JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1261

The U.S. sent two B-1 Lancer bombers to Venezuela’s coast Thursday, days after B-52s and Marine F-35Bs staged a “bomber attack demo,” amid an unusually large American buildup in the Caribbean. A U.S. official called the B-1 run a training flight; President Donald Trump denied it was meant to escalate pressure but cited drug trafficking. The force now includes eight warships, patrol planes, drones, an F-35 squadron and a submarine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said recent strikes—now extended into the eastern Pacific—have killed at least 37 people, vowing to target traffickers like al-Qaeda.

Frankie Muniz stoked excitement for Malcolm in the Middle’s return, sharing a set photo with Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield and joking on X, "I remembered the theme song," as he said he missed his "brothers." The limited Disney+ revival, timed to the show’s 25th anniversary, arrives in December with Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek back as Hal and Lois, Masterson and Berfield reprising Francis and Reese, and Caleb Ellsworth-Clark stepping in as Dewey. The four-episode run follows Malcolm and his daughter (Keeley Karsten) drawn into family chaos for Hal and Lois’s 40th anniversary party.

Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, a late-week addition to the injury report, started after an extensive pregame workout but exited after nine snaps with an aggravated knee and is questionable to return. With Brian O’Neill (knee) inactive, Minnesota shifted Justin Skule to left tackle and Walter Rouse to right. Tight end Josh Oliver (foot) is also questionable. The Chargers’ secondary took hits as Tony Jefferson (hamstring) and Derwin James (ankle) left and are questionable; rookie RJ Mickens, limited to 45 snaps this season, stepped in.

Inglewood, Calif. — Justin Herbert threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns as the Los Angeles Chargers thumped the Minnesota Vikings 37-10, snapping a slide of three losses in four games. Los Angeles led 21-3 at halftime and steadied through a pair of shaky snaps, while rookie RJ Mickens recorded a fourth-quarter interception. Keenan Allen had four grabs for 44 yards, joining Antonio Gates as the only Chargers to reach 11,000 receiving yards. Minnesota mustered 12 first downs as Carson Wentz, starting for injured J.J. McCarthy, was sacked five times.

Longtime referee Ken Williamson has been suspended by the Southeastern Conference for the rest of the season after his crew’s work in Georgia’s 20-10 win at Auburn on Oct. 11, sources told ESPN. Williamson, who had planned to retire after the season, drew scrutiny over a goal-line fumble ruling upheld on replay and a targeting penalty initially missed but enforced after review. Auburn’s AD John Cohen and coach Hugh Freeze confronted him at halftime. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay called the punishment too severe. The SEC declined comment; Yellowhammer News first reported the suspension.

The U.S. has charged 37-year-old Chen Zhi, of Cambodia’s Prince Group, with running a vast cyber-fraud network, alleging scam compounds that stole billions in cryptocurrency. Treasury says it seized about $14bn in bitcoin, calling it the largest crypto seizure. The U.S. and UK sanctioned 128 companies and 17 people tied to alleged crimes including sextortion, trafficking and torture. China is also investigating. Businesses are scrambling to cut ties; South Korea froze $64m, and Singapore and Thailand promised probes. Cambodia’s central bank moved to calm Prince Bank depositors. Chen, once feted as a philanthropist, has not been seen since.

North Korea has begun building a Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Pyongyang to honor troops killed fighting in Russia’s war on Ukraine, state media said. At a groundbreaking attended by Kim Jong-un and Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, Kim called the site a “sacred sanctuary” and lauded ties with Moscow as reaching a “historic peak.” He praised North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk region, saying they helped secure a “decisive victory.” South Korea estimates at least 600 North Korean soldiers have died and thousands were wounded. The museum will feature sculptures, photos, and artwork.

President Donald Trump resisted declaring war against Venezuelan drug cartels targeted by U.S. strikes, telling reporters Thursday, “we’re gonna kill them,” as questions mount over the legality of operations not approved by Congress. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will go to Congress to discuss actions against alleged smugglers, asserting most lawmakers will back the plan aside from “radical left lunatics.” Bipartisan concerns have surfaced, with Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski supporting a failed push to require approval before attacking non-state drug groups. The declared “armed conflict” permits lawful killings and indefinite detention under international law.

Black enrollment at many elite colleges has slipped in the two years since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action, an Associated Press review of 20 selective campuses found. Only Smith College rose; Tulane held flat; at Caltech and Bates, Black freshmen make up about 2%. Harvard fell from 18% in 2023 to 11.5% this fall, and Princeton dropped from 9% to 5%, alarming students who describe shrinking communities. Colleges cite application fluctuations, while the Trump administration intensifies oversight and demands admissions data, amid scattered Hispanic decreases and mixed trends for white and Asian American students.

Roanoke, Virginia — Ten-year-old Autumn Bushman of Salem brimmed with energy, but her mother says school bullying over braces and late-night phone use shadowed her final years. Autumn died by suicide on March 21, after looking at her smartphone in bed, according to records cited by her mother. A Virginia Tech study of hospitalized 12- to 17-year-olds who intentionally overdosed found roughly two-thirds did so after 8 p.m., and about three-quarters had been on screens just before. Researchers urge keeping phones out of bedrooms, practicing good sleep hygiene, and reducing access to medications. Her mother now regrets giving her a smartphone.