JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1255

As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for his first Asia trip since returning to office, talk has intensified about a possible encounter with Kim Jong Un in South Korea, perhaps at Panmunjom around the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 APEC meetings. Officials and analysts are split: some see rising odds, noting suspended civilian tours and Kim’s comments about possible talks; others say Kim’s larger arsenal and ties with Russia and China blunt urgency. No logistics are visible. Even without a meeting, experts debate whether limited deals or renewed talks could still follow.

Justice Department lawyers said Friday the Trump administration plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, which has agreed to accept him, with removal possible as soon as Oct. 31. In a court filing, they cited diplomatic assurances and noted Liberia was not among more than 20 countries Abrego Garcia fears. His attorney called the move punitive and unlawful, urging Costa Rica instead. Judge Paula Xinis has barred deportation while weighing his detention challenge after a mistaken removal to El Salvador and his pending human smuggling case.

After talks in Cairo, main Palestinian factions agreed to hand Gaza’s administration to a temporary committee of independent technocrats, as Hamas said mediators gave “clear guarantees” the war had effectively ended. The statement urged a meeting to set a national strategy and revive the PLO. Separately, Marwan Barghouti’s wife appealed to Donald Trump to back his release, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio sought an international force to police the ceasefire. The WHO warned aid flows into Gaza show little improvement, with hunger still acute.

Masked federal agents have escalated immigration sweeps in Latino communities from Chicago to Los Angeles, prompting a series of lawsuits and an emergency Supreme Court ruling. In Los Angeles, the justices temporarily allowed agents to question people based solely on race, ethnicity or language, reversing a judge’s injunction; Justice Kavanaugh backed the move, while Justice Sotomayor warned it erodes constitutional freedoms. Plaintiffs from D.C. to Mobile describe warrantless stops and arrests, and Chicago lawyers cite violations of a 2022 consent decree. The cases could reset limits on immigration enforcement.

Taco Bell is doubling down on drinks with its in-restaurant Live Más Café counters, now open in Chula Vista and near UC Irvine and projected to reach 30 locations across Southern California, Dallas and Houston by year-end. The “bellrista”-run stations spotlight churro chillers, specialty coffees, and brightly colored refrescas. The chain aims for a $5 billion beverage business by 2030, reporting more than 600 million drinks sold this year, up 16%, with over 60% of orders including a beverage. Early results are strong: Irvine averages 900 drinks daily; Chula Vista tops 750.

In a breezy valley north of Los Angeles, Rocco — a dog with credits from Veronica Mars to The Morning Show — still trains and poses, but work is thinning. Trainers say advancing AI lets productions build animal performances in post, squeezing a business already hit by COVID, 2023 strikes and a shrinking industry. Studio Animal Services’ Karin McElhatton and rental owner Benay Karp report steep declines; even horses may be next. PETA welcomes the shift, while coordinators like Bonnie Judd argue real animals deliver irreplaceable emotion. For now, Rocco keeps working — just less.

At an Urban Outreach drive in southeast Washington DC, staff partnered with Capital Area Food Bank distributed food assistance to federal employees who have gone three and a half weeks without pay, requiring worker IDs at the door. Volunteer coordinator Quinnae Higginbotham, who says she lost her own job at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s DEI program, told the crowd she shares their struggle. The shutdown, now in its 24th day, remains stalemated as a Senate vote to reopen failed 54–46 and both parties trade blame while services are curtailed and many workers go unpaid.

Social Security benefits will rise 2.8% in January, adding $56 a month for 75 million recipients, the Social Security Administration said Friday. The 2026 cost-of-living adjustment edges above last year’s 2.5% increase; over the past decade, COLA has averaged 3.1%. The announcement followed September inflation data that ticked up to the highest level since January, the final input in the calculation. “Social Security is a promise kept,” Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said, emphasizing that benefits reflect current conditions. The agency will also raise the taxable earnings cap from $176,100 to $184,500 and begin mailing notices in early December.

The White House has been remade repeatedly—and disputed each time—from Jefferson’s colonnades to Truman’s gut renovation after a grand piano leg punched through the floor. Later updates ranged from Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden to Nixon’s press room. Now, President Donald Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom, funded by $300 million in private donations, is demolishing the East Wing despite his earlier assurance it wouldn’t touch it. The project sparked public outcry—Hillary Clinton said “he’s destroying it”—while House Speaker Mike Johnson praised it as a glorious addition meant for everyone.

California’s Proposition 50 has ignited a high-stakes, big-money brawl over mid-decade redistricting, saturating screens with ads before the Nov. 4 special election. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s committee reports raising more than $116 million, fueled by labor unions and national Democrats — including $15 million from House Majority PAC — with major checks from George Soros and Tom Steyer. Opponents led by Charles Munger Jr., the Congressional Leadership Fund and the state GOP have poured in millions. The measure would redraw the nation’s largest House delegation, potentially adding up to five Democratic seats, while critics warn it undermines California’s independent commission.