislation she opposes.

Justice Department denies politics played a role

The indictment comes as Trump’s Justice Department has faced intense scrutiny over investigations and prosecutions against foes of the president that critics have called politically motivated.

Blanche rejected any suggestion politics played a role in Lucas’ case, noting the investigation began well before the second Trump administration started in January 2025.

“We don’t do political paybacks,� Blanche told reporters.

A person familiar with the May search told The Associated Press at the time that the probe was opened during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing criminal investigation.

FBI alleges a ‘criminal marijuana enterprise’

Patel said in a statement that “Lucas and a close-knit group of family members and associates orchestrated a multi-year scheme to enrich their own criminal marijuana enterprise, ‘the Lucas Enterprise’ — using Lucas’ position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to insulate the enterprise from criminal scrutiny and influencing legislation to financially benefit themselves.�

The indictment describes Lucas as the “leader of the enterprise� who “approved and directed criminal activities,� including arranging for the acquisition and distribution of marijuana and supervising the laundering of the proceeds.

The indictment alleges Lucas worked this year with another of the defendants to use her political position to obtain a recreational marijuana license for him, with the understanding that the proceeds from sales under the license would be shared with her to support the “enterprise.�

Since 2021, marijuana has been legal to possess in Virginia, and many shops across the state have sold cannabis-derived products. But full recreational sales are not yet underway; legislation enacted earlier this year will allow them beginning in July 2027.

Law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of marijuana from Lucas' shop, which purported to sell hemp products, in 2024 and 2025, the indictment said.

In addition to drug and money laundering charges, Lucas faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and maintaining a drug-involved premises. An arraignment is scheduled for next month.

Among the other defendants who face a mix of those and other charges are two daughters, Lisa Lucas Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, and a grandson, Ryan Eichelberger. All three also made brief court appearances and were released on their recognizance, according to court records.

Attorneys for Lucas-Lamb and Eichelberger declined comment; Andrew Sacks, who was listed in court records as an attorney for Burke, didn't respond to requests for comment. Attorneys for two other defendants who are not family members declined comment; a third who was also released Thursday had no attorney listed in court records.

Virginia officials react

A forceful advocate of legalizing marijuana, Lucas partnered in opening the shop, The Cannabis Outlet, in 2021. She has publicly spoken about her ownership stake as recently as June, though her most recent financial disclosure forms do not list the business by name.

At the time of the search — when marijuana was recovered at The Cannabis Outlet, according to the indictment — many Democrats spoke up to defend Lucas.

On Thursday, Scott Surovell, the Democratic leader of the state Senate, said in a statement that the indictment contained “serious allegations� but emphasized that “Senator Lucas has the right to defend herself, and she has my full support as she does so.� Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat who is close with Lucas, said the allegations against her must be tested in a “full and fair� legal process.

House Speaker Don Scott, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger, all Democrats, echoed those sentiments, with Spanberger adding that the timing of the indictment so close to the midterm election would “further erode� Americans' trust in the Justice Department. Lucas herself is not on the ballot this year.

Ryan McDougle, the Senate Republican leader, said he would not comment while the court proceedings play out.

The senator draws comparisons to Trump

Lucas, who represents a district that includes her hometown of coastal Portsmouth, operates with a sometimes-profane, unapologetic style that’s drawn comparisons to Trump.

She amassed a six-figure following on X and national attention, using the social media platform to advocate forcefully for her priorities and to bash her critics, including former GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. She’s also occasionally blasted members of her own party, including Spanberger, with whom she’s had disagreements.

Earlier this year, Lucas helped lead Democrats’ ultimately unsuccessful plan to gerrymander the blue-leaning state’s congressional districts into a map intended to elect 10 Democrats and only one Republican. Along the way, she posted quips about four GOP members the intended map sought to oust, joking that they soon would be working at McDonald’s. She and other Democrats defended the maps as a reasonable response to Trump-backed efforts to boost the GOP’s midterm advantage in other states.

Lucas has been in politics for decades

Lucas has notched several historic firsts in her career. According to a biography from the state library, in 1971 she became the Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s first female shipfitter, a physically demanding job that involves working on metal assemblies for vessels.

She launched her political career in 1984, when, the biography said, she became the first Black woman elected to the Portsmouth city council.

After Democrats flipped control of the Senate in 2019, her peers elected her to serve as president pro tempore. And in 2024, she was tapped to lead the chamber’s budget committee.

___

Rankin reported from Richmond. Associated Press journalists Eric Tucker in Washington and Steve Helber in Norfolk contributed to this report.

But instead of listening to her gut, Alexus Fiordilino said, she believed the doctor who told her those were 18-month-old Vincent’s last gasps and that any further attempts to save him would just prolong his agony.

“As a mom you don’t want to hear that,� Fiordilino, 30, said in an interview. “I didn’t want him to suffer. It seemed to be they’d done everything they could. And then he called it.�

Fiordilino was referring to Dr. Aryan Toosi, who pronounced Vincent dead at 6:20 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona.

A little over five hours later, Fiordilino said, police were questioning her and her husband, Angelo, when a detective burst into the room and told them that a medical examiner’s employee who had come to collect Vincent’s body had discovered he was still alive.

