JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1252

Alabama executed Anthony Boyd, 54, with nitrogen gas Thursday night for the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley, prompting fresh scrutiny of the method. Witnesses said Boyd convulsed and gasped for roughly 15 minutes, with one counting more than 225 breaths, before he was pronounced dead about 15 minutes later. His spiritual adviser said he appeared to suffocate for 19 minutes. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the execution; Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by two colleagues, called nitrogen hypoxia a “cruel” practice. State officials said the protocol was followed.

A 21-year-old semi-truck driver pleaded not guilty Friday to charges stemming from an alleged drug-impaired, high‑speed crash that killed three people and injured at least three on I‑10 in Ontario, California. Prosecutors say Jashanpreet Singh rammed stopped traffic; he faces three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a DUI causing injury. Held without bail, he returns to court Nov. 4; a Punjabi interpreter is required. Federal officials lodged an ICE detainer and say he is in the U.S. illegally. The DOT says California improperly upgraded his CDL despite new rules restricting asylum-seekers.

Federal officials said Friday the Trump administration canceled a planned surge of immigration enforcement across the Bay Area, not just San Francisco. DHS also dropped plans to bring staff from Los Angeles. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, citing Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez, confirmed the cancellation. The reversal followed agents staging at the Coast Guard base in Alameda, which drew more than 200 protesters, and Trump’s claim that tech executives persuaded him to call off the San Francisco deployment. Local leaders expressed cautious relief and urged vigilance.

Six members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a bipartisan letter Friday to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, seeking a briefing by Oct. 31 after indictments of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones in federal investigations. The panel asked for details on alleged NBA-related illegal gambling, steps to curb leaks of nonpublic information, and whether to reevaluate betting partnerships. It also sought clarity on regulatory gaps. Silver said on The Pat McAfee Show that stronger federal regulation and tighter limits on promotion and advertising are needed to deter manipulation and combat bad fan behavior in arenas.

Pakistan banned the hard-line Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan after deadly clashes with police, with the federal cabinet unanimously citing "violent and terrorist activities." The crackdown, centered in Punjab, followed a march from Lahore to Islamabad that devolved into street battles in Lahore and Murdike. Police raided leader Saad Rizvi’s home, sealed linked mosques and seminaries, and affiliates now face anti-terror charges. Authorities blocked roads and cut mobile internet ahead of a planned rally at the U.S. Embassy. Analysts tie the move to security concerns and U.S. ties. A 2021 ban was lifted; officials now demand a "hard state" response.

Coffee farming in Brazil is fueling deforestation that ultimately undermines the crop itself, a new Coffee Watch report warns. Using satellite imagery and government data, the group found more than 1,200 square miles of forest cleared for coffee between 2001 and 2023, and over 42,000 square miles lost in coffee-dense regions when indirect impacts are included. Scientists link such losses to reduced rainfall and drought, and most years in the past decade saw rain deficits in major coffee zones. Experts urge businesses and consumers to back more sustainable methods, which currently yield less.

An indictment unsealed in Brooklyn alleges a leak by 'Co-Conspirator 8'—whose career details match Portland coach Chauncey Billups—about a plan to tank a March 24, 2023 game against the Bulls, prompting roughly $100,000 in bets before injury news became public. Portland lost 124-96 as its top four scorers sat. Billups is not charged in that betting case. He was, however, arrested in Portland in a separate Brooklyn case alleging a poker-cheating scheme; he was placed on leave. His lawyer denies wrongdoing. The betting indictment also names six men, including Terry Rozier and Damon Jones.

After years of repression, the fear that once kept Putin’s Russia rigid is fraying. A filmed protest outside the Kremlin saw citizens accuse officials of theft, even as Memorial counts over 1,100 political prisoners. Discontent spreads across the system: Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov slammed soaring prices and interest rates; nationalist outlet Tsargrad railed at corrupt courts. High-profile arrests—from a Supreme Court judge with vast properties to generals accused of colossal bribes—signal decay. With war costs, sanctions, and interest rates around 18 percent squeezing families, backing for peace talks has risen, and potatoes stand as a symbol of collapse.

As a federal shutdown drags on, advocates warn that SNAP benefits could be halted on 1 November, imperiling food aid for 42 million people. The USDA has told regional directors to hold payments “until further notice,” even as more than 200 Democratic lawmakers urge the agency to tap contingency funds. Republicans blame Democrats, but anti-hunger leaders call that misleading, noting a CBO estimate that Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act already stripped nearly $187bn from SNAP through 2024. Personal stories from Minnesota to Kentucky underscore the stakes, after a USDA spokesperson inaccurately linked ACA subsidies to undocumented immigrants.

Canal Street’s rows of knockoff sellers fell quiet after a DHS immigration raid Tuesday, described as a targeted operation against counterfeit goods. Nine people were arrested. DHS said five protesters were also detained, accusing four of assaulting law enforcement and one of obstruction; they were later released pending investigation. By Thursday, a few vendors had returned to subdued sidewalks, citing rent and family obligations, while advocates denounced the raid as an attack on immigrant communities and culture. A nearby shop manager welcomed the crackdown. The street’s long history of crackdowns—and comebacks—hung over a shaken but slowly stirring scene.