JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1245

As New Yorkers vote for mayor, Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is under fierce attack, even from Donald Trump, over a platform centered on affordability: freezing rent for 1 million rent-stabilized units, free buses, and guaranteed child care. Policy experts told ABC News the ideas echo past city efforts, citing a free-bus pilot, universal pre-K, and prior rent freezes. Mamdani proposes funding via higher taxes on millionaires and corporations, requiring state approval. He’s courting moderates and business leaders, won Gov. Kathy Hochul’s backing, and faces skepticism from Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa as expectations mount.

U.S. Homeland Security says Jashanpreet Singh, 21, the semitruck driver accused of being under the influence in a fiery eight-vehicle crash that killed three and injured four on Interstate 10 in Ontario, California, is in the country illegally. Singh, of Yuba City, was arrested, faces vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges, and is set for arraignment Friday. Dashcam video shows a tractor-trailer plowing through traffic as flames erupt. The case prompted debate over commercial licenses: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted federal limits, while Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said federal authorizations enabled Singh’s license. UNITED SIKHS decried bias against immigrant drivers.

Rutgers University’s Alpha Sigma Phi chapter has been permanently closed after a hazing incident left a 19-year-old student critically injured. Police found him unconscious at the College Avenue house on Oct. 15; prosecutors are exploring criminal charges. The national fraternity confirmed hazing, vowed to expel anyone involved and urged a tough response. Officials said the episode happened in the basement and involved water; a prosecutor’s spokeswoman told Patch the victim was electrocuted by exposed wiring and is improving in the hospital. The house, long cited for safety violations, was deemed uninhabitable and shuttered.

Week 9 opened with 22 ranked teams in action and the SEC looming large. Oklahoma tied No. 8 Ole Miss on a 77-yard catch-and-run in Norman. No. 2 Indiana cruised past UCLA at halftime, fueled by a pick-six and two Roman Hemby touchdowns. Georgia Tech handled Syracuse, and USF’s Byrum Brown drove a 24-14 edge at Memphis. Arkansas flipped Auburn with a 90-yard pick-six that triggered a QB change after Cam Coleman’s early TD and ankle scare. Later, Texas A&M vs. LSU and Michigan vs. Michigan State headline the night.

California's Proposition 50, also called the Election Rigging Response Act, would pause the state's independent redistricting commission until 2031 so Democrats can create five safe House seats - a counter to GOP maneuvers in Texas, urged by Donald Trump, and elsewhere. Governor Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former president Barack Obama back the measure, which polls now show leading by about 20 points, with support in the high 50s to low 60s. Fueled by anti-Trump sentiment, the well-funded yes campaign is outspending opponents, while Republican figures including Kevin McCarthy and Arnold Schwarzenegger struggle to gain traction.

Protests across Germany are set to continue after Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s remarks about the country’s “cityscape” and migration, which drew sharp criticism and rallies in several cities. Around 2,000 people marched in rainy Hamburg, while more demonstrations are planned, including in Nuremberg. Despite the backlash — and rebukes from coalition figures — a ZDF survey found 63% support Merz’s statements and 29% disagree; only 18% say refugees cause local issues. Elsewhere, weekend headlines cite Army digitalization setbacks, Porsche’s profit plunge and EV pause, calls to curb free-range poultry amid H5N1, and a rise in deportations.

LSI, Inc. of Alpena is recalling more than 2.2 million pounds of Golden Island fire-grilled pork jerky (Korean barbecue recipe) after customers reported wiry metal fragments, federal officials said. The voluntary recall covers 410-gram and 450-gram plastic pouches sold at Costco and Sam’s Club, marked with establishment number M279A and best-by dates from Oct. 23, 2025, to Sept. 23, 2026. The company traced the metal to a production conveyor belt. No confirmed injuries. Consumers are urged to discard the jerky or return it for a refund.

During the ceasefire, Gaza City’s Shorbasi family rushed out after a blast to find 6-year-old twins Yahya and Nabila bleeding, injured by an unexploded device they’d mistaken for a toy. The children underwent emergency surgery; a British physician said their life-threatening wounds include a lost hand and possible leg loss, with recovery jeopardized by scarce supplies. Health workers warn such ordnance is pervasive: Gaza’s ministry reported five children wounded this week, and UNMAS says explosive risk is “incredibly high,” with hundreds of devices found amid vast debris. The ministry reports over 68,500 Palestinians killed since the war began.

Images of long queues outside gold stores flooded social media over the past month, and professional metals traders grew increasingly uneasy. On Oct. 6, Nicky Shiels, head of research at MKS Pamp SA, told clients gold is “an overcrowded trade that’s overextended by every technical metric.” On Monday, as prices hit new record highs near $4,400 an ounce, Heraeus Precious Metals trader Marc Loeffert warned the metal was “getting even more overbought.”

Germany postponed Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's trip to China after Beijing confirmed only one meeting—with Wang Yi—despite plans for talks over two days, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. The unfulfilled schedule would have been the first ministerial visit under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government, in office since May. Berlin expressed regret and did not specify which side canceled. The delay comes as a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson attacked Germany's stance on Taiwan, and as trade strains deepen over rare-earth export controls and EU chip worries following the Netherlands' move on Nexperia.