We’re sat in a silent, empty, cardiac treatment room – on the other side of the door, you can hear the bustle of the largest A&E and major trauma ward in Devon.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
Author: alaskaadmin
Zohran Mamdani calls himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare”. They are the words of a man living the dream.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
Sir Alan Bates has reached a seven-figure deal to settle his claim over the Post Office Horizon scandal, more than 20 years after he began campaigning over what turned into one of Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
The “extraordinary bravery” of the LNER worker who intervened during the train mass stabbing attack on Saturday has been hailed by his company.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
NOTN-Alaskans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, did not receive their November benefits as scheduled Saturday.
In a social media post Friday afternoon, President Trump said he would ask the courts for additional guidance before releasing SNAP funds to states.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a state disaster to ensure food security, this 30 day declaration will allow the state to work with the federal contractor that manages SNAP benefits, loading funds onto EBT cards weekly instead of monthly so families can continue to buy food.
The Department of Health will also coordinate with food banks to fill any gaps in aid. The full declaration can be found below.
| November 3, 2025 (Anchorage, AK) — Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a state disaster declaration to deal with the food security issue as a result of inaction on the federal budget in Washington D.C. The Governor will declare a 30 day disaster declaration that ensures food security in two ways for the thousands of Alaskan households that utilize Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The Dunleavy Administration will work with the federal contractor responsible for loading EBT cards to deposit benefits on a weekly schedule. This ensures Alaskans will not struggle to put food on the table during the shutdown The Alaska Department of Health will begin discussions with food banks and work with them to ensure the resources are available to assist Alaskans that may otherwise fall between the cracks The Governor has been meeting with Speaker Edgmon and President Stevens to ensure the process for Legislative concurrence is expedited. Those discussions have gone well and demonstrate that the executive and legislative branches work well when Alaskans are in need. “I want to thank Speaker Bryce Edgmon and President Gary Stevens for working with me the past few days to craft an approach to deal with this issue,“ said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “I’m grateful and deeply relieved that help will reach Alaskans in need without further delay,” said House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I-Dillingham). “I want to thank the Governor and Senate President for acting swiftly and working together to make this happen.” “Alaskans shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll feed their families because of a federal stalemate,” said President Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak). “I appreciate and support the Governor’s declaration to ensure that Alaskans are not left behind because of inaction in Washington, D.C. Congress must reconcile their differences and act quickly so Alaskans, and all Americans, can continue to have the support and stability to care for their families.” The disaster declaration will last no longer than 30 days or as soon as the federal government reopens. Click here for a copy of the disaster declaration and the legislative notification. |
AP- Back from a week abroad, President Donald Trump threw himself into the shutdown debate, calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster and reopen the government, an idea swiftly rejected Friday by Republican leaders who have long opposed such a move.
Trump pushed his Republican Party to get rid of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections and gives the minority Democrats a check on GOP power. In the chamber that’s currently split, 53-47, Democrats have had enough votes to keep the government closed while they demand an extension of health care subsidies. Neither party has seriously wanted to nuke the rule.
“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump said in a late night social media post Thursday.
Trump’s sudden decision to assert himself into the shutdown now in its 34th day — with his highly charged demand to end the filibuster — is certain to set the Senate on edge. It could spur senators toward their own compromise or send the chamber spiraling toward a new sense of crisis. Or, it might be ignored.
Republican leaders responded quickly, and unequivocally, setting themselves at odds with Trump, a president few have dared to publicly counter.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said he is not considering changing the rules to end the shutdown, arguing that it is vital to the institution of the Senate and has allowed them to halt Democratic policies when they are in the minority.
The leader’s “position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged,” Thune spokesman Ryan Wrasse said Friday.
A spokeswoman for Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican, said his position opposing a filibuster change also remains unchanged. And former GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who firmly opposed Trump’s filibuster pleas in his first term, remains in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also defended the filibuster Friday, while conceding “it’s not my call,” from his chamber across the Capitol.
“The safeguard in the Senate has always been the filibuster,” Johnson said, adding that Trump’s comments are “the president’s anger at the situation.”
Broad GOP support for filibuster
Even if Thune wanted to change the filibuster, he would not currently have the votes to do so in the divided Senate.
