JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1071

United States. State and local governments reported revenue shifts this week as officials proposed and approved tax changes. Louisiana's Revenue Estimating Conference recorded a $217 million revenue excess after 2024 income and corporate tax cuts, officials said. Wichita and Hutchinson officials proposed sales tax increases tied to property tax relief and infrastructure needs, with Wichita's measure promising up to $150 million over seven years and Hutchinson seeking to raise its rate to 1.5% for voter consideration March 3, 2026. Platte County expanded senior property tax relief, eliminating renewals and adding retroactive credits. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington: President Donald Trump filed a federal lawsuit on Monday seeking US$10 billion in damages from the BBC over edited clips of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech that he says falsely portrayed him as urging violence. The 33-page complaint, filed in the Southern District of Florida in Miami, alleges defamation and violations of Florida's deceptive and unfair trade practices law and seeks US$5 billion per count. The BBC issued an apology, called the edit an "error of judgment," and some senior executives resigned this month. It names Panorama programme producers and editors. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Tukwila, Washington — A breached levee on the Green River triggered flash-flood warnings, evacuations and emergency repairs Monday after a week of heavy rain. National Weather Service alerts first warned thousands potentially at risk before officials narrowed the evacuation area to roughly 1,100 homes in parts of Kent, Renton and Tukwila. Crews used sandbags and deployed Washington National Guard personnel to shore levees; county officials reported no injuries. A levee failure along the White River prompted Level 3 evacuations in Pacific on Tuesday. Emergency warnings were later lifted as repair efforts contained flooding. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Detroit — Ford announced this week it will stop producing the all‑electric F‑150 Lightning, take about a $19.5 billion charge, repurpose several EV facilities to produce gasoline trucks and battery energy storage, and lay off roughly 1,600 workers at a Kentucky battery plant while shifting focus to hybrids and smaller EVs. Company executives cited sustained EV losses and weaker consumer demand as reasons for the shift, and Ford said it will redeploy capital to higher‑return businesses. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington. A federal judge refused to immediately halt construction of a new White House ballroom on Tuesday, after the National Trust for Historic Preservation asked for an emergency injunction. Judge Richard Leon found plaintiffs had not shown irreparable harm but barred below‑ground structural work for two weeks and ordered the government to share project plans with the nonprofit by year‑end. The Trump administration argued the project is a national security necessity and has made outreach to the group. The nonprofit alleges required federal reviews were skipped after demolition of the East Wing. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week said the state will proceed with its proposed AI Bill of Rights despite President Donald Trump’s recent executive order seeking to limit state AI regulation. DeSantis told reporters Monday his proposals comply with the law and argued an executive order cannot preempt states; the order empowers Attorney General Pam Bondi to sue and links noncompliant state laws to potential federal funding losses. DeSantis also urged lawmakers to limit AI uses and proposed toll relief for residents. Officials scheduled a Highlands County news conference Thursday. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States — State governments and federal agencies enacted and proposed regulatory policy changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rules this year. Multiple states, including Indiana and Louisiana, will bar SNAP purchases of sugary drinks, candy and certain processed foods beginning in 2026 after state approvals and USDA waivers in 2025. Other states, such as Wisconsin, chose not to add restrictions. Separately, the Big Beautiful Bill signed in July requires states to assume partial SNAP costs if auditors find errors beginning October 2027, potentially shifting hundreds of millions in expenses to state budgets. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Los Angeles — Police found director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, dead at their Brentwood home on Sunday, and investigators arrested their son, Nick Reiner, on suspicion of murder Monday. Authorities executed a search warrant and described an ongoing homicide investigation after reporting the couple suffered apparent stab wounds. President Donald Trump publicly suggested Reiner's political criticism contributed to the killing and later defended those remarks in the Oval Office, prompting backlash from conservatives and other commentators. No confirmed motive exists. Officials continue to investigate and await public forensic results. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction, directing the Justice Department, Pentagon and other agencies to expand prosecutions, sentencing enhancements, financial actions and intelligence efforts. The order authorizes Department of Defense support for law enforcement, updates chemical-incident response plans, and instructs State and Treasury to target assets linked to trafficking networks. Officials cited rising overdose deaths, large domestic seizures and international concerns about potential weaponization as rationale; the White House published a fact sheet outlining implementation steps. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.