JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1167

Pfizer filed a second lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Metsera, accusing the Ozempic maker of an anticompetitive bid to acquire the obesity biotech and cement dominance in a booming market. The Delaware federal suit also claims Metsera’s controlling shareholders conspired with Novo. Novo’s spokesperson called Pfizer’s allegations baseless, saying its offer follows the law and serves patients and Metsera shareholders. Metsera said Pfizer is trying to litigate its way to a cheaper price. The case follows Pfizer’s Friday suit to preserve its own merger agreement and challenge Novo’s $6 billion offer.

An avalanche struck a Himalayan base camp in Nepal on Monday, killing at least seven climbers and leaving four missing after heavy snowfall from Cyclone Montha, officials said. Five foreigners and two Nepalis died; four others were injured. The group of five foreign climbers and 10 Nepali guides had reached Yalung Ri’s base camp, around 16,000 feet, while acclimatizing before an attempt on Dolma Khang. Poor weather prevented helicopters from landing, so rescuers are trekking in to begin searches Tuesday. Snowfall also stranded trekkers across the region, and separate teams are seeking two Italians missing on Panbari.

Television outlets fixated on a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween bash at Mar-a-Lago as SNAP benefits ran out during the government shutdown, highlighting photos of the President’s table. Seated beside Donald Trump was Marvel mogul Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio also pictured. The once-reclusive executive, ousted from Disney in 2023 after clashes with Bob Iger and a costly proxy battle backing Nelson Peltz, has reemerged publicly, including an October Oval Office appearance with his wife, attorney general Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel.

Mark Grebner, a 72-year-old Michigan data specialist, has spent decades building political scores that predict party leanings, tools now used by dozens of local candidates to target voters before Tuesday’s election. His databases can rate nearly any adult in Michigan—Eminem, Gretchen Whitmer and William Clay Ford Jr. among them—and are part of a wider industry where firms like L2 profile millions through hundreds of data fields. The rush to define people by a number can mislead; after a church shooting, a suspect’s Republican score fed speculation later undercut by reporting that pointed to anti-Mormon hatred, not politics.

A long-running study in Nature Medicine reports that older adults at heightened risk of Alzheimer’s who walk a few thousand steps a day show slower cognitive decline, linked to fewer tau tangles rather than changes in amyloid. Tracking nearly 300 people ages 50 to 90 for about nine years, researchers found benefits begin around 3,000 to 5,000 steps, peak near 5,000 to 7,500, and level off beyond that. Effects were seen mainly in participants with higher amyloid. Experts called the work notable but noted it’s observational, with one-week step tracking and a mostly white, well-educated sample.

In a 60 Minutes interview, President Trump weighed in on the New York City mayoral race, saying he could withhold federal funds if Democrat Zohran Mamdani wins, labeling the 34-year-old Queens assemblyman a "communist." He joked about his appearance, bristled at Andrew Cuomo's claim he'd "send tanks down Fifth Avenue," and criticized former Mayor Bill de Blasio. Trump said he's "not a fan" of Cuomo but prefers him to Mamdani. Mamdani countered that funding is required by law and called Cuomo Trump's "puppet."

A leading hunger monitor says famine has gripped el-Fasher in Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan, with 20 nearby areas at risk as Sudan’s war grinds on. The IPC reports a collapse of livelihoods, starvation and extreme malnutrition after prolonged RSF sieges; el-Fasher was seized last week amid reports of hundreds killed. As of September, about 375,000 people are in famine and 6.3 million face extreme hunger, while 21 million endure acute food insecurity nationwide. The IPC urged a ceasefire, warning nearby towns face similar danger even as access improved in parts of Khartoum, Gezira and Sennar.

A Massachusetts General Hospital study of more than 18,000 pregnancies found children exposed to maternal COVID were slightly more likely to receive neurodevelopmental diagnoses by age 3, mostly speech or motor delays. The association was strongest after third-trimester infection and in boys, though most children developed typically. Universal testing from March 2020 to May 2021 clarified exposure; about 5% of mothers had COVID. Researchers stress the study shows correlation, not causation, and plan follow-up. Experts point to inflammation in pregnancy as a plausible mechanism. Separate studies report no link between prenatal COVID vaccination and early developmental delays.

A federal appeals judge granted Sean 'Diddy' Combs a speedy review of his case, days after he was transferred to a low-security federal prison in New Jersey to begin a 50-month sentence for two Mann Act convictions. Judge Beth Robinson set briefs due Dec. 23 and Feb. 20, with a reply by March 13 and potential oral arguments as early as April. He has spent 14 months behind bars. Combs, acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking counts, will argue the Mann Act was unfairly applied, his lawyer said.

Jayden Daniels’ season took a grim turn after an awkward arm plant against the Seahawks left the 3-6 Commanders without their quarterback indefinitely, raising fresh concerns about his durability and Kliff Kingsbury’s faltering offense, which has slipped from sixth in points in 2024 to 19th. Fantasy fallout is immediate: Marcus Mariota is a matchup play only. Elsewhere in Week 9, Tucker Kraft suffered a season-ending knee injury, Brock Bowers erupted for the Raiders, Kyle Monangai earned a bigger Bears role, and the Vikings’ Aaron Jones exited with a sprained AC joint.