JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1228

Aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump said a cognitive screening he took at Walter Reed was “very hard,” even as he mocked Democratic congresswomen Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as “low IQ.” His physician said in April that Trump scored a perfect 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which screens for dementia and includes tasks like identifying animals, drawing a clock, and subtracting by seven. Trump said early questions were easy but later ones tougher. It’s unclear if he repeated the test during a visit earlier this month; a brief medical summary called his health exceptional.

King Charles III dedicated Britain’s first national memorial to LGBTQ troops at the National Memorial Arboretum, 25 years after the U.K. ended its ban on homosexuality in the armed forces. The crumpled bronze letter bears words from personnel affected by the ban, which saw dismissals between 1967 and 2000. The ban was lifted after a 1999 European Court of Human Rights ruling; in 2023 Rishi Sunak apologized and set compensation up to £70,000. Veterans and serving members attended, with moving tributes. Later in Lichfield, a heckler questioned him about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein; he did not respond.

The Trump administration says it has delivered seven classified briefings on U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats since early September, covering congressional leaders and committees, but lawmakers say crucial answers are still missing. A Democratic Senate aide called the tally misleading; a GOP House aide said his panel received three briefings. Sen. Mark Kelly said evidence didn’t support all administration claims or legal rationale. House Armed Services’ Adam Smith reported no answers and urged a hearing, complicated by the House schedule. Sen. Lindsey Graham said land strikes are possible and promised Congress would be briefed on potential operations.

Chicago residents accused U.S. Border Patrol of interrupting a children’s Halloween parade in Old Irving Park, alleging agents used tear gas and aggressive tactics during an immigration raid. Verified video shows tear gas and several arrests, including U.S. citizens. DHS officials say agents faced a hostile crowd, issued warnings, and arrested two citizens and a “criminal illegal alien from Mexico.” Amid mounting clashes, Judge Sara Ellis—who has limited agents’ tactics and ordered body cameras—has summoned commander Greg Bovino to court over alleged unjustified tear-gas use, as city lawyers challenge the operation and plaintiffs claim federal violations.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta warned that the Trump administration could use false claims of irregularities to contest the Nov. 4 special election, after the Justice Department said it will send election monitors to five counties for the Proposition 50 redistricting vote. Bonta, “100%” concerned about fabricated accusations, likened the push to past federal deployments and said the state would dispatch its own observers. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the plan an intimidation tactic. The California GOP requested monitors; Trump urged voters to avoid mail ballots and early voting, despite state Republicans’ turnout concerns.

More than a century after their discovery in eastern Wyoming, duck-billed Edmontosaurus annectens skeletons have yielded a surprise: paleontologists at the University of Chicago found mummified outlines beneath a clay “mask,” not fossilized soft tissue, according to a study in Science. Microbe-built clay molds preserved skin, spikes, hooves and a crest, with uniform layers bound by sandstone—unlike typical soft-tissue fossils from oxygen-poor settings. Newly examined specimens include the first subadult dinosaur mummy with a fully preserved outline and an adult that retains a complete tail spike row and the earliest known tetrapod hooves, revealing a more complex hide.

Flight delays climbed over the weekend amid an FAA staffing squeeze, and more disruptions are expected as air traffic controllers miss their first full paycheck Tuesday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said controllers are “wearing thin” and acknowledged a spike in sick calls, with nearly two dozen staffing shortfalls Saturday across TRACONs, ARTCCs and control towers—up from 12 the prior Saturday. To preserve safety, the FAA is imposing ground delays and occasional ground stops. Controllers describe 60-hour weeks, mounting fatigue and second jobs, while Duffy warns the shutdown risks derailing hiring, with the FAA still about 2,000 controllers short.

England has approved the Renters’ Rights Bill, billed as the biggest overhaul in decades. Tenancies shift to rolling contracts, with tenants free to stay or leave on two months’ notice. Landlords face curbs on no‑fault evictions: they cannot sell or move in during the first year and must give four months’ notice thereafter; arrears evictions require three months’ unpaid rent. Bidding wars are banned; rent can rise only once a year to market rate. Discrimination against families or benefit claimants is outlawed, pet requests must be reasonably considered, and upfront rent is capped at one month. Landlords voiced nervousness.

Aboard Air Force One en route from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, Donald Trump rejected a floated 2028 workaround — running for vice-president to enable a third White House term — calling it “too cute” and saying voters wouldn’t like it, even as he said he “would love” a third term. The 22nd amendment bars a third election, and opponents dispute the gambit’s legality. On a five-day Asia trip, Trump announced trade and critical minerals deals, praised JD Vance and Marco Rubio as future contenders, and eyed a trade-war truce with Xi Jinping while expressing interest in meeting Kim Jong-un.

Paramount Skydance will cut about 1,000 U.S. jobs Wednesday, Oct. 29, the first wave in a plan that could eliminate roughly 2,000 U.S. roles, with more layoffs expected internationally. The freshly merged company, led by chairman and CEO David Ellison, is pursuing cost reductions of up to $2 billion. President Jeff Shell said cuts will be executed swiftly and disclosed by the company’s third-quarter 2025 earnings report; Q3 results are due Nov. 10 after the market closes. Even as layoffs loom, Ellison has greenlit bold deals, including a $7 billion, seven-year UFC pact.