JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1195

Donald Trump struck a triumphant note after his first meeting with Xi Jinping since returning to office in January, even as it suggested he had to give as much as he got. Speaking Thursday aboard Air Force One, the US president said the leaders had settled one of their thorniest disputes: access to China's rare earths, a major source of Beijing's leverage. He said there is no roadblock on rare earth and hoped the issue would disappear from our vocabulary for a little while.

Apple’s iPhone generated $49.02 billion, narrowly missing the $49.33 billion Wall Street forecast. The stock fell 3% after the report before climbing 5% after hours. Executives said capex will rise in the holiday quarter to back expanding AI work, with CFO Kevan Parekh noting continued investment in the product roadmap. Tim Cook expects China revenue to return to growth after a supply‑driven 4% yearly decline and said an overhauled Siri should launch next year. Guidance calls for 10–12% revenue growth and double‑digit iPhone sales, potentially making the holiday period Apple’s best quarter ever.

Amazon cut 14,000 jobs this week, with CEO Andy Jassy saying the move was driven by culture rather than costs or AI. He outlined a push to raise performance standards, enforce discipline, and strip away layers that have slowed decisions as the company seeks to move faster amid an AI transformation. The reduction, announced by senior vice president Beth Galetti, is Amazon’s largest since 27,000 roles were eliminated in late 2022. Amazon also said last quarter’s layoffs carried an estimated $1.8 billion in severance costs.

Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey asked to review a grand jury transcript and audio, citing “irregularities” they say warrant tossing an indictment pushed by President Donald Trump. They also seek dismissal of the false statement case as vindictive and challenge the legality of hastily appointed prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, pointing to her inexperience, an after hours vote with only 14 grand juror votes, and her erroneous signing of two indictments, one with a rejected charge. Separate filings say the indictment is unclear and that Comey’s 2020 answers to Sen. Ted Cruz were ambiguous yet literally true.

Federal authorities are probing an ICE-involved shooting in Ontario, the second in a little more than a week amid enforcement operations. ICE says officers conducting a 6:30 a.m. vehicle stop on Vineyard Avenue fired after an unrelated driver reversed toward them; the driver fled. Family identified him as Carlos Jimenez, 24, a U.S. citizen, later hospitalized with a shoulder wound and taken into custody. A neighbor heard two or three shots and screeching tires. Advocates decried fear from unmarked, armed agents. Ontario police assisted afterward; DHS and the FBI are investigating. Rep. Norma Torres demanded transparency.

Survivors who fled el-Fasher after Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces seized the city described torture and killings as they trekked to Tawila. Ezzeldin Hassan Musa said men trying to escape were beaten and executed; Ahmed Ismail Ibrahim recounted four companions being killed and his wounds. At an MSF clinic, staff reported hundreds needing urgent care. The UN called the violence horrific; RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged violations and said they would be investigated, with some arrests reported. Aid groups fear many of the roughly quarter million people still in the city remain trapped amid a severe hunger crisis.

Scientists report two black hole mergers whose larger partners look like second generation survivors of earlier collisions. The LIGO Virgo KAGRA network recorded the events a month apart, each marked by rapid spins and sharp mass imbalances. GW241011, about 700 million light years away, included one of the fastest spinners; GW241110, 2.4 billion light years distant, showed a black hole rotating against its orbit, a first. The signals matched Einstein’s predictions, with GW241011 producing an overtone like hum and a clear view in the waveform of the larger hole deforming as it spun.

Asian equities edged toward record levels as upbeat results from Amazon and Apple rekindled risk appetite, nudging US equity futures higher after a brief lull in the global rally. MSCI’s regional gauge rose 0.4% and Japan gained 1%, while mainland China and Hong Kong slipped. Apple advanced in late trading after topping revenue estimates and offering a bullish holiday forecast. Amazon jumped 13% in extended trading after reporting its fastest cloud growth in nearly three years.

Record downpours drenched New York City on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead in flooded basements and swamping streets and subway stations, police said. The National Weather Service reported 1.8 inches in Central Park and 1.97 inches at LaGuardia, preliminary records, according to NYC Emergency Management. Flash flood warnings hit Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx as videos showed submerged cars and water surging into stations. More than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled, with wind delays at JFK and LaGuardia. Officials said an inland storm system, not Hurricane Melissa, will shift into New England overnight.

Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Jack Smith, demanding on Truth Social that the prosecutor be jailed and sharing Just the News articles about the FBI’s Arctic Frost probe. Axios reported that up to 160 Republicans may have been scrutinized in the inquiry into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. NBC News noted Trump’s earlier post didn’t name Smith, though his attorney said Smith is ready to testify publicly. In a letter dated Oct. 23, Smith sought open hearings and DOJ assurances about testimony and grand jury secrecy.