JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1225

Commanders’ fourth-down gambles backfired Monday night, and the Chiefs made theirs count. The Commanders failed on both tries — Marcus Mariota threw incomplete on one, then gained five yards on fourth-and-6 — while the Chiefs converted twice, with Patrick Mahomes throwing a touchdown and Kareem Hunt rushing for a first down. After the 28-7 defeat, head coach Dan Quinn lamented missed chances, including not capitalizing on turnovers and fourth downs. Chiefs coach Andy Reid called the four fourth-down snaps among the game’s biggest.

With presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping set to meet Thursday in Busan, the United States and China signaled progress but not a grand bargain. Officials touted a preliminary consensus and a “very successful framework,” while a threatened 100% tariff was said to be effectively off the table. Talks touch rare-earth curbs that Beijing may delay, potential Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans, export controls that Washington says remain unchanged, and steps against fentanyl precursors. Analysts warn structural rifts persist, suggesting only tactical fixes to calm markets for now.

Donald Trump has demolished the White House’s East Wing to clear space for a $300 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, leaving the century-old structure in rubble and erasing the East Colonnade, Family Theater, and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, new photos show. Critics—including preservationists, former officials, and Jason Carter—condemned the teardown, saying Trump bypassed routine federal reviews and defied earlier assurances construction wouldn’t touch the wing. Trump dismissed the backlash, calling the destruction "music to my ears," and says he and friends will fully fund the project. Dirt from the site is reportedly being trucked to a public D.C. golf course for mounds.

The U.S. is promoting a temporary International Stabilization Force for Gaza, aiming to train vetted Palestinian police and consult with Jordan and Egypt, while seeking a U.N. mandate. Washington says no American boots will deploy, though about 200 U.S. troops are in Israel at a coordination center. Arab and Muslim nations want a peacekeeping—not peace‑enforcing—mandate; Israel opposes Turkish participation. Under the ongoing ceasefire, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned since Oct. 10, with 12 still to be recovered, as Israel exchanges bodies and has freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated attacks on President Donald Trump, deriding a planned 90,000-square-foot, bulletproof White House ballroom—projected at $300 million with no completion date—while a shutdown that began Oct. 1 stalls SNAP aid. Citing a USDA warning that November benefits won’t go out because “the well has run dry,” Newsom condemned Trump’s Malaysia trip and “robotic” dancing, labeled him an “invasive species,” and accused him of wrecking institutions and demolishing the East Wing for the project. He said Trump’s influence is why he’s seriously weighing a 2028 presidential run.

Dancing with the Stars competitor Jen Affleck defended her pro partner Jan Ravnik after alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy blasted him on The Penthouse with Peta podcast, saying Ravnik had “no business” being a pro. During a discussion of Affleck and Ravnik’s Wicked-themed foxtrot, host Peta Murgatroyd urged patience for the first‑season pro but admitted the routine was “very hard to watch.” Chmerkovskiy doubled down, citing a lack of technique and guidance, calling the casting a “missed opportunity” that leaves Affleck, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, at a “major disadvantage.”

President Trump late Monday filed a 96-page appeal of his Manhattan criminal conviction, asserting the trial was 'fatally marred' by improper evidence and judicial errors. The filing, submitted to the First Department of the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division around 11:30 p.m., seeks to overturn 34 felony counts tied to falsified business records related to a 2016 hush-money payment made by Michael D. Cohen to Stormy Daniels and reimbursed in 2017. Prosecutors argued the falsifications concealed state election-law violations; Trump’s lawyers call the theory convoluted and time-barred.

Two supervisors at Barku Plastics in Cleveland, Tennessee — Tobias Gleinig and Ivan Aldergot, both German citizens — were fatally shot Monday morning, police said. Officers arrived before 10:30 a.m. and found them dead. A suspect was identified, and a vehicle tied to him led authorities to a Bradley County home, where Cleveland police and a sheriff’s SWAT team surrounded the residence. After deploying two robots and a drone, they discovered the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators believe he was a former Barku employee. “It is a very traumatic thing,” Capt. Evie West said.

Pressure is intensifying to end the nation’s second-longest shutdown as it enters a fourth week, with airport delays mounting, 1.3 million service members at risk of missing Friday’s pay, and SNAP benefits for 42 million poised to lapse after the administration refused to tap contingency funds. The AFGE union urged a clean funding bill, while Democrats demand commitments on preventing mass firings and help with soaring ACA premiums. The House passed a short-term bill, but the Senate lacks votes. With Trump abroad and leaders trading blame, a quick deal looks unlikely.

Google is opening a preview of its redesigned Fitbit app on Android starting October 28, but many features are missing. Eligible users—Android owners with Fitbit Premium and a compatible Fitbit or Pixel Watch—can test an AI-powered Fitbit Coach with an “Ask Coach” chat. During the preview, menstrual, nutrition, hydration, glucose, and temperature tracking are unavailable, as are sleep edits, heart-rate zone analysis, social features, badges, TCX export, Aria Air syncing, and Health Connect can’t import exercise sessions, routes, or health metrics from third-party apps. If gaps sting, users can switch back via the app’s “Switch app version” setting.