“The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah posted on X Friday morning, responding to Trump’s comments and echoing the sentiments of many of his Senate Republican colleagues. “Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”
Debate has swirled around the legislative filibuster for years. Many Democrats pushed to eliminate it when they had full power in Washington, as the Republicans do now, four years ago. But ultimately, enough Democratic senators opposed the move, predicting such an action would come back to haunt them.
Little progress on shutdown
Trump’s demand comes as he has declined to engage with Democratic leaders on ways to end the shutdown, on track to become the longest in history.
He said in his post that he gave a “great deal” of thought to his choice on his flight home from Asia and that one question that kept coming up during his trip was why “powerful Republicans allow” the Democrats to shut down parts of the government.
But later Friday, he did not mention the filibuster again as he spoke to reporters departing Washington and arriving in Florida for a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home.
While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, Trump has not been seriously involved. Democrats refuse to vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate an extension to the health care subsidies. The Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on CNN that Trump needs to start negotiating with Democrats, arguing the president has spent more time with global leaders than dealing with the shutdown back home.
From coast to coast, fallout from the dysfunction of the shuttered federal government is hitting home. SNAP food aid is scheduled to shut off. Flights are being delayed. Workers are going without paychecks.
And Americans are getting a first glimpse of the skyrocketing health care insurance costs that are at the center of the stalemate.
“People are stressing,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce.
“We are well past time to have this behind us.”
Money for military, but not food aid
The White House has moved money around to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact, Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” signed into law this summer, delivered the most substantial cut ever to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, projected to result in some 2.4 million people off the program.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday the agency cannot release contingency funds to keep SNAP running, but two judges ruled nearly simultaneously Friday that the administration must continue to fund the food aid program. How quickly that might happen remains to be seen, as further consultation with the courts is expected on Monday.
Trump, in a social media post, said administration lawyers will be asking the courts “to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding,” Trump said.
“We are holding food over the heads of poor people so that we can take away their health care,” said Rev. Ryan Stoess during a prayer with religious leaders earlier this week at the U.S. Capitol.
“God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”
Deadlines shift to this week
The House remains closed under Johnson with no plans to resume the session, and senators left for the weekend and are due back Today.
The next inflection point comes after Tuesday’s off-year elections — the New York City mayor’s race, as well as elections in Virginia and New Jersey that will determine those states’ governors. Many expect that once those winners and losers are declared, and the Democrats and Republicans assess their political standing with the voters, they might be ready to hunker down for a deal.
If the shutdown continues into this week, it could surpass the 35-day lapse that ended in 2019, during Trump’s first term, over his demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
The owner of an Anchorage business destroyed during a building fire in March has filed suit against Denali Disposal, owned by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, and two other businesses that also used the destroyed building.
The lawsuit, by auto repair firm 2nd II None LLC, accuses all three defendants of negligence that contributed to the fire and seeks a judgment worth more than $100,000. The exact value is to be proven at trial.
According to a report by the Anchorage Fire Department, the fire — which destroyed a building owned by Restaurants Northwest, one of the defendants — was aggravated by several factors, including the fact that the building’s sprinkler system had been turned off.
Seventy-five firefighters, plus ambulance crews and police, responded to the fire, but their work was hampered by a water main break that reduced water pressure to the point that they couldn’t extinguish the blaze before it destroyed the building.
Total losses were estimated at $8 million, the report states.
The case was filed in Anchorage Superior Court on Oct. 23 and has been preliminarily assigned to Judge David Nesbett.
2nd II None is being represented by attorney William Earnhart, who declined comment on the case when reached by phone. State business records show 2nd II None as being owned by Darien Carter.
The lawsuit alleges “the fire started in a location under the exclusive control of Denali Disposal” and that “a structure fire ordinarily does not occur absent negligence.”
Wilson, reached by phone, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the need to avoid affecting legal proceedings.
The claim that the fire started in Denali Disposal’s rented section of the building does not match the fire department’s report, which states that officials were “unable to determine the exact origin and cause of the fire” but that “the fire originated inside the south half … of the structure.”
The building, at 501 West Potter Drive in Anchorage, was owned by Restaurants Northwest, which is one of the three defendants. State business records list former Anchorage Assemblyman and state Representative Larry Baker as the firm’s owner. Baker did not return a message left at his listed cellphone number.
