JQJO — General news · Page 70

At least two survivors of a deadly U.S. strike in the Caribbean Sea were rescued by helicopter and are in custody aboard an American vessel after their semi-submersible was hit, a person familiar with the incident said. The attack, the sixth targeting suspected drug smugglers, comes amid President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro, including B-52 flights near the coast and a military buildup. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry denounced the buildup and strikes. The Pentagon and White House declined details. Adm. Avlin Holsey, who oversaw operations, stepped down after expressing reservations, a person familiar with his decision said.

OpenAI halted Sora from generating videos of Dr Martin Luther King Jr after his estate objected, acknowledging the tool had produced “disrespectful” deepfakes. The move comes amid a surge of clips of deceased and historical figures, including altered versions of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and scenes of him fighting Malcolm X. AI ethicist Olivia Gambelin called it a good step but said safeguards should have existed from the start, warning such content blurs truth and risks “rewriting” history. OpenAI says it will strengthen guardrails and allow estates to opt out, while clips of other figures remain allowed.

Forty-two years after Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper sits in a north Brooklyn studio with 26-year-old Gracie Abrams, trading stories and nodding to Rickie Lee Jones’ The Last Chance Texaco. They connect over writer’s block and the trance of a song arriving whole. Lauper, fresh off a 69-date farewell tour and bound for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with a Las Vegas residency ahead, praises Abrams’ rapid-fire writing. Abrams, coming off a four-year run that included Swift’s Eras Tour and nights at Madison Square Garden, is plotting what to say next.

An alleged first Geekbench 6 result for the new 14‑inch MacBook Pro shows the M5 hitting a record single‑core score of 4,263 — the highest logged for any Mac or PC in the database — from a 10‑core CPU (4 performance, 6 efficiency). The lone, unconfirmed entry also posts 17,862 in multi‑core, up to 20% faster than the M4 in the prior 14‑inch model, edging the M3 Pro and nearing M1 Ultra territory. An M5 iPad Pro shows a similar single‑core. The laptop is up for pre‑order now, launching Wednesday.

John Bolton, 76, pleaded not guilty in a Maryland federal court to 18 counts of possessing and retaining national defense materials after a grand jury indictment. The 26-page indictment alleges he shared classified information with two relatives while serving as President Donald Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019. He faces up to 10 years per count if convicted, though guidelines likely recommend less. Bolton and his attorney, Abbe Lowell, deny any unlawful sharing or storage and say the matter was resolved years ago; Bolton claims he’s being targeted for opposing Trump.

China’s Communist Party expelled nine top generals in one of its biggest public military crackdowns in decades, the defence ministry said, citing suspected serious financial crimes. The group includes Politburo member He Weidong, the military’s No. 2 under Xi Jinping, whose long absence from view had stirred speculation. All nine were also removed from the military and now face prosecution. The purge, framed as anti-corruption, lands on the eve of a key plenum. Analysts warned the campaign projects strength but could make governance more cautious—and brittle.

HBO’s Euphoria is heading into a third—and possibly final—season, set to premiere in 2026 after a time jump that moves the characters beyond high school. The eight-episode run adds 18 new actors alongside returning cast; previously revealed newcomers include Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Toby Wallace. Filming continues in Los Angeles with help from a $19.4 million California tax credit. HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi said it has been discussed as the end and promised satisfying arcs. The series’ first-look image features Danielle Deadwyler.

Porsche said CEO Oliver Blume will step down from the sports carmaker while remaining at the helm of parent company Volkswagen, ending his much-criticized dual role. Shareholders had warned the arrangement posed an excessive workload and conflicts of interest; one asset manager called him a “part-time CEO.” Porsche named former McLaren chief Michael Leiters as the likely successor. Blume, who led Porsche since 2015, more than doubled its after-tax profit and oversaw a €9.4 billion IPO in 2022, as Germany’s auto industry grapples with intensifying EV competition and VW’s cost crisis.

Apple’s first foldable iPhone may slip to 2027, Mizuho Securities says, as design decisions such as the hinge take longer. The device is expected to have a 7.58-inch inner and 5.38-inch outer display, with panel output cut from 13 million to nine million. A 2026 launch remains possible, though device output could trail panel supply by five to seven million. Mizuho also sees iPhone 18 moving to spring 2027 alongside 18e, while iPhone Air 2 and 18 Pro models are due fall 2026. It also noted supply-chain movement to resume work on an 18.9-inch foldable MacBook for around 2028–2029.

With the Trump administration softening some shutdown pain—and a court pausing layoffs for thousands of federal workers—urgency on Capitol Hill has ebbed. After a 10th failed Senate vote, lawmakers went home, while Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House idle until Senate Democrats relent on the House stopgap. The White House covered troops’ Oct. 15 pay, used $300 million in tariff revenue to sustain WIC, and pledged pay for 70,000 DHS officers. Democrats call the moves illegal and unsustainable; Republicans warn airports could face cancellations and delays. Open enrollment on Nov. 1 looms.