“My husband and I just screamed in relief,� she said. “We were praising the Lord. We were crying. To go from hearing he was gone and then finding out he isn’t gone, it’s an unexplainable feeling.�

Fiordilino spoke out more than eight months after her son’s remarkable story of survival after he nearly drowned in the family swimming pool made national headlines and sparked multiple investigations into what happened on Feb. 8.

The Gilbert Police Department had recommended filing child abuse charges against both parents for losing track of Vincent while a Super Bowl party was going on at their residence.

“Both admitted to smoking marijuana the morning of the drowning,� the police report said.

But Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in July that the Fiordilinos would not be charged.

Fiordilino’s lawyer, John Brewer, said he plans to file a formal complaint this week against Toosi and the hospital. He said a review of Vincent’s medical records shows that critical test results that Toosi cited to justify ending efforts to save the child were not completed until after the toddler was declared dead.

“The parents were faced with having to decide whether to keep trying to revive their son, and the doctor provided them with false information,� Brewer said. “That’s beyond a conscious disregard for human life.�

Brewer’s office turned its records over to the Gilbert Police Department, which said it forwarded everything to the state attorney general’s office for review. The AG’s office said Wednesday that it has not made a decision to review this case.

Toosi’s lawyer, Scott Holden, released a statement in response.

“Dr. Toosi’s thoughts are with the young patient and family, and he wishes the child continued healing and recovery,� it said. “His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety and comfort to his community.�

Meanwhile, the hospital called the situation “heartbreaking� in a statement.

“Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot share any information and we are unable to comment on those involved in patient care,� it said. “Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities.�

Asked how Vincent is doing now, Fiordilino said, “He’s getting better.�

Brewer said that while the boy is home with his family, he has many health challenges.

“Vincent is severely brain-injured,� he said. “He can’t swallow. He seizes up. He can’t sit up on his own or crawl.�

The tragic turn of events began around 5:38 p.m. Feb. 8 with a 911 call for help after Vincent was found floating face down in the family pool and a relative tried to revive him by performing CPR, according to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix.

Vincent was rushed to the emergency room at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where an ER team that included Toosi took over the effort to save him.

At 6:13 p.m., according to the report, Toosi went out to deliver bad news to the boy’s parents.

“As long as there are no objections, I’d like to call time of death,� Toosi said, according to the report.

Then, “at approximately 18:20 hours, Dr. Toosi called the time of death and requested a moment of silence.�

Just as Fiordilino told NBC News, police officers who had been in the ER said in the report that the child still appeared to be gasping for breath after he was declared dead.

A detective reported then hearing “another audible gasp� at around 7:18 p.m. as the ER workers were preparing to move Vincent from the trauma room to the “cold room� that serves as the hospital’s morgue and where the temperature is set at 36 to 39 degrees.

The same detective said that when he returned to photograph the body an hour later, he “again observed what appeared to be a gasp or air release.�

“The nurse again stated it was agonal breathing and explained it was due to compressions, oxygen, and possible pressure applied by family members while saying goodbye,� the report says.

And at 7:23 p.m., “the cold room door was closed,� the report says.

More than four hours later, when the medical examiner’s team arrived at 11:52 p.m. to retrieve the boy, “he was found breathing,� the report says.

“The family was notified immediately,� and the boy was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Fiordilino said that when she saw her son again in the pediatric intensive care unit, “he was hooked up to all kinds of monitors and things.�

“He looked like a different baby,� she said. “It’s something I hope no other parent has to live through.�

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

'When you go into a community … before you start building, you ought to extend yourself out to the local community and partner with them,' Huang told Deirdre Bosa during the company's GTC event in Berlin.

'Let them know what you're about to do is going to bring, of course, all the benefits, but it's going to, of course, bring new neighbors,' he said.

Data center construction has faced major pushback across the US, with some counties and towns instituting outright bans on the facilities. New York has placed a one-year, statewide moratorium on data center construction. Texas, meanwhile, has put connecting new data centers to its grid on hold as it works to determine their potential impact.

Residents have lodged complaints about the constant noise generated by data centers, water usage, increased electricity costs, and more.

To help ease tensions with local residents, some companies, including Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN), have taken steps to win over municipalities by dropping controversial nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).

NDAs have become a key issue among some data center opponents, as they prevent local leaders from disclosing information about the projects.

'Everybody has now taken a step back, whether it's the NDAs or contributing to the communities, whether it's building shops and … community centers and improving schools and in many cases even supporting lower taxes and, you know, all kinds of benefits that can be brought to the local communities,' Huang said.

'I think those are all good ideas, and each one of them ought to be … tailored for the needs of the community. But the most important thing is you've got to be a good visitor. You know you should be a good guest. And before you go into a community, stop by and see if you can be helpful,' he added.

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Acton, a Democrat, is running to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. She's facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire who ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2024. 

In the ad, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, calls her daughter a 'liar' and urges Ohioans not to support her. 

'Don't let her become your governor,' she says. 'If you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself. It will only get worse.'