According to the fire department’s report, the building’s sprinkler system had been disconnected for repairs in fall 2024 after a sprinkler head broke in a part of the building being used by Living Waters Plumbing and Mechanical, the third defendant in the lawsuit.
During a post-fire inspection, investigators found the sprinkler system was still switched to the off position.
State business records list Tim Thomas as Living Waters’ owner. He did not return an email seeking comment.
The legal complaint filed by 2nd II None states that “Living Waters and/or Restaurants Northwest knew or should have known the water valve was closed … having the water valve closed for no reason was negligent.”
Further proceedings in the case have not yet been scheduled.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
A new report claims that Millie Bobby Brown filed a complaint against Stranger Things co-star David Harbour, accusing him of bullying and harassment on set.
According to the Daily Mail, Brown filed a “lengthy complaint” about Harbour before the show began filming its fifth and final season.
The outlet claims that Netflix investigated the matter internally, but the results of that investigation are unknown.
The situation was reportedly serious enough that Brown filmed the final season with “a personal representative” on hand to ensure that she was not subjected to any further mistreatment.
The Mail specifies that Harbour has not been accused of any sexual impropriety.
Scandal on the set of ‘Stranger Things’
“Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying claim before they started shooting the last season,” a source tells the outlet.
“There were pages and pages of accusations. The investigation went on for months.”
The news comes on the heels of months of bad press for Harbour.
The 50-year-old’s marriage to Lily Allen came to an end, with her accusing him of rampant infidelity.
Allen’s new album contains scathing lyrics that appear to be referring to Harbour.
Brown, meanwhile, appears to be thriving. In May of 2024, she married Jake Bongiovi, the son of music legend Jon Bob Jovi.
Earlier this year, Millie and Jake announced that they’d adopted a child.
Stranger Things began filming when Harbour was 41 and Brown was 12. In the past, he’s claimed that he feels a paternal protectiveness for his much-younger co-star.
“Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young. I knew her before any of this big fame hit,” Harbour said on a 2021 episode of Dan Patrick’s podcast.
“I have a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry,” he continued.
“I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with.”
Neither Harbour nor Brown has commented on the Mail‘s report. The final season of Stranger Things debuts on November 26.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Millie Bobby Brown Accused David Harbour of Harassment on ‘Stranger Things’ … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 3 minutes
They’re outta there, folks.
According to The Telegraph, Kate Middleton and Prince William have officially moved into their forever home, taking their three kids with them to relocate to Forest Lodge in Windsor.
We first reported on this development a few weeks ago.
There’s a backstory to all of this, of course.
Prince William and Princess Kate moved their home base from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor three years ago.
At the time, sources explained the spouses wanted to test the new location to see if it worked for their family.
From there, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, started attending the nearby Lambrook School, as the location makes it easy the Prince and Princess of Wales to balance parenting with their royal duties.
Speaking at the Irish Guards’ St. Patrick’s Day parade in March, Princess Kate told soldiers:
“We are in Windsor at the moment. We were in London but moved there for more green space. It’s close enough to London, not too far away.”
Middleton, of course, spent a majority of the last year or so battling cancer — and while she remains in remission and is recovery mostly well, this has been a difficult time for Kate, William and their kids.
“Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind,” an insider told The Sun in October.
This source also says the Windsor location permits Will and Middleton to be “as hands on as possible” as mother and father while still playing a vital role within the Royal Family.
The new home will be located about 30 minutes from Middleton’s parents, while Kate and William will pay for all renovations themselves… which isn’t that hard when you consider that the latter receives around $30 million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall Estate.
Insiders have said that this new property will remain Middleton and William’s primary residence…. even when William ascends to the throne.
Originally built in the 1770s, Forest Lodge is a Georgian-era mansion that was purchased by the Crown Estate in 1829, and the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park lived in the residence until the 1930s.
There was speculation in the 1970s that Princess Anne and her then-husband, Mark Phillips, might occupy the property.
Alas, they never moved in.
Kate Middleton and Prince William: We’ve Moved Into Our New Home! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
LAS VEGAS — Republican Jews acknowledged antisemitism is cropping up in their movement during a conference this weekend, but were quick to blame left-leaning Democrats for fanning the flames.
