JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1272

Dallas — Victor Wembanyama erupted for a franchise-record 40 points in a season opener, adding 15 rebounds and three blocks, as the Spurs thumped the Mavericks 125-92 and spoiled No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg’s debut. Returning from shoulder surgery for a blood clot condition, the 7-foot-4 star powered a 13-0 first‑half run with rim-rocking plays that sent Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II to the bench. Stephon Castle scored 22 and rookie Dylan Harper added 15 for San Antonio. Flagg finished with 10 points and 10 boards; Davis had 22 and 13 for Dallas.

The Justice Department said the University of Virginia will follow Trump administration guidance against racial discrimination in admissions and hiring, aiming to close months of scrutiny. Under the agreement, UVA will submit data and its president will certify compliance every quarter through 2028; in return, investigations are suspended, with no monetary penalty or external monitor. Former president James Ryan resigned in June amid pressure over DEI policies. Interim leader Paul Mahoney called the deal the best available path forward as separate reviews also examined antisemitism complaints.

At a mobile food bank in Clinton, Missouri, 74-year-old Lorna Hall spent the night in her car as rising costs and shrinking aid deepen rural hunger. Leo and Donita Barnett called the assistance a lifeline among roughly 175 households served that day. Pastor Marty Resz says demand has doubled. Harvesters, which feeds nearly 375,000 people daily in Kansas and Missouri, reports one in seven across 27 counties are food insecure, with inflation, over $1 billion in federal cuts, and a canceled USDA food insecurity report compounding needs, as a government shutdown withholds SNAP payments.

Love Is Blind’s Oct. 22 finale closed without a single “I do,” the franchise’s first season with no marriages. Of the three couples left, Ali Lima and Anton Yarosh, and Kalybriah Haskin and Edmond Harvey reached the altar, where both brides said no. Viewers then saw Jordan Keltner and Megan Walerius end their engagement at home, citing incompatible lifestyles. In a follow-up interview, Jordan said he wasn’t blindsided, noting their pact to skip the altar if uncertain and his wish to protect his 5-year-old son. He calls the split right, remains friendly with Megan, and regrets involving his child.

Paramount made three escalating, rejected bids to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, culminating on Oct. 13 with a $23.50-per-share cash-and-stock offer—an 87% premium—and a proposal to keep David Zaslav as co-chief executive and co-chairman. A letter from Paramount chief David Ellison to the board helped explain Warner Bros. Discovery’s announcement that it is for sale, drawing interest from Comcast and Amazon. Paramount argued rivals face regulatory hurdles, raised its cash portion to 80% and the fee payable if a deal isn’t approved to $2.1 billion, and said a split would yield less than its bid.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, the South L.A. TikTok citizen journalist known as "Richard LA," was shot during a federal attempt to detain him on an immigration warrant in downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors say agents boxed in his Toyota Camry; he drove forward and backward, striking two vehicles, before an agent fired and hit his elbow. A deputy marshal was struck in the hand. Parias, 44, now charged with assault on a federal officer, remains hospitalized. His rise documenting neighborhood emergencies and ICE raids had earned local praise—and the shooting left followers shaken, staffers for a council member said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered tight control over Pentagon dealings with Congress, signing a memo that routes nearly all correspondence and information requests through the assistant secretary for legislative affairs. The directive, also signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, applies to top offices including the Joint Chiefs, combatant commands and military departments, with an exception for the Office of the Inspector General. First reported by Breaking Defense, the policy took effect immediately. Sen. Jack Reed, the Armed Services Committee’s ranking member, told CBS News the move raises serious concerns about transparency and timely oversight.

With the federal shutdown in its third week, a clash over Affordable Care Act tax credits is a central sticking point. Democrats push to extend the credits as doctors warn lapses could swell the uninsured and shift costs. Rep. Chris Deluzio says 24,000 people in his district using Pennsylvania’s Pennie marketplace could face premium hikes of 75% if nothing changes; open enrollment begins Nov. 1. Emergency physician and state Rep. Arvind Venkat cites 500,000 Pennie enrollees statewide. Republican Mike Kelly urged reopening government, while President Trump said he’d address the credits after reopening; enrollment runs through Jan. 15.

Donovan Mitchell’s 21-point third quarter hushed Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks answered with a 14-2 burst to open the fourth and closed a 119-111 win over the Cavaliers. New York’s balance and bite told: five scored in double figures, led by OG Anunoby’s 24 and Jalen Brunson’s 23, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 19 and Mikal Bridges 16. Bridges’ hustle set the tone as the Knicks dominated the glass 46-32, logged 22 assists, and got 35 bench points. Mitchell had just two in the fourth, and Mike Brown passed his first Knicks test with flying colors.

Senator Jeff Merkley ended a 22-hour, 37-minute floor speech warning of authoritarianism under President Trump, calling it the gravest threat since the Civil War and accusing him of shredding the Constitution. He blamed Republican compliance and a conservative Supreme Court establishing presidential immunity. Republicans blasted the marathon—Senator John Barrasso called it rubbish—saying it kept unpaid staff on duty during the shutdown. The Senate is set to consider paying some workers on Thursday. Merkley said he hoped to channel weekend anti-Trump rallies, timed the speech midweek, and felt lightheaded without water. He aimed to top Oregon’s 1953 benchmark.