JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1185

Two episodes into Season 28, South Park turns the joke on itself in Halloween special The Woman in the Hat. After a government shutdown costs Stan’s dad his USGS job and pushes the family into his grandfather’s retirement home, Stan says the show “sucks now,” and the kids launch a “South Park Sucks Now” crypto meme. A White House seance follows, overseen by Pam Bondi with Brendan Carr and Kristi Noem, as Donald Trump is haunted by Melania. Stephen Miller, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and Kyle’s cousin being arrested cap it off, the crypto exposed as a scam.

Mexico said it found no survivors from U.S. strikes that killed at least 14 people, despite Pentagon claims that one person was seen clinging to wreckage. The Mexican Navy began a search early Tuesday about 456 nautical miles from Acapulco and plans to end the 96-hour effort Saturday. U.S. officials said they followed rescue protocols and relayed the survivor's location. The attacks, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have drawn legal criticism and fresh pushback from President Claudia Sheinbaum, while Senate Armed Services leaders pressed for the orders and legal basis.

Republican lawmakers and Jewish groups condemned Tucker Carlson for hosting white supremacist Nick Fuentes on his podcast, while some conservatives defended the interview, exposing a widening rift on the right. Senators Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell criticized Carlson; Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts backed him, drawing McConnell’s rebuke. Carlson derided Cruz and other “Christian Zionists” during the episode. Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, also denounced Carlson, Fuentes and Roberts. The Anti-Defamation League and the Republican Jewish Coalition blasted attempts to legitimize the pair, citing years of antisemitic rhetoric and warning against normalizing such views.

A Connecticut judge granted motions allowing Kimberly Sullivan, accused of holding her stepson captive for more than two decades, to access the alleged victim’s alias and address and to view his medical records only at the defense office. The court also limited the stepson’s attorney to plea and sentencing matters and left Sullivan’s GPS monitor in place. Prosecutors said the man, who escaped after allegedly setting a fire and was found severely emaciated, fears Sullivan; the defense called disclosure a constitutional right. The stepson has used the alias S. The next hearing is Dec. 19.

Prince Andrew has been stripped of titles, declared a commoner, and banished to accommodation on the Sandringham estate, royal commentators said after Thursday’s announcement. Observers called the move an absolute humiliation, noting the loss of his cherished Order of the Garter and exclusion from royal events, with only funerals a possibility. Though supported with housing by the king, questions persist over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Campaigners and officials urge US testimony or extradition, while UK police are actively probing claims he sought a smear against Virginia Giuffre. A public comeback appears impossible.

Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican running for governor, unleashed an expletive-laced tirade at Charleston airport police after a mix-up left her without her usual security escort, according to an airport police incident report. Forced to wait at the TSA checkpoint, she fumed when agents arrived, saying Senator Tim Scott would not be treated similarly and threatening to escalate the complaint to the airport’s chief executive, the report states. Officers said she cursed loudly to the gate, calling police incompetent, as a gate agent later expressed disbelief.

Back from Asia, President Donald Trump urged Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster and unilaterally reopen the government, but Majority Leader John Thune swiftly rejected the idea, leaving the shutdown stalemate intact and poised to become the longest by Wednesday. A new poll finds more Americans blame Trump and congressional Republicans. As impacts deepen—food bank lines, aviation delays—SNAP is set to lapse Saturday for roughly 42 million people, and ACA enrollment opens amid higher premiums. Trump moved funds to keep the military paid, but legal hurdles cloud SNAP; a judge temporarily ordered benefits to continue amid partisan recriminations.

In Heflin, Alabama, a seasonal toilet paper prank escalated when Cleburne County High School students rolled not only homes but nearly every business and the police station. Police Chief Ross McGlaughn answered with a playful warning on social media and, with parental approval, led a multiagency, toilet paper armed response. He says the pranks keep kids out of other trouble, and local businesses now supply free rolls. Students even sell cleanup insurance through a Toilet Paper Rapid Response Team. The town, and its chief, are enjoying the lighthearted prank war.

Blue states are pushing back over the shutdown’s fallout, posting alerts that blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for an expected pause or cut to November SNAP benefits. Massachusetts, California and Illinois published notices saying federal officials won’t fund food aid if the Republican shutdown continues, contrasting with the 2018–2019 lapse when payments were protected. The article says health care is at the center of the standoff, as Democrats seek to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies while Republicans allege Democrats want free care for undocumented immigrants. Sen. Ruben Gallego criticized Trump in an interview with Stephen Colbert.

Kayla Nicole celebrated Halloween by channeling Toni Braxton, recreating the He Wasn't Man Enough video in an Oct. 31 Instagram post and calling Braxton an icon and a legend. Fans praised the choice, while some read the lyrics as a pointed nod to ex Travis Kelce, now engaged to Taylor Swift. Nicole hasn't commented on the engagement; at a Sept. 11 New York Fashion Week event, she brushed off a question, later telling People that the opinions of others only matter if she lets them. Last year, she dressed as Ciara.