JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1207

Nearly a month into a government shutdown, President Donald Trump has kept a full public schedule—overseas trips, fundraisers, even burger lunches at the White House—while far fewer Executive Office staff are furloughed than during 2018–19. With some 750,000 federal workers sidelined or unpaid and SNAP funding lapsing after Friday, the White House projects business as usual, a posture allies call “smarter,” while others say his attention is elsewhere. The administration blames Democrats; a poll finds blame spread across both parties. Trump says the government must reopen but has cut positions and redirected funds toward priorities like military pay.

Why some spiders decorate their webs remains unsettled, but a new study adds a fresh clue. Modeling the wasp spider’s ornate stabilimenta, researchers including Gabriele Greco found that a central, blob-like patch could reroute otherwise lost vibrations across the web, potentially improving signal reach to the spider. The effect appeared only when vibrations began tangential to the spiral threads. Outside experts said the approach revives an old idea but warned the circular models may miss real-world asymmetry. Field tests are planned; the paradox endures.

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colin Farrell recalled Tom Cruise 'was not happy' with him during Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report. Amid substance abuse struggles, he partied the night before his May 31 birthday despite a 6 a.m. call and arrived disheveled. After asking for beers and cigarettes, he kept botching an opening line about pre-crime, requiring 46 takes. 'Tom…was not very happy,' he said, noting he entered rehab two years later. The film, where Farrell is assigned to bring in Cruise’s character, became a critical hit, grossing $358 million worldwide.

According to multiple reports, the Jets are sending cornerback Michael Carter to the Eagles for wide receiver John Metchie, with a 2027 sixth-round pick going to the Jets and a 2027 seventh-rounder going back to the Eagles. Carter, a 2021 fifth-rounder who has mostly played the slot, has 14 tackles this season; his arrival could open outside snaps for Cooper DeJean. Metchie, acquired from the Texans in August, had four catches for 18 yards in seven games; he previously posted 40 catches for 412 yards and a touchdown with Houston.

A jury convicted former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson of second-degree murder for the July 2024 shooting of Sonya Massey, who had called 911 about a possible intruder at her Springfield home. Jurors, instructed not to consider lower charges, viewed bodycam video from Grayson's partner showing Grayson threatening to shoot before firing three times; prosecutors said Massey's last words were I'm sorry. The defense argued he feared a boiling-water attack. Massey's family attorneys called the verdict a measure of justice. Sentencing is set for Jan. 29, 2026; penalties range from probation to 4 to 20 years.

Masih Alinejad faced two men in a Manhattan courtroom who plotted to kill her, then watched as a federal judge sentenced them to 25 years. Judge Colleen McMahon called the scheme a politically motivated assassination attempt and said such conduct would not be tolerated. Prosecutors linked the plot to an Iranian general using Russian mob intermediaries, and said the men were motivated by a promised $500,000 payment. Alinejad, shaken but defiant, said they brought fear into her life. Related cases continue, including a guilty plea by a New Yorker tied to a later plot.

The Times apologized and deleted a story after a reporter was duped by someone posing as Bill de Blasio, who blasted the fabricated quotes as an 'absolute violation of journalistic ethics.' The fake remarks, criticizing mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s cost estimates as unrealistic, were briefly published and picked up by the New York Post before it updated. De Blasio has publicly backed Mamdani. A Cuomo spokesperson shared the piece, calling Mamdani’s proposals 'glitter and vibes.' As the race turns especially bitter, radio host Sid Rosenberg suggested Mamdani would be 'cheering' on 9/11 if it happened while he was mayor.

Public Enemy released the video for The Hits Just Keep On Comin’, the first visual from June’s Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025, directed by Rhiannon Rae Ellis. It opens with 1960 footage of Ruby Bridges; actress Safara-Cree Stiggers, as a young Bridges, leads into a room of televisions where Chuck D and Flavor Flav trade bars over a guitar loop. Olympian Ashleigh Johnson embodies Prince, Tommie Smith, Serena Williams, and Amanda Gorman; a John Lewis clip precedes her smashing a TV marked “hate.” Chuck urges to “DO” something, while Flav calls the video a lesson and warning.

Five unoccupied homes in North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed into the Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon amid rough surf, the National Park Service said. The houses, in Buxton on Tower Circle Road, Ocean Drive and Cottage Avenue, fell between 2 and 2:45 p.m. ET. Officials are contacting owners about debris removal along Cape Hatteras National Seashore and warning visitors to avoid Buxton’s beach and water due to hazardous debris and large lumber in the surf. More homes could subside in coming days; over two dozen have collapsed since 2020, including 16 since Sept. 16.

At least three men—including two disguised as construction workers—broke into a Jamaica Hills, Queens home on Oct. 16 around 2:20 p.m. and stole a safe and jewelry worth about $3.2 million, authorities said Tuesday. Police said the burglars forced open a rear door, then fled east on 84th Drive in a blue Hyundai Elantra captured on surveillance video. Descriptions released by the NYPD include neon construction vests and white hard hats. No injuries were reported.