As the ad began to spread across social media, Acton's brother released a statement in which he accused Arthur of siding with their stepfather after he was charged with sexually abusing Acton when she was a child, and criticized Ramaswamy for attempting to use the alleged abuse as a 'political talking point.' 

Ramaswamy defended the ad on Tuesday, telling reporters that Acton's account of her past 'does deserve to be scrutinized.' His campaign confirmed to the Enquirer that it will spend $4 million to air the ad across the state. 

The ongoing controversy over the ad, which has been widely condemned by Democrats and sparked pushback from some Republicans, has put a new spotlight on the race for Ohio's top elected office. 

Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, an incumbent Republican locked in a tight reelection race, released a statement saying he personally 'would not have run' the ad. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance, himself a former senator from Ohio, said Republicans who disapprove of the ad should 'stop whining' and remember that politics is a 'tough business' during a campaign stop in Cincinnati on Wednesday.

DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy in the race, made his first public comments on the ad on Thursday, telling reporters that it was 'wrong.'

'The ad, on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling, but when you know the rest of the story … it just makes it more wrong,' he said. 'It's wrong to run this ad.'

Trump weighed in on the controversy on Thursday, praising Arthur for her “courage.�

“What she was really doing was saving Ohio from making a truly horrible choice!� He wrote on Truth Social. “The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it’s so good! Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would, it’s called, ‘hitting pay dirt.’�

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Once a key swing state, Ohio has steadily become redder in recent decades. Four years ago, DeWine won reelection by more than 25 percentage points. But polls suggest that Acton has a chance to break the GOP's long run of control over the Ohio Statehouse.

Here's what you need to know about who she is, how her past informs what she stands for today and what the polls say about her chances of winning. 

Who is Amy Acton?

Acton has been open about the 'difficult' childhood she endured growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, in the 1970s. On her campaign website, she says she overcame 'periods of abuse, hunger, and neglect, and even wound up living in a tent in the middle of winter.' 

In 2019, she publicly alleged for the first time that she had been sexually assaulted by her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, between the ages of 9 and 12. After Acton's biological father reported the alleged abuse in 1978, Arthur was arrested and charged with rape, according to contemporary news reports and court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Acton's mother sided with her stepfather, disputing the allegations. The couple left the state before Arthur could face trial and reportedly remained together until his death in 2004.

Both Acton and her mother say they have not seen or spoken to each other since a court hearing in which Acton testified against her stepfather nearly 50 years ago.

'In the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away. That was the last time I ever saw her,' Acton told the now-shuttered newspaper the Vindicator in 2019. 

Acton found more stability after moving in with her father and became a standout student in high school. She earned a bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University and a medical degree from the Northeast Ohio School of Medicine, working various jobs to pay her way through college. She completed residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine before becoming a professor at Ohio State University, where she taught classes on maternal and child health. She also directed a community organization called Project L.O.V.E. to promote preventive health care among Columbus-area children.

In 2019, DeWine tapped her to become director of the Ohio Department of Health. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit a year later, she advised DeWine to take swift action to control the spread of the virus. Under her guidance, Ohio became the first state in the nation to shut down all public schools. Acton also gained national attention thanks to the daily public briefings she gave throughout the early stages of the pandemic. In May 2020, an opinion piece in the New York Times called her 'The Leader We Wish We All Had.' 

Acton resigned a month later amid pressure from the Republican-led state legislature to sign orders rolling back COVID restrictions, moves she would later say 'there was no science for.' She briefly remained part of DeWine's administration as a public health adviser before leaving to resume working in the nonprofit sector. 

She announced her plans to run for governor in early 2025 and cruised through the Democratic primary in May.

Acton was married to her first husband, with whom she had three children, for nearly 20 years before they divorced in 2008. She married her current husband in 2010 and became stepmother to his three children. 

What does Acton stand for?

As a Democrat running in a conservative-leaning state, Acton fits firmly into the moderate wing of her party. Her policy platform focuses heavily on affordability, including proposals to lower the cost of health care, combat fraud, cut high energy bills and crack down on corporations that take advantage of workers and consumers. 

In July, she drew criticism from some progressive Democrats for saying that she supported barring transgender children from participating in girls' and women's sports. Soon afterward, she added language to her website pledging to protect Ohio's LGBTQ community, without directly contradicting her previously stated stance on transgender athletes' participation in sports. Acton has also spoken in favor of Ohio's voter ID requirements, a position that puts her at odds with many Democrats who view such laws as a voter suppression tactic by Republicans. 

Acton has also called for an increase in funding for police departments, more money for public schools and heavy investment in Ohio's rural and farming communities. 

What are her chances?

Polling in the Ohio governor's race has fluctuated significantly as Election Day has grown closer. In the aggregate, the polls suggest that Acton has steadily widened her lead over Ramaswamy over the past several weeks. At the same time, two polls released in October show Ramaswamy ahead. The Cook Political Report and the Center for Politics, two of the country's top nonpartisan forecasters, list the race as a toss-up.

No polls of the race have been conducted since the ad featuring Acton's mother became public, so it's too early to gauge what impact — if any — the controversy might have on voters' views of the two candidates.