At the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership summit, a string of recent high-profile antisemitic incidents — including a skirmish this week featuring Tucker Carlson and the Heritage Foundation — cast a long shadow. Even as many speakers denounced antisemitism among conservatives and said the GOP must root it out, nearly all their condemnations were quickly qualified by criticism of Democrats.
“Republicans have a cold, and Democrats have a fever,” Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary and RJC board member, told reporters. “And Republicans are fighting the cold.”
The group’s summit, held annually at The Venetian Expo, the late casino magnate and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson’s convention center, occurs this year as the Republican Party is facing a barrage of pro-Nazi and pro-Hitler incidents within its ranks. Last month, a nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel withdrew his nomination after bragging of his “Nazi streak” in a text message; days earlier, POLITICO reported on a leaked group chat of Young Republicans who praised Hitler and joked about the Holocaust. The same week, a Nazi symbol was discovered hanging in a GOP Congressional office.
Then, this week, Carlson hosted Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes on his podcast; the guest claimed the “big challenge” to unifying the country was “organized Jewry.” Carlson, a former Fox News host who retains a large following, said Republican Israel supporters suffer from a “brain virus.”
RJC speakers took aim at Carlson starting on the conference’s opening night. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Thursday he has “seen more antisemitism on the right” in the past six months “than I have in my entire life.”
“If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool, and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing, then you are (a) coward and you are complicit in that evil,” Cruz said.
But many speakers downplayed the concern, saying antisemitism is relegated to the fringes of the GOP.
Matt Brooks, CEO of the hosting organization, told reports that antisemitism is “a very small, limited problem in our party.” On Saturday, RJC staffers gave attendees large placards reading “TUCKER IS NOT MAGA” to wave, suggesting that Carlson’s antisemitic views stand apart from the GOP mainstream. Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), the longest serving Republican Jew in Congress, emphasized in his speech that antisemitism is an issue on the “fringes” of the Republican Party, and suggested that legacy conservative institutions like the Heritage Foundation are removed from the party’s mainstream.
“Heritage has to decide whether, in fact, they’re going to be a serious conservative movement and think tank and resource for all of us, or whether they’re going to pray to the fringes,” Kustoff said in an interview.
Even Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida), who denounced Carlson as “the most dangerous antisemite in America” in his speech, said in an interview that antisemitism is “still on the fringes” in his party.
“But if we don’t deal with it, it could metastasize, like we’ve seen with the Democrats,” Fine said. “And I’m not willing to be a part of that.”
The string of antisemitic incidents among Republicans in recent weeks has caused some top Jewish GOP donors to double down. “Antisemitism isn’t a ‘right-wing’ problem — it’s a human one, festering across the spectrum,” said Y. David Scharf, a GOP megadonor and grandson of Holocaust survivors. He noted the incidents “don’t shake my support for the RNC or GOP candidates — they fuel it.”
“The party’s swift suspension of that Young Republicans chapter shows accountability,” he added. “I will back those who fight hate decisively.”
Even so, the antisemitic incidents have yet to garner explicit condemnations from President Donald Trump or Vice President J.D. Vance, a fact RJC officials and Republican lawmakers downplayed in interviews. “This is a decision every elected official gets to make,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) told reporters, when asked about Vance’s dismissal of Young Republicans’ rhetoric as “edgy, offensive jokes.”
“I believe the Republican Party stands for Israel. I believe we stand against antisemitism,” Scott said.
Unless Trump, Vance and other Republican leaders condemn the incidents, it will only continue to fester, said Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America. “If the president himself and Republicans were serious about combating antisemitism, they would condemn it when it emerges in their own ranks. And they do not,” Soifer said in an interview last week. “There’s a permission structure within the Republican Party, and it comes from the top.”
Joe Gruters, the chair of the Republican National Committee, mentioned antisemitism nine times throughout his speech Saturday, all in reference to universities or the political left. “Antisemitism has found a home in the Democrat Party,” he said.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) agreed, adding, “Let’s face it: Antisemitism is running wild on the progressive left,”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest ranking Jewish senator, encouraged Republicans to look inward, writing on social media Thursday, “Every person who has aligned itself with the Heritage Foundation, including elected officials, must disavow this dangerous mainstreaming of these hateful ideologies.”
CORRECTION: Matt Brooks’ name was incorrect in an earlier version of this article.
Politics