JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1273

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.

Andrés Fernando Tufiño Chila, 41, survived a U.S. military strike on what President Donald Trump called a 'drug-carrying submarine' in the Caribbean, one of two survivors returned to their countries as 'terrorists.' His sister, who last heard from him a year ago when he went to fish, rejects that label and describes a struggling father of six; Ecuadorian authorities say he committed no crime there, though U.S. records show a 2020 drug-smuggling conviction. As the US expands strikes on suspected traffickers—now eight since September, with at least 34 dead—Ecuador’s impoverished fishermen remain the expendable link in a critical cocaine route.

MPs on the public accounts committee are pushing to probe Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge arrangements, with Keir Starmer signalling he supports MPs questioning him about the Windsor residence. Ed Davey urged the committee’s Conservative chair, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, to launch an inquiry, as scrutiny mounts over the 30-room property’s lease and peppercorn rent. The National Audit Office may provide an opening for hearings in the new year. Pressure has intensified amid fresh allegations in Virginia Giuffre’s memoir; Andrew denies wrongdoing. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and others called for transparency and value for taxpayers.

New research in Neurology Open Access ties oral health to brain changes and stroke risk. Adults with gum disease were more likely to show white-matter damage, and a second study led by Dr. Souvik Sen found that having both gum disease and cavities was linked to an 86% higher stroke risk than in people with healthy mouths, 'double trouble,' he said. Routine care, including brushing, flossing, and preventive cleanings, was associated with stroke risk dropping by as much as 81%. Researchers caution the studies show association, not proof that poor oral health causes strokes.

The US and Qatar warned the EU that its corporate sustainability due diligence directive poses an “existential threat” to European economies and urged lawmakers to repeal or pare it back, arguing it would restrict LNG imports. At the same time, the Trump administration granted final export approval for Venture Global’s CP2 terminal in Louisiana, capable of shipping 3.96bn cubic feet of LNG a day by 2027. One analysis estimates CP2’s emissions at about 190m tons a year, akin to 54 coal plants. Despite a DOE finding that exports raise US energy prices, officials pressed ahead, drawing environmental outcry.

Southwest Airlines reported an unexpected third‑quarter profit, topping Wall Street on adjusted EPS and revenue, even as net income fell 19% to $54 million. Revenue inched up 1% to $6.95 billion. The carrier forecast record fourth‑quarter sales, guiding unit revenue up 1%–3% and capacity up 6%, assuming demand holds. It reaffirmed its reduced 2025 earnings‑before‑tax outlook of $600 million to $800 million. Seeking new revenue, Southwest is moving away from open seating and two free checked bags; paid seat assignments will start, with related sales expected in the first quarter.

The U.S. gross national debt has topped $38 trillion for the first time, Treasury data show, as a government shutdown leaves hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and stalls the economy. Experts warned the impasse adds costs—past closures drained billions, including $11 billion during the 35-day 2018 shutdown. Michael A. Peterson noted the total crossed $37 trillion just two months ago and is growing at twice its 2000-era pace. With credit ratings lowered and interest costs projected to rise, Maya MacGuineas urged action as key trust funds face depletion in seven years.

Arizona Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva sued in federal court to compel Speaker Mike Johnson, or another official, to swear her into Congress after her Sept. 23 special-election win to succeed her late father. With the House in recess during the shutdown, Johnson has not seated her despite brief sessions, a delay Democrats call disenfranchising. Joined by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, the suit says Grijalva meets all constitutional requirements and notes two Republicans were sworn in this year while the House wasn’t in session. Johnson disputes the comparison. Working without an office or budget, Grijalva calls the holdup obstruction.

Astronomers say asteroid 2025 PN7 has become a quasi-moon of Earth, sharing our orbit until 2083, according to a paper in IOP Science. Though it can seem to loop around us, experts stress it actually orbits the sun on a path similar to Earth’s and will later shift into a horseshoe pattern. First imaged by the Pan-STARRS telescope on Aug. 29, earlier data show it’s trailed us for decades. It’s extremely faint—magnitude 26—so no second moon will appear to the naked eye.