JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1238

At the ASEAN 2025 summit in Malaysia, Donald Trump brushed off a press conference with Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, quipping that reporters’ “boring” questions could wait; Lula urged postponing questions to save time. Their meeting centered on Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, including a 50% levy on Brazilian imports, which he said he was open to negotiating. Tension flickered over Jair Bolsonaro: Trump praised him and snapped it was “none of your business” whether his case was on the agenda. Bolsonaro was convicted in September over the 2022 election and is under house arrest; he denies the charges.

The Ravens’ erroneous listing of Lamar Jackson as a full participant, when he was limited on Friday, has prompted other teams to revisit injury-report procedures. One source said owners must tell coaches to stop using the report as a competitive tool of limited value. The NFL’s policy prioritizes full, fair information to preserve public confidence and integrity, and, with the NBA’s still-new scandal as backdrop, competitive interests are expected to take a back seat. Teams are being reminded: know the rules, and follow them.

Rep. Eric Swalwell escalated Democratic outrage over Trump’s White House renovations, challenging any 2028 hopeful to pledge to “take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom” on their first day. On X, he condemned what he called destructive excess, echoing broader criticism of demolition to the East Wing and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. Chelsea Clinton called it a wrecking ball to history; Patti Davis said the pictures were heartbreaking. Potential 2028 contenders Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg also rebuked the project, with Buttigieg contrasting it with Americans’ rising healthcare worries.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly told ABC’s This Week he views the Trump administration’s dispatch of an aircraft carrier battle group to waters around Central and South America as legally “questionable,” saying the White House and Department of Defense couldn’t justify it. The move follows a 10th U.S. strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in international waters, with at least 43 people believed killed. Kelly warned the deployment risks intimidation or combat in Venezuela and makes the U.S. less safe. He also criticized shutdown strategy and opposed a pay bill he said enlarged OMB power.

With early voting underway, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will rally at 13,000-seat Forest Hills Stadium for Zohran Mamdani, whose slogan — “New York Is Not for Sale” — targets wealthy opponents backing an Andrew Cuomo-aligned super PAC. Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie will join Mamdani onstage for the first time, signaling Democratic unity even as Hochul rejects tax hikes while embracing universal childcare. Rising from 1% in spring polls, Mamdani also gained Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ endorsement. Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa have held no rallies.

An ABC News excerpt from Jonathan Karl’s book Retribution cites Mike Pence’s notes on a Jan. 6, 2021 call in which Donald Trump warned he’d be a “wimp” if he certified Joe Biden’s win. Pence wrote that he invoked their oath—“It takes courage to uphold the law”—before certifying. Prosecutors later treated his notes as key evidence when charging Trump over efforts to overturn 2020; the case stalled after Trump’s 2024 victory, and he pardoned or commuted sentences for all linked to the Capitol attack. The excerpt also follows Steve Bannon’s claim Trump could secure a “third term.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett said he has “felt pain” from China’s halt on U.S. soybeans, telling ABC’s This Week, “I’m actually a soybean farmer.” He said two days of talks produced a “substantial framework” he believes will ease growers’ worries, ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea. China bought more than half of U.S. soybeans in 2023 and 2024—nearly $12.8 billion in 2024—before stopping purchases after Trump ignited a trade war earlier this year. Disclosures show Bessett owns North Dakota farmland; he predicted farmers will “feel very good” when a deal is announced.

Erich Richter of The Post lays out his NFL Week 8 picks against the spread, backing Giants +7 over the Eagles (with A.J. Brown out), Jets +6.5 over the Bengals, Packers -3.5 as his biggest edge, plus Bills -7.5, Patriots -7, Ravens -7.5, Falcons -7.5, 49ers +2.5, Buccaneers -3.5, Broncos -3 and Colts -14.5. For Monday, he takes Chiefs -11.5 over the Commanders. Richter went 5-9 last week and is 43-56 this season.

The USDA said Saturday it will not issue November food benefits amid the federal shutdown, now in its 25th day, saying "the well has run dry," as Congress remains at an impasse. The announcement followed a push by more than 200 House Democrats to use emergency reserves, but a memo seen by Reuters indicated the department will not draw on them. Over 41 million people rely on payments, with dependence reaching 21% in New Mexico. Sharon Parrott of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities criticized the Trump administration, and Louisiana and Virginia declared emergencies to bolster hunger relief.

Donald Trump scrapped a planned ceasefire summit with Vladimir Putin and, in a swift reversal, sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil — his first such step of his second presidency. Paired with fresh EU energy curbs, the US has now blacklisted Russia’s top four oil producers, responsible for about four-fifths of exports, seeking to squeeze a sector that funds roughly a third of the state budget. India and China’s refineries are reviewing imports, while an EU “reparations” loan backed by frozen assets is stalled by Belgian opposition.